STR Gazer Chapter 10

Xalissa pecked away on the holographic keyboard with two fingers. The anime characters on the projection squinted their eyes and powered up. The corner of the warehouse where she sits glows blue

"Xa you relly loving that game" Jelun says as he looks over her shoulder.

"I'm just setting up Huàshēn" Xalissa responded absently

"Can I play? Those renderings look real like people !"

Xalissa smacks her lips "And have you fuck up the characters I set up? Nah Jiǎozhì idiota this ain't for play play. Hey, Xa! You got those seals?"

Xavier rolls from underneath the Suburban transport covered in grease. "Yeah, they're in my bag. You sure you know what you're doing?"

"Just gimme the shit" Xalissa barks back impatiently.

Xavier hands Xalissa a contact lens case and 5 microchips. Alashie comes over to watch as Xalissa starts to scan the microchips with her communicator.

"Xa we need to finish the Suburban," Alashie says impatiently.

20 minutes later Aries asks "We ready?"

"Fuck no we ain't" Alashie growls. "But ..."

"But we doing this. Guānbì tā mā de yīcì" Xalissa interrupts as she puts in her contact lenses

After an hour long drive the crew pulls up around the corner from the gate to Selfridge Federation base. Xalissa jumps out and closes the door behind her. Everyone hears a muffled anime voice say "FEW-SHON-HAAA!!" Xalissa gets back in switching places with Jelun behind the wheel. She takes the shot of absinthe handed to her.

"Smash and dash!" Xavier says with a slight waver in his voice.

"Smash and dash," everyone else says in unison. Alashie says it under her breath.

"Masks on," Aries says.

Everyone slips on black vinyl masks. A few swipes from Xalissa's game and the masks make holographic renderings of different faces millimeters from the mask's surface. Xalissa hands Alashie her communicator as they pull up.

"What's this?" The guard asks as Xalissa rolls the window down.

"Maybe you should check your manifest." Xalissa replies

"I don't see anything...wait. Ōumǐjiā level? What the hell you got in there."

"You know better than to ask a question about shit above your clearance corporal."

"Yes, ma'am. I have to scan now."

"Pettigrew is it? You scan me all you want. How about an old school pat down?" Xalissa says leaning out the window with her signature smile that shone even through the holographic mask.

"Um...uh...I don't think that's necessary ma'am" the guard says as he puts a scanner up to Xalissa's eye.

"You're clear ma'am". Before the soldier had a chance to continue to scan Xalissa grabs his hand holding the scanner.

"Thanks love. Of course, I'm clear. I'm a little sad about no pat down." then in a voice barely above a whisper she continues, "I'll be back in by myself in a minute Pettigrew. I'm gonna get my pat down and we'll see how you Petti grow." Before he could react Xalissa winks hits the throttle.

"Good evening ma'am." another soldier says as the crew pull into the transport bay. No greetings are given in return as the 5 get out of the Suburban.

"I'm in," Alashie says as the bay door closes. The soldier looks at her puzzled. Not a second later he groans and goes stiff as Aries hits him with a taser in the palm of his glove. Jelun and Xavier rush the other guard who watches the scene unfold in shock. Alashie hands the communicator back to Xalissa who starts swiping furiously. The holographic depiction of Sailor Moon is projected above the communicator running down hallways and opening doors.

"Amory's open. We got an hour max" Xalissa says

"Ràng wǒmen jìxù qiánjìn," Aries says.He and Jelun run toward the armory. Alashie and Xavier jog towards the closest Federation transport. Xalissa jumps up on the hood of the Suburban swiping away. Through the comlink comes the sound of the two guards in the armory groaning from taser blasts.

Over the next 36 minutes, the crew work like a well-oiled machine. No one talks. The only sound is Xalissa cheering on her game as she defeats firewalls that appear as pixelated tentacle monsters. Aries comes in with a portable artillery cannon under each arm. The sound of a man groaning comes through the coms.

"What the fuck was that?' Xavier whispers. He shares a knowing look with Aries and they both take off at a sprint towards the armory. Both Alashie and Xalissa stop what they're doing and watch. A moment after the two disappear through the door a voice says

"Jǐngbào! They're sma....." BANG

"Was that a gunshot?" Xalissa asks "Mierda! Sonic sensors caught that. I can shut it dow...."

"Fuck that!" Alashie yells "It's too late for...."

Aries voice interrupts Alishie saying "Yìngjí!"

Xalissa runs to the driver's seat and starts the engine as Alashie gathers up her tools. Xavier, Aries, and Jelun come through the armory door at full speed and dive in the transport. "What happened!" Alashie screams in a high pitch.

"Drive!" Aries says in his even tone. As soon as the bay door opens Xalissa floors the throttle. Only 7 guards were close enough to respond to the alarm. Bullets bounce off the transport as they ram into the base gate at 80mph.

"WOOOHOOO!" Xalissa yells with a huge smile. She blows a kiss at Pettigrew as they speed by "Good thing you put your mojo on this old motherfucker Mija!" she says to Alashie taking her eyes off the road.

"Xa!" everyone screams at Xalissa

"Se jodio'" she responds as she takes a corner on two wheels and opens the throttle to 150 on an empty strech leading up to an old highway.

"Alashie are we scrambled?" Aries asks. Alashie looks at Xalissa's communicator and nods. "Ok. Get to the yìngjí transport Xa. We'll get rid of the Suburbarn. The rest of you get this shit back to the spot. Slow down!"

"What. The. Fuck. Happened!" Alashie asks again and gets noting but silence. The silence was worse than the gunfire to Alashie as she watched Aries stare out the winshield in the passenger seat and Xavier staring at Jelun. In the 11 years she had never seen Xavier to look that hostile.

"Smash and fucking dash" Xalissa says taking a shot alone.