Heist Online

by Victor Deckard

  “Yeah. We better hurry.”

  When the airplane passed the open field, there would a dense forest. So we had to drop from the aircraft right now.

  We ran toward the SUV. Flynn jumped behind the wheel, I slid in the front passenger seat, and Allison got in the back. After we belted up, Flynn put the car in reverse and started to back up. The vehicle gained speed and a second later shot out of the aircraft’s belly rear first.

  The SUV was in the open now, falling through the air like a stone. Flynn and I were driven against the seat cushions. There was a whistling coming from the outside as the vehicle was slicing through the air.

  “Everybody’s okay?” Flynn asked.

  “Yeah,” I said.

  “I’m fine,” Allison cried out from behind us.

  “I’m gonna deploy the chute soon,” Flynn said. “Be ready, guys.”

  We continued to free-falling for some time. When the SUV was only five hundred feet from the ground, Flynn punched a button on the dashboard. The small compartment mounted on the vehicle’s roof opened and the parachute blossomed above the vehicle.

  The SUV was jerked to a stop for a moment, causing my teeth to clack together. Then gravity reclaimed the vehicle and it began to fall toward the grassy field again. The wind was almost still and the SUV continued to drift straight downward toward the open field.

  “I’m gonna cut the shroud lines very soon,” Flynn said. “So buckle up, guys!”

  At fifteen feet above the ground, when the green field filled my vision below the vehicle, Flynn put the car into gear and slammed on the accelerator.

  “Here we go,” he said and punched another button on the dash.

  The compartment detached itself from the SUV’s roof and the vehicle dropped a few feet to the ground. We hit the surface hard. I felt the suspension rebound. I bounced so hard, the seat belt dug into my gut.

  The tires spun angrily in the dirt and grass. Then they gained purchase and the vehicle shot forward, mud flying from under the tires. The ground was bumpy, filled with shallow holes, causing the car to bounce and vibrate with each bump.

  But Flynn didn’t slow down. Instead, he continued to gain speed. The pilot of the private military airplane had to have already informed cops about us. Probably some of the players had already picked this mission and were racing toward this place right now. So we had to get out of this place as soon as possible.

  Finally, we reached a gravel road. Both Allison and I had played only in the city and weren’t familiar with the country. Moreover, since we had ditched our cell phones, we didn’t have any GPS now. Luckily, Flynn was familiar with the rural area thanks to his past experience with this game, so he knew where to go. Which was why he was seated behind the wheel, steering the car.

  We followed the winding gravel road for a few minutes in silence. No police car appeared behind us. Seemed like we had managed to pull it off.

  We soon reached what looked like a small forest. There were trees on either side of the road now.

  “We’re gonna get to a small town once we are out of the forest,” Flynn said. “Guess the van will be waiting for us to arrive there. We should get a notification any time now.”

  “Yeah,” I said.

  We hadn’t received a notification about where the van would be waiting for us yet, which meant that cops could still catch up with up. But it seemed pretty unlikely to me. We had put much distance between ourselves and the field by now and there was no police car in sight behind us.

  “So it was pretty awesome, wasn’t it, guys?” Flynn said.

  “It was–– okay,” Allison said from the back seat without much enthusiasm.

  Flynn glanced in the rearview mirror, caught the girl’s eyes, and asked, “What’s the matter? You didn’t like it? You sound disappointed. I thought you were very excited to experience something like this.”

  “Well,” Allison said, “it was pretty quick. I was expecting–– I dunno, something more exciting. The scene in the movie I told you about was so awesome and breathtaking. It kept me on the edge of my seat.”

  “Because it was an action flick, Allison,” Flynn said. “It is supposed to be breathtaking.”

  “Hey guys, do you hear that?” I asked as I looked out the window.

  “No,” Allison said.

  “What did you hear, Striker?” Flynn asked.

  “Don’t know. Some noise.”

  We then shut up, pricking up our ears. I rolled down the window and stuck my head out. A few seconds later, I heard the noise again.

