Becoming (Core Series Book 1) Page 9

  “What do you mean oops?” she yelled back.

  “Slippery!” he shouted, turning the steering wheel to the right and crossing into the oncoming traffic lane, hoping the extra width would help him around the corner. Again he pulled the hand brake and turned the steering into the corner. When the back broke right, he let the hand brake go and floored the petrol. He was flung from side to side—his head struck against the window a couple of times. The acceleration pushed him into the seat and kept the car from sliding off the road. The tires burned white smoke as the monster responded to his touch like a well-oiled glove. He cut the corner running sideways, holding barely enough steer to keep the nose pointing in the general direction. After a while, the car lined up with the side road that would lead across the Ipswich highway.

  Jason accelerated, weaving from side to side as the tires fought for grip on the tar. He left black skid marks for a couple hundred meters before the noise died. The overpowering grumble of the engine under the hood reverberated against the houses that lined the street on either side. This black beauty is saving the skin off my butt, he thought. Cars stopped and flashed their lights, while others, in frantic fear, swerved to avoid his passage down the road.

  A white utility vehicle plodded steadily along before him at the speed limit, way too slow to follow for long. Jason pulled the steering to the right and shot past, doing a hundred and forty, and then wildly swerved back to avoid oncoming traffic. Dust and papers sucked up into the vortex that formed behind him, as the wind collapsed in the car’s wake. He glanced in the rear-view mirror, and let out a sigh of relief to see that there was still no one following him.

  “Wow!” he screamed.

  “What!” she cried hoarsely; her neural cortex jerked to his scream.

  “That was close—woo hooo!” he yelled as the adrenaline coursed through his veins. It felt like he was running on some pure high. Food, water, sleep: these were the least of his concerns. He was thinking clear and far ahead, planning the next corner, slowing down as he crossed the bridge, the car sliding sideways long before he took the turn through the traffic lights, past the cars that were waiting to turn right. He kept the engine above four thousand revs, the tires screaming in protest, billowing white smoke.

  “Next is a rather large roundabout, so slow down some and then pull onto the highway. Keep in the leftmost lane until it turns off onto the Centenary highway.”

  “Yes...” he said, releasing his foot from the petrol as he accelerated down the side road to the roundabout. There were not many cars in the roundabout, but he still managed to get the tires to squeal all the way around the circle, taking the second exit onto the onramp of the Ipswich motorway.

  “Floor it! They are not far behind!”

  “How much time do I have?”

  “A couple of minutes at most, you are not the world’s fastest driver. They are gaining ground fast.”

  “And here I thought I was doing a damn fine job,” he shouted above the roar of the engine as he floored the car up the onramp. There were many cars on the motorway, but they would have to make way for him. He pulled the safety belt over his shoulder and clicked it into place, adjusting the seat to better fit his length. “What do they want from me?” he asked over the noise of the engine. He entered the highway, weaving through gaps in order to pull ahead of the crowd. The motorists on the road blew their horns and screamed profanities that he was glad he could not hear. He checked his rear-view mirror and saw an SUV zoom over the bridge.

  “I saw them!” he shouted. He floored the petrol. Just when he thought this car had given its all, it gave much more. Jason was pinned to his seat as the tires screamed and the car accelerated past 120 kph. He weaved through the traffic, slamming on the horn and narrowly missing slower cars in his wild rush down the highway. The needle passed 140 kph and raced to 160.

  He let off the petrol a tiny fraction as the turnoff to Forest Lake approached. He almost missed the off-ramp and had to cut in front of a fuel tanker. He glanced in his rear view mirror to see the driver slam on the brakes, locking the trailer and sending white plumes of smoke erupting from the back tires. Slowly, the truck and trailer twisted into a knot and, for a fraction of a second, leaned precariously to one side. Then the whole creature rolled over, bouncing on the tar and skidding towards the turnoff barriers in the middle of the busy highway. Horrible scraping noises filled Jason’s ears, as dust, smoke and sparks shot into the air. Cars slammed on the brakes and swerved wildly in fright, skidding into each other, while the fuel tanker slid along the road surface, hitting the divider, which went careering down the middle of the road. Chaos playfully laid her hand on the highway behind the tanker. Cars crashed into each other, swerving to avoid vehicles in front of them. Some rolled onto their sides, while others hit the car in front of them so hard that they were propelled into the air.

