Written in 365 Parts: 64: Target Acquired

As Drick plummeted through the hole in the floor they activated the suits systems to switch from increased gravity to as low a gravity as the suit could manage. Drick readied their whole body, going from an arrow to pass through the floor, into a relaxed shape for impact. It was seconds before Drick was taking most of the force of the fall with feet that curled into a roll along the corridor Drick came up into a run ignoring the shock waves of pain that were coursing through their frame.

Drick flicked the shotgun to small shot with low impact as they rounded the corner of the corridor they had crashed into. Drick was already rolling sideways as they reached the corner and firing, it took three shots to hit the target which was a surprised looking guard who was running towards the sound of the noise. Drick’s first shot had gone wild, the second grazed their stomach, but the third hit them square in the face knocking their head backwards and them into unconsciousness.

Drick bounced a shoulder off the wall and used the support of the smooth surface to keep them steady as they continued racing down the new corridor. With half an eye to the overlay of positions and the layout of the complex on the internal monitor Drick guessed that they had a few moments to get to their quarry. Already more guards were converging on one single position. A floor down and two hundred metres away. It was a large room with its own private elevator to every floor including the floor one hundred metres down that exited to a private causeway with an unknown exit to the public freeway.

If Drick’s intended mark made it to their vehicle they would be out of reach for any sensible purposes, they would either go low or acquire too much security or likely both. Drick had to take them in this club. Right now Rodero would be blocking all outside communications from the secure network, if Boomer was doing their job right all other feeds would be out as well. Which meant they had to get out of this area to make any call for backup.

No doubt the club had contingency plans, Drick knew of two at least thanks to some insider information provided by a Union looking to keep them alive to collect on a favour. But there could be others. So speed was the key. The only solution was a heavy assault and immediate resolution.

Drick took a disc from a back pouch and flicked it to active. It was a semi-guided missile keyed to Drick’s own internal systems. The missile had a limited ani-grav stability system and utilised the same motors to propel it at sufficiently worrisome speeds at a target. It had been designed and intended for building assaults.

With a mere thought Drick sent the disc spinning away from them and around the next corner less than ten metres away. Twenty metres down that corridor was a security station and armoured door. For the time being.

Drick armed the missile and activated a power burst to propulsion turning off all other systems. The effect was to leave Drick without any control, monitoring or knowledge, from the missile. It also meant the missiles systems and course couldn’t be interfered with anymore except by direct physical intervention. It was no longer guided, it was a straight line certainty.

Drick slowed their pace and turned the suit’s systems to high gravity effect once more as they dropped to the ground with bare moments to spare. There was a colossal explosion. As if in symphony with Drick’s actions there was a rumble from above and motes of dust fell from the ceiling and walls. In the distance there were screams of surprise and terror. 

Drick recognised the effect of a rumble pack. It was a weapon intended for fear and confusion. A damaging sound, a deep rumbling bass, was the signature. A lot of intense light but it was broad spectrum and not harmful to most people. The major effect was to shake solid surfaces. It rumbled. As it did it vibrated large surfaces using low level frequency generation, that was harmless to organics but caused ripples in anything broad flat and weighing more than a few hundred kilogrammes. The building literally shook with the force of a low frequency, high energy, sound weapon. 

Drick guessed that the majority of the staff would be heading to the epicentre of that explosion, it was hardly relevant to Drick at this moment. Drick was moving at their fastest rate. With the lowered gravitational effect from the suit they were able to run up the walls to take corners from the wall opposite, landing in rolls that bounced them metres down a corridor into pouncing runs that became upright.

Drick ran through two staff members spinning them into a wall or floor with sheer momentum. On the next corridor that was long and straight Drick used three shots from the shotgun. One was fortunate, straight to the back of the head, then two to the stomach of the other guard took out any thoughts of resistance.

Another corner and Drick backflipped from a high point of the wall and as they came upright used a maximum spread of the gel shotgun that sent a wall of low impact force down the corridor. 

The four guards who were waiting outside of the elevator were firing at the same moment, but their shots were absorbed by the non-reactive substance of the gel round as it enveloped them knocking them backwards. The next impact the guards felt was from the thousands of darts that Drick unleashed from the other handgun.

The guards were all down on this level and Drick casually walked towards the armoured doors that led to the private elevator, the other floors and garage. Drick used a small powered expansion tool to open the doors as Rodero deactivated all door sensors and locked this area down. 

Drick looked down. The quarry had clearly decided to evacuate, the monitors gave that away. It was a lazy eleven seconds before the elevator ascended from the garage to the floor below and Drick’s screen showed the security enter the lift. The quarry was unmonitored, it was still a little bit of guesswork to think they were with these guards. But well informed guesses.

 Drick watched it start to move and then leapt down the elevator shaft.

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