A/N: OH MY GOSH!
I literally have no excuse for the ridiculous wait. I'm lazy and my procrastination is so bad I should get an award for it, but I'm too lazy to enter any contest.
Anyways, short chapter is short. Sorry, not sorry. There's bigger ones on the way, so for now, deal with my current blurb of blarg. Carmelita will reappear soon, so please don't throw the pies just yet. I want a chapter dedicated to fluff first, since poor Sly really needs a break after this.
Murray shut the car door a bit unsteadily, the taxi driver's crazy driving having shaken him up. I sat still for a moment to give my heart a chance to stop pounding while Murray unloaded Bentley's wheelchair. I watched as he helped the disabled turtle into his chair before crawling out after them. Murray turned to me as I stepped out, and I looked up at him and said, "I think I finally appreciate your driving."
Murray smiled then closed the door behind me. We all stood a safe distance from the cab on the sidewalk as it drove away, skidding as it makes a cringe-worthy tight turn. Glad we had all survived that horrible ordeal, we all turned towards the subway station, Murray helping Bentley down the stairs.
It couldn't believe how crowded it was. We didn't usually take the subway, but this was the most discreet way to get through the country. The tickets were pretty pricy, but we had just enough money to afford it. I made a mental note to pickpocket while we were on the subway.
Having a handicap with us made it a lot easier to get a good spot in the subway. People quickly saw Murray as Bentley's assistant, so people made sure to let him in after Bentley so he could sit next to him. I was too busy pickpocketing to join them at first, so by the time I got in, all the nearby seats were taken. Murray shot me a concerned look, my cane propped up beside him still, but I shook my head. I knew how to take care of myself.
I had to find a seat on the opposite end of the subway car, a kind woman offering her seat to me, which I happily accepted. Unfortunately, the man sitting next to me had fallen asleep, and before long, he was snoring loudly.
It was a long, boring ride. The only time there was any action was when they made a stop. The man left eventually, granting me some relief, and soon there was an almost completely different set of people in the subway with us. I glanced over at Murray and Bentley once and found them doing their usual stuff. Murray was pigging out on some sandwiches that I presumed he had smuggled from the school group. Bentley was tapping away at his laptop, lifting his head attentively whenever the conductor announced the next stop. I didn't know what to listen for, so I tried to keep an eye on Bentley's reactions.
I think I dozed off because one second, the subway was full, and the next, it was completely empty. I looked around frantically, panicking when I didn't see Bentley or Murray. They couldn't have left without me! They had to have gone into another car or something...
I got up onto my seat and turned to look out the window, but it was too dark. I couldn't even see the wall. The shaking of the car told me it was still moving though, so I knew it hadn't stopped yet. I jumped down from the chair and ran to the connection door to the next car. It was kinda scary, seeing the floor shaking and hearing the loud click-clack of the tracks. I took a deep breath and ran across as fast as I could, opening the next door and rushing inside, closing it behind me.
After my heart stopped pounding, I noticed that this car was just as empty. Well, almost. My cane was propped up against the wall. I walked over to it uncertainly, glancing around suspiciously. I had this feeling that someone was watching me. There had to be some kind of trap, but I didn't see anything. I grabbed my cane, holding the shaft close as if it were an anchor. It was still big and heavy, but now that it was in my hands, there was no way I was going to let it go now.
Suddenly, there was a high-pitched screeching as the car jerked, making me fall forward only to be saved by my cane. Trying to regain my balance, I looked to the window, where bright orange sparks were leaping up, finally revealing the wall. The subway was stopping.
Roughly, the subway came to a screeching halt in front of a station, the doors sliding open. Shakily, still recovering from the sudden stop, I tried to walk towards the exit, eager to get off, but I got swept away instead.
A huge wave of people started piling onto the subway, forcing me further and further back into the car. I cried out, trying to get someone's attention, but no one seemed to notice me. Over and over, the hook on my cane would get caught on someone's clothes and jerk me back. I had to stop to try and release it before I could try to reach the door again. However, just as I finally found a hole in the crowd, the doors closed, trapping me inside. I screamed, terrified as I pounded my fist against the door. I didn't want to be alone with all of these strangers! I wanted to be with my pals! I wanted out!
