Chapter Text
Tommy ran.
He'd been running for hours now.
He had been trained to be able to run for long periods after all. This was simply all his training was for. It wouldn't be for nothing. If he could pretend that this was just another regular mission and that his world wasn't crumbling around him. He would make it out alive.
He pushed back the visions of the body swirling around in his mind encased by guilt. He'd seen dead bodies, Hell, he'd killed before but this had been different. That was his breaking point, he couldn't go on much longer. They'd escaped the facility, he just needed to keep running. Run despite the pain in his lungs and the cold biting everywhere. He couldn't even feel half of his body anymore.
Tommy was trained to never stop running.
The sacrifice wouldn't be for nothing.
He wasn't even sure how he found himself in the next town, nor where he was. With how late at night it was he knew he had no time. No matter what, he needed to keep moving. Even if his bones and muscles ache with an ache he hadn't felt since initial training. A type of pain that could only be described as a great hurt. He only had a little money and even less knowledge of how the outside world worked. He turned into an alley, digging out his money to put in his pockets. He wasn't sure how much it was but hopefully, it was enough to get him anywhere but here.
It was better this way. If he found some sort of bus stop then he could get out of there. A train would be even better. Anything to get him away from here. Far away from here. He just needed out.
Fuck, it was cold. He'd pulled on his coat before leaving which was probably the only reason he was alive. The snow was bad trying to get here, and he was fairly sure it saved him from getting shot. Was it this cold normally?
He walked in the small town for what felt like hours, despite his desperation to quench his thirst from running, he saw that no convenience stores were open, and in his haste to leave, he'd left his water bottle. He thought about wandering into the neighborhoods but he stayed in the half-familiar terrain of concrete slabs, and alleys he could duck into. He'd find either a train or a bus this way.
Tommy finally found the bus station and went up to the ticket booth. He was freezing and ready to resort to anything to get on the one bus. It was docked unloading passengers while others waited to get on.
It must've been a sight, his clothes. Well, just his entire outfit. He was covered in dirt and snow from tripping in the pitch black, he could feel leaves in his hair that he hadn't bothered to shake out, and he knew his shoes were falling apart, making his feet almost completely numb. Well, most of his body was numb. The guy at the counter just looked at him like he was crazy. Everyone probably thought he was, considering his ears weren't covered and they felt numb at this point. He was fairly sure it was winter at this point, considering how everyone else was dressed.
His face couldn't have looked much better, probably bruised from the fight he had before running. There might even have been blood on him, although he was sure he got most of it off earlier. His frantic attempt to wipe it all off hopefully worked.
"Where does that bus go?" He asked his voice practically dead from no water and the fact that it was freezing out.
"Uh, South. California." The guy stammered, reaching for a boxy thing he'd seen some of the guards use in the facility. He had no clue where California was.
"Don't touch that. I'm not a threat. How much for a ticket?" He asked, stopping the man before he could alert anyone of his presence. He knew that he needed his location anonymous.
"Fare is about forty bucks, snacks, and water included." The guy said, pulling up something on his desktop.
Tommy actually knew what a desktop was, they were allowed to use one for thirty minutes a week with restrictions of course. But the money. He wasn't sure if he had that. Taking the money out of his pocket, he began to count it. Technically speaking, none of the money was his, he'd stolen it from-
Fuck it wasn't time for regret or guilt. One of them needed to get out of there. One of them was out and that's all that mattered. Ignore it, Tommy.
How he got the money wasn't important. The important part was that he had the money, and it looked like he had about fifty-five dollars and some amount of change he wasn't going to bother counting. He counted out the forty bucks and put it on the counter.
"One ticket to wherever that bus is going," Tommy said, jerking his head towards the bus. Fuck, he really hoped that the bus was heated.
The guy looked at the cash, back up at him, and then at the black boxy thing. He ended up sighing and taking the cash, beginning to do whatever he needed to do on his desktop. It looked like he'd be getting his ticket out of here.
"Name and age, please sir." The guy asked.
Shit, alright then. Fake name time. "Micah Inn. I'm nineteen."
Fake names were always fun. That was the only fun part of his missions.
"Alright, Micah," The guy picked up a piece of paper and handed it to him, "Here's your ticket. Now, get outta here."
