AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter immediately follows chapter 5, and forces Mary into a roller coaster of none-stop action.
Fun Fact: While I can say that I envision Emma Stone as Mary/ Agent Rooke, I honestly haven't matched any actor with Agent Pierce nor Agent Bryce. They are meant to be generic Agents, so I don't think it is overly important since they don't play a huge role in the story. But while I chose their names for their meanings, I recently re-watched one of my favorite movies "American Psycho" and discovered that maybe I subconsciously chose them. The name of the fictional Wall Street investment firm that the main characters work at is called 'Pierce & Pierce'. One of the main character's colleagues names is 'Timothy Bryce', and like the others, he is just as full of himself as the next.
The butterflies had hatched from their chrysalises within the depths of Mary's stomach as she retrieved the phone from the librarian. With cautious hands, she placed the receiver to her ear.
"Hello?" Mary said simply, attempting to appear casual in front of the increasingly confused librarian.
The phone spoke back to her, in a faint voice that only she could hear and recognize.
"We received your signal, Mary. We know that you have temporarily evaded their custody, but if you go back out that front door, you will meet a horrible fate. You know too much, Mary, too much that even a pill may not wipe your memory entirely clean. They are going to kill you, and I will not allow that to happen." Morpheus' voice was sincere yet strict.
"What c-can I do?" Mary replied with her voice slightly weaving in and out of panic. "W-where can I go?"
"Exit out the back door of the library and move through the alleyways towards the nearest subway station. Keep a low profile and do not be seen by anyone. Is that clear?" With a silent nod from Mary, he continued. "Mouse will be waiting for you there. Now, as soon as you're ready, go. There is no turning back from here. Good luck, I will see you shortly."
The phone cut out which prompted her to return the receiver to the librarian.
"Mary, I may not be your blood, but you tell me this instant what's wrong! Ever since your last visit you haven't been yourself. I look at you and you look back with these hollow gray eyes… Like you've seen Death himself!" Mrs. Turner had arisen from her desk and appeared as if she was about to pounce on Mary. "It's okay, you can tell me."
She opened her arms and Mary homed in to complete the hug.
"Do you ever feel like… even your own shadow is against you? No matter what you do, no matter where you go, and even in your own home, you're a prisoner. Just living out your life, living a lie, and knowing that you're living in a lie. A pareidolia within an imaginary world." Mary removed her chin from the librarian's shoulder and met her face-to-face, refusing to release the woman from her tight grip. "Have you ever seen an aerial view of this city? Do you know what it looks like?"
"Sweetie, how much Halloween candy was left over this year?" The bewildered woman inquired.
Completely ignoring the question she pressed forwards, "It looks pretty similar to a printed circuit board. Quite peculiar really, and yet not at all, a vague reminder of being just another component laminated into a recycled pathway."
"Honey, did you slip on some black ice on your way here and give your noodle a bump? You're losing your grip, Mary..." She brushed back Mary's long hair to examine her normal forehead, then felt it with her palm. "Have you caught the flu bug that's been going around? You didn't overdose on the pharmaceuticals again, did you?"
"It's more powerful than God. It's more evil than the Devil. The poor have it. The rich need it. If you eat it you will die. What am I?" Met with silence and an increasingly upset façade from the librarian, Mary answered her own riddle in a frazzled tone. "Nothing. I am nothing, and I am no one. You can touch my flesh, we can exchange words, but I am simply not there. None of us are. We are not real, because we are nothing!"
Mary broke free from the librarian's grasp, reclaimed her now opened tea, and burst out of the back door of the library. Outside, the snow still fell heavily like a waterfall and maintained minimal visibility like mist. Mary's heart was hammering against her ribcage and her breath materialized against the icy air. She quickly grabbed a clean handful of snow and ate it, and then another. She exhaled a few more times to find her breath concealed. No visible breath meant she could travel like a shadow and remain undetected in any territory.
