Galaxy9 Enhanced: Galaxy9, #3

Chapter One

Sanru Tel leaned back in the shadows of the balcony, watching the girl with the corkscrew curls, wind her way through the crowds of the market below.  So far he’d counted seven smartcuffs disappear off their owners’ wrists and into the pockets of her shabby leather jacket.  She’d also snagged two necklaces from unsuspecting necks.  Sanru smiled to himself, she was fast.  Her light green skin marked her as gelerone like himself and he couldn’t help admiring her bronze ringlets and golden eyes.

Sanru debated what the best approach would be.  Whatever he was going to do, it would have to be quick. She was already disappearing into the distance.  He crouched and leaped to a ridge running along the next building.  His enhanced muscles and tendons giving him enough power to cross the gap.  He ran quickly along the ridge and dropped into the alley at the end of the block.  He pushed through the crowd until he was just behind her. 

Excuse me, he said reaching out to her.

Suddenly a guard stepped out in front of her.

You need to come with me, he said as he drew his pistol and aimed it at the girl.

They approach her now of all moments?  Sanru rolled his eyes to himself.  Talk about timing.  He edged around her and the guard, keeping his distance, waiting to see what happened. 

Can I help you? the girl turned scornful eyes on the soldier.

You’re under arrest for pickpocketing.  The soldier reached out to her with handcuffs.  She opened her eyes wide, her startled expression would have fooled most people but Sanru had been watching her for a while now.  As the soldier’s hand reached her wrist, she grabbed it and pulled him forwards.  He stumbled forward a step and she leaped up and using his back as a springboard launched herself over him and into the crowd.  A leap from a standing start like that indicated highly muscular legs.  Sanru suspected she contained more than a little feline DNA.  He side-stepped out of the soldier’s line of sight and headed after the girl.  He could hear the man calling for backup as he passed. 

The girl moved through the crowd ahead, barely causing a ripple.  Even when her distinctive hair disappeared in the mass of people, Sanru could still track her scent due to the high number of olfactory receptors in his nose.  Of course her senses were also enhanced so it was just a matter of time before she realised she was being followed, especially now the soldiers had her on high alert.  Ahead of him, she paused for a moment, her mouth open, she turned around.  No doubt picking up scents with her vomeronasal organ.  Definitely feline enhancements.   The girl ducked round a corner into a quieter street and Sanru followed.

A soldier stepped out of the shadows at the end of the street.  Another one stepped out behind her.  Eyeing the men warily, her hand dropped to her thigh and she slid out a multitool, knife blade out.  The soldier in front of her stepped forward and raised his large repeating rifle. 

You’re under arrest, he said.

You’ve got the wrong person, she snapped.

You’re gonna try and tell me there’s another girl with gold ringlets who’s been at every major pickpocketing spree lately?

You’re arresting me because of my hair?  That’s ridiculous!  Anyone can get their hair curled.

Enough.  Your lawyer can debate it with a judge.  You’re coming with us.

That’s what you think, she muttered under her breath.  She raised her hands slowly into the air in the symbol of surrender and then suddenly pulled back her right arm and flung her knife at the soldier.  It wedged in his body armour but he fell backwards with the force.  It couldn’t have gone too deep but it was obviously unexpected.  The girl ran towards him, making to escape while he was down but she hadn’t taken the guard behind her into account and she collapsed to a stun blast from his rifle before she could react.  The guard spoke into his smartcuff, calling a van to come pick up his prisoner. 

He strode over to the girl and muttering Wiser scum, gave her a kick, before crouching down and rolling her unconscious body over to cuff her.

Sanru shook his head, of course she wasn't a Wiser, at least not yet, and now he was going to have to get involved.  He was going to regret this, he’d been trying so hard to keep a low profile.

The second guard was heading over to his fallen companion.  He knelt beside him and helped him to sit up.

Sanru now had no one between himself and the girl but the soldiers still had rifles and he was unarmed.  He looked over the building on their left.  An apartment block.  No chance of disappearing into a crowd there but it was the only cover available.  The building’s doorway was about a metre behind where the girl lay.  Would it be close enough?  Sanru strolled quietly down the street.  His feet making almost no noise as he walked.  He kept his gait casual, in case the soldiers turned around.  As he reached the doorway he made to turn in.  He quickly cast his eye over it checking for any locks.  It had an intercom system setup.  Sanru stepped up to the door and slipping out a multitool, used the cutting laser to slice through the lock.  So far he’d just looked like a civilian entering his apartment building.  Sanru glanced back at the guards.  Then he dashed into the street picked up the girl and ran into the building.  He could hear the soldiers yelling outside.  He ran through the lobby to the door labeled, emergency exit.  Opening it he stepped onto the curling ramp that ran up the inside of the building.  He ran up quickly, looking out at each floor for a way out.  As he passed the fourth floor he heard the door below open again and one of the soldiers calling to the other.  Passing the eighth floor a flash shot past him.  A soldier was gaining.  After ten floors Sanru burst out onto the roof.  He ran quickly to the back edge.  The neighbouring building's roof ran close to this one.  It was a metre higher than the one he was on.  The girl’s weight was slowing him down and throwing him off balance.  Sanru heard the soldier behind him step onto the roof.  He quickly slid the girl onto his back, supporting her weight behind him.  He took four steps back, turned, sprinted to the edge of the roof and leaped.  The front of his toes caught the edge of the next roof.  He pushed with his toes and threw his weight forward.  He and the girl tumbled onto the roof.  A shot flew over Sanru’s head as he lay on his back panting.  The short wall around the edge of this roof was providing them with some protection.  More blasts flashed overhead.  Since none of the soldiers had joined them the jump must be too much for unenhanced beings.  Just as well they didn’t have any shear soldiers in this unit.  This wouldn't even be considered a jump for their species.  Fortunately most sentient species in the galaxy were firmly land based.  Sanru rolled onto his stomach and staying low dragged the girl to the emergency exit and carried her down.  Now they just had to get out before the soldiers staked out the next street.  On the first floor Sanru found what he was looking for in a large restaurant with an open balcony.  He moved the girl so he was holding her at his side.  Her head lolled on his shoulder.  Straining to support her weight in this new position, he waited until the greeter was talking to a couple of rii and then slipped inside.  He made his way quietly round the edge of the room and onto the balcony.  From the corner of the balcony, half hidden by a curtain, he switched the girl back onto his back and made the jump to a balcony on the next building.  He slipped through the attached apartment and out into the corridor.  He used the exit ramp to run downstairs.  In the ground floor lobby, he glanced through the front door.  A family walked in and he ducked through a nearby doorway.  He could feel the nervousness on the family as they came in so he concentrated his enhanced hearing to try and pick up what they were saying. 

I wonder what all those soldiers are doing outside, the man said.

I can't imagine. I hope it's not serious, his partner replied.

That was all Sanru needed to hear.  The front door was obviously out of the question.  He looked around him.  He was in a short corridor.  He followed it, all his senses on high alert.  Towards the back he focused on the smells coming from behind the doors surrounding him.  Soap and damp on the left, probably meant a laundry area.  Dust and chemicals on the right, possibly a cupboard.  Ahead of him, warm stone and fresh air.  Sanru put the girl down and eased the door open.  He peered around.  He was looking into a small courtyard behind the building.  He crossed the yard and pulled himself up to check what was over the wall.  An alleyway leading away between the high rises with other alleys leading off it.  Sanru collected the girl, climbed over the wall and was soon jogging down the alley.

Not much later, Sanru was back in his motel