Just Keep Running

Lei dropped down from the roof and stepped into the wreckage. Avoiding the flames and other harmful obstacles, she reached what used to be the cockpit. The pilots were dead. Moving on.

Oil and mechanical lubricants were spilling onto the floor, the walls threatening to buckle. Electric sparks were jumping around broken wires, and the sliding door separating the lounge from the cockpit was opening and closing nonstop. Jagged edges everywhere. Not ideal.

Utilizing her speed, she avoided all the obstacles and slipped through the passage. Time resumed once she looked around. It was dark. Lei could barely see anything. If it wasn't for the dim orange light blinking in the corner, the surroundings would be pitch black. 

"Myers…Hello? President Myers?" Lei's eerie voice sounded among the white noise.

There was no response. The masked girl walked around a bit more, checking under the seats and tables. As she kneeled to look under another table, time froze to a stop once more. Lei's survival sense pinged like a phone alarm. 

Only a red afterimage appeared where she was just located. Having already spun out of the tight vicinity, she located the source. A middle aged woman in a white decorative suit was standing over Lei's previous spot. In her hand was a shotgun. 

KABLAM

A powerful spread shot obliterated the ground beneath the table. The bullets lit up the floor as if they were the flames of a dragon. Incendiary ammo. Lei didn't take kindly to this greeting. How rude.

Still moving at flux speed, she smacked the weapon away and slammed the woman's upper half onto the table as well. Both hands were pinned behind her back. Lei had basically bent the woman over the table. Time resumed as she held the woman in place. 

"Oooof!"

"Relax. Are you President Myers?" The drifter's voice was calm. 

"Who are you?!" She responded with a growl. 

"...I'm with Songbird. You need to tone it down."

"Drifter…okay." Myers took a breath. "I'm sorry. Thought you were an enemy. Can you release me?"

"....................."

The merc let go of the president and backed up a few steps. Lei glanced at Myers' ass which was bent over the table and clicked her tongue. This woman had nothing back there. Couldn't feel even a bit of softness when pressing her down. 

'Lame.' Lei thought. Regardless of her thoughts, she spoke. 

"We need to delta."

"Right. Let me just grab my-"

BOOM

Something exploded in the other room, sending Myers flying into the wall. How unlucky. Lei accelerated to catch her as the blast took its course. Fortunately, it wasn't big enough to kill. A new hole had been blown into the wrecked aircraft. Barghest was here. 

"Pick up your iron. Time to go. Now." 

"Ugh!" Myers groaned while grabbing her shotgun. No time to complain. 

Outside of the flaming jet was a plethora of soldiers and drones. The first wave had arrived. Minotaurs were in the distance. They would reach the site in a few seconds. 

"We're trapped." The president exclaimed. 

"No." Lei disagreed. 

Looking to the right of the wreckage, a long hallway could be seen. It was an open hall, with the other side being completely visible. Myers could easily be shot while running through. It paralleled the direction these soldiers were arriving. This would normally be a death sentence…if the drifter wasn't here.

"You got a plan?" Myers commented. Lei nodded before pointing in the distance.

"Once I go out…count to three. Then run down that hallway. Don't look back. Just keep running."

"What?! That's suicide!" Myers argued. 

"Trust me, or die here. Get ready. Stop thinking and act." 

"Damnit. If I die, I'll haunt you forever. The White House will come down on you, Drifter."

Loralei peeked out of the newly made hole- 

RATATATATATA

Overwhelming gunfire lit up the inside of the room. Bullets that weren't heavy caliber ricocheted across the enclosed space, causing the president to crouch down while covering her head. The more powerful projectiles widened the hole while also blowing away the wall beyond. 

Ignoring the gunfire, Lei accelerated. The crimson beam saber had ignited. A weird sound reverberated through Rosalind Myer's ears as she hid.

PING PING PING

Any bullets headed toward the president were cut through and deflected. By the time she was able to look up, the drifter was already out of the room. Three seconds. Ignoring the sudden screams of the Barghest soldiers and the dying machinery…she counted. 

One.Two.Three! Myers bolted out of the aircraft. She moved as fast as she could. The gunfire hadn't stopped and the surroundings were lighting up with explosions. Like a practiced sprinter, she sped down the open hall. Several drones locked onto the president, bright flashlights illuminating her location…but she didn't stop moving. 

"At the end of the hall, there's a flight of stairs. Keep going down." 

Lei's distorted voice sounded next to the president's ears. As if in reflex, Myers turned to look behind her. What she saw made her question if she was dreaming or not. 

Red afterimages were everywhere. By everywhere…she meant…EVERYWHERE. Flashes of red could be seen in every direction. No matter if it was behind the president, to the right, or the left. In an entire 180 degree curve…soldiers, drones, minotaurs and newly arrived AVs were exploding, crumpling, or straight up falling into pieces. 

Some drones were shooting at their own team. It was chaos. Like a brutal warzone or no man's land. Myers felt like she was running through a hailstorm of gatling bullets, with the bullets hitting everything but her. The ground surrounding her feet were littered with bullet holes. How in the hell was she alive?!

"Focus."

Drifter's sharp voice thundered in the president's ear. Heeding the voice without question, she maintained her sprint down the hall. Once she reached the stairs, she slid down the rail until she reached the lowest floor. Lei was already standing in front of an old rusty door. The merc kicked it open, her body's position suddenly becoming an afterimage as she went on ahead. 

"Where are you-" Before Myers could finish her question, Lei had already scouted the area ahead for enemies and returned. "-going?"

