The hoverskimmer sped quickly through the air. Shadow had fallen over the city of London, the dark clouds covering the afternoon sky. Kathryn watched them through one of the viewports in the rear of the hoverskimmer as it darted between the buildings, only a few tens of feet above the ground. Occasionally she leaned against one of the vehicle's structural supports as the craft leaned around another tight corner. She didn't envy the pilot who had to make this trip.
Half thinking, half automatically, Kathryn fixed the silencer to her Multipoint. It was a specialist weapon for a specialist job. She'd used them before; they were standard issue at the Babylon Institute. Single handed, rapid reload, single magazine of eight bullets. One slight change in pressure on the grip of the gun and it used special target acquisition programming to lock onto the first object directly ahead of the barrel. The next press of the trigger sent a bullet directly at the target, even if it was moving. A fast, efficient and highly useful system. Plus, it could lock four targets at once, useful for clearing out blockades.
Suddenly, her implanted digital connection fired up.
"Agent Phoenix, this is the Babylon Institute, do you copy?"
The voice was commanding, though calm, and with a slightly Scottish accent. It was the institute director, David Rockington.
Kathryn turned half her attention to the link, while continuing to load and check her Multipoint.
"Agent Phoenix here. En route to Dalyn-Steward. ETA four minutes."
"You know your objective, Agent Phoenix. You'll enter the building from the rooftop. Work your way down and secure the upper maintenance level. Drop your countermeasures there and activate them. From there, we estimate you'll have five minutes to descend in the elevator to the 377th floor and enter the air vent system from the lavatories on that floor. From there, you should have a clear path to the meeting room. Plant your surveillance equipment there and proceed back to the rooftop. Our pilot will make another pass and pick you up."
"Understood." Kathryn paused for a moment, locking the Multipoint ammunition into place. "Any idea what they're up to?"
"Only vague ideas, and I won't trouble you with those. The only information we have from our contact is that a man named Dietrich is going to make an announcement of some sort regarding his project. We have to know what's going on. Lives could be at stake."
There was a slight pause, and then Rockington's voice became even more serious.
"You are authorised to use lethal force, but remember our rules for non-combatants."
Kathryn nodded to herself.
"Affirmative."
She looked out of the viewport again and saw the tall, needle-like building rapidly approaching.
"We're approaching the objective. Phoenix out."
With a quick thought, the connection was closed. Kathryn rose from the floor of the craft and readied herself at the door, gripping the rope attached to the outside of the hoverskimmer. Suddenly there was a change in the engine noise from the vehicle and Kathryn felt the force of gravity increasing. The hoverskimmer was making its final ascent.
The door slid open with almost worrying ease. Windows in the side of the Dalyn-Steward building flashed past as the hoverskimmer rose upwards. Suddenly, there was no more building, they had climbed to its roof. Kathryn's reaction was instant; with barely a glance downwards, she tightened her grip on the rope and jumped.
There were barely two seconds before she landed on the rooftop and let go of the rope, but in that time she had already targeted the two rooftop guards with her Multipoint. Two trigger presses and they were of no more danger. The hoverskimmer disappeared over the building and descended. The clock was ticking. Eight minutes. Kathryn ran to the door leading inwards from the rooftop, barely stopping to check that the guards weren't faking. There was no time for mistakes. Quickly, Kathryn opened the door and rushed inside.
Chris Smith, 13/10/00
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