Lonely Thieves

Act V, Part X

Megumi pointed down a street, indicating it as the direction they should be heading in. Daryl followed Megumi as they ran down the now empty streets. Daryl ran like a madman even as his stamina started to fail him. He knew Megumi wouldn't stop even if he said he was tired. They didn't have time to waste on resting.

After ten minutes of running, Daryl and Megumi finally arrived at the area Maize had designated for them. Daryl had hoped that Maize might call and say she'd found the control hub on her side, but it was too good to be true. Already exhausted, Daryl looked around for the control hub while he caught his breath and tried to keep himself from keeling over.

His tenacity was rewarded by the sight of a white van that seemed to glimmer even in the darkness of the night. Though it was unmarked, Daryl noted that it seemed to be made of a material not seen in most cars, and it was equipped with high-level technology that no normal person could afford.

"That looks like the control hub we're looking for," he pointed out to Megumi.

"Huh?" Megumi seemed doubtful. "It's just out here, parked on the street? Would they really leave such an important vehicle out like this?"

"We can always ask the sweepers, can't we?" Daryl took out his phone and sent the picture to David's number, then called him right after.

"Yes, that's an Overman control hub," David replied. "But don't get hasty and try to deal with it on your own. We'll come to your position, so just sit tight."

"You heard that, right?" Daryl asked a clearly antsy Megumi as he hung up the phone. "It must have some kind of security to keep random passerby from messing with it."

"I'm sure there is," Megumi remarked irritably. "I hope they get here soon."

Daryl sighed as Megumi continued to wander a short distance away from the control hub. It was clear that she wanted to get into that van as quickly as possible, so it was up to him to keep her in control until the sweepers got here. As he kept an eye on her, Daryl suddenly noted a red flashing light out of the corner of his eye.

The light was coming from a bulb atop the van, and at first, he had trouble remembering if that light had been flashing since they came here, and more importantly, the significance of such a light flashing in the first place. He had no particular proof either way, but there was something about it that made him worry nevertheless.

Instinctively, he grabbed Megumi's arm and pulled her away from the van. "What are you doing?" she asked irritably.

"Don't get so close to it. It might have some way of alerting agents to approaching pedestrians."

"You're so paranoid," Megumi sighed. Nevertheless, she stepped away from the van and did as Daryl asked.

However, it was too late. Out of nowhere, Darly heard the sound of jet engines soaring high in the sky. He looked up to see two Hawks circling the area. They were most definitely watching the control hub, and there was no way that they hadn't caught sight of the both of them.

"Crap!" Daryl shouted out, alerting Megumi to their pursuers. "We need to get out of here!"

"No point!" Megumi shouted out. "They'll catch us no matter how fast we run! Getting to the van is our only option!"

Daryl didn't want to admit it, but Megumi was telling the truth. They were most certainly already locked targets, so it wasn't possible for them to escape, especially if they were just on foot. Their only chance for survival was to break into the van and figure out a way to nullify the orders given to the Overman agents.