Crack in the Kill Code (AmpCore #2)

54 - Shot Across the Bows

It was chaos.

The attending wait-staff scattered to the margins as everyone in the room exploded out of their seats. A rainbow of shining visors erupted across the faces of most of them, voices rising sharply, like someone had just wrenched the volume knob up to maximum. People were barking orders into comms, demanding status reports, jostling and shoving and cursing one and other as they spilled towards the elevators.

"Let's go," Odiye hissed, a hand under her arm as he tugged her to her feet.

She shot upright, following close behind as he slithered his way through the surge of bodies to reach Toran, whose visor was lit up like a power-plant.

He raised a hand for silence as they approached, his head twitching slightly as the tried to take in the information cascading through his system. Even a brush at the outer margins gave Piper a weird surge of vertigo. Looking past him, she saw Conan Knox retreating out of one of the exits, chaperoned by his private security, and just as immersed in the data streams as his son. They were probably firing messages back and forth as this played out.

It was only seconds, but it felt like an age before Toran's visor flickered out of existence. His sharp eyes blazed behind it.

"Follow me."

"Where are they attacking?" Arrow asked.

"Seems centred on a Wayfinder security coordination complex," he answered as they joined the flow of people towards the elevators, "but I've got spillover through most of the surrounding city block. Seems like a full fucking mess out there. I've got chatter from half a dozen security contractors and the local police department on deployment."

"Sounds like we'd better hurry up," Odiye grunted.

"Do we have time to change?" Piper asked, gesturing to her dress awkwardly. "I'm not going to be much use in a fucking street battle when I'm dressed for a ball-room dance."

"Pick up's on its way," Toran told them. "They're bringing our tactical gear. You're going to have to get changed in the car."

She rolled her eyes. "I'll struggle along somehow."

The four of them piled into the elevator along with a half-dozen other people, all speaking at a breakneck pace, talking over each other, speaking into their wireless comm units. Panic. This was what corporate panic looked like. Toran's visor flashed on and off several times in the short elevator ride back down. Even Arrow and Odiye both had to take a few seconds to answer queries in short, clipped sentences.

Everyone spilled out of the elevator and the mad rush began anew. No attendants or building guards attempted to stop anyone, and beyond the main doors she could see a huge sea of lights as corporate vehicles jostled for position outside the foyer.

For now, she knew she just had to go with the flow. She barrelled along after Toran, who shoved his way through anyone moving slower than he was, barging to the front of the queue and daring anyone to stop him. In his wake, they clattered out into the cool night air of the city. Around them, Piper saw many of the attendees hastily downing shots of scour as they leapt into cars.

"This way," Toran barked, twisting to the left, leading them to the left out of the main throng of people. A little way down the street, a sleek black van idled, its lights dimmed and unobtrusive, until they got close to it.

Then the back doors swung open, revealing a squad of armour-bulked men and women.

"Get in!" one grunted, beckoning them, his heavy rifle hanging easily in the other hand. Toran didn't break stride, loping up into the rear section with a powerful shove of one leg. They Piper followed at the back of the line, having to awkwardly vault up into van because of the constricting dress.