Vix sped down the highway, his eyes darting between the road ahead and the side-view mirror, scanning for pursuers. He glanced at the masked man in the passenger seat, who was engrossed in his phone, and asked, "What was all that about?"
The masked man turned his head slightly and replied, "Name's Axel. Nice to meet you." Then, just as quickly, he went back to his phone.
Vix frowned, clearly frustrated by the evasive response. "That's not what I asked. Why did you attack that place?" he pressed.
Axel remained silent, tapping away on his phone as if Vix's question hadn't even registered. After a moment, Vix couldn't hold back his irritation. "Fine! Don't answer," he snapped. "I'm finding someplace to hide first."
Without looking up, Axel finally spoke. "We're leaving Sector F. Head for the Sector C gates."
Vix shot him a skeptical glance. "We need an entry pass for that. Only the bastards above have those."
Axel smirked, pulling a small square pass from his pocket and holding it up. "You mean this?"
Vix's jaw dropped as he stared at the pass. "What the?! How do you even have that? Wait, forget that. Who are you, and what the hell are you hiding behind that mask?"
Axel turned to him, his tone calm and laced with amusement. "Obviously, my face. What else would it be?"
"Huh?!" Vix's frustration mounted, but he bit his tongue. He couldn't afford to linger in Sector F. He thought to himself, 'If I stay here, I'm done for. Garcia's goons will hunt me down forever. Sure, I insulted him and his mother, but the bastard deserved it.' He sighed. 'If I can make it to Sector C, I'll figure out the rest later.'
"Why are you even helping me?" Vix asked suspiciously. "Couldn't you just get there on your own?"
Axel shrugged. "It's the least I can do after using you."
Vix froze. "Using me? What do you mean by that?"
"Check under your left shirt collar," Axel replied casually.
Confused, Vix flipped up his collar and spotted a small black chip affixed to the fabric. His eyes widened. "Is this a tracker?!"
"Yup," Axel said nonchalantly. "We also dug into your personal info. Nice to meet you, Vix."
"What the fuck?" Vix exclaimed, shocked. "You used me as bait to sniff out Garcia?!"
"Pretty much," Axel admitted without a hint of remorse. "We knew Garcia didn't trust you entirely. If your last assignment went sideways and you survived, he'd suspect you first. Worked like a charm."
Vix shook his head in disbelief. "I should be pissed, but you ended up saving my ass, even though you're the reason I was in that mess to begin with. Let's just say you owe me one, and we'll call it even."
Axel chuckled. "Sure, sure. I owe you one."
The tension broke for a moment as they exchanged a dry laugh. Then Vix spoke up. "Before we leave, I need to withdraw my savings."
Axel waved him off. "Already handled. I transferred your money to a new account in Sector C, and, uh, added a few zeros."
Vix stared at him in disbelief. "You what?! How many zeros are we talking about here?"
Axel tossed him a new phone. "All your bank info's in there. Oh, and put this in your ear." He handed Vix a small earpiece.
"What's this for?" Vix asked, still overwhelmed.
Axel smirked, rummaging in the backseat. "For the company we're about to have."
As if on cue, two cars swerved aggressively into their lane, speeding toward them. "Well, looks like they're already here," Axel muttered.
Vix's grip tightened on the wheel as he sped up, weaving through traffic. "Shit! They're gaining on us!"
"Eyes on the road," Axel said, climbing into the backseat. "Let me know if there's any danger up ahead."
"What the hell are you doing back there?!" Vix yelled, glancing in the rearview mirror.
"Strong cars come with strong toys," Axel replied, pulling out a rocket launcher.
Vix blinked, momentarily stunned. "What the actual fuck?!"
Axel climbed onto the roof, rocket launcher in hand. Balancing with ease, he aimed at the lead car and fired. The rocket streaked through the air, slamming into the car and reducing it to a fiery wreck. Debris scattered across the highway.
The second car swerved, narrowly dodging the wreckage. But soon, more vehicles joined the chase, boxing them in. Axel crouched on the roof, waiting as the cars closed in. Gunfire erupted from the pursuers, bullets ricocheting off their car. Axel drew two pistols, returning fire with deadly precision.
As the cars drew closer, Axel holstered his guns and unsheathed a sword. With a swift leap, he landed on the hood of the nearest car. The men inside leaned out to shoot at him, but Axel drove his sword through the windshield, impaling the driver's head.
The car veered wildly, crashing into another vehicle before careening off the highway. Axel leaped towards the next car.