Part Ten

"I've got a bad feeling about this," said Vic, as she, Murphy, Muravachick and Medura left the briefing.

"You're not the only one," said Murphy, in an irritated mutter.

"Well, why don't we all wait by Vic's car, and if things do go south try to... do something constructive?" said Medura, with an uncertain movement of her hands.

"Sounds like a plan," said Muravachick, tiredly. "It's vague, but open-ended and flexible."

Soon after the quartet got back to the Corolla, the signal was given. Two dozen SWAT personnel advanced on foot, from four different directions. At ground level, those waiting beside the wagon could not see what was happening. Even when Vic climbed onto the luggage rack she couldn't see much. The terse comments over the police officers' radios were far more revealing, though still inadequate. Rather than putting her helmet on, Vic hopped off the roof to better hear what was coming over the radios of the three officers with her.

The SWAT team fired flash-bangs through pretty much every window in the house and the attached garage. They then used shotgun breaching charges to shoot off the hinges of the front and back doors of the house and the only human door of the garage. They entered.

There was a burst of noise over the radios, accompanied after a short delay by a huge blast of sound through the air from the direction of the house. The latter was loud enough to actually hurt Vic's ears, blocks away.

All this was quickly followed by a roar and a crash as the suspect vehicle rammed out through the garage's closed overhead door, turned hard and cut through the house's overgrown back yard.

Vic jammed her helmet on as she ran to the driver's door of her car, deftly fastening it in place as she threw herself into the seat. The others barely had time to get in before Vic had the engine started, her seat harness already fastened and the car in gear. The three officers frantically - and with some difficulty, since the car was already moving - fastened their own four-point harnesses.

"That was an electromagnetic pulse, among other things," said Vic. "I'm now feeling glad they made us park so far away."

"Yeah, it looks like the vehicles closest to the house aren't moving," said Murphy. "Including the ones which are supposed to block the roads. Their lights are out, too. The SWAT team's radios also seem to be out. That doesn't affect people, though! Wouldn't the SWAT team go ahead and grab those guys?"

"That sound was a sonic-based attack. Probably the same one they used before. Though I think this time it was adjusted to affect people more than glass."

"Ow," said Muravachick.

"My armor has protection against sound attacks," said Vic, suddenly concerned for her passengers.

"We all have earplugs," said Murphy. "The kind that only close up when there's loud sounds. Guess we better put them in."

He did so, and made sure the others did likewise.

"Yeah, but this...," Vic dodged frantically around a dog in the street, which was running desperately away from the target house. "Whoops! Sorry. This weapon produces sounds which can affect the whole body. That's how they got the SWAT folks."

"Air Eight is on them," said Medura, who was again in the front passenger seat.

"So are we," said Vic, with grim focus. "Whoah, they know it, too."

This as the SUV - its lights off - went over a curb to cut across a large, open and very overgrown lawn behind a big but empty house, before bumping over another curb and back onto pavement. The SUV lost more time bulling through the high grass, weeds and the occasional small tree than if they had just followed the road to the street they were now on. Which allowed the Corolla to close much of the distance.

"Air Eight says this street dead-ends," said Muravachick, as Vic - keeping to the poorly maintained roads - turned onto that street. The SUV was now much closer ahead, and lit by the police helicopter plus the wagon's headlights. "Looks like there's a fence, there, too. We might be able to cut them off."

"We might have to backtrack if they decide to go cross-country again," said Vic. "So watch out."

"Air Eight can keep after... Look! They're hung!"

Indeed, the SUV had tried to ram through the wire fence just past where a lot had been cleared at the end of the street and never built on. Beyond was some sort of farm field, but the SUV wasn't going to reach it. The heavily modified vehicle appeared to be securely caught on the wire grid fence. All four wheels kept alternating between full-forward and full-reverse, but the truck currently wasn't going far in either direction.

"They'll probably bail," said Muravachick, as Vic slid the wagon to a stop crosswise in the street. "Vic, Murphy go left! We'll go right!"

Vic and Murphy exited the left-side doors on the Corolla and ran towards the SUV, plowing through the uncut grass and weeds of the empty lot. All three officers were in good physical shape and Vic was slowed a bit by her armor, so they were about even as they approached. The left-side passenger door on the van opened and someone stumbled out. He was holding some sort of contraption. Vic yelled a warning and threw herself in front of Murphy. There was an odd flare and all the electronics they were carrying died. For both of them this was mostly com gear, plus some sensor and display equipment in Vic's helmet, and the loss did not slow them.

Vic lunged ahead, did a quick leg sweep and takedown of the young man, then turned her attention to the driver while Murphy took over and cuffed the first guy. The driver had his seat belt unfastened and was trying to get out, but the door wouldn't open far enough due to the wire fencing. Vic shoulder-rammed the door closed, used her tonfa to shatter the side window and clear the broken glass, then tossed that aside, grabbed the driver and pulled him out. All before he could barely do more than register that there was someone there. The driver was soon zip-cuffed and face-down on the ground beside the first man.

Muravachick and Medura had only a little more trouble with their two. Despite one of them being the very large man Adam Cortez had described to Vic several days before. Apparently, none of the four had been wearing seat belts, and they all were rather shaken by their rough ride and sudden stop.

"They're kids!" shouted Muravachick. "Just kids!"

