City Hunter

Chapter Twelve

10/7/70

I didn't know whether to be happy or apprehensive when Elizabeth told me she was going to get my bed out of the car.

I had been lying down, awake, in the same position for two hours, which was enough to make me desperate for a reason - any reason - for a change in scenery. But on the other hand, we were supposed to have been driving for five hours. What had changed?

I was even more worried when I saw the barely concealed fear in Elizabeth's eyes as she unlocked the wheels on each leg of the bed, then carefully rolled the steel piece of furniture down the tiled floor, the bed bumping occasionally on the niches and crannies of the tiles. That was when I realized the car had been stopped. "What's going on?" I asked.

The bed halted as Elizabeth turned back to look at me, her emerald eyes wavering. It caught my attention how pretty they were. Nearly as beautiful as Christina's. "We've been pulled over," she told me. "Christina's talking to the police."

The police. Another job one could get when they turned fifteen. Most were male, pulled from the military, with some females in the high ranks. They were chosen for being loyal to the Rigidists, because only the most brainwashed could be trusted to oversee the populace. They wore skin-fitting  buttoned black uniforms with silver four-pointed stars over their hearts, the sign of the police force, and gray pants ending in black combat boots. They also wore silver caps over hair that was cut to a restricted length, regardless of gender, which earned them their nickname - the Silverhats.

"Why did they pull us over?" I whispered.

"I don't know," she responded, starting to walk again. "They just stopped us and told everyone in the car to get out. Everyone's outside right now. Christina told me to go get you, because she'd rather them not search the car and find another person. We need to be honest."

I nodded calmly, even as my pulse was quickening. We had refused a direct order from a government official back at the hospital. Were we about to face the consequences?

I strained my head to look out the windows as we passed through the main area of the car. I couldn't see much from my current position, but I did glimpse the top of an ivory vehicle - a regulation police car. I gulped.

Elizabeth flung open the door to meet Christina, who had been waiting. Her gold eyes met mine. "I'll help carry her out," she told Elizabeth.

Grunting and straining, the two women managed to lift the hefty bed from interior of the car and deftly navigate it down to the road.

Once I was safely secure on the ground, Tyrone - who was standing with Hawk, Azure, and Viola - smiled at me. I smiled back. It was good to have friends in this situation.

"Are you about done?" a sharp male voice asked us.

I winced and look behind me. Three Silvercaps - two male, one female - were standing, silent and rock-solid, in front of us. The one who had spoken glared at us. His nearly translucent pale skin was lined with wrinkles and looked like it had been carved from rock.

"Yes, we're good," Christina called to him. Her face broke out into a brilliant smile, accentuated by her gold eyes. "What do you need from us?"

"We need to know why you were driving an unlicensed vehicle down a remote highway, carrying a girl who is clearly injured," the other man responded. His dark chestnut eyes stared at me from a tan face framed by ebony hair.

"I have my license-" Christina replied.

"That's not what we meant," the first man said bluntly. "Unlicensed with the Rigidists."

Christina muttered something under her breath. Then she looked up, her gold eyes sharp. "This isn't about that."

"I agree," said a serene, articulate voice. The woman, quiet until now, stepped forward. She had umber skin and amber eyes. Her cap covered up most of her dark red hair, and her fingers were long and slender. She eyed us with a professional stare.

"Just tell us," Hawk yelled, no longer able to hold back. I was having a hard time not shouting myself.

The woman's eyes gleamed. Then, quick as a flash, she pulled out a coal-black gun from her waistband and aimed it at us. "You're under arrest for the manipulation of Officer Jackson Smith."

I squeaked, scared and surprised - then even more surprised when Christina pulled out a golden weapon - I couldn't tell what it was - from a hidden pocket and aimed it at the woman. "Not if I can help it."