Shards

The Little Sweetheart

Octavia's tremors grow the longer she watches Mindy and Xander on stage and the more names that are called. When the last man collects Ajax, who is also kicked unconscious, a miniscule bit of tension releases from Octavia's muscles. She hadn't been seen.

A sigh moves Mindy's chest and shoulders. Relief flashes for the quickest second across Mindy's face that hasn't looked up since she was cuffed.

Octavia feels her heart hit her stomach hard.

Shard resumes center stage with arms stretched out in a grandiose manner. "That's not all folks! Do you think I would miss out on this fun? I get to call out my own little brat. One who's gonna be my bestest buddy and spend so much time with me. We're gonna get to know each other well. Real well. Who's the lucky one? Drum roll please!"

All the blood in Octavia's body drains into nonexistence. Her eyes are so wide they could pop out of her head.

Octavia didn't need the drum roll. She already knows it is going to be her. Shard or an undercover Chromy must have seen her. She is too valuable not to take as a prisoner. Her muscles tense up a hundred times more as she wants to duck and hide in the crowd she had desperately wanted to escape earlier.

Being a hostage is bad enough. But being Shard's personal prisoner...

Breath catches in her throat. Her hands sweat.

How much longer until Squad get there? They had to have noticed the power outage by now. Where are they?

"And my little sweetheart is...surprise guest star Octavia Rhinehart!" Shard sings.

A loud, collective gasp comes from the crowd. Few people had seen her. She had been doing well to not attract attention, but the crowd spots her instantly and parts like a sea. A straight path leads to Shard. Octavia doesn't take a step towards him.

"Come on, gorgeous." Shard motions towards himself. "We ain't got all day."

Octavia can't will herself to take a step forward. Her brain has sunk to her feet, weighing them down. Her heart beats in her fingertips. She feels her mind floating to where the disco ball was. She waits for her body to shatter like it did. All she can do is stare at Shard.

"Do I have to carry you?" Shard puts a fist on his hip.

Octavia remains dormant.

Shard moans. He hops off stage. "I guess that's a 'yes'."

Octavia's senses slam back into her and rile her flight instincts as Shard draws nearer. She tries to back away but bumps into a partier who shoves her away in fear. Her weak balance is lost in her chunky shoes, and her body meets the floor. Looking up, she sees Shard's periwinkle eyes shine down on her.

This isn't real.

"How symbolic," Shard says loud enough for those around to hear. "How right." He squats in front of Octavia and whispers to her, "How beautiful."

In desperate fear, Octavia takes a swing at Shard. He catches her fist in his hand and twists it behind her back. She grits her teeth at the sharp pain. Her other hand is snatched from under her. Shard cuffs her. A kick to the side of her head spins and dazes Octavia's world. Shard proceeds to scoop her off the ground and sling her over his shoulder.

Sirens faintly blare outside in the distance.

Now they come.

"What a wonderful finale to tonight's performance!" Shard calls out. "But the show's over. See ya on the next NetNews Update!"

Chromies put the extra filtered masks on their hostages. Shard takes a mask from a Chromy without a hostage and puts it on Octavia. A strange chemical smell filling her nose travels into her mouth, creating a bitter taste. Chromies put on their own eye protection. Hostage-less men throw tear gas canisters into the crowd. Hissing gas mixes with the sound of the crowd's panic. Partiers scream, cry, and vomit as they try to barrel out the exits. Octavia's eyes burn and blur from the gas.

Shard and his Chromies escape the chaos with ease.