From behind the cover a garbage dumpster, she poked her head around at the street that laid about ten feet away. Even with the winter storm that was passing through many people still commuted as normal, although traffic jams were plentiful and horrendous. She was about to proceed forwards to find camouflage within a crowd of people, when two giant hands grabbed her shoulders and seized her back into a headlock.
Struggling to find balance, she tried flailing her arms and legs, but with her eyes forced to examine the ground, she recognized the attire her captor was wearing. Either Smith had taken off his winter coat, or Pierce or Bryce had her pinned, and her thrashing subsided.
"Where are you going, Miss Simms?" Finally came the voice of Pierce breathing into her ear, his grasp around her neck only allowing her enough oxygen to survive and nothing more. "Do not try screaming."
"I won't." Mary gasped for air, and managed to cough out, "Nor should you!"
Before Pierce could respond, with her free arm, Mary tossed her steaming tea over her shoulder directly onto Pierce's face. This immediately granted her an advantage as his grip loosened and she tripped him from behind. Breaking free from the headlock, she quickly pulled out her hand sanitizer bottle and squirted out its alcoholic remnants into his eyes as his sunglasses had been torn from his face during the escape maneuver. He blindly attempted to stand up but she had already darted away into the street before his view could fathom again.
Mary took advantage of her clothing and seamlessly blended in with the black wave of business coats, tying her hair up in the process since very few businesswomen wore their hair down. The commuters of the business district were far too posh to wear wintery hats, so everyone's head was covered in a thin layer of white snowflakes as with her own. Moving only when traffic lights permitted her, she followed the crowd towards the subway station in the wintery conditions that border lined dangerously close to a hazardous whiteout.
She had successfully gained a few city blocks when a flash of dark green caught her peripheral vision. She inched her head to face the direction from whence it came, and she saw Agent Pierce, his green suit contrasting against the black and white surrounding him. His sunglasses were back on his face and his clothing was dry and free from tea stains. He just stood there, still as a statue, with his fists clenched at his sides and his face disturbingly unfazed by the bitter weather. He appeared to be reserving himself, as perhaps he didn't want to raise amok within these otherwise orderly people. He was staring directly at her, watching her flow with the crowd as if he could see clearly through the others.
Mary pulled her attention back to the pathway ahead to follow the others along the crosswalk without causing a disturbance to the uniformed mass, her mind racing over the thought of Pierce changing his clothing in such a short period of time. It was simply impossible; no ordinary person could achieve that, even if they were carrying around a second pair of identical clothing. Then another flash of dark green drew her attention across the road to where she needed to go. It was Agent Bryce, whom was standing in the exact same manner as Pierce, eyeing her like a famished predator. With her eyes focused on him, she unknowingly stepped out of line into oncoming traffic and caused a public transit bus to screech to a halt just a mere foot away from her torso. She banged on the retractable door and hopped in when the Driver opened it.
Over the Driver's infuriated jabbering, she screamed, "I'm sorry! You have to help me get out of here."
Then tears brimmed and she sobbed, "Please… Some weirdoes are chasing me!"
The Driver groaned but allowed her on as insistent honking reminded him that he was holding up traffic. She sat near the back exit, ignoring dirty looks from the other passengers, and watched Pierce and Bryce regroup to see her off. Most people would have given them the vulgar response of the middle finger, but instead a small grin spread against one of her frostbitten cheeks. Her waterworks ceased as she watched the bus gain a few more blocks in her favor and the two Agents disappear into the white fog. But her victory was short-lived as the bus came to a sudden stop in a sea of traffic surrounding a construction site. The doors flew open as people demanded to get off, and she followed suit.
Back on the sidewalk, she power walked another block with her senses on high alert as she had yet to see another Agent pop out of nowhere. She was making decent progress until she was stopped by another red light. Both her heart and jaw dropped when the sight of a black Lincoln Continental coasted into view. It pulled up in front of her at the curb, and she felt the sweat beads on her forehead crystallizing in the frozen air. Then the back passenger side suicide door opened, revealing Mouse beckoning her to jump in, which she unmindfully obeyed.
