The Bullet roared down the tunnel for sometime before Jason caught a glimpse of light ahead. The car shot out of the tunnel's exit and screeched a halt, Jason gripping the seat to avoid faceplanting into the dashboard. Recovering himself, he looked out the window.
He saw the tunnel they come from looked like the entrance into a cave, nearly masked behind overgrown bushes and weeds. A "DO NOT ENTER" sign hung over the cave, a trail of dust left by the car slowly dissipating in front of it. James leaned forward, grinning as he pointed at it.
"Cleverly hidden huh even if some hiker or backwoods wanderer or naturalist or park ranger came across it they'd likely be dissuded by the sign the omnious look of the place and even if they did get in there's about three hidden cameras watching as well as some inner countermeasures to dissude further inspection very clever!"
"Yeah," Jason mumbled. He wasn't really that interested in the hidden tunnel right now. Instead, he looked out in the window. It was dark outside but thanks to The Bullet's headlights, he could see they were on a dirt road. Huge trees loomed around the road, swaying in the wind, almost looking like an enormous gnarled fingers in the darkness. They were somewhere in the Freetown State Forest then. The forest was a natural reserve that the headquarters had been in, effectively isolating it from civilization. Guess it hadn't been enough to stop Jacqueline though.
A loud boom rumbled in the distance. Jason looked out through the window and caught of glimpse of a small explosion in the air. The orange light briefly illuminated the night sky and he caught a glimpse of what looked like helicopters hovering, as well as...something big. His eyes widened. The light faded and he wasn't quite sure what exactly he saw but...holy crap. Could she had been telling the truth? Helicopters are up there...does she seriously have a fucking airship too?
"Holy shit..." Jason collapsed back into the sea. He rubbed his head. Laureen and Max...they had just flown right into that mess. They could be shot down after all. His throat tightened and his heart began to hammer like a maniacal drum once more.
"Jason are you alright well probably not we did just ecape from that horrific situation inside of there so the after effects of the adrenaline are probably wearing off I imagine they soon will for me as well but try to calm down deep breaths you know-" James said to him, putting a hand on Jason's shoulder. Jason twisted to him and grabbed James's wrist. His teeth grinded together as he snarled out:
"James," He hissed. "Focus. Cut all this bullshit and focus! We need to track down Laureen and Max! Regroup!" He jabbed his finger at the hidden tunnel. "We just fled from our own base! The Director is in danger! We need to find our friends and figure out a plan to strike back! NOW TRACK THEM!" He screamed the last sentence, not meaning to, but he couldn't help it. This was all too much and he needed, needed, to find Laureen and Max. He wasn't losing anymore people today.
James swallowed and nodded vigorously. "Y-yes of course you're right totally right I apologize sorry sorry sorry." Jason released him and James pulled his phone out of his pocket. He typed away at it and shook his head. "That's not good phone on low power not surprised considering all the strain its been under I really must develop a more efficient power source for it now then-" He pointed out of the car. Jason instinctively followed the guy's finger but didn't see anything. "They're heading west!"
Jason breathed out. He pressed a hand to his chest, trying to calm himself. They're alive. But for how long? He grunted, "We need to get out of here and chase after them." James gave him a thumbs up and slammed his foot on the gas. They shot off down the road, the sudden motion making Jason slam his head against the seat.
The Bullet raced down the dirt road, dark trees zooming past. Jason stared ahead, waiting for another path to present itself but nothing did. It felt like the road was going on forever. Angrily, he gripped the seat harder and hissed, "Jesus, how long is this damn road?!"
"Feetown State Forest covers over five thousand acres its quite extensive the Director did pick this spot for a reason you know but Jason really its only been two minutes I know you're under a lot pressure am I too but try to relax somewhat a clear head will serve us better in this situation than one full of rage alright yes good."
Jason took a breath. "I'm...trying but...its all...I just can't..." Suddenly he spotted a shape ahead on the road. "Hey! James, look out!"
The car screeched to a halt. Its headlights illuminated the shape. It was a Humvee, blocking the road. Jason gasped, just as the vehicle's rumbled to life, its own headlight switching on like a pair of eyes opening. Its turret swiveled around and opened fire.
Gunfire slammed against The Bullet's front, bouncing off the window, rattling the vehicle. The turret's impact spray left cracks in the windshield but the bullets didn't penetrate. Jason grabbed the door, intending to jump out and charge the Humvee. But before he could, James cried out "Hang on adjust your seatbelt please!"
James gunned the gas and The Bullet shot forward straight on the Humvee, bullets continuing to slam into the little car. Jason winced as they roared toward the Humvee but right before they crashed into it, James swerved. The car shot upward onto the edge of the tree line, slamming through bushes and rushing past the enemy vehicle. James jerked the wheel just before they smashed into a tree and they zoomed back onto the road.
