Highwayman

I run through the plan one more time with The Voice. Using the ORPO uniform and bike, I will linger around the stretch of highway between the airport and the Heath. The Voice will be tracking the militia as they make their way towards the Heath. Once they make it to the highway, I will move to intercept them.

Using my appearance as an ORPO officer, I will flag down the militia and get them to disembark from their vehicles. Once that's done, I will look for an excuse to radio police HQ for assistance and to pick up the militia as suspects involved in the warehouse incident. The Voice will provide me with a bogus ORPO ID to make the call and will prioritize my request in ORPO's system, ensuring the militia's presence is logged and known. Under these circumstances, the militia will be in no position to conduct the kidnapping of the Hero.

The Voice interrupts with a question, "What if the militia refuses to comply with your order to pull over?"

"Then I will follow their vehicles with the bike's siren blaring at full. A call would be made to ORPO HQ that suspicious individuals have refused to comply with the police. With that kind of heat on the militia, the end result would be the same, the kidnapping would no longer be possible." I explain.

The Voice continues to question, "What happens if the militia pulls over, but decides to attack you to prevent your interference in their mission? Bear in mind that it is certain that you will be outnumbered even though you have chosen not to attack their base of operations."

I had already thought about that happening so I elaborate, "All this will take place on the highway in full view of the public and I am disguised as a cop. I doubt the militia will immediately resort to force against me. If they do, I will attempt to wound them to the point where they can no longer perform their mission and retreat. If that is not possible, I will immediately retreat and call ORPO HQ for help while tailing the militia on the bike. The ruckus will make their mission impossible."

The Voice grunts with satisfaction, "I approve of this plan with one amendment. The bike will be controlled by me. That will make it easier for you to conduct the interception and harassment of the militia as well as to perform your retreat. All you need to do is mime riding it."

Great. The Voice could probably control the bike far better than I could ride it. Looks like the whole plan has come together. I pick up and don the bike helmet, closing the mirrored visor to prevent anyone from seeing my face. I give my gear a once over before wheeling the bike out into the street. With a swing of my leg, I mount the bike as its engine fires up. I grip the bike's handles securely and it rockets towards the highway.

....

Once more I pass under the shadow of Ascension Tower, the massive structure looming over the evening skyline. I did not have a watch with me, but I am guessing that the Hero must be on his way to the Heath right now. I take a deep breath to steady my nerves. Its almost show time.

The bike takes an abrupt turn and cruises along a road that merges with the highway. Once it hits the highway, the bike's engine roars like a lion as it begins to speed up. We are no longer going about in circles. The Voice must have detected that the militia have reached the highway.

The Voice rumbles, confirming my suspicion, "Up ahead. Do you see the black SUV? That is the target vehicle."

I breathe a sigh of relief. Just one vehicle worth of trouble then? I should be able to handle that with the powers The Voice provided me with.

The Voice guns the bike's engine and cuts straight towards the SUV in the distance. The bike's siren starts to blare over the noise of the traffic. The other motorists sharing the highway instinctively slow down when they see the bike's flashing cop lights, allowing me an easier time at reaching the target. I signal the artificial core to activate as The Voice pulls the bike up alongside the SUV.

I rap on the driver's side window and signal for it to stop by the hard shoulder. The driver nods and drifts his vehicle to the side of the highway before stopping.

I dismount from the bike and The Voice shuts off the siren. The driver of the SUV winds down his window as he sees me approaching. Goat man in a suit. Definitely part of that warehouse crew.

"What's the problem officer?" Goat Man asks in a neutral tone. I see that there is another guy sitting on the passenger side of the SUV, plus who knows how many have been crammed into the rear area. The SUV is alight with the glow from their combined spiritual nimbus.

"License please." I ask in as professional a tone that I can manage. Can't let them get see through the disguise. Goat Man fishes out his license from a wallet and hands it to me. I make a show of checking it before using radioing in the code that The Voice told me beforehand. This would inform the ORPO dispatcher to send officers to assist and to pick up possible suspects. However, I notice that Goat Man's eyes narrow when he sees me using the radio as he and the guy sitting beside him share a significant look.

"Sir, please step out of the vehicle." I instruct Goat Man.

"Sure officer." Goat Man says with a smile and steps out of the SUV, walking towards me. The guy beside him also exits the vehicle and I sense him moving around to my rear as Goat Man's smiling visage takes up the whole of my view. I immediately shift my position so that I am facing both of them.

"Sir, please tell your friend to stay where he is." I say.

