A/n: 51 views in one day, I feel honoured! Phoenix921996, thanks for the review! I'll try to keep up the standards, enjoy.
May 5th, 2016, 2:43 AM
I need your help.
May 5th, 2016, 2:54 AM
Good morning too. Passport?
May 5th, 2016, 2:54 AM
187. Let's be creative with the name this time. And what exactly is so good about this morning?
May 5th, 2016, 2:56 AM
Hm. So it's the old guys eh? How many gone?
May 5th, 2016, 2:58 AM
Six. And no, it's another subdivision trying to impress. You'd think they'd be more careful after Madagascar. Are you making any progress?
May 5th, 2016, 3:01 AM
Is Janice Harper anything?
May 5th, 2016, 3:01 AM
Janice? Srsly?
May 5th, 2016, 3:03 AM
How about Skylar?
May 5th, 2016, 3:04 AM
Better. I'm off in 2h 10m so you have some time.
May 5th, 2016, 3:07 AM
Whereto first?
May 5th, 2016, 3:07 AM
DC
May 5th, 2016, 3:08 AM
You're sure? Even after..
May 5th, 2016, 3:13 AM
Yes Ryuu, even after. It's an unpredictable move, the last country they'll expect me to go to. And even so I'll probably remain on the other side. I have no intentions on being within a 100 km range.
May 5th, 2016, 3:14 AM
If you say so..
Any difference from last time?
May 5th, 2016, 3:16 AM
I think I'll go with brown this time. Give me a sec.
May 5th, 2016, 3:41 AM
Still there?
May 5th, 2016, 3:42 AM
You call that a sec? You're getting slower.
Will you please send me a pic this time? Are you wearing make-up? I can't tell.
May 5th, 2016, 3:44 AM
Shut up.
May 5th, 2016, 3:44 AM
Or just a name?
May 5th, 2016, 3:44 AM
When will it be finished?
May 5th, 2016, 3:44 AM
That's not nice, you know.
It'll be done within time, ma'am. You can fill in the blanks yourself afterwards.
May 5th, 2016, 3:45 AM
If you'd be sitting next to me I would've slapped you, just so you know.
May 5th, 2016, 3:47 AM
You're able to kill a man in more than 50 ways with only a pencil, and the only thing you come up with is slapping? How pathetic.
May 5th, 2016, 3:47 AM
I don't do killings anymore, remember.
May 5th, 2016, 3:48 AM
Wow, you actually said the word. I didn't think I'd live to see that day.
May 5th, 2016, 2:58 AM
It's been 3.5 years Ryuu. Get over it.
May 5th, 2016, 2:58 AM
If looks could kill though..
May 5th, 2016, 3:48 AM
Ryuu
May 5th, 2016, 3:48 AM
All right, all right, I'm on it
May 5th, 2016, 6:02 AM
I sent the data through to you, you still there?
May 5th, 2016, 6:04 AM
Just in time, I'm in the terminal. Average security, just my luck.
May 5th, 2016, 6:23 AM
.. made it through?
May 5th, 2016, 6:27 AM
Barely. Had some trouble with the knifes, as usual. And she was wearing gloves. I owe you one, this passport's brilliant.
May 5th, 2016, 6:27 AM
You owe me five times I recall.
May 5th, 2016, 6:28 AM
Mali doesn't count. I got d*** near killed that day.
May 5th, 2016, 6:28 AM
That wasn't my fault, they hacked the airlines.
May 5th, 2016, 6:30 AM
Well, whatever. Wait, isn't it 5:30 PM over there?
May 5th, 2016, 6:30 AM
Yeah, you're living tomorrow just so you know. And you don't interrupt anything or whatever, I'm pretty much a no-lifer.
May 5th, 2016, 6:31 AM
.. I almost feel sorry for you.
May 5th, 2016, 6:31 AM
Don't you have a flight to catch?
May 5th, 2016, 6:31 AM
Yes mom.
May 5th, 2016, 6:32 AM
.. touché
Text me when you arrive 'kay?
With a sigh I turned off my phone at the stewardesses demand. The man next to me also set his laptop on stand-by, and had to actually place it on his lap before she was content. The 'she' in question had dark brown hair, which was pulled back in the obligatory knot, and she was wearing the blue top and skirt of the airlines. Her deep brown eyes studied her fake nails for a moment before she moved on to check the next row down the aisle. The plane was filled entirely, but one woman had cancelled her flight a la minute, giving me the possibility to purchase her seat for a much cheaper price. And now, about 15 minutes later, I was sitting in between a man and woman, on the unfortunate middle seat. The new clothes I'd changed into were a tad warm, a white cardigan, ripped jeans and black trainers. I slumped a bit further, relief washed over me as the plane took off, pushing everyone back in their seats. I'd escaped another time. It was a strange experience though – for two years and a month I'd been able to remain under their radar. Fortunately Ryuu still had his phone nearby – it had surprised me he had responded so fast.
