A Narrow Escape

Max's pulse hammered in his chest, his heart thumping like a drum as his breath came in rapid, jagged bursts. The suit, still only a prototype, felt heavy on his body, its unfamiliar weight both comforting and alarming. The agents were closing in—he could hear their heavy footsteps echoing off the walls of the alley behind him, their voices growing louder by the second.

He had to think fast.

Max scanned his surroundings, desperation creeping into his thoughts. The alleyway was narrow, dark, and cluttered with crates and old garbage cans, but it was his only hope. His fingers fumbled with the suit's interface as he searched for an option that might help him escape. Then, he remembered—an untested feature, one he had barely had time to calibrate: the cloaking ability.

He hesitated for a split second, but there was no time for doubt. He pressed the button.

In an instant, the world around him seemed to blur and fade. The alleyway, the walls, the agents behind him—everything dissolved into a shimmering distortion. Max could no longer see his own hands or feet, only a faint outline of his body. He had vanished. The cloaking feature worked, but only for a few precious moments.

The agents' footsteps stopped, confused murmurs filling the space. "Where did he go?" one of them growled. "He can't just vanish. He's gotta be here somewhere."

Max held his breath, his heart pounding in his ears. His body was barely visible, hidden by the shimmering field, but he knew the effect wouldn't last long. His fingers trembled as he used all his focus to keep the cloak activated, staying completely still, praying they wouldn't find him.

Seconds passed, feeling like hours. The agents began to spread out, moving in different directions, their flashlights cutting through the darkness as they searched for him. He had to act, and quickly. He couldn't hide forever.

Max's mind raced as he glanced at the rooftops looming above him, just a few meters away. He knew what he had to do. "Now or never," he muttered under his breath, his voice a low rasp in the stillness of the alley.

The cloak flickered. Max could feel it weakening. He released a shaky breath and activated the thrusters on the back of the suit.

The sudden surge of power sent him rocketing forward. His body lurched as the suit's boosters roared to life, pushing him upward with explosive force. He didn't have time to hesitate—he had to make it.

The wind rushed past his face as he soared over the heads of the agents, narrowly missing one of their outstretched hands. The agents below looked up, their mouths agape in surprise and frustration.

"What the hell?!" one of them shouted, eyes wide as Max flew above them. "He's in the air! What the hell kind of suit is that?"

Max didn't stop to look back. The thrusters carried him effortlessly across the gap between buildings, his body twisting in midair as he adjusted his trajectory. He landed on the rooftop with a hard thud, his legs absorbing the impact as he crouched low, trying to steady his breath.

His pulse was still racing, but this time, it was from exhilaration.

Max stood at the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the agents below, still scrambling to find him. They shouted to each other, confusion and frustration clear in their voices. Their bright flashlights danced across the alley, but they couldn't see him. He had escaped.

For a brief moment, Max allowed himself to take a deep, shaky breath, his chest rising and falling rapidly as adrenaline coursed through his veins. His heart pounded in his ears, but he couldn't help the smirk that tugged at his lips.

"That… that actually worked." He whispered to himself, his voice filled with awe and disbelief.

But there was no time for celebration.

Max's mind raced. He knew this was just the beginning. "This won't be the last time they come for me," he thought. His escape had been a stroke of luck, but it wouldn't happen again. The agents would be back, and next time, they wouldn't be so easy to lose.

He turned his back on the agents below and moved further along the rooftop, keeping to the shadows. His mind was already racing, calculating his next move. The meteorite was in his hands, but now he understood—there were forces at play that would stop at nothing to get it.

He couldn't let that happen.

Max gritted his teeth. "They can't have it. Not now. Not ever."

He knew his life was no longer his own. His father's research, the meteorite—it all led to this moment. And as much as it terrified him, Max knew he had to finish what his father started. There was no turning back.

With a final glance over his shoulder, Max sprinted across the rooftop, disappearing into the shadows, ready for whatever came next.