Miss me?

As much as I hated to admit it, this plan Ryou had concocted wasn’t half bad. Risky? Yes. Utterly suicidal if it went wrong? Absolutely. But was there a better option? None that I could see.

There were three targets, one for each of us. We’d coordinate our attacks, hitting all three at the exact same time so they couldn’t trigger any emergency protocols. Our guides would be shadowing the next three to see how fast their response is.

If all went to plan, the three richest (surviving) CEOs in the city would fall into our hands at the same. They wouldn’t even know what hit them.

Ryou’s job was the simplest, though arguably the most dangerous. The CEO of Neko Baba Industries was often found on one of the top floors of his skyscraper. All Ryou had to do was leap from the building opposite, teleport in, grab the guy, teleport out. It wasn’t exactly complex, but the slightest miscalculation could result in her death.

Fuji, unsurprisingly, got saddled with the bunker dweller. The top dog at Sagi Zaibatsu was the paranoid type. He had hidden himself underground behind locked doors with dozens of MPs guarding him. Unfortunately for him, electric locks and cybernetics aren’t exactly the best counter to the Electric Princess of all people.

Which left me with arguably the hardest job. Dekunobou corp. The chief exec was moving with a convoy, backed up by PMC vehicles and more cyborgs than was worth trying to deal with. The only approach that would work without me being riddled with holes was to snag the CEO quickly then use him as a human shield as I escaped.

Overclocking wasn’t an option. If I fatigued myself early, I’d be a sitting duck. I had to get the timing perfect, or the elites would be using my head as a football.

“Toki, any sign yet?” Asked Ryou over the earpiece.

“Nothin’ yet, guys. I’ll keep you updated.”

“Please do. We cannot begin our part until we get your go ahead.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, but moanin’ at me ain’t gonna make ‘em come any faster.”

“…I suppose you’re right. My apologies, I’m letting the situation get to my head.”

“Don’t sweat it. I’m stressed too.” I had taken to sitting on the roof of a three-storey shopping centre near one of the roads the convoy was expected to take. Obviously it gave me a good vantage point, but my main reason was to cool my nerves. Looking down on the city from above helped me calm down. Made everything seem so small. Insignificant. When I thought of it that way, it became a lot more palatable.

Someone, however, was not calming down.

“C’moooon, Toki, I got one hell of a charge built up and I gotta use it, give me the word already, I’m gettin’ antsy over here!”

“Fuji, no matter how much you bug me, I can’t make the bastard get here any quicker. What, do you think your nagging is gonna make him just… suddenly… turn the corner…” An expensive-looking car flanked by two motorised infantry vehicles appeared in my vision. “…fuck’s sake.”

“What, what is he there? Is he there, Toki?!”

“Chill out, woman, Christ. He’s on the approach, stand by for a moment.”

“Stand by? You mean hold it in longer? But I really have to go!”

“It’s an electric charge, not piss, you-“ I breathed a deep breath. “You are not good for my stress levels, y’know that?”

“And waiting like this isn’t good for my stress levels! We’re even!”

“I think I hate you, Fujiko.” I made a mental note to beat her to death even if the plan went fine.

“Regardless, the call comes down to you, Toki, dear girl. Be sure of yourself. We cannot afford any error.” Ryou’s calm sophistication almost soothed my irritation at Fuji’s… Fujiness.

“It’s getting closer…” the convoy crossed the intersection that led to the shopping centre. “Just a little further…” it passed the edge of the building. “Wait for it…. now!”

I dropped from the roof feet-first and landed squarely on the front of the expensive car. The bonnet caved under the force. The windscreen shattered into pieces. The only reason the car didn’t flip is because I punched it back down when it came up on two wheels.

It wouldn’t exactly be doing any road trips any time soon.

The entire convoy screeched to a half, a few of the military vehicles crashing and causing a pile up. Those at the front turned their chainguns towards me, but all I had to was grab the CEO and book it-

“Miss me?”

My precognition warned me at the last possible moment. I raised my arms and protected my head from a lethal strike. The force was enough to send me sailing through the air away from the convoy.

Another premonition struck.

I curled my body into a ball, and the cleaver descending from the sky just missed me as I continued to fly.

I finally touched down dozens of metres from where I stopped the car, landing on my feet with as much technique as I could muster to avoid shattering my knees. I immediately turned and hightailed it away.

There was no CEO in the damn car.

“Dammit, all, it’s a trap, we’ve been had!” I yelled through the earpiece.

“Toki? Is something the matter, dear girl?”

“It’s them, Ryou. Its Z and W. They were expecting us-“

“Too right you are, my friend!”

I just barely rolled to the right fast enough to avoid Z falling out of the sky with that ridiculous hammer of hers. Asphalt scattered to the air as she came down hard on the road.

As I got back to my feet, I realised an unfortunate truth. Running away would not be an option.

“Don’t flatten her completely, Z. You’ll ruin the delectable flavour.”

“Ahh, I’m just tryna tenderise the meat for ya, lovey. You know I love my dish pounded and battered, don’t ya?”

“Leave the food metaphor to me, please. You are horrid at it.”

“Ahhh, there you go again, crushing my spirits so ruthlessly! Marry me when this is all over!”

“I would rather be dead.” W turned her attention towards me. She took a few steps forward and pointed her cleaver at my head. “You should have been cut in half. That precognitive power of yours is a nuisance.”

“Precognitive… how did you…”

“Ohhh, we know lots about you, my lovely Tokiko,” cackled Z with a sadistic grin. “You thought it would take Kageno longer to find out who you are? You really are dense, poppet.”

“Losing the ecstasy of a meal with mysterious ingredients is sad. But you’ll make a wonderful entree before I butcher your girlfriends.”

I could hardly move.

I knew this plan had the potential to go badly, but this?

This wasn’t just a mission cock-up.

This was a personal hell.

And no one was coming to drag me out.