It was 5:42 by the time Gabriel finished restocking the supplies. Canned food, retort package, water, hygiene products, and medical kit. Vela preferred more conservable food but Gabriel was not planning on surviving off food pills and energy bars for the trip. He didn't understand how Vela could manage eating it more than once a day.
He had paid for the last purchase and watched the drone fly off with the shipment when he heard commotion from far down the street. Some gun shots and yelling. He did not think too much of it at first, fights weren't too rare in Delton with the amount of human wastes running around. He didn't expect nothing to happen while they were here. He even found it to be a relief there was a distraction available at the city before they took off.
Until Spencer called him out. "Yo Gabe! Lil' help here?!" Spencer was at the center of the commotion. No, leading the commotion as he was running straight towards him with 7 armed men hot at his heels. Pedestrians were fleeing left and right, shouting insult of screaming as they did.
"You been away for 3 hours!" Gabriel yelled, taking out his gun. He shot wildly at the men behind, covering for Spencer. Most missed of the bullets missed but one managed hit the target right between the eyes. The target dropped dead on the stop, blood splattering on the walls.
The remain six quickly took cover before relying to Gabriel's fires with their own rounds. Gabriel duck behind a nearby building narrowing dodging the hails of steel.
"Can't help it. I'm honey to fruit flies. Everyone wants a piece of me" Gabriel could hear Spencer's shout over the wall. "And this time, it isn't entirely my fault." Gabriel didn't believe a word.
Gabriel fired whenever he could and dodged when he needed to reload until Spencer safely made it to the building he was at. Spencer some a few gun wounds but nothing severe for him. By then Gabriel could already feel his pockets becoming lighter. While the enemies still sprayed theirs like rain in jungle.
"What the hell were you thinking!" Gabriel yelled at Spencer, who was checking his wounds, and grabbed him roughly by his collar. "I told you to stay low."
Spencer raised both his hands in surrender. "I'm telling you; it isn't all my fault! They're the Silk-spider gangs, you know the ones we double crossed last time." He tried to explain.
"You mean the ones you double crossed them." Gabriel hissed back before throwing Spencer down on the ground.
Spencer easily recovered and dusted himself off. "They deserved it, you didn't say much after either."
"I did you idiot!" Gabriel yelled again and reloaded his gun.
"Small details" Spenser said while taking off his now rag of a shirt. His body jiggled with the sound of bullets every time he moved.
"It is the entire topic of this situation!" Gabriel shot more rounds to the pursuers. They had drawn closer while he had bother to waste time screaming his head off at Spencer. He was about to fire his gun when he heard the sound of siren above.
[Stop right now criminal scums! You have violated code 73(a) of the city safety Act 15 and are under arrest. Resist and we will bomb.] A male voice boomed over through the megaphone.A different whispered yet loud voice followed. [Eh Jim I don't think that's the standard procedure.] [Yes, I am completely aware of the fact.] The first voice retorted back.
Letting the idiots have their little comedy gag, Gabriel took the chance as his opportunity to escape. He threw a smoke bomb at the Silkspiders when their attention was diverted to the police. In mere seconds the whole block was filled with smoke, obscuring everyone's vision. Gabriel dragged Spencer with him through the smokes into a large department store building on the other side of the street. The building had underground networks that could be taken to reach the aviation port or other places to buy time. There were still more than 2 hours till 8.
The building was mostly empty, the customers must have fled when they heard the gun shots. To Gabriel, this was in his favor. However, Gabriel could spot a couple of security cameras inside the building. Given the commotion outside, they probably had 5 minutes to disappear. He dragged Spencer to the escalator before letting go of Spencer, who dropped to the stairs with a small 'oof.
"How did you even find them?" Gabriel asked as he checked his remaining ammunition count. He had 3 9mm magazines and 1 flash bomb.