"Will do." He muttered, taking the ticket and joining the people waiting to get on.
Unlike everyone else, he didn't have bags to store below. He was pretty sure those things were called suitcases. He just had his backpack, with meager supplies. Some jerky, clothes, and a pillow. The only things he'd given himself time to grab. He didn't think he was fully dressed for the weather, but he really hoped that the bus was heated. He also had the money but it wasn't like he was going to use it.
Fuck, he needed to stop thinking about that. Shit happened, nature ran its course, and Tommy was out. There was no time to think about the past when his only goal right now was survival. Even if the past was only hours beforehand. It was best to push it back and move on.
Side glances let him know that the others on this bus didn't seem like they wanted him on here, but it was the late night (or was it early morning?) bus to somewhere in California and it was his best bet. Most people seemed appalled by his appearance, but he'd looked worse. He probably didn't smell much better either. Maybe he did still have blood on him and people were wondering if he'd just murdered someone.
That didn't matter though, because with the number of people on the bus, he could sit well away from them and they wouldn't be bothered by him. He leaned against the wall waiting, repeating his mantra over and over in his head. He was getting out of there. It was the only thing that was keeping him from overanalyzing everything.
He still did, took note of every movement, and made sure he could see each side of him. Kept tabs on anything that could be deemed suspicious. Making sure nobody was looking at him too long. Only a few more people joined the waiting line over the next few minutes, bringing the total number of people the bus would carry up to twelve. Hopefully, that would be everyone.
Once the driver told everyone to get on, he followed suit, showing the man his ticket, and making sure to make his way to the back of the bus. He'd be able to watch and make sure no shady figures approached him. Backing himself into a corner might not have been the best odds, but Tommy had fought worse odds and won. The bus was warm too, he could feel the heater hit his face, making his blood begin to circulate again.
It was only once everyone was situated and the bus began to move that he let himself relax. He didn't let his guard down, no, but he knew that for the time being, nothing would happen. He was reasonably safe on the bus. He stayed in his seat completely still for a good thirty minutes, watching both the people and the scenery go by. It was a little hard to do so when it was pitch dark outside but he could see the sun begin to rise. This was the early morning bus.
Which just meant that he'd spent a much longer time running than he'd anticipated. The facility must've been deep into the woods to make him run that far, maybe even up a small mountain considering he remembered rolling down some parts.
"As the sun rises, I want to take this chance to remind everyone that in the back couple rows on the left, there's a cooler with water and a bag of snacks. Enjoy the drive to California." The driver said, over some sort of intercom.
Most people had gone back to sleep due to their early morning, but Tommy was still wide awake, nerves wracking his body. He might be safe for now, but if he fell asleep and they stopped, he might not be able to do anything if something happened. He should stay up, even if it had been over a day at this point.
So, with him being on the right side of the bus, he carefully unbuckled to reach over and get something out of the bags. The ice chest as promised had water bottles that were completely sealed, the snacks looked like they hadn't been tampered with either. Which would be good for stocking up in case of emergency. He couldn't survive on the meager amounts of jerky he'd taken with him. He noticed something called "Welch's fruit gummies." He never had those before, and he didn't really know what they were so he left them alone. He didn't want to risk eating something that would kill him. He did grab some of the stuff he did know before sliding back into his seat.
Shoving the snacks into his bag, he rationalized how long this could last him. Ideally, he wouldn't have to steal anything, but he probably would have to. It's part of his training, so he could get away with pickpocketing some people when he got into whatever city he was going to. He never got told exactly what city.
Opening the water bottle he began to drink it. It was cold and did wonders to quell the thirst that had been plaguing him for ages now. The headache that had been growing didn't subside but his throat felt so much better and for now, that was fine. He stopped when he'd almost finished half the bottle, after all, he needed to save some of this up, he wasn't sure if the driver would let him get another after he finished this one. He wasn't really sure what the customs were in these parts anyways.
Usually, he was briefed on the customs of wherever he was and expected to act accordingly but things would get out of hand sometimes. Only sometimes though. Tommy did tend to curse just a bit too much sometimes. He'd find out on his own this time.
He placed the water bottle in his bag and watched the passing countryside while glancing at the other passengers occasionally. He wasn't sure how long the journey would take, just that it was a far drive for a bus. He was escaping. That's all he wanted.
