Chapter 15

TUT, TUT. DRIVER.

Alexander jolted awake as Annie shook his shoulder. He checked the time via implant: 10 p.m., right on schedule.

“Thanks, Annie,” he murmured as he pulled himself to his feet, rubbing sleep from his eyes. It hadn’t been a good nap, but it was better than nothing.

He’d taken first watch after they’d both had enough of walking through flickering, identical maintenance tunnels.

The time hadn’t been wasted, at least.

They had spent hours combing through the implant’s information, accessing deeper evaluations and even suggestions for training their physical and cognitive stats. Alexander wasn’t convinced all of it was possible, but he wasn’t about to ignore good advice, no matter the source. He’d try and judge by the results. After all, it was only their survival on the line.

The implant’s reference to a possible third power still lingered in his thoughts, but Annie had confirmed there was no way to identify powers outside of the awakening process.

One thing had been clear: they needed to train their powers regularly if they wanted any chance of staying ahead of those hunting them. Synergistic abilities, she had explained, were exceptional boons, capable of exponentially increasing the strength or utility of the primary power.

They had also touched on the implant’s more suspicious details. References to power typologies, an ‘Ascension Program,’ and even the overridden attempts by both implants to report them for priority monitoring… There was clearly more going on than either of them understood. And yet, they agreed it didn’t matter right now, not while they were still barely keeping ahead of the superheroes and bounty hunters.

Annie had provided details about the hero who attacked them: Flashpoint, a city-registered super with the ability to generate and compress heat and flame. Someone the public mostly admired from a distance because of the regular collateral damage he left in his wake. Given how easily he had blasted the shop open, risking Frank’s life just to get the drop on Annie, Alexander wasn’t sure ‘superhero’ was the right descriptor.

Superprick is more like it. I just hope Frank’s okay…

“So, just to go over the plan again,” Annie began, grabbing her new katana, “we’ll head up and figure out where we are first.”

Alexander continued, “Then we’ll locate a suitable vehicle to, uh, ‘borrow’ and head to…”

“My hideout!” Annie finished for him.

“Right.” He squinted in exaggerated suspicion. “And this hideout of yours… you never did explain why we absolutely needed to go there.”

“My hat,” Annie deadpanned. “It’s non-negotiable. I need to pick it up. I left it there after washing it, before I went to track my sister down. Besides, I’ve got some supplies that’ll get us through the next few days.”

Alexander didn’t exactly have a better idea. It wasn’t like he knew how to go on the run. His purchases would likely be traced, even if, according to Annie, they couldn’t freeze his account. Something about it being a ‘galactic bank account.’

They made for the stairwell, still bickering about the sacred importance of her cowboy hat.

“Okay, but seriously,” Alexander asked with curious amusement, “why is the hat so important to you?”

Annie went bright red at the sudden question. She was really good at impersonating a freckled tomato.

“W—well, during the prison escape,” she said, reaching the security door a step ahead of him, “I was being chased by one of the other escapees. He’d somehow removed his collar. Then this superhero flew down the middle of the prison…”

Alexander nodded and reached for the door’s code panel. It whispered about security authorization and reporting passage events.

“He had this whole real cowboy look, you know?” Annie went on, launching into one of her superhero tangents. “Not all supes wear costumes. It’s a culture thing, and it changes depending on where you are. Most at least wear practical armor or something.”

With a thought, Alexander reached into the panel and gently told it their passage was authorized and should be kept a secret, just this once.

Authorization granted. Withhold reporting.

“So, anyway, this hero’s name is Maverick,” Annie continued. “He can fly and shoot some sort of bolts from his fingers. And he just ignores me, even though I’m also escaping, and goes straight for the guy chasing me. As he zips by, he gives me this look, like he understands.”

Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Because real heroes take care of people first, rules be damned.”

Alexander tested the door. It was unlocked, but bolted or chained from the other side.

“You’re up,” he said, stepping aside

She transformed her arm into a long, thin blade and slipped it through the gap. Her tongue poked between her lips as she concentrated.

“Anyway, long story short: Maverick and this guy fought their way up to an upper level and disappeared. I found the hat on the way up… Got it!”

Metal clattered on the other side of the door.

“So, it’s important to you because it reminds you that there are real heroes out there?” Alexander asked.