We'd first made contact in Costa Rica – eight days after my escape. The woman I was living with at that time was also my black market-contact, able to provide me with everything I needed – everything except official documents. No documents, no flights. When I explained my problem to her she'd nodded kindly. She was an a little overweight, 62-year-old Spanish lady, her kind face decorated with black and grey hair. No-one would expect her to be involved in any illegal practices, and that made her the perfect person.
"Quizá sabo una persona..", she'd mumbled.
"Quien?", I'd demanded, but she shook her head.
"No no, hay que ser paciente."
"Pero-"
She turned to face me and pointed the spoon she was using for cooking at me, tomato sauce dripping off: "Ya que la pacencia es una virtud importante en la vida."
Exactly two days later I'd received a message.
October 16th, 2012, 4:31 PM
Hello. I understood you needed my help?
Not willing to take any risks I'd gone to Matilda (the Spanish lady), and showed her the number: "Quien es esa persona?"
She was doing the laundry, and when she cast a glance at the screen of my phone she smiled. "Es un amigo mío. Le dió tu número de teléfono porque puede ayudarte en tu huida."
"No es fuga, yo escapé.", I mumbled.
October 16th, 2012, 4:43 PM
Can you?
October 16th, 2012, 4:44 PM
That depends. I was told something about a passport..?
October 16th, 2012, 4:45 PM
Can I trust you? You could be literally everyone.
October 16th, 2012, 4:45 PM
The woman who gave me your number trusts me. But you might as well never trust me, you don't know me after all. I could be the president of the US, the queen of Britain or your neighbour.
October 16th, 2012, 4:46 PM
That's one whole list of possible people less.
World country list, can you arrange a passport for 105?
October 16th, 2012, 4:46 PM
Let me see. Can YOU be trusted?
October 16th, 2012, 4:47 PM
I'm the one on the run, you know.
October 16th, 2012, 4:47 PM
Oh, I like you already. Let me see. 105 huh? Should be easy.
October 16th, 2012, 4:47 PM
What can I call you?
October 16th, 2012, 4:48 PM
Hmm. I've always loved Japanese names, so how about Ryuu?
October 16th, 2012, 4:48 PM
Ryuu as in Dragon Spirit?
October 16th, 2012, 4:48 PM
Just a number is so easy to trace. And it's no fun. Now what's your name?
October 16th, 2012, 4:49 PM
Call me Kitsune, then.
October 16th, 2012, 4:49 PM
Very well, little fox.
That's basically how it started. After the blunder of Mali I'd scolded him more than necessary, but I'd lost my confidence in him. But it turned out he was shocked too, and within a day we made up again. Ever since he'd arranged the official documents, and I'd given him sort of a social life. He was a weird guy, but he was probably the only person in the world besides Hydra who knew parts of my past, and whom I could talk to whenever I needed company. We had made three rules: 1) never mention the other to outsiders, 2) when you get caught, delete this thread, and 3) no visual contact. This was for safety, since either of us has done enough illegal things to spend ten lifetimes in prison. And even so, by now I only knew in which time zone he was living, his gender, that he had a degree in English and was brilliant with computers. And that he was a no-lifer.
But there was no point in worrying over that: with a 12-hour flight ahead and my phone in airplane mode there wasn't much I could do to change the status quo, and besides, Sanguin wouldn't recover for the next few days. The man next to me had picked up his work on the laptop again, and the woman on my other side was watching Into the Woods. I figured I might as well do just that (not the Into the Woods-part). After a hectic morning like this some rest was more than welcome.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We've already started our descent procedure into Washington airport. We expect to land at 7:18 PM, 13 minutes before our scheduled time. If you want to adjust your watch, it is 6:18 AM in Washington DC now. The weather is a bit overcast and the temperature is 9 degrees Celsius. We wish you a pleasant stay in the city and we hope to see you again very soon. On behalf of all our crew, thank you for choosing our company as your airline today."
