Cryoworld

Chapter Seven: Lockdown

Four days after the attack on the police department things just went from bad to worse.  Every officer was on edge.  Scared for their lives and too paranoid to trust anyone that wasn't in blue as well.  The funeral for Sargeant Dallon and Detective Xing was scheduled for that evening.  The entire colony was invited as way to encourage enclosion and possibly ease tensions over recent events.

Aria convinced Jericho and their mother to attend.  As they we're leaving their appartment Aria was fighting back tears.  She had worked so hard and so long to keep their family away from danger like this.  Now here they were stuck in the middle of it with no way and promises of protection that the police department simply couldn't keep.  Jericho wanted to tell her it wasn't her fault, that she didn't need to worry about them, but it would be a lie.  They had no way of defending themselves and no where to go, and the Children of Nereus made it clear that everyone in the colony was a potential enemy to their cause. 

Jericho held their mothers hand while they walked through the snow to the city square.  The funeral scheduled to start in two hours but given the magnitude of the event a lot of people showed up early.  Most to try to win favor with the police so they wouldn't be seen as potential targets. 

Jericho was annoyed the children of Nereus thought they we're liberating Triton while the police thought they were protecting it.  It was strange that they didn't understand they had just put the rest of Triton in the crossfire.  Police we're ready to imprison scientists guests and anyone that looked like they could be affiliated with the Nerieds and the Nerieds were willing to kill anyone that they saw as a threat to their cause.  Neither size realizing that the entire colony fit the descriptions for both.

Captain Aiden made eye contact with Jericho and walked straight over to him.  Jericho broke eyecontact immediately and pretended not to notice the captain walking towards him.  Hoping he would leave and bother someone else.  Grabbing his sisters hand he pulled his mother and Aria to vacant seats for the funeral as far away from the incoming captain as he could.   Finally sitting down Captain Aiden either didn't get the message or he simply didn't care.

"I knew something like this would happen." The captain said solomly.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Jericho replied still not making eyecontact with the captain who was now 2 feet to his left.

"It was a loss for all of us." He said placing his hands on Jericho's shoulder as if claiming Jericho as part of the police department.

Jericho took his shoulder away.  "I never knew him."  The captain ignored his clear discomfort.

"Listen Jericho, if you see anything you know who to talk to."  The captain said firmly gripping Jericho's shoulder so he couldn't move it.

"Take your hand off me before I make a seen." Jericho looked straight into the Captains eyes.  The captain glanced down as if to say something else but seeing Jericho's stare, he decided to take his hand back.

"I meant no disrespect.  We all need to just stick together in times like this." He said trying to be friendly again.

"If you don't mind I don't want to talk to you anymore." Jericho said not breaking eye contact.

The police captain stormed away.  His fists clenched and his face flustered.

Jericho tried to get comfortable again when he noticed Orion sitting a few rows in front of him to the left.  Orion was looking back at Jericho smiling.  He gave the secret sign of the Nerieds.  Jericho stopped looking his direction and just faced forward.  He could feel the sweat dripping down his back and knew his cheeks were flushed red.  The annoyance with the two groups was now replaced with fury.  These idiots were going to get him and his family killed.  Both Orion and Captain Aiden made Jericho seem like some important figure in this conflict he had nothing to do with.