Page 4 of Urban Justice

Sloane thought hard about it. One thing she hadn’t wanted to do was get too close. At 5 feet 8, she wasn’t short, but it would give a clue about her gender, especially since he’d appeared quite large. By keeping in the shadows, and wearing the suit that toned down her curves, it was two ways to keep them guessing. From what she could see, he was over six feet, had broad shoulders, and the way he moved, a definite athlete of some sort. Under the low light and helmet on his head, she could see some strands of hair. His jaw was scared and covered with a dark beard. His eyes gleamed, although it was impossible to know their color, and that annoyed her. Since she’d left the tunnels, the stranger had lingered in her mind, which annoyed her even more. What caught her attention, though, was how he hadn’t been afraid of her.

“Not really. Not enough to get a decent composite drawing. One thing did strike me though. You know how most people we face just freeze when we appear, seeing our suit and mask? Well, instead of cowering before me, he moved into a fighting position. He either has police or military training, or I had the most ruthless villain known to humanity in front of me.”

With a groan, Lance rolled his shoulders, getting restless. “We’re chasing our tails, and most probably for nothing. Let’s get back to our main mission.”

“I’m with you on that. However, we’ve checked all the possible tunnels from all the maps we could find and checked all known entries and we’re back at the same point. Maybe we could get more team members on it. More eyes, more resources, may solve the puzzle.”

Lance pushed himself up and crossed his arms. “Not an option. The more we’re in the field together, the more visible we are. We need to remain out of sight, stay a ghost if we want to continue our mission.”

With a sigh, Sloane planted her smaller frame straight in front of him, not at all intimidated. “We’ve installed countless cameras in the tunnels. I watched hours of video footage until my eyes almost bled. All that for what happened tonight. There must be another entrance, one that threw me off, and where the trio was heading. They got inside at one point and out at another undetected. There are probably hundreds of access points. We may have overlooked some of them.”

“That’s my theory, too. Vanish for maybe a couple of yards, pop up somewhere else. They may have forced an exit inside a building which is even better for them. There’s still one problem. We’re at a disadvantage down there, and what we know or have found so far isn’t enough. Knowledge is power.”

“If Devin hasn’t dug up the info, it means it doesn’t exist.”

Lance’s mouth quirked. “Not everything can be uncovered on the web. Sometimes, you have to dig into people’s minds.”

Her boss and friend ignited a flare of hope. After sitting down again, he closed all the windows but one. An article from the Chicago Tribune glowed on the screen.

Sloane blinked a couple of times before frowning. “An article about how the old tunnels should be declared part of Chicago’s heritage and protected for future generations? Unless they provide an exact map, I don’t see how that is helpful.”

Not answering her quip, Lance zoomed in on the part of the text where a Professor Radcliffe from Chicago University explained the historical value of the infrastructure and how it was a reflection of the city.

“He’s a professor of Urban History. He’s written quite a few papers on the tunnels here in Chicago, and I think that if anyone has the answers, it’s him.”

It was her turn to smile this time, her purpose returning with a vengeance. “Never thought I’d ever say it, but I believe I’m going back to school.”

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