Chapter Three
And did we run.
"Operator?" I barely heard Maybell over the sound of my beating heart. There were gunshots as Daggert, Puma, uh... James! That's his name! , and I ran towards the wall of the warehouse and jumped, sailing up to the second ramp.
"Yeah, Maybell?" I asked, firing my Browning at the Agents as they came in. I saw the glint of police uniforms behind them. "We need an exit, uh, now!"
James and Daggert leapt through the hole in the wall that I had made before, followed by Puma and me. With a whooshing sound, the two Agents were on the second ramp.
"There's an exit on the phone in First and Central subway," Maybell replied.
"We should split up!" I yelled as we scurried up the wall to the roof. "Meet at the subway!"
The roof exploded open as an Agent burst through it. I chanced a kick at it's head and missed, earning a blow in the stomach sending me flying into Puma. I rolled with the hit, on my feet mere seconds after we both hit the ground but by the then the second Agent had climbed to the roof. Daggert and James leapt to the next building and leapt out of sight. I leapt in the air and whirled, aiming a kick at the second Agent. It was like kicking into a bag filled with sand. I tried to block the first three punches but there was no way to dodge the fourth.
"Let's move!" Puma said and we were off as four police officers managed to get to the roof. I leapt off the building with Puma, soaring down to the ground below. I rolled as I went down and was at my feet the second we hit the ground, sending cement shards everywhere. The Agents had the same idea and I felt a bullet whiz past my ear. Puma and I were running, eyes looking everywhere for where the Agents would turn up next. I swore as a schoolbus suddenly swerved in our direction. I jumped upwards, landing on it's roof and found the nearby hotdog vendor suddenly wearing a suit, sunglasses and packing lead. I landed on the ground and rolled to avoid the gunfire and was running again. An mother checking on her baby was suddenly firing at me and so was the paperboy. Three police cars suddenly drove out in front of me and out came several officers.
"Freeze!" they yelled. I leapt up and flew at the officer, grabbing the gun he had and his arm. I whirled in mid-air with it, turning the officer and firing the gun, hoping some of the bullets hit the Agent. I let go, flew backwards and somersaulted to my feet as I hit the ground. The three officers fell to my Browning.
"Brian!" Puma yelled, pointing to the entrance to the subway. I nodded and ran at it full speed as a sewer entrance and the door to a popular department store burst open and suddenly there was flying missiles of death about me. I looked to either alleyway and saw Daggert and James running towards us. We all leapt down the subway entrance together.
"James first," Daggert insisted when we leapt for the ringing payphone.
"Uh... Puma," I urged, turning suddenly at the sound of footsteps. Lots of them.
"Daggert, you next," Puma said and watched as Daggert disappeared.
"Puma..." I continued as I saw the Agent's feet appear at the top of stairs. I grabbed the now userless phone and put it back on the hook.
"C'mon..." I hissed at the phone as I saw the Agent run down the stairs. It rang as the Agent raised his gun. I picked it up. This was going to be a close call.
I can't remember what I screamed in that micro-second in which the phone exploded, but it was probably one of those words that gets you fired from jobs and lands you in principal's offices.
I launched myself backwards, flipping as the second gunshot came from the Agent as the second Agent appeared as well as the police officers. I turned and ran, holding up my cell phone.
"Operator," a very exasperated Maybell began.
"Exit! Now!" I yelled as I ran up the stairs to the subway exit.
"Take your next turn down the alleyway and leap over the aqueduct. The lake is beyond the fence. Beyond the lake is Major Park. In the Major Park playground there's an exit. It's the closest one."
