E.C.H.O.

Stage 29 "A Way Out?"

Lucas' head throbbed in reminder of the unpleasant pain he was subjected to. It was this pain that made up his mind for him.

Escape. He was willing to take the risk. Sorry, Amber.

His eyelids fluttered closed and he took a deep breath. I don't know where I am or the layout of this place. Moving quickly and decisively will be key. Most likely I'm still somewhere in school...underground most likely. Goal: get above.

His eyes shot open. Without hesitation he was on his feet, the cuffs loosened from his hands with a flick. By the time they clanked to the floor Lucas was already at the door. He opened it in a swift motion, not bothering to check for cameras – for the cameras in the interrogation room were already capturing it all.

In the next room there were several monitors set up and from this end the giant mirror was a window. Two men sat before it, one asleep and the other looking over documents. The moment Lucas was through the door the first began to jump to his feet. The movement caused the other to wake but Lucas was already on them.

The ECHO agent didn't waste a second in attacking. He was no longer the innocent student caught up in a prank. The game was up the moment he made the decision to leave. He was now the agent sent to fulfill a mission. The current mission: to escape.

If the two men who were seated were trained agents, they never got a chance to display their skills. Lucas sent the first sprawling back when he was only halfway to his feet. At the same time he grabbed a pen on the desk, twirled it and stabbed it toward the waking man.

Lucas' initial target was the man's chest. One puncture to the right place would send the victim into an eternal sleep. However, despite the boy having been taught to kill without question, something made him change direction at the last minute. The pen ended up stabbing through the man's hand. A fist followed before there was a chance to scream and Lucas knocked the guy's lights out with a quick and precise punch.

He couldn't deliver the ending blow this time. It was as though a nagging voice urged him to consider. Perhaps it was attachment to Ellison High, but Lucas didn't take time to think of the reason. Instead, he followed up by lifting the chair and smashing it into the man he had sent staggering. There was a groan of pain but Lucas silenced it with a powerful punch right to the stomach. As the unconscious man slipped to the floor, Lucas was already heading out of the room. He grabbed a file full of papers on his way and stepped into the hallway just as the alarms went off.

The young agent ignored the flashing lights and blaring noise, mind on the task ahead. He saw the group approaching from the right. Four armed figures in black. Masks covered their faces and they carried both guns and Tasers. Lucas calmly glanced in the opposite direction. It remained empty.

They always leave a path open in an enclosed space, the boy noted. It's to encourage you to go there. Away from the way out. He turned to the men who were taking their time. They only way is through.

Lucas walked toward them. He wasn't afraid of being shot. They wouldn't fire bullets. Not at a high schooler. They had morals. But he didn't. The boy's steps increased and his walk became a jog. All the time his mind already played out the different scenarios in which this could go. The first easiest method would be to neutralize them all – yet, he felt uncomfortable with that. For the masks hid faces of which some could be students he knew. He didn't want to harm them.

"Emotions. The most dangerous thing on a mission," a voice echoed in his mind. He now understood why. Only this time. Only this mission, he promised himself as his run turned into a sprint.