Only three weeks had passed since my little visit to the Black Circle and now I understood Anaissa’s wariness about the city. Whatever her “fix” did, it hadn’t been enough. Before, I saw some addicts here and there. Once they ate from her food, yes, they had a grace period on their cravings but, it seemed they just went back for more of that filth, even if they didn’t feel any craving for it, only for its physical enhancing properties.
From the outer ring of the dome, to the internal belt, to the central core, all was lined up with addicts, some in better shape than others but, nonetheless, everyone on the path of agony. The only place free of that filth was outside the city walls.
I was able to feel how the Snow revealed them with a single glance; my newfound medical knowledge allowed me to find problems in the slightest detail of their bodies and my conclusion was simple: the city was screwed.
It was really hard for me to find people who weren’t addicts and, of course, most of the few who weren't, worked as dealers, and dealers were now significantly more abundant. I walked the long way to the town hall to keep an eye on old friends from the orphanage and, sadly, most of them were in the cycle of that drug. Loeb, Jack, Evelyn, Nob… most of them were trapped, some of them, neck-deep. I sighed out of relief when I saw Hisa being Hisa without the need of any chemical help but I saw her pub overrun by the same dealers who ruined the rest of the city. And, of course, Genry.
“Hey, big guy! How are you doing?” I greeted the one legged veteran of the orphanage as usual.
“Better than most, it seems” he didn’t need to see the Snow to notice that the usual rumble of the plaza around the civil entrance to the space elevator had disappeared. His kiosk was unusually calm but, even so, this worked for his peace of mind—. At least I can restock this hole without entitled idiots around me all the time.
“Now that you mention it, isn’t this a bit empty?” I feigned ignorance so he could speak freely.
“Maybe? I don’t really know. This job of mine has its own off-seasons. This season is just a bit weird” he leaned over his counter. “So, you want a newspaper printed or some chewing gum? Even if I prefer the place this way, I still need to eat every day.”
With a candy in my mouth, I kept going my way toward town hall. Genry was the honest type of person: if he said he hadn’t noticed anything strange, most people in the entire city wouldn’t have noticed anything special happening.
Even if it was already evident to the naked eye.
I reached the town hall entrance and was just glancing over at the door, when I felt something overwhelmingly “wrong”. I didn’t understand anything clearly, but I knew it was simply wrong. The door guard focused his eyes on me when I put my first foot on the steps; once past the steps, the metal detector security officer did the same; when I reached the counter in the reception area, I felt at least five glares weighing on me; and I hadn’t even opened my mouth when I heard the fast steps headed toward me.
Now, an off topic about Thaebian humanoid physiology: I’ve said, now and then, that we are a bit stronger than the average human. Why is that? Basically, because our bodies are factually denser than those of humans on Earth. Maybe it’s an oversimplification, but we possess significantly more muscle mass than the common human and, sometimes, even the more extraordinary bodybuilder. Thicker bones, denser muscle mass, stronger organs… I look like a tiny 132 lbs. woman, maybe? That would be in human standards. My real weight (please, don’t go around telling how much a lady weighs) is, pound up or down, more than the double of that.
Why am I telling you all of this? Because, despite my weight, my size is still the same of a common tiny 132 lbs. earthling woman. Denser body means a tougher body. Tougher body means a big, steady, and hard clump of meat only an absolute idiot would think of lunging at.
And I had three idiots who rammed headfirst into my body. It was pure luck that only one of them had a dislocated arm after clashing onto me, as I remained completely unfazed by their assault.
I recognized their uniforms: they weren’t town hall security, but Colony 32’s police force. I looked around me, a bit confused and, for the first time since I’d entered, noticed I didn’t recognize any of the familiar faces I had grown up with over the years.
Before the first of the undercover agents had uttered their first word, I was already on my knees. Before the second word abandoned his mouth, I had my hands behind my head and, before he stopped his yapping because of his confusion, I laid down on the floor and completely surrendered to them without a fight.
I heard some very perplexed whispers among them all. For more than a minute, I kept completely still until my lack of patience spoke for me:
“Weren’t you going to arrest me or something?”
Their doubts disappeared that instant and, soon after, I found myself dragged out of the building to the local police station at the other side of the town square. I entered with two especially burly officers and, when we reached the elevator, another four escorted me. Not a single word was spoken about why I ended up in this situation, nor when we got out of the elevator, nor when they asked me for my credentials, nor when they handcuffed me, nor when they dropped me in the brig, alone.
I looked around, a bit in disbelief, but not confused in the slightest. As soon as I found the police at the town hall, I remembered all the worries of my dear lover and now I had to give it to her: she was right.
So, using my feet, I took off my shoes and socks and, with my arms bound at my back, I stretched the best I could as I waited. I was alone in a long series of cells, right beside an open, though fenced, window. Only one officer kept guard over the entire place and, lucky for me, he was distracted enough to not notice the flying paper crane I was sure was going to appear from there in any second.
