REND

Everett (Emcee)

 

Emcee eyed the collection of bullet holes on the windshield. Next, he checked the rearview mirror and the side mirrors. There was no one following them. For now. He still decided to play it safe and crouched low as he drove, his chin almost touching the steering wheel. One lucky shot blowing his brains out and that'd be the end of his regeneration.

And the end of him.

He allowed himself to take a deep breath to celebrate their momentary respite. Only then did he realize how hard he was holding onto the steering wheel. Loosening his grip on the wheel, his fingers ran across the deep indentations he'd made on it.

Where did they end up? Stonehill Street, a sign informed him. This was the first time he and Oberon visited this part of the city. In the course of their escape that was nothing short of miraculous, they somehow found themselves here.

Middle-class homes, neatly kept front yards, cars in much better condition than their own half-dead second-hand vehicle were parked along the streets or up the driveways, all the streetlights working. A simple residential street. Not one soul walking outside, which wasn’t surprising because it was already late at night. That, and the fact the city had sent out a mass advisory for people to stay indoors. Some of the houses still had their lights turned on. An occasional shadow by the window told Emcee the people living here were curious about them.

Admittedly, they looked plenty suspicious.

The black ski face masks they wore made them appear even more suspicious like they were going to rob a house.

“Emcee. I’ve been shot. Hey, Emcee brother, bro Emcee,” Oberon whined from the backseat. Or where the backseat would've been if they didn’t remove it to make space for Oberon’s ‘summoning station’. “Emcee…Everett!” Oberon called out.

“Yes, I heard you the first time,” Emcee replied through gritted teeth. “And call me Emcee while we’re on a mission.”

“Mission? This mission’s way fucked up by now. By the way, have I mentioned I got shot?”

“You have, several times already.”

Oberon stuck his head out between the front seats. “Yeah, since we’re having a breather, I’d just like to repeat that I’ve been shot.”

“Sorr—”

“I’ve been shot while summoning!” He threw his hands up, yelling in Emcee’s ear. “You’re supposed to guard me. Don’t let me get fucking hurt while my mind is in fucking la-la-land.”

“I already said sorry.”

“Know what it feels like? It’s like I’m blindfolded and waiting for a firing squad to execute me.”

“If it’s going to make you feel any better, I got shot too,” Emcee said, gesturing to his own dry blood caking his clothes and seat. “I’m really sorry, okay? And you've already healed up, right?”

“That’s not the point. You know that I promised myself when I got my powers that I’m going to die conscious, so I can at least say ‘fuck you’ to the world one last time.”

“Yep, got it. Anyway, I didn’t expect the cops to immediately resort to shooting us.”

“What’s up with them? No word from Johann about what the hell’s going on?”

Emcee checked his phone resting on the dashboard. A few unread messages, all text alerts. Stay indoors. Don’t panic. Report suspicious activities. The kinds of messages they received every few months or so when the city was testing the system. Only now, it was no longer a drill. “Latest is still Johann’s message that his friend at work told him there was an emergency deployment of cops,” he said to Oberon. “Even if he tried to contact us after that text, there’s still no signal.”

“Tsk, even this far away from the club?”

Emcee nodded. “I thought they were blacking out only that area but it’s likely citywide.”

“This has gotta be a BID operation. Why else would the cops be so happy to turn our car into swiss cheese instead of trying to apprehend us like in those high-speed car chase videos? Ah, I forgot the name of that show. Used to watch it with my pops.”

“If the BID classifies an area at a certain danger level,” Emcee said, hastily steering back the topic before Oberon went on reminiscing about his parents, “cops are allowed to lethal force in capturing suspected Adumbrae.”

“Right, right, I remember that.” Oberon squeezed himself between the front seats and sat shotgun. “Didn’t help that after they showered our car with lead, we still sped away like everything was fine. Now, they're sure something’s up with us.”

Emcee looked down at his torn and bloody shirt and shrugged. “Where do we go now?”

“Just park here?” Oberon rolled down what remained of the bullet-ridden window on his side and stuck his head out to examine their surroundings. “Seems pretty quiet. Wait it out?”

