Free E.N.D.A.Y.S. by Lee Isserow Page A

up, he would have heard it. The van's engine grumbled to life, and they were on the move, swerving wildly in the street as they U-turned into the opposite lane, and picked up speed.
    “You're not from here.” a voice said, European inflection, tone cold and direct.
    “Fucking understatement...” Hayes mumbled, sat uncomfortably on his knees in front of the speaker. He attempted tugging his wrists apart, and smiled to himself as he realised how weak the plastic restraints were, when compared to his mods. 
    “Then you do not side with the enders of days, the harbingers of death?” asked the man sitting beyond the bag.
    “Ain't got a horse in this race, don't know or give a shit about any of you fucks...” he said, shifting on the floor of the van, testing how far he could move his arms whilst keeping the restraints in-tact.
    “Then you have no business interfering with what is to come.” the European said.
    “Sure, whatever.” Hayes grunted. “Just want to get healed and get on outta here.”
    “That, I'm afraid, is not an option.” the European said. “You have technology that might aid our cause, might save countless lives, and for that, you are precious.”
    “Nobody's ever called me precious before.” Hayes scoffed, realising he could reach to his weapons, but he'd have to be smart about it. “Listen, I don't know who you are, or why you think electrocuting a guy is a nice way to make an introduction,” he said, stalling as he slowly manoeuvred his hands to the holster clipped at his right hip. “But I'm all for saving lives, it's kinda my thing, y'know?” He brushed his right thumb against the biometric sensor.
    “You wish to join our crusade?” the European asked. “To end the enders?”
    “That's a real stupid way of putting it,” Hayes said, shifting in place, activating the holster to his left. “But sure, what have I got to lose?
    “How do we know we can trust you?” the man asked.
    “Now that,” Hayes said, with a smile. “Is the wrong question to ask...”
    He wrenched his hands apart, ripping the cuffs open and reached into the holsters, pulling guns from both pocket dimensions, firing indiscriminatingly at wherever he heard sounds of his captors. He knelt down, still firing as the van careened wildly, and braced himself for a mod-assisted leap. Throwing himself backwards with all his strength, he continued shooting at the occupants of the van as he flew through the air. The metal doors crunched as he burst through them, the vehicle howling as it lost its footing on the road. Hayes landed on the tarmac with a thud that reverberated through his entire body, and ripped the bag off his head just in time to watch the van lurching onto the pavement at speed, ploughing into a lampost with a metallic grunt. A pool of diesel started lapping out of the perforated tank, soaking into the road beneath the wreck. Hayes got to his feet and grinned as it caught alight, turning on his heels, and hobbled away.
    He always enjoyed walking away from an explosion, even though he was currently adopting more of an injured shuffle, than a walk. After a minute of walking he stopped and turned around, the fire still lapping at the van, no signs of a blast. He hobbled some more, glancing over his shoulder for the eruption, any evidence that a detonation was coming. It was starting to seem like wasn't happening. He was finding this reality's lack of exploding vehicles very disappointing.
    Left in yet another familiar looking street that was actually unfamiliar, he grumbled to himself about the dimension's lack of architectural variety. But there was something up ahead that he recognised. A giant dome in the distance. The looming peak of the Royal Albert Hall. He knew exactly where he needed to go.
    Vision still buried behind the display, Hayes headed towards the monolithic building, finding his way round to Kensington Gore, to the cream building they had visited earlier that morning. His palm slammed against