Exile: Arc

by Jack Lance

  The gunman behind had been folded over and had dropped his gun onto their rusty bonnet, but it would be only seconds before he righted himself and then Bailey would have another problem. The gunman in the car to the left had almost reloaded, and so he needed to make a move.

  He leaned over at the multi-com that had fallen onto the floor and shouted "Farnon! Help!"

  It looked like the line had disconnected and there was very little time left to pick it up and redial.

  The lights were still red and the oblivious traffic ahead was flowing by. Bailey pushed it into first and pulled out in front of a motorcycle, causing it to buckle and fall as the cyclist tried to swerve. Bailey ignored the roads, accelerating up onto the central hump of the roundabout, and used it to jump toward one of the lanes opposite, kicking up the enclosed flower beds as he ploughed through.

  A holographic sign flushed red with an exclamation mark as the side of the bumper crashed through its screen. The car slammed down against the glass road and skidded forward slightly as the rear wheels caught a grip. He had landed in the wrong lane and began swerving madly as the oncoming traffic tried to do the same.

  With one set of hitmen dead, the two remaining cars had ran the light also and caught up on the correct lane beside him.

  Looking at the cars as they drew close he realized how out of his depth he had now become, and muttered with a dry mouth “I don’t know what I’m doing. Please help.”

  You should be keeping yourself sharp. It’s winding and darker. Let me drive.

  “No!” Bailey yelled out loud enough to be heard in the glass tunnel outside.

  With only a thin line of hovering bollards between them the bounty hunters took the opportunity to aim another couple of shots his way. But their cars were older and weaker than the sports car he owned, and so when he noticed a clear gap in the traffic ahead he floored the gas and shouldered onto a sliproad curving downward.

  The other two crashed through the bollards and ratcheted up their engines as they gave chase.

  Bailey leaned hard into the last corner, as the road curved into a tunnel in the land of the biosphere.

  His pursuers weren’t far behind, and there was the occasional whistle as bullets flew forward to hit him.

  The sports car tore away down the wrong way through the tunnel as robot maintenance droids looked up curiously. They briefly heard the woof of the cylinder sound as it bombed by, and then the louder noise of the following vehicles.

  He raced through the last of the tunnel, and tried to slow down as a congregation of vehicles approached the right way on the lane. He slammed the car aside, scraping against the side railings and making it past them to the end of the curved lane and the exit. The sparks showered the road behind him, and then through them, the two cars began to catch him up.

  You should be keeping yourself sharp.

  “What the fraps are you talking about now?” Bailey hissed at himself in the rear view mirror.

  There was a cold gasp as the vapour briefly spurted out of the brake cylinder, and then Bailey floored it again as he skidded around a high walled slip and out onto the highways over an apartment district.

  Still on the wrong side of the road he found himself driving toward a head on collision with a tall lorry. It sounded its horn as Bailey swerved across the two lanes, avoiding a faster flowing lane of oncoming traffic and then hit a slip road leading down to the streets. The wheels left the road slightly as he mounted the descending lane and then managed to take more control as he arrowed toward the sleepy junction below.

  I’m talking about a greater danger.

  It became clear that his best chances of escaping all of this were to head back to the central metropolis, which was only a few districts away. There hopefully they’d be intercepted by colony droids or Border Sec patrols; that might actually come in handy for once since his arrival on this world.

  As he accelerated south the other two cars followed from the highway, half ramming each other out of the way, now realizing the value of the competition. They crashed down meters behind him, almost on top of one another, sending wheeltrims spinning away into the nearby storefronts.

  My plan envelops a broader field of players. We must deal with the danger.

  “Fuck off.” Bailey said as he began flicking up the gears once again.

  The wheels had now become slightly deflated and were dragging back on the speedometer.

  With a sinking feeling he saw the other two cars catch up behind, and then the back window of the car burst inward as one of the wide shots licked it.

  One of the starving killers took their car to the right, to half mount on the pavement where the corner of the bumper began clipping against the odd man and woman. It pulled up along the side with no regard for any innocent pedestrians that had to dive out of the way.

  Ahead Bailey saw what he knew had to be a group of drug dealers congregating around at the bottom wall of one of the apartment blocks.

  The gunman in the car, who had almost gained another clear shot at the side of Bailey’s face saw what his driver had done, and gaped at who they were about to mow down. The car was moving too fast and burst through the crowd like they were paper, while scraping a couple against the wall like brittle dolls.

  As the car fell behind, Bailey saw his chance and accelerated forward to illegal speeds through the towering blocks. Their flier littered walls gushed by on either side as the dip of a river valley drew near.

  My plan is sharp. There’s something I haven’t told you. A snowman.

  “Oh dear.” he said, as he saw a small wisp of smoke from the side of the bonnet. “Not now.”

  The car began to lag from its high speed, and the nearest car slowly caught up and rolled alongside him where the other had tried to trap him a moment earlier.

  The river and its bridge were approaching ahead, which doubled up as a tunnel supporting the tram track above it. At the mouth of the bridge there was a lethal looking forest of support beams at either side, holding up the tram junction above.

