Bullet Catchers

Chapter 12

Bullet Catchers

Twelve

The closing of the door ushered in a brief and heart-stilling silence. A few seconds later and the roar of gunfire reached their ears again; this time, none of the bullets came into the house. Tank decided to take the risk of peeking outside in an attempt to get a beat on their attackers. She managed to get her eyes just above the window's ledge. All she could see was an empty street, aside from a few parked cars. Slight movement from the building across the street caught her eye. She got her head back to safety just in time, as a wave of bullets went through the broken window.

"You're fuckin' lucky, kid. If I get shot protectin' your dumbass I'll kill ya," Tank said as she prepped her rifle for a gunfight.

"Shut up! If you get me out of here alive, I'll f**k you sober!"

Pluto himself wasn't sure exactly what he meant by that, but it seemed to go unheard by Tank regardless. s*x was the only form of payment he could offer. Upon repeating the statement in his head, he realized how ridiculous it sounded. All those thoughts disappeared when something was tossed into the window and landed in the center of the room.

"Grenade!"

It was Arai's yell that got Pluto to huddle as close to the corner as he could and cover his head. It was pretty damn rare for a grenade to get chucked back or smothered in time before it exploded and killed everyone. The kill radius for a frag grenade was greater than that tiny room they were in. If he would've had time to think any more about it, he would've pissed himself.

A terrifying "pop" had him jump. Before he could even register that he was still alive, a dozen or more welts peppered his body. Even Monkey, who so far had refused to move, leapt up as rubber pelts smashing into his legs. The projectiles ricocheted around the room until they exhausted all momentum or crashed into human flesh. The curse words that the group emitted lasted long after the chaos died down.

There was no time for them to recover. The door was rammed down and in stomped four armed men. Guns drawing and screaming orders in both English and Czech, it took a moment for Pluto and his gang to realize what was going on. Arai dropped Dingo's rifle and had his hands in the air without hesitation. One of the invaders quickly forced him onto the ground and zip tied his hands behind his back.

Tank, however, was not going to be compliant. Getting bombarded with rubber pellets from a sting grenade didn't exactly put her in a good mood. Seeing Arai surrender as easily as he did wasn't calming her down, either. There was no particular plan in her head when she decided to hold down the trigger of her automatic rifle and spray the entire room with bullets. It took her all of three seconds to change out the magazine when the rifle made a hollow "click."

Arai found himself hunched down as close to the floor as he could as blood splattered around him. It was a good thing the gunfire was loud enough to make him momentarily deaf, or else the sound of bullets whizzing near his head to pierce skin and screams of death would haunt him for more than a few weeks. Ears still ringing after the gunfire stopped, he wasn't even aware they were out of danger until he felt someone tugged on his bounds has they cut them.

As Tank freed Arai, Pluto examined one of the dead. Dressed in all black, they had no insignia on their uniforms. Irritated, Pluto began to dig through the dead man's pockets for any form of identification. When all he found was a pack of cigarettes, he pocketed those before ripping the man's clothes off.

"Stop fuckin' around. We gotta get out of here, dumbass," Tank ordered.

"Just a minute! We need to find out who these guys are!" Pluto argued.

"Uh, duh, they're dead," she said.

"No! I mean what organization!"

"Atlantis, right?" she asked.

Pluto stopped rummaging. After all, this man had absolutely nothing to identify him or his organization. There weren't even tattoos or scars on his body. The deceased's talents weren't anything noteworthy, so Pluto figured it wasn't to be too concerned about. Pluto snatched the man's pistol out of its holster and grabbed one of the extra magazines, too. He didn't need anyone to tell him to move after that. Pluto was heading out the door before anyone else was even ready.

Unsure of how far behind the others were and frankly too bent on survival to give a s**t, Pluto dashed out into the streets. His tunnel vision prevented him from properly assessing his surroundings. As a result, the moment his shoes touched the blacktop of the street, he was dodging bullets. A few stray rounds missed him by mere centimeters.

He threw his hands up near his head without thought, as though they were someone prevent him from being hit. After a full second passed he got his mind back in working order. His arms returned to their normal position before he raised the pistol and fired aimlessly at the building across the street. Not a single bullet hit anything. The response was another spray of rifle fire. This time, he was able to get sight on the enemy that was trying to pick him off. The pistol was aimed once more and he pulled the trigger repeatedly, each crack of gunfire a chance he might be free from this little gunfire.

