Sharp through her ran the wail of the alarm. She wanted to block it out but the alternative was to listen to the rapid, frightful thumping of Zack's heart, so she dealt with it and kept on. On through the halls flashing red, quickly melting into a purple haze as her speed increased. Vaguely she was aware that she'd been spotted and gained a tail, just enough to concentrate on keeping out of their reach, just barely enough.
She rounded a corner and flattened herself against the wall; she needed a few seconds to think. Confront them? No. She'd manage a throw or two but she couldn't take them all at once. At least one would have time to zap her with tazers. Continue running on the planned route? No, she'd never be able to lose them, not fully. She glanced hurriedly about her surroundings and honed in on the ventilation shaft running down the middle of the ceiling. It followed every corridor. If she worked her way inside of it, she could follow the original plan without being seen. Perfect. Miracles never cease.
Mere nanoseconds passed between conception and execution, and by the time the guards had turned said corner, she'd pulled herself into the vent and shimmied away from the grate. She now lay silent in wait, ear pressed to the bottom.
"Where'd she go?"
"How the hell should I know?"
A few mumbled expletives...yadda yadda...
"Man, Renfro's gonna have our asses. On a silver platter. With those nasty green leaves that are just there for decoration."
Ahh, Renfro. So THAT'S the chick Lydecker was talking about...man, was he ever right about her...
"Would you calm yourself?"
"Hey...psst...d'ya think maybe...?"
"It's possible. Check it out."
Her breath caught as a stream of light passed through the grate and illuminated the innards of the vent. It passed a length in front of her then just above her head before disappearing back down into the world below.
"Nope. Nothin' there."
"Jesus, man, she's probably run to the other side of the building by now, after all the time we just wasted."
"Didn't I tell you to calm down?"
"Well, ya know, it's just I'd rather NOT be fired today."
"Then let's go!"
They ran off down the hall, their heavy footsteps fading into distant echoes. She waited until she could detect no sound apart from the siren and incessant, inescapable heartbeat, then continued on her merry way to freedom.
*******
He'd been wanting to say it the entire time, from the moment they'd climbed into the car. Something inside of him wanted, NEEDED to present a way out of this. As badly as he wanted to go through with it, the thought had grown to make his stomach churn and had turned him into a near nervous wreck. He didn't want to seem like the type to back down. He usually wasn't. But it had to be said, even if just out of good will.
"You don't have to do this, ya know," he uttered quickly as the older man stepped from the vehicle. "If you honestly think it's a trap, we can head back and find another way. It may take a while, but I can always dig up information the way I usually do." For a moment, he thought he saw a flash of relief in Lydecker's eyes, but it was gone just as quickly.
"By the time you get it that way, it'll probably be too late," he stated coldly. Logan let his gaze fall to the floor of the cab, then lifted his face plastered anew with his patented Sure This is Bad News, But I Understand and I'm Okay smile.
"I know," he lied. "I was just trying to make you feel better, you know, giving you a way out in case you wanted it."
A small, barely detectable grin tugged at the corners of Lydecker's mouth. "Don't bother." He slammed the door shut at that, eager to break contact before he actually did take the presented out, and began pulling on the black ski mask Logan had supplied. He usually didn't resort to such sophomoric tactics, but extra protection of any sort was welcome on this kind of mission.
Logan watched his companion prepare for a moment or two before finally gathering himself enough to pull away from the scene. He turned the radio on full blast, but not even that could drown out the feeling like he'd just sentenced himself to death.
*******
There wasn't a soul in any direction, and the blind spot of the only security camera within the area was an easy jump from the opening. She waited until it had panned away from her, then lowered herself down halfway before swinging out and landing against the right wall. Nearly two weeks ago she'd entered through this very hall, and it was finally time to leave. Only now, it was all up to her. There were no siblings. There was no getaway car. Just her, her legs, the dark expanse of the forest and good old-fashioned luck. Damn those rotten X7s...
The outside air hit her fresh and wonderful, filling her lungs to the brim, breathing life into her. Her legs pumped nearly as fast as the refreshed blood through her veins and the adrenaline set free by the knowledge that she'd once again beaten the all powerful Manticore, the proverbial Hell on Earth. The fence was cleared, trees passed, the site upon which she'd fallen dead left far behind. In the distance she thought she heard yelling and the sound of a few rounds being fired in her direction, but none of it was close enough to worry about. It was a part of everything that no longer mattered. It was a part of the past, a past of sorrow and careless mistakes. It was over and done with.
