Van Terra

Chapter Twenty-One ~ Ugh, Not This Guy (Again)

Jasper reached Starchatter in five minutes, an accomplishment that took a lot of painful drops, driving up the sides of buildings, and screaming at people on skywalks to get out of the way. Thankfully, she'd already written the article she'd wanted published, so hopping onto the site and posting it was easy to do while driving.

When she arrived, she didn't bother dismounting. She fired at the glass doors with a blaster she'd nabbed off a stray Blade and drove through the shards of glass raining down.

"Do we have a visual on the Blades?" Jasper asked as she navigated the office halls.

"They're leaving the west cubicles and headed for the lobby," Holly said. "I'm on my way. I left Thea and the others in a security office."

"No, stay with them!"

"Even you can't fight twenty Blades alone."

"I have a motorcycle!" Jasper exclaimed. "I can run them over!"

"Not if they shoot you first!" Holly shot back.

"Fine." Jasper slowed down. "Where are you?"

"The Blades are coming down the central corridor. I'm right behind them."

"Great. I'm coming from the other side. We'll trap them." Jasper stopped in Starchatter's lobby, slid off the motorcycle, and raised her blaster. Her other hand pulled off her helmet and tossed it aside.

"Sethany Galax! Or should I say Van Terra?"

Jasper whirled around as Attom entered the lobby. He was accompanied by ten people dressed in matching white leather.

"Attom? What are you doing back here?" Jasper kept the blaster pointed down the corridor and reached for a dagger with her free hand.

"The real question is why you're here," Attom replied. "Why are you trying to destroy my career?"

Jasper lifted an eyebrow. "You saw that already?"

"Of course. My sphere's been buzzing nonstop with notifications."

"Is that Attom?" Thea asked. "What's he talking about?"

"Oh, I just dropped an article trashing the beloved Sarena Trench. Under Attom's name." Jasper surveyed the people surrounding him. "Who are your friends?"

Attom gestured to with both arms. "I couldn't let Blades march into my building like they own the place. So, I brought some of my other employees."

"Ah," Jasper said. "You're involved with gangs, too. Now I feel even better about making you look like an idiot."

"What, you ruined my career to make the city a better place?"

Jasper rolled her eyes. "No, I don't like competition. Plus, I did all that work for you and didn't even get paid! You took my ideas for your own gain!"

"You think you outsmarted me, but you won't be laughing when the Slicers claim victory over Van Terra." Attom sighed. "It's a shame. Your vlog that got the Blades' Mota Mart operation shut down was very beneficial to me. If we worked together—"

Jasper laughed. Hard. "Me? Work with you? I'm Van Terra, idiot." She fired the blaster, and the first Blade to come around the corner collapsed to the ground. "I don't work nine to five jobs for mediocre villains."

Confusion flickered across Attom's gaze. It was quickly replaced with annoyance. "Fine. Slicers, take care of the Blades and Van Terra."

More Blades entered the lobby, drawing blasters. One at the back of the group soared over the rest and crashed into the floor in front of Jasper, thrown by the newest arrival.