FSE

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We didn't run there. That place had a giant parking lot, at least a fourth of a mile deep. We might have attracted attention, if anyone was looking out way, but the houses all faced away from the building.

The plywood covering the doors turned out to be three layers thick and didn't show any signs of having been taken off. They had to have gotten in from the back. Hopefully it meant they weren't expecting anyone from this side.

"Before we go in," Tom whispered, "I need to know what kind of charge this has." He showed the stunner, looking at Martin.

"You don't have to worry." The cougar replied. "It's going to outlast this fight. It's something new, not on the market yet. The manufacturer calls it a Dilithium Battery, after the old TV show--"

"I think we can get the vendor's blurb after this," I cut him off. "I want this done and over with."

"You're right." Martin said.

"Okay, then, if we don't have to worry about running out of power, fire at everything that move which isn't us. If they bring out Dent's family, don't worry about hitting them. You're not going to do permanent damage."

"Lets try not to hit them anyway." I said.

The badger shrugged. "Dent, you'd heading straight there with Colby and your sister, right?" I nodded. "Okay, then the rest of us, we fan out. Our job is to give them cover fire, so find a position that protects you and fire at anyone who looks like they're going to be in their way. Martin, you and Fred go to the left. Me and Frank will take the right."

"If someone doesn't go down after a few shot," I added, "Don't waste your time on them. They either have an interference vest, or their ability protects them. They'll probably head for me anyway, so we'll deal with them."

I looked at Colby, and we got out of his way. He backed up a hundred feet and ran at it. His shoulder hit the boards and it exploded inward. I was right behind him. Magdee was behind me. I saw movement to my left through the wood dust and fired. Something dropped, but something else grabbed my attention.

Four guys in black body armor and wearing masks. Colby fired at one as they raised machine guns at us. We ducked right as the ratatat of real bullets erupted around us. Turned out the entrance was divided by a partition and we were on the other side. On the ground. Glancing behind us, the others were pinned down, returning fire, but not affecting the rate the bullets were fired.

The partition was chain link fencing with strips of plastic running through the links, at a diagonal, making it opaque. It continued a good fifty feet, and fortunately no one was covering this side.

I didn't have many options, I couldn't fire through the

fence, the metal links would ground the electrical discharge. We could make a run for the end of the fence, and face what ever was there, probably everyone coming to help with the commotion. Or try to help my friends. It was an easy decision, I needed them to make it.

I crouched and peered around the fence, shooting at anyone there. Magdee stood over me and did the same. Our angle allowed us to down two of them, and in the quiet caused by the other two moving to create more cover, Tom ran shooting them, and threw himself behind a large table. Frank was right behind him. Martin and Fred ran to us and motioned for us to get moving.

With a large group of masked men coming this was I ran on this side of the partition. Maybe I'd get lucky and none of them would check this side.

One come into view when we were half way there. I cut to the left, firing blindly as I jumped over the counter there. I landed in a heap, my stunner skidding off, and I scrambled to grab it, as I heard bullets over me. My hand closed on it as Colby and Magdee careen over the counter. I wait for them to move to a crouch, Unlike me, they managed to keep their stunners.

When there's a lul in the firing over our head we stood and shot at anyone before us. Three people in body armor dropped, but the fourth didn't react to the stunner blasts. We dropped down before he could fire back, only realizing after the fact he wasn't holding a weapon.

"He has an interference vest," I grumbled, trying to puzzle why he wasn't firing.

"If they have access to that, how come the other ones didn't?" Magdee asked.

"A lot of Society families have this 'only we matter' attitude. I won't be surprise if none of their underlings here have one.

"Stenton, Why don't you just give it up?" the man said. His voice was digitized. "We have you outnumbered at least five to one."

"I don't know what you've been told about me, but I'm not the quitting type. Neither are my friends."

"We have your family. You really want them to get hurt because of a briefcase?"

I stood and pointed the stunner at him. It was useless, but still made me feel better. "Yeah, that really wasn't smart of you."

His hands were on his hips, near a handgun, but his stance was relaxed. His helmet was one of those generic type they sold at military surplus store. They all had a large and long muzzle with form fitting foam in it. Made it impossible to identify the wearer's species.

