“You gotta leave one of those things every time?” Jacob asks as he slams open the back door.
“Of course!” Maddie laughs as she descends the relatively small staircase. “That’s how they know it’s me!”
“It has worked.” Rin acknowledges as the laughter fades.
A sudden hand grabs the scruff of Maddie and Jacob’s necks, Adami bringing their forms down into cover as a blast of gunfire erupts from down the dimly lit alleyway.
“Can we please focus on getting out in one piece?!” The Lookout yells over the whizzing of passing bullets.
One officer stands at the edge of the back alley, a watchman in a group stretched dangerously thin. A single semi-automatic handgun in his possession, lethal .45 caliber rounds embedding themselves in the concrete wall in puffs of dust.
The last round fired, silence at the end of a magazine; a small weapon finding itself expended with inexperienced panic.
The Bandit pulls herself from cover, a divine weapon brought to bear against a single lawman. Spinning barrels roar forth a stream of rounds, tracers igniting the poorly lit alleyway in a blinding light show of incomprehensible colors.
A hundred bullets impact the man, clothing struck and flesh bruised as tiny spheres of alloy are deflected easily by skin. Intimidation brought on by auditory and visual senses, a divine weapon instead bringing forth a non-lethal edge towards its target.
Sheer force from the wall of metal sends the man falling onto his back, an Officer stunned as he struggles for breath. A dropped weapon quickly kicked away by an approaching gang member, the Enforcer towering over the fallen form with a lethal shotgun.
“Sorry sir.” Jacob nods as Issac dumps a tightly wound stack of federal dollars onto the uniformed chest, the bribe compounding pain. “But please stay down.”
Air knocked out of lungs, the order is complied without consent as the Gang makes a break towards a parked vehicle at the end of the thin road.
A soundtrack of chaos, a riot spilling out into the world as within the bank the remaining bags are looted and distributed in violent retribution. The gnashing of tooth and nail against brothers and sisters pulling an entire city district into an unquenchable fire.
“Get in!” The Locksmith yells as they approach the parked vehicle.
Four wheeled with an open top, a truck mass produced from rolled steel and bolted together with indiscriminate craftsmanship. An empty cargo bed suddenly filled as three of the gang members clamber in, the two remaining sprinting to the cabin.
Issac masterfully vaults over the hood, quickly tearing open the unlocked doors and throwing himself into the driver’s seat. “Ready?!”
“GO GO GO!” Maddie yells.
“Whose got the map?!” The man suddenly yells.
“What?!”
“I was joking.” The man chuckles painfully as he takes the keys from his pocket. “Gods everyone thinks Jacob’s funny.”
Spark plugs ignite cold biofuel, an engine sputtering to life. A gear set in motion by experience, transmission locked as the man steps on the gas pedal.
Idle rumble turned to a roar, the monstrous noise sending forth brutal acceleration as the first three gear shifts are masterfully executed. Headlights illuminate the fast approaching intersection at the end of the alley, traction from rubber tires lost as the entire frame begins to drift at speed.
“Watch out WATCH OUT!” Adami yells.
A gear shifted down and emergency brake applied, Issac clears the corner towards the open road as his Gang screams in terror.
“Relax!” The man grits as he tears back control with the steering wheel, the paved road gripping rubber tires with immense force. “Gods stop being so dramatic!”
Wind upon faces, a freedom unmatched in a dying world. Street lighting passing at speed, experienced minds weaving through light traffic as shocked onlookers watch in surprise.
A day’s work completed, the central districts of March vibrant in celebration. Neon lighting from cinemas intermix with the humble signage of saloons and restaurants, the sounds of conversation from workers of all strata lost against the roar of an engine and blasting of wind at speed.
Carelessly blazing through intersections and passing through backroads, the mind allows itself an indulgence of relaxation. The Bandit slumps down as she leans against the cold steel of the cabin, a breath taken as her head falls between her knees.
“Not bad for your first planned job Boss.” Jacob chuckles to his leader. “Though could’ve been a bit better in some places.”
Maddie scoffs. “Hey, let's leave the debriefing for after the party. Rin, you take a commission fee?”
“I did.” Rin raises the duffle bag, the clinking of brass against steel muffled by synthetic fiber.
“You guys want me to plan the next one?” The young woman chuckles, the Gang shaking their heads as they laugh. “Admit it, this one went…”
Eyes grow wide as she spots it, a hollow pair of glowing orbs following the vehicle.
A pair of irises, a monster keeping track of the getaway car as it scurries through a March night. Headlights aimed close to ground, an armored beast built for conflict against the chaos of a lawless world.
“We’re being followed!” Maddie yells over the roar of passing wind.
In rear view mirrors Issac spots it, memories flooding into the present tense. “That’s a Judge…!”
