The Scarman Enigma

[|Scarecrow|]

Sayne barged through the fire exit shoulder first, ramming the door so hard that it splintered as it doubled back round and smashed into the wall. He took in his surroundings in an instant. A small gritty back-street lined with upturned trash cans and rusting fire escapes lay on the other side of a high mesh fence. The only illumination in the street was a single creaking streetlamp with a bulb that occasionally blinked several times. Sayne never stopped; as he ran he jumped at the fence, purchasing a hold on the mesh as his body slammed into it. With a metal ringing, Sayne began to climb the fence. He was soon up and over and running off down the alleyway beyond. Miyu and Harada broke out of the ruined nightclub several seconds behind him. They both vaulted the fence with ease and began sprinting down the alley after Sayne.

Seras, Kurt and Lucas were next to come running out of the club, Kurt taking the fence first in a flourish of leather. Seras followed, neatly clearing the fence with an impressive array of twists and spins. She landed neatly on her feet on the other side of the fence and turned back around to look at Lucas. Lucas had skidded to a halt on the other side of the mesh fence, looking up at the height of it.
I think Ill find another way round, He said as he met her gaze. She sighed and sprinted off down the alleyway after Kurt.

Sayne ran around a corner, not at any point slowing as his pursuers got ever closer. He would have easily been able to dispatch one HiME Agent, but three! He ran as fast as he could at the nearest wall, sprinting part way up it as his booted feet made contact. As soon as he ran out of momentum he reached out with his hands, his fingers barely grasping what purchase the wall offered. He began scrambling up the wall, using windows and guttering to assist him. Miyu and Harada rounded the corner behind him. They skidded to a halt as they saw Sayne climbing the building. Harada pointed to the opposite row of buildings, indicating for Miyu to climb to the top, before herself heading for the nearest fire escape. Within seconds Sayne had arrived at the top of the building and was running away along the rooftops of the block, vaulting the gaps and numerous obstacles with ease. Harada arrived at the top of the fire escape and began sprinting after him. Miyu scrambled up the wall of the building opposite and began running after them in a parallel line, her twin blades glinting elegantly in the dim light.

Manning arrived around the corner just in time to see Miyu and Harada arriving at the tops of the buildings. He continued running down the centre of the alleyway, skirting bins and boxes as his eyes probed the rooftops for signs of Sayne Jadyn. He caught a glimpse of the man vaulting another rooftop and sprinted harder down the alleyway.
Seras and Lucas came around the corner last, Seras a good pace ahead of the Freedom Fighter Admiral.
Hes on the rooftops, Miyu voxed across to her comrade.
Roger that, Seras replied, running directly at one of the walls. She jumped before she reached, shouldering her Harkonnen rifle as she flew through the air. She landed on the wall with the grace of a creature as light as a moth and began scampering up a drainpipe. Lucas skidded to a halt back in the alleyway, looking up at her incredulously. Oh come on!

Sayne glanced back at his pursuer. The HiME Agent was gaining on him, vaulting over vents and generators as she ran. Sayne leaped across another gap in the rooftops, looking down at the narrow alley below as it briefly blinked past. He landed on the next rooftop and continued to run. He grabbed a small vox-mast as he ran, ripping off all of the smaller rods until all he had was a single, large strong metal pole. He dug the pole into the corner of the next rooftop and used it as a lever to fire him across the next rooftop. The pole bent slightly as it gained purchase of the rooftop and hefted his weight into the air. Sayne flew across another gap in the rooftops like an arrow, landing again squarely on his feet. The HiME Agent was a stones throw away, ready to jump directly behind him. As he landed, he used all of his strength in bringing the metal pole swinging back around. It swung through the air, making a vicious whipping noise as it went.

Harada Chie was taken completely by surprise as the metal pole caught her mid-jump. Sayne smashed the pole into her chest, halting her flight entirely. With the wind knocked out of her, she began to fall down the narrow gap in the rooftops to the alleyway floor below.
No! Miyu saw the devastating blow but carried on running as Jadyn took off once more. Harada is down, Harada is down!
Harada hit the floor with a sickening crunch, bouncing as she did so. Her staff clattered to the concrete beside her. With the wind knocked out of her, Harada could do nothing but watch her narrow view of the nights sky from in between the tall buildings.

Kurt sprinted past the downed HiME Agents, ignorant of her plight. He could still make out Sayne Jadyn as the man ran along the rooftops. Ahead, Kurt could see the end of the line. The line of buildings ended and opened out into a wider road built for surface faring vehicles. Miyu Greer was still sprinting along on par with Sayne on the opposite rooftops. Kurt ran as fast as he could, holstering his shotguns so that he could gather better momentum using his arms. He vaulted a large metal waste disposal unit and spotted another fence at the end of the alleyway. He gritted his teeth and ran faster.