“Don’t think that’s a good idea. Our car looks like we’ve been through a warzone.”

Oberon sat back, arms behind his head, and placed his feet on the dashboard. “Just continue driving? Move to another state. Start a new life and forget about all of this.”

Emcee didn’t know if he was joking or not. “Our priority is safety, next is we need to regroup with the others.”

“What became of them? You think Deen and Erind are still alive?”

“If only you didn’t break your summon—”

“Emcee,” Oberon said evenly, “my concentration broke when I got shot. I may bitch about it a lot, but I didn’t intentionally cancel it after getting shot.”

“Sorry,” Emcee mumbled, embarrassed. “We could only hope they got away with Deen’s power.”

“It’s going to be a be huge ass problem if they get caught.”

“That’s why we need to regroup and plan what to do next. Especially if we find out they were arrested.”

“Blank, Barb, and Johann posted themselves further away from the club compared to us since I needed to be close to maintain my connection.”

“I think they’re fine. Johann could easily get away. Blank too, especially with his power. Barb…I hope she didn’t do anything reckless.”

“If we got away, then they should have too.”

“Maybe. So…again, where to? Our hideout’s too far away and we’d easily get spotted on our way there.”

“Out of the city?” Oberon said. “We can also ditch the car and hide.”

“Continuing on foot is a good idea. But not here. I’m going to drive somewhere with fewer people to destroy this car.”

“Huh? Why?” Oberon asked. But he then shushed Emcee before the latter could open his mouth to answer. “Hear that?” Oberon checked the side mirror. Seeing nothing, he looked over the back of his sit. “I hear sirens.”

He was right. Sirens could be heard from afar, but the sounds stood out clearly in the eerie silence of this peaceful, quiet night. The residents of this neighborhood must have reported them. Or were there street cameras around here that tracked them? More and more sirens. Where do we go now?

“Fuck!” Oberon said, still looking behind them.

Car tires screeched as several vehicles rounded an intersection corner about four or five blocks behind them. Red and blue lights reflected in the rearview mirror as a new set of sirens turned on. This group of cops got close behind them first before turning on their lights and sirens. That other set of sirens in the distance must be trying to head them off, surround them.

Going straight was a trap. They have to turn back, past this group of cops.

Emcee yanked the wheel and made a hard left, praying they didn’t end up at a dead end. Or dead. They hit something which clanked and rolled over the hood of the car. “Trash can,” He said in response to Oberon screaming like a little girl. “Chill out.” They exited into a different street.

“Drive! Drive!”

“Oh, let’s just park here,” Emcee sarcastically said. “What do you think I’m doing?”

The entire area was laid out in a neat grid-like pattern. Left. Right. Left. Left. Right. He proceeded to weave around the neighborhood, accidentally demolishing trash cans, mailboxes, and clipping parked cars. Houses were turning on their lights.

“Do you want to wake up everyone here?” Oberon asked. “Or do you just have a problem with sidewalks?”

“It’s hard to control the car! Something’s broken.”

The police cars were relentless. They may have shaken off a few of them, but more were coming.

“Aaaah!” Emcee yelled as a black car parked a block ahead came to life and charged at them. An unmarked police car! He turned left, onto a property with a spacious lawn to avoid the oncoming black car. BONK, they jumped over the curb. Stepping on the gas, the tires dug up bits of soil gaining traction before tearing across the lawn.

The people in the unmarked car shot at them as they passed each other, uncaring of the houses nearby.

“Can you just give us a ticket?” Oberon shouted at them.

They entered a wider street and it looked like the highway straight ahead. “Do we take that?” Emcee said. In answer, a couple of police cars appeared and formed a barrier to block the exit. Cops got out of their cars and took positions to fire at them. “Fuck this,” he said, turning right before the police could open fire.

The unmarked car from earlier, this time with police lights on its dashboard, was hot on their tail, leading a herd of white sedans, painting the street red and blue. Emcee floored the pedal. Their car groaned with worrying clunks, burning rubber, before shooting down the block.

