Project 43: Healing

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Elias ran through the ship's corridors, turning the corners quickly enough to send him flying against the walls, losing his balance before he could catch himself again. He was placing all his bets on the crew being too busy with unloading to bump into him as he jumped down the stairs, three at a time, desperate to escape the ship which had become a symbol for his insanity, a prison he had put himself in.

Finally, Elias reached the small door leading out of the ship. Outside was a rolled-up rope ladder, which he threw down immediately and started climbing. He would have to jump in the water and swim ashore but he was prepared to do so.

The water was cold, but for whatever reason, Elias loved the feeling of the cold dancing on his skin. He loved how the water surrounded him and suffocated the voices screaming in his head for a moment. He could still hear the engine of the ship humming along but it was muted by the massive amount of water around it.

Elias didn't want to return to the surface but his cursed body floated to the top before he even noticed it.

Port of Brisbane, Australia.

Elias decided to stroll right into the airport next to the port, right after stealing a new set of clothes from someone's yard. The first flight he could afford with the slightly moistened cash he had on him was just a short jump to Sydney which would hopefully be enough to throw the tasforce off of his tail for a little bit.

Elias was beaten down, more than he had been in a long time. Not only was he once again alone in a strange place, but he had lost his bag, all the new clothes he had gotten from Stark, and most of his money. He was once again reminded of why he kept everything he needed, on him at all times. If the taskforce would have found his phone, they would have been able to find out about Victor and Agathe. Elias could picture Agathe opening the door, hoping to find one of her friends on the other side, only for a group of soldiers to flood into her home and surround her. Elias could almost see the fear on her face and the way she'd hold onto her chest and try to calm her breathing. Elias could never do that to her, and that's why he threw the phone away.

Elias watched as the ancient brickphone disappeared into the ocean, like it was never there to begin with. Even the ripples it sent over the water disappeared into the waves before Elias could even see them. That phone was the last connection he had to the people he cared about but it was for the best. It would be best if Elias never contacted them again. If he just let them move on with their lives instead of having to break their hearts over and over again. 

The yellow sand stuck to Elias's damp shoes as he slowly walked back to the road. he needed to figure out a plan and he didn't have a lot of time to think about it. He wasn't far enough from the task force to say that he was safe but he didn't have a way to get further. Dimitri had told them about his current identity which meant that he would not be getting through even the lightest of passport checks without triggering an alarm. If he had been anywhere else in the world, he would have been able to get a new one from one of his contacts, but he had never before set foot in Australia. It wasn't like he could get smuggled into another country since all the ships were under thick surveillance and there was no landborder to cross. He was going to have to ask for help but he didn't like it. Anyone could turn on him and send him walking into a trap, but he couldn't move on his own. 

The outskirts of Sydney were strangely beautiful in the dark. There may have been more bad people out in the night, but for a criminal like Elias, it allowed a sense of serenity. Hidden in the darkness, Elias walked down the street, listening to the sound of people still dining in the restaurants and cars slowly passing by. He let his mind relax for just a moment as he admired the warm lights illuminating the otherwise dark streets.