When he pulled the trigger and only got an empty "click" he lowered the weapon. Heavy breathing returned; he wasn't even aware he was holding his breath until that moment. Wildly his eyes danced around the building and the street, hoping to find it without enemy.

Something crashed into his back hard enough that it sent him falling forward. His knees hit the blacktop and the impact caused the skin to rupture. In pain and dazed, Pluto didn't have time to defend himself when a kick to his upper back pushed him further into the asphalt.

"f**k you, Jan! You just f*****g left us in there! After I got shot saving your piece of s**t ass!" Monkey yelled. He let himself give Pluto one solid kick in the gut before he leaned on Arai's shoulder to better balance his aching body.

Arai helped stabilize him as Pluto attempted to regain the ability to breath. "Alright you two. If we're going to get back to HQ safely we probably shouldn't be fighting each other."

Tank took the little skirmish as a chance to light a cigarette. By the time she took her first puff, Arai finished his lecture. She asked, "The f**k is the point of going back there? Every fucker lookin' for money is going to be there lookin' for Pluto. Too bad I like the bastard or I'd suggest we just blast him."

Thus began a conversation between Monkey, Tank, and Arai about where to go and what to do. Pluto didn't hear any of it. After he got his lungs working again and realized how many welts the sting grenade had left. That was the worst part about any lull in fighting – without fail, the body began to register every single bruise and scrape it had gotten in the last adrenaline rush. The pain signals always started out slow at first before becoming a near unbearable wave. Coupled by the immense fear he'd just fought through, he thought for sure he was going to puke out his stomach's contents.

Apparently while Pluto battled his nausea the others came to a decision. Tank picked him up off the ground by the hem of his shirt and dragged him to his feet. She didn't say a word as she forced him toward a car parked on the side of the road. Several bullet holes had recently ripped through the old coupe. Assuming it belonged to a member of Atlantis but not really caring either way, she broken the driver's window open. After she unlocked the door, she popped it open and forced Pluto inside.

"You still remember how to wire a car?" she asked.

Pluto didn't see the need to answer, as his work would speak for itself. As he went to work he felt the rest of his sense return to normal. The sting of his wounds were still prevalent but he the sensations of his fingertips as he played hoodlum were more prominent. His ears picked up the conversation between Arai and Monkey; the mechanic asked where exactly they were and Arai answered, "Trinidad."

"Trinidad? We need a boat, not a car!" Monkey yelled. His frustration was obvious. After all, this was much different than tinkering with vehicles. This was a fight for the right to live.

The sound of the car's engine and then revving up meant Pluto was successful and ready to go. Tank held open the door to the backseat and Arai eased Monkey into the vehicle. Having been more than used to being in shootouts without the need to leave immediately, they were taking the sweet time. By the time Arai was seated himself and Tank was moving into the passenger's seat, it had been a solid minute.

Moving without haste proved to be a bad idea. The whine of police sirens meant someone had tipped off the authorities. Generally speaking, most police organizations knew to stay out of the way of Circuit members, but the same could not be said about the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service. Their dedication to riding their nation of mercenary groups meant that only one ever remained – Atlantis – and that group had special ties to the TTPS.

The white vehicles of the TTPS were moving in on the area and fast. Still, Tank didn't appear to be much of a hurry despite the constant shouts of Pluto and Monkey. She wasn't even fully seated before Pluto punched it and they went flying down the street.

They got all of a block before they nearly suffered a head-on collision with one of the TTPS cruisers. Pluto wasn't the best driver or the quickest at responding and froze at the sight of the car. Fortunately, the driver of the TTPS cruiser was able to avoid the accident. As the two vehicles came within a hair's width of each other, Arai aimed Dingo's M4A1 out the window and let loose. The rain of gunfire shattered the driver's side window of the cruiser and it lost control. Arai wasn't even sure if he's actually hit the officer; he was too intrigued by the smooth firing of the rifle to care.

"What the hell? What are the odds the police are anywhere near here?!" Pluto inquired. It wasn't intended for anyone but he got an answer.

"Atlantis HQ is only about two blocks for a police station. Turn right here!" Arai shouted.

Pluto responded by following the command without thought. "What the hell?! How the f**k do you know all this?!" Pluto demanded.

