Chromed: Consensus: A Cyberpunk Contingency Story (Future Forfeit City Stories Book 1) by Richard Parry

Author:Richard Parry [Parry, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780995114807
Publisher: Mondegreen
Published: 2018-07-06T11:00:00+00:00

When Olivia opened the door for them, her access to the local link a thing of wonder and beauty, everything was as described. The guard station was a standard affair, used to housing a pair of usually-bored, but currently-terrified, soldiers. These soldiers were expected to do clearance checks for people going into the lab proper. There shouldn’t have been anyone unauthorized making it this far into the facility. If intruders did make it this far, they would — under normal circumstances — have had to joust with a hundred troops, locked doors, and other forms of resistance.

Which meant anyone making it this far back was a serious motherfucker, and not to be messed with. That was Austin’s firm view, anyway, and cards were playing well in their favor tonight.

Inside the guard station were the expected soldiers, one left, one right. They had — unlike the TC outside — correctly identified Ruby as the point of hard contact, weapons trained on the woman as she ducked in and to the left. They had assault rifles, good weapons for an everyday situation, and they were firing on Ruby as she moved.

As Austin entered, moving to the right, he raised the Glock, then paused, the film of overtime settling around him. Ruby was moving like a gymnast, a hands-free cartwheel turning her through the air, bullets missing her by the grace of God alone. As she was inverted, head down, legs in the air, no part of her body connected to the ground, she unloaded with both her SMGs at one of the Reed soldiers.

Not to be outdone by mere staff, Austin focused on the other Reed guard. The Glock was still set on automatic fire, and seeing no reason to break a winning formula, he left it alone. He squeezed the trigger, the gold of the Glock bright under the room’s fluorescent lights, and emptied the weapon into his assigned soldier, like bullets were treats handed out at a party. The rounds hammered into the soldier (who was still focused on Ruby, which would teach them — ever so briefly — that Austin was also not one with whom you wanted to fuck).

Austin let his gaze turn to Ruby, who landed on both feet like she’d done this a hundred times before, her SMGs still firing in bursts. The soldier she was shooting was already falling backward, and she strode forward, keeping the rounds hitting the body until her guns clicked empty. Smoke curled about the room, whisked into eddies by the air conditioning.

“Nice shooting,” said Austin.

“Thanks,” said Ruby. “Always been my strong preference to use over, rather than under kill, you know?”

“I hear you,” said Austin. “Olivia?”

“On it,” said Olivia. She opened the last door into the lab itself.

Austin smiled. It was finally time. Payback.

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