Chapter 290: New Game, My Rules.

Chapter 290: New Game, My Rules.

Eric collapsed to the floor, gasping. Roger stood over him. "That's some good equipment you have there, boss. I thought it was standard issue crap, but I don't see exit wounds in your back and no pool of blood. I'm guessing hard plates and a layer of wound-sealing medical bandages. Let's take a look." He reached down, tearing off Eric's body armor with enough force that he tore through the straps and buckles. The bullets had penetrated the armor, shattering the hard plastic plates and Kevlar mesh. Underneath that was a layer of shimmering metal armor with two small deformities where the bullets had hit and been forced to skid along the armor. Roger poked it hard, getting a grunt from Eric, who was having trouble getting air into his lungs. "Neat stuff. It's flexible but deflected the shots, and these aren't cheap bullets. I may have to skin that off you and take it with me. I consider it a bonus. Gives me more time to talk about where little, lost Belinda is."The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))

Eric glared at him"...No one knows...safer that way...go screw yourself!"

Roger shrugged and smiled. "You know, I believe you, Eric, but 4th quarter is no time to change the game plan, and I'm getting paid to find the girl and make you hurt." He pointed the gun at Eric's kneecap. "How about you make a good guess where she's at? Or who she's with?"

"Who she's with? Maybe the person that sent me this armor and tore the shit out of twenty mercenaries. Think about that for a second, Roger." He raised his voice, pointing to his chest. "Do you really want to screw with the people behind this tech? They've got an army of people!"

The thunderous sound of multiple gunshot wounds rang out, and it was Roger's turn to scream as Marisa fired six shots into his back. The big guard was knocked forward and onto the floor next to Eric.

"Eric, can you get up? We have to run!" She ran forward and grabbed his arm, pulling him upright. Eric saw Roger's gun on the floor, picked it up, and handed it to her.

"Can't run, but we can keep him covered if he's alive." He handed her the gun.

Roger rolled over and started to stand up. "Oh, I'm alive, Eric, and very hard to kill. Nice shooting, Marisa. I probably should have snapped your neck in the hallway. But I can fix that now." Roger didn't sound like someone with six bullets in him. He didn't sound like Roger anymore; his voice had an odd timbre to it. He was barely bleeding from the bullets Marisa had fired into his back. She tried again with his gun, firing ten shots until she emptied it. She aimed high, hitting him three times in the head, several times in the chest, and once in the shoulder. All of the wounds leaked blood and other fluids, then sealed. The skin on half of his face was missing, showing high-density plastic and metal fiber mesh underneath.

Maria screamed at Eric, "Run! Run, now! He's too heavily augmented. Get the hell out of here, and I'll try to slow him up."

Eric cursed, but the horrifying visage of Roger convinced him, and he started moving down the hallway, stooping over and breathing hard. Marisa produced her metal baton, stepped near Roger, and slammed the rod into his knee to cripple him. He didn't even wince and grabbed her right bicep in a tight grip.

"You should have run, woman. You messed up my face; now I'll mess up yours." Holding her with one hand, Roger beat her with his other, slapping her several times, breaking her cheek and nose, pulling his punches and taking his time. He had no intention of stopping, but Marisa had pulled a high-voltage taser from her holster and discharged it in his face. Roger lit up like a Christmas tree as she put the setting on maximum and kept the power on until the battery charge died. His grip had loosened immediately, and she could stumble away and run after Eric. As she did, she punched a code into her phone and yelled into it. "Rogue-augmented human attempting to kill me and the client. I need immediate assistance." She knew it was a long shot, but for Eric's sake, she had to try.

Milo nodded. "She wanted to make sure you were safe. Will there be more of those?"

Eric stared at the smoking remains of Roger. "Depends on how much money Victor has and how pissed he is."

Marisa laughed. "He's pissed, but trust me, he's out of money. The news traveled like wildfire through the mercenary and security groups. He can't pay for the people he's already hired. Roger would have been disappointed even if he was successful."

Milo nodded, then stood up. "The door should be open soon. Dave found an override." He turned to leave.

Eric yelled. "Wait, who are you? You saved my life."

Milo paused. "No one, really. Just a friend of Belinda's who wants to help keep her safe. We'll be in touch." Then he was around the corner and gone.

The security door opened a minute later, and people poured through, all yelling at once and asking questions. Eric was put on a stretcher; early diagnosis was several bruised ribs and torn muscles from the impact of the bullets. Marisa was sitting next to him when he woke up from the minor surgery, her face swollen and bandaged.

Eric looked at her. "You look gorgeous. If we didn't have rules against dating employees, I'd invite you to dinner."

She said something he didn't understand in Russian. "Sorry, gutter slang. I'll teach it to you someday. I'm sad because I have to quit. I have a new job that officially starts when you're out of danger. I've been on vacation the last couple of weeks. So as soon as you can walk, I know a good place for sushi and Mongolian beef."

"Damn, I was just getting used to you. Let me guess, other side of the world?"

"Nope. Close enough that I'll take you up on the dinner invite once this place is a little calmer. I'll be working nearby as the Head of Security for Rhebus. So please go ahead and practice your Russian and find us a restaurant with good vodka for our second date.