Blackout Part 5 - Boots

The bright flashlight hit Serena first, causing her to shield her eyes. “Jaggs,” she swore. “You may wanna hide.”

“Behind *what*?” Vas made a face. He wasn’t exactly built for hide and go seek.

“Round the corner,” Serena hissed, adding: “More like a hell puppy,” under her breath.

Vas, with only a mild sense of urgency and a great deal of confusion did as bid. Walking around the corner. “Why are you whispering? Also what Jaggs? I have a million questions.” He admitted matching her whisper.

“Just stay there, on account of they will shoot you an’ steal your boots,” she warned, “so we both lose. I’ll go an’ talk to ‘em.”

“And what charm them with your boot thievery?” Vas said, crossing his arms.

“Just keep your glasses on no matter what,” she warned him. “You don’t want them knowing you’re meta. I can get ‘em to leave. Trust me.” She shot him a pleading look before heading back into the alley.

“I wasn’t doing anything,” She said in a louder voice, still shielding her eyes from the light.

Their voices carried down the alley. “Yeah? Then open the bag.” Neither one looked particularly concerned about following protocol. The older of the two was thick around the middle and had his helmet tucked under his arm. He was the one holding the blinding flashlight. The younger of the two tapped a telescoping baton against the brick wall as he walked.

Serena clutched the backpack against her chest. “Nothing in it but a couple of apples,” she told them. “Want one?”

The older jackboot laughed. “We tailed you after the electronics store. Slippery little squirt.”

“I’m not so little,” she warned them, standing up taller.

This time the younger one snorted. “Just hand it over and there won’t be a problem.” he answered. “We’re giving you an easy out. You give us what you stole, and we forget we saw you.”

“Easy peasy,” Serena said flatly, as the Jagg reached for her backpack.

“Where’s your friend? What’s he got on him?” The older Jagg asked.

“Not my friend,” Serena shot back quickly. “I was gonna fence some stuff ‘til you showed up. He’s prolly halfway out of the sprawl by now.”

“Yeah? From down a dead end? Pretty impressive feat. If you were fencing, that means he’s got cash.”

Serena froze. Mathias was so much better at this than she was. He could talk his way out of the grim reaper, she was sure of it. “He…” She stammered, “He…” her whole demeanor changed when the lie came to her. “He didn’t have any credits, that’s why I didn’t fence nothin’,” she said proudly.

“Yeah? We’ll see,” the younger one said, shoving Serena back against the brick wall. “We know you’re there, punk, c’mon out and no one gets hurt,” he said, drawing his weapon.

“He doesn’t have anything,” Serena insisted. “Just leave ‘em alone.”

“I object to the usage of the word punk.” Vas said, poking his head out from around the corner. “So you're Jaggs.” He said with a click of his teeth, appraising them from behind the mirrored sunglasses. His gaze dropped to their boots.

He looked at his own.

Then back at theirs.

“Their boots look nothing like mine.” He chortled.

“They’re black and have laces,” Serena defended, logic hard to argue with.