A Cobra's Tale... Part 1: The Restless Warrior

Part 11: Midtown Mayhem

Nomura Plaza, Port Racice, Tukayyid, FRR, December 6th 3066 Yasmine and Laz carried the semi-conscious Anatoliy to the nearest elevator. A few of the tower's other residents poked their heads out of their doors, wondering what the disturbance was. Laz hastily draped his jacket over Anatoliy's torso and explained that his friend had simply had too much to drink. They managed to get him to the car without further incident and secured him as best they could in the back seat. Laz slotted the keycard into the dashboard, pressed the ignition button and the hydrogen-fuelled ICE engine wheezed into life. He pulled out onto the still-quiet early morning streets and followed the signs for the city hospital. Suddenly Yasmine gasped and grabbed his shoulder. "What is it?" he asked. "That's Ganzu's car!" she gasped, her gaze locked onto a sleek black hovercar that was cruising slowly on the opposite side of the road. "If you keep staring like that, it is more than likely we will be recognised", Laz said, a hint of exasperation creeping into his voice. He concentrated on the road, driving as nonchalantly as anyone possibly could with a wounded passenger on board and a Yakuza gang hunting them. His hope that they could pass by unnoticed was short-lived however. With his peripheral vision he caught Sakamoto staring intently at the station wagon as the two vehicles passed each other. Checking the car's rear-view monitor a few seconds later, he saw the hovercar execute a sharp turn, sliding across both lanes of the opposite road, across the grassy meridian and bouncing down onto the road behind them. "It looks like we're getting company", he said more calmly than he felt. "Hold tight - the ride could get a little bumpy". Laz floored the accelerator, pushing the old car as fast as it would go, but it was no match for the newer, faster and more manoeuvrable hovercar. It gained quickly on them. The hovercar pulled up alongside them. Risking a quick glance to his left Laz saw that there were three other men in the car with Sakamoto. Ganzu grinned evilly at him before suddenly yanking the wheel hard over to the right, slamming into the older wheeled vehicle. The impact made the station wagon lurch violently sideways, almost going onto the central reservation. Laz fought for control. Fortunately the old ground car's anti-lock brakes prevented a skid and he managed to stay on the road. Sakamoto slowed the hovercar and dropped back alongside them. This time Laz pre-empted Sakamoto's attack and rammed the ground effect vehicle's right rear side. This time the newer vehicle was at a disadvantage. With no positive contact with the ground, unlike the wheeled station wagon, it was jolted off course much more easily. The impact sent it spinning across the road, where it mounted the pavement and smashed through the steel security shutters of a cafe, shattering the window and sending a shower of glass across the road. Laz got the wagon under control and checked the rear-view monitor again. Already Sakamoto was reversing the hovercar back onto the road. Laz put the pedal to the metal once more in an attempt to put some distance between them. It didn't last long. The hovercar drew level again. This time when Laz looked across, he saw the driver's window was down and Sakamoto brandishing a large ornate handgun. This time he was not smiling. Instinctively Laz stepped on the brakes, causing Sakamoto's first shot to miss. The wagon shuddered to a halt in a cloud of burning rubber. Spinning the wheel furiously, Laz turned the car round, driving across the grassy central reservation, onto the opposite side of the road. The hovercar quickly followed, with Sakamoto and his men taking pot shots at them. Yasmine screamed as several shots shattered the rear window, some cracking the windscreen and others embedding themselves in the dashboard. Laz swerved violently left and right, trying to throw their attackers' aim. It worked for a short time. He felt two rounds slam into the left rear tyre, which blew violently, sending the car into a skid. The wagon spun 180 degrees and crashed end first into a line of parked cars. The black hovercar came to a halt, less than fifty feet away...

Part 12: Its Not The Bullet With Your Name On...

City Centre, Port Racice, Tukayyid, FRR, December 6th 3066 Seeing their prey cornered, Sakamoto and his thugs got out of the hovercar and slowly advanced on the wrecked station wagon. As Laz and Yasmine peered over the top of the dashboard, Sakamoto smiled cruelly and raised his gun. They ducked back down and the Yakuza continued to close remorselessly on them. When he was less than twenty feet away, Sakamoto stopped and looked thoughtfully at the car. His men stood silently, weapons ready, awaiting a signal from their leader. After regarding the battered car for several moments, he took careful aim and squeezed off half a dozen shots through the windscreen. He gestured to his men and they opened fire, peppering the vehicle in a hail of lead. Sakamoto emptied the rest of the clip into the car, firing randomly. Several shots hit the fuel tank, which began to spill its contents onto the road. By a curious twist of modern technology, the hydrogen fuel was mixed with other combustible components to keep it in liquid form, thus removing the need for pressurized tanks of gas. Sakamoto gestured to his men to cease firing. With slow and deliberate care, he extracted a cigar out of a silver case in his jacket pocket, along with an ornate antique gas lighter. He lit the cigar and took several deep puffs until he had formed a good length of ash at the tip. He walked over to the spilled fuel and tapped the red-hot ash from the cigar. It glowed brightly as it fell through the air. When it landed, the fuel ignited almost instantly, creating a trail of fire that led back to the car. Sakamoto watched with satisfaction as the flames spread rapidly to engulf the car. He gave a harsh laugh of amusement and barked a command at his men to return to their vehicle. As soon as he heard the hovercar's fans restart and fade into the distance, Laz opened the driver's side door and tumbled into the street, choking on the fumes that were starting to fill the car. He lay still just long enough to draw some clean air into his lungs before racing round to Yasmine's side. Through the flames and the smoke-blackened window he could see she was trapped, and struggling frantically to free herself. He wrenched the door open, burning his hand in the process. It was immediately obvious her seat was further forward than it should be. The impact of the crash must have pushed it forward on its mountings and jammed it, trapping Yasmine's legs in the footwell. The car was by now shrouded in a thick, choking smoke that seared their lungs. Flames were lapping round the doorframes and beginning to creep inside. Laz wiped his streaming eyes and retrieved the silenced pistol he'd taken from the assassin at the apartment, from his jacket. He began firing at the base of the seat. A dozen rounds later he'd destroyed the seat mounting. Stuffing the gun back in his jacket, he yanked the seat backwards. Yasmine gave a choked cry of relief as Laz scooped her up in his arms and ran from the car. He lowered her onto the grass of the central reservation as gently as he could in his haste and turned to go back for Anatoliy. He'd barely made it ten feet when the car exploded.