Chapter 192

“I can’t believe this jackass was trying to hide under our nose.” Malcolm grumbled. I had been gone long enough for him to catch up, as we gathered in the netrunner cave.

 

“Tell me about it.” I hissed. Yuto had been hiding in the same apartment complex that Jun and I had used to live in. Right in the middle of Japantown!

 

Yuto was lucky that he hadn’t actually bought our old apartment. If he had I would have taken that a bit personally…

 

It made me think back to our old home. I still kinda missed it, but… I did like all the extra room in the new apartment, and the nicer building.

 

Dangit. I could never let Jun know that I agreed with his decision about the new apartment now.

 

We were moving in to take him out. Yuto and Roger were both hiding out inside from what I could gather, so it made things complicated.

 

Would killing Roger cause issues with 6th St?

 

Would disabling him even be possible, the guy was mid way up in 6th St. he could be borged out, or just a guy with some army training. So we set up the plan. Ichi and Malcolm would stay at the bottom floor in full rig while I went up to the second floor to find these assholes.

 

I had my quick hacks ready, but I wasn’t going to hesitate to fire as well. I’d rather they both be dead and have this issue solved with some Tyger-6th St. issues, then let it continue on.

 

I parked my Quadra while Ichi’s van parked behind me and all three of us jumped out with Hiromi staying in the Quadra as overwatch for the boys.

 

Then we charged in. Just as planned Ichi and Malcolm both took the entrance, one facing out, and one facing inward. While I rushed the stairs.

 

The security remembered its master, and opened without hesitation as I rushed up to the second floor on silent footsteps. Rushing to the room at the end of the hall, I posted up.

 

There was a security pad, but this apartment’s entire security system had been under my thumb for a long time. I prepared and the door popped open as I charged in rifle raised.

 

Empty?

 

I quickly checked the bedrooms, and even rolled into the kitchen to sweep the bathroom.

 

Empty!?

 

I rushed back to the main room and looked around. This apartment was empty. Not lived in…. Something was wrong. The address for the access had been here.

I looked over at the entertainment system and scanned it. Nothing, but no. There was something.

 

The cable line that ran to the wall! I scanned it and followed it along and instantly noticed it was running into a black box before splitting off… Someone stole cable from this apartment in the past, rerouting everything through. This was old work. So likely Yuto wouldn’t have even… The next door apartment!

 

I heard a crash and instantly Hiromi spoke up.

 

*I see him! He just jumped out of the second floor window!*

I heard gun fire and cursed as I rushed to the other apartment down the hall, it opened just as quickly. I rushed to the open window and jumped out. A second floor drop was nothing, and as I fellI caught sight of him across the street.

 

Yuto leapt into a beat up car, parked down the street. One that I hadn’t registered as anything unusual and started driving away.

 

I hit the floor with an easy landing.

 

*Hiromi!*

I called out, but she was already on it. The Quadra roared to life, and the passenger door opened as she spun the wheels to let me enter. I jumped in, and we were off.

 

I glanced back at the boys and Ichi and Malcolm were rushing for his truck.

 

*Try to catch up!* I called to them and heard their acceptance as we were off.

 

I focused on Archer Quartz that Yuto had leapt in that was tearing up the road ahead of us.

 

My Quadra was faster, but I also wasn’t driving. I threw on the seatbelt and leaned out the still open door bracing my Copperhead on the edge of the car.

 

Unfortunately I couldn’t get a shot. Hiromi was playing catch up, and the heavy traffic meant I was being careful with my aim.

 

When Yuto hit the first red light, he just drove up onto the sidewalk to avoid the traffic, scaring off pedestrians, and I winced as one person got clipped.

 

“Careful!” I called out to Hiromi as she went to chase him.

 

Ahead Yuto floored into the street and cut off another car, the Galena spun out to avoid him, and Hiromi slowed to avoid it, giving Yuto another lead.

 

I lined up a few times and fired a few bursts into the back window, but it cracked across the armored rear glass, and caused Yuto to drive even crazier.

 

The Quartz he was in was definitely modded. Probably Rogers.

 

I growled as the asshole literally just turned off the road and drove straight through a strip mall.

 

“Don’t follow him!” I yelped as Hiromi made to follow, but eventually decided not to, instead staying mostly on the road as she gave chase.

 

I kept my rifle pointed, but between the pedestrians stalls, and the chairs and tables sent flying as he rammed them I couldn’t get a clear shot.

 

“Try to stay on him!”

“I am!” Hiromi snapped back and I nodded, as I watched his Quartz hit a set of stairs a bit roughly, but managed to drive up and then skid back onto the road.

 

I glared at the red that stained the front of his car. He hadn’t cared about not hitting people.

 

Then he took off, and despite our efforts, he was getting a strong lead as we were stuck weaving through traffic.

 

Slowly though we started catching up. Yuto faced the same traffic and crowded streets that we did, meant that we were able to make use of the paths he created through the sidewalk or through muscling against cars pushing them out of the way.

 

I brought up the Copperhead and aimed.

 

We had a straight away, and ahead Yuto had to slow to push a Galena out of the way.

 

I fired, then again, and the passenger windshield cracked but held.

 

It also startled Yuto into accelerating and just bulldozing his past a few cars.

 

It wasn’t exactly doing well for his car though. And I could see sparks underneath as something was hanging down and scraping now.

 

But I felt my eyes narrow as I realized where we were going.

 

Arroyo.

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“He’s making a break for 6th St. Territory.” I told Hiromi, who cursed.

 

“They might interfere if he gets there!”

 

“Then let’s not let him.” I took aim again and breathed in and out. I pulled the trigger and his back window gained another spider crack.

 

Just had to keep it up.

 

Every time I got a shot I took it. Even if it wasn’t a good one. I just needed enough to stop Yuto one way or another.

 

He started taking more and more risks, and his Quartz suffered from it. His front wheel started rocking badly after he slammed into a concrete barrier trying to push through a traffic block.

 

The Quartz started losing a lot of oil or gas out the back when he hit a curb and he nearly lost control as the Quartz bounced around.

 

The Quadra handled it all better even if it was a bigger car, and so it took us time to get through the same spaces he had punched through.

 

The game of cat and mouse continued with the shots of my Copperhead weakening the armored glass more and more.

 

Finally Yuto made it out of Japantown and across the bridge to Arroyo, and we chased after him. The roar of the Quadra catching us up much faster than Yuto’s damaged Quartz Archer.

 

Finally we got close enough and a straight enough path.

 

I flipped the selector and braced and opened up. The Copperhead roared as round after round smashed into the back of the Quartz.

 

More and more until finally the rear windshield broke, it simply couldn’t take any more and Yuto jerked as rounds started firing into the cabin and into the front windshield and hopefully into him.

 

I reloaded but he spun the wheel and took a turn much faster than he should have.

 

He slammed into a wall protecting an industrial park, and Hiromi slowed to keep from crashing and then we were there.

 

It was time.

 

The Quadra slowed to a stop. I kept the Copperhead up as I started walking over to the seemingly disabled car.

 

But before I could get there. Cars rumbled down the road and I glared.

 

6th Street was here.

 

The trucks had men hanging off the side assault rifles ready and I glanced around realizing what the situation was.

 

Hiromi was here, and while I was kitted up. This was a major move from 6th Street.