Needs however were a different matter altogether. He was probably gonna need to steal now that he thought about it. After all, everything he had was in a little backpack, and fifteen dollars wouldn't get him very far anywhere. He'd need to take a shower before he went anywhere because he couldn't walk around looking like he'd just gotten mugged by a tree monster much longer and he knew that eventually, he'd need to find a place to live.
The problem being, he'd never really lived in the outside world. Going outside had been forbidden. They could only see the trees that were always up in the window. He didn't even know much about it, just that it worked vastly differently from the facility.
Which he was now learning, that they'd lied about the trees. Whatever type of trees they had in the windows, were not the trees they had outside. It must've been a hologram they were seeing. Maybe there were different types of trees, Tommy would love to learn if there were. He did like learning when he could.
He stayed half-vigilant, half-asleep until they pulled to a stop at a petrol station. At least, that's what he remembered them being called. That's what they were called wherever his last and final mission was.
"Alright, if anyone wants to get off and use a non-bus bathroom, I suggest doing it now. We're gonna be driving for a while after this. And, of course, be back in ten minutes or I will leave without you." The driver said, clambering out to presumably put more petrol in the bus.
The bus being stopped and the doors being open, made Tommy's nerves jump. He was on high alert, looking at each individual that was leaving and entering the bus, making sure they were supposed to be there. Each time a passenger climbed aboard he updated the list in his head. After the driver climbed back on and shut the doors after ten minutes he counted how many people were on it. Twelve people including him, and then the bus driver made thirteen. Just as it should be, and it looked like everyone was in the same seats as before, so no one unfamiliar had climbed aboard.
Tommy was safe until the next stop. The driver had said it would be a while until the next stop, so maybe he could take a small nap. He was good at those. After all the training, he was a light sleeper, able to wake up at anything that could be a threat to him.
So, he took the pillow out of his backpack and put it against his window. Falling asleep with ease.
And, it was the same as it was every night, going through every single instance of his missions. The casualties, the buildings destroyed, the people killed, taken down, and murdered. Every night he saw this, haunting him, never leaving him, almost plaguing him even during the day. He couldn't ignore it in his nightmares, but he could force himself to not think about it when he was awake.
Maybe that was why he woke up as suddenly as he did. Not feeling any more rested than he had when he went to sleep. He didn't want to think about everything anymore.
Maybe he woke up because now they were pulling up to the next gas station and he needed to use the bathroom. That was a dilemma for him. Stay on the bus and use it later or hop off and run inside. His best bet might've been going inside so he could at least clean up a little.
Tommy ended up doing that, running inside for a few minutes before getting back on the bus. He stayed right there for the rest of the ride, continuing to watch everyone vigilantly. The terrain changed eventually to sprawling fields before switching back to the trees he'd grown used to watching. Occasionally they went over rivers.
He wasn't quite sure what to do other than watch the scenery he'd never gotten to see. It was different, a good different though. However long he'd spent in that facility, training, and doing missions was finally over. He'd escaped and maybe he'd get to see the world outside of where he did missions. He hoped he'd be able to at least. Try and have a normal life. He'd have to do a lot of research first, and figure out how to properly use a computer if he had access to one.
Having a normal life might not be in the cards for him though. He could spend the entire rest of his miserable life on the streets of a random city, but it would be okay because he escaped. Maybe that was all that mattered in life, escaping one thing and moving on to the next torture. Just as long as he was alive.
Although he was fairly sure whatever the outside world had to offer nothing could be worse than whatever he'd endured at the facility. No, he wouldn't have survived if he stayed there much longer.
Thinking back, he can see one clear moment that spiraled into all of this happening. He'd had missions for a couple of years at that point, he liked to think he was around fourteen when this happened, but he had no clue. He was on a mission, his goal was to take out what they had called "A U.S. Senator." He still didn't really know what that was.
It had been at the senator's house, and Tommy had someone watching his back. He was supposed to be taking the shot, being good at close-distance shooting. Being a sniper was never his thing.
The problem was, the guy was eating dinner at this point. He was with his family, and Tommy at this point knew not to take the time he had in the outside world for granted. He studied them and subsequently spent a lot longer than he should've just watching the family interact. There was a kid, who couldn't have been older than six, sitting next to the guy. He'd never gotten the chance to study a family, much less have one.
