Tempest: The Renegade

Phase 4: Out of Control, part 1

Almost there. Still breathing.

I already see the gate before me, a gap between the walls transformed into a checkpoint for newcomers. About ten Castaways are on patrol there and more are coming from all direction - Valentina had to order them to stop me. All of them are armed and the bullets soon start hitting the car's front.

This makes me ride in even wider criss-cross pattern as I'm trying to make them shoot into the side of the cargo space. A few more bullets fly through the glass and some of them even scratch me, but I can't stop now, when I'm just a few meters away from my goal. When I'm finally close enough to the checkpoint, I hit the gas and drive straight into the squad of Castaway outlaws.

It's good the AVIA company is still, despite being the number one in technology worldwide, using cars with wheels on some occassions. This way, I can enjoy the breaking of bones underneath the wheel as I run over several outlaws. The others just collapse like pins hit by a bowling ball.

The aircrafts above me halt their fire - there's a big risk they'd hit an ally. This allows me to break through the checkpoint and finally leave the walls of this cursed city. But it's still too early for celebrations. The area outside Bifröst walls is now evacuated and the first signs of civilization are still kilometers away.

The cars stay inside the city, but the aircrafts keep going after me. I find myself on a straight highway surrounded by forests. There are no other cars on the road, so I can floor it and ride at maximum speed. Now I would welcome something faster, something able to outrun the aerial vehicles.

At least it's hard for them to aim straight at the windshield. Most of their bullets end up in the roof - some of them right above my head. That's the bad news.

Then I realize I have one more option left. Now, when I'm outside Bifröst, I can, hopefully, get some help. For the first time, I take a look at the dashboard computer which is constantly warning me that I'm going too fast. That's the point, my friend. But now, I can finally use it for something useful.

With my bionic hand still on the steering wheel, I touch the little icon used to make phone calls. When the computer asks me about the number, I insert the well-known phone number that redirects me to the Warden office. The waiting is awfully long and I soon start to be sure nobody will pick it up.

Then, finally, I hear a curt female voice from the speakers:

"The Office of Castaway Wardens. How may I assist you?"

...

"Okay, now listen closely," I say. "Just to be clear, I have the cure for Flicker with me and now it's up to you and your help if I can get it somewhere where it helps."

For a second, I hear muffled talks and even catch some words - it seems they don't take me too seriously. Then the woman speaks again: "Sir, we're solving many REAL issues right now, so we have to ignore anything we don't consider serious. Good-"

"WAIT!" I yell. "I'm being dead serious here. Just a minute ago, I escaped Bifröst with stolen samples of the anti-Flicker serum. Nightingale's forces are after me and my vehicle is already about to fall apart any minute now. I need some support, for fuck's sake!"

Silence. Did they really hang me up?

Thank God they didn't. "Please state your location."

"There's only one highway leading from Bifröst now. I'm there. But I think you'd do better if you just seek two gray AVIA aircrafts in the air with armed Castaways in them. And please hurry!"

"We'll reach you as soon as possible," the woman says, maintaining her calm and neutral tone. Great. Now I only have to stay alive long enough to let them save me.