  The two cars bombed noisily down the last of the road out of the main streets and ignoring the signs to slow, approached the river valley.

  Oh fucking shitmobile!

  Just before the bridge, the gunman had gained a clear shot with the sawn off, and so Bailey made a move. He pulled down hard on the steering wheel and swerved into the side of the car, crumpling the doors inward toward the gunman, and pushing the car clean off the road. It jumped slightly on striking the kerbing and flew through the air between the old support beams.

  The gunman stared at Bailey as the car flew further away into the forest of old beams, and then the car met one of them head on. It burst into flames, filling every space and gap with fire. The blast kicked the gunman out of the car and flailing through the support beams toward the road. He landed on his knees in a puddle while his clothes burned on his body.

  Bailey watched in the rear view mirror as an omnibus rolled up behind him and snuffed out the fire.

  The other car flew around the bus, crashing madly against the railings while honking its horn over and over.

  Bailey decided…

  Time to end this cat and mouse malarkey.

  He darted out of the other side of the bridge tunnel, and around the wrong way on a roundabout to a junction leading up onto the lower highways. His car sped away along the motorway through the tunnel to the next cavern, while the one remaining car persisted and took to the road behind him.

  Now he was heading south in the direction of the metropolis, with the other car quietly gaining from a distance behind.

  After a few districts the gunman braved to lean out of the side window and throw two more showers of cartridge pellets over the gaping hole where the rear window had been. Some of the pellets cut into the roof with one of them slaking against Bailey’s cheek, cutting it deep.

  Bailey stared ahead at the ever shortening distance of road.

  A broad field. Now is the time to steel our mind
s to what’s required.

  "What in the stars is with you, Arc?" he mumbled while checking over each of the mirrors.

  The outer wall of the city center came to view and Bailey drove into the nearest tunnel at speed below the gyrating holographic posters. The car shouldered fiercely around onto the highways inside and around the outskirt of the blocks, weaving in and out of the slower traffic.

  He made it around to a leisure center block and swung the car up a sliproad to the parking hollow. Once there he turned onto the first parking lane, and sped along it.

  He drove up the ramp into the building with the bounty hunter’s car close behind. A line of innocent drivers yelled at them as they disappeared into glass wall.

  They drove up the spiralling parking lot, up and up toward the top.

  Bailey looked in his rear view mirror and saw that the chasing car had stalled, and fallen behind somewhat. It wouldn’t take long for them to drive on and so Bailey kept on driving higher.

  Close to the top he saw an empty bay and swung the car into it. He could hear the car close behind and pulled the key from the dash. The car lost power and cut its lights, as the other car rolled up onto the level, passed his car, and continued up onto the next.

  It looked from Bailey’s position that the car had reached top level and was then very slowly driving back down. It came down the ramp to his side and Bailey ducked slightly as it crept by.

  Realizing that he wasn’t going to be able to hide he pushed the key back into its slot and reversed the car forcefully into the side of the gunman’s car. It lifted slightly as it was pushed sidewards and slammed hard into the concrete fence.

  Bailey calmly drove back into the bay. He then got out and walked toward the car that was hanging out over the long drop down to the central walkway. The concrete had been reinforced with metal bars, and so was holding the car like a cradle. The car was heavy though, and the supports were slowly giving way.

  Bailey looked from the shadows within the carpark at the man within, who raised his head slowly to look at him.

  “You got me.” he smiled showing his hideously rotten teeth.

  Bailey lunged forward and kicked the side of the car, splitting it from the fence and sending it spinning over the side. It fell down to the ground with an audible crash and then rolled out onto the promenade, as the body lay slumped over the horn.

  Bailey stood stunned in the draft of the gaping hole in the concrete fencing, looking down over the promenade and the people all running from accident he had caused. The horn continued to wail out over the place, and would soon attract the robots’ attention.

  Now who’s king?

  "Who are you?" he whispered into the cold air.

  All at once Bailey had a memory flash of the car that he had first seen, and how there had been two men, and then suddenly heard a gunshot from behind. It burst the back of his shoulder and pushed him forward into a thin vertical beam, just stopping him from falling over the side himself.

  In a daze he dropped his keys, and began stumbling toward a service elevator. He dived inside and pulled the grated door shut, hearing two more pistol shots from behind, echoing through the confined space. The shots landed against the metal grating inches from him, and then the elevator descended, as the gunman began to run forward.

  The elevator reached the bottom and Bailey slowly walked out, clutching his wounded shoulder.

  He stepped out onto the bottom level of the carpark and saw on the floor above, his own car drive by. Groaning he ran toward a side ramp leading down to the stable lane, and made it around onto the slope. The sides were too high to climb and so as the car came to sight within he found himself a little trapped.

  He sprinted with the last of his energy toward to the open space below as the gunman drove his car insanely out of the carpark, crashing it onto the curve and around onto the slope. It immediately growled out as the gunman accelerated toward the back of him.

  Bailey sprinted to the bottom and grabbed the edge of its high fence, spinning himself around and out of the way as the car flew by.

