"To Kill A Runner" Chapter Eleven "Wolf Hunt" (Cyberpunk Fiction)

Waking up after what seemed to be hours later in the back of the white van with massive headaches from the drug dusted in their faces. Britney grunted seeing that all her gear had been replaced, not really understanding what just happened and why the owner of the casino had drugged them. With a bullet proof vest heavy as she lifted up her core and pushed on Jaromes shoulder.

“Get up, hey wake up “ shoving him lightly and looking at her new drone, “ Get up, we have a job to do “

Jarome lifted his head off the metal van floor and clutched the new high powered tranquilizer rifle he had been given, shaking his head and realizing they both also had F.L.I.R. thermal detecting goggles laying in front of him. Britney found a new pair of VR goggles that had direct feed into the camera of a quad copter drone. The tech was from the military for sure most likely black market very high end products.

Jarome opened the van door and realized the night had come again, they must have been out for a while. Stars where hidden from the parking lot lamps illuminating the ground. They were back at the gas station in front of one of the pumps. Driven by someone who had helped in their drugging and abduction. Jerome tried to scan the area with his eyes before sparking a cigarette from one of the packs he originally intended to sell.

“All this stuff he gave us do you really think he intended to hurt us ?” Britney said admiring and examining her new ex military quad copter drone.

“No, but I don't know why he drugged us, and what the hell was that stuff? Devils breath ? I can't remember anything. “ Jarome said rubbing his head and then looking over his automatic rifle. “Check your magazine on the drone. I think all we have is tranquilizer rounds.”

“Do you really believe in this magic stuff Jarome, do you think we are going to find his daughter and she will be a shape shiftier ?”

“Yes, If that Triad Hitman could burn that place down with his eyes and be perfectly fine after I shot him three times with a 45. caliber, yes I think there are magic casters.”

Britney pulled her hair back and stepped out of the van now as well. She pulled the somewhat large quad rotor out and then set it on the cement parking lot ground. Turning on the transmitter and then pulling her goggles down over her eyes. Using the transmitter controls to make the propellers whir and slowly take off. Once clearing the treetops she made it loop a circle pattern around the gas station and their position.

“Well with this thermal sight I will be able to see any animal in the woods in the area or any heat signature at all. “ Britney explained.

“Just keep me covered when I move out. If I need back up and your not there.... “

“I wouldn't do that to you”

“I know, just don't be to far away, we don't have radios. All this equipment and that's the thing we forgot to ask for.”

They began by moving to the back of the parking lot again by the forest ridge line. Stepping off the pavement and into the tall wet grass. Jerome pulling his automatic rifle up to his eye level and pressing the stock into his shoulder hard as he scanned the tree line with his thermal goggles. The drone scanning above a few yards forward from them.

“ I think I see something about a half of a kilometer inside these woods. A huge fire with people there are a lot of them, the fire is so big it is heating up everything around it.” Britney held her transmitter and spoke staying arms distance away from Jarome as they tried their best to move as a two person tactical unit.

Entering the dark pines Jarome stepped though the thick brush slowly pulled Britney behind him not seeing much movement through his thermal goggles but hearing the snapping of branches. Making their way to the clearing and the fire slowly not seeing a single animal most likely scared away by the fire. Watching just at the edge of this clearing and from above.

Bikers, drinking beer and doing burn outs as the bikes shot dirt high up into the air. Hollering and the loud roar of 500 cc motors made it easy to keep the overhead drone unnoticed.

“Do you think these are the Breathmakers, Jarome? “

“I don't care who they are if they don't have anything to do with our job, we leave. We don't need to be caught by anyone with our gear. We will be looted by these guys in a heartbeat"

“Yah you're probably right, I'm going to pull up the drone for a better view. “

Before she could react with drone controls the forest echoed with a loud shotgun blast broke the party. Britney furiously using the controls like something just affected the drone.

“It's going down, Shit!, They shot the drone down” Britney said lightly in a panic but still trying to stay as quiet as possible.

The Drone made a large crash breaking on the ground and the bikers surrounding their kill. All of them holding weapons of some sort, sawed off shotguns, machetes, rifles they kicked the high tech drone and started looking around knowing an operator had to be near the machine to keep it in flight.

“WHO EVER IS SPYING ON US ???!!! YOU ARE DIEING TONIGHT!!! “