(Originally written Saturday, October 25, 2003)
Chapter V-2:
As Nougat continued his long-range battle from the rooftop, Cream was quickly making his way up the stairwell to 'Mel's suite on the second floor.
Cream was met by a boot to the face as he rounded the corner halfway up the stairwell. The Pi thug grabbed Cream's gun-arm before he could level it and kicked him in the stomach. Cream blocked frantically with his off-hand as the body blows started drilling home. The Pi then switched it up, landing a clean uppercut to Cream's chin, sending him tumbling down the stairs. He barely had time to roll away as the thug jumped down, trying to stomp on him.
The Pi followed up with another stomp, but Cream finally got himself into a crouch, saw the telegraphed foot, and caught it. He pushed the man back, into the cement wall of the stairwell. Using the brief stagger, Cream sprang forward, grabbed the larger man by the jacket collar, and slammed him back into the wall again as hard as he could. Eventually he started getting the results he wanted; the man's head was snapping back with each impact. After about five more hits, Cream picked up his gun and ran back up the stairs with the Pi left in the stairwell, unconscious and bleeding from the back of his head.
* * * * *
"Noug'!" Cream shouted into Nougat's earpiece, "I could use some help in here!"
"I'm a little busy, Whelp!" he shouted back while reloading his rifle, "you're on your own for now!" Nougat cursed again, cocked his gun, and poked out over the lip of the roof again. He finally caught a good bead on one of the Pi members and put a quick burst of fire directly into him.
The firefight was cut short when a random bullet struck Nougat's gun barrel, notching it deeply. Nougat threw the gun down and ran towards the fire exit. Once he reached it, he swung a leg over the side - gunfire ricocheted all around him. Looking down, Nougat spied a dumpster. He drew his own pistol, gave a short burst in the direction of the earlier shots, and jumped. The only thought in his head was, "please be soft, please be soft, please..." He landed perfectly in the dumpster, letting a cloud of garbage explode upwards to greet him.
Finding a foul taste in his mouth, Nougat lost his cool. He leaped out of the dumpster and charged the street blazing. He was able to get the man shooting at him to duck away; he was not able to avoid the man behind him... a rifle round impacted cleanly on Nougat 's chest, dropping him instantly. Gasping and coughing, he clawed his way back to the relative safety of the alley before going still...
* * * * *
By the time Cream reached the second floor, he found the door leading to the hallway locked and heavily barricaded from the other side by something he couldn't figure out. He swore and began running back down the stairwell. Thinking quickly, he pulled out his phone to call 'Mel. She picked up.
"Whip'? Is that you?" she said.
"'Mel! Get the hell out of your home! Someone's right there!" He heard an impact through the line. "What was that?" 'Mel screamed,
"Oh crap, that was the front door!"
"Okay..." Cream fought to think as fast as he could. "Fire escape! Go out the window, I'll meet you in the back! Go now!"
Fearing that he would have to exit through the front door again, Cream was relieved to find a garage exit at the bottom of the stairwell. He raced as hard as he could to the back alley behind the apartments, praying that 'Mel would get out in time.
He finally found 'Mel getting a foot out the high window towards the steel steps outside.
"'Mel!" he shouted. She looked down and sighed, relieved... and suddenly screamed and went limp. 'Mel was pushed out the rest of the way by the third man, a taser in his hand. Cream leveled his gun at the Pi but, fearing for 'Mel's safety, could not fire.
It was that moment that the black van crashed its way into the alley. Its occupants exited and began directing automatic fire towards the beaten and bloodied Cream, who barely had time to dive behind a parked car.
Though the next sequence of events went by very quickly, in Cream's mind it took an eternity; he felt so helpless, being pinned down by a rain of bullets as 'Mel was carried, stunned but not unconscious, into the van. Cream fired at the vehicle to little avail... and was met by a thrown bottle stuffed with a smoldering rag. Cream cursed loud again and dove away from the car before the crude explosive crashed and engulfed it in a large gas-induced fire.
Cream barely able to look up from his position on the ground as the van squealed and drove away...