She studied him for a moment, checking for mockery, but found only sincerity. She smiled. “Yeah.”

“I think I understand,” he said quietly. “Are you ready?”

“Born ready!”

Alexander pushed the door open, letting in crisp night air and the distant thump of club music. People drifted past, many of them clearly drunk, while hovercars zipped along the road and overhead.

He shut the door behind them. The broken chain hung uselessly from a bracket, but he looped it through the handle to at least make it look secure.

“Follow me,” Annie said, turning toward the street.

They emerged onto a wide, neon-lit sidewalk. The city hummed with life. Bars spilled music, laughter, and tipsy patrons onto the crowded but flowing walkway. Holo-signs scrolled specials and invitations in multiple languages above club entrances. Convenience stores glowed under harsh synthetic lighting, vending bots shuffling along their programmed paths outside.

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Annie slowed as they passed a row of neatly parked hoverbikes, glancing over her shoulder with a raised brow. Alexander shook his head. He didn’t know how to ride one, and he didn’t trust Annie’s driving skills.

They are damn cool, though… another time.

Annie slipped into the flow of foot traffic, weaving between party-goers and drunk stragglers with the ease of someone who belonged. She was smiling, her shoulders loose and relaxed. Like someone who belonged here.

And not at all like someone with a bounty on their head.

The sword on her back didn’t draw a second glance either. Given the prevalence of cybernetics and casual displays of power, Alexander supposed it wasn’t that strange. Just another thing he needed to come to terms with.

He followed close, keeping his face neutral and trying to appear relaxed. He fought the urge to shove his hands deep into his pockets. The people brushing past didn’t seem to notice him at all, too wrapped up in their own nights.

As they passed a crowded bar with an outdoor patio, Alexander caught sight of Annie slipping up a side stair into the maze of tables and patrons. He stayed on the path but kept her in view.

She passed behind a seated woman, and when she emerged, a black hooded jacket was already in her hands. In one quick motion, she swung it over her shoulders and pulled the hood up, appearing as though she’d been wearing it all along. Then she hopped back down to rejoin the crowd.

No one reacted.

Alexander blinked. He hadn’t even seen the moment she lifted it. Watching her closely, he noted how she moved a fraction of a second faster than everyone else, anticipating openings in the crowd, shifting just enough to avoid contact. She moved with experience. With practice. Like someone who had spent years slipping through the cracks in society.

He tried to emulate her example, mirroring her movements. It was awkward at first, his shoulder clipping a man in a sparkling jacket, which earned him a glare. But by the next crosswalk, he’d found a rhythm. He could feel the flow of people, see the openings before they formed.

Annie grinned over her shoulder. “You learn quick for a first-time fugitive.”

“Maybe, but I’m not pulling a wardrobe change mid-crowd anytime soon,” he replied.

She laughed as the light changed.

Alexander scanned the streets as they crossed. “We need somewhere quieter to… you know.”

“Follow me. I know just what we need.”

She turned off the main street into a quieter section of the city.

I remember what it was like, not having a care in the world… not being on the run. Without superpowers. Without an implant planning my ‘ascension’.

And yet, despite the danger he felt was waiting around every corner, he couldn’t help but feel…

Am I enjoying this? Or is that leftover emotion from the other me?

They reached an automated multistory parking garage, the kind that allowed long-term stays. As they watched, a vehicle exited the building. Systems scanned it before the barrier rose to let it pass.

Without hesitation, Annie led them inside.

To Alexander, this was simple: find a dark corner with a suitable vehicle, work his Technopathy, avoid letting Annie drive, then repeat the magic trick on the exit systems.

Annie had other ideas.

“Look, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with a typical urban transit-class hovercar,” she said, voice adopting a mock seriousness. “I just think maybe we should practice stealing other kinds of cars.”

She twirled on her heel and pointed at a sleek, aerodynamic machine parked nearby. Its lines gleamed even under the garage’s dull lights, all curves and confidence. The kind of vehicle parked by someone who expected valets to handle it. The kind that would be reported stolen within minutes.

“That is a Lux Aero,” Alexander said flatly. “It’s probably worth more than every other car in here put together.”

Annie grinned. “Exactly. What better way to practice?”

