An Afternoon in the City

Marcus’ feet barely touched the ground as he tore down the street.  Darting around parked cars and the piles of trash that seemed to line every surface, Marcus practically flew across the pavement.  Behind him he could hear Jack struggling to keep up.  Jack might have longer legs, but it was clear that Marcus was the faster of the two men.

Up ahead, Marcus saw an intersection and waited for the telltale crackle of his com.  As if on cue, Noelle’s voice broke through the static.

“Marcus, Jack you there?”  Noelle, their eyes in the sky, would already have the map up, tracking their progress.

“What have you got for us?” Jack answered through heavy panting.

There was a few seconds of static before Noelle answered.  “ You guys see that intersection up ahead?  Turn left there, then head up another three blocks to Trinity Street and turn right.”

“Left, up three blocks, then right on Trinity” Jack repeated as they raced through the city.

Coming to the intersection they both clipped the turn as they cut left, with Jack nearly colliding with old man waiting for the bus.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going you stupid kids” the old man shouted angrily as they passed.

Marcus chose to ignore him, but as usual, Jack couldn’t seem to help himself.  Flipping around mid-stride, he began jogging backwards to face the man.  “Why don’t you watch who you’re talking to, old man” Jack sneered, making a rude gesture.

This was getting out of hand, Marcus realized as the old man shouted back. Grabbing Jack by the shirt, Marcus spun him back around and gave him a small push forward.

“Hey!” Jack pulled away from Marcus’ grasp angrily.

Marcus turned to face him, continuing to move forward as he did so. “What part of ‘don’t get noticed’ do you not understand?”

Jack rolled his eyes “He started it.  Plus,” Jack snorted, “we’re running full speed down the street in the middle of the day.  That doesn’t seem like something people might notice?”

“Exactly,” Marcus ground out through clenched teeth.  “Let’s not make it more noticeable by getting into a street fight with a senior citizen.”

Jack rolled his eyes again, “Whatever.  You’re the boss.”

Looking up ahead, Marcus could see the sign for Trinity Street.  Marcus motioned to Jack who began to turn right.  Almost immediately both men cam to a dead stop, while their coms crackled in their ears.

“Guys,” Noelle’s voice was strained, “we may have a problem.”

Looking around, Marcus ducked into a nearby alley, pulling Jack in behind him.  “We know.  There is a checkpoint on Trinity.  There is no way we are getting through without a pass.  Can you find us another way around.”

“I can try,” Noelle answered slowly.  “ But, I don’t think that is your biggest problem right now.”

“That seems like a pretty big problem to me” Jack spat out as he and Marcus ducked behind a dumpster.

“I’m not saying that’s not a problem,” Noelle shot back icily.  “I’m just saying it the biggest problem right now.  If I were you I would probably be more worried about the alert that, just went out to every agency in the area”  Noelle’s voice took a grim tone as she began to read it out to them:

“ Officers are advised to be on the lookout for two individuals in connection with terroristic     threats involving today’s event.  Suspect 1 is a dark skin male in his early to mid twenties.  Suspect 1 is between 5’10” and 6ft tall, with a lean muscular build, and dark, close cut hair.  Suspect 2 is a light skinned male in his early to mid twenties.  Suspect 2 is between 6’2” and 6’4” with a broad muscular build and short fair hair. Suspects were last seen headed in the downtown direction and are considered armed and dangerous.”       

Noelle paused for a moment to let the information sink in.  “Guys, someone knows what you are up to and they are doing everything they can to make sure you don’t do it.  Terroristic threats are no joke, especially on a day like today.  Every cop in the city is going to be out looking for you now.”

As Noelle spoke, both Marcus and Jack moved quietly along the wall behind the dumpster.  Marcus walked carefully through the overflowing debris, trying hard not to think about what exactly was squelching around his shoes.  Slowly, Marcus peered around the corner in an attempt to survey the checkpoint ahead.  Three of the four officers on duty had stepped away, leaving one to man the checkpoint itself.  The officers began to make their way down Trinity Street, pausing every few steps to look around.  At each stop the officers the officers inspected the surrounding area, shining flashlights into the other alleyways, peering up into fire escapes, and glancing along the rooftops of the nearby buildings.

Marcus couldn’t tell if this was just a regular patrol around the checkpoint area or if the officers were actively looking for something, or someone, suspicious.  What he did know, however, was that all three officers were quickly making their way towards the alley where he and Jack were currently hiding.

Marcus turned behind him a he began to speak into his com.  “Noelle, I think we are going to need a…DAMNIT JACK!” Realizing that Jack was no longer behind him in the alley, Marcus began to swear heavily under his breath.

“Marcus, what’s the problem?” Noelle asked urgently.

“It’s Jack.  He’s gone.  Again.”   This wasn’t the first time that Jack had left Marcus alone in the middle of a job and his patience with Jack’s games was starting to wear thin.  

“Jack, where the hell are you,” Marcus seethed into his com.

Suddenly, Marcus saw a flash of blond on the rooftop above the alley way.  Grinning, Jack leaned over the edge and waved down to Marcus below.

“Hey buddy, how’s it going?” Jack’s voice popped into Marcus’ ear.

Marcus glared up at Jack ominously.  “Don’t ‘hey buddy’ me.  What are you doing up there?”

“You need a distraction, right?”  Marcus could hear the impish tone in Jack’s voice. “I’m giving you a distraction.”  

With a click, Jack turned off his microphone and disappeared back behind the edge of the roof.  A moment later, Jack’s voice boomed out from the other side of the building.  While Marcus couldn’t make out what was being said, it was clear that the officers had heard enough.  Marcus watched them take off down the street, following Jack across the rooftops and away from where Marcus currently couched.

“What now?” Noelle asked.

“Now, we finish the job” Marcus replied, his feet barely touching the ground as he tore down the street.