Trent turned and moved towards the door without a single word, not like he needed to say anything though as both the scientist and the young woman followed behind him immediately. The trio moved briskly, making a short trip from the main lab to the rooftop of the central building that also served as the main observation deck.
On their way, Miyazaki noticed that the young woman had attempted to radio the other security personnel on ground to inform them of their runaway Subject, only for Trent himself to stop her from doing so. The young woman seemed confused for a moment but ultimately chose not to question her boss's seemingly reckless decision.
Only, Miyazaki had worked for Jonathan Trent for far longer than anyone else in this facility, even longer than the young woman herself had been alive. The man was not one to ever make a decision that seemed so wanton and reckless, not to mention spontaneous. Miyazaki knew exactly what Trent had in mind. He knew it the moment he had seen that strange glint in Trent's eyes when he had watched the escapee storm his way through those guards.
Nothing fascinated Jonathan Trent more than human evolution. That was what had kick-started this entire project after all. If a modified human had been able to access that hidden well of ability that was normally only accessible through the use of a System despite said human not being in possession of any System to the best of their knowledge, then did that not mean that the next generation of humans had already begun to reach their own evolution point?
Nothing fostered evolution more than a harsh and challenging environment. Should an organism find itself in such a condition, nature's laws dictated that it either adapted and found ways to continue its own existence, or crumble and die. And after that display they had just watched, Miyazaki was very certain that Subject 013 was not the type to take the latter option.
The sky outside was dark but the background of innumerable twinkling stars presented the night with an ethereal beauty that could only be found among the celestial bodies. The three individuals stood on the balcony of the observation deck, their eyes focused on the individual currently sprinting through the large yard that sat between the facility's main buildings and the crisscross links of electrified chain mesh that fenced the entire compound.
The figure was moving at incredible speed indeed, not enough not to be visible, but enough that it would be impossible for any human to even hope to pursue him effectively. The Subject must have been smart enough to assume that the fences would have some sort of security measure built into them to prevent events such as this exact one.
The three of them watched as when the Subject was less than fifteen meters from the fence, he ripped the thick protective vest that was part of the security uniform he must have stolen from one of the guards during his escape. Holding out the cloth like a bullfighter in front of him, he increased his speed further as he approached the fence.
Then, moments from impact, he threw up the cloth against the fence and leapt directly at the material, making sure he minimized his body surface area as much as possible by tucking his knees into his chest. His stunt's success was heralded by a massive explosion of sparks and electricity as his incredible momentum allowed him to tear through the fence.
Despite his efforts though, there was no way he would have emerged from such a daring endeavor unscathed, something that was further emphasized from the way his body suddenly contorted and spasmed a bit violently as more than enough volts to kill a full-grown man coursed through him.
Suddenly the boy froze as the ground in front of his head exploded in a burst of dirt and dust, byproducts of the speeding projectile that had clearly been aimed at him. He snapped his head to the source of the bullet and his neon green eyes widened when he saw more soldiers leveling their arms at him from vantage points all over the facility's northern section.
Miyazaki noticed this as well and turned to give Trent a questioning look. Trent on his own part was well aware that Matsuo Miyazaki was not an idiot. There was no way that the brilliant Japanese scientist had not realized what he was planning by now. The scientist was probably concerned about the chances that with how much gunfire Subject 013 was under, the boy might not end up living long enough to achieve the new plans Trent had for him.
Trent did not care about that though. As far as he was concerned, an exceptional Subject like this one ought not to have any issues with such things, considering all he had gone through to reach this point. If he was to go down here, then all it would mean was that he had simply not been as exceptional as Trent had thought.
And to the man's pleasant surprise, the Subject had not let him down as the boy quickly recovered from the debilitating effects of the electricity and was already making his run for freedom across the stretch of open land that was between the facility compound and the nearby forest.
He could see the Subject's body jolting forward every once in a while as some bullets met their mark but he merely pushed through what must have been excruciating pain and continued running. A glint of light caught his eye and he looked to the side to see one of his soldiers preparing one of the organisation's new weapons, a high caliber sniper rifle with a range that far outstripped anything the modern world had built so far.
Trent's lips drew back in a vicious grin.
'Perfect... This will be a true test of Subject 013's tenacity. No human can survive a shot from that gun...'
The soldier finished assembling the weapon within moments with swiftness born from practice and skill. Following that, the man immediately went down to lie down on the metal surface of the rooftop of the section of the facility he was on. The scientist beside him was quick to notice this as well, an expression of terror and alarm crossing his features as he shot Trent a look that the man did not bother to reply.
Instead, Trent focused his attention on observing the sniper's actions as the soldier focused his aim on the fleeing figure in the distance. It would be difficult to land an accurate headshot from this distance as the Subject had taken to running in a haphazard manner to avoid the other shooters telegraphing his movements.
Based on the Subject's speed and the time it would take to recover from the recoil of firing in order to obtain a focused target again, both Trent and the soldier had come to the same conclusion: there was only time for a single shot.
The night vision crosshairs of the sniper's telescope lowered as the soldier made his decision. His right index finger squeezed the trigger, causing a bright brief flash of light and a loud bang that resounded throughout the night.
Far ahead of them in the distance, Trent saw the gradually shrinking figure of the escaping Subject jerk even more violently than he had after busting through the electrified fence. Even from this distance, Trent could see something spray forth from the Subject's body and he knew immediately that the bullet had hit.
The Subject collapsed on all fours and Trent found himself holding the railings on the edge of the rooftop, his body slightly leaning forward as his lips stretched in a hungry, anticipating grin.
'Come on now... Do not let me down...'
As if in direct response to his unspoken thoughts, the Subject's body shuddered before he slowly rose back up to his feet. The clothes on the boy's back were soaked thoroughly with both his own blood and that of those he had put down in his escape attempt.
Suddenly he turned around and somehow his eyes pinned the exact soldier who had given him his worst injury tonight. There was so much rage and vitriol in that single glare that the soldier found himself unable to move as a cold sweat broke out on his forehead, his hand frozen at the trigger and his eyes staring wildly through the telescope directly into the boy's own hateful eyes.
Just when it seemed like the Subject was about to turn around and seek revenge, the boy suddenly frowned and looked down at his right hand for a moment before shaking his head slightly and dashed into the cover of the forest to disappear among the trees, leaving the facility behind.
"He got away," the young woman beside him said in her normal flat tone that he had long grown accustomed to, only this time it was slightly tinged with annoyance.
However, annoyance was far from being Trent's current emotion.
"Yes. Yes, he did," Jonathan Trent repeated slowly, letting his own vicious smile gradually set into a satisfied smooth smirk as he turned around to descend back into the building.
"Come on you two. We have work to do," he said, his thoughts setting themselves in place slowly.
'And so do you my fugitive Subject... The outside world can be a terrible and cruel place... I cannot wait to see just how much you shall grow... Until we meet again...'