I risked a glance and saw the woman fiddling with her rifle. Without hesitating, I pulled the trigger twice, and was up and moving the second she fell, racing past Cad and angling for the next box, hanging ten feet away.
I planted my foot on the railing around the box and pushed off it hard. There wasn’t even enough time to feel like I was falling before I had breached the gap, my feet just missing the railing of the other box. I hit the ground, my ankles and knees absorbing an impact that made me grunt in pain, but I didn’t stop moving.
Ejecting the clip while running took practice and experience, but it wasn’t a problem for me, not after all these years. It fell to the floor with a clatter, and I reached into my holster pocket and pulled out the first of my spare clips, slapping it into the gun just as I reached the second railing.
The second guard’s gun was on me at this point, but I ignored it, my heart thudding hard as I raced toward the box where she stood, my breath coming in pants. I planted a foot on the railing, just like before, and leapt. My thumb released the slide, slipping it back in place, as I flew through the air.
Everything felt like it was going in slow motion. The warden, standing next to the body of her dead comrade, pointed up at me as I came down, but I stretched out my arm, an angry yell tearing from my lungs. It was going to be one of us, possibly both. I squeezed the trigger again and again as I fell, certain she would get a shot off even then.
I landed hard in the VIP box, my breath hitching. The woman had fallen on her back, blood already beginning to pour from the three bullets I had put in her chest. I ran my hands over my body, certain she had struck me somewhere, and then exhaled when I realized I hadn’t been hit at all.
There was no time for relief, however, as I heard Jeff’s shout ringing in from the hall, where the two women had left the door open. Scrambling up toward the doors of the VIP booth I was in, I heard the sound of gunfire coming from both sides. Figuring Amber and Ms. Dale would be okay, I headed for Jeff, racing down the curved hall.
A volley of bullets ricocheted throughout it, and I was forced to slow, pressing my back against the wall. I heard Jeff shout, this time in alarm, and slid myself carefully forward, praying I would have enough time...
I came around the curved edge, keeping myself low, and saw that Jeff was still kneeling behind the trashcan, his face red and his breathing ragged. More gunfire sounded, and then he was up, squeezing the trigger.
“So sorry!” he shouted, before ducking back in.
Creeping up behind him, I raised my gun and dropped the first warden kneeling in the middle of the hall farther down, her gun trained on Jeff’s position. Jeff looked back at me, alarmed by my sudden appearance, but I ignored him and moved forward.
Another guard stood off to one side, busy changing her clip, and I leveled my gun at her just as she looked up. She barely had a chance to register what was happening when my shot caught her in the shoulder. Her gun fell loudly, clattering on the floor, and she screamed in pain as she fell back. I shot her in the other shoulder for good measure, but didn’t go for the kill shot.
Jeff stood up, a bewildered expression on his face. “Are you okay?” I asked, and he nodded, blinking.
I moved back through the doors of the first VIP box, relieved to see Cad still firing down at the wardens below. I could already see the remains of the crowd surging toward the openings we had given them, streaming in shouting, horrified disarray for the doors. As much as I hated it, we needed to go if we wanted to get out of here alive. Now the people could see to themselves.
“Cad, let’s go!” I shouted, and he turned back to me, nodding. He kept himself low as he raced up the stairs toward me. I waited until he was through and then slammed the door closed. The gunfire from farther down the hall had stopped, and I found myself suddenly worried about the fate of Ms. Dale and Amber.
I moved toward the next checkpoint, taking a moment to eject the clip and double check how many bullets were inside. Our plan was becoming a wild mess, thanks to the Matrians. The sounds of panic continued through the doors, and I exhaled sharply, angry that I had to leave them all behind, that I couldn’t stay and help them more. Angry that once again I had to be in the position of watching innocents die. But I wouldn’t think about that now. I couldn’t. My team’s lives were depending on me and my decision, and it was my responsibility to make sure we all got out alive.
Still, a part of me feverishly hoped one of the citizens below would at least go for one of the weapons that had been dropped by the dead Matrian soldiers. Better to die fighting than running.
As the checkpoint came into view, I felt a supreme sense of satisfaction to see Amber and Ms. Dale on their feet, waiting for us. There were several bodies on the floor around them, but it seemed their battle had left them unscathed.