They stood together, shrouded by the shadows of a covered walkway. A fine mist-like rain hissed and strafed along the busy street, beading every surface with moisture, overhead neon reflected in the windows of passing vehicles.
Domino checked their disguises, wanting each detail to be perfect. Angel, now a mirror image of Domino, was almost unrecognisable in a pleated mini skirt, platform boots and a layering of garish, skimpy tops. Her skin was several shades darker than usual and her hair had been transformed into long, honey coloured curls. They both wore heavy make-up and nail extensions to complete their transformation into 'gyaru', followers of an old fashion trend which had recently seen a resurgence.
Borislav meanwhile, shifted uncomfortably in a sharply tailored and completely immaculate suit. His shoes, his grooming, even his wallet and pen all suggested a man of extravagant means, a man who could easily fund the voracious shopping habits of two teen-aged girls. Both young women carried a clutch of shopping bags, each from a top-line boutique, each one evidence of his unending generosity.
It was the bags which made Domino most nervous; layers of pastel underwear and glittery clothes concealed the items she would need to stage her assault on Yamada's security later that night. The bags would pass a cursory inspection but little more. They would need to be careful not to raise any suspicions.
She finished her Mild 7, inhaling a mix of the rich tobacco smoke and the overdone sickly sweetness of her perfume. The monolithic structure of Yamada's Ebisu Palace hotel loomed over her, a sinister presence both on the waterfront and in her thoughts.
“Let's go,” she said.
Roving beams of light from a patrolling police air car cut through the stale air of the hotel suite, almost inquisitive as they passed over ubiquitous furniture. Old proximity sensitive lights hummed into life as Domino led the way into the room. The release of tension she felt at having successfully smuggled her assault equipment through the lobby was reflected in her friends' expressions as they glanced around the strangely decorated room.
The clerk had taken their trio at face value and had recommended they check into one of the Ebisu's 'entertainment suites'. Yamada's hotel enjoyed two faces: that of a five star, ultimate luxury business hotel and, somewhere just below the surface, that of a 'red-light' establishment. A massive heart-shaped bed and an over-abundance of mirrors along with a vending machine for erotica left little doubt as to which section of the hotel they were in.
Angel moved slowly around the room, a discreet scanner in her hand, searching for hidden cameras or other wireless feeds. Satisfied that they were not being surveilled, she gave a nod to Domino and Borislav before moving to the window controls. A moment later, and the glass cycled from clear, through a smoky grey and into a total black tint.
The three then set about unpacking Domino's equipment, setting it out on the bed. She took a mental inventory as they went: armoured shadow suit, black monofilament katana and wakizashi, multi-purpose micro grenades, a strip of titanium kunai, twin 10mm semi-automatics with backup clips and a bullpup configuration SMG. Under most operating conditions, she would use suppressors on the firearms but they felt redundant on this run; it would get messy and loud very quickly.
She began stripping out of her gyaru disguise, unaware of the now flushed Borislav behind her as he hurried to find something to busy himself with on the opposite side of the room. As she pulled on the form-fitting shadow suit, she was aware of her shift into a heightened state of readiness, a paradox of inner calm paired with supreme combat awareness. She set about strapping her armaments in place while simultaneously, almost subconsciously, accessing her cosmetic processor. Her hair changed back to its natural blue-black, while her irises shifted to a burning red, glowing slightly in the low light.
Domino looked over to Angel, sat knock-kneed on a massive yellow beanbag. She trusted her without reservation and knew she was in safe hands when it came to Angel's part in their plan. Borislav was still an unknown quantity to her though. Although he had come this far with them, some distant fraction of her mind still wondered if perhaps she had made a mistake in involving him.
She blinked away her doubts and ran targeting interface checks, hefting first the twin pistols, then the SMG. Advanced systems in the grip of each weapon communicated with her neural processor and allowed her optics to more accurately calibrate aiming vectors, essentially improving her already deadly accuracy to near perfection. The system even allowed for multiple target tracking, which had proven useful on more than one occasion in the past.
Once she was satisfied that everything checked out, she holstered the pistols on her thighs and the SMG at the small of her back. She initiated a cybercomms channel with Angel.
[I'm ready.]
[I still don't like this, Yuki.]
[It'll be all right. We've come through worse. I know we can do this. Just trust me and stay focussed.]
[I will. And I do. Just let me know when you're in position and I'll be ready for you.]
