Sebastian

Sebastian somehow managed to squeeze his way through the crowd at the police station. A legion of angry foreigners had been blocking the entrance for the last twelve hours. After several failed attempts at wading through the ocean of sweaty buttocks, he decided to crawl along the ground and pray that no one stepped on him. The path was long and arduous. More than once, he’d felt like giving up but the thought of his best friend rotting in jail had given him the strength to continue.

At last, he crawled through the legs of the officer attempting to contain the crowd and emerged out the other side a free man.

“Ah! Sebastian, just in time.” A familiar voice came from the end of the corridor.

Sebastian dusted his clothes as he walked up to the uniformed officer. “Captain.” He greeted him.

Captain Bradley of the 86th Precinct consoled him with a hug and a pat on the back. The captain’s features were noticeably whiter since last he’d seen him. His uniform was no longer adorned with medals.

The captain offered him a weak smile. “How’re you holding up, sport?”

“Never mind me.” Seb shook his head. “Where’s Hope? Is she okay? Is she hurt?”

Captain Bradley rubbed his eyes with two scarred fingers. “Follow me.”

Sebastian looked around the corridor with anxious eyes. He followed the good captain as closely as he could within the cramped spaces made even tighter by the task force constantly running out to deal with another fresh batch of victims. Every so often, an officer would bump into them and drop a heap of paperwork. The captain would never scold them.

Sebastian attempted to start a conversation. “I’m glad you got your badge back after, you know, what happened last time.”

The captain chuckled. “These dogs aren’t getting rid of me without a casket.”

Sebastian looked around uneasily. The other officers were staring at him. He gulped and took a deep breath. “So, how’s Hope holding up?”

“Seven stitches on the forehead. Two broken ribs. Couple bruises. Should heal in a few weeks. Or knowing her, five hours tops. But that’s not the part I’m worried about.”

Sebastian hid his hands inside his sweater pockets. “What do you mean? S-she was just a witness, right? I thought you were gonna let her go first thing in the morning.”

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The captain clenched his fists. “I’m afraid it’s not that simple.”

“What do you mean? I don’t get it. I thought you just needed her to get a couple statements.”

Captain Bradley looked around for other cops. Finding no one, he crouched down and whispered to Sebastian. “Do you have any idea about the magnitude of what happened last night? Wolcowzki District was proof that Lucidea was ready for other nations. And now, it’s nothing but ashes. Hundreds of immigrants dead. Countless others injured. And what have we got to show for it? Nothing.”

“B-but, but…”

“But nothing!” The captain grumbled. His face was dripping with sweat. “The department’s already been down in the dump since the Marcel disaster. And now, this happens. The world’s a different place now, way different than it was six months ago. Sport, if we don’t give them something, there will be war.”

Sebastian felt weak in the knees as the realization dawned upon him. His eyes were moist. “S-so what? Y-you’re gonna use Hope as a scapegoat, is that it? After everything she’s done for the city, you’re just gonna throw her to the wolves?”

Captain Bradley averted his gaze. Sebastian noticed his crinkled eyebrows and quivering lips. “I’m sorry, sport. No one hates this more than I do. Believe me.”

“It’s not fair. She’s done nothing wrong!”

“I know!” the captain yelled helplessly. “I know.” He looked around to see if anyone noticed his outburst. He got back on his feet and sighed, “I wish there was another way.”

Sebastian’s hazel eyes quivered with fear. Hope was his only friend. Without her, he was nothing. He smacked the back of his head to kick-start the thinking part of his brain while grumbling, “Work, work, you piece of…!”

His eyes glowed with sudden brilliance.

“Another way…” Sebastian jumped to his feet with an audible gasp. “I’ve got it.”

The captain eyed him with suspicion. “What are you scheming this time, sport?”

“I-I think I know how we can save her. But you’re not gonna like this.”

Captain Bradley rolled his eyes. “Of course.”

Sebastian asked the captain to crouch down. Then, he proceeded to whisper his plan into the captain’s ear. The captain’s expression appeared to shift with every succeeding word, going from curiosity, surprise, and fearfulness to a wicked smile in a matter of seconds.

Then, he got up. Sebastian awaited a response while the captain rubbed his chin in thought and walked around the cramped hallway, thinking up the pros and cons of his plan.

“So?” asked Sebastian. “What do you think?”

“It’s a hell of a plan.” The captain exhaled with unblinking eyes. “And not without significant risk either.”

Sebastian stomped his feet in frustration and groaned. “I know! But it’s our only shot at saving her.”

“You think she’ll agree to it?”

“I-I… I’ll talk to her.” Sebastian looked away from him.

“Yes, because that has gone swimmingly in the past.” The captain chuckled. “This fellow you speak of, you sure we can trust him?”

“He hasn’t given us a single reason to doubt him.” He lied.

Captain Bradley placed his hands upon his ample waistline and looked at him with a fierce expression. Sebastian responded with large, puppy-dog eyes.

After several seconds of attempting to stare him down, the captain caved in. “Fine. But I’m only doing this for her.”

Sebastian jumped and embraced the captain in a warm bear-hug. “Thank you thank you thank you, captain. I swear, we’ll make it up to you.”

The captain, though initially resistant, smiled, and embraced him back. He put his arms around Sebastian’s shoulders and looked him in the eyes. “Make it up to me by clearing her name. She’s done too much good for the city to go down like this.”

Sebastian wiped a single tear from his eye and sniffed. “I promise.”

The captain got up, gave him a courteous nod, and walked away with his arms behind his back. “God help those kids.”