Suddenly, someone grabbed me by my shoulders and pulled me away from the door, but I resisted. It felt tears in my eyes, screaming for the person to release me. But the hand was strong and firm, and started to shake me.
Wake up...Wake up."Wake up!"
My eyes flew open, my breath catching in my throat. I blinked, my vision quickly coming into focus as I recognized Murray standing in front of me, concern on his face.
"Wh-what? Murray?" I stammered, starting to realize it had all been a dream. I was relieved...
"Sly, we're about to get off. You were asleep, and I was gonna carry you, but...well, you looked like you were havin' a bad dream or somthin'. You okay?" The hippo looked worried, so I was quick to calm him.
"Yeah, don't worry. It was nothing. Um, thanks, Murray," I replied, trying an encouraging smile, which Murray gladly mirrored.
"That's good! C'mon, we're almost to Spain!" He grabbed my hand and pulled me off the chair, leading my through the subway doors and onto the platform. Stepping out of that car, I felt like I could finally breathe. That nightmare had shaken me, but I didn't want to worry the guys about it.
Bentley was already in front of a large map on the wall, trying to scope out a route to wherever our destination was. I couldn't remember the name of the city; foreign city names were hard to pronounce.
As we joined the turtle, I noticed Murray had my cane in his other hand, and immediately, I wanted to hold it. I didn't care that it was big and a hassle to carry. It was the only remnant of my father, and it didn't feel right not in my hand. But before I could ask Murray to give it to me, Bentley turned us and started giving the plan.
"Okay, the seller works on the west docks here," he pointed at a spot on the map, "We should be able to get there by the end of the day. Tomorrow, we'll see if we can find him and get some information about the water. If we're lucky, he knows where the source is. Otherwise, we might have farther to go."
Murray frowned, "Farther to go? You mean he might not know anything?"
Bentley nodded, "That's right. He was the seller, but he might not be the original seller. He make have bought it from someone else."
This news upset me, and I found myself replying with an irritated whine, "You mean we're just wasting time? Why couldn't we just go to the first guy first?"
The guys looked at me in surprise, Bentley speaking in a soft voice, "Sly, this is the best we can do. We don't have a lot of information."
I pouted, "I'm tired of moving around! My feet hurt. My butt hurts. If we're gonna be wasting time, can't I at least have some fun?"
Bentley held up his hands "We're not wasting time. Every second counts!"
I crossed my arms, "Then why did it take so long to get here? I thought you said we'd fix this!"
"We are fixing it, Sly! It's just taking longer than I thought-"
Suddenly, Murray interrupted Bentley, something that I had rarely witnessed, "Bentley? Can I, uh, talk to you for a sec?"
Bentley looked at him in surprise, then sighed, nodding. Murray asked me to stay put while he and Bentley talked for a bit. I pouted, but obeyed, leaning against the wall while the two walked out of earshot.
I wanted to know what they were talking about, but I knew they'd probably stop as soon as they saw me get too close. With everyone moving around, being sneaky would be too hard to bother with. So, I looked around for something to entertain myself with. The illuminated signs weren't in the least but interesting, and the sea of people were mostly business people in boring suits and carrying cases. There was a cop over there. Maybe I could try and mess with him. Nah, it'd probably just "waste time". I pouted harder and kept looking when suddenly, I noticed a flash of orangish brown. I blinked, squinting at the crowd.
Was that...?
No, it couldn't be.
Murray and Bentley were walking back over to me, and I tore my eyes away to look to them.
"We've decided we've been unfair to you," Murray began, "Bentley is gonna take care of the seller while you and I go to the park. What do ya think?"
I blinked at the two of them and their smiling faces and smiled back. I nodded, "Yeah, that sounds awesome!"
Murray grinned widely, "Awesome! Let's go then!"
As I followed my friends up the stairs towards the city, I glanced once more into the crowd behind me, but that flash of color was nowhere to be seen.
