The Debt Collectors War

Chapter 70

Shooting at an attack drone with small arms wasn’t going to do very much to damage it, Ellie knew. The actual danger of the militia’s shooting was that their rounds might ricochet, and they might end up somehow hitting each other if they did it too long.

Which would be annoying, since Ellie was particularly trying to keep these four alive.

“Hey,” she shouted. “Stop that. We need to talk.”

She wasn’t sure whether they would even hear her voice, but they did. They heard, and turned towards her. She saw their heads turn, on the sensor-net imaging in her e-glasses.

They turned towards her, and then they all shot at her.

Of course.

They shot, even though it did no good, and they should probably have assumed it would do no good. Ellie had stayed behind the wall while she shouted, and so was fairly safe.

Ellie sighed. It was a little irritating they were wasting time like this, and that they didn’t just realize when they were beaten and do as they were told. The plan with the drone and talking had seemed like such a good plan. She was becoming annoyed it wasn’t working.

“Fuck,” she shouted. “Stop that. I just want to talk.”

They didn’t stop. They might not even be able to hear her voice over the gunfire, and through the earplugs they were probably wearing or past the ringing in their ears if they weren’t.

The four militia members kept shooting, and Ellie stayed behind her building, frustrated, and waited. She waited until the firing abated, hoping she would have a few seconds of quiet while they reloaded.

The shooting stopped, and Ellie shouted, “Please let me talk.”

She shouted, but not quickly enough. They began shooting at her again.

This wasn’t working, Ellie thought. She glanced over at Sameh.

“Told you so,” Sameh said.

“Don’t,” Ellie said. “Please?”

Sameh just grinned.

“I know,” Ellie said. “But fuck. Really?”

Sameh made what might have been a sympathetic face.

Ellie thought. “Can you make the drone shoot a rocket into the ground or something?” she said.

“Yep.”

“Do that. Hopefully that’ll calm them down a bit.”

Sameh raised her tablet.

“But not at them,” Ellie said quickly. “Not near them. Just into the ground.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Sameh touched her tablet, and there was a thud from over beside the bunker building. A thud, and then silence, as if everyone over there had ducked when the drone launched its rocket.

“Now stop shooting for a second,” Ellie shouted at them. “Please.”

They did. This time no-one shot back at her.

“Good,” Ellie shouted. “Thank you.”

There was a silence.

“Okay,” Ellie shouted. “We’re switching the drone back to anti-personnel mode now.” But as she shouted that, she looked at Sameh and deliberately shook her head, and then added quietly, making certain Sameh understood, “Don’t, not yet.”

Sameh nodded.

“If anyone else shoot anything again,” Ellie shouted to the militia. “Anything at all, aimed anywhere, the drone will counter-fire. Clear?”

No-one answered, but also, no-one shot.

Ellie waited a few seconds. She didn’t want any accidents, not now that talking was getting somewhere. She wanted to be sure that everyone over there had heard her, and no-one would shoot at the drone without warning. At the same time, though, there was a risk that if she waited too long, then one of the militia might decide to deliberately test it, to see whether the drone was live, and then, when they realized it wasn’t, they wouldn’t believe any other threats Ellie made.

It was a difficult situation, and Ellie waited, a little anxiously.

She waited, and nothing happened. There was no more shooting. The drone kept hovering.

“Okay,” Ellie said quietly to Sameh. “Switch the drone back on.”

Sameh tapped her tablet. “It’s done.”

“Okay,” Ellie shouted, to the militia. “Put down your weapons. And tell everyone else to as well.”

Another silence.

“Can you hear me?” Ellie shouted. “Put your guns down.”

“I don’t think so,” someone over by the bunker building shouted back.It was a man’s voice, Ellie thought, although she couldn’t tell very much more than that through her comm earpieces. It sounded like a middle-aged man, which was an age that would fit with this being the person who was in charge.

“Do it,” Ellie shouted.

“Or what?”

“Or we’ll kill all of you, and then everyone inside that building, and then every single other person we find in this property too.”

Silence.

“We could,” Ellie shouted. “Easily.”

“We know,” the same militia voice shouted. “Yeah, we know. What is it you want?”

“I’m looking for someone, that’s all. Put your guns down and we can talk about it.”

There was a silence, Ellie assumed while they thought about that. She waited, wondering if they would do as she asked.