"Fine!" I yelled and hung up and then thought better of it. If I pissed her off now, would she upload me? Of course she would. The walls around me exploded from the gunfire as I exited onto the street. A car skidded to a stop in front of me and I flipped to the side to avoid the gunfire from inside. I turned to the right and ran down the alleyway. The two Agents ran down behind me, mere metres from me. The alleyway came up to a ledge, overlooking the huge drop into the abandoned aqueduct and on the otherside was a tall wooden fence. Over that was a lake. Beyond the lake was Major Park and the exit. I ran up onto the wooden box and leapt, turning as I went, firing my Browning as I flew backwards, towards the fence. One of the Agents leapt to the side to avoid the shots and lost the momentum to jump. The second Agent leapt, got caught in the shoulder and dropped to his "death". The police officers fired but miraculously missed me as I flew over the fence. I turned as I flew and went into a bullet shape and dived down into the lake below. I began to swim as fast as I could and managed to make it to land before the telltale sign of the Agent's splash behind me. The second Agent came out from behind a tree and fired. I leapt up, to avoid the bullet, and bounced off the tree, landing a kick at the Agent's face that knocked him to the ground. I rolled and flipped in the air. I landed and launched a kick at the nearest tree. The trunk exploded and fell, causing the first Agent to dodge it. I turned and ran, smiling. I might just make it out alive today. I hit the ground as the Agent grabbed my legs. The Agent smiled at me for a brief moment and then snarled as he swung his arms and launched me straight into a tree. I hit the ground, bark flying about me and leapt up as the Agent flew forward. I kicked him twice and swung my arm, knocking the sunglasses off his face.
Oh... crap... I thought as he turned his face towards me. He grabbed me by the jacket and swung his arms and threw me at another tree. This time the stump gave away and the trunk fell as I leapt up, hitting my back and causing me to hit the ground again. I lifted it up and threw it away and groggily got to my feet. My smash to my face that just barely failed to break my nose knocked me into another tree. I got to my feet and looked at the Agent who took out his gun and pointed it at me.
"Pathetic," the Agent hissed and fired. I slapped the tree with both hands and leapt, sailing up into the tree branches as the bullet flew into the spot where I was microseconds before. Off in the distance, I heard the ring. I took a run and jumped, flying through the air, towards the payphone. I hit the ground and was up again, running. Running my ass off as the bullets flew through the air. I ignored the hit to my leg and grabbed at the phone. Hell, it wasn't real anyways. There was an electronic beep as I opened my eyes and found myself back home.
And did we run.
"Operator?" I barely heard Maybell over the sound of my beating heart. There were gunshots as Daggert, Puma, uh... James! That's his name! , and I ran towards the wall of the warehouse and jumped, sailing up to the second ramp.
"Yeah, Maybell?" I asked, firing my Browning at the Agents as they came in. I saw the glint of police uniforms behind them. "We need an exit, uh, now!"
James and Daggert leapt through the hole in the wall that I had made before, followed by Puma and me. With a whooshing sound, the two Agents were on the second ramp.
"There's an exit on the phone in First and Central subway," Maybell replied.
"We should split up!" I yelled as we scurried up the wall to the roof. "Meet at the subway!"
The roof exploded open as an Agent burst through it. I chanced a kick at it's head and missed, earning a blow in the stomach sending me flying into Puma. I rolled with the hit, on my feet mere seconds after we both hit the ground but by the then the second Agent had climbed to the roof. Daggert and James leapt to the next building and leapt out of sight. I leapt in the air and whirled, aiming a kick at the second Agent. It was like kicking into a bag filled with sand. I tried to block the first three punches but there was no way to dodge the fourth.
"Let's move!" Puma said and we were off as four police officers managed to get to the roof. I leapt off the building with Puma, soaring down to the ground below. I rolled as I went down and was at my feet the second we hit the ground, sending cement shards everywhere. The Agents had the same idea and I felt a bullet whiz past my ear. Puma and I were running, eyes looking everywhere for where the Agents would turn up next. I swore as a schoolbus suddenly swerved in our direction. I jumped upwards, landing on it's roof and found the nearby hotdog vendor suddenly wearing a suit, sunglasses and packing lead. I landed on the ground and rolled to avoid the gunfire and was running again. An mother checking on her baby was suddenly firing at me and so was the paperboy. Three police cars suddenly drove out in front of me and out came several officers.
