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Survivor00
Star
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2009
â??Mirrorâ??s Edge â?? Shards of Icarusâ?
Survivor00 & Liynn
<><><>
â??Tobias.â?
...
â??Oi! Tobias! Wake the fuck up!â?
With those annoyed words shouting in his ear, Tobias Kova was stirred from the short nap he had taken in one of the Runner hideouts littered around the City. The old air conditioning tower had been gutted several years ago, the shell converted into a small refuge where they could all lay low, take a break, hidden from the helicopters and Pursuit Cops. Although, recently, they had all been laying low much more than ever, and the death of Mercury in his own home had shown that even in these temporary refuges, you weren't always safe.
â??A'right, alright, I'm up. Shit, I was just taking a quick rest, man.â? Tobias groaned, easing off the worn and faded couch that had someone had somehow gotten up here. God bless that runner. He placed his hands on the back of his neck, feeling the soft grip of his gloves as he stretched his arms. He grabbed his shirt from the plastic chair he had draped it over, pulling it over his head, the bright yellow fabric snug against his torso. Next came the single shoulder holster he slipped on over his shirt. More and more, runners were having to take precautions, arming themselves, even if they preferred to go without a gun.
â??Yeah?â? The voice in his earpiece asked sarcastically, â??Well while you were taking your bloody nap, three Blue squads mobilized in the area around your pickup zone.â? The tone of voice made it sound as if though his taking a nap was directly correlated to the Blues making a move.
â??So?â? Tobias asked, cracking his knuckles, before reaching down to check the G 18 pistol he had stuffed into the waistband of his shorts. He ejected the magazine, checked to make sure it was still full, and slapped it back home. He slipped it into the waiting holster. â??It's not like this was unexpected. Damn Blues have been deploying if anyone so much as sneezes these days.â?
Things had been hard for the runners lately, more so than they had ever been. Ever since Project: Icarus had gone active, five runners had been killed. Even when Faith had crippled the Shard's databases, disrupting the advancement of the project, it had only taken them a few weeks to get the Pursuit Cops up and moving again. They had lost some of their effectiveness, yes, but usually the Blues and PK carried at least one Pursuit Cop in their helicopters now, allowing for semi-rapid deployment.
â??So, Virgil, who am I playing errand boy for today?â? He asked, stretching out his legs, loosening himself up before his route began.
â??Client's remainin' anonymous, as usual.â? Virgil replied, his British accent coloring his speech. â??Pickup zone's on the roof of Madaku-Zhou Security, and the drop-â?
â??Wait, wait, wait. Madaku-Zhou Security? Are you trying to get me killed?â? Tobias cut him off, only to get the same treatment from the voice in his earpiece.
â??Oi, fuck off. It's the cleanest pickup zone in the whole damn district. If I had a better zone for ya', I'd have sent the package there!â? Virgil retorted. â??Who'd you rather face anyway? Blues and PKs, or a couple of MZ tossers?â? And as much as Tobias wanted to continue the argument, Virgil had a strong point. MZ was hardly as well trained or equipped as PK, an easy takedown for even the most inexperienced runner. Still, with the amount of security being mobilized around the City, Tobias didn't want to have to take any more risks than he had to.
â??Alright, alright. So, where's the dropoff and who am I handing the package over to?â? He asked, pushing open the 'door' panel to get outside. For a moment, he was literally blinded by the glare. The sunlight was blinding, white and sterile as it reflected from the manicured facades of the cityâ??s numerous skyscrapers. A PK Black Hawk lifted from the helipad of a distant building, the thumping of rotor blades faintly audible. The towering Shard was now covered in scaffolding, as work crews frenetically tried to repair the damage from the helicopter that had crashed into its side. The government was trying frantically to reestablish their grip on the citizens, repair the damage done by Faith's assault on the Shard â?? an act they blamed on terrorists - and for the most part, it was workingâ?¦
It was hard to believe that it had only been nine years since the November Riots. Long gone were the freedoms, the choice. Sure, the crime was gone as well, the inherent violence that came with a city, but none of it seemed real anymore, the sounds, the smellsâ?¦even the air he breathed, all of it seemed controlled and manufacturedâ?¦nothing like the city he once knew. The city he grew up inâ?¦
â??Dropoff's going to be at HAO Multinational. You'll be meeting up with a good friend of yours.â? Virgil's voice seemed to echo his amusement. He didn't need to say anything more, Tobias knew who he was referring to. He paced for a moment, surveying the route, plotting out movements in his head. Finally satisfied, he positioned himself, crouching down into a sprinter's stance.
