A minute later, the door to the stairwell crashed open and a team of five guards rushed into the room, guns up. Katie attacked them before they had a chance to shoot, dropping one with a solid punch to the solar plexus and bringing two more down with vines around their ankles. They hit their heads hard on the floor, and stayed down. One of the last two was dealt with in the same manner, but the last one backed up, holding his gun steady.
Katie brought her own up and said in what she hoped was an intimidating tone, "Drop your weapon if you want to live."
The guard laughed and retorted with, "You don't have the guts to shoot me, girl. I can see the way your hands are shaking."
"I said, drop the gun," Katie ordered, taking a step forward and taking aim at his chest.
"Go on, do it. I dare you," the guy answered. "Or are you too much of a chicken? Think your Society friends will let you live it down, *****? And your dumbass leader, Masterson? What'll he think of you killing a man in cold blood?"
That gave Katie pause for thought, and she hesitated, lowering the gun an inch or so. The guy took advantage of her distraction, whipping his gun up and firing a volley of bullets into her gut. She staggered backwards, her own weapon flying out of her hands as she crashed to the floor. She instinctively sent a vine-fist at the guard, dealing a low blow to where no man wants to get hit, and dropping him as well.
After a minute or so of lying on the floor, Katie raised a hand to her abdomen and felt where the shots had hit her. They had been powerful at such a close range, but her thick wood-based armour had prevented them from reaching her body by a fraction of an inch. She breathed a sigh of relief and carefully got up, making sure she wasn't seen. From there she gave the guard a powerful kick to the guts, forcing him to pass out.
Katie opted to wait for the others to arrive before she did anything else; there were still too many guards for her to deal with on her own. While she waited, she took the time to force the many bullets out of her armour and reseal the gaps left behind.
Katie brought her own up and said in what she hoped was an intimidating tone, "Drop your weapon if you want to live."
The guard laughed and retorted with, "You don't have the guts to shoot me, girl. I can see the way your hands are shaking."
"I said, drop the gun," Katie ordered, taking a step forward and taking aim at his chest.
"Go on, do it. I dare you," the guy answered. "Or are you too much of a chicken? Think your Society friends will let you live it down, *****? And your dumbass leader, Masterson? What'll he think of you killing a man in cold blood?"
That gave Katie pause for thought, and she hesitated, lowering the gun an inch or so. The guy took advantage of her distraction, whipping his gun up and firing a volley of bullets into her gut. She staggered backwards, her own weapon flying out of her hands as she crashed to the floor. She instinctively sent a vine-fist at the guard, dealing a low blow to where no man wants to get hit, and dropping him as well.
After a minute or so of lying on the floor, Katie raised a hand to her abdomen and felt where the shots had hit her. They had been powerful at such a close range, but her thick wood-based armour had prevented them from reaching her body by a fraction of an inch. She breathed a sigh of relief and carefully got up, making sure she wasn't seen. From there she gave the guard a powerful kick to the guts, forcing him to pass out.
Katie opted to wait for the others to arrive before she did anything else; there were still too many guards for her to deal with on her own. While she waited, she took the time to force the many bullets out of her armour and reseal the gaps left behind.
