31-05-2019, 02:48 PM
Contessa Helena, in her early days, when she was still getting used to the concept that Maria saw her as a parent and Helen should act accordingly, followed her Beloved Husband's wishes to take care of her. One of the ways that she had NOT done this incorrectly was to enroll Maria into a series of professional driving courses starting at the age of 14. And because Great-Grandmama's criminal mind couldn't help thinking the unthinkable, once she'd received the highest marks from all her tutors; whom Helen used The Thing to make certain weren't just giving them to please La Contessa, also enrolled Maria into stunt-driving courses so that she would know what to do if the unthinkable happened.
It was for this reason that, the moment Maria saw that the barrel of the tank's main cannon was pointed at her sports car, instinct kicked in, and she put the car in gear and stomped on the gas pedal. She sped away unharmed from the explosion that sent everyone else nearby to the ground from its shockwave. The gate guard registered the rapidly accelerating vehicle uncharacteristically speeding toward him as Lady Maria's in time to lift the barrier for her to leave the Castle with only minor chips and cracks.
* * *
Contessa Helena de San Finzione was trying to recover both her hearing and leaning against a marble column to try to get back on her feet and restore her balance from her proximity to the blast when the tank fired a second time, blowing a hole in the castle wall and building speed toward it.
Mander had been far enough away from the blast to have retained his footing. Unfortunately, the tank was building speed away from him. He saw the body of the one he'd shot in the head get tossed onto the tank, dangling over a tread, before the hatch closed. When he recognized he could never catch up with it but saw that it's course would intercept Maria as she wound her way down La Collina, he ran to Helen. He saw her state and helped steady her, fishing a spare pair of foam earplugs out of his pocket and giving them to Helen.
Helen didn't know if putting them in her ears while they were still ringing was beneficial or harmful but didn't have time to Google it. She mentally flipped a coin and put them in. At least they'd stop ringing before the next round, if the tank had more loaded. She recovered her balance and tried to will the ringing to stop. She looked over at the van.
"Maybe up to six in that van and you got one!" Helen needlessly yelled, too busy thinking about the situation to notice that Mander had still been wearing his since his flight there. "They'd have to smuggle the ammo past the gate! Can't have had time to load it all!"
Mander turned to her and used sign language, which, being a language, Helen understood.
"That thing can get up to about 55 kph." He signed to her as they speed-walked up the stairs to his bag. "And they won't be using that machine gun again. She'll outrun it Bob's Yer Uncle."
"No!" Helen shouted a little less as the ringing started to decrease. "Maria won't endanger The People! She'll try to do what Vincenzo would do: Stay in his sights and let the fucker TRY and hit her in that car! He's gotta run out of shells sometime!"
Mander nodded as they reached his bag and he opened it, revealing the cornucopia of weapons and ammunition within. He took out an AK-47, set it on the ground next to him, then fished in the bag for a couple of other objects that he produced and handed to Helen.
Helen took the old Vietnam-Era "Blooper" grenade launcher and two rounds for it. Mander slung the AK over his shoulder and was about to sign to Helen how to load and use it when, to his surprise, she flipped it open and did so herself.
"I hang out with Ultimados a lot! You learn things!" She nudged her head, able to hear things over the ringing now, but still muted by the foam plugs. "Garage is this way!" She started running, Mander running behind, shouting over her shoulder as she ran for the door marked Autorimessa. "We need something that'll matter!"
* * *
It was for this reason that, the moment Maria saw that the barrel of the tank's main cannon was pointed at her sports car, instinct kicked in, and she put the car in gear and stomped on the gas pedal. She sped away unharmed from the explosion that sent everyone else nearby to the ground from its shockwave. The gate guard registered the rapidly accelerating vehicle uncharacteristically speeding toward him as Lady Maria's in time to lift the barrier for her to leave the Castle with only minor chips and cracks.
* * *
Contessa Helena de San Finzione was trying to recover both her hearing and leaning against a marble column to try to get back on her feet and restore her balance from her proximity to the blast when the tank fired a second time, blowing a hole in the castle wall and building speed toward it.
Mander had been far enough away from the blast to have retained his footing. Unfortunately, the tank was building speed away from him. He saw the body of the one he'd shot in the head get tossed onto the tank, dangling over a tread, before the hatch closed. When he recognized he could never catch up with it but saw that it's course would intercept Maria as she wound her way down La Collina, he ran to Helen. He saw her state and helped steady her, fishing a spare pair of foam earplugs out of his pocket and giving them to Helen.
Helen didn't know if putting them in her ears while they were still ringing was beneficial or harmful but didn't have time to Google it. She mentally flipped a coin and put them in. At least they'd stop ringing before the next round, if the tank had more loaded. She recovered her balance and tried to will the ringing to stop. She looked over at the van.
"Maybe up to six in that van and you got one!" Helen needlessly yelled, too busy thinking about the situation to notice that Mander had still been wearing his since his flight there. "They'd have to smuggle the ammo past the gate! Can't have had time to load it all!"
Mander turned to her and used sign language, which, being a language, Helen understood.
"That thing can get up to about 55 kph." He signed to her as they speed-walked up the stairs to his bag. "And they won't be using that machine gun again. She'll outrun it Bob's Yer Uncle."
"No!" Helen shouted a little less as the ringing started to decrease. "Maria won't endanger The People! She'll try to do what Vincenzo would do: Stay in his sights and let the fucker TRY and hit her in that car! He's gotta run out of shells sometime!"
Mander nodded as they reached his bag and he opened it, revealing the cornucopia of weapons and ammunition within. He took out an AK-47, set it on the ground next to him, then fished in the bag for a couple of other objects that he produced and handed to Helen.
Helen took the old Vietnam-Era "Blooper" grenade launcher and two rounds for it. Mander slung the AK over his shoulder and was about to sign to Helen how to load and use it when, to his surprise, she flipped it open and did so herself.
"I hang out with Ultimados a lot! You learn things!" She nudged her head, able to hear things over the ringing now, but still muted by the foam plugs. "Garage is this way!" She started running, Mander running behind, shouting over her shoulder as she ran for the door marked Autorimessa. "We need something that'll matter!"
* * *
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