A/N: Rubs hands together and grins like a maniac. Time for a little fun.
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Chapter 8: Just Another Face In The Crowd
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'Cyril! Action is character. Show me some.'
-White (Radar Love)
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'Now every fool in town would've left by now
I can't replace all the wasted days
The memory of your face- can't help thinkin'
-Matchbox Twenty (Last Beautiful Girl)
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"We're so screwed!" growled the blonde woman as she yanked on the set of chains that connected her to the floor, yanking the guy with black hair, and in turn, the woman with fair hair, into her as they were also chained together as they sat on one of two benches welded to the floor in the van. The chain didn't budge and she got an elbow in her gut for the trouble. "I knew everything was going too well!"
"We'll figure something out" said the man as he tried to put his arm around her. The chain was too tight so he tried to grip her hand instead, but this too failed. If anything, this made the woman angrier.
"People are SO gonna pay for this!" The blonde glared out of the bars that acted as windows in the doors. Where the hell did they get these stupid things? The Dark Ages!
"We're gonna be fine" said the other guy in the van with them. His brown eyes scanned the interior as he leant his head against the side of the van, ignoring the fact that it was being used as target practice for the angry mob outside. He tried to reach up to push his dark brown hair from his eyes and let out a sigh of irritation as the chains around his wrists prevented any such movement. "Maybe the others will be able to figure something out?" He asked no one in particular.
"Look to see if we can find anything to pick these locks" replied the fair haired woman as she wiggled about on the bench, trying to see under it, "There's gotta be something we can use."
"While you do that" replied the blonde with a scowl, "I'll start praying for a miracle- we're gonna need one."
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Erin stood amongst the angry mob, looking to all the world like a girl overwhelmed by everything around her. Over a hundred yards away stood 2 vans that looked like they were used to transport prisoners. The stood close together, both rocking slightly with the impact of rubbish being thrown at them and hitting their sides. They had bars on the back doors and huge padlocks keeping them closed. Inside was a large number of captured transgenics. Erin had seen it reported on the news. Her eyes were darting about, focussing on the crowd, the police and Terminal City. She spotted something beneath one of the vans and smiled to herself. She had a plan.
Ernie McMillan had been in the force for 10 years, supporting his wife and two daughters. He figured he'd seen every situation but this was the worst. People screaming and shouting abuse at a bunch of people who were created in a lab to protect their country. His country. He just didn't understand their hatred or fear. They hadn't actually hurt anyone and all they wanted was to live free like the rest of them. If anything, the transgenics should hate them for putting them through whatever torture had been inflicted on them.
Obviously he didn't voice these opinions. It would get him sacked and maybe even lynched for it. He just hoped that the transgenics wouldn't want revenge. He didn't want them as enemies. He also didn't want his kids to grow up fearing or hating them.
So when a girl that looked about the same age as one of his daughters smiled innocently up at him from behind the barrier, something broke inside of him. He approached her and smiled down at her, "what are you doin' in a place like this sweetie?"
"I…..I wanted to see the...the transgenics" she replied. Her voice was small, girly, polite and distinctly British. She looked in her mid-teens, maybe 16.
She seemed to be raised well and must've been from a wealthy family. He gathered this from the way she spoke to him. Normal kids her age treated the police like scum, and the only British that he knew of in Seattle were either wealthy from high society, or, well… a certain Steelhead leader by the name of British Eddy.
Ernie's gaze ticked between the other police officers, the two vans and the girls' wide innocent blue eyes. He couldn't help it, he caved.
He nodded, held out his hand and smiled reassuringly down at her as she ducked under the barrier and took his hand trustingly. Again, a normal teenager would've spat at him and given him the finger.
"What's your name sweetie?" he asked as he led her towards the first van.
"Sarah" she smiled up at him, "what's yours, Sir?"
"My name's Ernie." They reached the first van, "Don't talk to them, they might be angry."
She nodded and he helped lift her up a little so she could stand on the ledge on the back of the van. He didn't see that when she gripped the bars, a tiny folded up piece of paper dropped through bars. He also didn't see her wink at the transgenics who were watching her closely.
"See Sarah, nothing to be scared of."
She nodded and he helped her down so he could show her the others. Once again, he didn't see the other piece of paper drop through the bars or her reassuring wink at the people inside.
When they left, Sarah looked up at him, "Wow Ernie that was so cool!"
He smiled down at her as she ducked back under the barrier, "You remember what I said now."
She nodded, "Thanks!" And then she disappeared into the angry crowd.
Ernie stared after her. 'At least there's some innocence left in the world' he thought to himself.
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In both of the vans, the transgenics crowded around each other to read the notes of paper.
"I'm gonna get you out and into TC" they read, "be ready."
Everyone looked at each other and nodded.
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Erin made her way through the densely packed crowd, elbowing them and shoving her way through the angry barrier of bodies, swearing loudly to herself.
As soon as she'd left the sight of Ernie, her features had changed dramatically. Her eyes had narrowed, the innocence disappearing and changing to anger in the blink of an eye. Her mouth compressed into a thin line and her back straightened. In a second, she'd changed from a nervous possible 16 year old into a streetwise, attitude filled 18 year old.
She made her way out of the crowd, managing to kick a few and trip at least one demonstrator up before she pushed away from what she angrily considered 'sheep.'
She stomped away from the crowd and walked around a corner, wondering how she was going to get that many transgenics out of those vans and into Terminal City without getting herself killed in the process. She was SO doomed.
