“Try not to overwhelm her and convince her that we’re the good guys,” he said simply, refusing to allow it to be anything more than that.
No one argued, and they moved as one, fanning out a little so that they surrounded her in a way she’d never notice, but could also protect her if more guards had been called in to try to capture them. Thunder didn't think that was likely because hewas pretty sure they’d basically voided Dr. Gardner’s supply of security, but he wasn't going to risk the woman’s safety over it.
Following her was easy, and he didn't need any enhanced skills to do it. She wasn't moving quickly, although for her condition, he was surprised she was able to move at all. She was also loud, crashing through the trees, her breathing harsh, her desperation to escape what she viewed as another threat making her forget everything else.
There wasn't really anywhere for the woman to go. They were on an island, and he and his team had swum in after jumping off a helo a couple of miles off the coast. There was a small landing strip, and he knew they’d already called in someone to come and get them. There were no boats as far as he was aware, and it didn't seem like the woman was running with any other purpose than escaping.
To that end, he hung back enough, keeping her within his line of sight but not letting her know he was there. When she reached the beach, he’d try talking to her again, find a way to convince her that he was no threat to her.
“She’s approaching some cliffs,” Blade’s voice came through the comms unit, and Thunder prepared himself to go faster, and grab her before she went over the edge if she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings in her desperation to get away from them.
With a gasp, he saw the woman stumble to a stop, obviously seeing the cliffs on her own, and after giving her a second to catch her breath, Thunder stepped through the trees, making sure to alert her to his presence so he didn't startle her.
Spinning around to face him, she took a step back. Her eyes were wild, definitely more animal than human in this moment. But there was some cognition there that hadn't been there before, and he knew she wasn't completely lost to the real world.
Thunder tried to look as non-threatening as possible for a man who was over six feet tall, solid muscle, dressed all in black, with a weapon slung over his shoulder, and night vision goggles on. Slipping off the goggles, he could see her well enough in the moonlight that he didn't need them, and he wanted to look more human to her.
“We’re not going to hurt you,” he said, keeping his voice calm and controlled, attempting to infuse something soothing into it, although from her agitation it was clear he was failing.
Her gaze darted about, seeking an escape route that didn't exist.
Truth was, they weren't leaving her behind, she was coming with them either way. He just hated that they might add more trauma to whatever else she’d already suffered.
“I know you don’t believe it, and I can't pretend to imagine what you’ve been through, but I know who he is. The man who brought you here, who hurt you. His name is Dr. Gardner. I don’t know how much you know about him, but I know what he did to me.”
Thunder felt more than saw the woman’s attention focus a little more on him.
Was she hearing him? He had no idea, but he had to try to talk her down. The best-case scenario was convincing her to come with them willingly, the worst was holding her down and sedating her. That way, he lost any possible chance at building trust.
“He kept us in a cage as well. Me and my team,” Thunder continued, and he felt his team shift to appear at his back. There was a chance they were overwhelming her, but she needed to know the truth, needed to know she wasn't the only victim of the insane scientist.
Growing more agitated, the woman looked around again, her gaze settling behind her on the ocean crashing over the rocks beneath her.
“Don’t do it,” he warned, sensing what she was planning. “Don’t jump. Please. We’re not going to hurt you, I swear it. We’re going to take you home to your family. Whatever you’ve been through, it’s over now. Don’t end your life now when you're on the cusp of being saved.”
There was no way she could survive that fall.
Yet he saw the way she looked at the ocean as if it held the answer to all her problems.
She was going to do it.
He was already moving before she was.
For a second, she looked over her shoulder. Their gazes clashed and he saw a glimpse of the woman who had existed before she was thrown into a nightmare.
Also saw the resolve in her gray eyes.
This was what she wanted, what she was choosing, recognizing the consequences.
Before he could grab hold of her and keep her on solid ground, she flung her arms out wide and jumped.
February 22nd
12:42 A.M.
Flying. Freedom.
This was, without a single doubt, the best moment of Maya’s entire life.
