Midnight Runner

EP2 Reckless Mind, Brazen Heart

Five in the morning. The city was still asleep.

Jake ran past the taco stand on Labor Street. Tony was already there, setting up for the breakfast rush.

Tony had been here longer than anyone. His dad built this road. Back when things were different.

Labor Street. Dad called it his road. His legacy.

Jake used to walk this street after school, watching people live their lives. The late-night BBQ stand packing up. The street cleaners starting their shift. The taco vendors firing up the grill before dawn.

One day, after his dad got taken away, Jake walked this street in a daze. For hours. Like a ghost.

He watched people—tired, broke, but still laughing over breakfast. He thought about quitting. About giving up.

But he kept walking. And then he started running.

Running with the taco vendors. Running with the early shift workers. Running with the city.

That's when he decided: he was going to be okay. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But eventually.

Jake stopped at Tony's stand. "One beef taco. Extra meat. Extra salsa. To go."

Tony didn't look up. Just nodded. He knew Jake. Knew Jake's order. Knew Jake came every single morning, rain or shine.

One year. Three hundred and thirty-plus deliveries. That's how long Jake had been doing this.

And it all started with a delivery to a weird address.

One year ago, Jake got a DoorDash ping. Remote address. Twenty-dollar tip. Most drivers skipped it. No car, no way to get there fast enough.

Jake ran.

The address was an old apartment building in the worst part of town. No elevator. Fourth floor. Jake ran up four flights with a taco.

He knocked. A man's voice: "Put it down and leave."

Jake put the tacos down. Then he heard something. A strange sound. Like air rushing into a small space. An inflating sound.

The door was cracked open. Jake looked in.

A short, skinny guy was... expanding. Muscles bulging. Body swelling. In seconds, a five-foot-eight man became a towering six-foot-three wall of muscle.

The guy on the wanted poster. Big Bear.

Jake froze.

The guy turned and looked at him. Those eyes. That scar on the jaw. That dark mole by the eye.

It was him. It was really him.

The $1,000,000 fugitive.

Jake should have run. Should have called the cops. A million dollars was more money than he'd ever see in his life.

But he didn't. He just stood there. Paralyzed.

Big Bear looked at him for a long time. Then he laughed.

"You saw my face. You're not running."

"I'm... I'm processing."

"You got two choices. Call the cops. Or deliver me tacos for two grand a month."

Jake did the math.

$1,000,000 bounty. Tax, $400,000. Take home, $600,000. But by the time you make the call, he'd be gone. And you only get a few hundred for the tip. Not worth it.

"I'll take the tacos," Jake said.

Big Bear nodded. "Smart kid."

The first time they met, Big Bear gave Jake $2,000. Told him to come back every morning for tacos. For one year.

One year later, here was Jake. Still running. Still delivering. Still alive.

One day, Big Bear said: "No more tacos. I'm done hiding."

Jake stared. "You're leaving?"

"One year in Millbrook. That's enough. Time to go."

"What about the cops? The Feds? They want you real bad."

"Let them want. I'm done here."

Big Bear reached into a bag by the door. Pulled out two boxes. Small. Metal. Heavy.

"These are gene implants. Nine per box. The first box, each one weighs twenty pounds. All nine together, a hundred and eighty pounds. The second box, forty pounds each. That's three hundred sixty pounds total. Don't open the second box yet."

Jake took the boxes. They were heavy.

"These implants go in your key nodes. They seal your Ability Power. Makes you look weak. But they're also training weights. Every day you keep them in, your body gets stronger."

Jake opened the first box. Nine thin needles. Each one looked delicate. But they weighed a ton.

"You've been training on foot all this time. Good instinct. Running with the implants in will make you stronger faster than anything else."

Big Bear pointed at Jake's wrist. "That monitor. Take it off."

Jake hesitated. Then he took it off.

The number jumped. Six to twelve.

Big Bear nodded. "Twelve AP. That's more like it. But you don't show it. Not yet."

He pressed one needle into Jake's stomach. It slid in clean. Like it was meant to be there.

Jake gasped. His whole body went heavy.

One more needle. Another wave of weight.

One more.

Three needles in total. Jake felt like he was carrying a small person on his back.

"Three implants, sixty pounds. Keep them in. The seal makes your AP look normal. Once you're strong enough, take them out one at a time."

Jake picked up the first box. Nine needles. A hundred and eighty pounds.

If he could run with all nine in, he could carry three hundred sixty pounds on his back and still sprint.

That was insane.

"Every morning, keep showing up," Big Bear said. "Keep running. The grind is the secret. There's no shortcut."

Jake nodded. He didn't know what to say.

"One more thing." Big Bear pulled out a small chip from his pocket. Black. About the size of a thumb drive. "Take this. In one week, bring it to the FBI office. Ask for Detective Li. Tell her Big Bear sent you."

Jake took the chip. It was cold. Heavy, in a different way.

"What's this worth?"

"A million dollars. And a lot of trouble."

Jake swallowed. "You're giving me a million-dollar chip and telling me to hand it to the cops?"

"I trust you. That's all. You got a reckless mind and a brazen heart. That's why."

Jake looked at the chip. Then at Big Bear.

"Big Bear... what if I keep it? What if I just disappear?"

Big Bear smiled. It was a real smile. The first one Jake had ever seen on that face.

"Then I'd be impressed. Most people can't resist a million dollars. But you're not most people. You got a system in your head counting your pain. You're not running for money. You're running because you can't stop. And a guy like that? He's not gonna sell out an old soldier having his last tacos."

Jake didn't say anything.

Big Bear put his hand on Jake's shoulder. It was heavy. Warm.

"Run hard, kid. And when you get strong enough—come find me."