Jason looked back. The Humvee was still shooting at them, gunfire bouncing off the back of the car. The enemy vehicle turned around and began chasing after them, looking like some sort of monster in the darkness. Jason cursed and said, "They're chasing us!"
James didn't even look back, keeping his eyes on the road, the dull impact noises of the turret's gunfire continuing to bounce off The Bullet. Up ahead, the road suddenly diverged in two. James didn't turn until the last possible second before jerking the wheel and speeding down the left path. The movement again threw Jason to the side and he nearly smashed into the gearstick. He pushed himself up, shaking his head.
"Told you to ear you're seatbelt Jason did you know that approximately fifty nine percent of all vehicle related fatalities are caused by not wearing one's seatbelt its true yes so you should really-" James started to babble but Jason raised a hand.
"Not the time!" He yelled. He looked back. Sure enough, he saw the Humvee a ways behind them, still chasing them. "That vehicle is still on our ass!"
"Yes yes yes I'm well aware don't worry we'll deal with him soon enough just got to outspeed him you see no worries no worries at all!" James blurted out quickly, still not glancing away from the road. Jason kept his own eyes on the Humvee. Although they were faster than it and outpacing it by a few yards at least, it was still keeping pace with them, the rattle of turret fire a constant reminder of that.
Suddenly, another path appeared next to their own road. And to Jason's shock, a second Humvee was roaring on that road. The second vehicle's turret aimed down at them and opened fire. Bullets slammed into the room, jostling the car.
The second Humvee twisted and slammed into them. The Bullet was jostled and Jason's thrown about like a toy. The car nearly went careening into the woods but James regained controlled of the vehicle, barely keeping them on the road.
Now they were side by side with the enemy vehicle. The Humvee slammed into them again, James continuing to barely keep control of the car. Bullets slammed into the rear window and Jason caught a glimpse of the first vehicle gaining on them.
"Doesn't this car have any fucking weapons?!" He screamed. James licked his lips and in response, pressed a button on the dashboard.
Immediately, a tire slasher burst from one of The Bullet's wheels. It rammed into the Humvee's front wheel and ripped into it, tearing the tire to shreds. The enemy vehicle lost control, pitching sideways and crashing into the side of the road. Jason caught a glimpse of a man being thrown off the turret.
Jason whistled. Damn, that was pretty awesome. The tire slasher retracted back into the car as James grinned. "Why yes as a matter of fact it does I didn't want to resort to using them wanted to outspeed the enemy you know not call attention to ourselves but since they've forced my hand I guess this is as good a time as any to field test them!"
Another spray of turret fire bounced off the car's back. Jason turned and saw the first Humvee was nearly on top of them, its headlights looking like the eyes of some monstrous beast emerging from the gloom. Jason twisted around in his seat, waving his hand at them. "Can we get alongside them? That tire slasher trick seemed to work pretty well."
"No need I think these ones deserve a bit more force anyway!" James cried, sounding positively giddy. He pushed another button on the dashboard. Several mines were deployed from the back of the vehicle in the Humvee's path. As soon as the vehicle struck them, the mines exploded. The force of the blasts flipped the vehicle onto its side, sending in smashing to a halt. The Bullet zoomed onward, leaving the two wrecked vehicles behind.
Jason slid back into his seat. He rubbed his head. "Well..." He snorted. "Just do that the first time! Glad we got rid of them though...man." He shook his head. "I guess Jacqueline has people watching the roads out of here too. Jesus. Hopefully there's no more surprises awaiting us..."
The Bullet roared forward, the road beginning to stretch downhill now. The dense forest seemed to be getting clearer, the dense foliage beginning to fade away. The path twisted right, the dirt road beginning to give way to pavement.
"Ah we're getting near the exit and in record time too oh how I adore the engine of this car much faster yes I wonder if I could integrate that sort of techology into shoes it would make getting around much faster much faster indeed!" James babbled excitedly. "Now once we get out of the forest we'll simply follow The Panther's signal reunite with the others and then well I don't know what next but with our four heads begin put together I'm sure we can come up with a marvelous plan!"
Jason nodded, leaning against the window. He was feeling a bit calmer now. Maybe they had finally outrun the mercenary forces. "Right...four..." He frowned and shook his head. "Goddamnit! I still can't fucking believe we left Audrey and Hiroshi behind! They could be..." He clenched his teeth. He didn't want to say it. But he forced the words out reluctantly. "Dead! They could be dead right now and..." He rubbed his temple. "Ugh! I still think we should have stayed and fought..."
