The lights from the house faded as Parker ran deeper into the trees. His breath was labored. His legs pumped beneath him, propelling him forward, more and more every second. He could barely see where he was going, but that didn’t matter. His feet knew the way. How many times had he prepared for this day? More than he could count. Would it be enough? He flew past tree after tree, their branches catching on his clothes, tearing at his skin. It didn’t matter. The pain from the scratches barely even registered. He was focused on only one goal. Run. Run faster. Run harder. Run farther. Run away. His heart had never pumped so fast. Nothing could have entirely prepared him for this day. He knew he was out matched. Outnumbered. His only chance was getting away. He had stayed off their radar as long as he could. He had used every trick in the book. Reroute the signal. Scramble the IP address. Layers upon layers of security. But it had still only been a matter of time. They would find him. This was something he knew when he started, and he knew the consequences. But now that the time had come, he wasn’t so sure. So he ran even faster. He had to get away. He heard them behind him, perhaps ten in all. They were all weighed down by their uniforms and weapons. And they didn’t know where they were going. They couldn’t see in the darkness of the moonless night, but he didn’t need to see. He could do it. He could make it through the night without getting captured. He flew into a clearing and crashed to a stop. There was a line of men in black outfits and heavy pockets, their guns pointed at his head. They must have split up, anticipating his moves. The ten behind him quickly caught up, heading off his retreat. They had him surrounded. His heart was thumping in his ears. Had this been how Jared had felt when they took him? Parker stood in the middle of the clearing, no one moving towards him, but not giving him an opening either. The sound of labored breathing from those who had been chasing him turned up his lips. He was outnumbered, but he smiled. He still had something up his sleeve. These were foot soldiers. They probably didn’t know the full situation. They didn’t know who he was. They weren’t prepared to fight back. “Well, well, well.” A girl stepped forward. She was younger then he was expecting, but still old enough to be called a women. Perhaps around nineteen years old. Her eyes were narrowed at him, a sadistic smile displayed proudly on her face. “Seems like I’ve finally got you. You’ve alluded me for far too long.” He didn’t drop his guard. She moved slowly toward him, her movement graceful, but ferocious. Her dark, long curls swayed back and forth as she swept forward, her heeled boots making her seem even taller than she already was. The men around her looked to her for their cue. She was in charge. “Parker. Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve given me over the past few months?” Parker eyed her, curious. “You want my honest answer?” “Of course.” she said, stepping over a fallen branch. He leaned forward. “I don’t care.” She frowned and stepped back, her arms crossed. “I have spent months trying, and failing by the way, to track you down. My mother is beginning to worry.” She pulled out a knife and began to clean it the way some people clean their glasses. “This is my first mission, and I can’t let her down. You have been the cause of so much turmoil at The Base with your little,” She paused from her cleaning and scrunched up her nose in disgust, “Blog, that even some of the generals are getting a little worried.” She finished scrubbing, sheathing her knife, and finally turned her gaze back to Parker. “I don’t think you realize the danger of exposing us. You don’t want to mess with us.” Parker stood a little taller. “Well, if you didn’t want me to mess with your whole weird operation, maybe you shouldn’t have made me a wanted man.” “We can’t leave loose ends.” Parker snared. “People aren’t loose ends. No matter how much you wish they were, people are worth something.” The girl pulled out her knife again and slid it up to his throat. “Some things are worth more.” The two stared each other down. Trapped in the center of a circle of enemy soldiers and staring down a girl taller than him who had a knife at his throat, Parker glared. This girl knew nothing of what is was like to lose something. She couldn’t know anything about pain. Not if she believed that there really were things worth more than a person’s life. His fists began to shake, he was clenching them too hard. But he wouldn’t break first. After a moment, the girl stepped away. “Enough.” She turned to the men around her. “Kill him.” Three seconds. Parker had three seconds to react to her words. Three seconds to live. The soldiers processed her order and raised their guns. Parker tensed, spreading his arms out eagle, his fingers splayed, palms facing outward. Two seconds. The men stared down the barrels of their guns, taking aim at their target. Parker closed his eyes, and breathed in, feeling the air flow through him. One second. The breath before the trigger. The tensing up. The tighter grips. This second was the vulnerable one. This was the second that Parker used to his advantage. In this second, he could attack first. He finished his breath, and yelled, concentrating with all of his might. The men surrounding him flew backwards, an invisible force throwing them away. They landed on their backs, many of them knocked out by the impact. The only person left in the clearing was the girl. She glared at him and clenched her teeth. “I figured you might try something like that. But you’re not the only one who can do that type of thing.” She lifted her hand before quickly bringing it down and Parker felt something tighten around his neck. Before he could react, his feet left the ground and he was being pulled upwards by the branch around his neck. Parker struggled, but it was no use. He hung midair, grasping at the tree limb that was cutting off his circulation. She walked towards him. A few of the men had recovered from his blast and joined her. She twirled her knife. Parker surveyed his options. When she reached him, she gave him a sadistic grin, her knife still twirling masterfully around her fingers. He kicked. His feet missed her by a few inches, but the air they displaced did as it was told. Her knife flew upwards out of her hands, carried by the wind of his kick. Parker managed to make a grabbing motion with on hand, while still using the other to keep from choking. The knife flew to him. He grabbed it out of the air, and immediately cut himself down. The second he hit the ground he pushed off with air enhanced force, catapulting over her head. He landed on his feet behind her. Without thinking, he spun and used his own momentum to fling her own knife back at her. He didn’t even see if it hit it’s mark before he was off again. A cry of pain confirmed that it had, but he didn’t stop. He kept running. He ran through the woods he knew so well. He knew where to go and his feet didn’t stop moving until he got there. Every so often, he could hear the sounds of his pursuers behind him, but he was gaining ground. He had the advantage this time. They were all behind him. They didn’t know where he was going and they were weighted down by their gear. He reached the road, and searched for a position marker. He was only a few minutes walk from where he was supposed to be. He sprinted down the pavement until he saw the grove of dense trees and bushes on the side of the road where it was hidden in preparation for this moment. He tore through the brush and pulled the door open, turning the keys that were already sitting in the ignition. The engine roared to life. He shot out onto the street. A few moments later, he was back in the town he had just run from, turning onto the always traffic filled highway route that lead to the nearest major city.
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