A/N: Omg. AOS is so near already! Anyway, next chapter up! :) Happy Reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Chapter 2:

"Okay, I found one." He announced. I leaned forward and looked at the shop.

Perfect! I thought. It was right in the corner of an intersection, meaning there was a stoplight right outside it. It was just what I needed.

Ward went out of the car and I immediately took the split-second opportunity to press the command in my phone. I set the protocol timer to six minutes. It was the only time I needed for my escape.

I went out the car and we entered the shop. There were a lot of people inside, but we found a vacant table. I plugged in the hard drive and pulled up the contents. Luckily, the decryption was like a puzzle. If I had to decrypt it, it was piece by piece, which prevents me from unlocking the whole content. I quickly pretended to pull up a window. I knew what the contents of this particular folder were and they were practically useless. But Ward didn't have to know that.

I could feel him looking around the place, and then turning back to me and my work.

"I think you've secured that thing a little too much." He said.

"Well, this, after all, contains all that we've been doing for the past few months. I had to keep it protected, especially from people like HYDRA."

I was impressed. He didn't flinch or wince. Then it occurred to me that he was after all a trained agent. He has been playing us since the start, which means he was that good. I couldn't expect him to give away his cover that easily.

One more minute.

I did a few more key swipes, opening windows, codes and commands and then pretending to make progress. Until the action came into play…

Car horns blared around us.

Crash! Two cars slammed against each other, followed by four more around the intersection. Then, just as I was hoping, one car was going too fast and the car crashes caused the driver to turn his wheel towards the side to avoid the crash. It was the wrong move for him, but the right one for me, since he sent his car right through the glass windows of the computer shop. The front of the car was now inside the place and people panicked. They started to storm out, and the exit was right behind us.

As soon as they started running, I took my chance and purposely dropped the hard drive to the floor, pretending that it got knocked over because of the crowd.

"Ward!" I exclaimed. "The hard drive!"

He quickly bent down and looked around. There were so many people passing us that it was hard for him to grab it, amidst the feet of the hurrying crowd.

That was the only window I needed.

I ran from the place as fast as I could. I spotted a bus passing by and I quickly got in it. I took a seat and looked at the window, keeping my hair half-covering my face. The street was still in disorder as drivers yelled at and accused each other for causing the accidents. I could still feel the adrenaline in me. I had to calm down. I had to pull myself together, even though all I wanted to do right now was curl up and cry. Never in my life have I pictured myself going through something like this. It scared the hell out of me–not knowing what to do, or who's watching, or whether I'll ever be safe again.

I wanted to get back to the team and feel safe again, but I couldn't. I was on my own, and I had my own mission. Clearly, HYDRA was after me because of that hard drive, and I knew they would do everything they could to find me and have me unlock it for them. I had to hide.

But how? Ward knows me well enough to predict my moves. I was lucky to get him off of my trail today but for how long will that last? He's good at tracking people. HYDRA is good at tracking people.

Once I got off the bus, I walked fast. I entered a coffee shop and sat at the corner table.

Okay. Think. I couldn't stay here in Manhattan. I needed to get away from here. I could steal a car, and go somewhere just to hide long enough until I can contact the team. Okay. I had to keep moving.

I went out of the coffee shop. Upon stepping on the sidewalk, I froze. A police car was parked right across the street. I quickly turned away and walked in the opposite direction. I reached a few blocks before I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw the alert.

My jaw dropped. It was a picture of me, listed as FBI's most wanted. I swiped a key and saw that Ward was in it as well.

Shit. This is not good. My mind started to race with thoughts of what I should do. Staring at my phone after deleting the alert, a light bulb lit up in my head. A second later, I was practically running until I reached my destination. I waited outside the small hotel until minutes later, a guy parked his car right in front of the doors. He left the keys inside and proceeded to go inside the hotel. There were a couple of bellhop boys, who immediately proceeded to take his stuff from the car to the cart. As soon as they turned away, I took the opportunity and rode the vehicle. I stepped on the gas and raced out that place.

Okay. Now I just need to get out of here.

I drove for less than an hour, but it was alright. As long as I kept moving, I had a good chance of hiding from Ward.

Ward. I wondered what was happening with him right now. I was sure he's trying to track me down, and it scared me a lot to think that the one person I thought I'd be safe with, is the one hunting me down to feed me to the wolves. It was wrong. It shouldn't be like this.

Tears kept forming in my eyes but I tried my best to stop myself from breaking down. There was no time for it. This was a game I needed to finish. I needed to come out on top when this is all over. I couldn't let Ward affect me any more than he already has.

A few more minutes passed by and I started to think maybe I could pull this off after all. I may have jinxed it because the next thing I knew, I was frozen in my seat as I waited for my fate.

He was at the end of the road, waiting for me.

Deathlok. My heart was beating out of my chest again and I knew I couldn't escape this time. He was faster than me and a lot stronger. If I resist, I would most likely die.

I watched in horror and shock as he jumped from the road and up to the sky. Then, a second later, he landed right on top of the car. My whole body was paralyzed in fear as his fist made contact with the windshield. I heard my own shriek as he grabbed my neck.

I couldn't breathe anymore. His hold was too tight. One second, I was still in the car being strangled to death, and the next, the door flew open as my body was slammed against it. I grunted in pain when I landed on the road. There was no use in running. Deathlok was already making his way to me and the panic I felt was unbelievable.

"Mike, please." I tried to move away, but he threw me over his shoulder and jumped as high as before. There was no use in struggling but I did so anyway.

"Where are you taking me!?" I yelled at him, but he acted as if he hadn't heard a peep. A single tear fell to my cheek. I was scared before, but knowing that I was free helped. But now, I wasn't free anymore, and it was a lot more terrifying.

A/N: I hope I didn't make any errors. I don't have Beta or whatever. I don't even know what it is so yeah. I'll be uploading the next chapter soon! xx