Brave Fear (boyxboy)

Chapter 24

The streets were in disarray. Mallory sure knew how to create mayhem.

Panicked citizens were darting back and forth, searching for a shelter they couldn't find. This kind of event was not in their repertoire. They knew no reasonable response to what was happening.

Even Zane had to admit, the scene looked batshit crazy.

There was no way Wawrzynski' cameras could follow everything that was happening in that moment. Garbage cans were being thrown out of dark alleyways at high speeds, smashing storefront windows, scattering glass over the streets and the people. The many soldiers among the ordinary citizens drew their weapons, but looked uncertain about what to do with them. Just as well, because there was no discernible target.

"Your friend has got some style," Jonas said, ducking as a dark trash can whizzed by his head. He didn't appear surprised in the least.

Zane smiled.

In one small instant, he caught sight of Mallory's figure down one of the alleys, her arm outstretched longer than the average human could reach. She used its immense length as leverage, allowing the trash cans in her grasp to gain momentum before flinging them into the streets.

Her method was effective. The cans sailed over heads, narrowly avoiding braining people, but frightening them immensely.

Zane's mind couldn't remember what he was supposed to do. Mallory had planned this with careful precision, but he sensed none of it mattered anymore. They had to get to the air hangar. If they stayed any longer, Wawrzynski could find them. The risk of going back to his facility was enough to spur Zane to leave behind everything he'd ever known.

"Mallory!" he yelled toward the alley he'd last seen her. He doubted she could hear him, but it was worth a try. "We've got to get to the west wall!" Jonas winced as the strap of his bag dug into his shoulder, and Zane pointedly did not look at the pain crossing his face. "We have to go back and get the others!"

A cry of, "Already ahead of you!" came from a completely different alley, and a garbage can flew out and crashed the window of a quaint tailor's shop.

Zane, trusting her, bolted to the west, and Jonas followed without a word. The skinny boy could run fast, and even with the enormous weight, he surpassed Zane easily as he ran down the street.

Zane saw Mallory emerge from the alley and level out with them on the opposite side of the street. "Finally caught on, did you?" she said, shouldering a cowering soldier out of the way. She snatched his taser and helped him get away from his fear.

Zane didn't respond. Instead he gazed ahead at the large west wall, where an enormous section had lifted up to reveal a domed hangar. It contained several large covert strike planes and many small jets. The street ahead was crowded with concerned civilians seeking shelter and lines of soldiers keeping them pushed back. Zane grimaced as he realized they would have to get through both the crowd of citizens and the line of soldiers to get into the hangar.

"This is gonna be a fucking hoot!" Mallory hollered, speeding up. Her hair had been released from its ponytail, but the iconic New Vancouver suit still helped keep her anonymous.

A scream echoed from behind Zane, and he recognized the voice.

He whirled around, ready to defend the maker of the scream, when a horse, identical to the one he'd seen the first day in Wawrzynski's 'luxury suite', whizzed past him, brushing his chest. "Marcus?" he said in disbelief. Anastasia was on the horse's back, hollering in ecstasy.

The scream came again, but this time it was from above him. He craned his neck upward, and spotted Daisy looping through the air, Joseph clinging dangerously to her left ankle, his eyes wide as he gaped at the ground below. Zane laughed and shook his head, knowing Daisy was doing absolutely everything she could to make Joseph uncomfortable. He resumed his speedy pace, struggling to catch up with Jonas.