Domino looked around for Borislav and noticed the doors to the balcony had been unlocked.
[When did he leave?]
[When you started changing in front of him.]
[Oh.]
She moved to join Borislav on the balcony and, as she reached to open the door, noticed her reflection in the darkened glass. Her body was barely visible, even in the dim light of the overheads in the suite. The shadow suit was doing its work well, leaving only her pale face visible. She paused and tugged up the retracted face guard until it covered her mouth and nose.
Borislav turned from gazing out over the bay as she stepped softly out onto the balcony.
“You are ready, I see,” he said quietly. Domino thought she detected a hint of something in his voice, resignation maybe? “I too am ready to do my part. For what it is worth.”
“It'll be worth a lot, Borislav. Assuming all goes to plan.”
“Which it will, of course!” he suddenly rumbled, a confident grin plastered on his face. Domino smiled and nodded in return.
“Okay then. Wish me luck. Time to go,” she said.
As Domino started to climb, she heard movement below and looked down to see that Angel had joined Borislav on the balcony. As her fingers and toes found one precarious hold after another, she could almost sense Angel willing her on. Domino suddenly felt a warm swell of emotions as she thought of her.
Hanging there, high above the streets, she experienced an epiphany; this wasn't just about revenge, about freedom. She had another reason to succeed, to make it through alive.
Domino's movements became even more fluid and efficient as she scaled the side of the hotel, as she became an unstoppable force, a dark flicker of inevitability. It was time to end this.
The frigid air in the crawl space cut through even the insulation of Domino's body suit as she lay waiting for the right moment to begin her assault. Above her, his penthouse floor impenetrable aside from a single door, was Yamada. Below, visible through the narrow slats of a vent, countless guards, all armed with compact SMGs and stun sticks, all wearing pseudo ninja-style kevlar suits and ovoid black helmets which covered their faces.
[Are you seeing this, Angel?]
[Yeah. Not good. There's so many of them!]
[Can you find the specs of those helmets? I need to know the optic capabilities of the visors.]
There was a moment's pause.
[Done. I'm sending the data to you –]
[Got it, thanks. Hmm. Looks like the flash bangs are no good. Broad spectrum scramblers should work just fine though.]
[But that'll kill your feed too. You'll be just as blind as they are!]
[No. I'm shielded.]
[Oh. Good. Okay then...]
[Stop worrying. Is Borislav in position?]
[Yeah. He fed the guy at front desk some line about needing 'more women!' or something. He got out no problem.]
[And you?]
[I'm clear. Ready to go when you are. I'm into the main systems for that floor. Just call out what you need.]
[Okay, thanks. Standby.]
Domino continued her detailed surveillance of the guards below, looking for patterns, patrol routes, trying to establish a head count. She had expected maybe twenty or so guards in Yamada's detail but so far she had estimated double that amount. The homogeny of their uniforms meant that she could remain in position all night and still have no accurate idea of how many she would face. To further complicate matters, the guards seemed to be following no particular protocols, instead seeming only to amble around at random intervals. They were either quite clever or a crew full of amateurs.
If she had been unlucky in her encounter with Capricia, then karma suddenly saw fit to provide Domino with a shift in fortune. A detachment of six guards appeared, flanking three geisha, evidently escorting them from Yamada's floor to the lift. Domino's hiding place was directly above the only return route that the guards could take. This was the opportunity she had been waiting for.
[Angel, on my go signal, kill the lights.]
[Will do. I can simultaneously lock down all doors on that floor, if you want. It might slow some of them down.]
[Sounds good. Oh, and try to locate which house those geisha are from. It might prove useful later.]
[Okay. I'll see what I can find once I pick them up on the lobby cams.]
Domino waited for the sound of the lift doors closing and then followed the sound of the guards' footfalls as they returned to her position.
[Ready in... five, four, three, two, one, go!]
Darkness descended on the corridor below and, in the very instant the scrambler grenade went off, Domino dropped through the flimsy vent grating, landing silently in the midst of the six guards.
Two of the six reacted quickly to their sudden blindness, hurriedly casting their malfunctioning helmets aside, only to be greeted with inky darkness. The guards fell almost as one, Domino's blades whirling a bloody vortex among them. Her first and last strike were separated by no more than a single heartbeat.
