by Nolan Fury
I clenched my jaw. I looked through the rear window and saw headlights trailing us several hundred yards back. It had to be a government vehicle.
Doctor Russell’s mobile phone rang. She was unsure what to do next.
“Answer it!”
She pulled the device from her pocket and swiped the screen. “Hello?”
The voice on the other end crackled through the thin speaker.
After a moment, Doctor Russell said, “They want to speak to you.”
“Tell them to back off. No cars. No helicopters.”
She relayed the message. A few moments later, the helicopter veered aside and the chopper vanished into the night sky. I looked behind us, and the government vehicle stopped.
We sped down the blacktop, doing 90 miles an hour, heading toward the interstate. The feds were holding back for now, but that wasn’t going to last forever. At some point in time they’d attempt a rescue, or decide that Doctor Russell was an expendable asset.
We entered a tunnel that was about 50 yards long. If the helicopter was still lurking in the sky above, the tunnel obstructed its view.
“Stop the car!” I shouted.
Elizabeth jammed on the brakes. The tires screeched to a halt. I burst out of the backseat and pulled open the driver’s door. “Get out!”
Doctor Russell complied as I brandished the 9mm.
I took aim at an oncoming car and blocked the lane. The driver jammed on their brakes.
“Out of the car! Now!”
28
My voice echoed off the tunnel walls.
The man driving the car had a mix of anger and fear on his face. He stepped out of the car with his hands in the air. He had dark hair, a high forehead, blue eyes, and wore a gray suit. He didn’t like the fact that I was taking his brand-new BMW.
I forced Doctor Russell into the driver’s seat, and I took my usual position in the backseat, keeping the gun aimed at her the entire time.
I pulled the door shut with a solid thunk. The car was well-made. It still had that new smell. Meticulous German engineering. Hand stitched leather seats, aluminum accents, sport package. You could adjust between luxury and sport suspension with the press of a button. The stereo pumped pop music.
“Drive!”
Elizabeth put the car into gear and sped away. We were heading back toward the compound, but I hoped in this new vehicle we’d move undetected.
We drove for another half mile.
“Turn at the next junction,” I commanded.
We veered off the highway just as a slew of black sedans zipped by the opposite direction. I could hear the rotor blades return, but they weren’t following us. They were hovering over the tunnel. It wouldn’t take them long to figure out what had happened, but by that point we’d be long gone.
“Give me your phone.”
Elizabeth reluctantly handed it to me. I rolled down the window and tossed it into the river as we crossed over a bridge. I knew they would attempt to track it. The water would hopefully short out the battery, making the phone impossible to locate.
I felt terrible that I had carjacked someone. In all my years, I never imagined that would be something I would have to do. But I am pretty sure the guy had insurance. He’d get his car back eventually, provided we didn’t run into any trouble.
We took the back roads, making our way back toward town.
“You realize you are going to be on the FBI’s most wanted list?” Elizabeth said. “You won’t be able to go anywhere. You’ll get picked up in no time. Even if you manage to avoid capture, you will spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder.”
“Really? The most wanted list? How high do you think I’ll rank?” I asked, excitedly.
Her eyes narrowed at me through the rearview mirror, and she huffed.
“Oh please. Don’t get self-righteous on me. You people abducted me and were going to run grotesque experiments for your own perverse satisfaction. I’m not the guy you have to worry about. I’m trying to stop the guy you have to worry about. You people should be cultivating an alliance with people that can help you. You have no idea what’s out there. The Ultraverse is full of potential threats to Earth.”
“The Ultraverse?”
I explained it to her as briefly as I could. “It’s only a matter of time before Nitro-X has his full power. He must be stopped. You think I pose a threat now? Just wait. I don’t have near the power here that I do in the Ultraverse.”
Elizabeth’s eyes widened. She had seen me handle a 200 pound dumbbell like it was a paperweight. “If this is a weak version of you, I’d like to see you at full power.”
She meant it in a strictly clinical sense, but I took the opportunity to flash a cocky smile and turn it into an inappropriate innuendo. “I bet you would.”
She was trying to reconcile this geeky looking kid with my superhero abilities. And the research scientist in her couldn’t help but want answers. “How did you acquire your power?”
“I was nobody until I went to the Ultraverse. That dimension has a way of bringing out your inner ability.”
“Sounds like a fascinating place. We’ve long suspected there were alternate dimensions, but we haven’t been able to access them, or acquire any tangible proof of their existence. The agency has been tracking unusual energy fluctuations, which we assume are transfers between dimensions.”
“Traveling to the Ultraverse gives you perspective. You will never look at the world in the same way. And you will question every basic assumption you’ve ever had. It’s almost spiritual in a way.”
“Sounds like an acid trip.”
“You don’t strike me as the type that trips on acid.”
“Mushrooms, actually. Psilocybin. Our agency has done research into micro-dosing for performance enhancement. It boosts cognitive ability.”
“Yet the government still lists it as a scheduled narcotic.”
“Like I said. I don’t make policy. I just do what they tell me.”
“That doesn’t absolve you of responsibility for your actions.”
