Jack and April sped down the old country road at nearly one hundred miles per hour. They were followed by four Jeeps from the Hope Springs Sheriff's Department, as well as six Humvees and a Blackhawk helicopter from the Wyoming Army National Guard.
Jack knew that the chase would soon come to an end even before he saw the roadblock ahead of them. They crested a hill, only to find dozens of Humvees and cargo trucks in their path. The large green vehicles covered the entire roadway, and trying to escape off-road was out of the question. Jack's motorcycle was made for street driving; speeding through the mud and darting between trees would be suicide.
Jack stopped and stared at the dozens of soldiers ahead of them. He turned his head to look at the deputies behind them. The thought of quickly swinging the motorcycle around and speeding between the trucks before they could react momentarily flashed in his head, but he knew that something would go wrong and he or April would wind up dead. Their running was over.
Jack disengaged the red vehicle's engine and flipped down the kickstand. He dismounted the bike and held his hands up, as did April. Dozens of armed men approached them cautiously.
April was crying. She knew that it wasn't Jack's fault that they were about to be captured, but she couldn't help but feel disappointed. The person who she'd put her trust in, the person who was so confident that he could help, had failed in his mission. Unknown to April, Jack was thinking exactly the same thing.
The soldiers were within twenty feet of the surrendering mutants. Jack could feel their sights set on him and April. M-16s and M-4s were all around, each gun's wielder ready to take his shot if he had to.
A Lieutenant carrying a M-9 pistol followed the group of men. He pointed his gun at Jack's head, stating sharply, "Move and we'll open fire."
Several deputies rushed out to meet the capturing party. They all had their guns drawn, and two held handcuffs in their left hands. The one that was closer to Jack started to put the cuffs on him, mumbling, "By order of the governor of the state of Wyoming, and the Sheriff of Hope Springs, I hereby place you under arrest. You have the right to remain--"
The deputy gasped, seeing that the handcuffs had somehow found their way onto his own wrists and were now securely fastened. He looked around, trying to look for some kind of help, but the other deputy carrying handcuffs was now in the same situation as him.
The soldiers' and deputies' guns were torn from their hands and floated in air, just out of reach of their owners. Each weapon clicked, and their magazines dropped to the ground. They clicked again, ejecting the bullets in the guns' chambers. Before these bits of metal and gunpowder hit the ground, the rifles flew away at great speed, and each shattered into pieces of broken metal against a large pine tree.
The deputies and military men standing at the two roadblocks were also disarmed. Just like the previous weapons, the rifles and pistols were unloaded, and then smashed into nothingness. Everyone, including Jack, was speechless.
Slowly, the military vehicles parted, pushed aside by some unknown force. It was like the parting of the Red Sea, but instead of billions of gallons of water, it was thousands of pounds of steel. Each truck's tires squealed as they rubbed against the roadway.
A man in a beautiful white suit walked through the path made between the trucks. He was a majestic-looking man, tall and handsome, wearing a beard and long shining white hair. He seemed almost to have an angelic glow about him.
The man drew ever closer to Jack and April, and when presented with the soldiers between him and the young people, he gracefully waved his hand. The unarmed men floated about two inches off the ground, and parted before him.
The gentleman looked at the Lieutenant and whispered shamefully, "Hateful creatures." He then turned his attention to Jack. "Get on your motorcycle and follow me. You will not be harmed." He turned around and walked back the way he came.
Jack was unsure of the regal-looking man, but decided that he'd much rather be in the company of him than in the custody of the government. He and April mounted the bike and followed him out.
All of the government employees who had tried to capture the two young mutants were speechless. None tried to stop them. None seemed to be able to move. Jack wondered if they were frozen in surprise and wonder, or if the strange man was somehow preventing them from interfering. It didn't really matter, though.
As Jack cleared the parted military convoy, he saw a pickup truck and a black limousine. The man pointed to the bed of the truck. Jack understood, and drove his vehicle up a plank inclined on the truck's lowered tailgate. He turned the engine off and kicked down the kickstand, and as soon as he and April had dismounted the machine, three men secured the bike with cargo straps.
Jack's and April's mysterious savior motioned for them to come to his limousine, which they did obediently. They loaded into the car, where they found a twenty-something woman. April didn't recognize her at first, but Jack immediately realized who she was. He sat emotionless, staring at her shoulder-length rusty hair and her cute, cheerful face.
