Rom ran down the streets of the Shizuoko ghetto with a sniper rifle. He had to get to his next position. His tan trench coat flapping in the wind as the fallout rained down like snow. He brought the neck of his sweater up so it covered his mouth and nose trying not to breathe in the toxic particles but it was of little use. The iodine pills he had been taking for the past year would have to do their work.
Faid had organized this mission and was leading the positions. Mips could see the Zone Police from his vantage but it wasn’t them the Packrats were after. The Elite government had sent Trackers into District 18 in Sector 12 and were rounding up psychics for experimentation by the military. Faid would not have that and sent his forces out to counter. The Packrats were on the streets getting into it with much force.
Rom got to his mark and yanked open the back door of the abandoned 2 story building. The windows were blown out and the building was barely standing. As Rom reached the second floor by the back stairs the railing cracked under his hand and the stairs creaked. He went carefully trying to get to his second mark.
“Target acquired. Hurry up Rom…” said Mips over Rom’s headset. Faid heard the communication.
“Where are we?” He asked wanting to make sure they didn’t miss the opportunity.
Mips watched the Trackers on his scope by a van herding psychics into the back of the van. It was marked with Elite military insignia. Mips tracked over to the second target. The driver got out and went back to the other two.
“At second mark, in position,” said Rom setting up at the window. He angled the sniper rifle out the window and sized up the targets. He adjusted the sight to account for the angle and distance.
The head of one of the targets came right between the tracking. The optical sensor over Rom’s eye blinked red and stated the target was locked.
“Do I have permission to fire?” Requested Rom putting the butt of the rifle in his shoulder tighter and holding his position.
“Faid I got two more in vicinity,” said Mips cycling his sight over to the left to see two more Trackers in view.
Faid looked through binoculars standing over Mips on the roof of another building. The new targets seemed to be military commanders and not Trackers.
“You got two more Rom. Take them all out,” said Faid.
Rom hesitated for a moment. The Packrats were a rebel army fighting for freedom of psychics and freedom of information in the Echelons and the Zone. Over the past year the Elite government had been cracking down on hackers like the Packrats, making it difficult for them to do their intrusion and infiltrations into the government mainframe.
The Runners and the Mobile Command Center teams took to the streets to end the oppression. The Elite had ordered teachers, musicians, drug dealers, psychics, writers all to be captured and hauled in to answer to the Elite’s agenda. If they did not swear their loyalty, they were disappeared to the kedek mines in the Zone and never seen again. Faid had to stop that. This mission was just one more attempt at bringing freedom back to the Echelons.
Rom pulled back on the trigger just a hair and then took the shot. The first Tracker went down. There was commotion, the second Tracker fell, then they got wind of Rom’s position he ducked into the building stepping back from the window.
One of the Trackers ran off in Rom’s direction but Mips picked him off before he took two steps. The military commanders hunched back behind the van and held there as Rom took another shot confusing the environment.
Faid came out of the building gun leveled as Mips shot at the ground and then hit the side of the truck holding the military commanders in position. Rom changed rooms and came closer and took out the commander closer to the back door of the van. The other was out of range hidden by the truck.
Faid smiled a wicked smile standing right behind the commander.
“Having a problem?” Said Faid. The commander heard him and reached into his jacket for his gun whipping around. But Faid got the shot off first hitting the guy in the chest. He went down. Faid stood over him.
“Psychics are people, like artists and writers. They don’t deserve dismissal, to be oppressed or rounded up for experimentation,” said Faid.
The commander tried to say something but Faid shot him again and silenced him. Mips came out of the building and stood behind Faid as Rom came from the front and opened up the back of the van. About 12 people were inside looking miserable. Rom motioned them out. They stood and looked at the three Packrats who had just rescued them from basically their imminent death in the kedek mines.
“You are free, stay safe,” said Faid as he waved them away.
One young teenage boy turned back, ” who are you?”
“We are the Packrats,” said Faid.
The kid looked over at Rom hugging the sniper rifle. The kid was about Rom’s age. The kid made a fist and thrust it into the air and shouted.
“All Hail the Packrat Code!”
Faid smiled and tapped Mips on the shoulder and they turned and walked off. Rom chanced a look back as they walked away. The kid waved back and then ran away.
