Gunfire erupted in a storm as over a dozen Maelstrom mbers scread and dropped, shot full of holes. The rest scattered in confusion, but in the darkness, many tripped over tables or steps and took hard spills.
One of them finally realized they were done for if they kept flailing around like that. He roared in anger, "Don't just stand there! Soone find a flashlight!"
During that mont, Leo leaped off the platform, landing on the dance floor below, where Murasa had fallen after knocking Royce away.
"What was that noise?"
A Maelstrom ganger heard Leo land and instinctively squeezed the trigger in his direction. Leo spun Murasa, deflecting every bullet, then dashed toward him. As Leo slipped by, he reversed his grip and sliced across the man's neck in a single motion.
"There he is!" soone shouted. The Maelstrom who'd lost sight of those glowing red optics realized an enemy had co in close. Without knowing exactly where, they opened fire on nothing.
Leo certainly wasn't about to stand still. He made his move and vanished, leaving them shooting empty air. At the sa ti, they forgot about the other three on the upper level.
V and Jackie slamd fresh mags into their guns and sprayed fire down at the dance floor. Lucy caused several of the gangsters to ignite or short-circuit, leaving them flailing and shrieking in mindless panic.
In re monts, the Totentanz beca a one-sided bloodbath filled with terrified screams.
The firefight didn't last long. Once no more red optics glowed in the darkness, Lucy hacked back into the Totentanz system and switched on all the overhead lighting. Instead of that harsh red glow, the space lit up in stark white that made it as bright as day.
Dozens of Maelstrom bodies lay scattered across the floor, blood staining nearly every surface. Bullet holes riddled furniture, the bar counter, couches, shelves, and walls. Broken liquor bottles spilled their contents in a sticky river.
Not everyone was dead. So guests who hadn't managed to flee were hiding under tables or in back rooms, trembling with fear. Leo scanned them, confirming none belonged to Maelstrom or appeared ard, and he left them alone.
Jackie and the others ca down the stairs from the platform, carrying the tal case holding the Flathead. "We got the thing Dex wants."
It hadn't gone smoothly, but the result was acceptable. Jackie glanced at the carnage and paused. "I think soone's missing. Where's Royce?"
His question was imdiately answered by a violent boom. The wall exploded inward. Amid clouds of dust and debris, a hulking ch stomped into view.
…
Ever since Royce took control of Maelstrom, everything had gone his way. He'd never lost so many n to re rcenaries. Now most of them were dead or had bolted, and Militech was on its way. He should have cut his losses and run, but that wasn't who Royce was. It wasn't courage or responsibility—just a total lack of sanity.
Royce was high on Black Lace, and he'd upgraded his body with extre cyberware. Even a corporate operative could go crazy with that many implants, let alone a gang psycho with subpar dtech. Blinded by mania, he decided to climb into the stolen Militech ch and take down both the rcs and the corporate forces crashing in.
The mont they saw the ch, Leo and the others instinctively dove for cover.
"Die! Die! DIE! Hahahahaha!"
Inside the cockpit, Royce cackled with unhinged glee. The ch's dual miniguns spun up and rained steel on everything in front of them. Empty, gleaming casings clattered around him like hail. The furious hailstorm of bullets shredded walls, tables, and bars in a cacophony of destruction.
Had Leo not equipped his team with customized ballistic armor, half of them might've been torn apart. As it was, those miniguns still inflicted a brutal barrage. But the insane firing rate ant the ch's ammo supply drained at lightning speed. In monts, both six-barrel cannons clicked dry.
Seizing the opportunity, V and Jackie scrambled upright and opened fire. Their bullets hamred the cockpit windshield, plastering it with spiderweb cracks. Even though Militech used tough ballistic glass, their tech handguns packed a serious punch. Royce's initial surge of adrenaline cooled fast when he realized the cockpit wasn't invulnerable.
With a nervous grunt, Royce raised both arms to shield the cockpit. Then he tried to deploy the shoulder-mounted missile pods. "I'll blow you all to pieces—!"
But the pods refused to launch; the doors slid closed again. "What the—?" Panicked, he hamred the control panel, only to see an error flash: "NO AUTHORIZATION." He glanced away and saw Lucy crouching with a hand to her temple, red hacking signals glowing in her eyes.
"You bitch!"
Royce yanked a giant blade off the ch's back. Rockets fired along its legs, sending the machine hurtling straight at Lucy. In that instant, Leo lunged from the side, slicing into the ch's vulnerable joint with Murasa. Lucy leaped clear. With one leg severed, the ch lost balance, went into a skid, and plowed through tables, couches, and counters before smashing into a wall.
Leo drew a tech revolver and aid for the ammo pack on its back. The explosion roared, sending out a brilliant flash of fla and smoke that swallowed everything around the ch. Royce never even had ti to scream; he was blasted to pieces inside the wreckage.
When the fire died down, the ch's charred remains lay crumpled on the floor, scattered in blackened fragnts. Nothing remained of Royce or his cockpit.
Minutes passed…
"GOGOGO!"
A wave of Militech soldiers sward inside, each one armored in high-grade gear, rifles ready. Expecting to et heavy resistance, they spread out in battle formation. Instead, they found only the aftermath: a devastated bar strewn with corpses and wreckage. Shocked by the scene, they turned as one to Leo's group and raised their guns.
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