Freelancers: Falcon & Phoenix (12 page)

S
uddenly
, Falcon hits the brakes and cuts the wheel to the left, whipping the back end around so the sedan’s driver’s side is in line with the humvee’s passenger side. Falcon pushes his door open and the humvee crashes into it, ripping it from its hinges as it passes by.

"Take my place," he tells Phoenix as they catch up to the humvee and pull alongside it.

A troop rolls down the humvee window and sticks a gun outside. Falcon releases the wheel to grab the weapon while Phoenix leans over to take control of the car. The humvee starts to veer away from the sedan, pulling Falcon out with it. He switches his hand from the gun to the window’s edge for a better grip.

Phoenix leaps into the driver's seat as Falcon is pulled out. His boots drag along the runway while the vehicles separate. The soldier tries to pry his grip from the window’s edge but Falcon punches him, knocking the troop’s head back and giving him room to crawl through the window. The driver tries to hit Falcon in the head but Falcon twists around and blocks the strikes before delivering his own uppercuts to the driver's chin. The soldier’s head rocks back then forward. Falcon punches up again, knocking the troop out.

P
hoenix pulls
the sedan to the back of the humvee. A Jeep catches up to her and rear ends the car. She swings her arm backward and fires two shots but, just like Falcon, the angle of her aim causes them to miss. She tries to speed up but the Jeep comes back in for another rear impact.

"Move you piece of junk!" She yells at the sedan.

Phoenix hits the brake pedal and cuts the wheel. Just as before, the rear of the car whips around, leaving tire streaks on the runway. She throws it into reverse and hits the accelerator. The Jeep comes back up for another hit. This time it collides with the front bumper but Phoenix braces for the impact and aims her gun forward. The first two shots shatter the windshield. The next three hit the driver and passenger of the military vehicle. The Jeep continues straight for a few feet before veering off. Phoenix cuts the wheel, again, turning the car back to the humvee. She sees two people on either side fall out of it. To her left, something large catches her eye. She looks out to see the tank heading straight for her. Panicked, she floors the gas pedal and races for the humvee.

F
alcon settles
into the driver's seat. He checks his mirrors to see the sedan catching up. The tank rolls across the runway right behind the car.

"Hurry up," he says, easing his foot off the gas, giving Phoenix a chance to catch up.

P
hoenix looks
over her shoulder to see the tank turning in her direction. She moves the car to the right of the humvee, mere yards ahead. It's not going as fast as it was.

"If he wanted to get away..."
She frowns as she watches the passenger door of the humvee opening. There's only one way this will work. Taking a deep breath, she drives straight for the open door.

The sedan slams the door, pushing it backwards on hinges not meant to extend that far. Falcon taps the brake pedal, adding extra resistance. Between the opposing movements of the vehicles, the heavy door is torn off. It falls between the two and flips behind them before landing flat on the runway. The tank rolls right over it.

Falcon reaches his hand out. "Come on."

Phoenix looks at the outstretched hand then back at the uncomfortably close tank.

"We have a better chance in this thing than we do in that." He points toward the back of the car. "Get that gun."

She looks back at the odd gun, rolling in the back seat.

“Hurry!” Falcon yells.

Phoenix grabs the weapon and faces Falcon. He’s blurry. She squeezes her eyes shut to clear her vision before tossing the gun between the vehicles. It lands in the humvee where Falcon tosses it into the back and re-reaches for her. The move is so fast, it's as though he'd kept his hand out for her.

They both release their accelerators and Phoenix reaches out. Falcon steers the humvee close enough for them to hook their fingers together while she maintains a loose hold on the steering wheel. Just enough to keep it steady before Falcon pulls her into the humvee.

The sedan starts to pull away from them as Phoenix sits up in the passenger seat. Falcon watches her hand go straight for her side and he notices her pained expression. She knows he notices but she makes no mention of it. She just looks ahead, squinting her eyes a little, trying to keep them focused.