"I just do what I'm told," he said with a shrug. "Not my place to say if it's smart or not."

Before I can reply, Martin and Fred run toward us, shooting at the armored man. The man looked in their direction and both flew back, disappearing through the broken plywood.

He was too far away for me to sense his ability, but I guessed he was the same person I'd tangled with after the car chase. He looked at me again.

"Which family are you with?" I asked.

He shook his head. "That isn't important. You give me the briefcase and we go away. Where is it, anyway?"

"No where near here. I'm not stupid enough to bring it."

Magdee stood, her stunner also pointed at him. "I can shoot him in the head, that isn't covered by the vest, right?"

"It won't do any good. It's good a magnetic field that draws the charge to it." Colby didn't stand with her, so I look around for him. He's behind me working something on the floor I can't see.

"Stenton, you can't think you're going to win this. I have the firepower and hostages. The only way to play this is for you to go get it, and bring it to me. Anything else and someone's going to get hurt."

There's a wrenching sound behind me.

"Yeah," Colby said, "You." He threw something at the man, and he went flying back as it hit him.

I was over the counter and running as the man impacted a table, stopping hard against it. I fired at the back of the people firing at where Frank and Tom had to be hiding. A few dropped, more from Colby firing at them than me. By the time they turned to fire back we were past the man, who had a one foot by one foot, six inch thick, safe door on his chest. His was breathing, but otherwise unmoving.

What I'd thought was a large open space in the middle of the building turned out to be filled with evenly spaced tables. I kept low, using them for cover. We couldn't move under them, each had metal cabinet attached to the under side.

Somewhere in the middle of all that we got pinned down but fire from all side. The table we were against gave us cover but we had to cross alleys to get closer to where my family was held, and those were death traps now.

"What now?" Magdee asked.

"Can us toughen yourself up and clear the way?"

"No. I could take small arms fire, but not machine guns. If you guys can give me some cover and I can get closer I might be able to jump the remaining distance and take those at the bottom of the steps."

I shook my head. "They're on all sides. The two of us can't cover that." I pulled myself up, fired a few shots and dropped down.

"We can't stay here and hope to wear them down," she said.

"I know." I looked up, and noticed the underside of the table was metal. No, it was all metal. Tapping it it sounded kind of thick. I had no idea why it was metal, but right now I didn't care. That could give us some cover. I pushed on it to tip it over. I pushed harder when it didn't move. I looked at its feet, they were bolted into the concrete floor.

Okay, questions later.

I tapped Colby's ability and tried to tip it over again. It whined, but didn't budge. I was panting.

"What's wrong?" Magdee asked.

"I'm tapped out." She gave em a quizzical expression. "I tapped his ability, but he's only as strong as the energy he has. I haven't had sex at all today, and I used most of what I had in the forest."

"I offered," Colby said.

"I know. And now I'm regretting not taking you up on it."

"So you want to use the table as a shield?"

"Yeah, with only three sides to cover, we should be able to make it."

She nodded, put her back against the table and pushed. Nothing happened fora moment, then the legs of her pants ripped, he calves and thighs getting thicker. Her shoulders widened, and then the table broke out of the floor, lading on its side.

Magdee landed on her back.

Me and Colby stared at her.

"You're not the only strong one," she said, getting back to a crouch.

Her muscles had shrunk, and her ripped clothing hung on her.

Colby lifted the table on its side, long side up, Giving us something to crouch behind and move forward. With only three sides to cover we made slow progress, keeping everyone who had a clear shot at us down with constant firing. Even stunners could be intimidating when everyone hit by them fell.

We had to stop when the table flew up. Straight up.

Colby's reflexes saved us as I watched it climbed in the air. He grabbed me and Magdee, threw us against another table, grabbed it and the one on the other side by and hand and yanked them down.

By then I was back to myself and firing at the people on my end of the lane.

"Okay, that's strength," Magdee said.

"They have a telekinetic. And he's way more powerful than

Stefan."

"Who's that?" She asked.