Sayne saw the end of the rooftops coming and braced himself for it. He jumped across a glass paned ceiling window in the roof of one building and rolled as he landed on the other side. Picking up his sprint again he prepared himself for the jump. His augmented muscled tensed as he primed himself for the final jump. With a great leap of faith, Sayne Jadyn hurled himself from the end of the long line of buildings, flying through the air out over the wide road beneath. Miyu Greer skidded to a halt at the end of her line of rooftops, cursing as she watched Sayne flail out into the air. Jadyn slammed into the concrete floor, landing squarely on his booted feet. The impact of his landing was so powerful that it cracked the concrete around him, creating a small crater in the middle of the road. He steadied himself with one hand on the floor before turning to look up at the second HiME Agent. He grinned as he noticed she had stopped at the end of the rooftops. Turning across the road, Sayne made for a gathering of parked jetbikes.

Greer saw the jetbike gang gathered outside of a diner just across the street. The purple neon sign on the diner flicked on and off lazily as its nighttime customers sat around enjoying a snack and a drink. The bike gang sat outside, some on benches, others on their bikes. Miyu watched as Sayne grabbed one of the bikes and fired it up. The bikers all seemed to be stunned into silence as they watched Jadyn steal one of their jetbikes. Miyu snapped out of it and looked around her. She saw the end of a drainpipe and grabbed a hold. Sliding down to the surface, she head somebody yell, followed by the roar of a jetbikes engine. She landed on the concrete below and looked across the street just in time to see Sayne blast away on his stolen jetbike, an unconscious biker lying on the side of the road where he had been. He bolted off down the street, kicking up small dust tornados in his wake. Miyu wasted no time. She ran across the road and grabbed another of the jetbikes. One of the bikers turned to her, but she gave him a stern glare before kicking open the throttle. She was soon tearing down the roar after Sayne.

Just as Miyu took off on her bike, Kurt Manning came hurtling into the street as he vaulted the fence at the end of the alleyway. Flicking one of his shotguns into his hand, he sprinted across the street.
Im taking a bike, He yelled, jumping across the saddle of one of the parked jetbikes. The confused bikers again said nothing as the bounty hunter fired up the bikes engine and roared off after Miyu.

Seras slid down the wall, bringing up a cloud of dust and brick fragments in her wake. She landed on the floor beside Harada and quickly ducked down to inspect her fallen comrade. Chies breathing had leveled out and she was gazing up at her friend with a slight smile on her face.
He caught me off guard, She said disappointedly.
Harada you had us all worried! Seras scolded her.
Miyu is after him, Harada continued, Shell get him.
Come on, we have little time as it is. Seras bent over and helped Harada to stand up. Harada winced as pain crossed her shoulders and back.
I think Ive dislocated my arm, She said through gritted teeth, And possibly broken a couple of ribs.
Seras bent down to retrieve Haradas cane and handed it to her. As Harada took the cane with her unhurt arm, Seras quickly grabbed her injured one and tugged hard. With a pop and a yell, Haradas arm locked back into place. Grinning Seras rounded the corner and took off after the others before Harada could say a world.
Now all you have to worry about is your ribs, She called as she went.

Lucas Anderson ran down the long alleyway, skirting a fallen dumper as he went. He saw the fence at the end of the alley and gritted his teeth. He ran harder and faster, exerting all of his strength into his sprint. As he reached the fence, he jumped at the side of a dumper and used it to gain more height, flying through the air towards his goal. Lucas knew he wasnt going to make it as soon as his boot left the dumper. He flew through the air and crashed ungracefully into the top of the fence. A tough metal pole acting as a strut caught him directly in between his legs, acting as a point to carry his momentum. He flailed over the fence and tumbled into the sidewalk. The pain in his groin was that sickening it made him cross his eyes. Aaaaaaiiiiiiiieeeeeecaaaoooouuugh!

Shortly after the pained had dimmed somewhat, Lucas was vaguely aware of somebody standing over him. He looked up through the haze of pain and recognized the face of Seras Victoria. She was looking down at him with concern.
I dont understand it, She said, Why didnt you just use the door?
Lucas whimpered and tried his best not to let a tear role down his cheek.

Seras grinned smugly and turned away from the fallen Admiral, Harada giving her a disapproving look.
But there wasnt a door Seras, She said.
I know, but he doesnt have too. Seras smiled, Can you collect him up for me please, I need to go secure us a mode of transport.
Alright, Harada shook her head.
Seras walked across the street, knowing that there was no chance of them catching up with Miyu and Manning now that they had sped off. A confused and disorientated group of bikers sat outside the diner across the street, most of them sitting on their bikes protectively. Seras raised an eyebrow at them before entering the parking lot around the side of the diner.

The only vehicle in the lot was a large, eight wheeled ground vehicle designed for heavy transport. She tapped on the window and held up her identification card. The driver sat reading a newspaper with a cup of coffee resting on the dashboard.
Excuse me sir, but Im afraid Im going to have to commandeer your vehicle,
Like hell you are, the driver said, Your not even police.
Im close enough, now are you going to cooperate or am I going to have to remove you?

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| S C A R E C R O W |

"See you space cowboy..."