56

You pull off the freeway, follow the service road towards a diner—the largest building in the rest-stop complex—and park your roadster as near to the entrance as possible. The diner has been vandalized by clansmen, and broken furniture and shattered glass litter its tiled floor. The strong smell of liquor wafts from the kitchen area and Rickenbacker says it warrants a closer look. He leads the way, his footfalls crunching loudly on the glass-strewn floor as he heads optimistically towards the kitchen’s double doors.

‘I feel kinda thirsty all of a sudden,’ he says, as he pushes open the doors and strides into the darkened kitchen area. You are about to reply when a bottle comes flying through the air and smashes against the wall, missing your head by inches.

‘What the … !’ shouts your partner. He reaches for his machine pistol, but before he can unsling it from his shoulder, a dark shape leaps out from the shadows and pulls him roughly to the floor. Instinctively, you rush forward to help him, only to find yourself confronted by a drunken clansman wielding a broken bottle. He lets out a scream and a fetid gust of liquor-soaked breath assails your nostrils. You recoil in disgust and avoid being hit as viciously he stabs the bottle at your face.

Daytona: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 13   ENDURANCE 22

If you win the combat, turn to 148.