She slammed the door shut behind her as they glided away from the curb to rejoin traffic, her eyes drawn to the back of the seat in front of her. The back of a black bald man's head greeted her and she wondered if the silent man who occupied it even acknowledged her entering the vehicle. A black woman she didn't recognize was the driver, and Mouse sat beside her, biting his tongue while he had a pistol drawn to her head. Mary barely opened her mouth when her words were stolen from her vocal chords.
"I don't know what you planned on accomplishing by not taking my advice, but your defiance has cost us precious time. Time is always against us Mary, and you will do as I say from this point forward if you wish to escape this reality." Mary instantly matched this voice with Morpheus'.
"I'm sorry, Morpheus. But they had ambushed me behind the library; I couldn't risk sticking to the alley. It'd be too easy for them to stay on my tail." She stared down the pistol's barrel into Mouse's eyes. "Always the persistent type, aren't ya Mouse? Is this really necessary? You think you can get your way just because you point a gun at somebody's head?"
"It's for our protection." Replied the calm female driver.
Mary huffed, glaring over the driver's shoulder to find they were nearing Baldwin Heights, "Because I alone could take down a car full of people? Thanks for the words of encouragement, Mrs.-?"
"Niobe." The driver noted.
Mary sighed and returned her gaze back to Mouse, who clearly did not want to be pointing a gun to her temple.
"Mouse… I have to apologize for my rude behavior before. I realize that I was the one being a fool, and that as much as it pains me to say this… Tha-that you were right. You were right all along. And like an idiot, I just labeled you as being mental." Mary's eyes filled with tears again although she undoubtedly tried to hold them back. "I'm the one who's mental. This place, this city it's… it's corrupted me. I'm so sorry…"
Mouse lowered the pistol to his lap, but still had it ready to fire if necessary. His glum face brightened with a small smile as he finally spoke up, "I know, and it's okay. We're here to help you. I'm here to save you, to help you get away. So you can get away from all of this, so you can be freed fro-"
Mary forced her lips upon his to cut him off and he closed his eyes and returned the favor. After a few moments of harmonious silence, they opened their eyes with Mouse's face torn between crimson red and complete mystification.
Mary wiped away her tears and grinned, "You've already done so much for me Mouse, and I can't thank you enough. But you are just an old flame that's been long extinguished… I'm afraid there is no hope for me, because I have nothing left. Not even memories or distinguishable feelings exist now, like I'm just carrying on for the sake of being. That's why I have to get out of here, leave this city, and live out my days in the mountains. And hopefully I can die peacefully atop its peak, with my head above the clouds and far from this hellhole."
Mouse remained in weary silence as Morpheus shifted in his seat, turning around to face Mary. He was a middle-aged man wearing what seemed to be an alligator skin leather trench coat and mirror frameless, armless sunglasses.
"Please listen to me Mary when I say that you are in serious danger. I am not joking when I say to you that the safest place left for you in this world is now within our presence –not even a mountaintop can provide sanctuary to you. No matter where you go, they will hunt you, and they will kill you once they find you. Whatever purpose you think you serve, however loyal you think you've been to them will not be met with reward. They cannot afford to keep you alive, and alone you would surely be killed. They are highly efficient at what they do, and your only chance at survival is to stay with us. So please, only leave our side if you are absolutely forced to or we demand it. Do I have your word?" Morpheus asked, noting her growing discomfort as his warning seemed to have stirred something within her.
Mary raised her hand and they shook on it. She nodded and replied, "Understood. Might I add, it's a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Morpheus."
Morpheus smiled but it faded as quickly as it came as he abruptly shielded himself behind his seat. Mouse pushed Mary down into the backseat as a vehicle slammed into their bumper and the back window shattered into thousands of glass shards. Mary screamed as glass scattered over her and throughout the interior of the vehicle. Another crash into the back alerted them that their trunk had caved in, and Niobe swerved across two lanes into oncoming traffic.
