Renegade

Chapter Eighteen: The Abyss

Ashley moved through the Secret Service Headquarters, still disguised as the man she had beat up outside the cell block. She knew that she had to stay on the move. She was trying to formulate a plan, but nothing seemed to work in her mind as it seemed to be in a state of panic. It was just her now, left alone to save the Unnatural. She was doing her best to avoid conversation with anyone as she walked around trying to look busy. Suddenly, she heard a faint, familiar, and sinister voice. It sounded like Peyton. She turned around, hearing it coming from a room she had just passed. Creeping back towards the room, she listened in on the conversation going on.
"Cameras first caught them in an elevator descending towards the U-level cell block," a man's voice said, "It was Caleb, Kaytlen, and another woman. One of the agents here."
"Who is the agent?" Peyton's voice responded.
"Isabella Maren," the man said, "She's a Level Three agent."
"Where was she stationed today?"
"Surveillance, oddly enough. We recorded her logging into her station but we never saw her use her credentials to access anything until she got into the elevator with the Unnatural."
"Then that's not her. That's Ashley Moore, a Shapeshifter." Ashley grimaced. They had caught on to her. "She's still around here somewhere and she knows where the Unnatural are," Peyton said, "Give the order to move the Unnatural to a holding vehicle until further notice. But do it as quietly as possible. We don't want Ashley having any clue about what's going on. And do it quickly, I want them moved before I have to go back to the President's Mansion." Ashley quickly moved away from the door, knowing that she had heard enough and shouldn't linger for too long. She began to move back in the direction of the cell block she had lost the others in, and she began to think. She knew that the Unnatural were going to be moved, and that they would be under minimal protection at that point. All she would need to do is intercept their transport and free them. From there they should be able to fight their way back out of the Headquarters. The plan seemed simple enough, but Ashley knew that it was never a good idea to assume something like that. She had to think of another solution; a plan B. She crept through the Headquarters, doing her best to slowly make it back towards the cell block. If she got there before the Unnatural were being moved she would look suspicious. As she got closer to the cell block, an easier, more efficient plan suddenly sprung into her mind. Why not just hijack the holding van they were being moved to? Hopefully that would be easier. She entered the cell block, using her credentials as whoever it was she had jumped to do so. She saw the Unnatural being guided out of their cells, all of them being restrained by thick, metal wrist cuffs. There were three agents guarding them, all dressed similarly. Ashley grimaced as she saw how roughly they treated Nellie, who seemed like she was barely able to stand straight. She was shoved from behind in order to keep up, causing her to stumble forward.
"Isn't your whole master plan to get us to work for you?" she heard Caleb yell. "Why would you treat her like that?"
"Because she probably won't last that long," the rough voice of an agent answered. She heard Caleb say something in response, but now they were too far away for her to hear them. She began to follow closely behind them, but not close enough to be seen. She looked at the rifle she had been carrying the whole time, knowing that there was nothing but tranquilizers in it. She knew she would have to use it at some point, most likely, but she was still hesitant. She would have to overcome that fear, though, she knew. Her friends' lives depended on it.
Before she could think much further, an image suddenly rushed into her mind as if thrown there by someone else. It felt like she had been told a location and she knew exactly where she was supposed to go. She had never visited there before, but she knew what it was somehow. A valley between two hills, far north of where she was now. She blinked, realizing what this was. It was Byron trying to tell her where to rendezvous with him at. He had done it; he had rescued Veronica and Phoebe. Now it was up to her to rescue the rest of their friends and meet him there. She focused on following the escort of the Unnatural, renewed with a sense of progress and purpose. The end to all this madness was finally in sight; she would finally be able to leave the Nation and its problems behind. She would finally be able to live peacefully.
Soon Ashley passed a sign that indicated that she was near the garage, and she began to pick up her pace a little bit. She could hear the van's doors opening and voices telling the Unnatural to get inside. She entered the garage, seeing the agents guiding the Unnatural into the back of the van. Ashley did her best to get as close as possible as quietly as possible while she gently raised her rifle, aiming it at the agent closest to her. She pulled the trigger, immediately ducking behind the concrete ceiling support next to her. She ditched her disguise, morphing back into her preferred form into order to concentrate. The agents returned fire, the concrete chipping away around her. This shocked Ashley, as this meant they had to be using real bullets instead of tranquilizers. She inhaled deeply, running out from behind the support, quickly aiming and firing on the second agent. She heard his body hit the ground as his body went limp. Ashley ducked behind a van as the final agent opened fire on her. A moment later she fired from behind the van, but her quick glance around the corner showed her that the agent had disappeared. Confused, she stared in that direction for a moment too long. She heard the barrage of gunfire again, this time directly to her right, and she realized that she had made a mistake. The agent had snuck around to the other side to surprise her. Shocked, she ran forward, stumbling as she made a mad dash towards the van where the Unnatural were being held. She threw herself into the driver's seat, changing her hand into that of an agent's whose disguise she had used before. She pressed her thumb to a small reader near the steering wheel and the van rumbled to a start. She quickly slammed on the accelerator, sending the van flying forward and into the garage door, ripping it from its hinges. It fell to the ground in front of the van, but Ashley rolled right over it. She steered the van in the direction Byron had relayed to her, and it was only then that the splitting pain in her side began to affect her. She pressed her hand to her stomach, suddenly noticing that it was bleeding profusely. The pain continued to grow and grow as Ashley realized what had happened to her.
She had been shot.