He hadn't been told why he was killing at this point and despite his hand being on the trigger, he couldn't pull it. He refused to pull it. His first act of defiance against the facility. It wasn't fair. His teammate who was only a few units above him ended up pulling it. Yelling at him when they got to the safe truck that would take them back to the facility for fucking it up. God, he'd been so pissed. Tommy could see that he was also plagued with conflict, trying to figure out why they had to kill him.
Tommy remembered now, he'd asked his teammate a question. One that he'd never heard anyone ask, because everyone else did as they were expected, "Why are we doing this?"
And his teammate had responded, "I don't know."
That was the thing about the facility, you weren't supposed to not know something, and if you didn't know it, you just didn't say anything. The words were foreign to them both.
Yeah, that had to have been the moment that caused them both to de facto years later, to today. After months of planning, hoping to get them both out alive. Becoming friends along the way.
But in reality, both of them escaped. One, maybe, is much more peaceful than the other. Tommy's way out would not be peaceful at all.
Shit, he'd gotten attached to that little fucker. Fuck, he must stop thinking about his friend.
Tommy should probably eat something before his stomach eats the little fat reserves that he had. Some of the little he got to learn. He'd gotten onto Wikipedia one day and after that spent his allotted time learning as much as he could, although a lot of the pages were still banned. Little knowledge was better than none.
He reached into the bag and pulled out the peanut butter crackers, he'd taken from the snack bag across the aisle. From memory, he liked these things. Normally they didn't come in packages, they came as the dessert they were given after dinner and they only ever got two at a time.
His friend hadn't ever liked them and would give them to him.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen. We will be arriving in Lake View, California," Well, at least now he knew what town he would end up in, "In about 20 minutes. Call your rides, our estimated time of arrival is 6:30 p.m. Pacific Standard." The driver announced.
Tommy had learned about time zones before. Since the guy had said it was standard, he assumed that meant daylight savings weren't in effect. Which he could've guessed, considering the sun was already going down. But you never knew what day it was in the facility. Not unless it was time to change your number. Then you'd know a year had passed and you could try to keep track of the time, but it wouldn't matter anyways. You'd never know the exact day.
The last twenty minutes were uneventful. He took a few more snacks, under the guise of having eaten his previous ones already. He also snagged another water bottle. It would be good to have two he could reuse. After all, finding fresh water wasn't an issue, he'd been taught how to make a water filtration system. It was finding a source of water that wouldn't be suspicious of him that would be the issue. It was a much bigger issue.
He made sure he was ready to book it off the bus, the moment he stopped. Stopping meant danger. If he'd been tracked, they'd know he was here. His next goal was to find somewhere to hide out for the next few days, before starting to gather Intel about this place. Intel was needed to survive.
He was one of few getting off at this station, some staying on for a longer ride to "San Francisco," or "The Bay Area." Whatever that was. It didn't sound particularly enticing, but it scratched the back of his brain, like a memory he couldn't quite remember. It also didn't sound real.
"Hey, kid." The driver called out.
He stopped just as he was about to get off, uneasiness filling his chest. He didn't like getting stopped. That would mean something bad.
"Where is ya going?" The driver asked him, looking like he was concerned.
Tommy, however, knew how adults and people worked. Anyone could have unlawful intentions, "Visiting my grandmother. Tend to wander in the woods, so I couldn't wash up before I left." He shrugged, trying to look as unassuming as possible. It was easy enough.
The guy seemed satisfied by that answer. As if he would debate the validity of that. Nobody would if you were confident enough. That was the first rule of lying.
Tommy got off the bus, walking away from the station with ease. He had to act like he'd done this a million times before, that was a part of lying. He didn't even know where he was in the town, what parts of town would be good to stay in, and which parts to avoid. He didn't have a lot of time either.
The streetlights were on but it was a few hours until nine o'clock hit and that was when people started staying in for the night. That's usually when the shader characters would come out to dance. Most of the time those shady characters were him and whoever he was working with for his mission.
Tommy would deal though. He always did. Every single mission.
Alone in the outside world couldn't be too bad. Could it?