He speeds up and makes a wide turn just as the tank rolls over the sedan. They both look back to see their previous car smashed into a barely recognizable hunk of metal.

"I'm tired of switching cars," Phoenix says.

"I'm tired of this tank," Falcon watches in his mirrors as the tank turns after them to continue its pursuit. He slows down again.

"Why are you..?"

"You're gonna have to drive this one, too."

"What a surprise."

"I found a few things in here." He holds up a grenade. "Get us close. Then pull around behind it.

She looks at him like he's crazy. But his resolve is clear.

Falcon opens the door and climbs out. Just as they did for him to get the humvee, Phoenix quickly takes his place behind the wheel but keeps one hand on her side.

"Keep it steady," he yells into the wind as he makes his way to the back of the humvee, keeping an eye on the rapidly gaining tank.

D
aken peers
through the tank scope. He smiles. "You want to get crazy? Ok." He pushes the tank forward, nearly on top of the humvee.

F
alcon leaps
onto the heavy battle vehicle and sees the open hatch. He pulls its pin before tossing the grenade inside. As he signals for Phoenix to pull up, a small clank gets his attention. He looks down to see the same grenade roll to a stop at his feet. He instantly kicks it off but it explodes before hitting the runway, sending shrapnel in all directions, some of it shredding through the bottom of his jacket.

Daken puts the tank into cruise control and reaches up through the hatch. He stands to see Falcon checking himself for any wounds from the blast. "You always did have that lucky streak."

Falcon looks up to see Daken rising to his feet on top of the tank.

Phoenix maneuvers the humvee alongside them.

"Too bad it didn't pass on to your sister." Daken taunts. It wasn't even necessary but is has the same effect. Falcon flies off in a blind rage, charging toward the man. His fists collide with forearms, blocking the hits.

After three of his own strikes, Daken grabs the back of Falcon's head and pulls it down into his knee. The hit sends Falcon down to the tank. Daken moves forward but before he can resume his attack, Falcon swings his leg at ankles already wavering from little balance on a moving vehicle. The sweep sends Daken down to the tank, as well. Just as in the Asian Empire, Falcon is up first. He pounces on his enemy, pinning him to the metal and driving his fist downward at the man's skull. Falcon's anger has the best of him. His strikes are faster than they are powerful and lack the accuracy he needs to really overtake his opponent.

With the weaker hits, Daken easily grabs him and flips him off of the tank but the cannon’s position makes for a quick save as Falcon grabs it just in time. With nothing to stand on and his feet dangling, Falcon looks down at the passing runway.

Bullets ricochet off of the turret and both men look toward the hangar as soldiers on foot fire machine gun rounds at them. Daken takes one more look at Falcon and smirks before dropping back into the hatch.

Determined to win or die trying, Falcon swings one hand after the other along the cannon, making his way back to the tank. His foot hits the armored body and he leverages himself to the flat surface. The hatch is still open and Falcon steps toward it till nearby gunfire stops him. Spinning around, he sees Phoenix in the humvee behind him, taking shots at the troops firing on the tank. She hits a couple of them before they turn their fire on her.

Falcon decides to let her handle them and he turns back to the hatch.

"Falcon!" Phoenix pulls up alongside the tank. "Let's go!"

"This isn't over!" he yells back.

"It will be!" She holds out a brick of some sort and tosses it to him.

Falcon catches the clay brick. It has a timer. He looks on the back of the C4 explosive and notices the sticky strips.

"Hurry up!" She yells, firing at an oncoming Jeep.

Falcon pulls the strips from the back and hurries to the hatch. He crouches down, ignoring the gunfire, and sets the timer for seven seconds before sticking his head through the hatch. Daken takes a shot at him but Falcon moves his head back up just in time. Four seconds. He thrusts his arm in the hatch and attaches the C4 to the ceiling, before hurrying to the rear of the tank.

Everything happens in a blur. Daken looks up at the timer and sees the countdown. Three seconds.

Phoenix pulls the humvee to the rear just in time for Falcon to land on the hood.

