In, Out, No Trouble

All around me I can feel it in the atmosphere, the dense grime of pollution emminating from the inner city. It clings to the raindrops falling from the black clouds hanging between the massive tower blocks, greasily gripping me tight in its cold embrace. As my eyes scan the skyline, my rebreather faulters and for a second I am instantly hit with the foul stench rising from far below. My nostrils wrinkle but then the little air pump kicks back in and the smell is gone. I should really get that fixed soon, but I'm on his trail. I can't stop now. There's no time to stop now. If I lose him again, thats it for me, I'll be done for... Crouching low I trott along the length of the thin wall between me and the long drop down to the overcrowded surface below. Only stopping when I can see the firedoor I'll be using to get into the building is a simple straight run across the roof. Got to be quick here, this isn't the tallest rooftop and I'm damn sure they know someones coming, even if they don't yet know it's me. I dart out, head kept low, one foot slipping in front of the other, closing the gap between myself and the door in only a moment. For a split second the skies around me light up and the sound of thunder... or perhaps gunshot, reverberates off of every surface in sight, only slightly dampened by the heavy pattering of rain against my hood.

Just two clicks of a button and I'm inside, the door pulled firmly shut behind me. Letting the keyfob drop into my pocket I lean back against the door and breath a sigh of relief. Well that's step one out of the way at least. Now onwards for step two. I glide down the stairs a few steps at a time and ready the taser passed to me for the job. Three floors down I turn sharply on my heel and launch myself down the hall. A left, two rights and another left pass me by. I burst into the office, crouching low, whilst I point and shoot. Hit by the shock my target shudders, every muscle tightening for a split second before he crumples limp to the floor, almost ready for collection. There's only fifteen seconds left on the clock and I can hear the hum of a helicopter turn to a roar as the extraction team slips up into view. The window explodes and I duck down whilst the shattered glass sprays in all directions, then tie my targets hands and haul him to his feet. Turning to face the opening I charge, pushing us both forward and launching us out into the open. For just a moment we hang in the air before crashing into the helicopters cargo bay, rocking it hard and setting alarm bells ringing. The pilot forces the vehicle back under control, then jerks us up and out of the area before any local sensor sweeps could detect our presence.

Laughing almost hysterically the pilot clicks me onto his radio frequency and congratulates me on a job well done! Usually I would at least simply thank him, at most even join him in the cheer. But tonight through gritted teeth my response is to simply say "we're not home safe yet". The only concern on my mind now being whether or not those lights catching my eye on the horizon are on our tail or simply shapes moving in the background, minding their own business, hopefully causing trouble elsewhere.