Cold Snap (Warriors: S1B3)

Chapter 10

Earth date: 10/25/11, 16:44

The quietest place I've ever been in was one of those study rooms in a library. I think they must have had a soundproof window on the door, because I closed it behind me and it was like someone had flicked the OFF switch on sound in the world. 

The subway station was a close second. I'd never been in a subway, but I'd seen movies set in New York and had expectations on what to see and hear: automated voices announcing which trains were coming and which were going, people buying tickets or standing around waiting for their train, homeless people sitting against the wall begging for change. More than anything, I expected noise. 

There was none, except for our footsteps.

We reached the turnstile. Daphne tested the turnstile and shook her head.

"Anybody got a quarter?" Frazz said.

"No," Jay said. "We'll have to climb over."

"Hold on," Max said. "Let me try something." He walked up to the turnstile and grabbed on to the center pole. And something started to happen. It was like a wave ran through Max, starting at his feet and running up his body. It ran through his fingertips and onto the pole, and the pole started to similarly vibrate. 

"Come on then," he said. 

We did. Joey was the first, and he passed right through Max and the metal tines of the turnstile. 

"You waiting for something?" Max said. "Can't do this very long."

We jogged through the turnstile. I shivered involuntarily when I passed straight through Max's body. Once everyone had passed through the metal, Max stepped through the turnstile and let go.

"Place isn't as iced over as I thought it'd be," Max said.

I looked around the station. There were no indications something with ice powers had run through here like icicles or icy footprints. There were indications people had packed up and run quick. I saw tickets scattered across the floor. Looking at a bench, I could see a half-eaten sandwich, like the guy eating it had dropped it once the Faukan had come down the stairs.

"So, Faukan-hunting. How do we do it?" Frazz said. "And please don't say split up."

"Split up," Joey said. Frazz groaned. "One group checks out the trains, one group sweeps the station."

Frazz clenched his hand into a fist and made a broom out of green energy. "Please let me check out the train. Sweeping this station will take forever."

Kristi giggled, then stopped. "Uh..."

"What?" Joey said. Kristi pointed over his shoulder. I followed her finger. There was a homeless guy making his way down the line. He completely ignored us, swerving his grocery cart towards the bench with the half-eaten sandwich. Everyone was too stunned to say anything, even Frazz. Finally, Joey cleared his throat and said, "Sir."

The homeless man stopped to pick up the sandwich and continued rolling his cart, taking a bite as he did.

"Sir,"  Joey said louder. The homeless man stopped. "You need to leave. There's a...a wild animal loose in the subway. It's not safe."