Charlie walked a few paces behind Ami as they weaved between the maze of downtown, as to not draw any suspicion. A Hologuard escort would undoubtedly draw stares. The atmosphere outside was heavy, anxious even. There was more debris than usual on the dirty asphalt, loose pamphlets and even some broken lenses littered the pathways. Ami notices what looked like a few drops of blood on the ground scattered in the mess. Hushed whispers and dark glances were exchanged by the speckled crowds she passed between. There must have been some sort of altercation with the Hologuards after she fled to the park, judging by the looks they were giving Charlie.

But it was only when the crowd started to clear around them that Ami knew something was very wrong. As Ami stepped forward, she noticed an arm reaching out to her right, blocking a group of neon-antlered girls from stepping in front of her. Next, there was a shout, then high-pitched whistle to her left. She turned to see a group of black - cloaked men and women lining up, pushing people out of the way in front of her. Each of their faces, stoic and focused - stared through her.

Ami's eyes darted forward, looking for an escape through the growing group that was weaving their way through the crowded streets. She ducked her head down, hoping to make a break for it, and started to dash forward. There were more shouts, left and right, sprinkled through the streets.

Ami turned the final corner that led to the stairs of her room, only to find a line of rat-masks, shoulder to shoulder, blocking her path. Her chest heaved in a panic, and she turned around to see Charlie, struggling in the grip of two large masked men holding his arms. His eyes stared at Ami in a desperate panic. There was a black cloth tightly wrapped around his mouth, gagging him. Ami watched as Charlie pushed all his weight against the rat-masked man on his left, shoving him against the exposed brick wall with a grunt. The large man holding his right arm pulled him back to the street, then took a small silver rod from his belt, then placed it on Charlie's exposed neck with force.

Ami watched in horror as Charlie's amber eyes went wide, then closed with a flickering blink. His legs folded underneath him and his head slumped forward as he fell to the ground with a sickly thump.

There was no running from this.

"What do you want?" Ami screamed at the emotionless metal rat faces, her voice echoing in the silent, claustrophobic walls of the alley.

But before she could get an answer, something was placed over her head, blocking her vision. She swung her arms around her, trying to fight off the invisible enemies. She then tried to tear the canvas bag off her face, only to find it had been tied tight around her neck by some sort of plastic contraption. Her arms thwacked against what felt like one of the metal rat masks, sending a stinging jolt through her arm. She clawed her hands out in desperation, but now she felt no one around her.

All was quiet except for the loud, hot breaths beneath the mask, and the heavy thumping of her heart rattling her head. She cried out again, but all was silent around her. Ami dropped to her knees on the hard ground, waiting for the worst.

Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in the back of her neck. Ami reached behind, swatting blindly, and her palms wrapped around a glass capsule. She pulled it out in a panic, sweating hands almost losing grip on the smooth surface, but it was too late. The needle had punctured her skin.

Goodnight.