STEP 9: If you can't win, negotiate

  RG Doctrine

  Leave them something that has value for both parties

  Feebee’s ‘manual’

  There was a hole in her uniform, in the chest area and another through one arm that was limp at her side.

  They closed in around her unsure where the threat was. Three sides were open, a wall formed the fourth. They were searching for the threat. Any threat.

  People had reacted, were panicked, providing cover.

  The Alphas looked ready to kill anyone or anything that dared to even glance their way. Rockson started to move towards Feebee.

  Alpha-2 stepped between them, "Back off." He prodded Rockson in the belly with his rifle and pointed away from Feebee. "Our priority is to protect our front. NOW!"

  Rockson nodded and turned, dropped to one knee scanning ahead.

  Feebee couldn't speak but managed to articulate her feeling to the QI.

  'Shit. Didn't see that coming.'

  Scratchy laughter followed.

  'We're ok. Broken rib. Chest shot was stopped by the vest. In and out through the arm. Nanites stopping the blood. They'll clean up any evidence too.'

  'Oh. Ok. Good.' Feebee took a deep breath, 'Damn it hurts. Block their real feeds of us.'

  'Ack' The QI needed Feebee alert, so withheld meds.

  'We need to move. Crawl. Along the base of the wall. To your right.'

  'Seriously?'

  'Yes! MOVE.'

  Feebee started to crawl slowly in the direction the QI had indicated.

  'Push the door.'

  Feebee complied. The door was open and then there were some stairs.

  "Up the stairs.'

  She had her breath back now and the nanites had stopped the bleed. Once inside the stairwell she stood up, slowly.

  'Owww!'

  'Suck it up.' Was the QI's response. Feebee managed to tut.

  The QI seemed to be enjoying the situation and came back at her again, 'If it's sympathy you want you've got the wrong QI.'

  'Owww! Don't make me laugh!'

  Alpha-3 glanced back to check on Feebee. She'd gone. He knew what that meant and smiled. Alpha-2 saw the smile, was initially confused until he too saw she'd moved off.

  "Now the fun starts," he mouthed.

  Alpha-3 nodded.

  No one came at them. The crowd had scattered leaving the space in front empty. The Alphas moved, gained cover behind some planters.

  Feebee got to the top of the stairs which opened out onto a roof space. Second floor, slightly higher than the average building around them. She unhitched her rifle, engaged the extended twelve round box magazine and slowly worked her way to the edge of the roof above her team below in the street.

  Some plants grew up a trellis, she looked through this along the street that stretched out ahead of her. She cross referencing what she saw with the over-watch in her overlays. With some of the plants out of the way, Feebee was able to rest the rifle, then back tracked the view along the cross referenced path of the bullets.

  Where would she hide. There. Deep shadow. There was movement, she switched to IR and the outline of a couple eating at the table in their apartment appeared.

  Nope.

  She scanned along to the net window, same shadow but this time the sniper appeared. There was no hesitation, the distance the max point blank range for her rifle. Feebee steadied her breathing, took her time and squeezed the trigger. The gun kicked but her's training kept it in check. A single bullet was released. It was a massive slug, size of an adult thumb and then some, capable of stopping a copter. It arrived unannounced, before the sound and literally turned the other sniper's head into a red mist.

  A shot came at her but she'd already moved.

  'Second sniper. Ideas?'

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  'They'd want to see the first sniper and the street below clearly. Maybe higher and to our left.'

  'I agree.'

  The Alphas had heard that sound many times and smiled. It wasn't the gentle pop of a suppressed rifle, this was the loud report of a death. One down. Always one down. She never missed. Never; ever.

  The dynamic on the ground had evolved. What had previously been a panicked crowd suddenly contained people assessing them. Not rushing past quickly, they were like rocks in a cascade, the main crowd pushing past their resistance to move. They stood out to the trained eyes of the Alphas who levelled their guns at them. The intention clear.

  A couple raised their hands, but all moved off. Not wanting to take on the firepower they faced. Especially as their overwatch protection had just evaporated, literally.

  The QI led them to the stairs Feebee had used. They met Feebee coming down from the roof.

  There were two doors, apartments. 137 and 138.

  '137. It's an omen,' said the QI.

  Feebee kicked the door in without asking why.

  It was empty, no alarms that she could see or hear. No keypad near the door, just keys. Old school. They kept the lights off.

  'Told you. Good omen.'

  'Not now.'

  "Rockson. Check the rooms at the back."

  She crossed to the street side and got River to help her pull a table up close to the window. The Alphas were covering the door and stairs.

  Very carefully, she opened one of the windows and pushed the rifle between the curtains, resting it on the table. A small tea towel hung across the barrel. It looked like a drying line.

  The view gave her a clear sight, down most town the street. She stood to the side of the table and re-arranged the magazine boxes to the side webbing. They'd get in the way when she was lying on the table.

  She started to climb onto the table when a bullet came in through the window. It barely missing the rifle. She didn't have time to think, just threw herself off the table, falling in a heap on the floor. A second bullet followed the first, crashing through the table.The box cartridge in her webbing dug into the broken rib.

  'Aarrgghh.'

  River ran across, thinking she'd been hit. Feebee exploded towards him, tackling him to ground just as a third bullet put a hole in the loose material at his armpit.

  She landed on top of him, her body pressing down. Their faces inches apart.

