The Girl With Metal Claws

The Lost

ELLIOTT

Garry was limping over, not walking too fast. His eyes had a hidden fear and desperation that spoke volumes about his intentions.

He wanted to push everyone from his way and escape before anything went wrong, once again.

"Garry.." Jack muttered as he tried to find something to say.

"We need to stop them," Elliott said, glancing over to the spread-out directions of the alleyway everyone was scattering away to.

"No, we won't interfere," Jack said, keeping his voice low.

"They're still prisoners. It's not safe for the city if just let them run off when we can clearly stop them." Elliott tried reasoning with him but Jack gave him a tired glance.

"Stop, it isn't any of our business," he said.

"But Elliott's right. I don't understand. You're detectives but you're hiding from the police. You're even saying escaping prisoners isn't any of your business even if what detectives do is catch them." Meraki said, frowned down at both of them.

No one spoke for a second. The real reason was that they actually didn't have the authority to catch the prisoners but Elliott just couldn't be okay with that.

"I'm getting Garry out then," Elliott declared and was about to stand up when Jack pulled him back, not letting him go out.

Elliott looked up at the 20-30 prisoners who were trying to escape. He watched them carefully as they slowly walked towards the end of the alleyway and out into the street.

Suddenly, a loud sound of triggers sounded from the street and the prisoners started falling to the ground. Blood splattered out from the prisoners who stepped a foot out of the alley and into the streets that were squirming with police.

The prisoners were shot by the police then and there because they didn't dare enter the alley. They were shooting at the desperate prisoners who were trying to escape for the sake of their lives.

Elliott stood frozen at the frightening view of the m******e. He felt his nerves pulsating as he saw the worth of human life in front of his eyes.

Nothing.

He could hear Meraki's fear-stricken voice and Jack's speechlessness. He could hear the prisoners wailing, either in pain of bullets or the agony of despair.

"The world has no morals. They'll toss you aside once you die," were the only words that played round and round in his head. She was true, he thought. The world really doesn't care.

Elliott could feel a smile on his lips, unconsciously. He didn't know why he was smiling but he felt numb.

Suddenly, he felt a hard shake and snapped out of his thoughts. He looked at Jack who was trying to bring him back to the dreadful reality.

"This is the time... we save them," Jack announced and he immediately jumped up to his feet and ran directly to the prisoners who weren't aware of what might happen if they stepped out on the streets.

He wanted to inform the prisoners about it but everything turned different as the prisoners started running away from Jack, fearing that he might harm them. Jack was loaded with weapons and the reaction was obvious but in fear of him, the prisoners were running farther towards the streets.

Meraki jumped out from behind the dumpsters and started helping Jack.

"Calm down, please! We're here to help!" Meraki tried but no one reciprocated.

Jack decided to take to their last resort, using force. He gave Elliott a brief glance and he nodded back. Jack turned to Meraki.

"Don't touch your guns," Jack warned and Meraki agreed to it. She didn't look too thrilled about this mission anymore.

Then, both of them started chasing the prisoners and using their plus points, which was physical strength, they managed to hunt them down and hurdled them together forcefully. It was easier because the escapees were unarmed and scared.

Elliott got back to his feet and started running directly towards Garry who was unaware of anything around him. He ran towards him, fear throbbing in his mind.

Garry was just about to step out of the alley when Elliott grabbed him and hauled him to the corner just in time for the bullet. The gunshot scraped through Garry's arm as both of them tumbled to the ground.

Elliott wasted no time in getting back up and dragging Garry towards the others. He limped his way, shocked and terrified.

Once he dropped off Garry to a safe corner, he ran for Meraki.

Meraki chased two of the prisoners. She drifted off the ground, her hands scraping on the muddy alley as she leapt forward and toppled over one of them. The man struggled under her as she quickly tied his hands behind his back.

She looked to her side to see the other prisoner still escaping. She hesitated a little before running off to catch him. But before she could do so, she unconsciously started staring at the prisoners running away.

Suddenly, flames burst off on the escaping prisoner's clothes and he started screaming.

Elliott's eyes widened as she saw Meraki frozen in her place, not even trying to stop the fire she had created.

"JACK!" Elliott called out as he ran towards her. Jack moved quickly while taking off his jacket. He covered it on the burning prisoner, trying to extinguish the fire. But the flames weren't going down.

Elliott reached Meraki to see that her eyelids had turned almost white. He staggered, his head throbbing.

Without thinking, he held Meraki by her shoulders and started shaking her.

"GET UP. COME ON. STOP THIS, QUICK!" Elliott started screaming and yelling at the top of his voice. He knew the police were too afraid to come in and if they restrained the prisoners, there might be a way of saving them.

