25

 You reach for your coat, which contains both memory stick. You carefully retrieve the fake memory stick and hand it to the big man.

He takes it, his hands are easily twice the size of yours. “Thank you!” he thanks you in his thick accent. He turns abruptly and leaves, leaving the door open behind him. His people skills needs some work.

You close the door behind you and head towards the room the professor and Emily is sharing.  Emily is in the same state as you, a clean body in dirty clothing. Kate also enters the room, completing a trio of people who clean and dirty at the same time.

“We better get out of here!” You hastily update Emily on what just happened. “Who knows how quickly they can verify the information on that memory stick.”

Kate agrees: “I’ll grab the car and call my friends. They will provide us with some backup should we run into trouble on the way to the university.”

The professor looks annoyed that his rest is interrupted and reluctantly starts to get ready. As soon as the professor emerges from his room, dressed but looking very dishevelled. The three of you take the elevator down to the lobby. Through the giant glass doors you can see Kate in her car. Across the street you see the giant thug heading in your direction. His accomplice next to him, a shorter man, taking two steps for every step of the giant man.

They must have discovered the disk is a fake. Your eyes lock, the larger man starting a laboured jog, the shorter man runs back to the car.

“They spotted us!” you shout and shove the professor roughly into Kate’s car. You and Emily bundle into the car as quickly as possible and Kate guns the accelerator. The car lurches forward, swaying to one side before Kate gains complete control. The exit of the hotel drop-off area forces you to drive close by the larger thug, who has his gun drawn and taking aim at your vehicle.

“Get down!” Kate yells. You duck behind the dashboard, just in time as a volley of shots shatter the windscreen. The car veers to the side and slams into a wall.

“Everybody out!” Kate shouts, pulling her own pistol. Two more shots ring out, echoing off the buildings. Kate emits a yelp, a bullet has penetrated her left shoulder. She lifts her right hand, aiming quickly and pulls the trigger twice. The recoil rocks her arm, but Kate’s aim is true. Two bullets hits the man squarely in the chest. He drops like a rag doll.

The other man, stops the car a few paces behind the dead thug and opens the door. He emerges with an assault rifle. Deafening noise erupts from the rifle, bullets slam into your car. Kate is flung to her right this time. She lands hard on her side, groaning in pain.

“I’m hit,” she groans. “Wait for him to reload and get out of here. Take my weapon,” You take the weapon from her hand as another volley of bullets punctures the car.

“Go now!”

You grab the professor by the collar, dragging him from the back seat where he and Emily was cowering.

“We need to move!” you shout to Emily.

She looks at you startled, frozen for a second but then gets moving. The three of you run hunched low, keeping the car between you and the thug. Across the street is a subway station, ahead of you is the hotel. You judge you can make the subway alone. And since the man is after the disc, he will probably go for you. Alternatively, you can retreat back towards the hotel and wait for the police.

If you:

Split up and head for the subway alone, go to chapter 66

 

Wait for the police to arrive in the hotel, go to chapter 73