Returning the Favor

"Am I free to use the restroom? I've really gotta take a piss."

"Of course."

Agent Issac stood and led him to the room next to them. It was a single use, nongender specific bathroom with a decent sized window. Soren closed the door, leaving the two agents to guard outside. The first thing that he did was to check on the window. It did not seem too difficult to open with the right amount of force.

He lit the cigarette that he was still holding and took a moment to enjoy it before placing it in the sink. He turned to the window and opened it as wide as it would go then ripped out the screen. The last part was difficult because he had to do it as quietly as possible.

Soren took a glance at the door then proceeded to climb out the window. Now, normally climbing out of a window on the third floor was a bad thing. If Soren was a normal human it would most certainly be bad. Not death bad, more broken bones bad.

There was no ledge to stand on so he hung from the window and slowly released his hold. He used his hands to slow his descent, trying hard to slide down between the windows so that no one would notice him. To his surprise, he managed to make it to the pavement without being noticed.

The moment his feet touched the ground he ran.

*******

Gill snorted in annoyance as the smell of cigarette smoke drifted out of the bathroom.

"The damn kid is smoking in there. He's going to set off the sprinklers."

"Don't let him get to you, we can't mess this up. Dr. Valle is the only one who knows what was in the lab and his son is the only one who can find him."

"How can we even be certain of that? He said it himself, he hasn't seen his father in eight years. Our investigation has proven that."

Issac glanced down at his phone then at the door.

"He's taking an awfully long time in there."

"Where's he going to go? We're on the third floor."

Issac had a bad feeling and decided to open the door. It was locked so he pulled out his keys and unlocked the door.

"How is this possible? We're on the third floor."

Issac ignored Gill and went to the window. He found the screen laying on the floor, but when he looked out the window he did not see any signs of Soren. He pulled his phone out and dialed the commander's number.

"Soren Valle is on the run."

"What? How? I thought he was in custody."

Issac walked around the room looking for any signs that he might have missed. When he noticed the cigarette that was still burning in the sink he shook his head.

"Get me the video feed from this side of the building."

He placed his hand over the phone while he gave Gill an order then replied to the commander.

"He was. We are on the third floor and he somehow managed to climb out the window and ran away. I have agent Gill checking the video feed now so we should know soon enough."

"Find him. Even if he can't take us to Dr. Valle there is a good chance that the doctor will come for him."

"Understood, sir."

The line went dead and Issac hung up. He returned to his office, Gill returned shortly after and placed a USB in his laptop. The sight of Soren carefully sliding down the side of the building and safely landing left both of them surprised.

"What the hell."

Issac was beginning to understand why Dr. Valle had been adamant all these years about finding his son, and why Soren had left.

"There is a good chance he knows far more than he let on."

*******

Soren had hidden on the roof of the grocery store until after closing. He knew it was dangerous to stay around but he had hidden a backpack with important items inside the store. He did not want to leave it for the government to find.

When he was certain everyone was gone he dropped from the roof and used his keys to get in. He headed straight for the freezer where retrieved his backpack. Just as he was stepping out he heard a scream. That sounded like Fry. He had forgotten that Fry's car was in the shop and she had walked to work.

He knew that he should run. Her screams would alert the agents who were nearby and he would lose his chance to escape. Unfortunately for Soren, Fry had been on of the reasons he had stayed in one place so long. He was not able to leave knowing that she was in distress.

It did not take him long to locate Fry or to discover why she had been screaming. He turned down the chip aisle and standing halfway down the aisle was Fry, only she was no longer human. Her skin had shrunk against her skeletal frame and her eyes were red. A growl was the only acknowledgment she gave that he was noticed.

"God damn…"

Soren let out a string of curses directed at his father as he slid off his backpack. He unzipped it and pulled out a hypodermic needle that was full of a reddish substance. He did not take his eyes off her once.

"I'm sorry about this, I didn't think it would start spreading this fast. Damn bastard."

When he was only a few steps away he rushed forward and pressed her against the shelves while he stabbed her with the needle and pushed on the plunger. He pulled the needle out and stepped back in one fluid motion. She started to scream again and doubled over in pain.

He grabbed the backpack and walked away at a brisk pace. He hated the idea of just leaving her but knew that she was safer the further away he was. He only paused a moment to drop the needle into the trash before heading out the door.

"Where are you going?"

Soren stopped just outside the store and turned to look. Agent Issac and agent Gill were standing together, with guns drawn and pointed at him. He raised his hands and smiled at them. Guess I go with plan B.

"What a coincidence, just who I was looking for. Were you reading my mind, agent Issac?"

"Damn punk, shut up. What did you do in there?"

Agent Gill walked up and forcefully removed the backpack then cuffed Soren's hands behind his back.

"What? The screams? I'm not sure, I went the other way."

He knew that they would get a hold of the surveillance video, but that did not mean he would just give them all his cards. Plus, he was beginning to enjoy agent Gill's reactions.

Agent Issac walked him to the car that was parked in the back parking lot and sat him down in the back seat. Agent Gill sat the backpack on the trunk of the car and began taking out its contents.

"You know, I might get used to this. Got my own limo service. Saves a shit ton on taxis."

The two agents ignored him as they sorted through the contents of his backpack. There was a change of clothes and beneath that was an assortment of drugs and a syringe of reddish liquid inside a small cooler.

While they were busy Soren broke open the handcuffs and climbed into the front seat. He had decided that his chances of escape at the moment were too low to even try. Instead, he planned to ride it out once again. Maybe I'll get a chance to run, or maybe it'll be more fun to hang around and see how all this plays out. If I can throw a wrench into the bastard's plans all the better.

He pulled out a cigarette as he made himself comfortable and lit it. The flash from the lighter caught the attention of the two agents. Agent Gill pulled out his gun and moved to the passenger side. Soren's response to having a gun pointed at him was to release a puff of smoke and smirk at the agent.

"Agent Gill, stand down."

"This fucking asshole needs to be taught some manners. I doubt he'd get far with a bullet to the leg."

Agent Gill did not remove his eyes from Soren. A twitch had appeared on his right eye and he was letting off a strong killing intent.

"I said, back off. You shoot him and you're just doing what he wants you to do."

"What?"

Agent Gill blinked twice and released the breath he had been holding. He relaxed his stance as he tried to calmly assess the situation. Soren chuckled and leaned his head back to glance at agent Issac.

"Your partner is correct. It won't look good if I get shot like this while in your custody. Grounds to sue and all that. Put us in a courtroom and I can guarantee they'll believe me over you."

Agent Issac motioned for agent Gill to walk away and handed him the backpack.

"Stay back and check on the status inside the store. Make sure the team gets the surveillance video. Take this time to cool down."

Agent Issac walked away, leaving his partner with a complicated mix of emotions over what had just happened. As he walked by the passenger side he reached out and snatched the half-smoked cigarette and ground it on the pavement.

"I didn't take you for a druggie."

He spoke as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Sometimes forgetting is better than being stuck in the past. None of this changes my stance on helping. You all ignored me back when I asked for help. I think it's only fair that I return the favor."