  “It’s coming from behind us,” Allison cried out.

  She was right. The wind carried the sound from behind. I twisted in the seat to look back over my left shoulder. Allison was looking out the back window as well. We saw a small helicopter in the sky, which looked like a McDonnell Douglas MD 500 Defender.

  The rumble grew louder as the chopper closed in. The low thrumming turned into a deafening whir of the blade rotors beating the air and whipping the branches and leaves as the chopper barreled over the forest. It was flying low, just above the tree level. It caused a mini hurricane of dust and fallen leaves. The treetops thrashed in the chopper’s downwash.

  The chopper was gaining on us quickly.

  “Dang it,” Flynn muttered, looking in the rearview mirror. “Who the hell is it?”

  He slammed his foot on the accelerator, pushing the SUV to its limits. I stuck my head out the window to check on the helicopter every now and then. It was coming hell-bent for leather. It wouldn’t be long before the chopper made it to our car.

  Flynn guided the SUV along the gravel road as the helicopter kept following us. He swung the car square to the middle of the road to give himself more maneuverability.

  When the helicopter got within firing range of my assault rifle, I half crawled out the open window to bring my weapon into play. When I was about to fire, we reached a sharp bend in the road. Flynn took the corner too tight for the boxy vehicle’s suspension. I could felt the tires on my side of the car lift off the ground and for a sickening moment, it seemed like the SUV was going to roll over. Then the tires came down onto the road again. My finger jerked the trigger involuntarily, but all my shots went wide.

  The helicopter was right behind us by this point. It dropped even lower to keep our racing car in a tight overwatch position. As the helicopter banked slightly, I saw that a sliding door on one side was open. Perched in the doorway was a player manning a huge machine gun.

  I recognized both the gunman and the pilot at once since both wore skull design ski masks. However, as far as I could tell they were the only occupants of the chopper. The third player wasn’t in the helicopter for some reason.

  “It’s them,” Allison cried out.

  “How the hell did those Brits manage to find us?” Flynn grumbled.

  Before either Allison or I could reply, the gunman opened fire. Machine-gun fire raked the SUV. I got back in the car as the heavy-caliber rounds burned through the frame of the vehicle and ripped the leather covers off my backseat, exploding stuffing in the air. One slug clipped me above the left elbow.

  “You okay, Striker?” Flynn, a worried tone in his voice.

  “Just a scratch.”

  “We gotta get rid of them somehow before they riddle us.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m gonna get them, guys,” Allison cried out excitedly from the rear seat. “No worries.”

  I saw her lean out of the window and put the chopper in her iron sights. She then stroked the trigger of her squad automatic weapon, sending a hail of slugs toward the chopper behind us. Unlike Flynn and me, the girl was obviously very glad for the unexpected turn of events because she always longed for action.

  I saw some of the bullets Allison fired struck against the body of the helicopter but didn’t seemingly inflict much damage on it.

  I reloaded my weapon and thrust the top half of my body out the passenger window to
add to the onslaught on the helicopter.

  I aimed at the bobbing chopper and triggered a long burst. At this exact moment, Flynn rounded another bend in what seemed an endless succession of bends in the road and all my bullets missed the target again.

  “Dammit,” I said.

  More rounds struck the SUV and clawed through the steel bodywork of the car as the gunman returned fire, racking the right side of the vehicle just above the wheel wells. The SUV was jostled by the impact, but Flynn kept the car steady. Still, the SUV didn’t seem to be as fragile as I thought it would be because not all of the slugs were able to penetrate the vehicle.

  “The car’s tougher than it looks,” I said.

  “Yeah,” Flynn replied. “Probably because I’ve recently learned Vehicle expert.”

  I nodded. I knew that only Engineers could learn this skill, which made the vehicle you were currently driving more resistant to bullet damage.

  “Still, it ain’t much,” Flynn added. “It won’t stand against such an attack for long, so you guys better deal with this chopper ASAP.”