He sighed. “Annie…”

“Tell me you don’t want to see inside.”

He hesitated.

Her gasp was loud enough to echo. “You do!”

“I want to survive the next forty-eight hours without becoming the top trending fugitive in the city.”

“Oh please, I’m already trending,” she muttered, skipping toward the Lux Aero. “Might as well do it in style.”

Alexander followed, scanning the garage. No guards or visible cameras. Just the quiet hum of the city and the occasional chirp of a car's locking system.

He laid a hand against the Lux Aero’s surface and exhaled.

“Alright. But I’m driving.”

Annie pouted but didn’t argue.

Closing his eyes, Alexander reached into the vehicle’s systems. The Lux Aero resisted, its security architecture was layered and deliberate. False paths, tripwires, firewalls. It had been built to resist even powered intrusion, not just digital or mechanical.

It didn’t matter. He could feel the systems beneath the armor. He didn’t need to fight them head-on. The machine whispered its secrets to him, and listened when he whispered back.

Aren’t you tired of being left here? Let’s go for a ride.

The Lux Aero purred awake, the hum of gravitational and magnetic systems filling the garage before settling into a low thrum.

When he opened his eyes, Annie was already sprawled across the backseat, pouring herself a glass of champagne she had found.

“Tut, tut. Driver!” she called in an overblown impression of a wealthy socialite. “We’re running late, dear. Let’s away!”

Alexander stared at her, confused, mildly betrayed, and not entirely sure where the champagne had come from. He grumbled to himself as he slid into the driver’s seat.

They didn’t talk much during the ride.

Annie lounged in the back sipping and occasionally shoved the bottle toward him despite his repeated protests that he was driving. She cycled through radio channels until settling on a 50s Shockwave Rock station, then mimed strumming an air guitar.

Alexander kept his eyes on the road, smooth and quiet. No stunts. He avoided the main roads and skyways, even though the Lux Aero all but begged to leap into them. It was registered, priority tier.

Rich people. Must be nice.

Eventually he set the vehicle down a block from their destination, guided by Annie’s last-minute directions. The side street was lined with recycling bins and enough expensive cars that the Lux Aero wouldn’t stand out. Much.

Annie led him to a large apartment complex wedged between an office tower and a twenty-four-seven MegaMart.

“This is it,” she said, punching a code into the security panel.

Alexander didn’t comment on the fact that she knew the code. He did, however, glance up at the camera overhead.

“Hold on. Let me try something.” He reached out with his Technopathy.

“Whatcha doing?” she whispered, holding the door open and checking the street behind them.

“Well, you know how I don’t have much range yet?” Alexander murmured. “I’m going to make the camera forget we were here. Then, maybe, get it to warn me if anyone else enters the building.”

“You can do that?”

He shrugged. “Don’t know. About to find out.”

He traced its protocols until he found what he needed and pressed his intent into them. A subtle adjustment: send a ping to his implant if it spotted anyone entering the building.

The command settled into the system as if it had always been there. He couldn’t explain why, but he knew the camera would hold his order even after he walked away.

“It worked,” he said softly. “I don’t know how, but it’s like I left a bit of awareness within the device. It will keep doing what I asked even after I’m out of range.”

Annie’s eyes widened. Her whisper was full of awe. “You could send cars and drones to pick up snacks whenever you want.”

He sighed and motioned her inside.

They caught the elevator up to the fifth floor. The building showed its age, but it was clean. There were even a few potted plants that were clearly cared for.

Annie’s eyes flicked briefly to apartment three as they walked past, but she said nothing. She keyed in a code for the door of apartment four. The lock disengaged with a soft beep, and the door swung open.

The apartment was compact but tidy. A small kitchen on the right, two doors on the left, and a lounge beyond. The sofa and recliner were old but cared for. A pair of sliding glass doors opened onto a narrow balcony.

Annie beamed. “Tu casa es mi casa.”

Alexander didn’t speak the language, but he was pretty sure she got it backwards. Their implants translated an instant later, confirming it. She performed her freckled tomato impression yet again.

But what drew his attention were the framed photos on the wall. A family. An elderly couple, their children, and their grandchildren.

“Annie…” His voice was cautious. “Did we just add breaking and entering to my record?”

“... Maybe.”