The keen tingle on Jessica's wrist brought a message: Tic Toc, a reminder that grappled her out of Valerie and Shannon's arms and back to her computer. Her friends curiously observed the screen, as all the files and screenshots downloaded.
"Can I have my gun back, Shannon?" said Valerie.
"When you're older," she replied.
Jessica removed the drive. "Wipe everything, Babel! Belay that, actually. Wipe everything but leave a care package, yea?"
"Very well. We shall continue this in the next domain, Lynx." The room went dark, and the green flash from Jessica's watch served as the curtain to her geek space.
Valerie's pupils expanded. "What are you doing, Jess?"
"Leaving," she said. She grabbed several belongings from the desktop, retrieved a tablet off the shelve and placed an alternative set of clothes and necessities in her backpack.
"You really just wipe your computer clean?" Shannon said apprehensively.
"Yep."
"Man, you should run for office or something."
Jessica froze at the sound of thuds just outside and signaled her friends to do the same. Ear against the wall, she listened to boots, quietly fetching her gravity board then bringing up the outside camera. The footsteps, it seemed, belonged to a black uniform passing the frame.
"That a police officer?" Valerie whispered.
"He's not local security," Jessica said. Several seconds after the black figure passed, she opened the door. "Come on! "Crouching, the three of them quietly crept outside, desperate to reach the elevator.
Shannon couldn't help but look back, however. The black figure was an Azarean, which was rare in a human building.
Jessica zeroed in on the elevator, while Valerie's sweat left a trail. None of them anticipated the second Azarean who suddenly loomed beside the elevator. Mere seconds after he entered their view, his reflective visor steered in their direction. He took a wide stance.
"Civilians, stop!"
A montage of options threw Jessica into a quantic dream. She could do something, anything, or she could surrender. Petrified limbs clamped her fate when the rear Azarean began storming across the corridor. Quicker, however, Valerie drew her pistol and fired.
The officer by the elevator drew his weapon, though not fast enough since Shannon had literally jumped over Jessica to reach him. Thanks to the tugging match that followed, Jessica had time to slip on her glove and lunge. The tall officer diverted enough attention to kick her into the ground. Adrenaline dampened the pain, but she was helpless and out of breath as the guard wrenched the weapon barrel away from Shannon.
Instead of firing, he hit the ground in a seizure. A mild tilt of her neck, Jess discovered smoke fume out of Valerie's pistol. Both Azareans were on the floor.
Her over her face, lungs on the cusp of hyperventilation, Jessica settled on deep breaths.
Deep breaths.
"Come on!" Shannon offered a hand. Instead of wallowing, Jess grabbed hold. Valerie stepped near when Shannon freaked. "Are they dead?"
"Nope," Homegirl said, holstering the pistol. "I just stunned the hell out of 'em."
"You saved me." Jessica blinked. "But we're wasting time."
The elevator doors beckoned. And as they entered, elevator music discarded some of the tension.
"Now, we're running from the police?" Shannon spat. "Why? Why are they after you? Who are we supposed to take this information to, if not the law? I feel like I just jumped into an action movie. I can't even right now."
"We're taking the info to someone who won't burn it," said Valerie. "If one space elf is party to Pine Rim, then assume they all are. It sucks, I know. Los hijos de putas."
Jessica tongued her cheek. "That leaves limited options, doesn't it? First, it was my boss calling and acting weird, then it was the random warning I got. I have an idea who's sending me these messages, but I can't say why. But all the variables, factored together, solve for X."
The elevator dinged. "First floor."
"You seem so damn sure," said Shannon, almost spitefully.
"When I was at Goliath, I saw an Azarean, and he saw me," Jessica told her. "The ones here are no coincidence. Pine Rim, random warnings, alien security in my apartment. One, two, three coincidences; One out of fifty chance to the power of three means 0.000008 chance of everything that's happened happening at once. And I just pulled that number out of the Phantom Zone. If it weren't for Val, this wouldn't add up. But, no matter how heinous, it does, and. I can't stay here." Jessica then strapped her goggles.
Valerie whispered beside her ear, "Is it clear?"
"Looks clear."
"But where are we going?" said Shannon.
"Away from here!" Jessica exclaimed with finality. She casually led them towards the front entrance but stopped by the scanner. "Hold on."
"What are you—"
Interrupted by electricity and flying sparks, Valerie and Shannon flinched. And uncovering their eyes, they saw Jessica bathe in the smoke, a fried scanner beside. With a smirk, she motioned them forward.
"I'm sure there was a reason for that," said Shannon, bug-eyed.
"We don't need a record of our escape." Jessica skipped past the exit. "Obviously—Stop! "Blue and red lights reflected across the pavement, so Jessica instinctively glued herself to the wall, scanning, via goggles, past the corner concrete.
Two security cars and a hoverbike were parked just outside the complex. Despite three vehicles, there was only one officer, which meant the rest were inside Apple Mire or on patrol. Either way, tthe last thing Jessica wanted was public attention.
Every weird circumstance, hitherto, had confirmed her suspicions. Someone was after her. Valerie being a fugitive, too, attached all sorts of unknown quantities.
"This way," said Jess, leading them around the complex and away from the patrol. "Better hope no one sees us. We're officially making '2129 another year testament to the success of Earth-Azarean relations'."
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