Echo Hemisphere

5: MARS!

Moonlight illuminated the dark halls through the tall windows. The night always gives the best cover on a new moon, if only there was such a thing with four moons. Security's in every wing of the school, all headed towards me.

Getting out of the school would be more difficult than it was getting in now that the security guards on duty have been alerted of my presence. The stinging pain in my left leg grows bit by bit as I continue running for my life and the unexpectedly heavy loot in my arms. It could have been lighter if it wasn't real glass, but it always had to be. My steel-toed shoes thud against the stone floor as I race through the halls to my escape. If only I was as quiet as I was fast.

Blood slowly starts to dampen my camouflage cargo pant leg as I keep active in my escape. I see a flight of stairs leading to the lower level at the end of the corridor.

Running out of breath. Hard to breathe.

I slow and pull up my mask to help me breathe easier. I head down the stairs as fast as I could without falling or being caught, skipping every other step and running like a decapitated chicken barely clinging to life.

Distant yelling.

Security.

I pull back down my mask with a gloved hand, still cradling the valuable item in the other arm and running furiously. I find windows lining the walls of the corridor as I turn the corner. Looking out the windows, I could tell this was the second floor, I could make the jump outside. No one was out there. Man, school security really has to step up its game sometime soon.

Running footsteps. Multiple.

The alerted guards found me, all of them heading straight towards me. I could hear their guns being cocked and their yelling from behind me in the tile hall. I'm fast, but not fast enough to dodge a bullet.

I make a jump to the closest window, clutching the fragile item in my arms and legs, protecting it. I crash through the window, into the night. Glass shards spin everywhere as I break the window, bullets zoom above me as I fall.

I stretch my feet to the ground in midair, bracing my fall. Guns still trained on me, I run, and run, and run. The thin bulletproof bodysuit under my pants and hoodie take some of the fire as my plan mostly goes well.

The parking lot is a good twelve-ish yards away, a few patrol vehicles parked out front and I'm well informed about the cameras on the cars' hoods. While I'm still running and cradling a precious crystal ball, I reach into the pocket on my pants where I put the window smashers and pull one out.

Police would usually suspect I have a store-bought weapon, but the unspoken fact states they don't get easily assaulted by a homemade weapon, especially a jumbo bouncy ball punctured by sharpened 4-inch nails. Custom-made weapons is my game when you can't trace where it came from. Forget the weapons dealer when you can make a window smasher from toy store and hardware store basics.

It's a trend for kids with too much spare change, such as myself, to go into a store and pick one or more vending machines to use all of their change on to buy as many dispensed toys or candy possible, the trend got the name "small thing speedrun" on social media, or STSR for short. Thanks to STSR, I could conveniently walk into a corner store and do that with big rubber balls in a goofy vending machine.

I throw two window breakers at full speed to the nearest cop cars, successfully shattering two windshields. The jagged glass and window breakers should stall them long enough from the chase.

Next thing I know I'm in a stolen vintage model BMW speeding off with the cops far behind. My injury comes back to my attention as I push down the accelerator, torture spreading through my leg. I glance through the passenger window to see Kuri'Shii's little red plane in the sky watching like a guardian angel ready to literally come flying in to my rescue. If I need it, that is. He should be watching my movement through police cruiser lights.