Neon District: Redux

Part Three Chapter Eight: Capture

       Even though Yuka had worked with Manzo for years now she still hadn't realized how many connections he truly had. She pondered about that fact as she opened up her phone to a notification saying that the mayor of the Neon District had shut down all tabloids or public forums that reported on him. Surely, that was impossible, she thought as she weaved through a crowd of angry protestors in front of the District Hall building.

       But with Manzo it seemed he could do the impossible. He did manage to arrest Eiji literally the minute he got elected and he somehow managed to drum up so much support in his cult as his drunken-man persona. She had to admit: it was truly remarkable.

       The protestors were by the thousands in the small square with many still streaming in from the subway tunnels and underground walkway. It was an effort to push through the crowd. She got shoved every which way and was about to get lost in the crowd when a slim hand tightly gripped her arm and pulled her towards them. She was about to shove off whoever touched her until she stared up at a pair of arrogant eyes she was far too accustomed to.

       "What are you doing here? Your job is done," she grumbled at Eiji, who released his grip on her arm before he grabbed it again as the crowd began to surge forward. 

       "My job is not done until I get myself up there," Eiji replied a little loudly as the protestors now began to chant "we want Manzo!" over and over again. "There is somebody I need to see quite desperately."

       "If it is Manzo then you got yourself a death wish- " she went to retort but got cut off.

       "We both know who I am talking about, Miss Hara," he cut in, using the same formalities she hadn't heard in a while. She knew exactly who he was talking about and she could see in his eyes how badly he needed to she her. 

       "Manzo could've killed her already, y'know? Why bother with love anymore?" Yuka asked. Eiji's grip tightened around her arm but she couldn't tell if was because of her question or because of the crowd surging forward again.

       "I don't care if Manzo already... killed her. There is still that chance that she is alive and I love her enough that the odds don't matter to me anymore. You would have done everything to beat those odds yourself, once upon a time," he answered above the thousands of voices, the panic in his voice being drowned out by the chanting.

       Yuka reminded herself of Sam and all that time they spent together and she had to admit that she would had gone to great lengths for him. 

       She would have.

       Yuka simply muttered in agreement and violently began pushing through the crowd with Eiji in tow as they made it to the front of the protestors. 

       None of the protestors even bothered to give them any attention as they got themselves out of the crowd and to the front doors of the building where multiple Watch officers were posted along the walls. Multiple trap doors in the concrete floor suddenly slid open and humongous thick metal walls erupted from beneath the floor and created a protective barrier around the building. They shoved and pushed the Watch officers from their positions on the walls and into the crowd of protestors just as the thick walls sprouted from the ground. 

       The Watch officers that stood around the walls found themselves panicking as they tried to stick their stun batons through the gaps in the metal walls to get at them, but the protestors halted their advances. The pair entered the empty building and checked each room to make sure nobody was going to spring out at them. None of them had access to any weapons as they gave all that they could find to Veila's group. 

       In each room was court rooms and office spaces where at least multiple people were huddled in small groups in the corners of each space. She felt pity for them as none of this was their faults, only their boss's.