The helicopter was still too far off to be of much concern, and it was getting farther away by the moment. Good. Tobias grinned slightly, swinging his arms back and forth before pushing off with his feet, shoes gripping at the concrete. The air rushed by him as he sped towards the edge of the building, the girder hanging from an adjacent construction crane his target. He built as much speed as possible before pushing off, throwing himself out into the void.
â??Now don't do anything stupid, like getting yourself killed!â?
He tucked his body as he landed, rolling and diffusing the impact of the landing while preserving his momentum, up on his feet and running again without breaking pace. Momentum was key. As his weight started to tilt the beam like a ramp, he used it to reach up and grab the arm of the crane, swinging up over it and skidding down the length of it. Tobias pushed himself off the crane, swinging down a radio mast to the rooftop below. He paused only for a moment to check his surroundings. No squeals of radios, or thundering roars of chopper blades anywhere near him.
â??Window dolly, one floor down.â? Virgil guided him. As much as they bickered and bantered when he wasn't on a delivery run, Virgil was as faithful a guide as the character he was named after.
Without another second's pause, he was off again, running up the stairs of a small access catwalk, vaulting over the railing onto the top of a ventilation duct, pivoting on his heel and running towards the massive air conditioner at the end, feeling the thin metal buckling under his weight as he ran. He leaped up, pulling himself up on top of the air conditioner, rushing towards the edge. Just as Virgil had said, on the adjacent building, an abandoned window-washing dolly hung from its cables. Tobias threw himself over the edge, the street nearly ten floors below. He'd heard of more than one runner who ended up being washed off the pavement after misjudging the distance of a jump.
Using the railing of the dolly to hurdle himself forward, he hit the window at full speed, the glass shattering into a thousand crystalline shards as they crashed to the floor around him. He kept his head down to protect his face from the broken glass. Dozens of startled faces looked up from office cubicles as he rushed past them, straight to the fire exit adjacent to the window. The bright red door was easy to see, he knew it would go to the roof. From there he could find a way down to the next building where he would meet up with the other Runner. He brought his elbow up and bashed open the door, bolting up the stairwell as fast as his legs would take him.
An alarm started ringing from somewhere in the building, but he ignored it. If he kept moving, he would be gone by the time any Blues arrived.
â??Keep an eye out, I'm running blind until you get outside.â? Virgil warned.
â??Noted.â? Tobias replied quickly, keeping his breathing controlled as he rushed up the stairwell, his legs burning slightly from the exertion. He had three more floors before he reached the roof, when the door ahead of him was slammed open, a security guard blocking his path. The overweight guard started to scream some sort of warning at him, but it was cut off as Tobias drove his weight into the guard's stomach, crushing the air from his lungs and knocking the man back into the wall.
As he spun to take the next flight of stairs, Tobias clapped his hand against the back of the guard's skull, and pushed, sending the disoriented man crashing down the stairs. He'd hurt like hell for a while, but he'd live.
Two more flights of stairs, and he knocked open the door leading onto the building's roof, staggering slightly before recovering his footing. Shielding his eyes from the glare reflecting off of a nearby building's facade, he could hear the sirens and the droning of helicopter blades from the Blues that had been mobilized earlier. Odds were, they would be on their way to this building right now. He had to be gone and fast.
â??Come on, Virgil. Give me an exit!â? He urged, inspecting the rooftop for angles. He could find a few, but which one would lead him to the drop, and away from the Blues?
