The sound of gunshots rang out through the alleyway as Cahlayn, a councilor of the town of Tanith's Gully, ran away from them. Her lungs heaved with the effort of breathing as she tried to outdistance her pursuers. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, but could feel the power in them fading fast. While she had taken some initiative to stay in shape, it was in running where she fell short.
Cahlayn cursed the fact that she hadn't seen the obvious trap that had been laid out for her. She supposed that her concern for her merchandise had overridden any good sense in that moment. Because of that lack of foresight, she was now on the run from these... machines that were hunting her down. The very thought of facing these things was terrifying, as they were fast, efficient and showed no compassion, like real life Terminators.
She'd heard of these 'Sentries' from some of her sources, but had dismissed the claims of these robots as little more than errant fantasy. Now, she was regretting having taken such a stance in the first place. Cahlayn tugged at the firearm that was in the waistband of her pants and pointed it over her shoulder, squeezing off a few rounds.
The woman hoped that such shots might be lucky enough to damage these robots, but it was a fool's hope. She'd seen some of these Sentries up close before she crafted a distraction so she could make a break for it. With armor plating protecting all the vital areas, there was no way she could hope to even make a ding in their armor! If she had a heavy caliber machine gun, maybe, but not with the pistol she clutched in her grip.
Regardless, she grasped at whatever stray thought of hope that entered her head. Cahlayn prayed that whatever she did, it would be enough to escape those relentless machines, and those who commanded them. She'd already left behind their owners several blocks back and believed she had evaded them at least.
Thinking she was far enough away, she thought she might be able to hide from them. Turning the corner, Cahlayn started to glance around, searching for a hiding spot, until she heard the cocking of a gun behind her. The woman would have turned around, were it not for the feeling of cold steel pressed to the base of her skull.
"Drop it! Try anything funny, bitch, and I'll put holes in some very obvious places to where even a vat job and mod overhaul won't fix it," a feminine voice told her.
"I'd do as she says! You've already invoked our ire! Do you really want to piss off the likes of Deputy Parks?" Inari asked, her hand cannon pointed straight at her heart.
"You got a good line on her?" the deputy asked as she pulled out her cuffs. In response, a shot hit the street just an inch away from the councilor's feet. The woman hopped and yipped in warning, then saw a laser dot show up at the spot where her heart was. The laser dot then migrated to the corrupt councilor's head, resting right between her eyes.
"Yup! She even tries moving, she'll lose her head," Priya stated into the comms, letting everyone know.
"I'm sure you know where the sniper is pointing her rifle, yeah?" the deputy questioned as she moved in to detain the woman.
"I'm not stupid! Just take me in and off the street, please! I can't stay out here!" Cahlayn pleaded.
"Why not? Maybe we should let the people of Tanith's Gully know just how much of a traitor you really are!" Daved suggested.
"You don't understand! They'll kill me!" she argued, sounding like she was on the verge of panic.
"Once we're done with you, maybe we should let them!" Daved scoffed.
"It won't get that far! They won't let me live long enough!" she cried. Just then, a laser sight sat on Deputy Parks' chest, dancing for a moment.
"Pree, quit dicking around!" Inari scoffed over the comms.
"That's not me! Get everyone down!" the woman screamed just as a sniper's bullet hit the deputy in the chest.
"Enemy sniper!" Inari cried out as the deputy went down with a scream. The rest of the group got down, taking the corrupt councilor with them as several shots whizzed right by her head.
"I got eyes on the bastards! There's two of them!" Priya called out, as she locked onto the first one.
She had him sighted in and fired just as he noticed her. It was too late for him, as his head exploded a second later while Priya searched out the second sniper. Priya found the woman on an adjacent rooftop, but she was already moving. It was clear that she'd seen what happened to her friend and was getting out while she still could. While she didn't have a clean kill shot, Priya settled for another target on her and fired.
"You're clear to get up!" Priya responded over the comms as an ear-splitting shriek pierced the air.
"What the fuck was that?" Inari asked as she climbed to her feet.
"I didn't have a kill shot, so I wounded the bitch who was shooting at everyone," Priya told her.
"Where did you hit her? Her leg?" Daved asked, as he knew such wounds could often be painful.
"Too much of a risk in hitting any arteries. I settled for a cheek shot. Lots of meat there," Priya chuckled.
"Really, Pree? A shot in her butt cheek?" Inari replied, trying to sound like she was reprimanding the woman, all while giggling out the side of her mouth.
"One; it will slow her down, as you need your ass muscles to walk upright. Two; it was the best non-lethal shot I had so we could try to catch her and three; there's still a lot we don't know about who could be an infiltrator here. So, the more operatives we catch, the better our chances of getting them all," Priya replied, defending her actions.
"Where is she now?" Inari questioned, already on her feet and moving.
"She hopped off the roof of a two story home just a moment ago, about a hundred meters in front of you. You should catch her easily enough, given how much she's hobbling," Priya snickered.
Inari rolled her eyes and headed in the direction her girlfriend directed her. Sure enough, she spotted the woman who Priya had shot, not even ten meters away. She was trying to run, but accomplishing something more along the lines of a shambling walk as she tried to get away. Inari scoffed as she drew her shotgun and loaded a beanbag round before she cocked the weapon, aimed, and opened fire.
A piercing wail split the air as the woman went down in a heap, the round catching her in the small of her back. Inari trotted over as a couple of deputies, including Parks, found her and her target in short order. They all hustled over, eager to get their hands on the woman who was believed to have almost ended Deputy Parks.
"You OK there, deputy?" Inari asked as the trio of law enforcement officials moved to apprehend the wounded woman.
"The round hit my armor jacket at an angle, so most of it was stopped," the deputy replied with a wince. "What's wrong with her? She's squirming more than a caged devilcat."
"That's because I bean bagged her at around eight meters. Hit the small of her back. Combine that with the ass shot..." Inari replied with a gesture.
"That'll be a fuckton of pain! Let's get her up and to the station. Hopefully, she'll be talkative after we get her looked after," the deputy said.