Unfortunately, the police behind had no problem catching up to them. And there were no corners to escape to in sight.

BAM! The black car rammed them from behind. “Shit,” Emcee said as their heads were thrown back in whiplash.

“Surrender or we will use any force necessary to stop you!” a voice on a megaphone blared.

“Let’s fight them!” Oberon said. “You fight them, rather. Because I can’t summon Blubber in this condition,” he clarified, referring to the reddish-gold, plump fairy that could rip apart anything like an insane piranha on steroids.

“What? I’m not going to blow up cops.”

“Move over,” Oberon said, grabbing the wheel with one hand, and pulling Emcee away with the other. The car wobbled. Wham! The black car rammed them as they slowed down. “Stop them, Emcee!” Oberon steered the car back on the road after throwing Emcee behind.

Emcee tumbled in the back of the car into the cushions used by Oberon for summoning. They may not be any help stopping bullets, but he still gathered the cushions to shield his body. He peered over the back window just as the black car rammed them once again. “Damn it,” he said under his breath. He stabilized his position and focused on the tires of the black car. It was a test of concentration because the distance between them was constantly changing. “Steady the car!”

“Steady the car?” Oberon said, almost shrieking with incredulity. “You steady your fucking ass! They’re ramming us!”

Concentrate! Emcee slowly took deep breaths. If he gathered the heat at the wrong spot, he could blow up the black car. Only the tires. He didn’t want to increase the list of innocent people dying because of him. Just a small point of heat, he coaxed himself, on the front left tire. I can do this!

Boom! SKKkreee! The black car swerved out of control and collided with one of the police cars. Another car, trying to avoid piling on the others, turned left and collided with a tree. But it wasn’t the time for celebration. A couple of cop cars slipped past the wreckage and continued giving chase.

“Just blow them up!”

“No, I’m not going to kill them,” Emcee said with firm conviction. “Shut up there, I’m concentrating.”

“This is no place for your morals! We’re dead if we’re caught!”

Emcee’s attention was on the tires of the cop car near them, but he caught a hint of a glint. The occupants of the car were drawing guns. BLAAM! BLAAM! Hot pain on his leg, a bullet went past the back of the car and the cushions. Emcee didn’t waver his stare on the tire. BAM! “Yes! One left.”

“Leave that to me,” said Oberon. “Hold on tight.” He braked hard, the car making sounds that had Emcee worrying it was going to fall apart, the tires trying to ignite the pavement.

A sudden hard left slammed Emcee on the windows, almost throwing him out.

Screeekk! The remaining police car tried to follow them. But they turned too sharply. Out of control. Skidding across the road…straight to a concrete divider out of nowhere!

“Booya!” Oberon said.

They continued on the curving road, going up and exiting into a different road.

“The highway?” Emcee said.

“Yeah, we passed some sort of side access road out of that residential area.”

“The signs, this is going to the airport?”

“The airport, the beach, those hotels, and resorts. Wanna hang out there?”

A giant ray of light enveloped the car, almost blinding them. A spotlight! A steady humming above them. Helicopter?

Emcee made sure the black mask he wore was still secured before poking his head out the open window. Cylindrical objects covered in blinking lights and with propellers attached to their sides dropped from the helicopter. “Police drones,” he said, his voice filled with dismay.

“Where?! Where do I go?!” Oberon said. “This car won't last long.”

“The beach,” Emcee said, looking once again at the road signs. “Wait, go down that road.”

Oberon did as he instructed. “The Viewpoint. Are we going sightseeing over the ocean? Or do you know of a hiding spot there? I don’t think the restaurants are a good hiding spot.”

Emcee got back to the front of the car. “Close your eyes.” He punched the windshield, shattering it.

“My face!”

“I told you to close your eyes.”

The car jumped as they went over the hump at the entrance to the Viewpoint. The spotlight was still on them. The police drones were buzzing nearby but having a hard time flying lower because of the trees lining the path.

Oberon squeezed the steering wheel so hard that he was starting to bend it out of shape. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. What next?”

