Glitch in the God Complex (AmpCore #1)

61 - Road Rage

Reluctantly, Piper let her mind drift back to the task at hand, and she fell into line as Ferra bolted off down the hallway, leading them away from the main concentration of AmpCore's instructors and students and out into the periphery of the lecture halls and training rooms.

The plan had been simple enough – Piper to cause a diversion, Arrow to kill the systems, all the while Ferra and Holly infiltrated the forgeyard to liberate the confiscated amplifiers. The last piece of the puzzle was the getaway vehicle, where Toran and Odiye waited. Without the sensor grids to communicate they had no way of knowing how successful the duo had been, or what kind of vehicle they'd 'procured'. Right now Piper had to have a little faith.

They were still a few corridors away from the main garage when the lights snapped on again.

Instantly she felt the academy come to life, the data streams surging and sensor strips flaring into life. The alarm came with it, a thunderous klaxon that stung her ears.

Gig's up, Arrow's voice sounded instantly. I'm with Toran and Odiye at the garage. Where are you?

We're close, Ferra fired back. Are we good?

We've got transportation, if that's what you're asking, Odiye answered. But you need to hurry. Security are all over the main garage. We can't stay here much longer.

Piper felt the eyes of the sensor strips latch onto her again, the efficient security controllers wasting no time in locating their quarry. She felt a twinge behind her eyes as they tried to disrupt her implants. In response she twisted her amplifier hard, and sent a violent, haphazard jolt of feedback tearing through the system. A whole section of the sensor strips and advertising boards exploded in a shower of sparks and broken glass.

"They know where we are," Piper grated.

"Just come on," Ferra replied, the other girl increasing her pace. Her amplifier pulsed, and Piper suddenly felt lighter, each step propelling her further and further. It took a moment for her to realise that Ferra was messing with the local gravity to make them move just that bit faster.

They flew through the last few hallways, and burst out into the cavernous expanse of the academy's main garage. Rows of vehicles greeted them, ranging from sleek, bullet-shaped motorbikes, to black unmarked cars, to vans, all the way up to the bulky armoured carriers that would carry AmpCore's wrath into the worst of Hadrian's warzones.

There were also a lot of guards here, and Piper counted at least six AmpCore operatives scattered among them, shouting orders and gesturing angrily with their amplifiers. One of them was only a dozen meters away, and the man whirled around as they entered, sensing the presence of fellow AmpCore practitioners.

He clearly hadn't expected to come face to face with Piper, and his hesitation cost him dearly. His eyes widened, his amplifier rising uncertainly, before Piper launched him across the garage with a thump of gravity. The man smashed off the armoured windshield of one of the cars and tumbled to the ground.

"Go!" Piper shouted, dragging her barrier into place as the other guards spun towards the commotion. Bullets started flying, clanging off cars and pinging off the concrete as they were bent away from the running operatives. Ferra made a swirling motion with her amplifier and a thick mist quickly filled the garage, obscuring both parties.

More orders were shouted and she felt intense heat as the AmpCore operatives tried their best to scorch away the fog. The air pressure wrenched back and forth as a battle for the very atmosphere around them raged. Piper tried to pick out shapes in the gloom, launching combustive bolts at anything she could see moving.