Chapter 6 – Pursuit
Disclaimer: see Chapter 2
A/N: Sorry I am so useless at posting chapters. My humble excuse is this, firstly I am busy but finally got round to writing this chapter. Then my dad's laptop went to Devon (if you're not British, you might not understand this – heaven). So I completely lost the whole chapter and had not written anything down. So here it is rewritten. May be better, may be worse. You'll never know.
ephona: thanks. I myself am often guilty of being a silent reader! Hypocrite, hey?
LiMiYa: I find that Morpheus is the hardest yet also the easiest to portray, if that makes any sense at all. He is full of all this mystery, yet that in itself is a clear and easy personality trait to pick up on.
Unknown: thank you. Hope you enjoy this one too, whoever you are.
Dynx: Dudette! Wow, that is massive praise, seeing as there are so many talented authors out there (well, on here, whatever). I'm honoured! Your review really spurred me on.
22:00. Click. The green digits on the alarm clock flicked abruptly. Almost simultaneously, Ana's eyes flicked open, green orbs reflecting two pale crescents of moonlight. This time she had actually been asleep, but now she was wide awake, senses sharply tuned and heart pounding an insistent rhythm against her ribs. Pushing back the covers with one hand, she swung cautiously out of bed and stepped across to the window. Twitching aside the curtains, she saw a strange and alien landscape. For a moment she was confused and disorientated, then she blinked sharply and everything shifted into focus. The harsh light from the curved orb of the moon highlighted unfamiliar contours, shifting her perception of the landscape. The silvery leaves of the nearby tree did not flutter, and the trunk seemed as though it was carved in stone. Everything was completely still, as though the world was holding its breath. But what was the plunge it was preparing for?
Backing away from the window, Ana was suddenly filled with the uncontrollable desire to be outside, to feel the cool moonlight on her skin, to run. She gathered her hair into a tight bun as she darted around the shadowed room, passing in and out of the bright shaft of moonlight. She was swiftly dressed in black combat trousers, green T-shirt and a black military-style jacket. Pausing only to grab her phone from the table and slip it into her pocket, a reflex action, she slipped through the door, leaving the room empty.
Click. 22:03.
Trinity woke suddenly to an impatient knocking on her door. Pushing the covers back, she moved fluidly up and to the door, jerking it back irritably. She had actually been asleep, and she would have welcomed an undisturbed rest after the past few weeks. It was probably Mouse trying to annoy her as much as possible. She hated that game. Preparing to fire a sharp comment at the culprit, she halted when she saw it was Switch. Beckoning to Trinity, Switch turned without saying a word and strode down the corridor. Trinity hesitated for a moment then ran swiftly but lightly to catch up with her blonde-haired friend. Turning her head to look at Trinity, Switch carried on walking quickly.
"It's your anomaly, Trinity. She's on the move"
"She's not my anomaly, Switch", Trinity snapped, irrationally annoyed.
"Whatever."
They had reached the Core. Instead of sitting back down in the operator's chair, Switch halted and gestured for Trinity to sit. Raising an eyebrow but making no comment, Trinity obeyed. Poising her fingers above the keyboard, she waited for Switch to fill her in.
"So what's different?".
She knew without asking that this was no ordinary walk for Ana, or Switch would not have called her. As Switch spoke, Trinity began to type, fingers flying faster and faster over the keyboard, until they were almost a blur.
Under the pinpricked velvet sky, Ana began to run. Houses, trees and cars flew by as she ran steadily towards the heart of the city. Had she been in a stae of mind to notice, she would have been surprised at her lack of fatigue or shortness of breath. She had not run this far for years. But as it was, she did not notice. She simply ran, sure-footed and focused, as if some invisible force was drawing her onwards.