Allergic Reaction: 04

- Hands up!

Said a voice belonging to someone by the police car. The siren's colors didn't let me see the person's face but all I knew was that it was pointing a gun at me. I did what I was told. With my hands up I was about five meters away from the car.

- I'm just going home.

- With your hands up, move slowly towards me.

Now that my heartbeat had calmed down a little, I noticed it was a woman's voice. She was probably alone since no one else came out of the car.

- Officer, that is the last train, please let me go.

- Take the hoodie off then the mask. Do it slow using one hand keeping the other behind your head.

I was so close I could see. My train.

- Officer, I live in the slums without that train I have no way of getting home.

After I did what she asked, I was standing in front of the car blind by the red and blue lights. Deep down I knew I wouldn't get that train but I couldn't just give up, even though it was useless to argue with a cop.

- Well then this is not your lucky day.

She stepped into the light and I could see her face. Long red hair tied up in a tall ponytail, the red siren light made it look like it was on fire. Her skin was black, glowing in a metallic shade of blue, she didn't look at all like the cops I had met before. Her clothes were casual meaning she was probably off duty or undercover, waiting for some idiot in a hurry.

- Drop the bag and put your face over the hood.

Her voice wasn't loud or angry, just extremely firm. I could tell she wasn't kidding, if I tried anything she would put me down with no second thoughts, so again I followed her instructions, dropped my bag and laid my face on the cold car hood facing the front window with my palms above my head glued to the metal.

When I was immobile in the most humiliating and vulnerable position ever, I heard boots knocking against the asphalt coming towards my unprotected ass. I held my breath not to jump when she touched me, searching for weapons or drugs. With the right hand she started on my wrist and slid down my arm to my armpit, which she pressed hard. I resisted not to jump with the tingling. Then she went to my sides, waist, thighs then up again but on the inner side to the tricky moment. I was very anxious because I knew there was a gun pointed to my head the whole time but who can be ok with a stranger shoving their hand on your crotch.

When she finished, she had found nothing but my screen and id. The officer stepped back and I heard the sound of a gun being put back on the holster.

- You can stand up now.

For as humiliating as that position was I didn't want to stand knowing that by that time my train would have left already. Against my inner will I pulled myself up just to confirm what I knew, the station was empty again.

- I'm sorry but I had to. You were running in the dark with your face all covered. - on her hands she had my ID.

- Yeah.- Letting my body rest against the car, I looked at her. She did have a softer look on her eyes.

-You're Sato, 24 years old. You said you live in the lower Tier, correct?

- Yes, officer.

-What's in your bag, Sato?

Under the mixed lights it was hard to know what was the color of her eyes. They kept drawing me into them. She wasn't old at all, maybe in her early thirties. A bit smaller than me but not too much. High cheekbones, round lips, confident expression. If only all cops were this good looking it would be harder to dislike them.

- My camera and some lenses.

- Are you a photographer?

- Sometimes.

- Pick it up and open it for me, please.- She actually used the magic word. Maybe this woman is shitting with me, it was a bit suspicious to prank someone that time of the night.

My head was filled with questions mixed with anger while I picked the bag up and opened it slowly in front of me. The woman was a few steps away, she pulled something out of her holster and stepped towards me. I was intrigued, with nothing to lose to a little stare game. We locked eyes. I wanted to know her intentions, if I would get beaten up and left to die at least I would prepare myself. Since I didn't back up when she got closer, I sensed she had caught up with my thoughts.

- All cleared.- she stated after inspecting my bag with a mini flashlight - You can get that train now.

- My train is long gone, officer.- I said closing my bag then hanging it on one shoulder.

Now that we were done the woman was standing with her arms crossed staring at me with a stiff face. She was probably disappointed for not finding anything on someone acting so suspicious but that was the joy of my days, making cops waste their time - it could've been some other day but it was fun anyways.

- Get in.

- What?- I stood up as she opened the driver's door - You didn't find anything!

- I know.- Again that soft look.

- What?!

- I'll give you a ride home.- She entered the car, started the engine - Get in or would you rather sleep in the city?- That eyebrow raise wasn't fair.

