Wraith carefully got in a position where he could see the chase. This isn't looking good.
Folding his hands, he focussed all his attention on the pursuing cars and murmured: "Lord, put this chase to a halt!".
Despite all his concentration, he felt the headache return with a sudden surge, along with an annoying ringing in his ears.

Down below, the air in front of one SUV sseemed to flicker and suddenly, what seemed to be a translucent forcefield appeared in front of the truck: floating just high enough above the ground, the shimmering wall let the SUV easily pass underneath, but was about to smack into the man on top, if he didn't react immedeately...

Nova's shot showed again how incredibly precise the cyborg lady could be with her rifle - helped of course by the fact that Anna had turned the chopper invisible. One of the shooters had his face explode through the face plate of his FBA.
Wraith's wall popped into existence just a second too soon: The shooter let himself drop inside the car just before the barrier swept over his head.
That left two cars hurlting after the GMC and a bunch of drones.
Nyan said: "We are within 100m of the drones. Should I send my sprites to them or would you rather have my help with the on board gun?"

"Go for the drones, we got the firepower covered," Nova said to Nyan. With bnc handling the mounted gun, doing something about the police drone fleet seemed a lot more useful at the moment.

<< Eliza, can you manage an angle, so that I can shoot the driver of the first SUV through the open roof? >>

Sharkboy has considered pulling out his bow and peppering the vans with SnS arrows, but the cross-winds would have made that troublesome.

“How far above those SUVs are we? Could you maneuver lower and in front of them? I’ve always wanted to try something.”

<<You have to decide which manover you want to do. I can't go too low, or I'm bound to hit some power lines.
And bnc, please be careful with that assault cannon - don't hit any civilians.>>

With that the helicopter went a bit lower, giving Nova a short window where she could see the driver's head through the open roof, before moving in front of the other vehicle.

Aiming through the roof of the first pursuer, Nova waited for the moment, where she could take her shot. When she could see the driver, she pulled the trigger.

Anna's next move was to make the escaping car invisible. It is dificult to chase a car that you cannot see. Ofcourse, there was some risk in that approach but it was worth a shot.

Sharkboy gauged the distance, took a few steps back, and a deep breath."Good enough, Eliza. See you guys on the other side." Suddenly he was rushing and jumping out the helicopter flying feet-first towards the second car's driver. He was yelling something, probably very intimidating, but it was impossible to make out over the noise of chopper blades, blistering winds, and gunfire.

WTF she thinks... had Shark notified her, Anna would have made him invisible. Somehow she felt that Shark wanted to be seen. "Oh Lord!" she says, with a naughty smile. The adrenaline begun flowing and Anna felt alive like never before.

As the GMC became invisible, the pursuit faltered immediately. Nova's shot missed the driver but managed to damage something in the car nonetheless: The car began to slow and drove in wobbling lines left and right across the road.
The remaining shooter in the lead car saw Shark's shadow at the last second and managed to pull is head out of the way and so instead got a gravity assisted kick directly to the shoulder, crumpling him to the floor.

Now Shark was inside a speeding car - facing three other armed men who despite their face concealing helmets looked considerably surprised.

Even without hitting the driver, the bullet caused quite some damage to the car, so Nova fired directly at it this time.

Nova's shot hit again - and while the car did not explode or do something else spectacularly, it breaked and pulled to the curb before it had a chance to get out of control.

Sharkboy stands up and holds his arms out wide, and starts cutting a promo which started with a light tone.

"It's a pleasure to be here, performing for you tonight, in the wonderful city of Vienna! I'm professional wrestler extraordinaire Sharkboy, and I'm the man who killed your boss, literally knocked the head off of his top goon, and just jumped out of a helicopter to come see you all personally."

Sharkboy brought his arms down into something a bit closer to a fighting stance and lowered his head, trying to get the shadows to play off his mask in just such a way, deepening his voice as he made his threat.

"Now how-about you make the mercenary decision to stop fighting once your payday isn't guaranteed. Otherwise I'm going to break your bones starting at your feet and working my way until your voice is hoarse and your throat bleeds from screaming."

There was a long moment of stunned silence as Shark did his performance - this spellbound silence lasted about three seconds before one of the men said:
"HEY, I know that guy. That's the Sharkboy from the trids!"

Sharkboy resisted the urge to sigh, instead just leaning forward with a slight tilt to his head."That's right, I am. I'm glad to meet a fan this far away from home."

Clapping his hands together like a parent trying to explain something to a toddler, he continued, "Did you happen to catch the fight where I ripped a guys collarbone out of his shoulder? You probably remember it better than I do. I only recall getting really annoyed, blacking out, and coming to with shoulder chunks in my hands."

"Stop the truck. Let me out. Fuck off and go home."

bnc had just shot another message to the pursuing cars, demanding in the guise of Rosenberg to immediately return - and for good measure send a stream of autocannon projectiles directly in front of the car.
That finally had the intended effect.

"Do as he says and stop the car." one of the armed men said. The driver reacted and stopped the car on the curb, enabling Sharkboy to exit.
Just as the door was open and Shark had put one foot on the pavement, the other guard called: "Stop! Can I at least get your autograph?"

In the helicopter, the team saw Sharkboy exit the car, which promptly made a u-turn, driving away into the opposite direction, stopping again to transfer the remaining guards from the stalled car into the intact one and finally driving off back to the base.

By now the invisible van had gained enough distance and no longer had to push itself beyond its designed limits.
Finally, Nacl came back online: <<Thanks everyone, that very nearly could have gone very, very wrong. Let's meet up at the farm near Innsbruck. Salzburg will be quite too hot for the forseeable future.>>

Sharkboy rolled his eyes at the request for an autograph. Sign what? The shooter he was pointing at me? Still...

