Omni Entertainment
The wompah doors in Omni Entertainment opened up, briefly showed a slender frame of an opifex female that hurried into the shadows of the nearby highrises. 25 minutes to reach the location – half an eternity. Pax could have been there in a couple of moments but decided to take a safety detour. It was awful quiet in this district.. too quiet; The least thing she wanted was leading her trail, whether imaginary or not, straight to the spot.
Meanwhile just a few blocks away
A squad of four Omni Pol officers geared in the companies finest patrolled the darker alleys of this district. Except for the higher ranked officer it appeared they weren’t too enthusiastic in doing that.
“Man, this ought to be my day off! I knew I should’ve muted my comm.” one of them complained. “Yeah, issuing heightened security patrols half an hour before my shift ends.. this sucks! Chief, this better be not a drill to teach the rookie here in our round a lesson to stay vigilant all the time. I’m sick of doing these extra exercises just for him learning the ropes.” another sneered.
“Just shut the f**k up, both of you. Do I have to remind you morons that you were responsible Sgt. Orwell gone MIA at the last alien attack? Serves us right they assigned a freshy in our squad.” looking over his shoulder to adress the one who remained silent “No offence Private Winterson.” followed by a brief “None taken, sir.”
“Information of what to look for are still scarce.. or kept scarce. What we know for sure is that two fugitive Opifexes broke into the InternOps HQ and escaped through grid. We got DNA samples and one of them was kind enough to leave a bright trail as he or she traveled via grid from Newland to here. So keep your eyes perked for any Opifex that wanders around this late.”
“An Opifex like the one over there?” Winterson pointed into the distance.
Pax
Crossing the gap between two adjoining blocks she sensed their eyes resting on her, even saw them vaguely in the corner of her eyes but walked on, playing it Bogart until she was safely out of their sight again behind the massive walls of a towering highrise. Pressing her back against them walls Pax took a moment to evaluate her options.
“Now what? Are they looking for me or is this just my paranoia talking? Maybe they’re just doing their rounds to give the oblivious cititzen the warm and fuzzy feeling there is no safer place than here. The question is.. how much do they know - is there a way to bluff your way out of this? Heh, I better assume the worst case - they spotted me and are closing in on the double to intercept at the next crossing. Can’t take them out without the moment of surprise on my side. And even if this place would be swarming with even more guards once one shot is fired.. THINK Claire, think fast!”
Omni Pol
“Well done Winterson. Wonder what she’s doing out here at this ungodly time. Alright, let’s move out, we split up. Watson, Winterson – you both go in this direction while Taylor and I going to intercept her at the next crossing.. MOVE MOVE MOVE.”
“Nah, I’m not going to babysit the rookie.” Watson muttered within Wintersons earshot. After giving Taylor and Lt. Combe a headstart he followed them. “First he should learn which way round he’s supposed to wield his assault rifle. I won’t risk a headache at reclaim just because he shot me by accident.”
Winterson followed the given orders and moved out alone.
Pax
“You sure you didn’t forget anything?” the sarcastic comment she received earlier for bringing an array of gadgets along flashed through her synapses. Instantly she fingered a device out her pockets which was not bigger than a pack of smokes, did final adjustments to it and threw it into the air. The device floated four meters above Pax on its own then glided along the road towards the crossing.
“Someone has to be prepared for this.” Pax chuckled and was about to head in the opposite direction where the device was heading but got run over by an Omni Pol officer that sped around the corner. Both hit the ground.
“Oww! Hey, watch where you going! You think your uniform gives you the right to...” Pax’s curses towards the officer were interrupted by yells further down the road. Squinting to the origin of the commotion Pax saw three more officers chasing a slender frame wearing a black trenchcoat running in a straight line down the road. The officer which ran into Pax got to his feet again, briefly apologized and darted away to catch up on his squad.
“Have fun chasing holograms. I got a date anyways.” Pax vanished into the shadows.
Omni Pol
Lt. Combe and Taylor were almost at the crossing as a pale figure dressed in black blindly sped by at an enormous speed.
“Omni Pol! You there, stop immediately!” Lt. Combe yelled while trying to keep pace with that Opifex. “You’ll only make things worse!” he yelled again after another hundred meters, the gap between them widened and Lt. Combe had to act before she was getting away. “Stop or we’ll open fire! This is your final warning!” a weak yell echoed through the streets. No effect. “Taylor! Fire at will, aim low.. we need her alive!”. A staccato of gunshots went off but hit nothing but the massive wall that surrounded the whole district. At that very moment the image disappeared into thin air.
“What the hell?” Lt. Combe had a puzzled expression on his face as he arrived at the spot where the Opifex vanished. He only found a badly chipped device that must’ve collided with the walls. Anger and frustration boiled up in him knowing he has been tricked by a hologram. He opened a comm channel. “Ops! I need a K9 cyberhound here double quick.”
“Affirmative. ETA 2 mins.” came through his comm. “You better pray you’re not in this district but far far away.” a wicked grin formed under his visor.
Pax
Luckily there weren’t any further encounters on her trip to Rompa Bar. Why she picked that location in particular she didn’t know anymore but what dawned on her was that it wasn’t the brightest idea she had lately. This place was a preferred location for all kinds of law enforcement personnel to hang out at, having a good time and a cold beer after a long shift. Off duty or not, that won’t stop them from supporting Omni Pol officers shall it come down to it. Pax eased up a bit when she realized it was almost 4am, way too late for working personnel.
Inside most of the tables were deserted. Pax let her sight roam over the place but there was no Naefen around but instead a few extremely drunk cititzen that passed out already. A servant removed the last bit of evidence there was a big party earlier. Heading towards the bartender he greeted her with a warm but tired smile.
“Top of the mornin’ to you. I’d like some breakfast for champions – coffee!” Pax flicked a cred chip over to the bartender and left a minute later, heading to the ladies restrooms to fresh up a bit and get ready to meet up with Naefen.
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