"We can do full introductions later," Kade said as she checked the load on her pistol. She took two exceedingly deep breaths and then two short ones. Implanted glands triggered at the oxygenation spike and began to flood her system with epinephrine and a cocktail of combat stimulants. Her eyes dilated slightly.

"First we need to get out of here before the Cartel has time co close the noose," she said keyed up and ready for action. Cutting edge genetic implants could work wonders but there was nothing without a price. An hour or two from now she would be crashing hard, but she had to live that long first.

"Go, go, go!" she yelled and threw herself into the alley. There was a momentary hesitation before gunfire lit the confined space from above and in front. Tracer fire skipped off the stone walls and blasted apart random garbage in a spray. Kade had a moment to be glad that her opponents weren't using plasma weapons, the trash and refuse that packed the alley would have been a smoldering firestorm within minutes. She had taken the closest target for herself, a thug in grey black armor on a overlooking walkway. The man was fumbling with a grenade as she fixed him in her sight picture, she went down on one knee in an academy firing stance and fired three shoots in quick succession. The electro-motive pistol cracked loudly, sharper than a chemical round, as the electromagnets ripped the slugs up the bore. The first shot went high, blasting a divot of masonry from the wall above his shoulder. The second and third rounds hit him in the chest. Cheap armor shattered and blood gouted from the thugs mouth before he tumbled into the street, crashing down amongst bags of garbage.