ALWAYS [FIVE: THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY]

0.8 Finally

             "Okay," the woman said as she walked over to the guard in the doorway, "tell the Handler I'll be in her office for the briefing in a few minutes. I need to get dressed." She told the man as she gestured to her clothes, which were her white pajamas. 

           "That won't be necessary." The man spoke in a tone that matched his facial expression, empty of all emotion.

          Hope looked at him confused, her head tilted slightly. "She wants me there right now? Dressed like this?"  The guard shook his head and continued to stare blankly at the woman. "You can get dressed then meet at this time and place, the briefing is not necessary." He explained then handed Hope a card and a folded paper, turned around and marched out the door.

           Doing as she was told, Hope got dressed; the strange feeling in her stomach ever present. The woman wore a simple pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. She didn't need to wear anything special on missions because no one sees her or no one ever cared. She had her force fields as her weapon so she carried no gun. She did however have two small knives tucked into either boot for emergency's. 

         Once she had gotten dressed, Hope made her way to the room where the commission held all of the brief cases they used for time travel, nodding to Herb, a case room worker who was kind and incredibly short, as she passed by. Using the card the man gave her, Hope went into the highly secure room and picked out a case. Hope then took the item and walked toward the exit.

           "Where are you going?" A familiar voice rang from behind her. Hope spun on her heals and faced the owner. There stood the Handler, in a black outfit that looked to be from a funeral in the 50's. The sound of high heals clicking against the solid floor echoed through out the room as the fashionable woman made her way toward Hope. Stopping just four feet in front of her, the Handler waited for Hope's response. "On a mission," said Hope hesitantly. "What mission?" The Handler asked suspiciously.  

             It took three seconds for Hope to reach two conclusions; first, if the Handler didn't already know where she was going then it should most likely stay that way. Second, this was Hope's chance to be free, but she had to see where the note the guard gave her would lead her to. It was then that Hope knew she only had one option. He had to run.

            Quickly turning herself and the case in her hand invisible, Hope spun in a 180 then sprinted out the door. Once in the hallway, Hope pounded her feet against the hard ground, not daring to slow down until she found a place to hide, she needed to read the note and use the case.

              The woman couldn't help but feel the adrenaline course through her veins, the feeling in her stomach growing rapidly. A smile spread across her invisible lips and she ran down the hallway, the woman didn't know where she was going but she did know that she had to leave; and this was her chance. 

             With the Handler's men not far behind her she dove into the nearest open door to avoid detection. Trying her best to slow her heavy panting, Hope crouched beside the door and peeked through the opening, watching as the men run past the entrance to the room she occupied.

            When the woman was sure the men were gone, she stood up and rolled her head back with a sigh of relief. Covering her mouth with her hand in an attempt to hold back a laugh. She loved the simple fact that the Handler had now idea where she was, it brought the woman a sense of satisfaction. For the first time in a long in a time Hope felt alive not just because she had live through yesterday, but because she actually wanted to see tomorrow.