"'Evade'? Yeah, not happening!"
Oliver's knuckles whitened on the wheel. His eyes never left the road.
"Your show now. I'm just the getaway driver."
"These drones are a bitch," Jack muttered, popping open the grenade bin and fishing one out.
"EMP. Think it'll fry 'em?"
"Just throw it!" V shouted. "Ask questions later!"
Behind them, six Octant drones opened fire. Bulletstorms raked the Hella's rear — louder, heavier, angrier than anything the bikers brought. It sounded like war.
V glanced back. The bulletproof glass was cracked like a spiderweb. Armor plating on the back? Dented, warped, almost peeling. Beneath it: soft shell.
Another few seconds, and they were toast.
"She's not gonna hold — twenty seconds, tops!"
"Stop the car and we're dead in ten," Jack growled.
Still, he lobbed the EMP out the window. It popped midair — electric pulse arcing in every direction.
"Did it hit?!"
"One, maybe!" V barked, squinting.
"Dodged most of it. One went down, but it's rebooting. We've still got five in the air!"
"Old-fashioned way it is!" Jack loaded his gun with a snarl.
"Karl?!"
"Just in time."
Karl opened his eyes. Cold. Focused.
"Infiltration complete."
One of the drones bucked. Its gun swiveled — and opened fire on its own squadmates.
Rounds ripped through the sky. One Octant caught the burst dead center — armor tore, circuits flared, and it detonated midair.
"One down."
Karl turned to target another.
Too late.
The other four locked on the traitor and lit it up. In under a second, it was shredded.
"Two down."
Karl exhaled. Short-lived victory. Still, two fewer.
He reached for his EMP blade — paused. No good. Throwing it here was like tossing a knife into a black hole. Not worth it.
Then, through the windshield, he saw it — an opportunity.
"Oliver. Brake. Now."
"Copy!"
No hesitation. Oliver killed the gas and slammed the brakes.
SCREEEECH.
The Hella lurched. Tires shrieked. Everyone flew forward.
Jack braced hard — one hand on the dash, the other across Oliver's chest.
In the back, V grabbed the seat and held Karl steady.
None of them questioned it. Instinct. Trust.
Karl didn't blink. His eyes stayed locked forward.
Three drones had overshot them. Now, they hovered directly in front.
Karl smiled.
"Boom."
Behind the drones, traffic lights burst in fire. He'd set them to overload. The sudden blast blinded their sensors, cut their targeting feeds.
Karl grabbed a Sardalla-tech shotgun from the floor.
"Punch it!"
"You're gonna kill this damn car…" Oliver grumbled — then hit the gas.
The Hella roared back to life.
V and Jack grabbed their own Sardallas. No words needed.
Three drones. Straight ahead.
The red glow faded from their optics — just in time to see a car coming at full speed… and three barrels sticking out the windows.
CLACK.
Steel spikes. High density. Shredder-grade.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
At point-blank, the Sardallas did what EMPs couldn't — they erased targets.
Fireballs bloomed in the street behind them as the Hella blazed through the wreckage like a beast with no brakes.
.
.
.
🔥 Cyberpunk: The Relentless
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