Hector crept through the lines of parked shuttles. Stayed low. XLS agents had lost him in the swarm of fleeing civilians, but several agents had found Wraith’s shuttle. He would have to find another escape route.
Hector spotted a civilian with a stack of random goods crammed under his arm rushing out of the bazaar. He watched as the man approached his personal shuttle. The man’s eyelids blinked in rapid succession over pupils that bounced off his surroundings like a pinball. He fidgeted. But he wasn’t scared for his life. He was scared of getting caught. In the mayhem of bazaar, he must have grabbed what he could while others ran for their lives. Hector slid out of hiding and showed his pistol. The man stiffened. His mouth fell open.
“I need a ride.”
The looter gulped, but nodded. He shoved the stolen items into the back of the shuttle and got behind the controls. Hector slipped into the backseat.
“All right,” said Hector, “just take it easy.”
The man backed out of his parking space. His eyes darted back and forth as he checked his mirrors. The shuttle crawled down one full row. The looter turned toward the exit. Hector watched for XLS agents, but saw none. Hector began to relax…until he heard the sirens. Two police cars zoomed into the parking garage. Both careened past their vehicle, but a third squad car skidded to a stop at the entrance.
“Take it slow,” said Hector. “Everything’s cool.”
An officer jumped out of the squad car at the entrance. He jogged to the exit gate and waved for all the exiting vehicles to stop. Hector’s shuttle was third in line. The officer checked the first shuttle, and then let it go. He moved to the shuttle in front of them.
Crash!
Behind them, two shuttles collided. Just a fender bender. The officer swore and shouted at them. He waved the shuttle ahead of theirs to move on. Motioned for Hector’s shuttle to wait.
But he was still distracted.
“Keep moving!” hissed Hector.
“What?” asked the looter.
“Just do it!”
The driver let the shuttle inch forward. The officer turned. “Hey!”
Too late.
“Go! Go! Go!” shouted Hector.
The looter jammed the pedal to the floor and the shuttle careened out onto the highway. The officer gave chase on foot, but could do little to stop them. He threw up his arms in frustration and gave up. Though Hector was sure they would be followed, he gave a sigh of relief. Every little win bought him more time.
