To get away…or not

Chapter 7

So now Sam and Fi were being chased by three cars.

"Crap!" announced Sam as he looked behind, "We're being chased by assassins, my leg is killing me, and worst of all, I'm stuck here with you! Tell me again how I got into this predicament?"

"Bad life choices?" Fi suggested.

Ah geez. Sam thought, next time he'd forced Michael to tail his own girlfriend.

Looking outside the car window, everything was a blur as Fi maintained driving at a fast pace. From the passenger side, a contorted-faced Sam yelped in anguish as Fi went over a large bump in the road.

"Yeow!"

"Well, that's strange," Fi noted as she glanced into her rearview mirror.

"What, that I'm yelping?" Sam asked, as he groaned in order to change positions, "because I do that when there's a bullet in me and you hit a bump as big as a mountain."

Swerving around another sharp turn on the opened highway, they both leaned with the curve.

"Oh Sam, that's probably the only real exercise your leg has received in two weeks," Fi casually stated, "No, that is not what I meant by strange.. what is strange is that there were at least two places where the cars could have closed in on us and pushed us off the road. But they didn't do that."

"You almost sound disappointed, Fi."

She shrugged.

"Well, it's just that I was ready for some action...and then nothing."

"Nothing, nothing?" Sam wondered, "This isn't CGI! They're actually after us! Who are these guys and why are they chasing us, anyway?"

"Well, being that I am a working CIA spy, I have to think like a spy," Fi reasoned, "and the way I see it, they want to take me in alive. They want to interrogate me. Perhaps they'll do the thirty second interrogation technique where they ask a you a question and you must answer quickly without repeating yourself or using personal pronouns. If you can't do it, you are a dissident...and not good in grammar, either... Ask 'em, slap 'em is what I always say."

She grinned, enjoying the idea that she was thinking like a spy.

Sam stared at Fi.

"Uh, you've done the interrogation thing before, haven't you, Fi?"

"Once, twice, 104 times...but who's counting?" Fi asked as she accelerated.

"Uh...Fi...couldn't it be that they are chasing us just because they want the book?" Sam innocently asked.

Sometimes the best answer is the obvious one.

Fi turned to Sam, "On the keyboard of Sam, I wish I could just press the escape key." she stated.

Sam grinned as he sat back in his seat, glad he scored one over on Fi.

They drove on.

The road was still heavy with traffic, although Fi managed to keep a fast pace. She fluidly weaved in and out of the dense traffic with ease. They were being carried further away from the town into a less dense area.

Sam suddenly grabbed onto the dash, "Red alert, Fi! Straight ahead...parked car pulling out!"

Fi slammed on her brakes. A parked white car now unhurriedly swung out into traffic, cutting off Fi and forcing her to slow her pace.

"Damn it, Sunday driver!" Fi bellowed as the white car seemed to trudge along. She started crazily honking her horn.

Honk! Honk! Honk!

"Uh, Fi," Sam pointed out, "I don't think that's the best way to draw attention away from us."

"What is wrong with people... driving the speed limit!" Fi complained, "If he can't drive the way I want, he should get off the road!"

Sam stared at her.

"...And this coming from a person who thinks stop signs and red lights are merely suggestions!" Sam commented.

"What's your point?"

"Uh..okay...why not just pass the guy when you get a chance?" Sam suggested.

Fi smiled.

"Brilliant suggestion," Fi responded, as she revved up her engine and changed into the next lane before passing the slow moving vehicle, her tires screeching at times from the quick maneuvering.

"Fiii!" Sam yelled as Fi quickly cut in front of the white car again, "What the hellll?"

"What's the matter? I just did as you said, Sam," responded Fi calmly, "I went on the other lane and passed the jerk!"

"That wasn't a passing lane, Fi...that was the sidewalk!" Sam insisted, his knuckles white from clinging.

"I didn't see anyone walking...did you?" asked Fi.

"Not anymore!"

Looking behind them, they could see that the slow-moving white car was now in back of their Audi, but in front of the gray, green and black vehicles. But both Sam and Fi knew it was only a matter of time before the three vehicles would catch up with them again.

