"We gotta go, people," I said, looking at the approaching crowd.
"Is this some sort of riot?" Giannetti questioned.
"After what we just witnessed, I don't think so, Gavino," Sano countered.
"You heard Detective Hunt. Get in and head to Bellevue," Cook ordered.
Sano and Giannetti helped me into a cruiser. Eddie didn't waste time and burnt off in a hurry. It didn't feel right running from a potential riot as a police officer. Yet, something was telling me that it was anything but a riot. The alarming lack of commuters on the streets and pedestrians was disturbing. The people we did see needed clarification about what was happening to the city. Every person we saw flagged our convoy of squad cars down. We gave them the same answer. Get out of the city or head to Bellevue. It was the only place we knew was still operational. Kremer and Cook split the remaining officer up and went to every nearby precinct.
As the cruiser pulled into Bellevue's underground park lot, the building looked like a refugee camp. Civilians were piling in from the streets or for buses entering the garage. At least the word was getting out. The local news reported on more attacks like the one we'd dealt with all over the city. Bellevue was one of only three other emergency locations. Mount Sinai West and Gracie Square are the other two. A couple of nurses met us in the garage. After a quick check, they determined I would be fine. Just minor cuts and bruises. The underground parking lot acted as a temporary command post. Chief Sean Hudson was briefing a large group of detectives and officers.
"Alright, settle down, people. There's a crisis occurring in the city for sure. We don't know whether this is a terrorist attack or something else. What we do know is certain parts of the city seem unaffected. Civilians are either unaware or under some sort of influence. This is likely from a widespread controlled substance or chemical exposure. All available emergency services are being routed here or to the two other locations. Do not approach anyone acting strange or seem uninterested in general," The Chief explained.
"What about those monsters attacking every damn station in the city?" a detective asked.
"Where's the rest of the force, for that matter? Over half our precinct didn't show up this morning," another Captain said.
"Has anyone even contacted the Mayor or the Governor?" an officer asked.
"No, we have no contact with the Mayor, Governor, or One Police Plaza. Chief O'Hannon is working with what's left of EMS, and Chief Hudson is handling the fire department. The local news is assisting as much as possible," Chief Wilkes said.
"Hell, damn near every channel is acting like it's business as usual," Captain Cook said.
"Someone needs to contact the mayor's office," Detective Giannetti stated. "Go in person if we have too," he added.
"The last detective I sent hasn't returned or answered his phone since all this began," Chief Wilkes said.
"Then someone else needs to go," Captain Kremer said.
"I'll go," I said.
"Me too," Eddie added.
I was about to say something when the Chief put his hand up. Wilkes was a veteran of the gulf war. The man is a calm and collected individual. The Chief would only allow me or Eddie to go with backup.
"Anyone want to volunteer to go with them? I'm not about to send any more of us into a strange situation if I can help it," Wilkes said.
"Sano and I will go," Giannetti said. The two stepped up.
"So are we," a familiar voice said.
Kyle and Tate were here, and they looked pissed. Despite their swat vests and boots, they still wore tight-fitting pencil dresses. The two vixens must have been in a hurry. That also meant Camilla and the others were already here. I felt a great deal of relief knowing they were here. Then I spotted Ben and Agent Aniston arriving. Seeing the feds show up sparked a roar of questions, and both Agents were swarmed. Chief Wilkes pats me on the back.
"You better get going. I don't know what's going down, but we need the mayor here," the Chief said.
"I hear you, Chief," I said.
Eddie and I rearmed at the makeshift armor someone set up. Gavino and Emiko did the same. Bob started grabbing gear as with James Wesley.
"What do you think you're doing?" I questioned.
"I'm going with you. You think I'm going to miss this story for any reason?" James countered. "Besides, I know how to get into the mayor's office discreetly. I think we'll need stealth on this one," he added.
I wanted to say no, but something bothered me about what he said. After the attack at the station, this reporter might be right.
____
Tate stopped the car after seeing the police checkpoint leading to the Mayor's office. I was about to ask why when I saw civilians aiding the patrol officers. Emiko leaned in, witnessing the discrepancy. They weren't just helping but taking certain people out of cars. We watched in horror as people were carried away. Over the radio, the news reported that all the schools were being evacuated by the national guard. The only way that was possible was if the Mayor ordered it.
"We better walk from here, or we'll be getting dragged off," James said.
He was sandwiched between Sano and Bob. The others were in the other vehicle behind us. Hannah pulls the car over and parks in an alley. Rachael pulls in behind our cruiser. Our makeshift team gathers gear. Eddie makes one last call to Captain Kremer, telling him to get the word out not to come to the Mayor's office. James was up now. We still had several blocks to go. Bob took point with Eddie while I took the rear. A few people ran into the alley with us. They were in shock and thought we were about to capture them. Gravino acted fast, calming them down, and told them where to go.
James led us down several alleyways. Crossing over from block to block was harrowing. It was like we were in a hostile warzone. I tried my best to get any civilians fleeing the area to head to one of the three emergency locations. The closer we got; the more people were acting strange. People were pretending to help and then taking people to the checkpoints. I couldn't believe this was happening in our own city.
"Where to now, James?" Eddie asked.
"We are going in that building. My Dad used to work for the city. There's sewer access that will bypass those checkpoints," James said.
"You gotta be shitting me?" Giannetti countered. "It'll take us right up in an alley across the street," he added.
"You better be right about this, or Thomas here is going to nail you to the wall," Hannah stated. "Right, buddy," Tate added.
I got her meaning. There was no way Hannah was going in a sewer without reason. "Damn, right," I replied.
Eddie, James, Emiko, and Rachael crossed over first, dipping into the building before being seen. Just as the door closes, a patrol cruiser slowly creeps down the street. The four of us duck behind cover. 'These are supposed to be our guys, and we're hiding from them.' The cruiser stopped right where we had to cross. I kept my head down as a car door slammed. Hannah, Gravino, and Bob press against their hiding spots. I could hear the officer's breathing on the other side of the dumpster.
"There's no one there," someone said.
"Yeah, sure," a closer voice said.
The sound of footsteps trailed away before a door opens and closes. A moment later, the cruiser was gone. The crazy part was that the officers sounded normal, yet they dragged people out of cars. When it was safe, we hurried across the street to the building. James opened the door as soon as we were up the stairs. He slammed the door behind us once we were in.
"That was nerve-racking," Gravino stated.
"Is there some kind of revolution going on in this city?" Hannah asked.
"I'll take a revolution over whatever is happening here," Eddie whispered.
"We're dealing with monsters and possessed people. Get that through your heads. None of this is normal," James stated.
"The reporter is right. Parker and Henry died because of these demons. So did a lot of our old crew," Bob countered.
"We can go over the theories behind this shit after we find the Mayor," I said.
James took us to the basement of the building. It was old and dated back to the 1800s. As the reporter said, there was a sewer access hatch. I went down first, clearing both ways. It was dark as hell but clear. Eddie came down next, then Bob. Detective Giannetti was the last down. Aside from the smell and rats running around, things were going according to plan.