The Gunner was the one who caught a shotgun blast. The boss now cursed for the second time as he also heard the sirens. He cursed the first time when the target shot from the bar at a strange, impossible speed. He couldn't understand how a human, be it Space Commando or anyone else, could be so freaking fast. That was until he saw a jet of rocket fire emanating from the target's left leg. That pissed the boss off. The colonel clearly hadn't told them everything...When the boss met the colonel for the first and only time, he had a feeling that the colonel didn't tell him everything about this decorated Space Commando. Now the boss decided the colonel deserved another visit with a different sort of conversation — a more compelling one. But first, they needed to get out of there and regroup.

He didn't care about the barman — even though he had disrupted their perfect mission — nor was it necessary to eliminate him. The trio's faces were disguised with a special face cover, capable of tricking even the best of CCTV. It's like they weren't even here. And, besides, "no questions asked" bar didn't have any in the first place. What the boss really cared about was the mission — and the fact that the people who hired them didn't tolerate failure. They also didn't tolerate excuses. He and his team have only some 48 hours or so left to complete the mission. However, their foe was now informed, would be prepared for the next encounter, and wouldn't go down without a fight. Nor was he likely to flee; the boss's gut feeling told him that. And the boss always trusted his gut feeling. "Fucking barman..." the boss exclaimed one last time before closing the subject in his mind and concentrating on the task at hand.

"Come on, Gunner, pick up your sorry ass and let's get out of here," the boss said through his earpiece. "You're one lucky bastard." The standing duo helped the Gunner and quickly moved out of the building. Their getaway car was parked nearby. He pressed the button on his communicator and their military suits transformed into torn blood-covered civilian clothing while they carried the injured Gunner. Their guns were left to self-destruct to avoid unnecessary attention. The small crowd has already gathered around the bar. It's not every day you hear explosions and get this kind of action in District 44.

One bystander, apparently the bravest one or the dumbest one, depending on one's point of view approached the trio.

"Guys, are you all right, what the hell happened here?"
"How do we know? We were sipping our drinks, minding our own business, the usual. And then we heard the explosion and all hell broke loose. Apparently, someone was settling an old score with a barman..." Said the boss and continued toward the car. The best lie was half the truth, thought the boss.
"Where are you going?" the bystander continued. "The police are coming... I'm not sure you guys can just leave like that."
"You're right, of course, but our friend is injured and needs help. He was caught in a crossfire, and we need to bring him to the hospital. You know how social services work in this part of town?" the boss said in a calm voice and a kind smile on his face, trying not too look annoyed or just break the bystander's neck.
"Hmm... I still think you should wait for the police — maybe the ambulance will come too."
"Some people just can't mind their own business, can they?" the boss thought to himself before turning back to the bystander.
Here are our holo cards. Please ask the police to get in touch with us, so that we could help them out. But now we really need to go and bring our friend to the hospital before it is too late."

The boss handed over the holo cards to the annoying bystander and quickly turned away toward the car. His partners in crime were already inside, and the Gunner was in the back seat. The boss pressed a few buttons on the panel and was glad to get out of there.

The bystander thought the whole encounter was a bit suspicious and was excited to report it to the police later—maybe he'd finally get noticed by that chick at reception. He would surely be a star witness; he was already dreaming about all the attention he was going to get. He then watched the car take off, its anti-grav engine activating.

The bystander was surprised: those cars cost a small fortune, and only the crème de la crème of the district could afford them. Those three guys looked like ordinary dockers; how could they afford such a car? The surprise, however, didn't last long. As soon as the car became a dot on the horizon, the bystander was turned into atoms by the exploding holo cards. That happened just in time for the police to see it and make their day even more messed up than it had already promised to be.