My steps didn't falter for a beat. Sarah's message still on repeat in the back of my mind.
I turned left, the rain intensifying slightly. The alley was narrow, smelling of damp concrete and something metallic, like blood. The screams had stopped, replaced by the murmur of rough voices and the occasional sharp crackle. Electrical. Shockjack. Figures.
I slowed, melting into the shadow of a dumpster. My eyes scanned the storefront window, mostly obscured by rain and reflective grime. The sign above, barely legible in the neon bleed, read "Salvage King." A front, obviously.
There were four of them, maybe five.
Four targets confirmed inside the store. One outside, slumped against the wall near the alley entrance, barely visible. The Enforcer. Big, slow, predictable. He wasn't screaming anymore. A silent takedown.
I moved, coat billowing slightly against the rain. No wasted motion. Each step placed deliberately on sections of pavement least likely to splash or scuff. Reached the Enforcer. He was breathing, but shallow. Knife slid from my sleeve into my palm. One quick, silent thrust to the subclavicular artery. No sound. Body slumped further, unnoticed by the others inside.
Crept to the storefront window's edge. Peeked through a gap in the crud. Tactical analysis confirmed:
Shockjack: Center, hands sparking, talking loudly. Leader. Electrical gear. Prompt says kinetic dampener - direct shots useless. Need close-quarters takedown, target his power source.
The Brute: Near the back, kicking merchandise. Large, dull, relies on strength. Standard martial arts/knife work will suffice.
Blinkwire: Fidgeting near the counter, hand on his belt hardware. Teleporting flanker, based on intel. Relies on disorientation and mobility. Timing is key against him.
Unknown: One other grunt, maybe guarding someone forced inside? Or just another piece of muscle. Assume standard capabilities.
Four hostiles inside. My plan solidified instantly. Eliminate the unknowns first, create controlled chaos, isolate key targets.
The Brute was an easy mark. He wasn't watching the door. I slipped the lock pick into the back door mechanism. A soft click, barely audible over the rain and the low rumble of Shockjack's voice. Entered the dimly lit interior. Smelled of dust, ozone, and something metallic. My body felt instantly sharper, shifting from civilian transit to operational readiness. The world flattened into angles, ranges, targets. Sarah, the voice message – they receded, variables momentarily irrelevant.
Moved low, using overturned shelves and debris for cover. The Brute turned, sensing movement, but too late. My knife found the gap in his ribs, angled up into the heart. He crumpled, soundless, a dead weight hitting the floor.
The unknown grunt was next. He was watching Shockjack, bored. A quick, silent garrote from behind. Snap of cartilage. Body dropped quietly behind a display case.
Only Shockjack and Blinkwire left. Stealth was now disadvantageous. They expect quiet threats. I needed to shatter that expectation, force them to react predictably. Need to draw Shockjack away from Blinkwire, or vice versa, then handle Blinkwire while Shockjack is distracted or confused.
The prompt says break stealth, fire two shots inside to distract Shockjack. This was my cue.
I stepped from cover, pistol raised. Aimed low, deliberately missed Shockjack, hitting the floor near his feet. Crack. Crack. The sound was deafening after the silence, amplified by the enclosed space.
Shockjack roared, power surging visibly from his gauntlets. His attention snapped to me, just as intended.
Then Blinkwire appeared. A flicker of blue light, a faint 'fizz' from his belt. He was near the entrance, where I'd come in. His head snapped around, disoriented by the sudden shift in the battlefield, expecting shadows, finding direct confrontation. The teleport belt on his waist crackled, unstable.
The voice snippet played again in my ear.
He fizzled again, preparing another blink. I watched his timing. The slight hesitation, the preparatory twitch before the blue flash. It was a microsecond window.
He started his next jump, dissolving into the blue haze. Now.
I threw the knife hard, aiming for the midpoint of his trajectory, predicting his re-materialization vector. The blade spun, a silver blur in the dim light. Blinkwire reappeared with a 'fizz', but the knife was already there. It buried deep into his thigh mid-blink, anchoring him in place, his teleport belt screaming with overloaded feedback. He twisted in the air, falling heavily, the belt sparking uncontrollably.
He collapsed, clutching his leg, writhing. He wouldn't blink out again, not with that damage.
I fired once. A clean shot into his other knee. Non-lethal, debilitating. To make sure there was no chance of retaliation.
He screamed, a high-pitched sound of pain and rage.
Shockjack was in a full-blown frenzy now. His crew, his advantage, ripped away in seconds. He turned his full attention to me, power surging from his gauntlets and a pair of crackling stun whips. The shop's front windows imploded outward from the sheer energy discharge, raining glass onto the wet street.
He was a spectacle of controlled chaos, but his gear made direct engagement difficult. The kinetic dampener meant bullets hitting his suit would just be absorbed, potentially feeding power to him. Headshots were out – helmet protected that.
I couldn't shoot him normally. I had to bait him, force him to overcommit, then exploit the system's weakness.
I feigned retreat, drawing his charge. As he lumbered forward, arms crackling, I fired five quick shots, aimed low at the reinforced boots. Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack!
The shots didn't penetrate, just sparked off the boots, the kinetic energy absorbed by his suit. This was the plan. He was soaking it up, feeding it to his systems. His suit pulsed brighter, the crackle intensified. He lunged, swinging a crackling stun whip.
My body reacted instantly. Ducked under the searing arc of the whip, sliding low and fast across the wet floor, right into his guard. I was inside his reach, too close for his whips or gauntlets.
My hand went to the combat knife sheathed on my belt. Found the haft, drew it clean. Shockjack twisted, trying to bring his powered hands to bear, but he was too large, too slow at this range.
I drove the blade straight into the back of his suit, targeting the main power coupling. Steel sinking into armored plating, finding the vital junction.
A blinding flash of blue light erupted from the suit. A localized energy backlash, the overloaded system frying itself. Shockjack stiffened, yelled once, a guttural choked sound, then slumped forward onto the floor, unconscious. Smoke curled from the vents on his disabled suit.
I stood up as the rain continued to fall through the shattered window frame. The shop was silent again, save for the hiss of rain and the dripping water from the ceiling. My breathing was steady, heart rate barely elevated. Unshakable. The chemical cocktail of adrenaline and discipline kept everything level.
Maybe now, Sarah can feel safer in this new world.