This city was beautiful at night. When it got dark, the lights from the many buildings reflected against the river that split the city in half. You could almost forget about the government that ruled and the misery they caused to the people who lived here. My sister and I stood, watching this sparkling river from the apex of the Shard. If only Callaghan hadn't come to power, just maybe we could watch this scene every night from an apartment window somewhere. Living a comfortable life would be nice for a change. I pulled myself out of the daydream. We didn't have time for this. Callaghan certainly would waste no time sending more blues in. She would take out anything and anyone that challenged her rule over this city.
"We have to go now." My voice is urgent. I didn't come this far for nothing. There was no way in hell I would be caught now. I would rather die fighting than have someone lock me up.
"Where will we go? We're public enemies now." Kate is worried and her voice shakes as she asks me the question.
"I don't know." I really didn't and it scared me. Everyone would know the faces of the runner and the cop who tried fight against the system. In this city that just wasn't allowed. You either conformed or risked punishment. Taking one step out of line could get you life in prison or death.
I grab my sister's hand and we start to run. Her hands are smooth and so unlike my rough and calloused ones that signal what I do for a living. Her wrists are still handcuffed. I grit my teeth. My sister was a slow enough runner already. Now she had to run and keep her balance with the restraints on. We would have to figure out what to do about them later. "Try not to fall." I turn my head back to look at her. Even running at half my speed leaves her sweaty and panting.
"Freeze where you are or we will shoot!" In front of us three PK's are slowly approaching, their guns pointed at our heads. These people are different than the blues. Callaghan hired Pirandello Kruger to try and replace the current City Protection Force. Hiring her own police force was just another way she would come closer to gaining absolute control.
I almost wanted to slap myself. How could I be so stupid to forget about them? They were even shooting at me earlier! I didn't want to admit it but it looked like the end. I couldn't fight them at such close range without being fatally wounded. I could distract them and so that Kate could at least escape.
"Kate I'm so-" My apology was cut short. One of the PK's was kicked to the ground, his gun snatched from his hand. Two shots were fired in quick succession.
"Let's go. Before more come." Their savior, a tall muscular African American man scooped Kate up in his arms.
"Put me down! Faith help!" Her sister squirmed in the man's strong arms.
"Kate, this is Kreeg. Another runner. He's going to bring us to safety."
Kate stopped struggling. "I don't see why I have to be carried like a child. I can run too."
"Not fast enough. You'll slow us down." Kreeg said before the two took off across the rooftop.
"How'd you know we were up here?" I breathed as we quickly descended down the stairs.
"The wires. Now don't talk and just run!" The server room is just how I left it; a big flaming mess. Black smoke rose out of the machines that had been shot minutes earlier and broken glass blanketed the otherwise clean tiled floor. I barely avoided tripping on the lifeless body of a PK as I was thinking about other things. I hoped Kreeg's hideout was well hidden. Callaghan wouldn't stop looking until we were found.
"Faith, I want you to get in the elevator." Miller's voice came through the earpiece he had given to me. I jumped in surprise. He hadn't spoken since I got onto the roof. "I'll get you to ground level. It's the last thing I can do to thank you for saving Kate."
The two doors opened, metal grinding against metal and we stepped in without saying a word. The elevator dropped down floor after floor at an agonizingly slow pace. "Tell Kate I was glad to serve with her on the police force. And that I loved her like a daughter."
Finally after a minute what Miller said made sense. The last thing? That couldn't mean... "Miller? Are you still there?" I bit my lip waiting for his reply. Gunfire rang out in the distance. "Miller!" My scream echoed throughout the elevator. On the other end I can hear heavy footsteps walking across tile. Men's voices are mumbling to each other.
"Faith? What happened to Miller?" Kate's voice told me she was almost too afraid to ask.
"I think he was shot… But we don't know that! He could still be alive." My voice sounded empty like I didn't believe my own words. I looked out the window afraid of what my sister's face looked like. Miller to her was like who Merc was to me. I could hear her crying. She wasn't as strong as me. "He wanted me to tell you he loved you like a daughter." I whispered. Telling her this only made Kate sob harder.
