Author's note: To the writer of Metallic Society, I'll miss ya! Have a good trip!

James:

"I can see you, Maria."

"James...WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU MESSED UP IN?", she asked after her dad had presumably left to stand guard outside.

"So you think I'm guilty too? That's just great.", I replied sarcastically.

"Can you tell me what is going on? What do you know about Rush? Why is the government scared of this assassin? And is it true that you have fake IDs?"

"That's all? What surprises me is that you ask about the aliases. However, none of that matters right now.", I told her.

"We have to leave now before Rush gets here.", I proclaimed.

"James, we are not running away from school to escape from a hitman!"

"Its the only way", I said.

She was such a downer at times. Like really, she thinks we can stay here and live.

"I'm telling you this guy is a professional...we cannot take the risk."

"I feel like you know more than you're letting on. Do you know him?"

I lied. "No"

"Anyway, my dad and the government agents can protect us. We don't need to leave GEAR."

"I pegged you as smart. You must be naïve to think that an assassin such as Rush, who can target and assassinate political targets who are heavily protected, cannot find us....How did you get in here by the way?"

"My dad permeated us to this interrogation room and...wait a minute, you're just changing the subject to not talk about the elephant in the room?"

"I don't see no elephant."

"First of all, that is grammatically incorrect. Secondly, Rush is after us! And I want to know why..."

"Why doesn't matter.", I interrupted, "What is important now is to stay alive and that only happens if we leave right now."

"How would we leave?", she inquired.

"I took an agent's keys while they were cuffing me and I have a map of the layout of the school. Using the escape route I planned to take today, we can get out of here in no time."

She looked at me dumbfounded.

"I'll drive.", I offered.

"That's...I have no words to describe you, James. A criminal is probably a suitable word. Are you OUT OF YOUR MIND? And have you been trying to escape this whole time?"

She sounded disappointed. What had I done?

So much for a new life.

Quiet! Now, what was I thinking? Oh yeah...

"Maria, don't take this personally. I was going to leave as soon as I got out of that warehouse...I have a very complicated family history and I wasn't going to stay here of all places. GEAR is..."

"GEAR is what? Did you know what GEAR was before you came here? Have you been lying to me this whole time?", she yelled.

"Does lying by omission count?"

"What that agent said must be true...You are a terrorist, aren't you?", her eyes looked pleadingly at me to say no.

"I'm not a terrorist..."

"Phew. Thank God.", Maria interjected.

"Let me finish. However, my parents...", I found myself struggling to say it out loud.

"Your family, what? What are you hiding? Why were you so defensive during the questioning?"

"I'm the heir to the Ambassadors of Evil empire and Rush is my brother.", I confessed.

Silence reigned for a few moments. Maybe she hadn't heard...

"AHHH!!! Why? Why? Why can't life be full of lollipops and rainbows? Why do I have to be stuck with this bad boy wannabe rebelling from his evil gangster parents? Why?"

"Can you stop? This is serious."

"Yeah. And so am I. Do you know how much trouble you got my family into by bringing your mess into our lives? WE'VE BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH, THANK YOU."

Maria crumpled up in a ball and sobbed.

"Maria, Maria...", I stood up and shook her repeatedly.

"Maria, we can't stay here."

"I know, but I'm hoping this is all just a nightmare and someday I'll wake up."

"That's what I hope each and every day", I muttered.

"Come on! Weren't you not an hour ago stepping on my toes and telling me to grow up and not be a self-absorbed emo boy?"

She stopped sniveling. "Yeah...but what does have to do with..."

"It has everything to do with this. Now I'll sit over there in that chair and you'll ask me questions on how to defeat Rush."

"Don't you wanna get out of here?"

"The door's locked. I already checked."

"You're just doing this so I'll tell my dad to let you go.", she deduced.

"Maybe? But maybe I want to defeat Rush...my brother as much as you do and not die."

"Ok. Then, I have several questions to ask."

"Fire away.", I responded.

"You being the heir...Does that mean when you're older, you'll be the next Mockingbird?"

"Not if I can help it. Next question."

"Why didn't you leave once we escaped the warehouse if you were so worried about this?"

"I don't know", I answered truthfully.

"Have you ever thought about being a supervillain?"

"No. I don't want to be evil."

"Is GEAR really considered to be AoE's enemies?"

"Yes."

"At the warehouse, were you pretending to not know what was happening?"

"No. I'd never been at that warehouse before."

"What are Rush's superpowers?"

"Same as mine," I lied.

"Superspeed/super strength, check. What is his weakness?"

"Arrogance."

"Same as you then. Can you repeat the episode you did to the government agents again?"

"Yes. I'm not that trained, but I can try."

"Ok, what are the odds we'll survive this?"

I was about to answer when the walkie-talkie that her dad had given her when he left suddenly crackled to life, "Maria, there's a commotion at the front gate. I'm a go check it out. Stay right there where you are. I'll be right back."

"It's a diversion. Tell your dad to reroute."

"Dad?", she talked into the walkie-talkie and was met with static.

I looked straight into her eyes and spoke the truth we both knew.

"He's here."

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Author's note: Dun Dun Dun! (plays Twilight Zone music then turns it off out of fright)