Retrospect

Thirty-nine

Someone bumped into me from behind, putting a hand on my shoulder. Malachi's voice was loud in my ear as I stared up at the building, everything around me blurring. "Cory, they're coming," he told me.

That was when I snapped out of my thoughts. "Who? Officers?" I spoke, searching around for the people clad in black gear and masks.

"Yeah," Malachi replied, "that person that was following us? It was an officer and apparently they were stationed all over that place." He tugged my arm. "Now come on, before they catch up!"

"Wait," I said, taking off and maintaining his pace. We darted straight for the convenience store Reeves, Murl, and Ana had planned to meet us behind. "Where's Miles?"

Malachi shook his head and dodged a man walking, carrying a very large briefcase. "He took a different route!" he called over the clamor of the city.

I just sighed. Miles had to make everything confusing.

"Okay! I see it up ahead!" Malachi declared, sprinting faster when he noticed the store there, just across the street from Hale.

When I spotted it, I was brought back to when I had been observing the workers, locating my target so I could steal the device. I saw the exact area I had stood and where I had been bombarded by a flock of people leaving work. It was only a week ago since I had stolen the device, but it had felt like longer. So much had happened since then, I couldn't believe half of the things I'd done.

The rain splattered dismally on the street and the rain covers (like the ones in the Sera Section) began feeding out from sides of the buildings, lined with little orange lights that shined warmth down to the civilians and dried up any stray droplets. I could've stayed under there for hours if there weren't officers chasing me.

Malachi pulled me onward, leading me behind the convenience store underneath a fire escape.

"Reeves and the others should be here soon," Malachi said, peeking out at the streets. The sun hadn't exactly risen over the buildings yet, so the twinkling stars still dotted the endless sky, getting duller and sinking down. The fumes of the air taxis and Hale were carried by the wind, warming my skin with their bitter scent.

Malachi and I were waiting in silence when we heard quick footsteps nearby. We both straightened up then, preparing for officers to find us and take us away. Malachi snuck out a gun and I backed up, gripping my pocket knife in my hand, though it probably wouldn't do much good against the officers' paralyzing bullets.

Malachi pointed the gun where the sound was while a person rounded the corner.

Miles appeared, his cheeks a little rosy from the cold run, and his green eyes widened in surprise as he slowed. He was staring at the gun in Malachi's hand. "Whoa, what did I do?" he said, walking the rest of the way to us.

Malachi tucked the gun away and gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, we thought you were an officer," he confessed. I put away my knife and Miles stopped beside me.

"It's crazy over there," Miles said, gesturing in the direction of Hale. "There's no way we're getting in there with the devices. Loads of officers, just standing outside the door."

I looked to him, then Malachi. "How are we going to then?" I said. Peering from behind the store, I saw that at least ten officers with weapons of all shapes and sizes were guarding each locked door of Hale. "There's got to be some other way in," I mumbled.

"There is," a voice boomed from behind us. Malachi, Miles, and I turned around and watched as Reeves walked towards us, a hobbling Murl and Ana in tow.