Escape from Abyss

Chase

The car flew through the maze of supply lines and train tracks. Steve played the news on his pocket PC. The matchbox-sized object projected a holograph before them.

"Earlier this day, three human terrorists viciously attacked and murdered several Croc civilians and Dark water personnel trying to protect them. ", a pasty man named Mayor Wheeler yelled on the news, it seemed to Cassie as if he was pushing back tears.

"We fiercely condemn this atrocity, for such an act of malice has no place in our community. Thus I've ordered a citywide lockdown to catch these criminals. All good citizens are requested to aid security forces to the fullest ", he wiped a tear from his eye.

Steve closed the video in anger. "Why do people even watch TV? It's like paying for a service that begs you to commit suicide "

"The City's skies are crawling with gunships and drones ", Eli looked at a tablet screen, "there's no safe route to the docks. We have to take the tunnels"

"There's an emergency message from Sam! ", Hinami turned on the comms. "Run...they..." the message broke down to static.

"Did they get to him, but...", Cassie noticed a white light for a fleeting second before a building to their right exploded. The shockwave sent the car reeling to the left. "Gunships on our six ", a barrage of minigun rounds carved a line through the buildings towards them. Hinami slid through a pair of skyscrapers.

Cassie saw two gunships behind them. The ion engines on the armored behemoths left a trail of faint plasma behind them. Their armored bodies were bristling with missiles and sensors.

"They're coming up on our right as well ", Steve panicked as the sensors picked up three more. They fired their miniguns as well, forcing Hinami to turn left. A dozen drones now appeared on their twelve, blocking every path ahead.

"We're surrounded "Hinami despaired as the net tightened around them.

"No ", Eli looked at the map, "they're trying to force us towards city square and surround us ". He ground his teeth, "Go straight ahead, right through them "

"What? ", she looked back incredulous.

Steve picked up on it, "They can't kill us because of Cassie, do it "

"Alright ", she charged at the drones at full speed.

Why am I so valuable to them? Cassie thought as the car raced towards the wall of drones. The black, crab-shaped drones held their formation as the car charged into them. Cassie closed her eyes for impact but the drones dodged at the last second.

"That was close! ", Steve exhaled.

"Don't speak too soon ", Hinami saw a dozen gunships and many more drones scrambling towards from all directions.

Eli looked at the map and spoke, "There's an abandoned industrial complex just a few miles north of here with access to the tunnel system. If we can get underground, we might lose them "

"On it ", the car moved towards the location.

#

The man in black arrived at the entertainment zone. It was several streets of interconnected buildings filled with gambling dens, fighting pits, visual simulators, drug houses, and physical sex houses.

The streets were bustling with denizens of all shades. He saw two Fleugs fighting on the ground, a Croc bouncer throwing a Necker out of a gambling den, and a group of dazed humans fumbling out of the drug house.