"This has been fun," stated Fi, "but it has gone on a bit too long. I think it's time we find out who is who and let the chip...or in this case,cars...fall where they may.."

"Fi," began Sam, "What the hell does that mean…"

"Stop talking and just hold on, Sam!"

Abruptly Fi changed directions to the right and down another less crowded side street. The three cars followed suit. Fi calmly gunned the car's engine and made a reckless U-turn in the narrow street, knocking off the taillight of a parked SUV.

Once her car was facing the opposite way, she proceeded to play "chicken" by pitching forward with her vehicle, towards the oncoming cars that had been previously been chasing her.

"Fi!" yelled Sam, "What the hell? We're heading straight for them!" He crossed his arms in front of him. Like that would do any good.

"Nothing gets by you, does it, Sam?"

Fi had almost reached the three fast-coming vehicles. When she was close enough, she veered left expertly and flattened her vehicle as much as she could against the left sidewalk. Electrical-looking charges skidded off the wall and the side of her vehicle. Despite her superior maneuverings, she still sideswiped the gray car before she whizzed by the other two.

But calmly she just drove on. Soon she and Sam were back onto the main highway.

"Holy crap!" Sam said, trying to catch his breath, "We barely got out of a head on collision! I was so mad at you for putting me in that precarious situation that I saw YOUR life passing before my eyes!"

Sam looked back and murmured a few more choice cuss words. The green car and the black car had once again fallen into line behind them, still in hot pursuit.

"Damn it, we didn't shake all of them...there's still two following us!"

Fi revved up her motor.

"Good," said Fi calmly looking at her mirrors, "Gray car down, two more to go!"

"Oh, crap!" said Sam.

"Don't worry, I'll lose the other two," assured Fi.

"No, I'm not saying 'crap' because of the two- car wannabe assassins, although, I do hope you do lose them," Sam announced as he held onto his thigh, "No, I'm talking about my leg...it's bleeding again!"

"Oh for heaven's sake Sam, do something! I don't want you to bloody this rental car! The cleaning bill is ridiculously high for removal of bloodstains on the seats!"

"Yeah," said Sam sardonically, " That was my first reaction, too, when blood started gushing out of me!"

They were almost on Franklin Street, which was part of their destination. Fi better do something. And quick.

As they proceeded onward, the cars on the road became less. The thinning traffic allowed the green car to quickly speed up, and pull ahead to drive beside them.

"Damn," Fi said as the green car was now bumping the side of their vehicle, the hard thrust meant to push them off the road, "I'm pulling over, Sam!"

They had no choice. She turned down an rarely used street and parked next to the curb of a quiet industrial street.

The green car pulled in ahead of them while the black car drew up a distance behind them; in other words, they were neatly boxed in by the two vehicles.

"Fi," asked Sam, looking worried, "do you know what you are doing?"

She did not turn off her engine, "Don't I always?"

Fi then leaned her arm across Sam's side of the vehicle. Her elbow slightly touched his leg.

"Uh, Fi, you're not going to confess your true feelings for me, are you?" Sam asked as her arm lightly skimmed over his leg.

Fi rolled her eyes as she opened the glove compartment, "You really wouldn't want to know my true feelings about you Sam. You're not old enough to hear them!"

She then pulled out a 9mm Smith and Wesson.

"Hey! I thought you weren't suppose to have any weap-" he began, "Oh, that's right, this is you we're talking about."

"And who said diamonds were a girl's best friend?" Fi wryly smiled.

Meanwhile, as the look out the front of their windshield, the door of the green car opened and a burly man in a black suit and tie with sunglasses climbed out.

He approached them smiling pleasantly, but both Sam and Fi noted the uneven bulge he had in his jacket.

Fi casually rolled down her window and stuck out her head with a pleasant smile on her lips as if she wanted to ask for directions or to exchange neighborly courtesies.

But as the man neared them, he reached into his jacket and sure enough, produced a gun.

And that's when Fi also poked her gun out her window and quickly fired.

Sam closed his eyes and heard three shots. The guy probably had been shot three times in the heart.

