Operation: Extermination

Chapter 11

      Val sprang into the air, sliding across the top of a car as she ran up the sidewalk. Her arms were locked into position, swinging fiercely at her sides as her feet flew across asphalt. She could hear her own breathing ring in her ears, feel her heart beat in her chest as her eyes locked onto the trunk of the black car.

      She vaulted over a parked car, drawing close behind the speeding Cadillac. Suddenly, it swerved around the corner, and she skidded past it. No time to double back. She sprang into the air, claws curling around brick as she flung herself up the side of the building at remarkable speeds. She grabbed each brick beneath a solid grip, launching herself higher up the towering building until she vaulted on the top.

      Val raced across the roof, then took a flying leap off of the edge. Wind rushed through her hair as she plunged through the air. But she landed where she wanted to, denting the hood of the black Cadillac beneath the impact. She heard a scream from inside, and she punched a hole through the roof. She could see Crewel in the passenger seat now, and she reached a hand through to grab her.

      The wind was knocked from her lungs as she was hurled back into a wall, and she felt her back tear through several walls before she came to a halt on the floor of a mall. She rolled to her feet, curse words spilling from her mouth. She realized the entire mall had come to a standstill in her presence, but Val sprinted back through the holes in the wall.

      She ran onto the street once again, shaking plaster dust from her hair as she spotted Zin crouched on top of the Cadillac as it pulled around the corner.

      A grin crossed her face, "It's not over yet, Zin!"

        She brushed crumbs from the stone wall she had broken from her shoulder, then tore off down the street. Her feet slid over smooth stone as she rounded the building.

        She looked around wildly, her gaze scanning the traffic for the sleek black car. She found it, dozens of yards away, spotting Zin crouched on the top. And she advanced.

       Loraine Crewel was trying to catch her breath in the passenger seat of the car. The memories of blood dripping down Lou King's face from right beside her replayed in her mind. Tears stung her eyes, and she looked up through the hole in the ceiling at Zin to reassure herself.

      The hateful look in Valencia 704's eyes had been terrifying. The bot was out for blood, and the look was one that would infest itself in her nightmares for many months into the future.

       She rested a hand on her chest to feel her pounding heart. Lou and Marin were both dead. Dozens of protector bots had been destroyed. She had been forced to run from the scene. She shut her eyes tight against the visions flooding her mind, trying not to see the death of her friends in her mind's eye.

       "Ma'am," Zin's voice brought her back to the present. She had enjoyed designing this bot's voice box, making the voice smooth and calming for an exciting contrast from his threatening appearance. But right now, she didn't care much what he sounded like as long as he could protect her.

       "Zin?" She tilted back her head to look at him. His completely blank expression had always unnerved her, but at least she had been successful in limiting his ability to feel emotions.

       "You need to retreat to safety. 704 is approaching," he tapped the side of his head as if implying an indicator from which he could sense her. "I can hold her off, but from the scan I have retrieved from earlier, her strength outmatches mine."

       "I don't care. Defeat her," Loraine said, then paused, "But don't destroy her. She costed billions to create, and she was completely successful until Jaden Castillo interfered. Kill him with no mercy. But try to knock out Valencia without damaging her too badly."