  As the gunman started firing again, Flynn commenced spinning the wheel back and forth, causing the SUV to zigzag. The helicopter rushed forward and flew over us. The gunman kept firing, but he made no attempt to control his bursts. The rounds fell all around the swerving SUV. Most of the bullets completely missed our vehicle. Two stray bullets punched through the hood. Another one struck the radiator and plumes of steam began to spill out.

  I walked my bullets along the chopper’s side and across its belly, perforating a line of bullet holes in the fuselage. The chopper seemed to be bullet spongy, soaking up the damage.

  The helicopter turned in the air, passed overhead, and was behind the SUV again. The gunman kept sending a stream of bullets at the vehicle. Some of them penetrated the roof and buried themselves in the dashboard, showering Flynn with shards of glass and plastic.

  The helicopter swung in a wide semicircle and rushed after our car again like a metal bird of prey. We continued to race through what looked like a small forest. With trees on either side of the road, we were trapped within the confines of the road.

  The gunman was remorseless. He kept pouring lead into the SUV, the slugs blowing fist-sized chunks out of the road. Some of the bullets shattered the rear window, ripped through the seats, and struck against my body armor. I had to deploy a couple of first aid kits to quickly restore my Health.

  Flynn was snarling an unending stream of curses as he jerked the steering wheel from side to side. He was doing his best to prevent the car from being hit. I noticed that one of the bullets had caught him in the right hip. Blood had already soaked the fabric of his pants and was pouring from the wound.

  He saw me watching him and said, “I’m okay, Striker. Just take those assholes out already.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay? You’re bleeding. You must’ve gotten a Bleeding debuff. How’s your Health?”

  “Don’t worry about me, Striker,” he replied grimly.

  Yet he didn’t look good, so I quickly deployed another FAK on the dashboard right in front of him. He quickly used it and shifted his attention back to the road. The bleeding stopped instantly.

  “Thanks,” he said. “Now get that chopper.”

  I nodded, then looked back over my shoulder, and asked, “Allison, you okay? You need a heal?”

  “Nah, I’m good,” she replied. She sounded very happy. She really enjoyed this.

  The helicopter roared by overhead and rushed forward. It then turned sideways and hovered just above the treetops. The gunman brought the machine gun to bear on the approaching SUV. He seemed to be eager to finally deal with us. So was I. Leaning out of the passenger window, I put the almost motionless chopper in my iron sights and slid my finger into the trigger guard.

  The gunman started pouring a long stream of gunfire into the SUV, walking his rounds up the engine hood, ripping through it. Then the bullets clawed their way up and shattered the windshield, glass blowing into the cab, forcing Flynn to throw up his left arm to shield his face.

  I was firing my assault rifle in short controlled bursts, yet most of my shots missed the chopper due to the rough ride.

  The .50-caliber bullets whipped through the air all around me. They plucked at my clothes and caused small geysers of dirt as they hit the gravel road. One of them clipped my right cheek, tearing a deep furrow across my flesh. My Health got reduced by about twenty-five percent. I had survived only because the bullet slightly grazed me instead of embedding itself in my skull.

  The slugs struck the body of the car and drilled through its roof. Thanks to Flynn’s recently unlocked skill, the bodywork of the car was kind of reinforced, which caused some of the rounds to bounce off the vehicle instead of penetrating it.

  As Flynn hit another pothole, another shot of mine went wide. I kept blasting away until my weapon ran dry. I got back into the cab, reloaded the rifle, and said, “Stop the car, Flynn.”

  “What?” He cried out as he continued driving along the road, hitting one pothole after another.

  “Stop,” I yelled. “Just stop! I can’t aim properly while you’re driving like crazy!”

  Flynn didn’t argue. He slammed on the brake pedal with his right foot, sending the SUV into a skid.

  The car turned sideways and stopped with its right side facing the chopper.

  “Bail out everyone,” I yelled.

  Flynn pushed the driver’s-side door open and climbed out. I dropped across the front seats, clambered out of the car, and dropped to the ground next to him. A moment later, the rear door swung open and Allison crawled out of the battered and bullet-riddled vehicle.

