The Creed of Detroit

Chapter 14- A Last Stab at Freedom

11:04pm

Vera

Vera waited in the shadows of the alley, shrinking back every time a car or truck went by. Her eyes darted around. Waiting. Watching.

He should be here by now...

A sound hard on the concrete behind her made her whirl around. But the figure raised their hands. The light glinted off the gauntlet.

"It's me, Finn..."

"About time," Vera replied, sharply.

Finn's eyes darkened under his hood. "There is a demonstration happening a few blocks from here and there is a curfew in place, so it wasn't easy to get here without being spotted."

Vera's eyes narrowed slightly. She passed him the hand wrapped in her jacket.

"Here's the piece. Try not to drop it on the way back."

Finn scowled. "You can't still be hostile towards me. After everything—"

"I can be as hostile as I like. I still trust you with the piece, even if I would prefer to take it back myself. I have someone to take care of first."

"Where are your companions, Ruby and Caleb?"

"Ruby is helping a couple of androids cross the border, and Caleb..." Her breath caught but she swallowed. "Caleb is dead. He died in the attack on Jericho—the freighter."

"Requiescat in pace," Finn muttered, closing his eyes briefly. Vera muttered the same, inhaling shakily.

"It's been a long week, but we finally have the piece. It was a hardship getting it to you... The Templars must've been alerted to my movements."

"Shit! Are you okay?" He looked around nervously. "We'd better get out of here. I'll alert any Assassins nearby and get it to the Council."

Vera nodded. "Thank you. Be careful, there are more enemies around tonight than just Templars. The army are shooting suspicious people on sight. They are afraid... But deviants are not our enemy."

Finn looked her in the eye. "No. It always seems to be humans. Be careful too, Melian, I want to be able to see you scowl again." He winked at her and fled into the night.

Vera took a deep breath. "Bastard..." she whispered. Then she scaled the wall on to the roof. Shrinking herself into the shadows, she was careful to use the chimneys as cover from the cold and calculated streets below.

**

11:15pm

Vera stopped at a broken shop window after making sure no one was around. The tv was still playing. The news was broadcasting the demonstration in Hart Plaza.

"Yes, Michael. The army has just launched an attack on the barricade, despite the fact that the deviants were protesting peacefully," Joss Douglas spoke from the helicopter above the Plaza.

The camera pointed out, over the barricade and as the smoke cleared, Vera could see the soldiers jumping over the makeshift walls. The androids were scattered over the ground, although Vera could see some of them standing. Markus pushed two androids out of the way as a bomb exploded close to them.

"No!" She muttered through gritted teeth.

The soldiers forced their way towards them, and the androids retreated. More bombs exploded and the soldiers fired on them like predators on prey.

Vera turned away, unable to keep watching. She had to keep moving if she was going to make it back to meet Ruby. She pulled out her phone to call her friend.