"Shit!" Niobe shouted over screeching tires as she just barely avoided a head on collision with a sedan. "Morpheus! What now?"
"Focus, Niobe." He remained inhumanly calm as he proceeded to arm himself with an Uzi submachine gun. "We will get Mary out of here, we just have to focus and evade as many setbacks as we can. Mary, please remain ducking."
Mary silently nodded with her face shielded by her gloved hands, while the rest of her body trembled in a fetal position. Morpheus fired his Uzi back at the vehicle through the nonexistent back window, bullet casings piling on top of Mary's jacket, until he had released an entire magazine. Mouse covered fire with his pistol so Morpheus could reload, but he used his bullets sparingly.
Mary's eyes shot open as she heard a familiar handgun firing, the bullets zipping across the top of her head to plant themselves into the back of the front seats. Her keen ear for specific guns told her that whomever was attacking them was using a Desert Eagle handgun, and she knew of three people who carried that type of firepower.
"Those sneaky bastards…" Mary snarled, while Mouse looked at her confusedly as he reloaded his pistol. "They waited 'til they had all their eggs in one basket. That's why they didn't attack me earlier!"
Mary poked her head up as she recognized their pursuer had used up his seven rounds and would have to reload again. Behind them through whipping snow was an empty, bullet torn bus that was branded "Out of Service". Sitting in the driver's seat was Agent Bryce, completely unharmed.
"Hold on!" Cried Niobe as the car lurched on two wheels as she rounded a corner, a snowplow truck driven by Agent Pierce grazing the right side of their vehicle as it thundered passed to nearly disable the bus.
Suddenly a mixture of police car and fire truck sirens blared over top of the gun shots, while red and blue flashing lights alerted them that the Fuzz had now joined the pursuit.
Niobe swerved through six lanes of traffic as she attempted to throw off the convoy of law enforcement that trailed behind them. Bryce smashed his bus into their trunk, erasing it completely from existence as the car was now concaved on two sides. The car veered again and skidded across onto the sidewalk, people fleeing onto the street as Niobe slammed on the horn. As they neared the end of the street, the white snow cloud cleared and a police blockade awaited them.
"The parking garage!" Morpheus pointed. "To your right!"
The car took a sudden one-eighty turn and plowed through a tollgate to enter the full parking garage. Mary looked back to watch as Bryce crashed into a concrete pillar, the top half of his bus shredded off as it surpassed the ceiling clearance. Some police cars managed to file through while others piled up to block the entrance. Niobe sped towards the exit, only to be met by another fire truck blocking her escape route, this one controlled by Agent Smith. Instead, she swirled the car around again to fire up to the next level of the building. There were fewer cars and at the opposite end there was a narrow opening in the crumbling wall marked off by caution tape. Sitting in front of it was a pile of construction equipment and signs that she could use as a makeshift ramp.
"Everybody strap in!" Niobe announced as they neared the construction area.
Mouse smirked and continued, "Please secure all belongings and prepare for take off!"
Mary looked around for a seat belt to find none, as seat belts weren't regulated in original classic cars. Instead, she huddled into a ball on the debris-covered floor, bracing herself for the worst as she latched her hands onto the back of Morpheus' bullet encased seat.
The car rumbled beneath as it crossed over the wooden signs and through the crumbled opening. Then there was a sense of nothingness as the car flew serenely through the sky, forcing the other passengers to reposition themselves so they weren't sprawled against the roof of the vehicle. The void was then filled with a clash of metal smacking against asphalt as they had successfully cleared the jump and landed two stories below back on their original route. But now the vehicle was scarcely drivable, and they were quickly reminded that they were still being pursued as Agent Smith rear-ended them with his fire truck.
