5:18 - Ray -Off duty
Ray smiled as he reached the relative safety of his apartment. It had been a long shift and his body all but demanded a hot shower. He opened the fridge and pulled out a beer. The perfect thing for after the shower.
As the hot water hit his back he closed his eyes and let the water beat the tension out of his shoulders. He had just finished lathering himself up and was putting the soap away as the lights went out.
Five minutes later he looked out the window as he toweld himself off.
"Oh frag...."
The city aroung him was dead.
5:35
Ray was back out on his bike heading back to the station. He knew dispatch wouldn't call them out for at least half an hour, but from what he'd seen, they were going to need every medic on duty.
The grid had been shut down, violently in some places. He was forced to scoot around two cars and was almost clipped by a third as it tried to force its way through. As he caught his breath, the driver of one of the other cars got out.
"Mr. You okay?"
Ray looked up and nodded at the man. "Yeah... thanks. How about you?"
"Fine, just not going anywhere."
Ray nodded then checked the other car. Its driver had already abandoned it for the relative safety of the sidewalk. "You may want to leave the car and find some place to hold-up til' they get the juice on." He suggested.
The man shook his head. "I can't... I have to get home."
Ray shook his head. "From the looks of things nobody's going anywhere."
The man looked at him. "You're moving..."
Ray nodded. "That I am."
There was someting in the man's gaze that Ray found a little disconcerting. "Then you can take me home."
"Sorry," Ray answered. "I'm due at the station."
The man's gaze grew a little more intesnse. "I have to insist," he added.
Ray stiffened, internal alarms starting going off in his head. He'd seen enough mental cases to realize that the man was operating on a different set of rules.
"You will take me home... now," the man said. His tone was low and Ray could hear a faint muttering.
Sudden realization and disbelief registered as he found himself offering the man his helmet. 'Fraggin' mind control....'
He tried to reach for a tranq patch and found his hand back on the throttle.
"I'm sorry," the man told him as he climbed onto the back of Ray's bike. "But I really can't be out here like this...."
Ray nodded and moved out. He had no idea where they were going, but it was obvious the man did.