Urban Renewal - 20 -   by Erin Halfelven Art by Heather Rose Brown

 
LeJeune's natural suspicions, cop reflexes and drug dealer paranoia kept him alive a little longer. He rolled out from under the fire truck and under another vehicle just as the first rocket exploded. The second, for some reason, turned upward and zoomed high above the airfield before bursting like a fireworks star shell. LeJeune climbed out from under the sedan and into an airport service vehicle that had keys conveniently dangling from the switch.

Billy followed the hill, curving west of the airport instead of topping the rise directly between him and Spartako. Two and a half years of tactical training by Last Centurion and Urban Commando had taught him a few things. When he did come over the hill, he immediately went back below the curve after seeing where his enemies' location.

Spartako launched the transonic missiles in Billy's direction then scanned for LeJeune's new location. The renegade cop still had the telltale phone in his pocket and the cyborg quickly located him. Turning to pursue his principal target, Spartako sent a lance of depleted uranium slugs from his electric Gatling guns after the fleeing LeJeune.

Penny changed the Knight's trajectory into a glide toward the airport, swinging north to pinch Spartako and LeJeune between Billy and her robot self. From her own launchers she sent out ECM anti-missile missiles, using data relayed from Skytower along with a message, "Centurion en route with three Blue Star super-troopers," Nate told her. "ETA seventeen minutes."

"Way too slow," Penny sent back. "This may all be over in seventeen seconds!"

"Out!" screamed Leo as he pulled the Munson sedan in front of LeJeune's getaway vehicle. Tessie and Lady Karma went out the right hand doors and Leo went out the left, the little girl still holding her Raggedy Anne dolly.

"Don't be thcared, Annie," Tessie shouted. "I've got you." She rolled across a narrow grass margin onto a sidewalk and Kendra pulled her, and the doll, close.

On the far side of Wenatchee, across two rivers, Donk, Z9 and Dr. Domino all agreed, LeJeune would try to use the city to lose pursuers, assuming he escaped the carnage at the airport. Accordingly, Todd turned south on the Route 285 business loop through the middle of Wenatchee.

"Why are we going this way?" Candace yelped as the big SUV dodged around a beer truck. "The airport is on the other side of the Columbia!"

"Trusting my luck," said Todd. "Put my mask on top of my head and get yours ready, too. We may want to use them."