"Yeah?!" yelled the big guy, who had been in the right-rear seat. "We were old enough to give the whole city the runaround for months!"

"Which just means you had time to rack up more charges for us to place against you," snapped Muravachick.

"Anybody have a working radio?" said Murphy. "We need to call this in and mine's fried."

Unfortunately, the EMP weapon's effect was radial. Vic assumed the electronics in the SUV were hardened, since it was still running. She reached inside and turned the ignition off. She had a quick worry about Air Eight, but realized its spotlight was still shining down on the scene. She could still hear it, flying well overhead, too, despite her helmet's sound system being inoperative. Either the pilot had noted the effects of the previous burst and deliberately kept clear, or - Vic remembered this now - there was a policy for the helicopters to stay high. Partly to maintain a good view of what was happening on the ground and partly to avoid gunfire which might be directed towards them.

"I bet my wagon's fried, too," said Vic, tiredly. "Argh. I've lost count of how many times it's been repaired due to damage from my job."

"At least you have a job!" screamed the left-side passenger, the one who had used the EMP device. Vic had him pegged as the gadgeteer for the group.

"Why are you worried about that pile of junk?!" yelled the driver. "Look at my truck!"

"A) You, as the driver, are responsible for where the truck went," said Vic, offended on behalf of Monstro, "and B) we caught you, didn't we?"

Police cars and vans soon began arriving. The four from the SUV were formally arrested before the new witnesses. The area around the hung vehicle was taped off until the bomb squad could disarm any mad tech inside. That might be a while, since they were working on the house, first. Fortunately, the Corolla was fine. Vic later learned that the EMP device hadn't completely recharged from the first burst. Thus the range was much more limited the second time. She was a bit surprised to learn how short the interval between uses of the device was.

"Whoof!" said Vic, checking the time on her wagon's clock. "Not even Midnight, yet, we caught the bad guys, and my car's still working! Well, I'm in a good mood."

Indeed, there was a good mood all around. That would change as higher-ranking officers arrived, but for now those gathered on the dead-end street were quietly celebratory. Oddly, for what was supposed to be an abandoned neighborhood, civilians were soon milling around the perimeter of all the law enforcement activity, watching silently. Vic found that a bit unnerving.

* * *

"I'm hoooooome!" Vic called, as she entered the apartment, putting the case containing her armor down beside the small table at the door.

"Oh, thank God," said Michelle, hurrying in from the kitchen to give her wife a fierce hug. "The news is full of dire guesses about what was happening with the SUV chase!"

"Sorry. If I'd known you were worried I would've called," said Vic, hugging her back. "My cell phone was fried, but I could have borrowed one. Oh, well. Nobody hurt, beyond cuts, scrapes and bruises, and we got the four main culprits plus their SUV and the home and garage they were operating out of!"

"Wow! I am very glad of that. I'm also really glad you're all right. Okay, come on. We'll get you cleaned up and ready for bed."

Michelle wrinkled her nose.

"Is that you or that undergarment? Or did you get skunked?"

That last was pure hyperbole. Which made Vic grin.

"Options one and two, combined. Remember, you're the one who said I should wear it under my clothes."

"I washed and dried it after you got home this evening. How did you and it get so stinky in just a few hours?!"

"This is the other one, which I wore all day then left with the armor when I first got home. I bet the one you cleaned is still hanging in the utility room. I was... in a bit of a rush when I left. Sorry."

Vic gave vent to a huge yawn.

"Oog, sorry, again. Suddenly getting very sleepy."

"Well, to repeat, let's get you cleaned and into bed. At least you had a good supper before you had to leave. You can give me the details while we're in the shower."

"Wait... We're both showering?"

"Might as well save water," said Michelle, with a leer, as she headed for the bathroom. Vic quickly hurried after her.

* * *

"That's when I left for home," said Vic, as she briefed her boss the next morning. She then had to cover a huge yawn.

"You sure you don't want some time off?" said Drake, concerned.

"Yeah. I slept good the previous few nights. One night short on sleep isn't going to hurt me."

"I just don't want my only super agent falling asleep on the job," said Drake, grinning. "Especially while driving that hot car of hers. Remember, Dare is still out there. There's even a chance that whoever stole the balance blades hasn't left the area yet."

"Has there been any more information on either of those cases?"

"Not much, unfortunately. Dare - or someone mistaken for her - has been spotted at a distance a few times, but none of those are confirmed. There's even been a few reports of the 'super drive-by' SUV since it was captured, which of course were all groundless. Not a whisper about the swords, though. They're probably out of the country by now."

"Probably..." said Vic, a bit reluctantly.

Whatever else might have been said was interrupted by Drake's phone ringing.

"Yes? What?! All right. Thank you. We'll get right on it."

He hung up, wrote something on a note pad and looked at Vic.

"Speak of the devil."

"Confirmed sighting of Dare?" said Vic, perking up.

"Dare or someone very much like her is causing trouble at one of the local malls. Did you get the repairs to your armor finished?"

"I just needed to grab the spare helmet," said Vic. "Asked Cindy to ship the other one back to headquarters for repairs, since she's in charge of supplies for our office. Nothing else was damaged. Oh! I also need another issue phone. Already told Cindy about that, too."

"Good."

He handed her the note.

"Get out there. Protect the public, assist the police, and if you can, capture Dare."

"Got it."