“We're being chased by tiny robots, a flying car, while random motorists are trying to turn us into bloodied scrap metal and you think this area is a problem?”
Olivia thought about it. No, Monique was right; she'd take a random mugging over a robot-ripping demise any day. Without any warning, a pedestrian jumped at their car, smashing into the side of it, before being crushed underneath the wheels.
“Holy shit” Monique shouted surprised.
Then there was another, and another, each one hurtling themselves at them, trying to break through the windscreen. A crowd of people ahead turned towards them and just ran straight into the road, on a collision course with Monique and Olivia. Monique did her best to avoid most of them, but there were that many that it was impossible not to mow some down, their bodies crunching underneath the weight of the car, their screams sounding confused. Olivia caught eyes with a few of them at the point of impact, the confusion in their own minds seemed clear. She could tell by their terrified stare that they didn't know what was happening and why they were doing it.
“They're being controlled somehow” she shouted to Monique.
“Controlled?”
“Yeah, it's like they can't stop themselves, they're all terrified, look at them” She replied.
Monique could see what Olivia meant, there did seem to be a look of complete bewilderment on their faces, which turned to dread as they realised where their bodies were being led.
“How can someone control them?” Monique shrieked shortly before there was a deafening thump that knocked the car sideways.
They hadn't realised that the flying ex-car had shot out two rounds that had slammed into the back of the car, completely disabling them. The car smashed into a wall on the pavement, the impact throwing Olivia's door wide open and she was flung five metres away, her body crumpling on to the hard concrete. Monique was stuck in the driver's seat, pinned down slightly by the crushed metal around her. Her forehead was bleeding. She noticed she had knocked it on the steering wheel, thankfully lightly, her airbag having the desired effect. She took a few deep breaths, checked around her to see if she had any other injuries, but she seemed okay. She had a throbbing head and it felt like she had pulled a few muscles, but she had no overwhelming pain. She decided to carefully try and squeeze herself out of the car, emerging on her hands and knees. The flying ex-car was suddenly rushing towards them again, ready to take another shot, when suddenly it seemed to hit some resistance and hurtled to the floor, crashing dramatically into a building. That was a stroke of luck Monique thought. What wasn't a stroke of luck was the appearance of an armed soldier emerging from the wreckage, then striding towards her, his gun poised for action.
Mateo
Mateo typed furiously again on his laptop, everyone else wondering how he still had any sensation left in his fingers.
“So, what is it we're doing again?” Mariam asked him.
“I'm sending some 'intel' to the factions I know. I'm telling them that the explosions this morning caught the Elite off guard and they have got all of their security headed for the downtown area. My thinking there is that the information will filter through to the ones who are a bit trigger happy, basically the ones who aren't affiliated with our groups. They won't be able to resist getting a few cheap shots in and trying to eliminate as much of the Elite's forces as possible” He said without taking a break from typing.
“To take the focus off of us and direct it to the south of the city, while we get away” Joaquin pipped up, happy at his own plan being put into action.
Mariam shrugged her shoulders; she guessed it was worth a try. The rest of them were just happy to be in a moving vehicle and making their way out of there, so whatever Mateo thought was a good idea was fine too, they just left him to it. He had been typing for longer than expected though, his head never looking up from his laptop screen. Mariam knew that this meant he was up to something else too.
“And what else are you doing there Sweetie?” She asked.
“I know a back door into the Elites systems, it interfaces with the Neuro-Net, but I've never been able to alter anything, it was just too complex. I didn't think being able to hack into people was possible, but it seems it is, so I'm looking into how, there must be a way in that I am missing.” He said, still transfixed on the screen, “I'm also going to monitor the positions of the Elites' troops, that's one thing I figured out I could do before, that was easy”.
He continued his wild typing; the key strokes so intense they created a constant reverberating chime around the inside of the van. They drove and drove, the first ten minutes fairly uneventful, but then something changed. They heard more explosions, one after the other. It seemed that someone had taken the bait. A couple of minutes later they heard craft above them, soaring high up past them and headed from the downtown area. All the while Mateo continued his quest, never flinching or looking up, no matter how loud the explosion.
“I think your plan may be working” Christian said to Joaquin.
“Yeah I thought it might, thanks for your help” He replied looking over towards Mateo.
“Well it definitely appears to be working” Mateo said, stopping his finger busting flurry of keystrokes for the first time in ten minutes “The majority of the Elites’ troops and equipment appear to be heading downtown, except the ones in these two areas”.
They all looked at Mateo, waiting for some more information, but nothing came.
“And? What about those locations?” Brandon asked; the first one to say what they were all thinking.
“I'm just checking them now, give me a few minutes” He replied.
It