She frowned. She knew I was right.
“I mean, you can’t tell me that injecting someone with a nerve agent just to see what happens is ethical.”
She hesitated for a long moment. “I’m sorry. I have to admit, I did have misgivings about that. But I really had no choice.”
I rolled my eyes. “You had plenty of choice. You chose not to get fired.”
“I have bills, a mortgage, and I get really good healthcare,” She sighed. “Besides. If I would have refused, someone else would have gladly taken my position and done the same thing.”
“Whatever you gotta tell yourself so you can sleep at night,” I said in a smug tone.
“Hey, that’s not fair,” she said. Her face crinkled. “Besides, you were ready to jam that thing in my neck and kill me.”
“It was all for show. I wasn’t really going to kill you. But I had to get out of there. I have to save my friend’s sister.”
“Really? You weren’t going to hurt me?”
“I don’t think so.”
“So, is it safe to assume you’re not going to shoot me now?”
I still kept the gun aimed at her. I looked at it for a moment, then my eyes flicked back to her’s in the rearview mirror. “Well, it depends. If you get out of line…”
She scoffed. “Out of line?”
“You look like you could get a little feisty.”
She rolled her eyes.
“I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with feisty,” I said in a flirtatious tone.
She gave me a look that said never in a million years. “You know, you don’t really need me anymore. I could just pull over and you could leave me here. By the time they find me, you’ll be long gone.”
29
"Pull over here,” I said.
We were in the middle of nowhere. Green grass, barbed wire fences, oak trees, fields of cattle. You didn’t have to drive far from the city to be
in the boondocks.
Elizabeth pulled onto the shoulder and put the car into park. She didn’t hesitate to get out of the car. She quickly rushed to the opposite side of the highway.
I climbed out of the backseat. “Well, I guess this is goodbye?”
She nodded nervously.
“I’m not the bad guy. Just saying.”
She didn’t respond.
“You like sushi?”
Her face twisted with confusion. “What?”
I spoke slow and deliberate. “Do. You. Like. Sushi?”
“Yes,” she answered, still confused.
“I know a great place in the Ultraverse. You’ve never had sushi like this.”
She squinted at me. “Are you asking me out on a date?”
“No. I’m telling you about a great sushi restaurant. If you ever want me to take you, you’re going to have to develop a better personality.”
Her jaw dropped in disbelief. “I have a great personality, thank you very much.”
“When you’re not trying to inject somebody with nerve agent,” I muttered.
She gasped. “You’re one to talk.”
I laughed and shrugged. “What can I say, you bring out the worst in me?”
Her face tensed and she pouted a little. “Are you saying I’m a bad influence?”
“Maybe.”
“Pfft!” she hissed, exasperated. “You should go before you get caught.”
I laughed and got into the car. I rolled down the window. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay out here?”
She folded her arms. “Yes. I’m going to be fine.”
A blanket of stars flickered in the night sky. The moon was almost full, and the pale light bathed the remote countryside. The chirp of crickets filled the air.
Elizabeth's nervous eyes glanced down the highway in both directions. There was nothing for miles. She would have to walk to a nearby farmhouse and bang on the door, or wait for someone to pick her up alongside of the road—which was a mixed bag this time of night—or walk to the nearest gas station, which was at least 10 miles.
I could see on Elizabeth’s face she didn’t like the idea of being left all alone on a dark highway.
“Are you sure you want to be left out here?”
Elizabeth hesitated. “I’m sure.”
I tossed the syringe onto the road. “You should probably get that back to the lab. Might come in handy for self-defense while you’re out here.”
I saw a glimmer of appreciation in her eyes.
I dropped the car in gear and pulled away. I watched in the rearview mirror as Doctor Russell grabbed the syringe from the white line on the highway.
She was cute. I wondered if I’d ever see her again.
I raced down the highway, heading back toward campus. I knew I needed to get out of the BMW. It had likely been reported as stolen by now, and the feds would be looking for it. I’m sure the police department and other local law enforcement had been notified.
Sure enough, I saw red and blue lights behind me as I turned onto Carlson Avenue, not far from campus.
My foot mashed the pedal to the floorboard. The engine roared, and the acceleration threw me against the seat. This car definitely had some get up and go. Tires squealed as I skidded around the corner. I cut off two cars as I made the turn. Horns honked and grills ate the pavement as drivers slammed brakes.
30
The engine growled as I sped down the avenue. Lights flashed in the rearview, and the wail of sirens cascaded off the buildings. I weaved through cars, narrowly missing side mirrors and quarter panels.
The light ahead flashed from green to yellow to red. I wasn’t about to slow down. I mashed the accelerator and blew through the intersection.
Two cars slammed on their brakes. I threaded the needle as they screeched to a halt. A millisecond later, and I would have smashed into them.
More horns honked. The cars block the intersection, slowing down the chasing patrol car.
I made a hard left, cutting across two lanes of traffic, then another right, then turned into an alley.
I jammed the car into park and hopped out. I left the door open and the engine running.
