Sierra

Chapter 9: Part 1

A metal crash rang through the tunnel as Cole went down, the taser points stuck magnetically to his body armor. Sierra knew it wasn't enough to knock him out or do any damage, but enough to spasm his system.

The group standing behind them must have come through another tunnel at the junction they passed through.  They must have been a patrol, as each carried a makeshift weapon. Scrap pieces of metal had been fashioned into armor over torn and dirty clothes. Mentally, she berated herself for not being more careful, but she hadn't been aware they had gotten this deep into their territory. 

As the one holding the taser stepped forward, Sierra lunged forward and grabbed the gun from the holster at Cole's side. A cry arose from the group as she whipped it out and the woman with the taser took a step back. But she couldn't hope to hit all of them. No, if she shot at one the rest would be on her before she could get a second shot off. Instead, she planted a knee on Cole's chest and jammed the gun beneath his chin. Forcing the gun under the protection of his helmet and his head back against the concrete.

"Nobody move or I blow it to pieces!" she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

There was hesitation from the group as they glanced at each other and the lead woman tilted her head slightly in confusion. Unnaturally red hair shifted over her shoulder as she did so.

"Honey, he's with you..." she responded with some mocking confusion. Her voice was thick with the accent of the Eastern Communist Alliance, but she spoke English easily.

"Do you know what this is?" Sierra asked, shifting the gun slightly under Cole's chin. The leader glanced below to the prone android and then her shoulders bobbed in a shrug.

"I'll bite. What is it?"

Sierra felt Cole shift beneath her, getting ready to move. She pushed harder, forcing his head back. She moved, taking her knee off his chest to avoid the shock and then nodded at the red-headed woman.

"Hit it again," Sierra stated and after a second's consideration, the woman's finger flicked against the trigger. Another click and buzz rendered him motionless against the floor. 

Satisfied, Sierra resumed her position on his chest and continued. "This is an android cop, five hundred thousand dollars of government funds." she stated "If you strip it, this gun is worth fifteen grand. The body armor? Another thirty maybe. But the real prize, wipe the police protocols, reprogram it, you could sell it for a million, easy."

There was a slight murmur from the group, but Sierra kept her eyes on the redhead, who still stared at her skeptically.

"And you are telling me this, why?" she asked with some impatience and then jerked her head forward as if to tell the others to move on her.

"Ah ah ah! You move and I blow that million dollar chance away!"

The group stopped, glancing between themselves before looking at the leader again, evidently not eager to lose the chance at such a fortune.

"What do you want?" the leader asked. Her eyes looking the two over again and then they landed on Sierra's handcuffs. "What were you doing together?"

"I tried to lose it in the tunnels, it caught me and then got lost down here. I've been letting it walk in circles while I waited for an opportunity. You let me walk out of here and you can have the whole package."

The redhead paused, her head tilting to the other side as if in consideration of the offer.

"We will see if it can be reprogrammed as you say, then we will talk." She turned back to the group. "Go get Skip," she stated and one of the scavengers behind her nodded. They turned back the way they had come, and the remaining six of them were left in a tense silence while their footsteps retreated down the tunnel.