The Algorithm

Chapter five - Trust Fall

"Thank you." Was all she said.

He could tell he had hurt her. She didn't show it, she hardly showed any emotion, her face remained still and neutral. But he could tell by the way her eyes appeared distant and hollow as if she was searching for something in the distance but it was too far away to see clearly.

In the silence he still felt a lot of his questions unanswered. "Marinette?" He asked quietly. She glanced over at him briefly. "Where are we going?" She smiled at his question, it was probably the first real smile he had seen from her.

"Somewhere safe."

Adrien smiled back.

"Are you gonna tell me where or are you gonna put a sack over my head until we get there." Marinette chuckled. She had a cute laugh that filled the space with joy and contentment

"Well I thought you might want to chit chat for a bit before I bring out the sack." They giggled for a moment, her chuckle obviously contagious. It felt nice to laugh after all that had happened the last 10 minutes.

They drove a few more blocks, the streets still bare and lifeless. Marinette looked rather calm but her knuckles were white from gripping so tightly to the wheel. She gave the occasional glance in the mirror, checking to see if they were being followed. It was during one of these occasional glances when she looked forward and slammed on the breaks. A spike strip laid flat across the road. The car skidded and all its weight shifted to the left. Their bodies jolted and Marinette's head smacked against the side window. The vehicle rolled on its side as the tires passed over the jagged spikes. Adrien faded out of consciousness.

He was dazed for a moment before his blurry vision finally cleared and the black dots that danced in front of his eyes disappeared. He was hanging upside down, the only thing holding him in place was the seatbelt that was buried into his ribs. He felt a burning go though his spine and he grinded his teeth as he waited for the pain to subside. Adrien cricked his neck over to see Marinette fiddling with her seatbelt.

"Blondie?" She called.

"Yeah?"

"There is a knife in the glove box. Can you reach it?"

He opened the glove box and a small black backpack fell out. He rummaged through its contents, flint and steel, water bottles, dried food, first aid kit, wire, rope, flashlight, flares, compass, and so on. But amongst the items was a blade in a leather sheath. He passed it over to the bluenette and she banished the knife with skill as the razor sharp edge sliced through the seatbelt.

She fell to the roof of the car and crawled over to him. The side of her temple was red and bloodied from when her head collided into the driver side window. The scarlet liquid ran down her face and was smeared across her cheek bone.

"Are you alright?" Adrien asked, ignoring the pain in his ribs.

"I've survived worse." She mumbled as she tugged at the strap across his chest and positioned the blade underneath. "You okay?"

Adrien was holding his breath to give her space to work the metal edge though the thick material. "I'm fine." He answered between breaths. He had answered truthfully, besides a stiffness in his joins, he was alright. At last, the seatbelt was cut in two and Adrien toppled over to the roof of the car.

Marinette pulled him up by his waist, and guided him to the right side window. She resheathed the knife and packed it away in the backpack before swinging it over her shoulder. Then, she gently pressed her fingertips against the glass, and the sound of a gentle hum filled the air. Within moments the window shattered. Fragments of glass were spread across the asphalt. "How did you do that?" Adrien asked, stunned. All she did was touch it and the window broke into a thousand tiny shards.