​     "Get to the Diamond Tower anyway you can," Trevor said. "Cab. Public transportation. Run. Whatever. I'll be right beside you."

​     "Invisible?" Niki asked.

     "Right."

​     "Why can't I be invisible too?"

​     "I haven't got the authorization to...you can't just...not right now. I'm sorry."

​     Niki stepped out of the now deserted café on to the sidewalk. "And I don't suppose I could have any sort of gun or..."

​     "I was only given two weapons for this mission, an image refractor..."

​     "...so you can turn invisible..."

     "...and a laser knife."

     "Not even a laser sword?"

​     "Not yet."

​     The sidewalks were crowded. This was downtown Seatrailia, after all. A bald man tall and thick and covered in winter gear bounced up against Niki. It wasn't done on purpose, Niki didn't think. Asshole, though.

     "So why'd you do it?" Niki asked.

     "Do what?" Trevor replied.

     "You know, fuck that woman in front of her infant son, then kill the husband in cold blood?"

     "Uh..."

     "It's ​true?" ​

     "No! I mean...it's kind of complicated to go into right now, and we ​are a little busy."

​     An old lady pushing a shopping cart bumped into Niki. It looked like she hadn't had a bath in months. She mumbled incoherently to herself. She slipped a knitting needle as long as her forearm out from under her coat as Niki passed. It was a good thing invisible Trevor was right there. Otherwise, the old lady would have jammed that needle right into Niki's spine. Trevor used his laser-knife to slice through the lady's ribcage to her heart. She made a surprised-as-hell face before goo-misting.

     The others on the sidewalk reacted as if they'd just witnessed a horrible traffic accident. A woman twisted her head away from what she saw. A young father put his hand over his two children's eyes. The emotion Niki saw most as she looked around: Anger. Fury.

​     For some reason, Niki felt the need to explain, to try to control the situation in some manner. Only problem was, she didn't have a clue how to do that, so what came out was, "I...I mean, we...No, I mean I...I..." 

​     "Move," Trevor whispered in her ear. "Walk. Let's get going."

     "But I..."

     "People are going to think what they're going to think. There's nothing we can do about any of that. The best thing we can do is keep moving."

     "This will..."

​     "Move!"

​                                                       CONTINUE

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