I was between two brick buildings—one was three stories, one was four stories. Paper and debris littered the alleyway. There were steel fire escapes on either side. But I didn’t need them. I squatted down and sprang into the air vaulting to the top of the building. I might not have been able to fly, but I could still jump.
I landed on the roof. It was an older building, and the roofing tiles weren’t in the best shape. There was a roof access point and several HVAC units. Square vent shafts snaked across the roof.
I peered over the parapet to the alley below just as the patrol car screeched into the narrow passage. Red and blue lights flickered. The officer bolted out of the car with his weapon drawn. He inched cautiously toward the BMW.
His angry eyes surveyed the alley. The dumpster had caught his attention. I’m sure he figured it was a possible hiding place. He moved toward it with caution, talking into his radio handset affixed to his lapel. “I need backup. Suspect has abandoned the vehicle in an alley off Benton and 24th.”
I grinned with amusement, then figured it was in my best interest to keep moving before the helicopters arrived.
I ran across the roof, leapt over another alleyway to a neighboring rooftop. I ran across the roof and when I reached the other side, I glanced down to the street below. There was a sidewalk café and several stores in the area. Small oaks dotted the sidewalk.
I jumped to the ground below, landing in true superhero fashion. The stunt drew wide eyes from the patrons of the café. I darted across the street and casually strolled down the opposite side walk.
Two patrol cars blazed past me, taking a left on 24th Street, heading toward the alley. They didn’t take notice of me.
I walked to the next block and took a left on 25th Street. More sirens flooded the area, and the patter of rotor blades overhead grew louder.
I found a pay phone. They were getting increasingly hard to come by. I dropped a quarter in the slot and dialed Surge’s number. I waited with bated breath for her to answer. I hoped they hadn’t been picked up yet.
“Hello?”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s me. Where you guys at?”
“The cops raided your dorm. We got away. Right now we are at a party at the Delta Pi house. Where have you been?”
I gave her a quick summary of recent events.
“Is now really the time to be partying?” I asked, a little perturbed.
“They gave us a place to stay. They actually want us to become honorary members.”
My mind raced, envisioning the possibilities. Images of sorority girls in tight cotton panties having pillow fights rushed through my brain.
“I need you to focus,” Surge said, as if reading my mind. “We’ve got a problem.
As if we didn’t already have enough problems.
“Curtis stole the rings and attempted to exchange them for Madison. I don’t think it will come as a shock when I tell you he wasn’t successful. Now Nitro-X has both rings as well as Curtis and Madison hostage.”
My heart sank, and my stomach twisted. I grumbled under my breath, cursing at Curtis for being so stupid and impulsive. Though, I couldn’t blame him for trying. He was desperately attempting to save his sister.
“I’ll meet you at the Delta Pi house in a few minutes.” I hung up the phone and made my way to sorority row.
Two girls that I recognized from calculus class worked the door, deciding who to let into the party and who to kick to the curb. I think the brunette’s name was Charlotte, and the redhead’s name was Harper. Both their faces twisted with disgust as they saw me approach the entrance.
“OMG, what are you doing here?” Charlotte asked.
“I’m meeting some friends,” I said.
“Not here you’re not, perv!” Harper replied.
I sighed.
“Look, I just need to find my friends—”
“Get in here!” Amanda said, catching sight of me at the door. She had wide eyes and a lecherous smile. She grabbed me by the collar and pulled me inside much to the dismay of Charlotte and Harper. Amanda glared at the girls. “He’s with me!”
I flashed a cocky smile as I stepped by Harper and Charlotte.
“I was hoping I would see you again.” She looked up at me with adoring eyes.
“I didn’t know you were a Delta Pi.”
“Yes. I’m a legacy. My parents make large contributions, so they pretty much let me do whatever I want around here.”
“I thought you didn’t want your sorority sisters to know about me?”
She flashed a wry smile. “I changed my mind.”
The house was packed and music pumped. Swarms of sorority girls mingled with guys. Plastic cups full of beer or trashcan punch dangled from people’s hands. Amanda pulled me through the horde into the main room. “Your friends are here.”
“I know. I’m supposed to meet them.”
“They’re really pretty cool.”
I smiled. “Yeah, I think so.”
“I know an empty room upstairs where we can get a quickie in,” Amanda whispered in my ear. She flashed a hopeful smile.
It was a tough offer to refuse, but I didn’t have time to indulge in such delights. I assured her I would take a rain check.
Amanda helped me find Surge and Chrome amid the crowd. They had already had several drinks.
“I think I could get used to college life,” Surge said.
“Me too,” Chrome added.
“I’m glad you guys are having fun, but we’ve got work to do.”
“We’ve been waiting on you,” Chrome said.
I rolled my eyes.
The lights flickered, then went out. The music died. Gasps of shock filled the room. Someone yelled, “Orgy!”
The crowd broke into laughter. Cell phones were used to illuminate the room.
I had a feeling this wasn’t just a tripped breaker or a blown transformer. I stepped outside with the girls—the entire street was dark. Over the tops of the neighboring buildings I saw a massive beam of energy funneling down from the sky.