Dick Stivers: Deathbites

The Ingram was meant for close fighting. A wide sweeping burst felled several killers. Gadgets then dropped the weapon because he did not have time to reload and charged those remaining terrorists with Gerber Marks in each hand.

Lyons heard the disturbance and strode toward it. He had seen the desperate dash of the terrorists and Jishin carefully commanding from the center of the mob. She was the one responsible for Deborah's death.

He wanted her.

Politician leaped from the roof. He ran quickly to cover Lyons's back. He knew Ironman was not even thinking about his own back. Politician launched a grenade into a group of terrorists behind Lyons. Those that the grenade did not get, .223 tumblers did.

Ti took in the situation as soon as she blundered into it. She had more than a dozen terrorists at her back and she could not retreat back to the building. When the blast hit and Gadgets dropped like a gift from the gods, she doubled her effort.

Jishin slipped out of the crowd and tried to circumvent the fight in order to gain the safety of the building. Ti stepped in front of her. Jishin exploded into action, flying at the cause of her defeat, snapping punches and kicks.

Ti backed slowly, concentrating on Jishin, now oblivious to the bullets that began to fly through the open door toward her back.

Lyons reached the group. He saw Jishin and wanted her dead so badly he could feel the ache in his bones. But bullets were coming from the open door. Ti's back had to be covered. Gadgets was also open to the field of fire as he battled hand to hand with the few terrorists left standing outside the building.

Lyons leaped, placing his body between Ti and the flying bullets. The big Atchisson filled the doorway with a storm of death. Terrorists screamed and fell back.

Lyons waded through the door, aiming and shooting, aiming and shooting. No one escaped Death's cold clutch.

A rifle barrel peeked from the ceiling. Two blasts of the big Atchisson added holes to the sound tile, which slowly turned red.

Lao Ti caught Jishin's flashing fist and twisted. This move brought her to face Gadgets's back. She saw he was about to be cleaved by a terrorist knife. She wrenched Jishin's wrist upward, snapping it, then dived at the goon holding the knife. She buried her fist into the man's kidneys. He screamed and twisted, his knife arcing on a path to cross Ti's throat.

Jishin seized the opportunity and ran.

Ti bent backward and avoided the blade. Then she snapped a kick that broke the knife wielder's arm. Gadgets straightened from his final kill and dove a knife into the terrorist's back. The man collapsed like a house of cards.

Lyons emerged from the building. He saw the retreating figure of Jishin. He saw the bullet-torn body of Deborah Devine. He saw red . He fired. Boom !