Dutch used a low gear, easing the Coupé across the shallow flow. Another road ascended the opposite slope with yet more switchbacks, its flanks covered in what appeared at first to be tiny houses. Closer investigation revealed it to be a cemetery, the houses mausoleums.
They were approaching the top of the hill when Doktor Elektron’s Peterbilt semi came roaring out from behind the cover of an electrical substation, catching the rear of the Coupé and spinning it halfway around in a circle. The impact slammed Dutch’s head against the wheel and she tasted blood. Her vision swam, but she stayed conscious. Beside her, Nat groaned and swallowed with apparent difficulty.
She looked out the window and saw Elektron reversing his truck. If he rammed them a second time, they were dead.
Dutch reached for the ignition and tried to start the engine again; it coughed once, then fell silent.
She tried again: still nothing.
Ice coated the inside of her chest as she stared at the key. She considered getting out of the car and running.
Third time lucky, she told herself, and tried again.
This time it caught.
The tyres bit into the tarmac with a screech. The Coupé lurched forward and out of the way barely in time. She caught a glimpse in the mirror of Elektron slamming on the brakes before he plunged through the road-barrier and down into the gorge. He reversed and spun the wheel to pursue them, Kid Atomik by his side.
The Coupé, by some miracle, remained functional. They picked up speed, steering past several ancient wrecks. The road still climbed ahead of them; one last switchback, then they were back on level ground.
She almost shouted in triumph when she saw Elektron slipping to the rear. Then the Coupé inexplicably started to slow down, like one of those nightmares where you stay rooted to the spot no matter how fast you run.
‘What’s wrong with it?’ she screamed.
‘Dutch,’ croaked Nat. ‘The engine.’
Steam came pouring out of the hood and Dutch worked the gas pedal to no effect. The car rolled past several more wrecks before drifting to a halt. She pounded the dashboard with a fist, screaming her frustration.
‘Out,’ yelled Nat, pushing his door open and disappearing from view.
Dutch at least had the foresight to put on the brake before getting out and running. They were at the uppermost edge of the graveyard, and she saw a small mausoleum made from pink and grey stone behind a low concrete wall. She ran towards it, seeking cover.
Shots cracked through the air as she threw herself flat behind the wall. She crouched low, bullets gouging chunks of stone from out of the mausoleum’s walls.
The shooting stopped. She listened, hearing voices, although not well enough to make out what they were saying. One she recognised as Doktor Elektron, while the other had to be Kid Atomik, his sidekick du jour.
A gap in the wall allowed access to a short concrete path that led into the interior of the mausoleum. Dutch crawled over to the gap and peered out: Elektron’s truck had pulled to a halt twenty metres further down the road. Past the opposite verge lay nothing but a sheer drop.
She watched as Kid Atomik climbed onto the roof of the semi’s cabin. He lay flat, studying the road through a rifle fitted with a telescopic sight.
The rifle twitched towards Dutch and she ducked back. A bullet knocked another chunk out of the wall behind her. The Coupé wasn’t hard to spot, given the steam still pouring from under its hood.
‘Hey, Atomik!’ she yelled, her voice echoing in the still, flat air.
‘What?’
‘You’ve got a stupid fucking name, you know that?’
‘Yeah?’ His voice sounded high and reedy. ‘Whatever the fuck kind of a girl’s name is Dutch?’
Another shot knocked chunks out of the mausoleum. She glanced back out through the gap, wondering where in hell Nat had got to.
Assuming Elektron or the kid hadn’t killed him.
Now she had time to think, it was clear Elektron had planned his ambush well. He’d known the collapsed bridge would most likely force them to drive across the river and take the road up the side of the gorge. All he’d had to do was sit up here and wait.
‘You might as well come out from hiding,’ shouted Elektron. She couldn’t see him, but he sounded close. ‘Your car looks trashed.’
‘How about you give us your truck instead?’ Dutch yelled.
Elektron laughed wheezily. ‘Where’s your boyfriend?’
‘No idea, but I can see yours on top of that truck.’
‘This isn’t a fucking joke, McGuire!’
‘You dumb shit,’ she bellowed, ‘I’ll bet your dick hasn’t been this hard in years.’
She risked another glance and spotted Nat, still alive and crouched behind a hatchback. He nodded to her and put a finger to his lips.
Elektron darted out from cover, a Beretta machine pistol gripped in both hands. He ran behind another wreck before dropping out of sight. Dutch swore under her breath. Neither of them had thought to grab a weapon before they abandoned the Coupé. But from the way Elektron kept running from cover to cover, he didn’t know that.
‘How much did Muto pay you?’ shouted Dutch.
‘I want to talk to your navigator,’ Elektron shouted back. ‘I know what he stole from Strugatsky!’
She looked over at Nat and mouthed what the hell? But Nat shook his head.
A shadow passed over the mausoleum building. Dutch craned her head back and saw something huge and winged pass low over the gorge. A second later a terrified shriek echoed up and down the road, followed by the sound of rapid gunfire.
She ducked her head back out. Elektron stood out in the open, his back to both her and Nat. He’d lifted his Beretta to fire up at an enormous winged Kaiju flying into the distance, Kid Atomik wriggling in its massive claws.
Nat didn’t waste time, jumping up from his hiding-place and running towards Elektron, knocking him flat. The Beretta went skittering across the road, and Nat rolled Elektron onto his back, flailing at him with