When the paper crane did arrive, I used my feet fingers to unravel the figure so I could read the unnerving message.
Sorry! I truly truly am sorry! I had my hands bound and I’ll remain that way for a long time if I don’t do something about their plans. I don’t know how long that Vazet guy was planning this, but he’s showing he’s completely relentless.
Bad news: I can’t go to rescue you. At all.
Good news: If you’re able to get out of there, at least you’ll have a place to return to.
Vazet is going after the Home of the Stork, but I won’t let him. Since I discovered his plans, I engineered all kinds of contingencies and, heck, he’s making me burn most of them right this day.
I’ll protect the orphanage at any cost, but that means you’ll have to deal with him on your own.
I’ll be frank: they won’t “ask” things of you. You must get out of there now. As of how, I know you have enough mastery over the Snow to escape the police station.
I won’t wish you luck. You’ve never needed that.
Give’em hell.
Anaissa was taking care of the Home of the Stork. That was more than enough for me to get all the confidence I needed. If that was the only loose end they cared about after capturing me, then I was more than prepared to fight for my freedom on my own.
And that’s way easier than it seemed.
First of all, my handcuffs. Even if I was strong, I couldn’t break the chain which kept my hands together. So, I sensed the lock structure, I understood it, I sought for the “truth”, I found the shape of the key, I emulated it in my mind and, finally, I created a key inside the keyhole.
Immediately after, I did the same with my cell door. After putting away the handcuffs, and then putting my shoes back, I only had to turn the key from the inside.
The creaking sound of the opening door alerted the only police officer on guard but, as soon as he extended his fingers to the alarm button, he fell out cold onto his table. He hadn’t noticed the little dose of ketamine I materialized inside his body. Even if someone were to wake him up, he’d be hallucinating for hours. Learning biochemistry has its perks.
Three creations in less of two minutes… that was taxing, but I could stomach this pretty well, all things considered. I took a breather while I observed all presences in the building. Aside from my dozed off guard, there was no one else nearby. It seemed every officer was avoiding my cell, literally.
That is, except for six of them, who were escorting a seventh presence and walking fast to the elevator. I didn’t know who this seventh was, but he smelled the same as that dealer whose liver I crushed. Enough for me to think of a way to rush out of there.
I looked through the barred window to the police station patio and smiled: those bars and tight space could not contain me, as I was too tiny for them to keep me from getting out. Even the entrance hole to Anaissa’s inverted spire was tighter. For the second time today, my small size helped me. Still, I struggled to pass, and I bruised my face and chest against the cold metal.
The moment my visitor looked inside my cell, I was already long gone, more worried about the 30-foot fall below me than his hysterical screaming. I used to climb trees and cliffs in the no-man’s-land. Was this urban environment more difficult? Not in the slightest, even if I had to climb more than twenty floors. Those windows, pipes, AC machines and bars made my way to the top of the building an easy task.
Once on the rooftop, I sat down on the floor to rest and considered my possibilities: my escape had already mobilized all hands in the police station. I couldn’t remain there for long. Good for me, they couldn’t imagine I’d go up instead of down but, sooner or later, they would get desperate and would look up there.
Solution? Go to another building.
I looked at the neighboring buildings and, after some calculations and suffering the architectural horrors of the center of the city, I decided for an office complex whose rooftop was a bit lower than the police station’s. It was a substantial jump and an even worse fall, but I had few options now and even less time.
I didn’t stop to think about it: I walked away a bit, I ran for it and, with all the strength of my powerful legs, took my leap of faith. I partially regretted it halfway through my flight when I noticed that, even if my jump was going to make it, the fall would hurt like hell.
And then, I landed.
And my right knee gave up, not being able to withstand my stupid weight, and dislocated. But I had already considered this so I put all my efforts into realigning my bones once I could certify all the damage. One really painful minute later, I had a very swollen knee, but I was able to walk.
“Just like the old days” I told myself jokingly, recalling my dangerous infancy back on Thaeb as I slowly stood up.
Inside that office complex, no one had taken notice of me, not even when I walked inside one of the janitorial rooms. No one was there at that hour of the day, so I could go to the bathroom’s med-kit and get a painkiller for my knee. My head was too disrupted to create anything so, while its effects kicked in, I stole a work jumpsuit (too big for me, I must say), a dust mask, and a cap. A lousy disguise but, with my entire head covered and my clothing under the jumpsuit, I looked like a normal, if tiny, member of the cleaning crew.
After my knee stopped crying, I took a toolbox to justify my clothing and I limped out of the building. I attracted some glances once I entered the elevator, but no one questioned my presence, not there, not in the first floor, not in the reception area, not even when I exited the building, completely unnoticed.
I felt the turmoil inside the police station. Some patrols started to rope off the surrounding areas, but I was able to sneak past them.
I always thought that Colony 32’s core was too elitist for me. Now, I had even fewer reasons to return there.
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