Survivor00 & Liynn
<><><>
â??Tobias.â?
...
â??Oi! Tobias! Wake the fuck up!â?
With those annoyed words shouting in his ear, Tobias Kova was stirred from the short nap he had taken in one of the Runner hideouts littered around the City. The old air conditioning tower had been gutted several years ago, the shell converted into a small refuge where they could all lay low, take a break, hidden from the helicopters and Pursuit Cops. Although, recently, they had all been laying low much more than ever, and the death of Mercury in his own home had shown that even in these temporary refuges, you weren't always safe.
â??A'right, alright, I'm up. Shit, I was just taking a quick rest, man.â? Tobias groaned, easing off the worn and faded couch that had someone had somehow gotten up here. God bless that runner. He placed his hands on the back of his neck, feeling the soft grip of his gloves as he stretched his arms. He grabbed his shirt from the plastic chair he had draped it over, pulling it over his head, the bright yellow fabric snug against his torso. Next came the single shoulder holster he slipped on over his shirt. More and more, runners were having to take precautions, arming themselves, even if they preferred to go without a gun.
â??Yeah?â? The voice in his earpiece asked sarcastically, â??Well while you were taking your bloody nap, three Blue squads mobilized in the area around your pickup zone.â? The tone of voice made it sound as if though his taking a nap was directly correlated to the Blues making a move.
â??So?â? Tobias asked, cracking his knuckles, before reaching down to check the G 18 pistol he had stuffed into the waistband of his shorts. He ejected the magazine, checked to make sure it was still full, and slapped it back home. He slipped it into the waiting holster. â??It's not like this was unexpected. Damn Blues have been deploying if anyone so much as sneezes these days.â?
Things had been hard for the runners lately, more so than they had ever been. Ever since Project: Icarus had gone active, five runners had been killed. Even when Faith had crippled the Shard's databases, disrupting the advancement of the project, it had only taken them a few weeks to get the Pursuit Cops up and moving again. They had lost some of their effectiveness, yes, but usually the Blues and PK carried at least one Pursuit Cop in their helicopters now, allowing for semi-rapid deployment.
â??So, Virgil, who am I playing errand boy for today?â? He asked, stretching out his legs, loosening himself up before his route began.
â??Client's remainin' anonymous, as usual.â? Virgil replied, his British accent coloring his speech. â??Pickup zone's on the roof of Madaku-Zhou Security, and the drop-â?
â??Wait, wait, wait. Madaku-Zhou Security? Are you trying to get me killed?â? Tobias cut him off, only to get the same treatment from the voice in his earpiece.
â??Oi, fuck off. It's the cleanest pickup zone in the whole damn district. If I had a better zone for ya', I'd have sent the package there!â? Virgil retorted. â??Who'd you rather face anyway? Blues and PKs, or a couple of MZ tossers?â? And as much as Tobias wanted to continue the argument, Virgil had a strong point. MZ was hardly as well trained or equipped as PK, an easy takedown for even the most inexperienced runner. Still, with the amount of security being mobilized around the City, Tobias didn't want to have to take any more risks than he had to.
â??Alright, alright. So, where's the dropoff and who am I handing the package over to?â? He asked, pushing open the 'door' panel to get outside. For a moment, he was literally blinded by the glare. The sunlight was blinding, white and sterile as it reflected from the manicured facades of the cityâ??s numerous skyscrapers. A PK Black Hawk lifted from the helipad of a distant building, the thumping of rotor blades faintly audible. The towering Shard was now covered in scaffolding, as work crews frenetically tried to repair the damage from the helicopter that had crashed into its side. The government was trying frantically to reestablish their grip on the citizens, repair the damage done by Faith's assault on the Shard â?? an act they blamed on terrorists - and for the most part, it was workingâ?¦
It was hard to believe that it had only been nine years since the November Riots. Long gone were the freedoms, the choice. Sure, the crime was gone as well, the inherent violence that came with a city, but none of it seemed real anymore, the sounds, the smellsâ?¦even the air he breathed, all of it seemed controlled and manufacturedâ?¦nothing like the city he once knew. The city he grew up inâ?¦
â??Dropoff's going to be at HAO Multinational. You'll be meeting up with a good friend of yours.â? Virgil's voice seemed to echo his amusement. He didn't need to say anything more, Tobias knew who he was referring to. He paced for a moment, surveying the route, plotting out movements in his head. Finally satisfied, he positioned himself, crouching down into a sprinter's stance.
