When the rains may come (Science Fiction)

10. Sound of the rain

"Don't make me punch a hole in that helmet of yours." Cathy stared down the operative without flinching. In her mind, she was crapping her pants.

The operatives were just normal people underneath their kevlar armors and plexiglass helmets. They were just doing their jobs, obeying the orders passed down to them. Cathy was aware they had to deal with a lot of sickos as a regular thing in their life. And maybe they'd just gotten used to dealing with every other nobody with force and terror. But that was still not a good enough reason to put a scare in a pregnant lady.

"You can get arrested just for saying something stupid like that." The operative said to Cathy.

"You mean, this isn't arrest?" Cathy raise an eye brow. "Telling a pregnant mom that she is supposed to step into some room for a while, not answering her why she should when she simply asks, threatening to use force just for asking a simple question." She shrugged. "Sounds pretty much like an arrest to me."

"That's it, get moving, lady!" The operative behind them shoved the muzzle of his rifle into Lisa's back making her wince and whimper.

Cathy sneered at him. "Hey, hands off, mister!"

That's when the first operative grabbed the collar of Cathy's shirt and yanked her forward. "I think, we'll have to take you in for our questioning as well." He said in his cold, baritone hiss.

This was like a green signal for the second operative who grabbed Lisa's arm and started to drag her with him. Lisa let out another low whimper, her free hand instinctively held onto her large belly, guarding it. Before Cathy could say anything she felt the handcuff snapping shut around her wrists. Her eyes went wide. "Why are you putting these on me?! For asking a damn question?!"

Instead of a verbal response, Cathy was yanked forward even more roughly. She lost her balance and the operative was dragging her after him like a ragdoll, her shoes scraping against the floor of the airport lobby.

"At least let her walk on her own!" Lisa snapped at the operatives.

"Shut up!" The second operative growled. "That girl is getting the perfect response to her behaviour!"

"I asked a simple question, idiot!" Cathy growled back. "And she's right! I can walk! Stop dragging me like that!" She struggled in the operative's grip, trying to stand erect.

"Stop your flailing around, kid!" The operative kicked Cathy in the stomach and kept dragging her after him.

"Cathy!" Lisa cried out, reaching out towards the girl as if to help her up.

But the second operative yanked her back. "Hold steady, woman!" He dealt her a backhand across the face.

Lisa whined in pain.

With the position Cathy was in, she couldn't see what exactly the operative had done to Lisa. But her cries of pain were more than vivid enough.

The other few passengers who had been waiting in the lobby watched the drama unfold. The rest of operatives hadn't even stopped their patrolling or even raised a head. Again, this was probably just regular occurrence for them. Maybe they saw worse on a daily basis.

But none of that bothered Cathy as much as Lisa's sniffling that she could hear behind her as the operative dug his fingers into her arm. Something stirred inside Cathy. An emotion that was a little too intense, almost irrational because she felt it for Lisa, a person she'd only met a few hours ago. But Cathy couldn't bear to hear this woman's whimpers of pain. Maybe it was because Lisa was in a vulnerable state because of her pregnancy. Or maybe it was just that Lisa had insisted on taking Cathy with her on that plane, asked her to be alongside her, called her a good person and reassured her that everything would he fine if only they stuck together. Maybe it was all of those feelings combined, but Cathy knew, she wasn't about to let these bozos in plexiglass helmets harass them any further.