James shook his head. "The odds my friend Jason were agaainst us you saw what they were doing slaughtering the staff security guards everyone if we had stayed well I think we would have been simply killed like it or not Laureen had to make a tough call perhaps a more pragmatic than emotional one but I know she made the right one if we had stayed behind we all would've gotten killed and then well then it would all been over in a swift stroke its unfortunate but fleeing was the only option."
Jason growled. Ugh, I hate it when he makes sense! But he knew, although he hated to admit it, that James was right. They were outmatched, outgunned, outnumbered in every conceviable way. But still...they should have all escaped. The Director, Audrey, Hiroshi, and...Robertson.
He swallowed. He said, more quietly, "Do you think...they're okay?"
James looked at him, finally taking his eyes off the road. He paused for a moment, slowing the car down, before answering. "Audrey is immensly strong tough and although her mental state can vary a lot for good reason poor woman I believe she will indeed be alright after all she went toe to toe with Zeus Kaiju Athropod and Absolute Zero and she pulled through without a scratch in most cases Hiroshi yes he's more vulnearable being younger than the rest of us as well as new to this sort of thing but he's resourceful and smart so yes I believe the two of them will not only be fine but we'll see them again real soon in fact I just did a series of calculations in my head and probability indeed weighs heavily in their favor!"
Jason smiled. James's words, as frenzied as they were, made him feel a bit better. He said, "Thanks dude. I agree." James grinned back, giving him a thumbs up before turning his eyes back to the road. He sped up, as The Bullet approached a bend in the road.
As it did, there suddenly came a loud roar from behind them. Jason twisted around and his eyes widened. A huge shape crashed through the woods, before smashing onto the road, bits of trees and foliage raining around it. It was an APC, a huge turret mounted on its back. Painted on its front was an image of a skeleton dressed in a soldier's uniform and smoking a cigar. The APC rumbled down the road toward them, picking up speed.
"Oh shit!" Jason cried. "Drive, drive, drive!" James sped up, the car shooting forward and zooming around the bend. Ahead, Jason saw the road straightened out again, the left side of the road a massive ditch. The Bullet roared onward, the world around them starting to become a blur.
Jason looked back. The APC rounded the corner, several yards behind. Its turret open fire, bullets slamming against the back of the car. James pressed a button on the dashboard again and another set of explosive mines were deployed. The APC ran over them and they exploded, the blast engulfing the vehicle. Jason grinned, pumping a fist.
But moments later, the APC burst out of the smoke. Scorch marks covered its front but it was otherwise unharmed. Jason cursed and yelled, "Faster!" But then, a hatch opened up on the APC. Jason saw a soldier emerge from it, a rocket launcher slung over his shoulder. The soldier took aim at them.
Jason barely had time to scream, "Turn!" before the soldier fired. James jerked left and the blast exploded right next to the car. An explosion of sound and power slammed into the side of the vehicle. The window shattered and shards of glass slammed into Jason's chest. He screamed as they stabbed into him, the force of the blast throwing him backward. He slammed into James's arm. James lost control of the car and it sped forward, zooming off the road.
The car flipped. Jason was thrown around, bouncing about like a ping pong ball. The world became a blur. The car bounced, flipped, turning over and over. It came to a sudden halt and Jason was thrown forward, head smashing right into the dashboard.
For a few moments, the world was black. Then, slowly, it came into focus, the darkness peeling away from Jason's vision. There was a faint buzzing noise. Something red was flashing in front of him. It hurt his eyes.
Jason groaned. He tried to rise but pain stabbed through his chest. He flopped back forward, clutching his chest. He looked down, his vision going in and out of focus. His head hurt. He felt slightly sick.
Looking down, he saw several shards of glass sticking out of his chest, blood oozing from them. Jason raised a shaking hand, running it over them. A thought formed in his mind, taking shape past the pain. Got to get them out...
He reached down. Carefully, he gripped the first shard between his fingers. He licked his lips. He hesitated. Then, he ripped it out.
Jason screamed as he tore the shard free. "Fuck!" He howled. He beat his arm against something. "Fuck! Shit! Goddamnit!" He screamed and curse for several moments before collapsing again, gasping. He looked at the piece of glass between his fingers. Blood dripped from it. His blood.
Jason flung it away. Groaning, he repeated the process. Each one was horribly painful but he managed to do it, pulling the pieces of glass out of his chest one by one. By the end of it, he was sweating badly, bits of blood covered his gloves, and he really, really felt like he was gonna puke.
With the pieces of glass out of him, Jason slowly took a look around. He was inside the car. It looked like it was upside down. The dashboard was flashing red, while the passenger's window was blown to shit. That side of the car looked like slightly dented and was covered in scorch marks. The smell of smoke hung in the air. Jason twisted around and saw James hang upside down in his own seat, his seltbelt keeping him dangling in midair. Blood was dripping from the guy's lip, one of his glasses's lenses was broken, and he looked unconscious.
