The air crackled with tension, thick with smoke and static. Carl’s boots slammed against the wet concrete as he tore through the alley, his lungs burning. Electricity was twitching beneath his skin like a coiled wire ready to snap. He didn’t look back. He didn’t need to.
Code was right behind him, closing in. His footsteps echoed Carl’s. They were measured, precise, too perfect to be human. The faint hiss of a suppressed pistol followed close behind, each silent shot cutting through the rain like a whisper of death.
Carl swerved left, ducking behind a bin as a round pinged off a metal pipe above his head. The suit never missed unless it meant to. Right now, it was playing with him, trying to bring him in alive.
Carl peeked around the bin to look down the dark alley. Lightning flashed, revealing a tall figure in a tailored black suit, immaculate even in the storm. Code stepped into view like a shadow peeling off a nightmare. His face was blank, unreadable.
Carl’s pulse thundered. He could feel the electricity building in his arms, climbing up his spine like a warning. He didn’t want to fight, just run. He needed time, just a few seconds to get away. He had to do something.
He quickly got to his feet and veered through a rusted gate behind the bin. The gate led him to a scrap yard. The crushed cars formed a maze of metal, twisting and turning into an endless path of confusion. The floor, soggy dirt and gravel caused problems. Puddles gathered where the terrain sagged, the splashing of his boots tearing through just pinged his location as he ran. Giant spotlights highlighted the yard, casting long dark shadows across the dirt floor.
Carl debated hiding behind some of the crushed scrap, but Code was too close. He'd see him. He never misses anything. Maybe he could just keep running, but he was running out of breath.
As the rain hammered down, Carl darted left round a corner. He rounded a wall of stacked cars. A forklift was tucked into the bottom car, and a small man in a hard hat and high vis vest was operating it. Another to the side of the forklift, guiding it in.
“What do you think you're doing?” one of the men shouted.
Carl didn't reply, he didn't dare. His boots slapped through the puddles on the ground once more as he tore past them.
“You’re not supposed to be here. The public aren’t allowed here past opening hours!” shouted the other man. He was angry. Carl felt bad.
“Run!” Carl screamed. It was the only warning he could give. He knew it wouldn’t be enough for them to get out.
The rain continued to pour. As Carl approached the far end of the strip, one of the men shouted again. This time it wasn't to him, it had to be Code. “Wow, wow, wow. Put the gun down man. Please, I don't want any trouble.”
That was the last thing that Carl heard from the man as a larger splash rang out. It was loud enough to be a body dropping into a puddle.
Just before he rounded the corner at the far end of the strip, he glanced back. The horn began blasting. One of the men was motionless on the forklift. His head was planted on the steering wheel, blasting the sound out. The other was face down in a pool of water on the dirt, a spotlight shining on him ominously.
“Fuck. I’m so sorry,” muttered Carl to himself.
He turned and carried on running. Another building loomed in front of him. Carl didn't have a choice, he had to run to it. He made it to the husk of a collapsed warehouse. His boots splashed through more puddles and broken glass as he ran through an opening in the wall, not sparing a second to glance back at Code. He slid behind a support beam at the back of the room.
In the center, he could see a mannequin-sized training dummy stood propped against a pile of crates. It was scorched from earlier; left behind from a failed attempt to spar the energy out of his system. Carl had previously used this place for a few days to train his powers. He was thinking he might be able to get them under control a bit better. It clearly didn't work. Code had tracked him near this location, and noticed Carl walking back. He was lucky to realise he was getting stalked. He’d caught Code in the reflection of a shop window and started running.
Code’s footsteps slowed as he reached the gap in the wall, they echoed through the entrance. He pulled a compact torch from his pocket, its beam far stronger than any standard issue. The light swept across the room in steady arcs, scanning like a prison guard searching for an escapee.
Knowing that Code would find him in a matter of moments, Carl picked up some loose stones and threw them with unhuman-like strength. They clattered against the doorframe on the far side of the warehouse. Code steadied himself and started walking in that direction, scanning the area. His footsteps grew slower and slower as he paced the room. Carl held his breath for a minute.
This was Carl’s chance. He knew it. He got up, tiptoeing towards the entrance. The loose concrete crumbled under his feet, and Code heard it. “Shit,” Carl whispered.
Code spun and locked his pistol on Carl.
The training dummy. It was the only thing he could use, it would have to do. Carl charged his fist. The punch landed like a comet. The training dummy exploded in a blinding flash of white-blue light, sending debris crashing in every direction. The base of the dummy flew towards Code, hitting him off balance. Code’s arm raised to try and block the projectile, but the force took him to one knee. Metal screamed and flames licked, as dust filled the air. Carl was already moving again.
When the smoke cleared, Code emerged from the dust, suit charred at the edges. He whipped his face with his left, his pistol raised with his right. There was no target in sight; just silence and wreckage.
A beat passed, then Code lifted two fingers to a comm in his ear.
“Target escaped. Electrical burst concealed his direction.”
There was a pause. Crackling static was on the other end.
“Yes, I’ll keep searching. The second target’s still in the city.”
Another pause.
“Okay, I’ll look for her next.”
He lowered his hand to adjust the cuffs of his suit. He turned and vanished into the shadows of the night. Carl had got away this time, but Code would be back.
