Mickey looked at with a broken expression I could not properly describe.
’I’m so sorry, Matt.’
I looked away, concentrating on taking my apron off. A thousand thoughts were storming my mind, informing of every horrible thing that was going to happen. In any other situation, I would be paralyzed by the chaotic ss of the future. I would have had to spend a lot of ti thinking, analyzing and scheming to get this chaos under a semblance of control, to predict what was going to happen and find a way out.
But it was too late for that now. I was pretty sure that there was no way out, and maybe even no way through. The scale of the catastrophe was too large to control, and even trying was only going to debilitate . The only thing I could do now was shut all those thoughts out and act without sparing even a mont trying to comprehend all the complications of what I was...
What I was going to lose.
Like...
’It’s okay, Mickey. Were you followed?’
It took a lot to stop that train of thought.
He shivered.
’Followed? N-no. I think.’
I folded the apron and put it on the cash register.
’Are you sure?’
Mickey fell silent.
’I’m not. But if they knew my location... I’d be dead already, right?’
Right. I didn’t know the exact situation, but it was easy to guess. There were only two possibilities: either the PA was after him... or Zero. In any case, no public place in the city was safe. The details were not that important right now. The first thing we had to do was to find sowhere to hide.
’Is it the Protectors or Zero?’
He flinched.
’The... the Protectors.’
Good. I an, not really. Being hunted by a nearly all-powerful Agency was the farthest thing from ’good’ that I could think of, but at least it was a familiar threat. Throughout the years, I thought about how to flee from them a million tis. Zero, though... if he had the sa eerie abilities as his daughter, I could not even begin to think about how to avoid him.
’Listen, Matt. Let explain...’
’Not now. We will talk later.’
I gestured for him to follow and headed for the back exit. Mickey hesitated for a second and then followed , looking at the floor as though he could not find the courage to face .
Tough luck. We were in this together now, for better or worse.
Before leaving the coffee shop, I gave it a last look. Disappearing like that would get fired for sure, right? I could not help but smile. Considering that my chances of surviving the day were minuscule, fearing for my job was really ridiculous. But still, it stung. I spent many happy days in this coffee shop. It was a sha to never see it again.
It and other things...
No, don’t think about it.
In the alley, I took out my phone and tossed it in one of the dumpsters.
’Do you still have your phone?’
Mickey nodded and produced a cheap phone from his pocket.
’It’s a burner. They can’t trace it.’
’Throw it away anyway.’
He wanted to say sothing, but then just nodded and dropped it on the ground.
’Matt, what are we doing?’
I started walking.
’We need to get you out of the city first. If we’re lucky, they did not cordon it off yet.’
’What if we’re not lucky?’
I looked at him and frowned. What was there to say?
’Don’t think about it. In any case, to do that, we’ll need money. So that’s where we are going.’
At the exit of the alley, I stopped and gave him a sign to wait.
My Ability extended into the street, once again tampering with the reflexive surfaces to give a panoramic view of everything that was happening there. Maybe because of practice, or maybe because of focused calmness that took over my mind to hold the panic at bay, my ability to bend light worked better than ever. In a few monts, I held the complete picture of the street in my mind.
What I saw made my blood run cold.
The Protectors were approaching the coffee shop.
They were not the sa ones that used to follow around, but I recognized them by their carefully mundane, and yet distinct pattern of behavior.
It took a second more to recognized them as the two foreign Protectors who worked for Mitchel. Back then, one of them aid a gun at the back of my head. What will he do today?
I leaned on the wall, taking a few deep breaths. Mickey looked at with worry.
’What’s wrong?’
Everything. Everything was wrong!
This was not supposed to happen to !
I controlled my expression as to not frighten him. One look was enough to see that Mickey was at his limit: if he panicked or broke down, both of us would be finished.
’The Protectors are here. Listen to what I say and do exactly what I tell you. We are going to get out of here in one piece. Okay, Mickey?’
For a second, there was only terror in his eyes. But then, he sohow forced himself to calm down, believing .
’Okay.’
His faith in was as touching as it was misguided. I sighed.
Was I really doing this? Was I really going against the PA?
Deep down, I always knew that this day would co, but now that it actually did, the sheer madness of it all made my stomach churn.
Don’t think about it.
Just act.
It’s the only way you’ll survive.
I stepped out of the alley, Mickey following right behind . I did not run or look around, acting laid-back and relaxed, as though taking a stroll. I took a turn and put my back to the Protectors, slowly walking away from them.
A second later, they noticed us.
A burning gaze full of killing intent drilled into my back. In the reflections, I saw them changing course and quickly approaching us. One was coming from behind, one from the side. And there, ahead of us, an unfamiliar man driving an old sedan suddenly accelerated, his eyes, hidden behind sunglasses, piercing with cold determination.
The section of the street we were walking on was comparatively empty, but further down it was filled with pedestrians. If only we were able to reach them and get lost in the crowd...
No chance of that, right?
’Mickey, when I say it, run forward.’
The Protectors were nearly on us, their hands hidden in the pockets, no doubt clutching either guns or, best case scenario, tasers. But then again, was it really better to be taken by the PA alive?
The car was now almost in front of us, slowing down.
Back when Mitchel’s goons first approached , I had no choice but to play by the rules, pretending to be an obedient little wraith despite their threats, guns and fists. But now things were different.
In a sense, it was liberating.
’Now!’
Mickey lunged forward, and at the sa ti, I let my Ability go. It burst out of , spreading to its fullest, like a giant who was imprisoned in a small box for all of its life. For a mont, a profound feeling of relief flooded my body, making my head spin with exhilaration. For the first ti in my life, I felt... powerful.
But it was all false, an illusion.
I forced myself to repress the desire to unleash that brute strength and used my well-practiced finesse instead.
The reflections throughout the street coalesced to shoot concentrated light beams in the eyes of the nearest Protector, blinding him. At the sa ti, the left tire of the car blew, and with a small push from , it swerved out of control, flying past and rolling onto the sidewalk. The blinded Protector was hit by its bumper and flew back, crashing hard on the ground -- he was not seriously hurt, but would not be chasing us any ti soon either. The driver was entangled in the airbags, cursing loudly.
The last Protector was in the process of pulling out a gun when our eyes t. The ti froze for a second, and I saw sudden fear in his eyes. In the next mont, eight of my sixteen Affects crashed into him, pushing him down. His legs gave out under the pressure, and he fell with a short yelp. Sprawled on the concrete under the unbearable weight, he had to struggle just to inhale, let alone stand up or take aim.
People walking down the street rushed to their help, thinking that a car crash happened nearby.
By the ti the Affects dissipated, the Protectors were surrounded by a small crowd of well-wishing civilians.
And Mickey and I were long gone.
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