  The .50-caliber bullets kept falling all around the SUV, shattering the windows and spraying us with shards of glass.

  “We need to get the chopper, guys,” Flynn yelled over the roar of the chopper’s machine gun.

  He was crouching behind the front tire of the SUV. Since he was armed with a short-range shotgun, it was up to Allison and me to deal with the helicopter.

  I rose to my feet, propped my assault rifle on the roof, and sighted down the sights, aiming for the tail rotor of the chopper. I squinted as the dirt from the impacts of the .50-caliber rounds on the road stung my face. The heavy-caliber bullets kept thudding into the bodywork of the SUV and zipping past me.

  Allison got up and had the chopper lined up in her iron sights as well. The girl and I opened fire almost simultaneously. I stroked the trigger, firing short bursts into the chopper. Half a second later, Allison’s squad assault weapon spoke.

  Suddenly, the helicopter lurched to one side as some of our bullets hit home, catching the helicopter in the tail rotor, bringing it out of control. A thin plume of gray smoke wafted from the damaged tail rotor.

  The pilot was fighting with the controls, trying to prevent the chopper from crashing down. The helicopter rose a few feet up in the air as it turned for the trees on the right of the road and flew away.

  “Don’t let them get away,” Flynn directed as he got to his feet.

  “They won’t”, I said as I reloaded my gun, and resumed shooting at the receding helicopter.

  Some of my bullets tore through the fuselage while the other drilled into the main rotor. The pilot was evidently experiencing difficulty in keeping the helicopter in a straight line as it was swerving back and forth. Then the player lost control completely and the nose of the chopper dipped. The helicopter started to wheel around out of control as it was losing altitude rapidly.

  “Sayonara, assholes,” Allison said as the helicopter crashed down through the branches.

  A few seconds later, it was all quiet. The sudden silence after all the gunfire was eerie.

  “Do you guys think they are dead?” Flynn asked.

  In this game, one didn’t get any notifications or experience points when he or she killed an enemy. So there was no way to tell if we had killed them. They might have
survived the crash.

  “They must’ve taken fall damage,” Allison said.

  “Yeah,” Flynn said. “But they may be still alive”

  “Let’s go check,” I said.

  We darted across the road, got into the trees, and jogged to where the helicopter had crashed. It wasn’t long before we reached the wreckage of the chopper. It lay on its starboard side, the broken stubs of the rotor blades still whirling around above the damaged fuselage. The nose of the helicopter was crushed and cracked like an eggshell. The bodies of the two players were nowhere to be seen. They had either gotten away or hidden themselves somewhere in the dense undergrowth.

  We swept our guns back and forth, scanning the crash area choked with trees and bushes, yet the two players were nowhere in sight. Allison then took a step forward toward the helicopter to look inside it, but I stopped her. The engine was still running and there was a strong stench of fuel in the air. The girl sensed it too now. We looked at each other as the same idea struck us.

  The three of us jogged a safe distance from the helicopter, lifted our guns to train it on the wreckage, and opened fire. An expanding fireball swept through the trees as the chopper exploded, flames consuming the leaves and branches. The shock wave tore in every direction and a huge cloud of dust rose into the air from the obliterated helicopter in a steady stream.

  Still, nobody opened fire on us, which meant that the two players had long since left this place.

  As we headed back for our car, I muttered, “I wonder how the heck those guys found us. Any ideas?”

  “I wish I knew,” Flynn said.

  Allison was silent.

  Finally, we reached the SUV. It was bullet-riddled, all the windows shattered, gray smoke billowing from under the hood.

  “Guess we should get another ride,” Flynn said.

  “Yeah.”

  Allison walked around the back of the vehicle and swung the door open. As she slid in the car, I saw something slip out of the pocket of her jacket. The thing dropped to the ground. The girl didn’t seem to notice it.

  I took a step forward toward the thing and leaned over to pick it up.

  “Hey Allison, you––”