"Eh we meet at the racetrack." Spencer shrugged casually. "He, apparently, was also a big fan, and a good gambler too. The ticket I stole from him hit jackpot." He fished out a small paper full of holes and covered in blood and showed it to Gabriel. Gabriel could only groan in exhausted frustration. "I am going to kill you." Gabriel said rumpling his greying hairs.
"You can thank me later when I buy us a new car."
"Why would you need, a car, in outer space!"
"Luxury sleep, obviously. And you, mister, aren't invited."
"We have beds."
"That's why I said luxury sleep not regular sleep."
Gabriel sighed; he had been sighing greatly over his quota recently. "I don't have time for this. Just start moving, we need to get to the underground terminals." Gabriel said, just as the spiraling escalator reached the lower floor. They both moved quietly down, or as quietly as Spencer's jiggling legs could allow, and headed towards the terminal. There were few civilians on the level, most cowering or running away at the sight of them. Gabriel preferred if they did not attract any attention but reckoned that he had no choice when he was walking with a bloodied naked man jiggling with bullets at every step.
"So what's the plan?" Spencer asked.
"We walk through the terminal to either district 17 or towards the aviation port."
"Kind of a long walk don't you think? Wouldn't it be better to ride the tube?
"And announce to the whole city where we will exactly be at? We walk; the place is laced out like a spiderweb and no cameras. Harder to be tracked."
As they arrived at the terminal, the LED monitor displayed that there were 5 minutes until the next tube car was to arrive. Just about enough to reach the intersection tunnel.
Gabriel kicked open the arcylic divider blocking the platform and jumped down to the maglev platform. It vibrated uncomfortably under his feet. Mechanic feets never worked well with magnetic rail. He moved to the side to allow Spencer to follow and took out his phone.
"You go first, you can see in the dark." Gabriel said pointing towards the dark tunnels. His other free hand on his phone typing.
"Well my list of virtue does include night vision.." Spencer scratched his head uncertainly looking at the direction.
Gabriel pressed send before lifting his head to stare questioningly at Spencer."I'm hearing a 'but'. Spit it out."
"It isn't.... perfect." There was a gurgled choking sound from Spencer's throat before he forced out the word 'perfect'. "It's way too dark in there; I can lead and walk fine but if anything comes, I won't see anyone before I meet their bullet first."
Gabriel gazed out at the dark contemplating the options. Spencer wasn't the most humble degenerate out there. If he could, he would take any chance to brag. The admission of not perfect wasn't comforting. He could choose to use a flashlight but in the tunnels that would be blinding beacon of 'We-are-fucking-here' for everyone chasing them to see from a quarter mile radius.
"That will have to do." Gabirel finally decided.
"Alright then what direction?" Spencer asked.
"Head straight and stick to the right. It should take us to sector 17. The area is under redevelopment."
"Not the aviation port?"
"No, the path is too complicated to take blind."
"Not perfect and blind are pretty different things" Spencer mumbled but started taking fast strides forward.
The tunnels were dark but fortunately not twisted. It was easy to follow and they navigated through the railroads quickly. It was when they had one stop left till sector 17 when Spencer stopped in his path.
"Wait, I hear something." Spencer said in a volume barely enough for Gabriel to hear.
"I swear to god if you're gonna fart and say 'nature's call' again. I will stitch your asshole shut." Gabriel whispered with as much venom he could pack. He had not been enjoying trailing Spencer from right behind.
"Hey it was a funny joke to easy the mood. You should be grateful." Spencer whispered back. "And no, I'm hearing voices."
"How many?" Gabriel asked quietly readying his gun.
"3.. Maybe 4. There's also a tube car coming from one and a half stop away."
They could kill 6.
"You think they noticed us?"
But not the best choice of option.
Spencer shrugged. "No idea. But they are coming in hot and this is a one-way rail we are on. We have a minute or two at max."
"Then we head back. We only passed the ventilation shaft moments ago. We hide if we can, and if we can't we can ambush."