She moved off in a low sprint, six dismembered bodies littering the floor behind her. The sound of the locked doors being forced open further ahead came to her as she closed on a pair of guards moving cautiously, back to back. Domino carried her speed forward into a slide which took her beneath their immediate line of sight, the shadow suit concealing her approach. As she swept their feet from under them, she flipped up and over, her blades slashing through kevlar as if it were fine cotton, leaving two more dead in her wake.
Domino palmed a pair of doppler grenades, throwing one left and one right to serve as diversions as she carved a path to the north side of the building. She skittered to a halt at the corner of her turn into the bay-side corridor. Muted comms chatter and, just on the edge of her hearing, the sound of weapons being readied alerted her to the presence of a large group of guards lying in wait ahead.
She flattened herself against the wall and rapidly sheathed her swords. As she glanced at the floor-to-ceiling windows lining the bay-side corridor, she managed to catch a glimpse of movement reflected in the glass. Three of the guards on point had activated mini Maglite under-barrel torches on their weapons and were searching for her. That was all she needed for positional targeting. She pulled her SMG free and darted into the corridor.
Dropping into a shooting crouch, she shot the three point-men with controlled, three round bursts. Armour piercing rounds ripped through body armour and, as the men fell, the narrow beams of light from their torches swept erratically around the corridor.
The return fire came both quickly and furiously as panic swept through the remaining guards. They were engaging a target they could not see. Darkness was pierced by the muzzle flash of their weapons as the air was filled with bullets. Domino launched into an evasive series of blindingly fast, random zigzag steps, pausing only to loose off shots of her own. Each time she fired, the guards concentrated their response on that position, using her muzzle flash as a target.
She was able to stay one step ahead of them in this way and had managed to thin their numbers down to two before her SMG registered empty. As it clattered to the floor she whipped the twin 10mm pistols from her thigh holsters and finished the last of the group with shots that shattered the visors of their helmets.
Domino heard more guards closing on her position from corridors perpendicular to her own. Evidently the doppler grenades hadn't bought her as much time as she had hoped. She hurried to the rearmost of the guards she had killed and propped his corpse into a half-seated position. Using his body as a makeshift shield, she crouched and waited for her pursuers to round the corner.
Her heart sank as she saw the riot-shields leading the way. She knew she had no chance of penetration with her pistols; the shields were proof even against AP rounds. Two narrow gaps presented themselves in the wall of armour as the guards established their formation. This was more than enough for target acquisition, and two more guards fell.
Domino then tossed both a scrambler and a smoke grenade along the floor and broke into a headlong dash away from the advancing guards and towards her target. She only had to reach the north-west corner...
A swarm of bullets carved the air around her, the guards using full auto, suppressive fire in an attempt to counteract her smokescreen. She stumbled into a roll as shots found her legs and back. Experience and intuition told her that the armour-weave in her suit had taken the lethal brunt of the shots but that knowledge did little to stem the white hot pain she felt as the breath was blasted from her lungs by the impact.
She engaged her pain suppressor on instinct and continued running, loosing off suppressive shots underarm as she went. The north-west corner was in sight now, the stairway to Yamada's floor a mere twenty-five metres to the right of that point.
A door ahead of her suddenly shattered outwards and the massive bulk of a sumo burst into the corridor. He growled at her, crudely implanted red optics flaring menacingly in the darkness between them. Domino unloaded her pistols at him as she closed the gap between them. Each shot connected with a strange thud, and while blood spurted from the numerous impacts, the sumo seemed only a little staggered from the wounds.
Shit! Subdermal armour, Domino cursed inwardly.
The sumo met her advance with a rush of his own, roaring in rage. Domino knew she had no time to reload the spent pistols and so reached for her kunai. With a smart flick of her wrist, she launched two of the small elongated diamond-shaped blades directly at the sumo's optics. As they found their target in a shower of sparks, she leapt into a dive which would carry her over the sumo, placing him between her and the pursuing guards.
She landed in a full sprint and left the sumo wailing in pain and anger behind her. The corner was only a few metres away now. Gunfire barked all around as the guards clattered along behind her, their movements punctuated by the booming of the sumo's footfalls as he blindly chased after her.
That was when the world around Domino shattered. The impact of the explosion slammed into her back with a force unlike anything else she had felt before. She felt her body being flung through the air towards the plate glass window ahead of her. A thousand crystalline shards spun in the air around her as she burst through the glass. Her mind briefly registered first the heat at her back and then the cold of the night air. Then she was falling and all was black.
Copyright © A. Flood 2010
Copyright © A. Flood 2010
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