locked the other also from behind. For just a few seconds, the alien was pinned. Taylor seized his opportunity and jumped in front of the two of them and put his pistol under their opponent’s jaw. He did not hesitate to pull the trigger. Blood sprayed up and over Jafar. The body went limp, and he threw it aside.
Taylor breathed a sigh of relief as he wiped the sweat from his brow and found his own blood trickling down his face from the impact he had taken.
"Way too close," he muttered.
He looked down to the body of Weaver which lay face down. His skull had collapsed inwards in places, and there was no doubt he had died instantly.
"Bastard almost cost us our lives, and for what?"
He looked around the room to see another ten dead, and six lying wounded from where they had been tossed aside with broken limbs from the impacts of the powerful creature. Camera equipment lay scattered across the floor. Two Gendarmes stood at the doorway frozen and speechless. They were the same two Jafar had loomed over when they first arrived. They had rightfully understood they could do nothing to help in the fight upon see the bodies of their two comrades.
Footsteps pounded down the corridor behind them, and a fire escape door burst open with another dozen Gendarmes rushing in through the side. They all stopped in shock like the first two. It took them a moment to fathom out what had happened. Finally, one of the new arrivals yelled.
"Do not move. You are under arrest!"
"No!" shouted one of the two who had been there throughout, "They, saved us."
The latest arrivals still couldn't figure out what had happened, and it was clearly a surprise to them to find an enemy soldier there at all. Taylor knew he had to speak. The man who had come to their aid was still too shocked to explain. He stepped up to the man who intended to arrest them. He looked at their weapons and saw they were the same outdated cased ammunition weapons they started the first war with.
"What do you expect to do with those pieces of junk?" he asked.
"We are here to police humans," he replied sternly.
"And if we hadn't been here to deal with this, what would you have done then?"
The Gendarmes officer leaned in close. Taylor could see an unmistakable burn mark running down his neck and inside his uniform, one that would only have been caused by a Mech weapon. He whispered so that only Taylor could hear.
"With all money being spent on redevelopment of the city, there is a limited budget for this. Not my choice of equipment, but given these or nothing, what would you have them carry?"
He felt sympathy for the Frenchman who was clearly only trying to do the best by his troops.
"So what happened here?"
Taylor pointed to Weaver.
"That idiot, my public relations clown, let that thing loose. It should never have been here in the first place."
"And you took it down with one pistol between the two of you?"
Taylor nodded. The man was surprised but didn't question it any further.
"You are currently stationed here?"
Taylor nodded once again.
"Then I would ask you stay here until we can pursue more inquiries as to how this happened."
Taylor agreed, but he was really starting to grow weary of the place.
"I'll be in the Presidential Suite for twenty-four hours at the most. After that, I am out of here. Now this circus is over, it's time to get home."
"Yes, you must have many questions to answer."
Taylor had almost forgotten the subject of his discussions that had led to the violent turn of events. It was a heavy weight on his shoulders now that he had a moment to think upon it.
"You're with me," he said to Jafar, "I don't want any vigilante idiots turning on you."
In all honesty, he knew Jafar would provide more protection for him than the other way around, but he didn't say it.
"Good work back there, saved my ass. Last time I go anywhere without my Assegai, though."
Jafar agreed, and they strolled out from the conference hall. There was little sign of life except
Taylor breathed a sigh of relief as he wiped the sweat from his brow and found his own blood trickling down his face from the impact he had taken.
"Way too close," he muttered.
He looked down to the body of Weaver which lay face down. His skull had collapsed inwards in places, and there was no doubt he had died instantly.
"Bastard almost cost us our lives, and for what?"
He looked around the room to see another ten dead, and six lying wounded from where they had been tossed aside with broken limbs from the impacts of the powerful creature. Camera equipment lay scattered across the floor. Two Gendarmes stood at the doorway frozen and speechless. They were the same two Jafar had loomed over when they first arrived. They had rightfully understood they could do nothing to help in the fight upon see the bodies of their two comrades.
Footsteps pounded down the corridor behind them, and a fire escape door burst open with another dozen Gendarmes rushing in through the side. They all stopped in shock like the first two. It took them a moment to fathom out what had happened. Finally, one of the new arrivals yelled.
"Do not move. You are under arrest!"
"No!" shouted one of the two who had been there throughout, "They, saved us."
The latest arrivals still couldn't figure out what had happened, and it was clearly a surprise to them to find an enemy soldier there at all. Taylor knew he had to speak. The man who had come to their aid was still too shocked to explain. He stepped up to the man who intended to arrest them. He looked at their weapons and saw they were the same outdated cased ammunition weapons they started the first war with.
"What do you expect to do with those pieces of junk?" he asked.
"We are here to police humans," he replied sternly.
"And if we hadn't been here to deal with this, what would you have done then?"
The Gendarmes officer leaned in close. Taylor could see an unmistakable burn mark running down his neck and inside his uniform, one that would only have been caused by a Mech weapon. He whispered so that only Taylor could hear.
"With all money being spent on redevelopment of the city, there is a limited budget for this. Not my choice of equipment, but given these or nothing, what would you have them carry?"
He felt sympathy for the Frenchman who was clearly only trying to do the best by his troops.
"So what happened here?"
Taylor pointed to Weaver.
"That idiot, my public relations clown, let that thing loose. It should never have been here in the first place."
"And you took it down with one pistol between the two of you?"
Taylor nodded. The man was surprised but didn't question it any further.
"You are currently stationed here?"
Taylor nodded once again.
"Then I would ask you stay here until we can pursue more inquiries as to how this happened."
Taylor agreed, but he was really starting to grow weary of the place.
"I'll be in the Presidential Suite for twenty-four hours at the most. After that, I am out of here. Now this circus is over, it's time to get home."
"Yes, you must have many questions to answer."
Taylor had almost forgotten the subject of his discussions that had led to the violent turn of events. It was a heavy weight on his shoulders now that he had a moment to think upon it.
"You're with me," he said to Jafar, "I don't want any vigilante idiots turning on you."
In all honesty, he knew Jafar would provide more protection for him than the other way around, but he didn't say it.
"Good work back there, saved my ass. Last time I go anywhere without my Assegai, though."
Jafar agreed, and they strolled out from the conference hall. There was little sign of life except
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