Red is for posted, white is for requested/planned/written
Marcus knows his role on his team: heโs the one who carries the gun, makes the hard calls - and takes the hits. He has no time or patience for anyone or anything else. But when Jake - a brand-new recruit Marcus has been tasked with training - messes up on his first mission and gets them both captured, nothing could prepare Marcus for the way his world quickly spirals out of control.
Levy: (historical) the act of enlisting someone for military service
Contents: living weapon, on the run, military whump, hypervigiliance, fugitives, ambush, police violence, chase, held at gunpoint, captured
~
As Jake finished his meal, Marcus continued to stare out the window. The view was unfamiliar; he was used to the dull, flat buildings of the base, or the bombed-out rumble of the XR simulations. He knew the city well enough โ heโd been in it just last week, after all. But to just sit and stare out at the skyline? That was different. That wasโฆ uncomfortable.ย
Instinct itched at the back of his mind.ย Thereย shouldย be wanted posters out for us.ย
Maybe not on every billboard. Maybe not plastered behind the front desk of this hostel as they came in. Butโฆ maybe every now and then, their faces flashing up on the broad screens of the buildings between ads for AI companions and new transports. Heโd been watching for a good ten minutes while Jake finished his meal, and he hadnโt seen their faces once. Not once.ย
He felt the food in his stomach like a brick.ย
โSomethingโs wrong,โ he murmured.ย
Jake sat up. โWhat? What is it?โ
Marcus stood up, walked to the window. โTheyโฆ they should have put up wanted posters. At leastย once.ย AMTEC can afford the ad space. Weโre escaped Levs. You were ordered for consignment. I killed myย handler,ย for fuckโs sake. Weโre as wanted as it gets. Yeah, theyโre lazy, butโฆ that means they would want the civvies out there, doing their work for them, keeping an eye out for two Levs on the run. And they arenโt running ads? Not a single one?โ The billboards flashed again: an ad for a new razor, a new diet injectable, and a brain chip that apparently could help with orgasms. Marcus had seen each one of those ads while heโd been watching the window. The billboards had cycled through all their ads at least once. And he and Jake werenโt anywhere in the line-up.ย
He swallowed hard. โWe should go.โ
Jake climbed out of bed. โButโโ
A coil of rope dropped outside the window, the end stretching out of Marcusโs sight toward the top of the building. He jerked the curtain closed.ย
โJake. Theyโre on the roof. Weโve gottaย go.โ
Jake leapt into action. Marcus looked around for his boots; Jake had set them by the door, upside-down so the water would drip out of them overnight. He grabbed them and yanked them on. Jake was pulling on his own boots, stuffing as much of the food and water into his pockets as he could. Marcus grabbed the cane. He probably didnโt need it anymore, but it didnโt hurt to have a weapon of some kind. Jake managed to stuff most of the water and all of the snacks into his multiple pockets. He looked to Marcus and nodded.ย
โLetโs move,โ Marcus croaked.ย
Before Jake turned toward the door, he fished around in his pocket and pulled out the last cartridge of analgesic. He dropped it into the center of the bed. โIn case she finds it,โ he said. โShe held up her end of things. And sheโs about to lose a window.โ
She can file a complaint with AMTEC,ย Marcus thought bitterly. He followed Jake out the door and into the hall.ย
His mind raced. They were on the roof, but if they were smart, they would also have the ground floor exits covered, too. If there was a maintenance exit, that might workโฆ but they might also have eyes on that.ย
Thatโs what Marcus would do, if this was his assignment.ย
Fuck.
Before they got five steps down the hallway, they heard voices.ย
โโฆthink if you want the answer to that, you should come back with a fuckingย warrant.โ
โAMTEC has clearance to carry out extrajudicial searches and seizures, maโam. Either get the names of those two guests or you'll be subject to arrest.โ
Marcus shoved Jake back down the hall, the way theyโd come. They sprinted past their room and ducked into an alcove along the hall.
โI donโtย haveย their names. And I donโt consent to a search of that room. I donโt consent for you to be โย get off meย โ on myย fuckingย propertyโโ
โWho owns the card used to purchase the room? Weโre going to search your records regardless. Whose name is attached to those credits?โ
There was a pause. Marcus heard several sets of boots โ four at least โ file into the hall. He could hear the woman pitching a fit among them. There was a gasp, a thud, as if sheโd been thrown into a wall.ย
โThis is about to get violent, maโam. Feel free to give us your master key to open the door to avoid damage to your property. Otherwise, weโre going to break it down.โ
โFuck you.ย Get the fuckโโ
โYellow team, ready?โ
There was a pause, for the other team to respond in the assholeโs ear.