  “Oh, God! That is my fault!” he shouted in anguish.

  Core soothed him. “Yes, it is your fault, but it is also a blessing in disguise. The highway has come to a stop. So relax—they will be trapped for hours. You did what you had to do to get out alive, even though you didn’t mean for this to happen. Maybe this is the break we needed.”

  He heard police sirens approach the wreck as he slowed down to the speed limit. In his rear view mirror, he saw black smoke and flames rise from the tanker as it caught fire. “I don’t want to think of the lives that will be lost because of my reckless driving. Oh my God, I killed people! I am a mass murderer! I will be prosecuted and sentenced to death...” he moaned. His breathing grew laboured and spots appeared in the periphery of his vision.

  “Calm down...you don’t know that,” she said. “I will know before anyone else, and I will tell you if anyone was hurt.” Her voice was as calm as she could muster.

  “How would you know? Do they tell you first?” he asked in a sarcastic tone.

  “No! I hack the police servers. How else do you think I manage to use the traffic cameras to keep track of you?”

  “Oh...! Sorry, I...I was rude.” He felt stupid for lashing out at her—she had been helping him and he repaid her with mocking. “I really am sorry. I did not mean it.”

  “It’s all right; you are under enormous stress.” Her voice was soft and sincere. “Just...get here safe. They are stuck in the traffic jam. Skip the Garden road turnoff and get onto the Logan highway. Then get off at Stapleton—from there you should be...wait!”

  “What?” He felt the shock of disappointment turn his insides cold. A depressing feeling spread through his chest. Could this day get any worse?

  “A helicopter is on its way from Archerfield airport...that must be where the third one went!” she said, her voice rising with recognition. Jason wasted no time, but put his foot down. The car responded like a thoroughbred stallion. It surged forward, engine screaming in excitement as he passed the new Richland station.

  The road narrowed to two lanes, with road work on either side. Few cars were travelling this time of the afternoon, and Jason had free reign all the way until a green signboard showed the Logan turnoff.

  “Where do they get their resources from? Who is helping them?” Jason shouted. “Why is this happening to me???”

  “I am busy looking for the dispatch,” she said, sounding calmer. “A company called Green Bean ordered the helicopter. The men from the SUV are in contact with the helicopter, instructing him to stop you at all costs.”

  “Bloody bastards!” he shouted, pushing past a car on a solid white line, his heart rate shooting up. If he continued like this, he would surely die from a heart attack. He felt as exhaustion began take its toll—sweat dripped down the side of his chin and his eyes fogged momentarily and then cleared again.

  “The police have also been notified; they say you are a criminal and should be apprehended. Apparently, you are armed and dangerous. The people who are after you have a lot of influence to be able to swing the police....”

  “This all started because I finished the hologra
phic device.” Jason had phrased it as a question, but he knew it as a certainty.

  “It’s possible...I completed the installation at the facility,” she said matter-of-factly.

  “How is that possible?” he demanded. He pulled onto the turnoff, making sure he stayed behind the car in front of him before turning off his current road. He did not want to cause another incident like the one on the highway. Every time he cut in front of a vehicle, in fact, it caused a multi-car accident.

  “I am efficient in what I do, and I know how important this is for you,” she explained.

  Almost there, he reassured himself. I must get to the facility, then I’ll be safe....

  I hope.

  “Remind me to ask you to help next time I have to move.” Jason smiled, leaning forward and looking for a helicopter.

  The car swayed from side to side as he took the turn at speed, accelerating down the onramp. Another green signboard read “Stapleton turnoff, 2 kilometres.” He was already doing 160 kph by the time he entered the highway from the onramp.

