Sleepwalker

Launch

    After speed-walking the opposite way Ace went for several minutes, an alarm sounded, and the white lights were replaced with red. 

"I'm gonna kill him," Amber groaned.

"Maybe it's just a drill?" Phoenix offered.

Max and Cho jinxed, "It's not a drill."

     "We need to move," Max continued, "Now! We have to get to the Launch before they seal the exits."

    He ran ahead, his lab coat wildly flailing behind him, and the Sleepwalkers hurried after him. Cho pulled up her map as she kept pace with Amber. Diego and Phoenix held the rear and would take turns looking over their shoulder for any pursuers. 

     "We are actually really close to Terminal G2. That will take us straight to the Launch." 

   "On it," Max replied as he skidded around a corner, bumping directly into a panicking secretary. 

   The young woman fell back, dropping her holopad, and Max grabbed her arm before she could completely fall. Her high ponytail fell out, forming a curtain of blond curls in front of her eyes that made the bionic scientist pause for a moment. 

   "I am so sorry. I didn't see where I was going," he apologized, "This alert had me going in a bit of a panic. May I assist you to a safe room?"

    She took one look at his shining red eye and shook her head. "No, thanks. My apartment is just over there," she answered and pointed to a door nearby, "Thanks for the offer though." 

    The frazzled secretary brushed her hair out of her eyes and scurried to the other side of the hall, her heels tapping loudly on the linoleum floor. In her rush to get behind the door, she didn't see the four teens anxiously standing behind Max. 

    Diego lightly patted him on the shoulder in mock sympathy. "Hey, it's okay, man. She wasn't your type anyway." 

   Max's shoulders slumped. "Whatever. Come on; we need to keep going if we're going to get your mech." 

    "Why haven't we bumped into any Enforcers yet?" Cho asked, "They're usually swarming the place at this point."

    "I think Ace may have had something to do with that, which is why we should hurry." 

    The conversation ended there, and they continued running until they reached a second hallway that curved downward. Max grabbed the hall's frame and, without breaking momentum, slid into the second hall and tripped over the stairs. The Sleepwalkers followed at a minutely less frenzied pace and met him at a stationary contraption similar to an ancient subway car. 

    Max's left hand was actually embedded inside the car's keypad, and he looked back at them with a wide grin. The door slid open automatically. 

   "Hop on in, guys. I've got us a one-way trip to the Launch." 

   Once everyone had piled in, the door clanged shut. Amber the Garcia boys slid in their seats as the metro jetted off, causing Max and Cho to share brief smiles. 

   "Smooth riding from here."

    "That's a first."

    Something heavy collided with the tunnel's roof, causing the metro's lights to flicker. They collectively held their breath for several seconds. When nothing happened, everyone slowly relaxed. 

   As promised, the ride remained largely uneventful, and Cho resolved herself to staring out the window. What she was looking for, she didn't know. A part of her expected explosions or for the entire Ring going up in smoke. With Ace, she never knew what to expect.