The helicopter was still too far off to be of much concern, and it was getting farther away by the moment. Good. Tobias grinned slightly, swinging his arms back and forth before pushing off with his feet, shoes gripping at the concrete. The air rushed by him as he sped towards the edge of the building, the girder hanging from an adjacent construction crane his target. He built as much speed as possible before pushing off, throwing himself out into the void.
â??Now don't do anything stupid, like getting yourself killed!â?
He tucked his body as he landed, rolling and diffusing the impact of the landing while preserving his momentum, up on his feet and running again without breaking pace. Momentum was key. As his weight started to tilt the beam like a ramp, he used it to reach up and grab the arm of the crane, swinging up over it and skidding down the length of it. Tobias pushed himself off the crane, swinging down a radio mast to the rooftop below. He paused only for a moment to check his surroundings. No squeals of radios, or thundering roars of chopper blades anywhere near him.
â??Window dolly, one floor down.â? Virgil guided him. As much as they bickered and bantered when he wasn't on a delivery run, Virgil was as faithful a guide as the character he was named after.
Without another second's pause, he was off again, running up the stairs of a small access catwalk, vaulting over the railing onto the top of a ventilation duct, pivoting on his heel and running towards the massive air conditioner at the end, feeling the thin metal buckling under his weight as he ran. He leaped up, pulling himself up on top of the air conditioner, rushing towards the edge. Just as Virgil had said, on the adjacent building, an abandoned window-washing dolly hung from its cables. Tobias threw himself over the edge, the street nearly ten floors below. He'd heard of more than one runner who ended up being washed off the pavement after misjudging the distance of a jump.
Using the railing of the dolly to hurdle himself forward, he hit the window at full speed, the glass shattering into a thousand crystalline shards as they crashed to the floor around him. He kept his head down to protect his face from the broken glass. Dozens of startled faces looked up from office cubicles as he rushed past them, straight to the fire exit adjacent to the window. The bright red door was easy to see, he knew it would go to the roof. From there he could find a way down to the next building where he would meet up with the other Runner. He brought his elbow up and bashed open the door, bolting up the stairwell as fast as his legs would take him.
An alarm started ringing from somewhere in the building, but he ignored it. If he kept moving, he would be gone by the time any Blues arrived.
â??Keep an eye out, I'm running blind until you get outside.â? Virgil warned.
â??Noted.â? Tobias replied quickly, keeping his breathing controlled as he rushed up the stairwell, his legs burning slightly from the exertion. He had three more floors before he reached the roof, when the door ahead of him was slammed open, a security guard blocking his path. The overweight guard started to scream some sort of warning at him, but it was cut off as Tobias drove his weight into the guard's stomach, crushing the air from his lungs and knocking the man back into the wall.
As he spun to take the next flight of stairs, Tobias clapped his hand against the back of the guard's skull, and pushed, sending the disoriented man crashing down the stairs. He'd hurt like hell for a while, but he'd live.
Two more flights of stairs, and he knocked open the door leading onto the building's roof, staggering slightly before recovering his footing. Shielding his eyes from the glare reflecting off of a nearby building's facade, he could hear the sirens and the droning of helicopter blades from the Blues that had been mobilized earlier. Odds were, they would be on their way to this building right now. He had to be gone and fast.
â??Come on, Virgil. Give me an exit!â? He urged, inspecting the rooftop for angles. He could find a few, but which one would lead him to the drop, and away from the Blues?