  The highway was empty. The trees on the side of the road flew by so fast that they looked like a green wall. Further to his left lay the city, and somewhere above it was the approaching helicopter. By air, they would be no more than three minutes from this location, which meant that the man would, at any moment, be circling above his head.

  He barely finished the thought when the sound of rotors thrummed in the air and the helicopter shot overhead, banking sharp when it spotted him. The helicopter’s nose lifted into the air and its tail spun 180 degrees, leaving it flying backwards, tail up in the air and nose pointing down to the ground. He gaped at the rear view mirror as the helicopter performed a precarious dance behind him. Moments later, assisted by gravity and the pull from the main rotor blade, the helicopter accelerated forward. Its nose rose as the large-bellied machine levelled out. It was now a kilometre behind him and catching up fast.

  “They just found me!” Jason shouted, pulling the car into the turn-off.

  “Be careful...please!” Her voice was thin with worry.

  At the top of the turn-off was another roundabout. Jason punched the brakes, sending the car careering towards the turn. The speed indicator dropped drastically as the car slowed. At 80 kph, he turned the steering wheel to the right and pulled the hand brake up. The back of the V8 broke left. Jason let the brake go and floored the petrol to push through the turn. He steered the car to the inside of the roundabout, going against traffic instead of around the outside. The left back tire of the car hit the middle of the roundabout, almost causing the car to over steer in the opposite direction—but the car’s inertia was too great for its trajectory to falter. The left side of the car bounced off the guard rails on the other end of the roundabout, which was enough to push the car around the corner.

  Jason was flung violently from side to side, and hit his head once more against the centre pillar of the car frame. Even though he was just doing 85 kph around the corner, the car still took damage on the left side as it scraped against the railings. Sparks, smoke, and dust left a trail behind him as the acceleration and grip got the upper hand on the skid.

  “Dammit!” he uttered, rubbing the side of his head while squinting profusely.

  “What happened?” she asked softly, her voice hoarse with terror.

  “Hit my head again” he croaked and wiped his nose on his sleeve. It left a dark red, glistening smear of blood. “My nose is bleeding...” he complained.

  Across the bridge was another roundabout. This one had a double lane entry and exit, allowing him to accelerate well past a hundred. The helicopter banked hard to the right above the car. A man leaned out of the helicopter’s open door with an automatic machine gun. The roof of his car imploded on the left side like a tear strip on stamp paper as bullets bored holes through the car. The dashboard became shrapnel as the bullets sheared a path through it. Jason pulled right and left on the steering wheel, weaving wildly down the road. The helicopter followed suit and the gunman continued firing. The bullets dug rows of holes in the tarmac.

  “They are shooting at me!” he shouted, feeling his insides go cold. Even his toes felt numb.

  He drove fast and wild, making long then short turns, hoping to stay out of reach of the rain of bullets. Sometimes the shots grazed the side of the car, other times they struck the boot and roof.

  “Just keep going! You are almost here, just another couple of kilometres,” Core replied in a calm tone, desperately wishing that Jason had reached the safety of the facility. The turn onto Johnson road was coming up fast, and Jason could not afford to slow down. A spark of brilliance illuminated his mind. He slammed on the brakes, and the helicopter shot past overhead. When he glimpsed the helicopter flying over his windshield, he accelerated hard to try and stay directly below it. The pilot banked left so that the tail came around ninety degrees; he was now travelling sideways down the road, giving the shooter a perfect line of sight on the driver’s side of Jason’s car.

  “Fuck! Come on! What more do you want...?” He cursed his brilliance when he saw how easy he made it for them to destroy him. He floored the petrol as the shooter opened fire. The rear passenger window exploded and he felt numbness in his left thigh and arm as the bullets ripped holes through them. “Agh! The bastard shot me!” he screamed in anguish. There was no pain, just a numb feeling emanating outward from the holes. His arm and leg felt ice cold.

  “Jason! Are you still moving?” Core shouted.