"Keep moving." Was the only response. 

She was running beside the president now. Only her modified Burya could be seen in her hands. Myers was having a hard time getting over the shock. Who the hell was this woman?! Why hadn't she known such a character was in her city?!

Lei didn't plan on letting anyone see her beam saber for the time being. This meant that every action involving it had to be done at bullet time speeds. That way nobody would understand what they were seeing. 

"The path ahead splits in two. Go right. I'll catch up."

"Alright."

The two were currently running through a maintenance tunnel. Pipes and debris were everywhere, making it hard to maintain a fast sprint. Not for Lei though. Her black cloak flapped behind her as she moved ahead…Speed increasing. 

Loralei peeled off to the left side, and screams mixed with gunfire immediately resounded. The Barghest felt endless. Wave after wave chasing the president. It was unknown how they were able to track her movements…shit. Myers' eyes grew wide with realization. 

"If it's an inside job…then my tracker! Drifter!" She called out. 

A red streak beamed out of the left side and caught up to the president. Lei appeared beside the woman, dashing with her arms trailing behind. Her empty eyes bore into Myers. It was unsettling.

".................."

"There's a tracker in my neck! I need your help to cut it out."

"...Mnn."

They both stopped running. Myers immediately started huffing and puffing in order to regain her breath and stamina. She quickly noticed how the merc didn't seem tired at all. Lei searched the area for a couple seconds, eventually finding a broken shard of glass. 

"Where?"

"Here." The president squeezed the skin of her neck, causing something to poke out. 

"Don't bite your tongue. Take a breath."

Lei started to cut into the skin. Immediately, Myers stifled a scream. It didn't take long before it left her mouth. 

"Aaaaaaghh!!!!!!" She cried out. 

It took about 15 seconds to get the chip out of her neck. Felt like an eternity for Rosalind though. Tough luck. Don't put a tracker in your damn neck. 

"It's out. Let's go."

Before the next wave of Barghest could reach their position, they went through several twists and turns. The tunnel led to an open area with a ladder going straight up into darkness. Lei accelerated up the wall to see where it led. It wasn't a dead end. Good. 

"Climb up!"

"Fuck…I'm out of shape." Myers heaved. 

Once the president was up the ladder, the masked merc blew it away with her Burya. Nothing else was getting up. After a long path of escape, the duo found themselves in an abandoned museum. Back above ground.

"Ugh. We should be able to relax now, right?"

".........." Loralei scanned the surroundings.

'Eh-erm. Testing Testing.' Songbird's voice resounded in the merc's head.

'Look who's back. Bet you're nice and safe now, right?' The drifter mocked.

'Checking your location…ah…the museum huh? Another place the bigwigs threw away once they got bored. You should ask Myers about it. Wonder what bullshit she'd make up.'

'Oh. Ohhhhh…so you don't like the president. I'm starting to understand.'

'She's a self-serving hypocrite. It would take too long to explain how much of a piece of shit she is.' Songbird hummed in a low voice. 

'Then why not just let her die?'

'.....................'

'Songbird?'

'Let's move on. Look for the elevator in the geography sector.' She ignored Lei's question.

'Sure…'

Lei started walking with purpose, causing the president to follow in tow. It was quite relaxing compared to ten minutes ago. They were able to catch their breath and plan ahead. 

"I'm connected with Songbird. She's leading us to a safe room."

"She's okay? That's good." Myers answered, but her eyes flashed with different emotions. 

As they walked, a massive statue came into view. A man on one knee, seemingly holding up the ceiling. The entire museum. Lei observed with her hands behind her back. 

"This expo was supposed to be the real deal. But of course, it became a place where the rich bought and sold many unfulfilled dreams." The president commented. 

"......................"

"What do you think, Drifter? Can you see humanity's potential in this exhibit?"

"....................."

"Drifter?"

COUGH COUGH

Lei had turned away from Myers, removing the breather in order to cough freely. As she placed one hand on the wall, her other hand covered her mouth. Blood seeped through her fingers and splattered onto the floor. 

She didn't feel so good...

It was quiet inside the museum, which was good and bad. Good because it meant there weren't any enemies. Bad because Myers could see and hear just how deep the cough was, the subtle shaking of Lei's body with each heave, and just how much blood was hitting the floor. The masked girl was NOT okay. It was at this moment that comms turned back on.

'You can't break down. Not in front of her. Hold it at bay. You have to, or she'll use it against you.' Songbird commented. 

'I don't need your reminder. You're the one who put me in this situation.' Lei snapped.

"Drifter, are you unwell? Do you need a stem? Hold on." 

Rosalind Myers saw this as her chance to glean Lei's identity. The mask was off. Pretending to be concerned, she scrambled through her own pockets while approaching. A stem was soon revealed. 

"Here." Myers handed it over upon reaching the merc's side. Unfortunately, the breather was already back on. 

"No need." Loralei stated. Mechanized voice back in full force. 

She was starting to feel weak, but she could hold out until this mission was fulfilled. Only then would she let nature run its course. Ignoring the stem, the drifter headed toward the elevator. 

Myers' expression remained neutral, not revealing anything. Her gaze went to the girl's back before returning to the small puddle of blood on the floor. Only then did her expression change. 

"What the fuck…" She mouthed silently. 

The blood was dissipating into fragments of data. With binary code of zeros and ones. It almost looked as if it was glitching, or as if Loralei's blood was holographic. Way too unnatural. Who the hell was this merc? The president's gaze went back to the drifter's back, but her expression had changed into something more solemn.