Chapter 3: Freedom!

Particle cavities! Pyros was already gone when I looked out the window. The Night Walker had better start running… Glancing at the time, I lamented how it was already nine.

Scrambling around my room while shedding the layers of clothes, I tried to recall where I hid my custom-made suit. Last time, I had to chuck it somewhere when Alastair barged in without warning during a routine repair. Now I can't remember where that somewhere was.

I flipped my storage compartments hoping to find it in one of the racks in vain. It wasn't under my mattress either. Now, where could I possibly have chucked it? Looking around my line of sight fell to the bathroom. Could it be…?

"Aha! There you are…" Triumph at my find, I pulled the suit out. It was slightly crumpled but was looking fairly well. Surely it had seen better days but due to the essence of time, I'm not complaining. Although, who would have thought that such a suit would be hidden in a carelessly tossed laundry bag? I'm only thankful I chose to do the laundry myself instead of having the housekeeping bots handle it.

Night Walker's suit was made to reflect any light and sound waves, a very convenient way for me to get away without detection. It was easy to wear the suit, nothing too fancy. A sleeveless hoodie, some cargo pants with multiple compartments and I was set. It's more of an outfit than a suit but 'Night Walker's suit' sounded a lot fancier than Night Walker's attire. It was a combat garment and not a fashion piece no matter how it appears.

The gauntlets were my favourite thing about the suit. I hide my best blades inside in case of emergencies despite having seventy-two must carry gadgets, recommended by yours truly. After all, one can never be too sure. A hitman must have as many weapons as he can use at his disposal. I prefer fighting from a distance and avoid direct confrontation but having a teacher like Nash meant that close combat encounters were impossible to avoid.

Grabbing the new hair tie and ring used earlier in the afternoon, I mentally checked off the list of items that I needed to bring. Even as I recounted all seventy-two gadgets plus the two new ones, I knew there was still something I was forgetting. Everything was a little too light but there wasn't enough time to figure out what I missed. It looks like I would be travelling light tonight.

"The time now is nine forty-two, sir. I suggest we make a move to avoid being caught by the security after lockdown."

Kevin's not-as-enthusiastic voice made me smile. Now that's more like it. "Plot me the fastest route to Mr N's place."

"On it," Kevin started searching for the best route and I was only halfway through a yawn when he came back.

"I suggest we take route B. The patrol-bots we will encounter tonight are after the main fountain and before the main wall."

Pleased with the apt and timely response, I pulled down the visor.

"Noted. Let me know before we run into them."

It wasn't very high, merely a jump from the second floor. I leapt from the window ledge and shock reverberated from the balls of my feet to my knees upon landing impact. I gave thanks to my third generation body. A first generation New-Man, with the exception of Nash, would have sustained some sort of injury. A second generation body would have been shaky and numb but a third generation body had better pain tolerance and physical resistance.

"Take a left turn at the library," Kevin's voice interrupted my thoughts. Route B was certainly the fastest way to go despite being one of the more risky routes with so many open spaces to cover. Free running across the schoolyard, I made my way to the library building. There were no bots in sight but I didn't want to take any chances. Checking twice for any nearby bots that were not on Kevin's intelligence, I found none. It was safe to sprint. The next turn was after the laboratory just before the main fountain.

"What is the status of the patrol-bots at point one?"

Kevin hummed before replying, "Negative. No bots sighted at point one. The nearest bots are fifteen metres away."

Nodding, I hid behind the wall. The bots need to pass before I made a dash for it. Past the main fountain was the foyer that had a large open space. Should I be caught by the bots, my odds of getting away are close to none. Unlike cameras, bots are equipped with heat sensors that I have yet to figure out how to fool.

Fortunately, the effective radius for those sensors is ten metres. Bots don't patrol within ten metres of each other, giving me a way to make a break. I don't understand how the chief security officer missed something as obvious as this but such a thing would never have been overlooked on my part.

"What is the effective radius between my current position and the bot assuming it reaches point A?"

"Estimated twenty metres, sir."

Twenty was good enough. Deviating a little from Kevin's original route, I made my way around the laboratory. This would be a slightly longer route but it certainly was faster than waiting for the patrol-bot to pass. I cut across the foyer diagonally and caught a glimpse of the huge metallic robot canine before scoffing at the 'security'.

According to Kevin, turning right after the foyer will bring me to the main walls. On actual site, the right turned to be more than slightly troublesome and I smacked a palm against my forehead.

"Seriously, a bush? At least give me a roof to climb over or something! For crying out loud Kevin, a bush?"

"My apologies, sir. Would you like me to blacklist routes with bushes for your next trip?"

His professional sounding tone calmed me down a little. "See that you do it," I hissed. Kevin apologised once more and added bush to the blacklist while I crawled through thorns and brambles. If my clothes weren't made of special fibre I would be covered in scratches that would only fuel more rumours about my playboy image and wild night frenzies.

Once I reached the end of the bush, Kevin informed me of another patrol-bot approaching. I rolled my eyes, suppressing the urge to groan. For such cutting edge technology, these bots walk slower than a three-hundred-year-old New-Man!

Finally, with enough patience, I came face to face with the wall that separated the Academy and the Slums. Twisting the ring on my right middle finger so that the inner dial pointed north, I heard Kevin announce the gravity field's activation. If a man is as good as the shoes he wears, I'm the coolest one alive.

Literally climbing over the last obstacle between the Academy and the Slums one step at a time, a smirk settled on my face. It wasn't the first time I left the Academy for the Slums but it never failed to give me that same sense of satisfaction every time. Strangely, I felt more like myself when I wore visor glasses and snuck around in the dead of night.

The wind felt good, unlike the stifling breeze in the Academy. Taking off with a sprint, Titus Crowley was free again.