โCopy. Go.โ
Glass shattered behind the door. Wood splintered as the men in the hall kicked the door in. The woman shrieked and hurled insults that impressed even Marcus. Within the room, he heard a muffledย โLevy, get down on the floor!โ
Fucking morons. Yelling at nothing.
He grabbed Jakeโs shirt and shoved him down the hall. Jake broke into a dead run. Marcusโs leg twinged, but he followed. They sprinted past their room, past the morons who had all packed into the tiny space and were shouting for a nonexistent Levy to get on the floor and put his hands up. They ran past the woman who stood in the hallway, pale and shaking with rage, staring at the busted door. She didn't even look at the two of them.ย
Marcus didnโt head for the elevator; he threw open the door for the stairs and thundered down them. Fuck,ย thatย made his leg hurt so much worse. Sweat made his shirt stick to his back as he took two steps at a time, with Jake right beside him. He counted each floor as they went down.ย
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
They burst into the lobby. He and Jake ran out the door and onto the sidewalk. Jake clutched his side, but Marcus didnโt slow. He kept running. Jake stayed right beside him.ย
They dashed down an alleyway, popped out into a busy street. At that, Marcus slowed down, held out his arm for Jake to stop, too. He matched the walking pace of everyone else on the packed sidewalk, chest heaving. His throat ached with thirst. His leg was on fire. The cane was still held tight in his fist.ย
โWh-where do we go?โ Jake whispered.ย
โNot sure,โ Marcus said. โDonโt know how they found us that time.โย
He felt Jakeโs hand on his wrist, and shook it off. He needed his hand free in caseโฆ
In caseโฆ
โDo you know how to ride the train?โ Marcus said. โIโve never done it. Do we need a ticket? Orโฆโ
โYeah,โ Jake said. โYou need a ticket, and it needs to be bought with credits beforehand.โ
โFuck.โย He blew out a slow breath. โWe can go back to the warehouse. They didnโt bother us there. Or we can justโฆ I don't know, keep walking.โ He ducked off the sidewalk, down another alley. Jake followed. โOr we could justโฆโ
Every hair on his body stood up at once.ย
Someone was following them.ย
He shifted the cane to his right hand, pushed Jake slightly in front of him with his left. โJake,โ he said softly. โKeep walking. Once we get to the end of this alley, take a left. Okay? Iโm telling you this because I donโt want us to get separated.โ
Jake nodded.ย
They both broke into a sprint.ย
They cleared the alley, took a hard left. These buildings were older, Marcus could tell. They looked empty, too. The person behind them also started running. He swore, pushed himself to go faster. They cut through a lot littered with broken bottles and old transport parts, ran between two more buildings. The person behind them ran faster. It felt like Marcusโs leg was coming apart at the seams. He tripped, nearly fell.ย
โMarcus!โย Jake cried, yanked him up by his shirt.ย
Marcus shoved him forward.ย โGo.โ
Around another building, past another. A brick wall stretched across a courtyard, hemming them in โ trapping them. It blocked two of their three ways out.ย
Marcus immediately realized his mistake. They weren't being chased. They were beingย herded.
He turned to face their attacker, pushing Jake firmly behind him with one hand. He could barely stand on his injured leg. His knuckles creaked as he gripped the aluminum cane, held it across his body.ย
He could feel Jake against his back, panting, trembling. Protective rage shuddered in his chest as the man who'd been chasing them slowed to a saunter. He stayed a safe distance away โ guarding their exit.
Marcus recognized him. He knew his face โ from the feed he had watched in the colonelโs office.
It was the man who had held Jake, pressed a gun to the side of his head as he screamed for Marcus.
Marcus shuddered with rage โ and below the rage was terror as he felt Jake press against his back. The man pulled a gun from a holster under his arm, pointed it at Marcus. Marcus went rigid. With his other hand, the man pulled out a phone, dialed it, and held it to his ear. He was breathing just as hard as Jake and Marcus were.ย
โAlex,โ the man said, his voice echoing oddly in the courtyard. โCome outside, will you? You would notย believeย what I just caught.โ
"Where could we actually be?"
"Isn't it obvious? The Forest of the Starved."
"Are we, really?"
@whumpgifathon | Day 21 : Rumors of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated. -> On The Run
Tale of the Nine Tailed (2020) | Ep 9 | Lee Dong-wook as Lee Yeon and Kim Beom as Lee Rang