Goat Man just smiles even wider as both he and the other guy continue closing in on me. I hear the sound of the rear passenger door on my side open. So that's how its going to be huh?

Goat Man's partner moves first, charging towards me in an attempt to shove me into the rear of the vehicle. He's fast, but there's no way he could have taken me by surprise. Not when I can see his spirituality flare just before he moves into action. My right leg snaps up, driving straight into his gut, bowling the demon backwards.

Goat Man's spirituality flares as well and his fist flies straight to my chest. I do not bother blocking the attack, letting the stab vest and my powers weather it. I barely feel anything as the punch connects with a muffled thump while I extend my arms and grab Goat Man by the face. With one smooth motion I slam Goat Man's head right into the chassis of the SUV. There is a satisfying crack as the SUV's body deforms at the impact spot with a fresh paint of blood layered over it.

I spin around to confront the goon squad unloading from the rear of the vehicle. Three on my side, three on the other. I click my tongue in annoyance. At least two of the gang were down for the count.

I draw the stun gun and shoot the first guy disembarking from the SUV on my side. Th prongs sink into his thigh and as the electric buzz from the stun gun fills the air, the demon's leg begins jerking and gives way, causing him and his other two buddies to tumble back into the car like dominoes.

I take the opportunity to draw the baton and advance on the groaning lot. Grabbing the stunned guy by the suit, I pull him out of the SUV and belt him hard across the face with my weapon. Teeth and blood fly from the impact. The body crumples to the ground insensate. Another goon out of the fight. Probably.

Then I am distracted by several impacts against my torso. I look down and see one of the goons that had fallen back into the SUV repeatedly delivering frenzied kicks into my stomach from a prone position. When another kick lands, I grab the goon's leg and drag him bodily out of the SUV. The look on the goon's face morphs into one of sheer terror as he sees me lifting the baton high before slamming it against his shin.

I feel the bone break and the goon gives an ear splitting scream before settling down to incoherent sobbing. Fourth one down.

My senses prick up. The guys that had exited the SUV from the other side were now behind me. Another three of them. I turn to face them, slowly twirling the bloodstained baton.

But these three don't come charging at me. They arrange themselves in a neat row and draw their swords in unison. So the gloves are coming off then?

The trio's spirituality begins to merge as they raise their swords as one. Not merely merging, but multiplying, amplifying the potency of the combined spiritual field. The pressure around me suddenly builds as their combined nimbus glows white hot. My eyes widen in alarm as the massive nimbus flares in preparation of an attack.

I throw myself to the ground just in time as the trio swing their swords in my direction. A bolt of pure energy blazes over me, missing me by a whisker. My eyes track the bolt of energy as it smashes straight into a passing car, blasting the car into two halves. The traffic which had slowed to watch the fight is now driven into blind panic. The entire crowd of vehicles blindly lurches forward in an attempt to get away from the scene, like a pack of stampeding animals. I hear the metallic crunches of collisions occur around me along with the agonized bleating of the pack who impotently blare their horns in confusion.

Picking myself back up, I see the final domino guy emerge from the SUV, lunging at me with a drawn sword. With no time to dodge, I grab the blade of the sword and twist hard. The core's output surges to resist the damage and it feels like molten fire is being poured down my arm and into the hand. The blade snaps satisfyingly and my attacker is thrown of balance. My instincts take over and my attacker is shanked in the gut with the broken blade. My other arm whips out in an arc and the baton smacks the guy's head, sending him flying off his feet. Five down.

By the time I am done with domino guy though, the trio are already halfway through prepping for another one of their combined attacks. As the combined nimbus flares once more, I duck behind the SUV to break the trio's line of sight on me. I enter a crouch, making my profile as small as possible.

And the SUV is sent rocketing off the ground, all the while being torn apart by the force of the trio's attack. Nearly half the SUV bowls into my crouched form, sending me flying along with it into the panicked herd. The SUV wreckage slams me against another car, and I am left sandwiched between the two metal hulks.

The heat in my chest grows and my entire body vibrates, as if it was trying to shake itself apart. And with the heat comes the feeling of exhilaration, of euphoria. The familiar feeling of wanting to be unleashed.

The core. I am drawing too much power. I have to slow down.

I begin to struggle in order to free myself from the wreck. The heat grows in sympathy as my muscles strain. The buzzing in my head returns. Light begins to blossom behind my eyes.

With a thunderous blow, I send the lid of my metal tomb flying off. But the light blinds me. I don't see my enemies. I don't see the anything at all.

Just the light.