One second.

She slams on the brakes, letting the tank get well ahead of them. The humvee skids to a halt as the tank explodes, blowing Falcon into the windshield and up over the roof.

She looks toward the back of the humvee, shaking off more blurred vision, waiting to see Falcon drop to the runway. He doesn't. Instead a hand drops down next to her. "Falcon?"

She gets out and sees him laying, face down, on the roof of the truck. She grabs his arm and tries to pull him down but the strain is too much and pain shoots through her side. Again, her hand goes straight to that spot.

Falcon watches her strain and shrugs her hand off of his arm before rolling off of the roof and landing on his feet. "You said you were fine,” he coughs out.

"I am."

"You're pale." He looks down the runway back toward the dirt road they came in on. Still more military vehicles are heading toward them—less than before but more than he'd like. "Get in."

Bullets strike the humvee. Falcon takes Phoenix's gun and fires off a couple of rounds at the recovering troops in the hangar. The shots are more as suppressive fire than as kill shots.

Phoenix crawls through the driver's side and sits down in the passenger seat just as a bullet hits the windshield. Other than a small scuff, the bullet proof window holds up.

Falcon gets inside and hits the gas, turning the humvee back towards the river. Three Jeeps and two more humvees continue the pursuit while more foot troops take up firing positions to continue their assault.

"We get across the river and we get to the Freelands." He turns to Phoenix. "There's a good doct—Phoenix?"

He puts a hand on her cheek as her eyes start to close. She barely responds but she's cold and in a sweat. "Phoenix, stay awake."

She tries to lift her eyelids but they only close again.

"Phoenix, stay awake...Phoenix!" Machine gun fire hits the back of the humvee as her eyes close all the way and her head falls, limply, forward. "Phoenix, wake up. Phoenix! We had a deal!"

M
achine gun bullets
clink on the back of the armored humvee as Falcon checks the rearview to see the smoking tank. He looks at Phoenix who sits, lifeless, in the passenger seat. A Jeep pulls up alongside them and Falcon's eyes go wide as he sees McCord driving.

"You attacked us and now you want to run?" the General shouts. "Enemies of the state will be executed."

McCord lifts a gun and aims it right at Phoenix. Falcon steers the humvee into the Jeep, batting it away from them. McCord recovers from the strike and comes back in, slamming into the side of the humvee. Falcon tries to nudge the Jeep off of them but McCord keeps its wheels turned inward, making the two vehicles grind together.

"War has come to America. But we will be victorious." He raises a block of C4, showing the three second timer to Falcon.

Falcon's eyes dart from the timer to Phoenix to the road ahead. He tries to turn away but the Jeep stays with him.

Two seconds. Falcon aims his gun at the block and fires, knocking it out of McCord’s hand.

One second. Falcon slams on the brakes, turning the humvee to the right so Phoenix is farthest away from the blast. Just like the tank, the Jeep barrels forward several yards before exploding in a fireball of twisted metal that shoots several yards into the air.

Falcon watches the mangled heap fall to the concrete. It rocks several times before coming to rest in a flaming mass. Falcon turns his attention to the rest of the runway. Crushed and burning vehicles litter the airstrip, all the result of carnage caused by just trying to get away. Daken stealing the tank led to most of the destruction, though Falcon and Phoenix certainly caused a fair share. There's little time to admire or regret being the cause of such chaos as more bullets hit the humvee.

Falcon climbs over Phoenix to grab her seatbelt. He fixes the harness over her then falls back into his seat. Flooring the accelerator, he continues toward the river.

The humvee veers left and right down the runway, avoiding some of the bullets. The glass can only handle so many before they break through. It's better to save the armor for as long as they can.

As the river gets closer, Falcon watches the rushing water. He checks on Phoenix.
This isn't gonna help raise her temperature.
He checks his mirror to see two Jeeps and two humvees getting closer.
Almost there.