“We dive over the cliff.”

“Huh? I guess we can survive that.”

“With the car.”

“Are you out of your mind!”

Emcee stretched his leg and slammed his foot down on the gas, right on top of Oberon’s shoe. He grabbed the wheel and made sure the car went straight. “Get ready when we go underwater. Out of the car. I’m going to blow it up.”

“Get off, you lunatic!” Oberon tried to push Emcee away, but even if they both had superhuman strength, Emcee was far stronger than him.

Past the parking area, over the graveled path to the scenic cliff, up a short flight of stairs. Emcee concentrated his power ahead of them, melting the fence as it came up. Oberon yelled curses straight into his ear all along the way.

And they were airborne, a hundred feet above the ocean.

 

---

 

Emcee coughed out water as he surfaced. His lungs hurt so bad. Forcing himself to hold his breath and stay underwater…he had no other choice. He deposited an unconscious Oberon face-up on the sandy shore.

“Hey, Obe. Are you alive?” Emcee rasped.

Oberon’s chest wasn’t moving. Emcee couldn’t feel any air on his cheek after placing his face close to Oberon’s mouth and nose. CPR. That chest thing. He couldn’t recall what those letters stood for.

I should do that chest thing.

Control your strength, he thought as he placed the heel of his hand on the center of Oberon’s chest and started pumping. He didn’t exactly know what he was doing; he was only copying what he had seen on TV.

“Breathe, Reo,” Emcee said, calling Oberon by his real name. Was he pressing too much? Or should he put more strength into each pump? He tried to ignore his rapidly beating heart, and the sinking feeling in his stomach that he might lose another friend.

After a couple of tense minutes, Oberon stirred and gasped for air.

“Thank, god, the Mother Core, whatever cosmic being is out there.” Emcee helped him sit up. “I don’t know how to do that mouth-to-mouth thing, but I was about to do it.”

Oberon weakly pushed away Emcee. “Fuck you, man. No one wants to lock lips with you,” he said in between coughs.

“I’m glad you’re alive too,” Emcee said. He laid down on the sand and stared at the stars…thinking.

Destroy the car and escape at the same time. All things considered, they were insanely lucky to pull it off.

Emcee was resolved to destroy the car instead of just ditching it. A strand of hair, flakes of dried skin, some abnormal energy readings, he wasn’t sure of the technological capabilities of the Bureau but if they got the car, he was certain they’ll find something inhuman there. And if they could do that, they could also trace the car to them.

As for diving into the ocean, in addition to losing parts of the car in the strong waves, Emcee surmised it may be the only chance to get away from the helicopter and the police drones. He then relied on the force from the explosion of the car to propel them away from where the police were searching.

They continued swimming underwater for several minutes. Even if they weren’t expert swimmers, they had superhuman bodies that allowed them to swim fast and far through the power of each stroke of their arms and kick of their feet.

Surviving underwater for more than a few minutes was a different matter; they had no training holding their breath. But Emcee knew humans could survive underwater for several minutes, it was just a matter of being able to hold their breath. Through sheer willpower, they had stayed underwater while swimming with all their might, gambling that their regeneration would be sufficient to deal with the damage suffocation brought long enough for them to gain sufficient distance.

But they still made sure not to pass out. Their brain shutting down from lack of oxygen equaled the end of their regeneration.

As luck would have it, when Oberon released his breath and passed out, they had almost reached the shore.

Emcee started to chuckle in relief. Oberon joined him. The chuckle evolved to uncontrollable laughter.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Emcee finally said, wiping tears from his eyes.

Oberon got up. “Let’s head back—is that an explosion?”

Emcee quickly sat up just as a wave of wind passed over them, covering them with sand. “What's going on?” He said, dusting off the layer of sand coating him

“I think the right question is what the fuck is that.” Oberon raised his arm to point at something in the direction of the city.

Emcee turned around, followed Oberon’s finger, and saw a thin pillar of blue light, rising from somewhere in the middle of the city, piercing the sky, eventually fading away into the darkness of the night after a few seconds.