The Metahuman Agency: The Superhuman War

Food Run

"Why this way?" He asked.

"Cause we went right last time and we didn't get any crap out of it," Laureen said in reponse. "So maybe we'll get lucky."

"...That's kinda stupid."

"Yeah, well, fuck off. I don't got a better idea for now, okay?" Laureen sighed as they rumbled along the empty road. "...Maybe we should've waited until Audrey or Hiroshi were feeling better. Then we could've had some air scouts."

Audrey. Jason's heart did a little flop thinking about her. He leaned closer to the window, watching the trees go by. Should I tell Laureen about...what happened? He sighed and squeezed his eyes shut. I mean...Laureen's probably one of my closest friends in the whole Agency, right? We talk about...stuff...often. Maybe I should tell her. Maybe she can tell me what to do.

He turned. Laureen gave him a quizzical look. "What?"

"Er..." Jason cleared his throat, mulling over his words. "Well...you see..."

A honk sounded up ahead, making Jason jump. Both he and Laureen looked forward, spying a truck driving toward them.

"Hey!" Laureen said, laughing. "Finally, a fucking person! Hang on, I'll ask for directions."

Jason sat up straight in his seat, pulling his hood back over his head. "Uh..." He said, watching as the truck approached. "...Are you sure that's wise? I mean, we're kinda supposed to be laying low, right?"

"Dude," Laureen grunted back. "You're too paranoid. But let me do the talking, 'kay?" She waved a hand as the truck and it slowed to a halt next to them. Its window rolled down and a man's head stuck out.

He was an old guy, wearing a baseball cap with the Red Sox logo on it. A pair of glasses covered his wrinkly face and he pushed them up as he smiled kindly at Laureen.

"Well hello there," He said. "Fine morning to you, ma'am."

"Hey," Laureen replied, waving to the guy. "So...my friend and I are sorta lost." She jerked a thumb at Jason. Jason forced a smile and also waved to the old man.

The old man smiled back, nodding. "You don't look like locals, so I'm not surprised. These old roads can be mighty trick to navigate. Took me around ten years to get the hang of 'em and sometimes they still give me trouble. Where you two from?"

Laureen and Jason looked at each other. They both then responded at once:

"New York!" Jason blurted.

"Rhode Island!" Laureen said at the same time.

The old man laughed. "Well, which is it? New York or Rhode Island?"

Laureen elbowed Jason in the ribs. He got the hint and shut his mouth, mentally cursing himself for panicking under pressure. "Er...its both," She said quickly. She pointed at Jason. "This my friend, he's from New York and I'm from Rhode Island. It's been a while since we saw each other, so we decided to get together and, uh, go camping out here. Heard from my aunt its pretty beautiful up here, this time of year..."

Nice quick thinking, Jason thought. He stayed quiet, watching the old man carefully, although he tried not to be too obvious about it.

The old man smiled broadly. "Well that's a fine thing to do." His eyes then scanned over their truck, focusing on the damage done it. "My, what happened to your vehicle? Were you in an accident?"

There was a brief pause. Laureen tensed against Jason. But he heard her swallow before she said, "Uh...we had a run in with a bear."

The old man blinked. "A bear?"