Using the power of her suit, 595 pushed the soldier up against the back of the driver’s seat, the shotgun between them. She reached for the Rothian sword on her back, but her opponent wasn’t about to make it easy. They savagely kicked the inside of her shin, overbalancing her. They followed up with a sharp elbow into her other hand, sending the shotgun flying across the cabin. It hit Freyr in the visor, nearly putting her on her backside again. 

“Freyr get out of here!” 595 shouted again as the two of them traded a couple of untidy punches. The Agent went for the sword again and the ambusher immediately barrelled forward. They grabbed the smaller operator with both hands, lifting her up and smashing her against what had been the floor of the car, now above them. 595 pulled her pistol and fired a few shots into her opponent’s neck, flaring their shield up. They threw her against the wall, but 595 was ready for that; she twisted to absorb the impact in her legs, before thrusting forward and headbutting her assailant. They took a step backwards, while the second soldier, who until now had been almost still, grabbed 595’s leg from behind when she landed back on the deck.

The Agent drew the Rothian sword, activated it and sliced clean through the sitting soldier’s arm in one motion. The blade sliced through some of the middle door behind them too.

The other soldier seized their chance, charging forward again to grab 595’s sword arm and crush her against the bulkhead. They didn’t make it though, as an overcharged shotgun round disintegrated them mid-stride. Most of the energy missed, setting even more of the truck on fire and flaring up the Agent’s shields to near bursting point.

595 looked round and saw Freyr standing near the door, holding the shotgun out in front with her eyes closed. Face illuminated from within her clear visor. The scientist opened them up again and surveyed the damage.

“Did you just shoot at me with your eyes closed?!” 595 shouted in disbelief.

“I wasn’t shooting at you! And it worked, didn’t it?” Freyr complained, holding the shotgun out as if it might bite her. 

Just then, a guttural scream sounded from right outside the street-side door. One of the infected people Freyr had seen running after their truck burst through the opening, scrambling past the debris to reach her. He was joined by another, then another, drawn by the noise.

Freyr screamed and tried to fire the shotgun again. Nothing happened, as its cell was empty. 595 grabbed the arm-less, weakly struggling second ambusher off the floor and shoved them into the opening between the middle seats. The infected writhed all over them, and the ambusher’s armour began sparking.

“Alert, foreign connection detected. Initiating containment.” Her suit informed her as 595 grunted with the effort of holding the soldier in place. “Freyr, pick up Dr Girard and get ready to run!” She shouted.

After a couple of seconds, 595 couldn’t hold them back anymore. Her suit was getting contaminated. She let go, and the three of them shambled out into the lobby just as Vreta reappeared from underground.