I glanced over my shoulder. "The only telekinetic I know." She shot one of the guys who peeked around the edge of the table at the end of the lane. He dropped. Listening, I could tell the gun fire had diminished. The others were slowly bringing them down.

Something was wrenched out of the floor, and again. I peeked over the side and three tables were orbiting around one of the armored guy.

One of the tables flew at me and I ducked done as it bounced off one of the tables still bolted down and passed through the space my head had been occupying.

That was the Society guy, and if he was willing to decapitate me, he had to be getting angry. With push guy, who, hopefully, someone was making sure remained unconscious, and the one guarding my family, that made three. The fourth one was still at large.

"Any thoughts on how we're going to pass him?" Magdee asked, to the sound of a table being wrenched up.

"If I can get close enough I can tap his ability and probably distract him why you two rescue my family." "Didn't you say you were tapped out?" She said.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Then I say we rush him from different directions. We should have taken down enough of the people here, and there's no way he can focus on the three of us at the same time."

I looked at Colby. "Got a better idea?" He shook his head. "Okay, lets do it." I was at one end of the table, Magdee the other and Colby between us. "Magdee, you and I run to the end.

Then at the telekinetic. Colby, go down the middle."

I got two nods and I ran. I stayed down and fired at anyone I saw. I reached the end and headed down toward the end where the stairs were. Magdee was right, most of the people I come across are unconscious, a few have bloody wounds. Peeking up once in a while I kept track of my destination. When I had a clear line I rushed to it.

I saw that Colby and Magdee were doing the same, then I threw myself to the ground as a table flew in my direction. I was pretty sure I saw the other tables fly toward the others.

I stood with the sound of wrenching, If I could reach him before he had another table in the air I might be able to tackle him. He had the table before I'd taken three steps. I prepared to throw myself to the side when his leg folded under him. He and the table crashed to the ground.

I rushed him. He was holding his bloody knee. I pressed the stunner against his arm and fired. This close there was nothing the vest could do, he shuddered for a moment then was still. I turned around and scan the area, looking for the shooter.

I found Tom lying on the top scaffolding platform, machine gun in hand. I saw him do a slow sweep of the area, then give me a nod.

Colby reached me first. "Make sure he doesn't bleed out."

I ran up the stairs. There was one guy there with an unknown ability. There was no way I still had the element of surprise, but I could hope, pray, that he wouldn't expect me this quickly.

I felt the compulsion to stay away from the door, but it was easy to ignore as I barreled through it. There was three of them in there. Shit.

I felt the one closest as he came at me. I got a sense of something I didn't have time to identify, and tapped it. I needed what ever edge his ability gave me.

I saw my father's shocked face/the open doorway/one of the masked men taking a step back.

What kind of ability was this?

I tried to focus, but I was seeing multiple things at once. I took a step, and felt myself moving in different directions. I feel to my knees, in three different places. I tried to stand, but I couldn't figure out which of my legs had to move. At least watching the same floor, even with slightly different perspective was making the vertigo go away.

I saw motion in the corner of one of my eyes, and before I could think about it one of my sight moved up and punched the man.

It clicked.

Each of my bodies knew how to move, what to do, i had to stop trying to override that knowledge. What I had to focus on was my goal. Take them down, then get my family out of here.

There's three of them, three of me. No, one of us each, in three bodies. I moved, going at each of him. He was better coordinated, but he didn't move like he was used to fighting in close quarters. After a exchanging a few punches I also notice he isn't wearing any armor, just the mask and regular clothing.

Well, this simplifies things. I push one of him off one of me, jump for one of the guns I dropped, roll on my back and shoot him. He dropped and the other two of him disappear. Did i her the main one? No, I didn't feel like one of me was the main one. So all three needed to be conscious to remain active.

I go crouch at the stairwell. I grab another gun and crouch at the door, covering myself and looking to the left. I go to my family.

"We need to get out of here." It's odd hearing my voice from inside and outside my head at he same time. I reach to help mom stand and dad slaps my hand away. So hard he shocks me, and he's the only thing I see now.

There's disgust on his eyes. "What the fuck are you."