The present called for perfect freedom from everything and everyone. The present would be paid in full.
She rounded a corner and flattened herself against the wall; she needed a few seconds to think. Confront them? No. She'd manage a throw or two but she couldn't take them all at once. At least one would have time to zap her with tazers. Continue running on the planned route? No, she'd never be able to lose them, not fully. She glanced hurriedly about her surroundings and honed in on the ventilation shaft running down the middle of the ceiling. It followed every corridor. If she worked her way inside of it, she could follow the original plan without being seen. Perfect. Miracles never cease.
Mere nanoseconds passed between conception and execution, and by the time the guards had turned said corner, she'd pulled herself into the vent and shimmied away from the grate. She now lay silent in wait, ear pressed to the bottom.
"Where'd she go?"
"How the hell should I know?"
A few mumbled expletives...yadda yadda...
"Man, Renfro's gonna have our asses. On a silver platter. With those nasty green leaves that are just there for decoration."
Ahh, Renfro. So THAT'S the chick Lydecker was talking about...man, was he ever right about her...
"Would you calm yourself?"
"Hey...psst...d'ya think maybe...?"
"It's possible. Check it out."
Her breath caught as a stream of light passed through the grate and illuminated the innards of the vent. It passed a length in front of her then just above her head before disappearing back down into the world below.
"Nope. Nothin' there."
"Jesus, man, she's probably run to the other side of the building by now, after all the time we just wasted."
"Didn't I tell you to calm down?"
"Well, ya know, it's just I'd rather NOT be fired today."
"Then let's go!"
They ran off down the hall, their heavy footsteps fading into distant echoes. She waited until she could detect no sound apart from the siren and incessant, inescapable heartbeat, then continued on her merry way to freedom.
*******
He'd been wanting to say it the entire time, from the moment they'd climbed into the car. Something inside of him wanted, NEEDED to present a way out of this. As badly as he wanted to go through with it, the thought had grown to make his stomach churn and had turned him into a near nervous wreck. He didn't want to seem like the type to back down. He usually wasn't. But it had to be said, even if just out of good will.
"You don't have to do this, ya know," he uttered quickly as the older man stepped from the vehicle. "If you honestly think it's a trap, we can head back and find another way. It may take a while, but I can always dig up information the way I usually do." For a moment, he thought he saw a flash of relief in Lydecker's eyes, but it was gone just as quickly.
"By the time you get it that way, it'll probably be too late," he stated coldly. Logan let his gaze fall to the floor of the cab, then lifted his face plastered anew with his patented Sure This is Bad News, But I Understand and I'm Okay smile.
"I know," he lied. "I was just trying to make you feel better, you know, giving you a way out in case you wanted it."
A small, barely detectable grin tugged at the corners of Lydecker's mouth. "Don't bother." He slammed the door shut at that, eager to break contact before he actually did take the presented out, and began pulling on the black ski mask Logan had supplied. He usually didn't resort to such sophomoric tactics, but extra protection of any sort was welcome on this kind of mission.
Logan watched his companion prepare for a moment or two before finally gathering himself enough to pull away from the scene. He turned the radio on full blast, but not even that could drown out the feeling like he'd just sentenced himself to death.
*******
There wasn't a soul in any direction, and the blind spot of the only security camera within the area was an easy jump from the opening. She waited until it had panned away from her, then lowered herself down halfway before swinging out and landing against the right wall. Nearly two weeks ago she'd entered through this very hall, and it was finally time to leave. Only now, it was all up to her. There were no siblings. There was no getaway car. Just her, her legs, the dark expanse of the forest and good old-fashioned luck. Damn those rotten X7s...
The outside air hit her fresh and wonderful, filling her lungs to the brim, breathing life into her. Her legs pumped nearly as fast as the refreshed blood through her veins and the adrenaline set free by the knowledge that she'd once again beaten the all powerful Manticore, the proverbial Hell on Earth. The fence was cleared, trees passed, the site upon which she'd fallen dead left far behind. In the distance she thought she heard yelling and the sound of a few rounds being fired in her direction, but none of it was close enough to worry about. It was a part of everything that no longer mattered. It was a part of the past, a past of sorrow and careless mistakes. It was over and done with.
The present called for perfect freedom from everything and everyone. The present would be paid in full.