Never let a wrestler tell you they aren't always looking for an easy mark. "I don't sign tactical gear, but since you've been such lovely fellows I'll make a deal. You buy a ticket to my next fight, and catch my attention while repping some of my merch, and I'll sign it for free." He gave a casual wave without turning around as he exited to the car.

"I better make sure I have merch."

"I always wanted to go and see Insbruck... What is there to do there?" she seems genuinely exicited about switching locations.

<<Nothing - we aren't going to Insbruck but to a farmhouse outside of it - the one I told you about. We regroup, let the heat die down and see if you have the wares to get Kerstin cured.>>

At this moment Nyan replied: <<The drones have all been turned around now. It took Junkcat a few tries to suborn infrastructure but it's done.>>

Picking up Sharkboy on the street wasn't easy, but Eliza managed a very precise maneuver. After that it was a very quick flight out of Salzburg.

45 minutes later, the helicopter landed on a clearing behind a lonely farm building somewhere in the Alps. The team remembered the badly battered mercenary Assault that they had let Eliza stash here hooked up to an autodoc unit.

Nacl, Kerstin and Splitterbruch would need a bit longer to get here, so the team had a bit time to relax. Eliza commented on the team feed: <<The fridge is freshly stocked and there are two showers here - in case you want to freshen up. There are also clothes for our two ex-prisoners.>>

Anna responds >> At least there is a view of the Alps... Nacl, when do we free Assualt?
Laying low was usually boring, but this time at least she has a willing lover onbroad. It should take the edge out of laying low, and Anna feels a real need for a proper party. When they finally land she fills her lungs with air and then releases it with a cry "Aha... We did it! We really did it. She takes off her hazmat suit, and then her armor, and searches the place for the best room to stay in.

Next stop is the shower...

"So I appreciate a place to stay while heat dies down and all that, but uh... we're done here right? Us independent contractors found your girl, saved her, and got the only existing information on the cure? I'm fine staying a bit, but I would like to let promotions know I'll be available again."

It was an important question, but Sharkboy was already bored by it. "Anyway, that fridge got booze?"

Wraith didn't say much during the flight, he looked back at the shilouette of Salzburg dissapearing in the distance. Salzburg was burnt for them, he thought with a sad expression under his mask. There was no going back there anytime soon.

He had expected he'd be in the mood for celebrations immediately, but to his surprise did not feel very reliefed. The job's done, I should be happy.
But too many things were yet unclear: What if the data didn't hold a cure? And even if - who says Mitsuhama wouldn't keep sending killers after Kerstin as soon as Rosenberg's successor continues his work? She could be just in as much danger as before the run.

After his last spirit had departed when they found the van, Wraith was - for the first time in quite a while - completely without any summoned or bound spirits. Without the link to his spirits, he felt alone and exposed.
He sighed with frustration.

The flight through Austria and Anna's genuine excitement at least got him on other thoughts. She's right, look ahead, not back.

When they walked up to the farmhouse, he was already in lighter spirits."Maybe a camera caught your jump on video?", he added at Sharkboy's comment.
"Diving out of a chopper sound like good promo material to me. That was fragging insane, by the way."

Eliza replied: <<Yes, your contract is nearly done - Kerstin has been found and you have a briefcase which I assume contains the requested information. There is beer in the fridge as well as the cellar. Also, if you want I have a recording of your jump I can provide you with that.
You all did well. If you would do me a favor there are a few drums of fuel in that shed over there. The helicopter needs refuelling before we can use it again.>>

“Jumping out of a helicopter ain’t that different from jumping off a cage or a ladder. And yeah, I’d appreciate the footage Eliza. I’ll need to review the footage and my chat with the Mitsuhama boys for places to improve.” He wasn’t going to review those things, but it sounded professional.

He stuffed a bottle of beer into his pocket, and then headed to load fuel into the chopper.

Anna finishes her shower quickly, and then dresses up in casual warm clothes. She grabs a beer from the fridge, and then takes a seat outside to watch the view of the Alps. She texts Wraith if he can join her.

bnc's sentiments were very much alike Wraith's. They achieved a lot. After all that time, she found her sister. Not only did her team surprise her with a display of loyalty bnc herself never had shown - they also killed the monster who destroyed Kerstin's life and stayed to find the cure.

And yet, where was she? As she sat staring out of the helicopters windows into the nothingness of the dark, all but the most necessary AROs switched off, she found herself in a brooding mood. Her sister has turned into a monster, and bnc was to blame. Her being rescued happened despite and not because of bnc. And no one knew if they actually found a cure, and if they did, whether it worked or not, and if it did ... well, even then, Kerstin would never ever be the same again.

She turns her head, gazing at the team. She knew she should say something. A thanks. An apology. Anything appropriate. But she can't make herself do it. Instead, she sits brooding until they arrive in Innsbruck.
There, she finally changes out of the damp underwear into her usual jeans and hoody, taking no shower and participating in no conversation. She only sits in her chair, tracing Kerstin's commlink coming closer, flying a drone lest she somehow miss Kerstin's arrival, and waiting.

Then, after half an hour, she rises with a sigh, and shakes her head. It wasn't time to rest yet.
"Nacl ... can you already tell whether the cure is indeed what it's supposed to be? Did you have time to have it analyzed?"

Feeling like some physical activity was the right thing to get on other thoughts, Wraith decided to help Sharkboy with the fuel drums.
He dumped his mask, wiped the blood off his nose and headed for the barn with a beer.
Breathing the cold air - finally without a mask on - helped clear his mind.

After a short while and the first beer, his mood had lightened up considerably, so he went over to join Anna outside the farmhouse.