[ WP ] It is law to die on a specific date that is dictated by the government . You escape your death date , but the reason why its a law in the first place is revealed to you .

The glaring red numbers ticked down with the cadence of a beating heart. Each pulse of light washed across my face like ocean waves, each with what felt like a hammer. 
 
 My time. 
 
 It was n't enough that I gave up most of my life fighting in the Agarian wars, it was n't enough that I had given up flesh for them, and after all that the medals in the box by my bed did n't really mean shit. The numbers ticked down. 
 
 I perused the room to make sure I did n't leave anything behind. Not a whole lot mattered except those damn numbers on my arm. The chip in my hand activated the door and it slid away, a quiet hiss following it's exit. I took a moment to glance down the metal halls to confirm that they were empty. Officer deck did have it's privileges, including access to the jet deck. I did not have much time left, both because they were tracking me and it was *literally* running out. 
 
 Moving quickly through the dimmed florescent lighting I hoped that the clanging of my boots would n't reverberate too far. Slipping through the shadows and the bulkheads I moved toward my goal where Lamy was waiting. The woman claimed she loved me, but we would see how far that would go tonight. Though she was more than 45000 hours my junior, I had grown fond of her. 
 
 A familiar discordant rhythm sounded in the distance. Peacekeepers. Breaking into a run I heard them marching in the distance, to me or my room, I was unsure, but best not to risk it. Abandoning stealth, I ran to the jet deck. 
 
 `` Lamy?'' I whispered loudly, wandering around the silent sentinels. I needed her for access to the damn birds. Idly I noted only a fifteenth of an hour remaining on my time. So low. My pulse quickened, far faster than the pulsing light that created garish shadows along the smooth aerodynamic lines of the jets. 
 
 `` Lamy?!'' The whisper came out louder, harsher, and echoed back to me. A hand covered my mouth and pulled me into the darkness. The hand became lips and that was all that was needed to pull me in. She pulled away and turned on small hand light, giving me a toothy grin. Her normally neat brown hair was tussled, jump suit askew. Eyes matching her hair color looked me over from below a forehead slightly too wide, above a nose slight too broad for her to be called pretty. 
 
 She hit me. `` Have a baby? I've been waiting down here long enough for you to.'' 
 
 `` Good to see you too, Lamy, now give me the code so I can get out of here.'' 
 
 `` You were making so much noise you would n't hear a Agar sneak up on you.'' 
 
 I grunted. Not a pleasant thought. 4-5 meters in height with long dorsal appendages that ended with claws that cut through hardened armor and jaws that savored human flesh. I had given a lifetime, and a hand, fending them off colonies. I hoped the fucker enjoyed eating it in his last moments. I robbed him of the chance to follow me around like hook's crocodile, which Agars were said to do even through deadness of vacuum. 
 
 She waved her hand and the bay opened in the back of an old cargo jet. Colloquially called Free Birds. Nice touch. 
 
 `` Where the hell did you dig up this fossil?'' I asked. 
 
 `` Lower bays.'' She replied as she climbed up. `` Now hurry up, they probably noticed you're not doing your ritual auto-canoodling by now.'' I rolled my eyes at her back side. Reaching up I noticed my time was all zeros. No longer flashing, but fading. Disconcerted I climbed up and noted the spartan cargo bay straight to the cockpit where Lamy was seated. Utility at it's finest. I walked up to her, and saw that she was strapped in. 
 
 `` What are you doing?'' 
 
 `` I'm coming.'' The tone chipper as always. 
 
 `` The hell you are, you're already risking enough getting this bird for me. You could be exiled for that alone. Anything more is execution.'' I tried to drive the severity to her. 
 
 `` I'm. Coming.'' Her tone brokered no argument. She stopped what she was doing, blinking lights flashing in her eyes, and fixed me with a glare. I leaned over her and started undoing her straps. 
 
 `` No.'' 
 
 She slapped me, and started to redo her straps. I picked her up before she could finish what she was doing and started walking to the back of the ship. She started kicking and screaming when I heard a sound that grabbed my chest. Peacekeepers. They were here. 
 
 `` It does n't matter now, let's go.'' I hit the seal button on the cargo bay door, agonizing how slowly it shut. Lamy and I ran to the front 
 eschewing the rest of the pre-flight checks. The ship rumbled to life, and my seat was vibrating which made my back itch. I hit the throttle and made for the outgang. 
 
 `` Wait. The doors!'' 
 
 I slipped the bird through them as they siphoned shut. A straight away lead to freedom. 
 
 `` Weapons?'' I inquired. 
 
 `` Packer rockets.'' 
 
 I raised an eyebrow. This was going to fun with that kind of ordinance. I flipped on the arming keys and blood dripped down my nose. Lamy's slap? Probably. I guess I really was getting soft. Rockets spiraled ahead in the artificial atmosphere, followed by smoke trails. Half way to the target the rockets split into dozens of smaller streams and increased velocity. Probably overkill for a door, but it was going to look spectacular. 
 
 I felt the vibrations from the explosions rather than hearing them. The smoke trails reversed direction as they were sucked out into the vacuum. Home free. All this excitement was actually making me feel dizzy! We blew out with the missile debris, I did n't even realize I was hold my breath. 
 
 Freedom. 
 
 
 `` Where should we go? Sector 3458? 4112?'' Lamy asked me. I still felt like I had a fog about my mind, which made it hard to think. I answered with a passionate kiss. 
 
 `` Ow! You bit me!.'' I blinked in surprise, I had n't realized. My back was really feeling like it was itching now, what was wrong with these chairs? 
 
 `` Hello, asshole! Did you hear me?'' I did and I did n't, my head was ringing, and a I felt a pulsing pull, reminiscent of my time running down. Not gone after all. A stinging in my face pulled me back and I realized Lamy hit me again. I began to admonish her when the itching in my back turned to tearing and pain. So much pain. A agonizing eternity, I watched Lamy's scowl turn to a horrified shriek. 
 
 My wings! My beautiful wings! I looked at them enraptured in their dripping beauty, the sharp digits at the end still hardening. My communion was interrupted by my bones suddenly changing from with in. Ecstasy mixed with pain, Lamy's screams the orchestra to my ascension. 
 
 She started to run. She did n't get very far. At least not her arm. Shock took over for her as I dipped it into my maw. Sweet flowing life force to replace the energy I was losing in my transformation. 
 
 She was crawling from me. 
 
 Saying only one thing. `` Agar. Agar. Agar.'' 
 
 I took the rest of her then. 
 
 I sat back down at the controls, blood and ichor surrounding me and felt the pull again. I directed the ship toward the pulse. To my new home. My new life. Freedom.
