The X-Project

What the head makes cloudy
The heart makes very clear
The days were so much brighter
In the time when she was here

1:41 am

Noriko didn’t have the power to go full out, and she couldn’t focus well enough to get more. So instead she just ran through the streets, not daring to look over her shoulders and see if Jon was coming after her. She didn’t think so – he’d been too frightened, but she wasn't going to risk it. But as out of it as she was, and as drained, Nori couldn’t keep going for long. She slowed, and then she stumbled, and then she stopped. Breathing hard she leaned back against a wall and stared back the way she’d come, listening for any sign of pursuit for more than a minute.

It wasn’t until she’d caught her breath enough to start to feel the cold that Noriko was certain no one was coming after her. Shivering, she looked around, trying to figure out where she was. The streets didn’t look familiar, and she hadn’t even known the name of the club before she ran out.

She was cold and alone, lost in one of the ravaged corners of New York City, and still drunk despite everything that had happened.

Wrapping her arms around herself to hold in as much warmth as she could, Nori picked a direction more or less at random and started walking, just looking for some place she could get out of the cold, which was getting worse every minute.

It was three blocks before she found the subway entrance, and she almost missed it – the lighted sign on the side of the street she was on was out, but she spotted the one across the way and realized it was there. It wasn’t ideal, but it was out of the wind, and there were benches. She could rest a bit. Maybe scrounge up some change and get onto one of the heated cars.

But first she just wanted to sit down...

The bench was hard, and it smelled, but Noriko didn’t care, and in moments she was asleep, curled around herself and still shivering every few moments.



---


Lying here in the darkness
I hear the sirens wail
Somebody going to emergency
Somebody's going to jail

2:05 am:

Officer Patrick Mather of the NYPD actually kind of liked the night shift. It was quieter, usually, than the day beats, and more straight-forward. You could be pretty certain that anybody you came across at four in the morning was probably not where they were supposed to be. Plus, you could actually hear yourself think on the night walks, especially these days.

There weren’t that many beat cops who still walked even parts of their routes, preferring the safety and, particularly in winter, the warmth of their patrol cars. But Mather was of the old school of thought. You missed things if you didn’t get out and cover the land yourself. Certainly, if he’d stuck to the car he’d have missed the little girl in the subway.

She was breathing, which was good, and shivering, which was not. Might just be the cold, could be withdrawal, or a bad trip. Asleep, she didn’t look old enough to be dressed like she was, and God knew that outfit wasn’t providing much warmth. Reaching out, Mather shook Noriko’s shoulder, trying to wake her.

In response, Nori whimpered, pulling more tightly into a ball on the bench, squeezing her eyes shut in hopes she could hold on to sleep just that little bit more.

“Hey, kiddo, “ the police officer said, “come on. Can’t sleep out here. Where’s your home. You need help getting there?”

Blinking her eyes open at last, Noriko scowled at her tormentor. A cop. Great. “Hora, yamette. Tsukareta.”

Mather’s eyes widened at that. So... actually foreign, not just Asian American. That... could be a problem. “Do you speak English?”

“Maaaa,” Nori sighed, too tired and too strung out to really focus on what he was saying. “Yamette kudasai. Watashi wa sugoku tsukareta. Dashte.”

“Yeah, that’s not good. Look, kid, I don't even know what language that is, but it’s not English. Do. You. Speak. English?” Speaking slowly and loudly never worked, but didn’t stop Mather from trying.

Noriko blinked at him, trying to figure out why he was bothering her. The last word, singled out and enunciated, did finally sink into her wool-covered brain. “Go away,” she said, her accent coming out much more than usual. She paused, then added, “Please.”

“Huh. So, a little English, that’s good. You. Can’t. Sleep. Here,” he said, trying the slow and loud route again.

Nori frowned and slumped back onto the bench. “Nande?” she said with a massive sigh.

Which blew her breath straight into the face of the cop leaning over her, finally overwhelming the stench of the subway enough for him to get a good whiff of her. “Mother of God, girl, how much have you been drinking?” No wonder she couldn’t manage English right now. Hell, he was surprised she hadn’t puked on his shoes yet.

Already Nori’s eyes were sliding shut and she was listing over, fully prepared to go back to sleep once this obnoxious cop went away and left her alone.

He had other plans, however, which were solidified as a train pulled into the station. “All right, up you go, kiddo.” Hands closed around her upper arms as he hauled Noriko to her feet. “You really can’t sleep out here.“ She stumbled and he steadied her, then steered her towards the closest car, reaching for the radio clipped to his belt. “Mather here. Bringing in a kid for drunken vagrancy. I’d probably have to carry her to get her back to the squad car, so coming in by subway.”

The radio crackled back at him, but Nori wasn’t paying any attention. He’d let go of her arm once they were safely on the train and she’d collapsed down onto a seat, hands hanging down over the heating vent under the bench as the door hissed closed. She was warm, finally, and the subway jerking into motion was so familiar that she started to drift off again.

“Yeah, that’s right, kid,” Officer Mather said with a sigh, looking down at her. “Sleep it off.”