  River flushed.

  The Alphas shared a glance and smiled.

  There was an awkward moment then she pushed herself off him, "That's one you owe me. Don't do that again. I promised your Dad."

  Feebee picked up her rifle.

  "We need to move. This position is compromised."

  River was confused, "How did they know?"

  "They knew this was a good option for a sniper. Good field craft. It's also why I set the rifle first."

  Even the Alphas were impressed.

  The QI got Feebee's Ok then bundled up snippets from the attacks, including her being shot twice. The blood splatter from her arm was particularly well captured before her nanites cleaned it up. Once anonymised, the QI began broadcasting the video through local channels. It wasn't a good look for the RG who tried to limit the damage, doubling down and labelling it a terrorist attack.

  The QI also sent the local news broadcasts to Chen, copying in local RG command. The title on the email was simply. "Local Observations."

  Feebee heard incoming gun shots from the stairwell. Three then a pause. Classic shoot and move tactics. The Alphas remained silent, not shooting back.

  The next set of three went very differently. Once the third shot had been fired, the Alphas filled the stairwell with lead just as two gunmen stepped forward, thinking it clear. They were down before they could fire another shot.

  The Alphas waited. No-one else came.

  'I need directions out of here. And quick. Then take us to some black market crystal traders.'

  The QI dropped a pin and a route out of the building. 'More info to come. Follow this.'

  Rockson came out one of the rooms with an armful of coats and hats which he handed out to everyone.

  'Disguises.'

  He wore a loose overcoat, green with large buttons down the front.

  Feebee smiled, but then recalled sometimes you can hide in plain sight.

  The two Alphas had ghastly cheque overcoats. One was grey, the other sky blue. They swapped, more for size than colour.

  Rockson gave Feebee a grey overcoat. She took it and shucked it on over her backpack and rifle.

  She then tried to unhitch the rifle. This was usually achieved in one fluid movement but she couldn't. The strap was hooked under the coat, so she quickly took it off, unhitched the rifle and put the coat back on. Rockson laughed, which drew a stern look from Feebee, but was again impressed; she'd checked prior to it costing her, or someone else, their life.

  'I've arranged a meeting.'

  'Oh. Ok. Good.'

  Feebee was pretty sure they weren't being tracked, Alpha-2 agreed. The route the QI had them follow was in the neon under world that existed below ground. It was claustrophobic, even when the walkways opened out to food courts or market areas everything felt enclosed.

  Electric scooters were ubiquitous, the RG were not. Guns were openly carried and the feeling of lawlessness was pervasive. As was an under current of tension; personal space was observed and then some.

  It was clear that they were all one group despite the disguises, or maybe because of them. It was also clear that they were not RG. They attracted a lot of glancing looks but no-one let their gaze rest for more than a second. That could be taken as a challenge and those rarely ended well; know thy enemy was crucial if you were going to pick a fight here.

  They arrived outside a beaten up toy shop tucked away at the end of a small cul-de-sac. Tony's Toys, as it was creatively named, had a lot of security for a toy store as did the two shops either side, both were 'Closed for Lunch' and had an armed guard at their door. Must be a long lunch.

  Most of the stuff in the toy shop was second hand. River was pointing to a figure he'd had as a kid. No one made the obvious comment.

  Feebee messaged the Alphas.

  'MAKE LIKE MUSCLE.'

  Alpha-3 smiled and walked up to the guard outside by the door to Tony's Toys. She looked nervous, suddenly outnumbered, outgunned and vulnerable. Her colleagues were watching, unsure how to react. They decided to stay put. Sensible.

  Alpha-3 sniffed the guard and pulled back slowly. Then stood a foot away from her, just looking down at her. She tried to hold his gaze but was a foot shorted and giving away tens of kilos. You could see her weight shifting from foot to foot.

  "I'll take over from here. You can go." Alpha-3 then turned around, facing down the cul-de-sac directly in front of the guard who had been reduced in status to that of toy soldier.

  Alpha-2 entered Tony's, checked it out and opened the door for Feebee. Only then did she go in with River and Rockson. The Alphas stayed outside, in the door way, guns casual but ready. Eyes scanning, alert for danger.

  The man behind the counter, glanced up then returned to his console, cursing under his breath. He was young, mid-twenties and looked flustered.

  "Tony?" Asked Feebee.

  "No. Jorgie. Why?"

  "Doesn't matter," responded Feebee, another failed attempt at the niceties.

  Jorgie bashed the screen in front of him, "No. No. No...", then looked up at the three of them, cursing. "I hate it when they just push updates out. You buying or selling?"

  No names, no niceties, straight to business. Exactly how Feebee liked it.

  "Depends."

  She looked at Rockson and nodded. He produced a piece of crystal and placed it on the counter in front of the man.

  That got his attention.

  He looked at the crystal, then at Feebee and raised an eyebrow.

  "Tell me about that." She pointed to the crystal.

  "You testing me?" The man sounded insulted.

  Feebee smiled, inclined her head slightly.

  He reached for the crystal, before he could pick it up Feebee had her hand on his. Her movement so quick the guard couldn't react. Jorgie visibly stiffened, and shot a dagger look at this 'security'.

  "I will want it back. Un-damaged."

  He nodded, "Of course."

  Feebee nodded to River. He placed a second piece of crystal on the counter.

  They looked identical.