Jason rubbed his head. He reached across the seat and coughed out, "James...James?" James mumbled slightly. "James...we gotta...we gotta get out of here..." My head...ugh...Jason could barely think. His head was pounding. His ears were ringing. But they had to get out of here.
Jason turned to the destroyed passenger's window. He reached forward, grabbing the edge of his seat. Bits of shaprnel and glass were stuck in it. Jason heard the crunch of glass beneath him as he moved. He slowly, painfully, dragged himself forward.
The Urban Spider pushed himself through the destroyed window. He looked up. They were lying at the base of the ditch by the side of the road. A path of destruction lead from the top of the small hill to their position. Shit...that must've been some crash... Jason thought. He was glad they weren't more fucked up by it.
The sound of a vehicle rumbled from the top of the hill. Jason snapped to attention. Oh shit, the APC! Grunting, he pressed his hands against the sides of The Bullet and pushed, forcing himself out of the car. He flopped onto the grass and nearly lost his lunch. His head was swimming. The world began to dance in and out of focus again.
Jason shook his head. Shake it off...shake it off...shake it off! He tried to stand. His legs felt like jelly and he immediately collapsed again. This time, he couldn't stop it. He threw up, vomiting into the grass.
Jason gurgled. He wiped his mouth. Christ, second time I've vomited today...He felt a little better having spewed his guts. Again. He braced himself against the ground and pushed himself to his feet. This time, he did manage to get up.
He heard voices from the top of the hill. Move, you moron, they're coming! Jason staggered around the car, to the driver's side. The Bullet looked fucked up. Its front was dented, smoke was rising from its underside, both headlights were smashed, and the passenger's side was practically blown to shit.
Jason leaned down next to James's door. James's window was still intact. Not wasting time, he grabbed the door and pulled. With a violent tug, he ripped the door off and flung it aside. Bending down, he moved inside the vehicle and tore off James's seatbelt. He caught James and dragged him out of the car.
"Get up man..." Jason growled as he pulled James free of the wreck. More shouts came from the top of the hill. "Get up!" James moaned and mumbled again, shaking his head.
Jason pulled the guy to his feet. He slapped James gently across the face. "James! Get up!" He cried. "We gotta move!"
James opened his eyes. He rubbed his nose, moaning painfully. "Oh my...oh my...that..." He looked at Jason. "What happened what happened where are we I was just...we...oh oh no!"
James twisted around. He gasped as he laid eyes on his wrecked car. He bent down, squealing, running his hands across its underside. "My car oh my god oh my god its salvagable its salvagable got to do calculations oh my god look at it oh my god I can't believe this my god my godmymygodmygodmygod-" James began to rub his hair franctically, his words becoming incoherent.
Words bellowed from on top of the hill. Jason looked up. He saw glimpses of men up there, shadows against the light. Goddamnit! He grabbed James's arm and yanked him to his feet. "James!" Jason shook roughly, nearly sending the guy's glasses flying off. "We need to move and now!" He pointed up on the hill. Trembling, James looked over his shoulder and spotted the glimpses of the soldiers.
"Y-yes..." James sputtered. He pointed over Jason's shoulder. Jason turned. The edge of the treeline was a few feet away. He nodded and dragged James forward, stepping through the brush and into the dark forest.
"Wait wait just a second please please!" Jason stopped. James tried to wriggle out of his grasp.
"We can't stop!" Jason screamed in frustration. "Now come on-"
James shook his head. "Please its not what you think I have something that'll keep them busy cover our trail please just wait for a moment!"
Jason took a long breath. He let James go. James franctically slapped his pockets before pulling something out. Jason could barely make it out in almost nonexistant light but he could see it was looked like a bulky car key. He recognized it as the device James could use to give voice commands to The Bullet.
James held up the device to his lips. He swallowed and then pressed a button on it. He said to it, "I...I am so sorry but it's the only way you wee my pride and joy but now...well...just know that I'm sorry time is short after all and uh...well I'll say you were the best car I ever designed."
James hesitated another moment. Jason clenched a fist. Then James said: "Self-destruct."
The Bullet exploded. Jason covered his ears as the car was consumed by a small explosion, pieces of it flying into the air. The force of the blast boomed across the forest, orange light illuminating the dark trees. The vehicle was carried a foot off the ground before smashing back down. It was barely recognizable now, just hunks of scrap being consumed by flame.
James dropped the device to the ground. He began to shake uncontrollably and started to sniff. He sounded like he was on the verge of tears. But he turned away from the fiery wreck and sniffled "L-let's g-go..." before stumbling off into the woods.
Jason took one last look at the burning remains of the car. Then he stumbled off after James, following him into the forest, leaving the wreck behind as they fled for their lives.