White Lion Rising

Chapter 5

"Two-Six, come in," Xavi called. "Radio contact reestablished, please confirm."

Lleónart shook his head of all thoughts and checked the holographic digital gauges that were located at the base of his helmet's visor.

"Slow it down," Junichi advised. "Hitting maximum speed of three-five-zero. Tunnel exit in point zero seven, six, five–"

"Exit Ronda de Dalt–Bésos," Xavi interrupted.

"Yeah, no shit," Lleó said annoyed.

He saw the tunnel's exit rapidly approaching through the night-vision setting of his visor and leaned his motorcycle slightly to the right. He bolted out of the tunnel sending out a strong gust of wind that caused roadside litter and debris to spiral up and out from the tunnel. Speeding up the exit ramp, he took the second entrance that sloped downward into another tunnel before braking hard to make the curved left turn that looped under the enclosed and restricted Ronda de Dalt expressway.

"Target is at station–arrival time in three point fifty-five and counting," Junichi informed.

Lleó accelerated into the entrance tunnel curve feeling the pavement just scrape his suit's knee padding.

"Pull it up a bit," Xavi instructed.

"Let me pilot–damn it!" Lleó shouted in frustration as he pulled the cycle up toward his chest. He pulled the bike up to its vertical position, sped out of the entrance tunnel and onto the nearly abandoned and unlit three-lane expressway. Sitting firmly in the cycle's seat he tucked his body into the cycle to reduce wind friction while accelerating rapidly from eighty to one hundred and fifty-three kilometers per hour.

The word "warning" flashed in red at the top of his visor as a sharp blare sounded through his helmet's radio receiver.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Xavi exclaimed.

"What? What is it?" Lleó asked as he shifted the motorcycle up a gear.

"We've got company. Three drones on heading two six, nine, nine, one."

The GPS map maximized on his visor's screen where he could see the three drones closing in on his position.

"How's that damn possible?"

"Alert signal came from ..." Junichi continued typing on the keyboard of his workstation's power computer releasing several Trojan programs to scour the North African Trade Alliance's Catalan security grid. He looked from one of the six holographic screens before him to the next searching for the source. "Signal came from Vallvidrera tunnel exit."

"Good fucking use this bike's stealth tech is," Lleó complained.

"Watch the language and play it cool," Junichi cautioned as he adjusted the earpiece of his headset. "Keep your head clear and focus."

"Watch my language?" Lleó said in disbelief. "It's my ass out here–alone!"

"Enough!" Xavi demanded. "We need to ..." he thought for a moment as he looked with scrutinizing eyes at the real-time holographic satellite images and digital GPS maps projecting from the diverging lenses at the center of the metallic wall at the front of the darkened command center; the center consisted of nineteen workstations that were each manned by Xavi's team of hackers, programmers, technicians, and engineers. "We need to get you off the Dalt and onto the streets."

"No!" Lleó shouted back. "We need to engage the drones on the Dalt. It's a narrow corridor–we can draw them in and–"

"Not a chance–the Dalt is going to be our main vein to get in and out of the city. Can't risk having holes blown in there to reveal the grid we've been constructing."

"He's right, Two-Six," Junichi agreed. "NAV is charting new course. Uploading, now."

The pulsating red line on the GPS digital map was altered revealing his new path to the devastated Agbar tower where his target–the largest armored mech battle droid that patrolled the city–was located.

"Any back-up?" Lleó asked. "Can you shoot those drones down with ours?"

"You know we can't," Xavi said shaking his head as he scratched the stubble along his right cheek. "Not part of the plan yet."

"And these drones weren't part of the plan either–time to improvise," he urged.

"No–you'll–" Xavi paused as his eyes narrowed on the three red, digital dots approaching Lleó's position on the real-time holographic map. "Fine," he looked to Junichi who looked back at him with a furrowed brow. "White Lion Two-Six, you will engage, bring the three down, and proceed to target."

"Good," Lleó replied, "let's see what this thing can do–"

"Enclosed corridor ending in time minus point ten," Junichi interrupted as he typed new commands into the keyboard of his power computer. "You'll be out in the open now. Time to engage. Cycle transformation on my mark."

Lleónart increased speed and prepared himself.