Sev steadies herself with one of the cables, and looks out the window.
"Yeah...no clue..." She muttered, then let out a small 'huh' as a group of advertisements flicked past , almost unreadable in the tunnel.
"Well theres the answer, I guess."
The remainder of the trip was spent in silence, Sev silently brooding until the train pulled up at the next stop. Eva grasps the arm of the could-be-sleeping Sev, lost in her thoughts, and the two disembark to the surface, standing on the street corner as Eva hails a taxi.
--------------------
"*Sssch*...disturbance at station twelve, a group of tresspassers jumped the...*ssch*...Got lost on a train on platform two, took him a while to get back....*zzt*"
Sparky took her hand off the comms, sighing.
"Can we track where they went?" she said, as she looked out at the planet below.
"I don't know, Sparks. The next station is a while away, and those trains are fast. They could be gone by now."
"Don't bet. They'll take a while in this sort of traffic. We can catch them."
"Alright...I'll get the schematics for the train system. We should be able to track them down."
The transport rocketed towards the station, Sparky taking a seat inside with an exasperated sigh. Her sister had always been a trouble.
A million dollars isn't cool. You know what is cool? A basilisk.
A few seconds into her endeavour to hail one of the many thousands of landmark Manhattan yellow cabs, Evangeline had already procured the services of one such vehicle - pulling over to the side of the road in front of her and Sev.
Evangeline opens the rear door and hops in, quickly shuffling across to the seat opposite leaving room for Sev to enter.
Whilst waiting on Sev, Evangeline retrieves a business card from her pocket and passes it to the driver up front.
Sev sat down in the cab, ignoring the strange look she got from the driver and gave Eva a quizzical grin as the taxi began to drive.
"So where is this place, anyway? Anywhere that advertises with business cards must be fancy..."
Looking around the streets, Sev adjusted the headwear she had almost lost during the escape.
--------------------
Sparky pointed as the figure stepped into the cab.
"There. Thats her."
"Are you sure, Sparks? How can you tell?"
"She's still showing up on the tagger. Its her, alright."
The hovering vehicle turned, keeping near to the taxi, stalking them in the guise of the crowded sky-lanes.
A million dollars isn't cool. You know what is cool? A basilisk.
It's near Battery Park, place called the Cosmopolitan.
I use it every time we wash up on Manhattan. It has a Starbucks right underneath it and I mean I'm a pretty simple person - give me a donut and coffee in the morning and I'm happy for the day.
Which reminds me.
When we get there I'm buying you a latte.
Evangeline turns to face Sev, a cheeky smile evident on her face.
The taxi steadily meanders across the thickly-populated urban streets, the driver seemingly well versed in not paying any attention to the more unusual customers that he is asked to serve.
Sev returned Eva's smile with a look of confusion.
"And that would be...?"
Her puzzled look met Eva's deadpan, 'you can't be serious' look.
The taxi wove through the streets of manhattan towards Battery Park, as Eva did her best to explain what a Latte was- and by extension, most different types of coffee. As they pulled up, Sev was that much more knowledgable- However, she still didn't understand the appeal of it. Stepping out of the taxi, she looked at Eva.
"It seems to be a pretty potent drug...Are you sure its safe?" she said, making clear her rather substandard knowledge of the world around her.
A million dollars isn't cool. You know what is cool? A basilisk.
Evangeline swipes her credit card through an electronic device, paying the fare instantly. She then hauls herself out of the taxi and adjusts her jeans by wriggling from side to side, having been couped up in the confines of the back seat for some time.
Is it safe?
Probably not. It's Starbucks, after all.
In any case. It's on the house.
Evangeline wanders into the ground floor cafeteria and, as if having prior experience, promptly takes a place at the end of the short queue waiting to be served.
Sev blinks a couple of times.
"Uh...no. None of us are. We're pristine, any defects are...well, removed."
She shakes her head a little, throwing herself out of the 'clone' mindset.
"But still...I'm not really interested."
Standing shoulder to shoulder with Eva, the girl gave a quick glance around. The crowd stymied her, chaos and disorganisation. It was foreign, something she didn't like one bit.
A million dollars isn't cool. You know what is cool? A basilisk.
Evangeline and Sev eventually reach the front of the queue line. Upon being recognised by the young man serving the counter he, without even saying a single word, begins making a coffee.
Evangeline smiles and chuckles softly, watching the barista perform his duties - Evangeline having made such a habit of her morning coffee that she was now well known by the staff.
In the midst of pouring Eva's drink, the man looks up and notices Sev standing beside her, having first assumed the pair were separate - Evangeline, as the only coffee drinker in the family, usually attending alone.
What'll your friend have, Cassie? The same as me, sweetie.
The young man receives a warm smile along with Eva's reply, prompting him to quickly get to work.
Sev gave Eva a slight look, crossing her arms.
"Well, if you're sure..." she muttered, still unconvinced this stuff was good for her.
--------------------
The hovering transport came to rest across the street, on top of one of the skyscrapers. Sparky quickly departed, her binoculars scanning the mass of bodies in the lobby for the one she was looking for.
"I'm sure she's there." She said adamantly. "The tracker is pinging nice and loud, she can't be anywhere but inside."
As she spoke, a pair of vehicles rose to the rooftop, depositing the rest of her squad.
"Well, it doesn't matter. We have her now..."
A million dollars isn't cool. You know what is cool? A basilisk.
The young man finishes making both drinks and punches some numbers into a small hand-held console. Evangeline swipes her credit card through it, paying her dues instantly.
She picks up the small cardboard holder the coffees came in and, balancing it in her hands, proudly waltzes out of the building - whilst doing so she expertly removes one of the two cups and hands it to Sev.
It's gonna be hot so don't burn your tongue, alright?
Dodging a plethora of pedestrian traffic she briskly re-enters the same tower block from a door adjacent the Starbucks establishment, climbing a flight of stairs and arriving at the hotel lobby.
The Cosmopolitan presents itself as decidedly historical and traditional establishment. Grandiose, creamy sandstone walls and polished marble floors adorn a large, open plan foyer with a front desk situated against one wall directly opposite the entrance. Aside the reception is a winding staircase and elevator combination, the primary link to the rooms on the floors above.
Evangeline confidently strides past the secretary, the young attendants' gaze observing her and Sev with mild suspicion as the couple walk across the foyer to the elevator.
Having held Evangeline as a guest on numerous prior occasions, the staff of the Battery Park Cosmopolitan were no longer surprised by any of the odd people Evangeline brought back with her - nor her occasionally bedraggled appearance - nor the periodically boisterous nature of her assumed associates - nor the fact she carries an infant around with no apparent male interest.
Nonetheless she was a paying, repeat customer - thus thoroughly ignored.
![[Image: DatAssSig.gif]](http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn23/beyer_garratt/Discovery%20Freelancer/DatAssSig.gif)
![[Image: CosmoHotel.gif]](http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn23/beyer_garratt/Discovery%20Freelancer/CosmoHotel.gif)