"Mary, use your revolver and unload a cylinder into him!" Morpheus ordered, struggling to replenish his ammo into his Uzi.
Mary looked at him with pure perplexity, even though she had subconsciously retrieved her revolver from its resting spot.
"You're asking me to shoot at another human being? What is wrong with you, harming people like it was a sport?" Mary glared at Morpheus, her revolver still at her side. "You've already caused enough damage, why cause more?"
"Do you wish to die in a metal coffin like your Mother? Or do you want to live?" Morpheus' glasses mirrored Mary's face, forcing her to glare at her own reflection.
Her eyes were mere slits as frustration made her face quiver and twist. Then she turned back as she watched the fire truck prepare to home in for another hit that targeted the car's corner. Such a battering move would have surely caused them to lose what little control they had, so Mary grudgingly pulled the gun's trigger a few times. The bullets whizzed through the air and into the front driver's side tire as she was positioned at such an angle that allowed her to target the wheel. The tire burst and Smith's focus was now diverted to maintaining control of his truck rather than shooting at his original targets.
Mary put her gun back in its holding place as she watched the truck swivel and ricochet off of parked vehicles on one side of the street and passing cars in the opposite lane of traffic. A few police cars managed to safely squeeze passed the maimed truck and preceded to attempt to box the Lincoln in. One of the cars smashed against Mary's side of the car, indenting it inwards and shattering the glass.
Mary buried herself against the floor again as more gunfire came from all angles. Squealing rubber and metal clashing with metal signified that at least two of the cops were now disabled from the chase. Violent shuddering shook the entire vehicle like an earthquake as one of the policemen had shot out their back tires.
Mouse pulled Mary back up to the seat as the shooting had ceased. She just caught the fading glimpse of the fire truck pinned between two rolled over cop cars and multiple civilian vehicles. Now only one police car trailed behind them, but the growing sound of deafening sirens meant that more police were incoming as they neared a massive park in the downtown core. This neighborhood was appropriately known as Center Park. Despite the snowy conditions, the park had seen better days as it was financially and slovenly neglected due to funding pouring into the surrounding posh apartments, museums, and restaurants instead.
"So I suppose surrendering is out of the question?" Mary joked as they thundered over potholes and bumps in the road, stirring slush in their wake.
No response came as they pummeled through the front gates of the park onto an icy yet bumpy pathway that led to a small lake in the middle of park.
"We've lost our brakes!" Niobe screamed, stomping at the brake pedal.
"On my mark, bail out." Morpheus commanded, almost unfazed by the frozen lake that was rapidly approaching their fender.
"Come again?" Mary was completely baffled at this point; she knew the car was on its last limb, but this was beyond absurd.
"Now!" Morpheus yelled over the metallic scrapes of unkempt terrain below.
At that point, all of them flung open their doors and flew out. Except Mary's door had been jammed shut from the cop car hitting it previously. She tried forcing it open using her hands, and then thrust her body weight at it as the free roaming vehicle plummeted towards the frozen water. It was a pointless effort and panic flustered her face while she tried stuffing herself out of the broken window. She was about halfway through when the hood of the car plunged through the ice into the murky green waters of the lake.
"Damn it!" She cried aloud as she managed to pull herself entirely through, but slicing her hands and legs open in the process on stubborn glass.
Blood streamed into the dark water as Mary forced her head above the freezing liquid that cleaved at her gashes and flesh alike. She wheezed and gagged as she struggled against the current that sucked her back as the car sank into its watery grave. Her muscles cramped and her arms became flimsy as gelatin as the undercurrent dragged her beneath the surface, forcing pins into her lungs and needles across her body. She felt weightless, and she watched her revolver and backpack sink into the darkness below while her hair and clothing floated lifelessly towards the light above.
Her throat pulsated and her eyes glazed over, life was slipping from her very grasp, as time itself seemed to freeze to a diluted end.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my first fanfiction story that I have ever written... Constructive reviewswould be highly appreciated!