MERMAID SCAVENGERS | By @WendyyWolfe

5. Shout It All Out

ˢᵉˣᵘᵃˡ ᵒʳⁱᵉⁿᵗᵃᵗⁱᵒⁿ ᵃⁿᵈ ˡᵃʷ ᵉⁿᶠᵒʳᶜᵉᵐᵉⁿᵗ ᶜʳᵘᵉˡᵗʸ ʷᵃʳⁿⁱⁿᵍˢ

Delta pressed herself against the cold damp of the tunnel wall and everyone else followed suit. Soren's earlier words came to her mind. Had Quill actually turned them in for revenge?

Nobody breathed but it would be of little use.

They watched in utter horror, as the mouth of the tunnel slowly filled with armed Civil Investigators and the Unit of Security Enforcement known on the streets simply as Usee.

"Well, what have we got here? Tunnel rats?"

Someone laughed.

"Step out where we can see you. Don't try to run."

Delta squared her shoulders and stepped forward looking the CI's right in the face. Then, standing right behind them, her eyes caught the movement of someone else. Quill and Zoey. Her heart sank. Quill stood unmoving, and unsmiling. Her eyes burning holes into Delta's soul.

"I need everyone to step out now. Hands out in front of you."

Wrennie started to cry. Jenaro clapped his hand over her mouth. "Don't."

Her body trembled but she held her breath.

One by one Delta heard them step out until they all stood together around her.

Two CI's strode up to them.

They gazed upon the grungy and ungroomed semblances before them. Disgust marred their stern features as if it pained them to even look upon such rabble and the one who had addressed them before curled his lip in obvious disdain.

"This won't look good on your resumès," he laughed out loud. "I need everyone who is eighteen or older to step forward now."

Karun grit her teeth and moved out. Jenaro followed.

"Well. Isn't this sweet. Two absconders." He pulled a chip reader from his holster. "Come on, let's have your wrist, and see just who you are."

He scanned Karun first and looked at her with a raised brow. "You never even reported to the Collective. You know what that means Miss? A month of work with no credits." He shook his head as if repulsed and the edge of his lip rose and quivered with some kind of nervous twitch. Without hesitation he grabbed Karun and pulled her over pressing her face first against the tunnel wall. He leaned in, rubbing his groin against her, slipping his hands between her clothing and her body as his pat down for weapons turned into his cold hard hands groping her rudely. His mouth opened with lust as he breathed into her neck. "Damn. It's a shame," he grunted. "Maybe you and I can make an arrangement--"

A sorrowful cry escaped Karun and she
dug her nails into the wall to keep from retaliating against the assault when she heard a grunt and felt the enforcement officer slide to the ground at her feet. She jerked around hugging the wall to see the other officer looking down at his colleague. He kicked the man in the ribs with a curse. "Get up and get out, you piece of shit," he snarled. "Your sickening."

"Fuck you Jagg," he hiccuped.

"No. Fuck you Kaeler. You give our unit a bad name. Now get out of here!"

The investigator crawled away a few feet then got up and hastily left the tunnel and though Jagg had kept her from further abuse he took her by the arm and walked her back over to stand by Jenaro who was now being held fast by the Usee councilors.

Delta watched the unfolding situation with mounting fear. Karun was paler than usual if it were possible and Rayde had Kaius by the collar of his coat. She had tried to keep her eyes on Quill and Zoey but hadn't been able to as things quickly escalated.

"Both of you know these are grounds for arrest. I'm going to have take your devices now," he looked at the councilors. "Call a patrol transport."

They released Jenaro and he messed with his coat straightening the sleeves down where they had held his arm out while the CI scanned his wrist chip. It seemed the Usee was slightly afraid of Jenaro and Delta pondered the implications of that.

"Alright hand over your devices." The CI who was known a Jagg held his hand out.

"I don't have any devices," Jenaro spoke up.

"I don't either," Karun spat hatefully. She looked over at Delta.

As the Usee councilor spoke into a glitchy light screen emanating from a faulty plasma portal shell, Delta watched as a long black anti-gravity tour glider pulled silently into view and an Allegiant Host jumped out and opened the back door. Hugh Alitto stepped out and Delta felt her blood drain from her face. Quill and Zoey joined him and they walked purposely toward where everyone was gathered.

Hugh held his arm out pointing his finger as he approached the Usee. "Disconnect," he commanded turning to point at Jagg. "Get your crew out here now."

Delta watched as all the Usee's councilors and the Civil Investigators followed Hugh outside where an argument ensued. Quill looked back over her shoulder and smiled.

At that moment the curfew whistles began to sound. Delta cringed.

Jenaro was hugging Karun as she wept uncontrollably and Kaius made his way straight to her side. Delta stood by as Hugh and the CI argued about something she couldn't hear. Soren and Renzi crept closer to her. "What is even going on Delta?" Soren whispered.

"How should I know Soren?"

"I don't know Delta but did you see that smile Quill shot over here? I told you not to underestimate her."

Audio, Exton, Karter, Solaris, Wrennie, Zephy, Vaughn and Jrue stood huddled together and Tia, Fenix and Freesia were backing up the way they had come. Rayde pulled on Deltas jacket and nodded toward them. Her eyes grew large and she shook her head at them trying to discreetly stop them from running away. When Soren noticed he crept over and grabbed Freesia by the arm. "Don't you dare," he ground out quietly.

"Why!" Freesia whispered. "I'm not staying here to get hauled off to some fucking work camp Soren," she jerked her arm free. Tia and Fenix confronted him. "Let her go Soren! If we don't go now we're all gonna go down!"

Delta didn't know what to do, but just as she was struggling to make sense of it all she heard Hugh yelling. He told Jagg to round it up and go straight to the Oracle Precinct in District One. She stood there in shock as he entered his tour glider and the sleek black limousine whisked away, scimming just above the street and out of sight.

The CI and the Usee took off hurriedly, mounting their neon lit Segways and Delta watched in ever growing angst as Quill and Zoey strolled into the tunnels as if they hadn't a care in the world. Quill walked right up to Delta and slapped her face, the force of the smack so loud it echoed around them. Delta grabbed her cheek as the burning sting shocked her senses and she stared at Quill with her mouth hanging open.

Quill leaned in with a smug expression. "Now. Don't you ever, betray me like that again, do you understand Delta? I have the power to make you or break you." She stepped back slightly and looked at each and every face that now stared at her transfixed.

Solaris approached her cautiously. Literally only one year older than Quill, she reached out and Quill went into her arms. They held each other for long moments and everyone watched in wide eyed unbelief as Solaris cupped Quill's face and kissed her lips. Quill responded in kind winding her arms around Solaris' neck.

When Quill finally disengaged from Solaris she turned to Delta. "Let's go. My mother will be expecting me soon and I want to get as far from here as possible."