Chapter 37:
Five minutes. Every nerve in my body was tingling, every part of me on the verge of panic. I considered putting on more than once, but I wasnt certain how it worked. It wasnt something I felt safe testing, even with any of my allies. If I put on the mask, and someone saw me, would they be able to logically deduce it was still me? Or would I just fade into the backdrop, an unknown person taking my place.
Couldnt risk it. No way in hell. Especially in a crowded public place.
Where the fuck was Swat Guy? He wasnt a User, and he was dressed like the Unabomber, so why couldnt I find him?
The simple answer was that there were just too many people. My conversation with Estrada hung heavy in the back of my mind. Any outbreak of violence here, especially with the swift repercussions it would meet, would be irrevocable. People would see first hand the damage and violence Users were capable of, and the inroads the groups were making would shatter.
Maybe that was partly a good thing. It was a given that most of them werent good people. Exploitation of labor and indentured servitude were both serious possibilities. But it was a far cry from the possibility of genocide.
The word ticked something in my brain, sending my thoughts down a distant path. Perhaps Id been too hasty, thinking that Swat Guy wouldnt mess with other cops. Cops cooperating with Users might be worse than the actual Users in his mind.
I doubled back, heading towards the Dallas Police Department recruiting table. Swat Guy wasnt there.
Iris was, though, sitting on a bench, doodling into her sketchbook. A middle-aged female officer with a kind face was sitting beside her, looking over her shoulder. A half-dozen faces tracked me as I headed straight to her.
Iris spotted me and waved. To anyone else, it would look like a normal greeting, but her index finger was bent. It was a non-emergency signal that basically meant, Im stuck, bail me out.
Iris quickly scrawled a message on the notebook as I approached, showing it to the lady cop. The woman glanced it over, a strand of salt-and-pepper hair falling into her face. Your brothers here?
Finally found you, I said, Ready to go, kid?
Iris nodded vigorously.
Is everything alright? The woman asked. She had a young face, and an almost regal bearing that threw me off. Not a typical cop.
This is my friend, Yulia. Iris emphasized the word friend, as if she was expecting me to be rude.
I shook Yulias hand quickly, Hi Yulia, thanks for keeping an eye on my sister for me.
Shes very talented. And its easy for the little ones to get lost in a crowd. Yulia said, a slight European accent evident on, little ones.
I really cant thank you enough. I could, and I had.
Four minutes, twenty-five seconds.
Yulia looked between the two of us. Iris said she couldnt without permission, but now that youre here, why dont you come have something to eat with us? We might not have anything gratuitous Her eyes flitted to the Local Relief table. but we have plenty to share.
Four minutes even.
I hit Swat Guy with infusing the sentiment of caution with a massive helping of fear. Swat Guy paused, mid-step, then started forward again.
I reached out to Sara, and felt my attempt shredded to nothing. The rejection wasnt as strong as it was against the wolf, but it was close.
Finally, out of options, I shouted for help, and rammed shoulder first into the gunman. He collided into the bookshelves, catching himself, and attempted to draw his weapon. Regimented polymer bit into my palm as I trapped the gun in the holster, using every bit of my strength to keep it there as he struggled.
His jagged scar was inches from my face as he turned his head to see me. You
Tylers meaty fist slammed into Swat Guys jaw, dropping him. A cold red sphere extended around us. I looked behind me and saw a younger looking, dark-haired man with a grim expression on his face. Every other person in the room had disappeared.
Shit. Accidentally caught the kid. The man said.
Dammit, ArthurThis is amateur hour, Sara rolled her eyes. Do we need a new shared instance?
The kids fine. Tyler caught my eye, and gave me an appreciative nod. Person of significance, indeedsaved my ass. You did me a solid, so Ill do you one back. Can you walk out of here and pretend you didnt see anything?
It sounded like a friendly question. But was tickling at the back of my mind, subsequently warning me that an ability was being used.
Lie detection?
I saw the man behind me grow closer out of the corner of my eye.
One hundred percent. I said. If Tyler had a way to tell if I was lying, it had the convenience of being the complete truth.
Hes good. Tyler said to the others. Tyler took Swat Guys aviators off. More importantly, Sara? This him?
Sara bent down to look, and her lip curled. She drove a foot into Swat Guys stomach, the blow landing with a loud thud. Yeah. No question. He killed Logan.
The man Sarah called Arther hoisted me up abruptly, light blue eyes taking me in derisively before he shoved me away. Come on, kid, get outta here.
I stood, my heart racing, and approached the end of the instance. Unlike my first encounter with an instance when I met Daphnes group, this one was imperfect, showing a shimmering black surface where the instance ended.
The smartest thing, short-term, would be to leave. Tyler had some manner of detecting the truth, which put me on shaky ground at the best of times. Add in the fact that Swat Guy nearly shot me, and succeeded in killing other Users. He was a problem and an unaddressed threat. If this instancing worked the same way, they could effectively deal with him and leave no trace. It was a win-win.
But I had to think long-term. And the more I thought about it, considered the circumstances at the hospital, and what had nearly happened here today, the more it felt like a terrible move. I turned around.
The fuck is he doing? Arthur said.
Saving your ass, I said, directly to Tyler. Again.