The humvee drives off the runway and hits a small hill, launching it a few feet off of the ground. It slams back down to the dirt and grass, jostling both he and Phoenix in their seats. Not wearing a seat belt, Falcon flies up, striking his head on the ceiling before dropping back into his seat. Catching his breath, he looks at Phoenix and sees her eyes are still closed but her brow is furrowed. It’s a sign of discomfort but at least she's alive.

The pursuit vehicles hit the same hill and ramp up just as Falcon did. In his mirror, he watches the humvees hit the ground.

"Hopefully they won't follow,” he says, driving the military vehicle into the river. A wave of water splashes up against the windshield. Falcon keeps the gas going and white exhaust plumes shoot out of the snorkel as the front grill is submerged.

Water rapidly flows in through the open passenger side, filling the interior. Phoenix moans as the rush of cold hits her. The dirt road is just ahead of them but the strong current pushes the humvee off course. Falcon hits the gas, only inching the truck forward. He turns around and sees the other two humvees diving into the water. The Jeeps stop just at the river's edge and those troops get out and fire pistols at them. Little splashes of water pop up as a mounted gunner takes rapid shots at the humvee. Unfortunately the shots are on the passenger side and far too close to Phoenix.

"Why is it cold?" Her voice is weak.

Falcon flips on the cruise control, letting the tires continue to spin, and rolls his window down. He climbs out through his open window and takes careful and concentrated aim at their pursuers. The rapid current pushes them along fast enough that he has to correct his shot before taking it. Falcon squeezes the trigger and fires, hitting the mounted gunner of the Jeep. The troops on land stop firing as they get farther away but there are still the two humvees to deal with.

Falcon watches passenger troops climb out of their windows as he has done. They take a couple of shots, all missing. Falcon fires back, also missing. The three of them trade shots every few seconds. The attack is nothing like what they dealt with on the runway but it is still not an ideal situation. Falcon looks all along the river for a bank to drive up but the land is raised high out of the water. Even if the tires did get enough traction, they'd only drive into a wall of mud and plant roots.

A bullet hits the humvee. Falcon fires back, winging the troop and making him drop his gun in the water. At least that's one less gun firing at them. Feeling it's safer inside, Falcon ducks back into the water-filled vehicle. He presses the gas and flips off the cruise control.

Semi-conscious, Phoenix struggles to keep her head above the water. Falcon reaches over and gently pushes her forehead back, keeping her mouth and nose away from the pool inside the humvee.

After several more bullets hit the truck, Falcon notices the river bank lowering and a clearing several yards away. If the tires can only get enough traction, he should be able to drive to the other side. He turns the steering wheel downstream and finds some resistance. The humvee jerks sideways as the front tires grab hold of something. He looks to his right and sees the troops yelling to one another and pointing. He turns back to the clearing as the muddy land at the river's edge fades up to a dry, dirt road. Falcon hits the gas and the humvee moves into the turn as the tires find a grip.

As the vehicle moves forward, the water in the cab starts to lower, the current eases up and Falcon, finally, drives the humvee to the other side of the river. The front tires roll up onto the muddy bank and he presses harder on the gas, making the snorkel blow out another white plume of exhaust as the rest of the water spills out of the cab.

The wet tires quickly become caked with mud as the humvee travels farther away from the river. Falcon looks over his shoulder to see the first humvee come out of the water, still in pursuit, with the second one right behind it.

A pothole in the road makes the truck bounce. Phoenix rises out of her seat and falls back down with another moan of discomfort.

An archway appears over the road. Falcon smiles at the rusted metal sign on the top of it, [FREELANDS]. Underneath it hangs a wooden sign, [HONOR THE DEAL].

"We did it. We got out of the Waste." he says to her.

Dust shoots up behind the humvee as it passes under the sign. Falcon looks back to see the pursuit vehicles slow to a stop. Relief rolls through him.

"They won't follow us in here."

Small buildings start to appear in the distance. Taller ones rest behind them. He looks at Phoenix, passed out in the seat. "We're home."