Problem Child 20: Getaway Van

She struck two days later. It was extremely regrettable that she would make her escape alone, Aiko thought. She really did feel bad about it. But it was basically impossible to forcibly extract multiple adult civilians against their will. She would have to come back with Captain Marvel or something. Aiko was pretty sure that he would help her, even though she had left him hanging with Herkimer.

A grey van pulled in through the gate at 8:07 that morning. It made its way to the loading dock behind the lab that always smelled like something burning at 8:15. The driver left the engine running. The van’s suspension swayed with his weight as the driver got out and made a quiet but recognizable sort of car wheeze. 

Aiko peeked at him from the safety of the ugly bushes that lined all the long driveways around big buildings. They seemed to exist to keep people from seeing the delivery people and trash collectors.

The driver scuffed his boots on the cement as he walked away. He actually looked pretty cool, Aiko had to admit. He had like, belts and straps on his uniform that were almost certainly not necessary for practical purposes. Slay, king. They jingled helpfully as he jogged up the short set of stairs to ring the bell at the back door.

It was time for her to make her move.

Aiko snuck out behind the van and tried the trunk. Was it- it was unlocked! She opened it and then proceeded to have the most panicked three seconds of her life wrestling the spare tire to the ground without making a loud sound. Then she had to close the trunk without slamming it, which was an ordeal and a half that left her with a very bruised finger. Aiko blinked down tears and rolled the tire away as fast as she could with her aching hands. Holy shit. This was hard. 

As she rounded the corner of the hedge, she heard a faint beep as the door lock disengaged and someone opened up. “Good morning,” a man said. “I have a delivery that needs to be signed for.”

“Oh, morning,” a woman responded. “Can you bring that in here?”

Aiko grunted quietly with effort as she laid the tire on its side. Man, that was heavy. These things were horrible. She was going to destroy the other tires on the van in revenge, Aiko vowed, as soon as she didn’t need them anymore. She waited anxiously out of sight of the loading dock, listening to the sounds of squeaky wheels and occasional huffing and puffing.

The building lock engaged again.

She waited in a crouch for the sounds of the delivery guy jingling to the van with his big heavy boots and fashionable excess of belts.

The van door slammed shut. There were no footsteps to be heard.

…Aiko hesitated, frowning slightly. She didn’t hear him walk back. Why would he have been quieter that time? The van started to move.

‘Did someone else get in the truck? But why? The delivery man… no, it wouldn’t make sense for him to stay in the lab. He has to be the one in the truck. But why didn’t I hear him?’

It didn’t feel right. But she licked her lips and decided to risk it anyway. She tracked the van through the foliage and timed her jump just right.

Technically, she would have been visible from the rear view mirror for a brief instant. Aiko rolled between the two tires and latched onto the underside of the car with perfect timing and then froze. She half expected someone to shout “What was that?” and turn off the car.

Nothing happened. She turned her face to the side and, in the shadows, watched the wretched golf course pass by to the right. God, it was an eyesore of water waste. Aiko simmered in her hatred for the miles it took to pass the damn thing. Someone should blow it up or something. A dank pit would be less of an abomination— eventually, things would grow back.

The gated compound really was a large prison. It had taken her a while to get into place for this escape plan. Aiko tried not to breathe in too much of the car exhaust and to push down worry about when the alert would go out. Natty wouldn’t rat her out, but he wasn’t going to lie for her, either. At some point, Mom was going to realize that she had left the house sometime after breakfast. 

‘Would Luthor put this place on lock down if he knew I was missing?’

She gritted her teeth. It didn’t matter because she couldn’t affect that. The only thing she could do right now was execute her plan.

Admittedly, the plan was sparse on details. With no phone, it would be impossible to contact Robin or Captain Marvel immediately. She didn’t know where she was, so it might take a long time to get to Fawcett City or one of the transport tubes to the Justice League playhouse. 

Ugh. 

The big main gate opened with a buzz, and then they were out in the fresh air of the open world. Freedom beckoned with the sounds of morning birds and a cool breeze. 

It was fresh air for approximately a second. After that, the wheels jarred down from smooth Lexcorp brand pavement to dirt and rocks. Pale dust billowed out to settle in Aiko’s hair and teeth immediately. The underside of the van was beset with a series of small thunks as gravel was flung upwards, hitting metal and Aiko indiscriminately.

Aiko wheezed, shocked. Then the penny dropped.

She had never- there were dirt roads in this world? She clung to her perch like a monkey. What? They had giant fighting robots and shit but they also had unpaved roads? What in the tax mismanagement holy hell was going on here?

‘What kind of shitshow is Luthor running?’

Apparently Aiko did have some national pride to be offended, because she was furious. Her fingers trembled. ‘How much do my parents pay in taxes? Where is it going? What kind of- this is an absolute disgrace,’ she fumed. A piece of gravel bumped up and somehow inserted itself up her collar to land inside her shirt.

‘Killing him won’t be enough,’ Aiko promised herself. She was still shaking with fury. ‘I’m going to run a full audit on him. I am going to sell all his assets and license his name for charity.’

Her dark and vengeful thoughts were cut off by a whine from the engine. The van slowed. It pulled over to the side, and then it stopped entirely.

Oh, fuck. Aiko waited in perfect stillness. Don’t-

The engine turned off.

She allowed herself to sigh.

The driver’s side door opened. She hoped that it was so the driver could have a pee or a smoke, but she didn’t really feel optimistic about it. So it wasn’t much of a shock when knuckles rapped on the van siding.

“I wonder,” said a woman’s voice, “what do you intend to do next?”