Chapter 4

The Section 20 escapees arrived in the city in the small hours of the morning, and drove to a certain neighborhood it was better not to visit after dark. They climbed out of second shift's car and walked away from it, leaving the doors open and the engine running. By daybreak there would be no trace of it, nor would it ever be seen again. Keeping to the shadows, they followed Reb, who was finding them a safe place to spend the rest of the night. In the morning, she could find them clothes, food, money, and shelter. All they had to do was ask. In the early morning, Cindy woke up first, and gently poked and prodded Reb until she opened her eyes. "Reb, please find us someone who can help us, who can protect us and keep us safe!" she asked intently.

Mike woke up early, and climbed out of his hiding spot. He sensed that the mood of the city was tense and nervous, so he dressed as a schoolboy, with a backpack that looked like it was full of books, and he nonchalantly was more covert than usual. For breakfast, he walked by a cafe and made a subtle signal to the counterman, a friend of his whose runaway kid had found, protected until the reality of the streets had convinced them that home wasn't so bad after all, and talked into calling home. An hour later he went by the back of the cafe, and found the sack of food waiting in its usual spot. He only hit up this spot once every two or three months. The counterman wished he could do more for Mike, but let Mike dictate the terms of his own reward.

Mike had seen that wierd ninja last night, with the cop 'smell' to him, more of a posture, haircut, the tension around the eyes, all adding up to a wise kid like Mike. The ninja cop was tripping on something though, talking to trashcans, flinching back from nothing anyone else could see, terrified out of his wits, mostly. He had blood smeared down and across his face, turning invisible in the black of his tunic. It ment bad news soon, that was for certain. There would be increased attention paid to the streets, and Mike would have to be even more careful than he usualy was.

Kill Team Bravo arrived in the city inconspicously as any good kill team should, but it isn't possible to search for a target without causing ripples and disturbances. You have to ask people, and asking people causes reverberations. People mutter to eachother, no matter how good your Human Engineer is. The Kill Team Bravo's Human Engineer was among the best in the business. She was a goodlooking yet unremarkable woman in ther mid thirties, who could look like a soccer mom or like a nudie dancer, like a homless woman or like a dental technician, like a college student or a professor, like a librarian or an electrician. She gave great phone, eliciting information so skillfully that those providing it were left feeling good they were able to help her, ;and rarely recalling the name she quickly gave them at the beginning of the conversation. Let's just call her Mary. Mary checked the usual places by phone- shelters, bus stations, train station, libraries, while the other three eyeballed the parks and streets, looking more like missionaries than assassins.

A few select people were shown photos of a group shot of the Section 20 excapees, people who were on the street nearly full time, and who looked like they would appreciate a reward- A hotdog vendor, a panhandler, a bicycle messenger, a taxi driver- all told a different story, and given a different card with a different name to match the story of the hour, but all the cards had the same phone number. Kill Team Bravo never in a hundred years would have thought that any of the various people they talked with would compare stories. And they wouldn't, being from different walks of life- but they did have something in common, or someone, that is. They were all friends of Mike. Mike just had lots and lots of friends, from different walks of life. A few had been given cards by the kill team. And, as luck would have it, Mike happened to talk to two who had, the discussion happened to cover the events, and Mike was shown the cards.

Strange happenings on the street today! Thats for sure. I mean, it is one thing having cops and social workers and narks poking around for information, but usualy, the cops are on the up and up, and don't lie about who they are. My man Stan had showed me the card the dude "scary eyes, man. soulless eyes. That were one heavy heavy dude." had given him. United Methodist Outreach Mission. and a phone number. Next, a little while later, Sewer Sue showed me a card she had been given, told to look out for those same five kids. Only hers was from St. Joe's Boy's and Girl's Town. Sue said it was the way the 'priest' had moved, like a jungle cat, all wiry and balanced.

Sue said he moved more like a black beret she knew once than any priest she had known. The card was even the same color cardstock and typeface as the other one. I memorized the number and went to call it to check it out. It was answered by a generic phone answering service, and I was asked to push a number to select from a list of several different youth protective organizations. I entered a number not on the list, and it beeped me to record my message anyway. This was really bad news, I felt those five kids were in big trouble! Just then, my wireless device vibrated. I nearly jumped out of my shoes! I hadn't know Anchor could really do that. I pulled out my wireless device and connected to a nearby wireless connection, and entered her digital URL. Soon I was talking with Anchor.

"My friend Mike, there are some children in danger in your city."

"Yeah, I have been noticing that. What can I do?"

She told me that she would help out with new paperwork, or electronic files when they were safe, and hide them from data searches. She told me that I should just stay in some place, out of sight, and they would find me. That sounded strange, but with my luck, it could happen. I found a place in a blank walled courtyard, a forgotten patch of pavement behind a rough graffitied fence, accessed by a broken board two narrow for most adults. I took out a book and sat in a patch of sun, and relaxed for the first time that morning. I drank from my bottle of water, and studied my homework. I can't call it schoolwork, because I don't go to school, but I keep up on my studies anyway, following the books in the library. It isn't easy getting a library card when you don't have an address, but I have a friend who is a librarian. Maybe I am only 12, but I am smart enough to know I don't want to be ignorant.