"I did some weapons trades with Atlantis before Moses recruited me. Keep following this road, you're going to reach the docks. We'll have to get off the island and out of these waters before they deploy boats," Arai instructed.

Behind them four cruisers were gaining fast. Pluto didn't pay them any mind. Tank was too focused on the road ahead to spot them. Arai wasn't interested in being involved in a shootout without police any more than the bare minimum. Monkey just wished he was back at his shop, passed out waiting for work to arrive.

It was for the best. Since all eyes were forward, all eyes noticed the road block that they were fast approaching. Pluto swerved to avoid it, sending the cheap, old car off road. The rattling of the vehicle as it treaded over rough terrain was impossible for Pluto to properly control. They felt their stomachs leap into their throats as they went from travelling 210 kilometers an hour to 80. Unable to handle the terrain, a front tire blew and Pluto officially lost it.

Pluto felt himself grip the steering wheel even tighter once he realized they were about to role. Then he slammed his eyes shut, readying for the impact. Later, he was told he yelled out something in Czech but he had no recollection of it. Motion sickness ate at his gut as he lost all sense of direction. Glass sprayed everywhere. Something crashed into his head and his shoulder. The screeching sound of metal crunchy berated on his ears. The vehicle turned not once, not twice, but three times before landing upside down in the middle of a field.

"Holy f**k, Jan!"

"God damn that was fuckin' crazy!"

"Is everyone alright?"

Those were the three statements Pluto heard once everything stopped moving. Slowly he opened his eyes and found the world upside-down, small dots on the horizon moving towards them. "Oh, s**t! The police!" he yelled once he remembered what was going on. Hearing his outburst seemed to remind the others, as well, and panic followed. Everyone attempted to untangle themselves and regain motion in all their limbs. No one even bothered to think about how lucky they were just to be alive.

Tank wasn't interested in any of that. She raised her gun and fired. The close proximity of the shot caused Pluto to jump. Above the ringing in his ears he shouted, "What the hell!? f**k off with that! We need to run!"

Somehow he managed to get himself removed from the shattered remains of the stolen car. Arai was next and the two of them dragged Monkey out. Tank was the last out, and by the time she was chasing after them they were half way across the field.

The slap of helicopter blades followed by a gush of air had the three men look to the sky. Upon finding themselves staring at the belly of a military-issued helicopter, they knew there was nowhere for them to run. Tank, after catching up to them, raised her rifle and fired off one burst before Pluto slapped the rifle out of her hands. He never shouted at her; all he did was give her a silent but harsh glare. She got the hint, and reluctantly let dropped the weapon. The TTPS that had been approaching suddenly stopped.

It was kind of a relief to know that their fate had already been decided. Not having to run for dear life, kill another, or dodge death meant they could relax. Even if prison awaited them on the other side, it was a s**t ton better than playing criminal.

The helicopter landed gracefully a few meters away. There was no logo on the side of it. None of the mercenaries moved toward it. The door flew open. All of them were surprised to see a man dressed in a business suit and headset. He shouted over the roar of the blades, "Get in!"

Seeing no other option they all obliged. Pluto, Arai, Monkey, and Tank in that order cramped themselves inside the small aircraft. For a moment Pluto feared that the mechanical beast wouldn't even be able to take off with the extra weight, but it somehow managed.

As it climbed into the air, Arai's eyes bounced around, taking in every inch of the amazing aircraft. As his eyes traveled they ended up landing on the two that had just rescued them. The pilot was a woman, the patch on her shoulder blacked out to hide her affiliation. She was in good physical shape and carried herself in a calm and dignified manner, one only seen with professionals. The man seated next to her was that one that called out to them. His suit was pristine and had no wrinkles or blemishes. He was lanky and hunched over. A part of the man's ear was missing; he had no signs of age at all.

To Arai, he looked very familiar. In fact, he'd deal with him before. No, not him. Perhaps… his man's father? A weapons deal with a mercenary group based in America some years ago had him meet a boy with part of his ear missing. That group had only ever contracted with the United States military. What was his name again…? He guessed, "Mister… Fairclough?"

The stranger responded by pointing a pistol at him. Of course – the Bullet Catchers never got a real break. The young man smiled and said, "It's Vernon. And you're now in the custody of Bandit."