MEHR 57 Preview 2 (Patreon)

The klaxons screamed, and Elsa took that as her signal to push the throttle to maximum. “Delta Five Seven-Five to Dispatch — I think they fell for it. Suspect vehicle is speeding away along Skyway 451, spinward.”“Roger that Seven-Five. Bravo, you know what to do.”“Bravo to Dispatch: Roger that. Resuming the hunt.”As searchlights began to scan for the silver X3M amidst the other hovercars that Elsa weaved around them a high speed, Pallin sighed. “I never imagined I would regret training my men so well.”“You're still proud,” said Tenma, as three C-Sec cruisers started to approach them from behind, above and below.At this, Pallin could only nod. “It'll be an honor to be caught by them.”“We're not caught yet,” said Jane. She leaned in, and asked Elsa. “You got this, right?”Elsa paid Jane no attention.“Anyone got a lock on its IFF?”“Negative! Hack job confirmed — Navi can't take control of it!”“Initiate Pursuit Protocol C!”The hundreds of other hovercars in the way suddenly scattered in unison, with the speed and coordination of a school of fish, forming a sphere of empty air around the silver X3M. Their numbers grew slim with every ten meters until finally Elsa had no more cover to keep her safe from EMP charges and bullets.“Cover's gone. Start shoot— WHAT THE?!”Elsa braked and performed a barrel roll right into the nearest C-Sec cruiser, and timed the flips just right so that their undercarriages met with a loud thud. A quick flip of a haptic switch, and the mag brakes had been engaged, bonding the two vehicles. The cruiser's pilot didn't take kindly to this, and began to try and shake off X3M. As a law enforcement vehicle, the Cruiser had the advantage of more powerful thrusters and eezo-drives, but Elsa had nearly a decade of experience taming wild horses like European superfighters. It was an even match, and the two vehicles spun wildly towards the nearest ward of the Citadel.An EMP charge detonated near them.“Hold your fire! Hold your fire! We're too close to the Ward!”“Somebody get in there and overpower that car!”“Are you insane?! Grapple them! Grapple them!”A single PatCom approached the struggling, out-of-control cars, and fired off a towing cable tipped with a magnetic claw. Frost didn't know if it was blind luck or skill, the mag claw hit the C-Sec cruiser not half a second after Elsa disengaged the brakes. The centrifugal force catapulted the X3M onto another cruiser. Two more PatComs attempted to tether the X3M, and twice again Elsa performed the same acrobatic trick."Holy shit! X3M's can't do that — Who's driving this thing?!"“Spread out! Spread out!”“Bravo Leader to base! We need reinforcements — we got a hack jobbed runaway hovercar that just evaded three patcoms! Get a perimiter around Silversun — fugitive is attempting to blend in the Strip!”Elsa hit the ground level as quickly and casually as possible, but the Patcoms and cruisers were keen on maintaining line-of-sight by staying in the air.“Fugitive on Broadway, headed for the Stadium.”“Theta five fourteen to Bravo – Fugitive in sight, pursuing—““Theta six twenty-seven to Bravo — on the move ETA twenty seconds...”C-Sec cruisers took the chase to the ground as well, and Elsa maxed out the throttle, dodging and weaving around traffic so well that they couldn't keep up at all. Within seconds she was at the threshold of the Stadium's external parking lot.“Don't let it get underground!”The X3M smashed right through the barricade, and Elsa hadn't even bothered to find a parking space before telling everyone to get out. The 108 kept transmitting the C-Sec comms chatter through her earpiece.“Visual lost! Visual lost!”“Theta Patrol — get in there and corner it. There's no way out.”“Bravo to Dispatch, Silver X3M's trying to hide in Silversun Stadium. Request Special Response Team, Level 3 threat suspected.”“Dispatch to Bravo, Special Response Team Alpha-One has been deployed to the Stadium ETA three minutes. Is the perimeter set?”“It's set, no one's getting out.”The six fugitives, led by Elsa, made their way deeper into the stadium. “Planning a last stand, Devereaux?” asked Pallin. “I heard you Europeans were romantic like that”Frost would have said something witty, but he was too busy trying not to puke. Goddamned crazy Navy bitch... he thought, and reminded himself to thanks Jane for keeping him steady later.“No,” Elsa replied, and without looking back at Pallin or breaking stride, she smashed a fire alarm.Pallin had to admit, he was impressed. “Lieutenant, you just might be the first crook to escape a level 2 pursuit in a century.”“Thank you,” said Elsa, as they began to blend into the streams of evacuating Sharon fans. “Now, who the hell are you, again?”[h+]