A good 12.5 hours and four movies later the aircraft at last started its descend. It was 6:18 AM, May 5th (again). This time zone-business was something I preferred not to think about too much, it only confused me more about the fact that after the flight it was the same morning. Slowly the cloud masses made place for the lay-out of the city. The closer we got, the clearer all the different buildings, vehicles and eventually people became. A city like Washington DC was already up at 5, and everybody was in a hurry to get to work simultaneously, creating massive blocks in the traffic flow.
The moment the 'belts on' sign turned off I rose from my seat, my muscles yearning for a stretch, but had to wait for the woman, who turned out to be oblivious to the fact that there were two people waiting for her to finish packing up all that she had not used during the flight.
A quarter later – since everyone in the plane wanted to get out as fast as possible it created an enormous chaos each and every flight again – I was walking down a long corridor in the arrival section of the airport. Backpack slung over one shoulder, I gratefully stretched my arms above my head. The ventilators blew a cool, refreshing wind through the white hall, simultaneously carrying away the both comforting and off-putting airplane-scent.
All of the sudden I remembered the request Ryuu had made, and I took my phone from my backpack to switch off the airplane mode. I'd received 9 messages; all from Ryuu. You really are an impatient one, aren't you? But as I went through them my initial smile turned into a frown.
May 4th, 2016, 9:36 PM
Waiting for a plane to land is sooo boring you know.
May 4th, 2016, 10:15 PM
Right now I'm watching you fly across the Pacific.
May 4th, 2016, 10:43 PM
This. Is. Taking. So. Long.
May 4th, 2016, 11:01 PM
How long until you're there?
May 4th, 2016, 11:24 PM
Wait a minute, someone's out there.
May 4th, 2016, 11:24 PM
I never have visitors, this is weird. My neighbour lives 10 miles down the road..
May 4th, 2016, 11:24 PM
I don't trust this, as I'm texting I can see black SUV's outside
May 4th, 2016, 11:25 PM
Shit
May 4th, 2016, 11:25 PM
I'm sorry little fox
This number doesn't exist. Please try again.
I was doomed.
He had sent them seven hours ago, more than enough time for someone with a little knowledge about phones to track my signal. Ryuu had more information about me than anyone, including my current whereabouts, meaning that if he hadn't been able to wipe the data I was walking straight into a trap. Black SUV's: most likely an intelligence agency, so they would take on a more subtle approach. I quickly scanned the surroundings as I pocketed my phone. This would be the perfect location: no place to hide, and the large group of people that were my cover could very well be used by agents to blend in.
I decided to slow my pace just enough to reach the back of the group, out of precaution. It might be only paranoia, but if there was one thing I'd learnt in the past was that you can never be too careful, especially with these guys. CIA, NSA, FBI? Something told me that if any of those had attempted to create a trap there would have been men in body armour and helmets storming through the halls. It was far from subtle, but it was effective – most of the time. Numbers didn't assure victory, after all.
Down the corridor there was a more open space: the midfield concourse. From there it was only a short walk to the main concourse, and out of the airport. Happy with the extra space the ex-passengers spread out a little, their suitcases rolling after them over the floor, resulting in a constant rumbling, combined with multiple footsteps and softened conversations.
A look over my shoulder – no one sprang out as suspicious. Perhaps I'm being paranoid.. After all, that they caught Ryuu does not immediately mean that they know everything about me. Who knows, he might even have succeeded in wiping the data and faced the men in suits empty handed. Instead of skipping to conclu-
A small prick in the neck interrupted my train of thoughts, and my pace faltered. What in the world- In a reflex my hand went up, and my fingers curled around something the shape and size of a needle before pulling it out. For a few seconds I stared dumbly at the object – somehow a feeling of weariness flowed through me instead of the expected adrenaline, making it hard to identify the object. Confusion.. Drowsiness..
Then it struck me that a heavy sedative had entered my systems. You should've been more watchful, should've been more careful! You stupid idiot, one sniper is enough to take you out?!
The feeling in my legs started to disappear, and my arms were trembling. They caught me.. They caught me.. After all this time.. Just as my balance failed, a pair of strong hands took hold of my arm. What- Who- No, get off me! I did an attempt to lift my arm – and failed miserably. This thing was too strong, my arm too heavy.
My mind couldn't keep up with the events, my vision was blurry and things were hard to process. The hands- the person led me somewhere. Outside. There were some voices, and next I knew I was down onto something familiar smelling – leather, yes, leather. It rumbled nicely, almost soothingly. A car. This is a car. I'm in a car. One thought penetrated the fogginess in my mind; it was also the last thing I remembered before I surrendered to sleep.
And it wasn't a nice word.