  The car slammed down onto the outermost parking lane and Bailey heard a gunshot.

  He looked around at his car, as it slowly rolled along, and then stopped as the wheels buckled against the curb. Everyone was running away now toward the gaping gaps at either side to escape the mayhem.

  There was a tiny bit of movement in the car, and with nobody close by to interfere, Bailey slowly stalked up to it. Looking inside he saw the gunman slumped forward and panting, with a bullet hole in his neck. It must have hit the central nervous system as the man wasn’t moving, and was only able to roll his eyes around to look at Bailey.

  Bailey saw the gun that had discharged accidentally, beside the passenger seat, and so reached in and took it.

  He looked around and with nobody in sight now he leaned into the car and aimed at the gunman’s temple. He looked away and fired, then got in, and kicked the body out of the driver side door.

  It rolled onto the grass at the side of the lane, and then Bailey took his car away from the scene, and up onto the crystal highways heading north again.

  "Colour swatch." he said and the car body flushed from a dark red to a dirty blue. Border Security cars flew by in the opposite direction and along nearby roadways as he took the car further northward, back into Old Gang territory.

  Bailey drove into a tunnel signposted with a large warning that it led into one of the old city center districts. It was part of a line of districts that ran south from the dome wall near the metropolis, tracing the main river that eventually spewed out of the side of the dome.

  Here there were two blocks on either side of the river with a main street and highway system at the back of each. The highways and streets were all blocked off, and the buildings totally abandoned and derelict.

  He crashed by a wooden barricade that led out onto the rubble strewn highway, and then to a junction leading down to the main street, being careful of all the burnt out vehicles here and there.

  Taking a narrow lane around the side of the gaunt and abandoned block, he drove down onto the riverside and parked in one of the old bays. Facing the riverbank he sat for a few moments to gather his mind before getting out and walking down to the fence at the river’s edge.

  In a strange calm in the strangely beautiful place he brought up Port Farnon on the multi-com and vacantly said “You have something for me?”

  “Yes, friend.” he said with excitement. “I’ve dug up who made the contract. You’re never going to believe it.”

  “Go on.”

  “It’s my boss, Bailey. Kane Minik. I thought you said you didn’t know him.”

  “I don’t. That’s… very strange.”

  “I never would have guessed…” Farnon began, but Bailey cut him down as if in a trance.

  “Do you have his number?”

  “I’ll wire it to your com.” Farnon said. “Take care of this Bailey. For all our sakes.”

  Bailey cut him off and then dialled the number for General Kane Minik.

  “Hello?” Bailey said as he picked up. “I have some information regarding Aaron Bailey. Something that could take his ass out permanently. Meet me at the old East Syndicate building, floor eighteen near the front elevator. I’ll be there in an hour.”

  Bailey hung up, and pocketed the phone.

  Immediately he heard a distant gunshot, and looked around calmly as if he could find its source in the darkness.

  There was a whistle in the air before a high powered bullet slammed into his side. The force kicked him from his feet and he stumbled and fell to the cold, damp ground.

  As he lay dazed and panting furiously, a pair of headlights casually lit up further along the riverbank on the opposite side, and then rolled slowly by toward the lane up to the highway.

  It crossed the highway that bridged the river as Bailey struggled to get back to his feet. An old man who had been stubbornly walking his dog in that terrible quarter of the city
came to Bailey and tried to help. But Bailey, who was now slipping into that darkness he so gallantly had fought, turned on the old man, who covered his face in terror as he fell to the ground.

  A few moments later the hitman’s car rolled down beside Bailey’s, and cut the headlights. A tall thin man got out and looked down at the figure slumped on the path beside the river with the dog barking angrily at its side. He chuckled and hummed slightly as he swaggered over to it to confirm his kill.

  On pulling back Bailey's jacket he saw the unconscious old man under it, and then looked in the direction of his car as Bailey drove it toward him while sounding its horn.

  The car rolled over the old man and slammed into the hitman, pushing him back and through the fence. Bailey jumped out of the way as the car crashed out and into the river.

  The unconscious hitman, slumped over the bonnet sank down below the surface with the car.

  Fuck!

  Bailey stood up as best he could and limped back to his car, leaving a thick trail of blood behind him. The sounds of the barking dog were muffled as he closed the door of his battered sports car.

  This is starting to get tricky. Get Minik, then get healthy. We’re running out of time.

  Old Gang had been watching. They had pulled their myriad of strings within Border Sec and tapped into the robotic surveillance grid.

  Nash held his chin and shook his head.

  “I don’t get it. What the hell is going on these days?” he said to the others in the darkened room as they watched the hovering screens.

  Cameras followed the car along highways in relay to the old East Syndicate Central block.

  By this time most of the police activity had been and gone, and only the gentle flickering of police lights in a hollow around the way could be seen, silent at this distance. At this late hour the place was deserted, and Bailey sauntered across the drafty expanse of concrete and park to the elevators.

  He disappeared from view as he entered the ceiling of the hollow, and then Nash and the others in the room watched a while longer before scrambling to find more cameras and views.