  “Yes! They got me in the arm and leg. I am still okay! Almost at the gate....” he shouted.

  The car skidded through the corner. A red BMW was in his lane, but Jason was going too fast to stop. He swerved left, but it was too late...he just clipped the back side of the BMW. At that speed, even a clip could be fatal. In Jason’s eyes, everything happened in slow motion: the BMW spun slowly past him, hurtling sideways, and then crashed into the bushes. Leaves, along with a cloud of dirt and rocks, flung into the air.

  “No!” he shouted in frustration. “Not another accident! Shit!” He turned to look at where the car had disappeared into the bushes. His heart raced and he had a bitter taste in his mouth. His headache returned with a vengeance.

  “What happened?” Core asked nervously.

  “I clipped the back of a BMW as I came around the corner. It just skidded into the bushes.”

  “I will alert the police,” she said softly. Her voice had a haunting quality, deep undertones like a dark river.

  “Thank you...I see the entrance,” he said, breathing hard. The helicopter banked right and flew off towards the city.

  “They gave up!” she shouted with relief in her voice. “Radio chatter says...they will leave it up to Him to get you.”

  He felt the bottom of his stomach drop. “Who is Him?”

  “They did not say. I can only conclude that there is someone on the inside,” she said “It is not safe for you to come in alone.”

  How can she be so calm about it? Jason thought. He corrected the car and sped past the gate. “Well I don’t exactly have company!” A tingling sensation ran up his arms and settled at the back of his neck. “What now...where do I go?” He hit the steering wheel with the palms of both hands, shaking his head fervently.

  “I will ask Professor Mathews to come and pick you up. Don’t go too far,” Core said.

  “Awesome!” he shouted. He slammed on the brakes and turned off the road. “In that case, I will wait right here. I am about a kilometre past the gate.”

  Then he had another brilliant idea. “I will hide the car in the bushes,” he said, and pulled the car down into the ditch where no one would see it. He killed the engine and peered out at the greenery that surrounded him, pitching his head from side to side as he listened for footfalls or breaking branches. He half-expected a wolf to jump out of the bushes at any moment. Platoons of goose bumps marched up and down his sides.

  The pain was throbbing in the background of his mind, but coming clos
er every moment. He scrunched up his upper lip, which itched, and looked in the rear view mirror. His nose bleed had stopped, and the blood was drying on his face. Well, there’s your silver lining, Jason thought, and then couldn’t look any longer.

  He loosened the safety belt and took a couple of deep breaths. Then he looked around the car for something to stop the bleeding. A frantic search revealed a baby towel on the back seat. He used the car keys to rip a hole in the material, and then tore the towel into strips. With one strip he bandaged his arm. Moments later, a red spot formed in the middle of the makeshift bandage. He took the remaining towel and formed a pad that he fastened around his thigh. The pain shot through his leg and up the nape of his back, sending shivers through his body. His hands shook and he wanted to cry. Jason cringed as he got out of the car using his good leg. He surveyed the damage. The left side of the car had been demolished by the barrier. There were bullet holes everywhere. The vehicle hardly looked like a car anymore. It was a miracle that he had gotten out alive.

  “Susan is on her way. You should wait on the side of the road, but be careful,” Core told him softly as her fear dissipated. “I only briefly mentioned to her what has happened.”

  “Thank you...” he said, dropping the keys through the broken window. He stumbled to the side of the road, hiding in the tall grass until he saw a silver BMW slowly coasting down the road, the woman driver fervently searching the bushes. He stood up and hopped closer. When she saw him, she sped to his side, coming to a skidding halt on the gravel. She jumped out of the car immediately.

  “My God, Jason, not again!” Susan exclaimed, holding her mouth with one hand. Her eyes frantically searched him up and down, surveying the bandages and blood. “Look at you...are you okay?” She rushed to his side. “You look terrible. Core told me that you were in bad shape, but you need medical attention immediately. I’m just glad that we have a hospital on site.” She held her arm out to help him to the passenger door. She was trembling.