He was desperate. The screams of the prisoner were all he could hear.

Elliott yanked her hand and she stumbled to the ground. Suddenly, her pupils dilated and she regained consciousness.

Just as she blinked back to reality, the fire burned out and extinguished itself. Elliott saw Jack turning over the prisoner like a madman to see if he had major injuries.

After a second, Jack helped him back to his feet and led him to the other prisoners.

"Gabrielle's power allowance in Meraki's body wasn't enough to burn someone so nothing happened," Jack said, glaring fiercely at Meraki.

She shook her head as if to say she understood her mistake but the incident was much greater than that.

"We'll talk to Gabrielle about this," Elliott said.

"Hah, maybe giving such huge responsibilities to kids like her was a mistake.." Jack sighed as he walked off.

Elliott saw Meraki frowning, her fists balled up. He knew how it felt like, to be underestimated.

~

Elliott and Jack stood in front of the squirming and terrified masses. Meraki stood in a corner, watching.

"What do we do now? We can't let them jailbreak." Elliott pointed out and Jack nodded. He shook his head and glanced at Garry who sat, distracted.

"Why are they keeping you here? The news said there was no information whether you're dead or alive," Jack asked, setting his guns back on his waist holster.

"I don't know," Garry's voice sounded grim.

"Then it can't be helped," Jack said with an irritable temper. He turned to Elliott. "We'll lock them back into the prison and leave. Coming here was of no use. I don't know why Gabrielle asked us to come here-"

Suddenly, Garry stood up, panting and fuming with anger.

"You can't lock us back because we did nothing. Not one of these people are criminal," his voice was loud and clear which almost made Jack falter.

"Then why are you all here? Is this some costume competition?" Jack snickered, packing up his things.

"We're the victims," Garry said, limping over to Jack. He looked deep into his eyes. "The police forcefully brought most of them here without any physical evidence. All of the Phoenix's killings are getting imposed on helpless people like us just so the people of the city would stop complaining that the police aren't good enough."

Garry gasped, out of breath.

Elliott looked at Jack and saw his jaw clenched. He was considering the idea.

"They don't have answers for the people, so they're creating their own answers," Elliott muttered. Everyone looked at him as he turned around and looked at the Westwood Police Station building.

"How do we know you're not bullshitting me?" Jack said, frowning upon everyone. Almost everyone shook their heads.

"I have an idea," Meraki said stepping up. She looked eager to prove herself.

~

"Edward Peterson," one of the prisoners said and Meraki started typing it out on her phone.

"Clear," she declared.

Meraki had access to the official criminal records site because her parents are known heads of the committee.

She was trying out the prisoner's names and reading out the offence they were jailed for. And if the offence turned out to be one of Phoenix's killing cover-ups, Jack would considered helping that prisoner escape.

It was already unfair for innocent people to be unlawfully put in jail.

"Mason Levithan," another man, a little hesitant at first said.

"Clear," Meraki called out.

The noises inside the Police Station were still loudly audible which made them sure that the police weren't going to step inside the alleys till everything stopped.

"Ken Roman."

"Clear."

Suddenly, a loud buzzing and whirring started sounding from above making everyone stare about. A chopper rose from behind one of the tall buildings all of a sudden, heading their way.

"QUICK!" Jack ordered and the trembling prisoners started toppling over each other to not get spotted.

Jack hesitated as well, looking around, lost. His only drawback was at the moment of need, he becomes spellbound.

"JACK!" Meraki yelled. She stood in front of a wooden door entrance of one of the buildings. Jack quickly ran over and started hitting the lock with the grip of his handgun.

When he saw no success in it, he flipped the gun and shot the lock once and broke into the building. Meraki, Jack, Garry and the 9 other prisoners who were alive, entered the building and started shutting the door behind them.

Suddenly, Jack stuck his head out of the door with a cold gaze.

"COME IN!" He yelled at Elliott but he couldn't move one foot. Elliott's mind wandered somewhere else. He thought about how he wouldn't be able to go and see what actually was happening inside the Police Station and that everyone was in a state of alarm.

Soon, it became uncontrollable and Elliott's feet moved on their own.

"I'll be fine," Elliott said as a void assurance and ignoring Jack's shocked gaze, he ran towards the opposite direction.

He ran, buckling the rope around his waist and spinning its end. Just as he stood under the broken window of the second floor, from where the prisoners escaped, he threw the cord and the hook got stuck to one of the broken bars right away.

Elliott backed away and took a run-up. Then he jumped, pulling himself up with the rope and the crusty walls.

With that, he reached the window sill and rolled inside the Police Station building. He fell on his back on the concrete floor, exposing himself to the darkness that was once a place for justice.