Getting in a car with a cop was never good. I had no way of knowing what she would do, something was telling me that if she wanted to hurt me she would've done it. I mean it was an empty street in the middle of the night, perfect location.

- When you put it like that…

While I walked around the car to the passenger's seat I felt her eyes on me as if she looked away for a second, I would run off somewhere. Getting a ride from a cop was a weird thing, even weirder when you're doing it by choice. As honest as she sounded I couldn't tell if she was being genuinely kind or she was just another psychopath ready to eliminate me and throw my body into the river. I just didn't feel safe when the door closed.

- To the lower Tier, right, Mr. Sato?

- Are you sure about this, officer?

- Yes, I am.

She definitely knew what I meant. The police weren't welcomed in the slums, not by the people and neither by the Trinity. What illegal organization would appreciate having the police wandering around their territory. Not to mention they didn't even know how to walk around without getting lost, the place was a labyrinth of buildings where half of the streets weren't in the system. Eventually the police gave up, leaving the Trinity to run the place. Of course that wasn't the official version, they still sent officers to patrol the entrance and stations to make it look good on camera but nothing further than that.

It was an unsafe, very unusual situation for both of us.

Shortly after we took off, we were on one of the four highways in the island, it was built to slide between the lit up skyscrapers like a delivery boy, knitting the local traffic. Inside I was biting my nails in silence, certain I was heading to a death trap.

- I'm officer Abrom.

That was so sudden I even jumped on my seat. We were silent for 10 minutes straight without any signs of conversation. Everything was awkward but she didn't seem uncomfortable with it.

- You already know my name.- I wasn't sure how to respond.

- Single name.

- Yeah…- That was one hell of a chat. She had no facial expressions, eyes looking straight to the road and her voice was blunt, leaving nothing to interpretation.

- I'm not taking you to a trap, Sato, you can relax. - She finally looked my way for a quick second.

- Yeah I know. I just don't have a good history with cops.

There wasn't much to be said, we went silent for a while and I kept staring at the window, watching the buildings go by. My eyes began to feel heavy, I didn't want to make small talk, just wanted to get home, skip the bath and go straight to the sleeping part.

- I'm sorry for that.

Even though she was looking at the road again I knew she had those soft eyes on. Only a subtle change, something about how she relaxed her eyebrows as if letting her guard down for a second. Interesting woman was officer Abrom, for as much as I wanted to not think about it she had picked my interest. A cop that apologizes is just too ironic.

The car went right back into silence after our little chat. Wasn't an uncomfortable silence, this time was a normal one. I was too tired to talk and officer Abrom was not the easiest person to chat with, neither was she a chatter.

Longly staring at the dark view in a quiet place, hit me hard, and to my surprise I fell asleep involuntarily.

I felt the car going down and I woke up with a jump. It was the end of the highway and we were entering the local streets. Fixing myself on the seat I looked around to see where I was. Everything looked in order, people on the sidewalks, some waiting in line to enter the nightclubs, old men arguing over a bottle of some cheap liquor, peddlers selling alcohol and food, typical scenarios of the lower Tier.

- You can drop me off here.- I picked up my bag from the car floor.

- Are you sure?

- Yes, it's probably best you don't be hanging around here for too long.

- Don't worry about me.- She said with a grin I didn't know if it was arrogance or just naivety.

- I'm not worried, officer, but here is fine really.

- At your service.

She began to park and the tramps that were leaning on the walls and nearby cars cleared the place smoothly. Everyone knew how Force cars looked like, even the simpler models. No one wanted to make contact with the police, they couldn't be trusted. Always making scenes at the entrance, searching people who got off the train, entering establishments to threaten the owners. They couldn't go inside, so they camped at the door, pissing all over our lives.

When we were finally parked a bit distant from the main street, it was time to say goodbye to the weirdest situation I had ever been on.

- Well…- Showing gratitude to a police officer wasn't my strong suit - Thank you for the ride.

- No problem. Be careful out there.

As I heard the doors unlock, I opened mine setting the yellow car light on. With one foot out of the car, I turned to say goodbye when I saw it. Green natural eyes. A humble shade of green, very light but they popped so bright against her skin, drawing me inside like a black hole. I was left staring at her with no words in my mouth.

- Dont worry about me, officer Abrom.- Finally I said.