Risk and Rebel

56: TEAM BRAVO AND THE BOBBIES

[ OTHER THIRD PERSON POV ]

Sergeant and Legion were trying to decide whether or not to leave Gray and Walski in the hall.

"It's not as though it matters in the end," Sergeant pointed out, doing a poor job of disguising his growing frustration. "There'll be more questions than answers for the whole world at the end of this disaster — an unconscious kid and a dead man who doesn't exist are hardly going to be the greatest of the authority's issues."

"But if Walski wakes up—" Legion began to say, before they both heard half a dozen footsteps rushing their way.

Both parts of Team Bravo turned slowly to watch as a few of London's police officers made their way down the hall. Each of the men were dressed in protective gear that made them look more like military than police, and were holding semi-automatic weapons before them.

They were headed by two men who were wearing button-up shirts beneath their kevlar vests, one tall and lanky, while the other was shorter and broader. No sooner had either part of Team Bravo made note of this than did they glance back at each other. The looks they exchanged were uninterpretable to those approaching them, but quite clear to each other — neither of them had any desire to interact with the officers, in any fashion.

"Not like we have a choice," Sergeant muttered, shifting just a half-step closer to his partner as the cops drew closer.

Before Legion could answer, the armed officers came to a full stop, just a few yards away. And then they were parting, allowing Sarge and Legion to watch a familiar face emerge from their ranks.

Slick stepped gracefully away from the police, her thick dark hair tied back in a braid, her eyes bright. "Hola, chicos," Slick said, offering up a surprisingly relaxed smile.

Legion and Sergeant exchanged one more, quicker look, before both of them broke into grins. "Risk said you and Law were outta this," Sarge said as Slick moved closer to them.

Slick shrugged one willowy shoulder. "Outlaw is," she said, visibly choosing her words carefully, no doubt due to their company. She looked between Sarge and Legion. "She's all right, though. My ... friend, from when she and I were undercover here a while back, he's watching her." She gave a tight smile. "He wasn't happy about my insisting he stay with her while I came to help you all, but," she shrugged, "he did contact these guys for me," she jerked a thumb over her shoulder before she beckoned the two better-dressed cops forward.

The shorter one was the first to extend a hand, a crooked smile on his lips. "I'm Detective Elson," he nodded his head toward his tall friend, "this is Detective McCann. We had a rather eventful meeting in the police station with your friends Risk and Rebel, as well as this one—" he nodded at Slick, "--and her friend."

Legion nodded while Sergeant did his best not to snicker too much. "Sounds about right," Legion said before looking back to Slick. "So you're here to help?"

"Obviously," Slick said with a small smile. "Risk and Rebel already have a plan?"

"Don't they usually?" Sergeant scoffed.

McCann wasn't really paying attention to their exchange. His dark blue eyes were otherwise focused on the unconscious and deceased individuals behind Team Bravo, at first in careful observation, and then in quiet shock. "Uh, so," he said just enough to draw attention to himself, before giving a meaningful nod at the bodies on the floor.

"Oh, yeah," Sarge said, as though he'd forgotten what had happened before Slick and the cops arrived. "Gray tried to kill me, and Legion threw Walski against the wall."

Slick was now staring in silent shock at Gray. "Gray is ... actually dead."

"Yeah," Sergeant agreed.

Neither McCann nor Elson understood the gravity of the man's death, and at the moment, neither cared to ask. Instead, Elson returned his attention to the young men before him. "So we can arrest the big guy?" he asked, nodding toward Walski, who was beginning to grumble and try to move.

"Better than what we would've done to him," Legion said.

Slick shot him a look before she turned to Elson. "By all means, Detective."

"While you do that," Sarge said, "the rest of us need to get a move on. We've got a plan to stick to. And we're missing the fun part of said plan the longer we spend standing here chatting."

"Heaven forbid we keep the crazy killer youths from their fun," Elson muttered, waving one of the other officers toward Walski. "Cuff him and take him down to one of the cars. The rest of us are headed toward the meeting room." He readjusted the grip he had on his machine gun and began to walk down the hall, arching a brow at Sarge. "Soon enough for you?"

"Soon enough for us is ten seconds ago," Legion retorted, he and Sergeant taking lead.

Slick stayed in step with McCann and Elson, drawing her own weapon from its holster as they moved. McCann was watching Sergeant and Legion's backs when he asked her, "So are none of you normal? Even a little bit?"

Slick didn't bother hiding her grin. "Nope. None of us."