Free The Prometheus Effect by Jonathan Davison Page B

Joshua moved closer, attracted by the prospect of information, he joined the periphery of the crowd. He could see that despite a contingent of low life scum, there were women and children in the throng, people who were well dressed, uniformed, suited. He could hear a number of voices louder than the others, the vociferous ones who would not be denied the knowledge they sought. Joshua could not get a grasp of what the lone soldier was yelling, he looked just as petrified as the rest of them.
     
    The more aggressive contingent once again began to rock the armoured car. Joshua could see the soldier press the headset to his ear as if he was begging for aid from his peers. The driver in the cab was forced to press his hot hand against the glass of the side window in order to steady himself. He too looked young, terrified and out of his depth. The turret soldier once again brandished his weapon with intent but the threat had long since diminished. The mob knew that if he was going to shoot he would have already done it long ago.
     
    Joshua gasped as he suddenly noticed bodies climbing up onto the car behind the soldier. The crowd bellowed as a hooded man grasped the young warrior from behind and another stripped him of his weapon. A rain of punches and kicks fell upon the youthful soldier until he fell helplessly from the vehicle and into the hands of the baying mob. The ingrate now clutching the high powered assault rifle proceeded to spend the magazine into the air with glee and Joshua clambered to move back and out of the crowd. Another series of shots rang out, and looking back, Joshua saw the hoodlum with the gun fall from the roof of the car. The driver emerged from the turret, his face white as a sheet, his fresh faced features gaunt. The crowd fell over themselves to scurry away as the vengeful soldier aimed his smoking weapon at the crowd and opened fire indiscriminately. Joshua heard the snap of bullets fly closely past his head and he was soon sprawled upon the ground being crushed by the fleeing people. The firing stopped and then a second later there was another burst as one of the mob had retrieved the other soldiers gun and began to return fire.
     
    Screams of desperation and pain were heard as the swathe of panic proliferated amongst the gatherers. Joshua could barely inhale a breath as he crawled over others who had fallen to escape the horrific scene. He finally managed to get to his feet using other helpless bodies as a crutch and sprinted despite his ills, away and around the corner where he fell to the floor in a ragged heap gasping for oxygen.
     
    Joshua did not linger long, a few deep inhalations were enough to give him the power to once again move and flee. Barely stopping to look back, he ensured there was a good hundred metres between him and the scene before he allowed himself the comfort of a brief respite. Hands on knees, his throat was raw as he spat out blood upon the ground and looked upon the other survivors as they jogged past him. It reminded him of the infamous scene from the Vietnam war which had been so courageously reported by his predecessors. The fleeing people then had survived a savage napalm attack. The look of shock and disbelief on these people's faces was much the same now as they stumbled down the road having just witnessed the closest thing to hell on Earth.
     
    Joshua continued to move. He had no wish to get caught up in any more incidents like this one. Lost and pained, the adrenaline kept him mobile. Despite passing numerous bystanders who appeared to have benign intentions, no one spoke. It was almost as if everyone had lost their tongues and had become as hopelessly lost as Joshua. Maybe it was the sheer shock of the events of the day, maybe it was just caution. No one dared to invite trouble.
     
    Eventually, Joshua reached a road junction that seemed familiar and he realised that he was on the right track back to Fleet Street. Finally reaching the offices, he had to hammer