"Freeze!" they yelled. I leapt up and flew at the officer, grabbing the gun he had and his arm. I whirled in mid-air with it, turning the officer and firing the gun, hoping some of the bullets hit the Agent. I let go, flew backwards and somersaulted to my feet as I hit the ground. The three officers fell to my Browning.
"Brian!" Puma yelled, pointing to the entrance to the subway. I nodded and ran at it full speed as a sewer entrance and the door to a popular department store burst open and suddenly there was flying missiles of death about me. I looked to either alleyway and saw Daggert and James running towards us. We all leapt down the subway entrance together.
"James first," Daggert insisted when we leapt for the ringing payphone.
"Uh... Puma," I urged, turning suddenly at the sound of footsteps. Lots of them.
"Daggert, you next," Puma said and watched as Daggert disappeared.
"Puma..." I continued as I saw the Agent's feet appear at the top of stairs. I grabbed the now userless phone and put it back on the hook.
"C'mon..." I hissed at the phone as I saw the Agent run down the stairs. It rang as the Agent raised his gun. I picked it up. This was going to be a close call.
I can't remember what I screamed in that micro-second in which the phone exploded, but it was probably one of those words that gets you fired from jobs and lands you in principal's offices.
I launched myself backwards, flipping as the second gunshot came from the Agent as the second Agent appeared as well as the police officers. I turned and ran, holding up my cell phone.
"Operator," a very exasperated Maybell began.
"Exit! Now!" I yelled as I ran up the stairs to the subway exit.
"Take your next turn down the alleyway and leap over the aqueduct. The lake is beyond the fence. Beyond the lake is Major Park. In the Major Park playground there's an exit. It's the closest one."
"Fine!" I yelled and hung up and then thought better of it. If I pissed her off now, would she upload me? Of course she would. The walls around me exploded from the gunfire as I exited onto the street. A car skidded to a stop in front of me and I flipped to the side to avoid the gunfire from inside. I turned to the right and ran down the alleyway. The two Agents ran down behind me, mere metres from me. The alleyway came up to a ledge, overlooking the huge drop into the abandoned aqueduct and on the otherside was a tall wooden fence. Over that was a lake. Beyond the lake was Major Park and the exit. I ran up onto the wooden box and leapt, turning as I went, firing my Browning as I flew backwards, towards the fence. One of the Agents leapt to the side to avoid the shots and lost the momentum to jump. The second Agent leapt, got caught in the shoulder and dropped to his "death". The police officers fired but miraculously missed me as I flew over the fence. I turned as I flew and went into a bullet shape and dived down into the lake below. I began to swim as fast as I could and managed to make it to land before the telltale sign of the Agent's splash behind me. The second Agent came out from behind a tree and fired. I leapt up, to avoid the bullet, and bounced off the tree, landing a kick at the Agent's face that knocked him to the ground. I rolled and flipped in the air. I landed and launched a kick at the nearest tree. The trunk exploded and fell, causing the first Agent to dodge it. I turned and ran, smiling. I might just make it out alive today. I hit the ground as the Agent grabbed my legs. The Agent smiled at me for a brief moment and then snarled as he swung his arms and launched me straight into a tree. I hit the ground, bark flying about me and leapt up as the Agent flew forward. I kicked him twice and swung my arm, knocking the sunglasses off his face.
Oh... crap... I thought as he turned his face towards me. He grabbed me by the jacket and swung his arms and threw me at another tree. This time the stump gave away and the trunk fell as I leapt up, hitting my back and causing me to hit the ground again. I lifted it up and threw it away and groggily got to my feet. My smash to my face that just barely failed to break my nose knocked me into another tree. I got to my feet and looked at the Agent who took out his gun and pointed it at me.
"Pathetic," the Agent hissed and fired. I slapped the tree with both hands and leapt, sailing up into the tree branches as the bullet flew into the spot where I was microseconds before. Off in the distance, I heard the ring. I took a run and jumped, flying through the air, towards the payphone. I hit the ground and was up again, running. Running my ass off as the bullets flew through the air. I ignored the hit to my leg and grabbed at the phone. Hell, it wasn't real anyways. There was an electronic beep as I opened my eyes and found myself back home.