Tripping over Time

Exiting another cab, Jamie arrived at the Philadelphia Courthouse. It had only been a little while since the shootout, and all the media was still at the crime scene. Eventually, they would come therefore she didn’t have a lot of time. As she walked into the building, Jamie tried to think of a plan. She couldn’t think of a single thing. Not one plan that could actually end well. After all she was only eighteen. Barely passed legal and unarmed. Not a great basis for breaking someone out of jail.

As she stood there staring blankly at the courthouse, Jamie felt a cold object push hard up against her back, she let out a gasp out of surprise. Before she could turn around, someone whispered sharply in her ear, “Don’t say a word, do what I say and you won’t get hurt,” The person didn’t sound like the Hunter, this person was female but with a different accent, Russian perhaps or at least Baltic. She felt as though she had stepped unsuspectingly into some foreign affairs debacle.

“Hey Mr.? Need your help for a sec.,” Said the mysterious woman behind her as she shoved Jamie in front of a secretary.

“Yes?” Inquired the secretary as he arched a quizzical brow. Turning her head cautiously Jamie could see that her attacker looked her own age if not younger, making it quite surprising that she was armed and menacing. Had it not been for that fact she would have attempted to flee, but as the gun pressed sharper and sharper against her spine, she knew there was nothing she could do at that moment. If she wanted to live.

“I want to see that whacko who calls himself Sir Thomas Wyatt, the man who was just in the shootout. This is Jamie DeLane; he was her kidnapper as you’ve heard. I’m officer Kroscov and I would like to question him,” The girl oddly was wearing a police uniform, which contrasted with her bleached hair with a neon pink streak that was tucked into a tight bun. The young man looked puzzled, looking her over it was obvious that he couldn’t tell if she was telling the truth or not. Before he could turn them away she showed him her badge as further proof. The secretary nodded and gave her and Jamie security tags. He pointed towards the direction of the elevator, “Fifth floor. Turn right and the bastard is in cell C. Why's the girl going too? Isn't that a bit traumatic?”

"Are you paid to bother the police force or to answer phone calls?"

The man gulped, slightly stunned. "Cell C." he said crisply. The strange girl flashed him an almost flirtatious smile in thanks and they were soon off to find Thomas.

“Who are you?” Jamie managed to ask quietly as they entered the elevator, luckily they were alone. It felt as though she had asked this question a million times that day. The girl said nothing and continued pushing her down the hallway as soon as the doors opened once more to the fifth floor. “Are you here to save Thomas?” She tried again, hoping that this person was at least on Thomas’s side. If so then Jamie herself probably wasn’t in any sort of danger. But then again who was to say that Thomas himself was on ‘her side’?

“Of course I am, why the hell do you think I requested to see him? Stupid kid. Goddammit why did you have to mess everything up! Now we’ll have to do this the hard way, if we can even get him out that is,” The girl made sure to keep her voice down, but her anger rang clear. She wasn’t the only one.

“How can you say this is my fault? It isn’t as if I asked to be almost killed three times today! Nor is it upon my liability that Thomas wouldn’t explain what is going on, not that you, might I add, will either!” Jamie was outraged. She had never asked for this. She never wanted that whole heroine fantasy; all she wished to accomplish in life was to go to college, maybe even open a bookstore or an antique shop in a major city somewhere. Not much of a dream, but it was simple. And simple was safe.

The girl that held Jamie captive went silent from then on as they continued to walk down what seemed like an endless hallway. Finally they reached Thomas’s cell. Two security guards stood at the door, one that looked young enough to be still in college whilst the other looked in his late fifties. Must have been a training program, Jamie assumed. Her captive showed them the security passes they had acquired from the secretary and were let into the cell room. Thomas had been sitting there, head in hands, however as he heard the door open he jumped up with surprise. Jamie couldn’t help but smile as she saw him; he had looked miserable in his drab convict attire and sullen face as she saw him when they first entered, and to see the relief that suddenly flushed to his face at their arrival brought her some sort of relief as well. “Finally Anya, I thought you’d never get here,” Thomas said as he advanced towards them.

Anya, perhaps she was Russian then, Jamie hypothesized, an International Fest, that day had been. Another one of the million questions Jamie had for Thomas. “I’m guessing I still am going to have to wait for my answers aren’t I?” She said quietly, not expecting the two of them to hear her.

Surprisingly, Thomas smirked, “Well, you could have your answers right now in this jail cell, but I’m not sure if we have that sort of time…until we get out of our current situation how about you just enjoy the mystery of it eh?"

Jamie felt as though she was being treated as a three year old being given a surprise, unfortunately that didn’t seem like it would be the case due to all the gun action earlier. Without saying anything more she just smiled lightly with a nod. If these two were going to keep her away from the Hunter, than she might as well be cooperative. “So, how do you plan to bail me out of here?” Thomas asked, turning to Anya. Her face went from indifferent to oddly mischievous,

“Well, there is always the run as fast as you can idea…” She said sarcastically.

Rolling his eyes Thomas replied, “Or…you could actually have a plan that doesn’t result in me returning to this ‘lovely’ place in the next five minutes.” Jamie couldn’t help but laugh quietly; sarcasm was always her cup of tea for humor.

“Fine, fine we’ll go with plan B. with the following equipment,” Anya said as she pulled out a concerto firearm. He arched an eyebrow, “How the hell did you get that past security?” Jamie was wondering the same thing as well as how could she have missed that fact earlier.

Anya just shrugged and smiled innocently, “You know me and my little secrets Thomas.”

Without any more conversation they exited the cell. Creeping up from behind, Anya and Thomas knocked both security guards out silently. Since apparently everyone thought Jamie had been kidnapped, Anya kept the gun held to her back to keep up appearances. Running through the building they entered the lobby. By then the media had returned and security guards were beginning to close in on the trio. Anya drew out her gun from behind Jamie’s back and held it high in the air, releasing three shots whilst holding the concerto aimed at anyone who dared move closer. Then after a moment’s pause she handed Thomas one of them as she shouted, “Listen up, move a muscle and someone gets shot. Clear enough?”

Dragging Jamie across the lobby, Thomas and her withdrew from the building with Anya not too far away. In front of the Philadelphia Courthouse was a sleek black BMW, possibly one of the latest modules. As they quickly hurried into the vehicle Jamie couldn’t help but exclaim, “Honestly you guys who the hell are you to afford this?” Ignoring her, they quickly drove off. Since most of the police were still at the crime scene or at a huge accident on the Benjamin Franklin parkway, escaping into the countryside of Pennsylvania wasn’t that difficult.

For a while, everyone was quiet. Anya reloaded her guns. Jamie bobbed her head lightly to the radio music, and Thomas focused on the road. Jamie wanted to ask the several questions that were buzzing around her head, but after all of this time she wasn’t sure if she wanted the answers or if they’d even answer her at first.
Too bad. Jamie was going to ask them whether they liked it or not.