When Sam opened his eyes, he was somewhat relieved to discover that Fi had only hit the man's right hand once, and that the thug was now staring dazedly at the blood dripping from his wrist . Pain would soon follow, Sam thought. He should know.

Then Sam noted the results of the other two shots. Evidently they had efficiently punctured the tires of both the green and the black car, for they were slowly deflating, almost in a cartoon-like way.

Then Fi effectively backed up her car, ramming the gray car behind them, pulled forward, hitting the green car, and headed towards the main street –this time, fully alone.

Sam looked back and gave a whistle.

"Wowza, Fi!" exclaimed a pleased Sam as he turned forward again, "I have no idea why I had ever doubted you!"

Fi tried to hide her grin, "Just don't do it the next time, Sam."

.

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Michael stood watching the front of Nemo's Bookstore.

According to Agent Pearce, this was the location of where Fi was to pick up the drop. Strange, that there was now a sign posted on the window that read, "Closed until further notice."

Well, Michael certainly wasn't going to wait until opening day.

Going around the back to the alleyway, he looked around. He inserted two steel thick needle- like objects in the lock of the door, twisting it this way and that, until he heard a successful click.

He entered the shop.

Michael did not know what he expected to find. Michael had to duck underneath all the yellow police tape. Looking around, he thought it really was just a typical bookstore. As he walked around its interior, he noted some dark blotches on the floor, against one of the walls.

He knelt down and upon closer inspection, it was just as he thought—bloodstains.

His heart thumped with dread…Fi's?

He had been so concentrated on what could have happened, that he didn't hear the sounds of footsteps behind him until it was too late.

"Hands up!" the voice growled.

Michael put my hands up in the air.

Turning around, Michael came face to face with Fake McGrath, although he didn't know the guy's name yet. Glancing left and then right, Michael noted another man a distance off, with a gun of some sort trained on Michael's head.

"So where is it?" growled the First Guy

"Where's what?" Michael asked.

The First Guy slapped Michael on the side of his head with the gun.

"The goddamn book!" the man was impatient.

"If I had the 'goddamn book'," Michael asked logically, "then why would I be here?"

As the man contemplated how to answer, Michael attacked before they could.

Michael instantly ducked and dived, as though he were in a swimming pool, at the unknown gunman.

Meanwhile the second guy had fired, but the guy made the common mistake of covering Michael by pointing his gun at Michael's head. With Michael's diving, the goon's aim ended up being too high.

Instinct took over Michael. along with a silent mantra echoing in his head: Save Fi, save Sam. He needed to move faster.

He had to do several things at once before he could even begin to find Fi and Sam, however: keep low, avoid getting hit, pull the gun form his leg holster and shoot anyone that got in his way.

Michael now slammed his fist into First Guy's abdomen. Fake McGrath had fired a shot, but it went wild. Since Michael was now so close, First Guy then swung the butt of his gun at Michael's chin.

Michael's head flew back, but then he recovered quickly. In some other world, at some other time, it might have really hurt, but right now with Michael's adrenaline running, it had the impact of a bee sting. Michael's goal was to find out what happened to Sam and Fi and nothing could stop him from finding out.

Except, perhaps being outgunned.

The goon that had been on his left was running towards him, his weapon raised. He fired. Michael jumped back, but it was too late.

Michael was hit.

He remembered feeling hot pain as something hard ripped into his body, stealing his breath away and knocking him flat on his back.

Lying in a prone position, Michael brought his head up and looked down at his body at where he had been hit. He realized it wasn't a bullet...it looked like a dart of some sort was sticking out of the side of his body.

The secondary thug then walked up and hovered over Michael. Smiling maliciously, he raised what looked like a tranquilizer gun right at Michael, who was already gasping in pain.

Michael heard words uttered from the first guy as he began losing consciousness.

"Careful! We need him alive!"

The fight was gone from Michael and he felt someone kicking him. The last thing he remembered was another shot fired and afterwards he felt a pain as enormous as any he had ever known consuming him.

And then Michael's eyes closed.

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