"Faith… I can't live like this anymore. I stand here doing nothing while people I care about are being killed before my eyes. You have to train me to be a runner. I'll fight back with you." Her voice becomes stronger with her last sentence. I turn to her and she is wiping away her tears. "Crying won't get me anywhere. I want to help you. I thought Callaghan and the police were trying to make this city a better place. That's why I joined the force. But I was so naïve. She's cruel and power hungry. The reason she's doing all this is because she doesn't want someone else voted in as mayor."
"As soon as we get somewhere safe we'll start training." I promised. Finally my sister had made the realization. She had always seen the good in the city, even ignoring the fact that the blues are the very people who killed our mother. I never understood her but was glad she was finally seeing Callaghan for who she really was.
The elevator beeped signaling we reached our designated floor.
"My hideout is on the other side of the city. It'll only take a hour or so to get there on foot." Kreeg said as they ran out of the building through a side door. Police sirens blared loudly at the front of the building.
"Search the building!" Shouted a man's voice in the distance.
"Yes sir!" Dozens of voices responded in unison.
"Let's hurry and get away from here." I sped up my pace. We were in an ally, hopefully out of the view of the blues. "Let's find a way up. I feel vulnerable here." I thanked my lucky stars when I saw a construction site ahead. It meant an easy way to the rooftops. I took the first ladder I saw, climbing atop of plywood platforms until we were a couple stories above the city and I felt somewhat safe. The blues were too busy searching the Shard to come over here.
"I can see the hideout in the distance. It's not that much longer now." Kreeg prepared to start running, but I stopped him.
"Put Kate down. It looks like getting to your hideout is beginner's level. I want to see what she can do."
"Not now Faith! I can't run like you two can." Kate protested. "What if the police come over here and I can't get away?"
"They won't. They don't know we've left the building yet. And the sooner you start the sooner you'll be able to run like us." I ran towards the next building, jumping the narrow gap. "Your turn!" I shouted.
"O-ok" She sprinted and launched herself towards me, Kreeg following a short distance away to make sure she didn't fall.
"Was that so hard?" I asked turning around with a skip and taking off across the rooftop.
"Yes! I could've slipped!" Kate yelled while trying her hardest to keep up.
"Part of being a runner means taking risks." I explained as I jumped over a box.
"I'm used to being protected by the law if you haven't noticed." Kate panted as she almost stumbled over the box.
"And look where that's gotten you." I regretted the words as soon as they came out of my mouth and glanced back to see what Kate's reaction was. Now was not the time for this, I decided.
"Don't feel sorry. I should've seen what was coming."
The rest of the trip was silent except for Kate's loud gasps for air. Jumping over the many narrow gaps between buildings was easy for the two seasoned runners but left the former officer struggling to keep up.
"When… are we… going to be there…?" Kate said in between breaths. "Water…"
"We're here." Kreeg said, crawling on top of an air vent and disappearing inside.
I felt a sharp pain in my heart. An air vent is what Mercury and I called home not to long ago. I helped my sister up and inside then took a seat on the closest couch.
"Make yourselves at home. You've been through a lot in the past couple hours." Kreeg said, sitting in the office chair next to the couch. Even the set up inside of the circular room was familiar. Two red couches next to each other, and a computer desk in the center of the room. A mini fridge that was also being used as a nightstand was next to the other couch.
Kreeg wheeled the chair over to Kate. "Let me get those handcuffs off. You have a key don't you?" Her sister nodded, pulling it out from a pouch in her belt.
"All the handcuffs use the same key. I guess they don't expect a cop to turn against them." The handcuffs fell to the ground with a clatter when they were unlocked. Kate rubbed her wrists together, sore from the metal constricting them.
"You hungry? Normally there shouldn't be a power outlet but I installed it so I could keep food up here. It was actually quite easy…"
"Huh?" I looked up. "I just want to sleep right now. I'm exhausted."
"Alright." The man went over to the computer. "Rest easy for a while. No one has any idea where we are."
I laid my head down on the plush material of the couch. I never knew lying down could feel so good until now. When I woke up I wouldn't be here but in Mercury's lair on his couch. The events of the past few days were some kind of twisted nightmare, weren't they?