(Untitled)

[mods_in_space]

That night, there are thousands down in the tunnels. Crawling like ants. Worker ants, on and off the trains, single file, clustered together, moving as one. Each one completely oblivious of the others. Nearly 10pm and it was rush hour on the Miranda Subway

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[runaway_logan]

Logan had been on a train heading back to Tifton, and he swore as the power went out and the train stopped. There was a faint glow of orange keeping the train sort of lit, but he could hardly make out more than shapes and movements.

Slumping in the plastic seat, Logan figured he should at least be glad his money was all back at Neil's place, locked up safe. All he had on himself was his fake ID, a metro pass, and twenty credits. Nothing worth taking.

People were whispering about the killer. The deaths. And Logan rolled his eyes as he listened to some girl sob down her mobile communicator to her 'mommy'.

"I hate this damn planet," he muttered.

[maintain_right]

As did Fraser, at times, but now didn't seem the ideal juncture to mention it. Hoping to visit one of Tifton's parks - a better place than his tiny apartment to mull over what he'd found at the murder scene - Fraser was just as unhappy as Logan to find his journey interrupted.

Dief trotted over to the boy immediately, pleased to see him again. Or smell, as was more likely the case in the near perfect dark.

[runaway_logan]

Logan half nearly jumped out of his skin when Dief nudged him, and then let out a long sigh as he realized it was just the wolf.

"Where's your owner huh?" he asked, knowing the animal couldn't answer that as he scratched behind his ears. He fished in his pocket for his com device, and flipped it open, shedding a little light on himself and the wolf.

[maintain_right]

"Hello," said Fraser, coming forward after a moment. He had a closer look at the boy's face in the com light. It looked better, but Fraser couldn't say for certain whether there were new bruises. "How are you, Logan?"

[runaway_logan]

"Uh... kind of shitty?" Logan replied honestly, shrugging it off as if that were normal. "Uh, how about you?" he asked, being as polite as he ever got.

[maintain_right]

"I'm well, thank you." The truth was, Fraser felt far more alive than he had in some time, now that he had a real case to work on. It was a feeling that filled him with shame - he had no right to profit from a young girl's death, but there was no denying that the thought of purpose was...a fulfilling one.

"I trust you've found somewhere to stay."

[runaway_logan]

"Uh, actually... I went home," Logan shrugged, looking away. "No place better than that, right?" he asked with a quiet laugh, his fingers still stroking Dief's fur.

[maintain_right]

"I feel that way about mine," said Fraser, though he didn't appear convinced that Logan felt the same way about his own. "Are you on your way there now?"

[runaway_logan]

"Well, I was," Logan laughed. "Looks like there's been a change of planes, huh? Go figure, the one night I actually am eager to get back home is the night I get trapped on the subway."

[maintain_right]

Fraser looked around the darkened car and repressed a sigh. Dark, cramped places weren't his favourite place to be - if he'd had the time to walk to Tifton, he would've never gotten on the subway at all.

"Does this happen often?" he asked.

[runaway_logan]

"Uh, no. Can't think of the last time it did, actually," Logan sighed. "Pretty unusual. Bad timeing too, what with the murders and everything."

[maintain_right]

"Which are also unusual," said Fraser. Crime was a frequent occurrence in Siam, he'd grown used to that. But these...these murders were of a different sort entirely. They were premeditated, for one, and apparently the killers were after more than just money or drugs, they were after hearts.

"We would all do well to be careful." Fraser turned his head to look at Logan, outlined in the orange glow of the emergency lights. "Even those of us used to danger."

[runaway_logan]

Logan laughed a little at that an nodded. "Maybe, I dunno. People don't usually try and kill me. Kidnapping, theft, those are my big worries man. If I added anything else to the list I'd live in fear."

[maintain_right]

"Still, I think you ought to be wary of strangers." Fraser can't help but think of how readily Logan would have gone with him the night they met. His reluctance had only come when he realised Fraser was asking him home for something other than sex. "At least for the time being."

[runaway_logan]

"No worries, I meet anyone with transport and candy, I'll think twice before offering to suck their licorice," Logan laughed.

"Crazy though, huh? All the people just getting, like, shot... Like, no real reason or whatever, just getting tied up and killed."

[maintain_right]

"Crazy is a very good word for it." And then Fraser did sigh, because it was all so senseless. There was death on Oublié, perhaps even moreso than in Siam, but at least death there was easier to accept. If a person succumbed to the elements, their death was sad, certainly. But not horrifying. Not like these murders.

It wasn't the first time Fraser had wanted to go home, but today the ache was very hard to bear.