Finding Jay ⚡️

Chapter 17- Ambush

The forest was completely still. There were no far away sounds of Administration agents, or rustling in the dense foliage. Even the birds were quiet, as if scared to make even the slightest chirp. Jay was resting on the forest floor, his first real sleep in five days. He had been moving non stop since the escape, and the sounds of the Administration agents had grown further and further away in the past few hours. Jay was beginning to have hope they had given up their search and he would actually be able to get away.
The deafening silence woke Jay up from his brief peaceful slumber. He lay there on the damp leaves with his eyes still closed, trying to take stock of the situation around him. The silence scared Jay more than anything else had since his escape. A chill ran up his spine, and a gut feeling told him that his hopes of escape were about to vanish. Jay started a mental countdown in his head, and at one he sprang up and lightning began to dance on his fingertips. All around him were Administration agents, the closest one about twenty feet away. The master of lightning's heart sank as he realized that he was surrounded on all sides by more than a hundred agents. Not only was he completely outnumbered and surrounded, Jay had been running for days with little rest and barely anything to eat. He knew he didn't have the strength to run anymore, much less fight. Still, he didn't want to know the agents around him to know his weakness. They had seen what he had done back at the Administration, maybe he could use that to his advantage and make them back off.
Jay took a slow step towards the nearest agent. The lightning on his fingers cast an eerie light on his face. A hundred guns were drawn and clicked at once, and Jay smirked, trying to portray confidence instead of the panic he felt rising up inside of him. There is no way they are taking me back, Jay thought. They will never use me to hurt other people again. I would rather die here. With that thought firmly in his head, he launched towards the nearest agent whose eyes widened in fear. With one bolt of lightning, the agent crumpled to the floor, knocked out cold.
"Stop! In the name of the Administration, surrender and come peacefully," an agent ordered. In response, Jay knocked out three more agents with a sweep of his arms. Shots began to ring out from around him, and Jay dodged and weaved. He could feel the electricity running through his veins, powering him to move faster than any regular person could. He could see the attacks coming at him almost in slow motion. His mind raced, analyzing and predicting his enemies' moves at the speed of light. Still, he was hopelessly outnumbered. For each agent that he took down, three more took his place. Jay could feel the lack of sleep and the starvation his body had endured catching up to him. Just as he was about to collapse and be completely overwhelmed, three figures stepped out of the forest and began helping him beat the agents back. Jay observed them through the haze of his own battle, trying to figure out if these newcomers were friends or foes. They seemed to be on his side, but none of them looked familiar. One kept muttering under her breath, bright energy issuing from her hands at the end of each chant and taking dozens of agents down at once. Another seemed to be turning into smoke, confusing the agents before attacking them from behind. Jay blinked, sure he had seen that wrong. People couldn't turn into smoke. Then again, people weren't supposed to shoot lightning from their hands either, he figured. This train of thought caused him to lose his concentration, and he felt a gun click behind his head.
"Surrender," an agent growled. Jay recognized this one. She had lived next door to him for the past five years. Jay had talked to her on multiple occasions, even helping her fill out some paperwork once when she was behind schedule. There wasn't an ounce of guilt or pity in her eyes now. Jay could tell she was prepared to kill him if it came to that. Suddenly, a flying mass slammed into her side and she crumpled under the force. Her gun thumped harmlessly to the ground and Jay's rescuer stood up and brushed himself off.
"Follow me if you want to live," he growled. Jay scrambled after Lord Ras's quickly retreating figure. Together, they broke through the line of agents and began to run.
"Who are you?" Jay asked breathlessly as they ran.
"My name is Lord Ras," he responded, not a bit of strain in his voice. The other two figures that had fought one Jay's side in the clearing had caught up and were running beside what was clearly their master. Jay could tell by the way they followed his every motion, obviously trusting this so-called Lord Ras would get them out of the forest safely. One was a girl who looked a little younger than Jay, her red hair tied up and streaming behind her as she ran. The other was about Jay's age, and as the master of lightning watched he turned to smoke and reappeared a few seconds later, next to Lord Ras's side. Jay stumbled in shock, falling to the ground with a hard thump. He could hear the Administration agents still hot in pursuit, and quickly scrambled up to his feet.
"How did you do that?!" he panted when he caught up with the rest of them.
"I'm Cinder, the Master of Smoke," Cinder boasted proudly. Lord Ras took a sharp turn and they came into a clearing, a red helicopter glinting in the sun.
"Master of Smoke?" Jay asked, bending over to catch his breath.
"Yes Agent Walker. You are not the only one with the ability to control the elements," Lord Ras rumbled, making his way towards the helicopter.
"I'm not?" Jay whispered, hope blooming in his chest. All this time, he thought he was the only one to have this strange ability. It had felt so isolating to be different in a place that demanded everyone to conform to the rules. Maybe these people knew a place where there were others like him. A place where Jay could finally feel like he belonged.
"No," Lord Ras responded as Cinder and the Jordana climbed into the helicopter. Jordana began the engine and the blades began to spin as agents burst into the clearing.
"Come with me and I'll explain everything," Lord Ras coaxed, holding out his hand. "You'll finally have a place to belong." It was as if he had pulled those thoughts straight from Jay's head. Without a moment's hesitation, Jay took the hand offered to him. The helicopter lifted off, the Administration agents soon just specks in the distance behind them.