Unwanted Company: Sequel to The Family Business

Stage Ten: Run?

I let my eyes drop and my hands ceded to struggle, I weighted, calmly, partially. He released his grip, my eyes shot open and I went for the moment. Swinging my leg with the most person I have ever had I attacked with the full force of all the strength I had remaking. With a wrapped movement he lunged back onto his hands before springing like a cat to his feet landing ready for a fight.

I took my chance and broke into a full run. I lunged for the door and dived out Rolling back onto my feet and dashing out into the woods. He was hot in persist, but not on foot, he covered from the trees watching my every move and scouting out the terrain ahead of me weighting for the perfect time to make his move knowing that I would fight back.

I jumped over a fallen tree and dogged another resting between two others. I lunged over a fence and sprinted I to a long meadow. I saw him fall from the trees and roll back to his feet only managing to propel himself faster after me. My heart pounded in my ears. The determination in his moody said it as he charged after me like a bull. The power I each stride, the precision I each movement, the jet engines that propelled him after me.

"Wings-" he yelled after me uselessly. "Wings stop!"

I flung myself on looking over my shoulder instead of where I was going. He was gone! I could not find him, and that's when I went over. I was so focused on him I didn't see the cliff just waiting patiently for me. I lunged out with my hand and grasped for the Rockies protruding from the sides. Somehow my fingers interlocked with one rock and it broke my fall.

The distance from the bottom seemed to elongate itself as I looked down. Swallowing my heart back down though where it belonged I reached out with my other hand to grab another rock. He loomed over the edge, and when he saw me he seemed to relax.

"Kid, you are crazy"

I just glared back up at him, catch 22. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"What do you want?" I demanded

"Right now, to get you up on solid ground"

" I'd rather die than go with you"

"Well that is one of your options, or you can suck up your pride and except my help"

"You we're just trying to kill me; why exactly should I trust you?"

His laugh echoed throughout the canon "kid, your hanging from a cliff, if I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead"

I glared at him.

"I'd rather die"

"Have fun with that, I'll be here when you come around" he announce before sitting down to the edge. Growling I attempted to crawl down the edge but found myself to existed to move, my arms ached from holding, yield up for what seemed an eternity. He still sat weighting, playing with his dagger.

"You know kid; a little trust will go a long way"

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because, right now, your being hunted by people who want you dead, you are in way over your head and you have no idea what's going on. Not to mention, -" he cleared his through the and smiled"-you hanging from a cliff, and I'm the only one here to help you. I'd say I hold the pieces."

"You'll just kill me as soon as I get to the top"

" you are starting to bother me, you know that. If I wanted to kill you you'd be dead, I'd just shoot you, or leave you to die hanging there. Kid, I'm here to help. I have been tracking your downer Vince they captured you, let me help"

" fine, but I still hate you"

"That's fine with me" he stated dosing down his hand. Reluctantly I reached up and grabbed it. He growled in the back of this through as he used his strong body to lift me up. He gave one huge pull and lifted me up onto the solid ground with such force he fell backward and I landed on top of him. With as merle he said "don't you think we're moving a bit fast?"

I thumbed him in the chest and stood up. Chuckling to himself he rocked onto his hands and sprung to his feet.

"Let's start over kid, hi how are you, I'm not here to kill you, I'm here to help. Your turn"

"Why did you knock me out? Or drug me? Or choke me!? Hu? If your here to help why are you killing me?"

"You are killing yourself. Look I told you if you stopped struggling I would let you go, you decided to try and black out, by the way that was good one, I'll have to use that if I ever get into that kind of position."

"Who are you?"

"They call me the Tracker."

"Well tracker, why are you here?" I asked putting more distance between us.

"Like I said, to help. "

" and why don't I believe that?" I mocked. His demeanor changed from playful to powerful, like a soldier before he answered.

"At 500 hours four days ago you were abducted by an agent under the direct orders from Scorpion, a deadly organization that suffered heavy losses after two agents known as Thunderstorm and the Black Panther infiltrated their main facilities destroying that branch. But Scorpion was interwoven I so many forms of life and government that they only dented it enough to douse it to go back into hiding. That's where you come in, they came out of hiding, and as you are the daughter of these two agents, they want you dead. When you parent found out about your abduction they tasked me to track you down. Course that just what I do, find people"

"Give me a reason to believe you, and if my parents are who you say they are why didn't they come after me?" there was a long pause, and he didn't answer.

"No reason can be given to trust, only time. Now, you have a choice. By my calculations a Scorpion team will be here in about two minutes to reclaim you, so you can other stay here, or come with me, you have ten seconds to decide"

My mind was racing. If he was telling the truth, that meant all of moms stories where true, and I was in way over my head, but if he was lying that was one elaborate prank... Ten, what should I do? Nine, is he lying? Eight, he extended his hand. Seven, what 'do I do? Six, I make a fist. Five, I close my eyes. Four, he's still there. Three, this is really happening. Two, I gulp and panache a little. One, against my better judgement I reach out and grab his hand. Zero, did I just sign my death weren't?