Chapter 29 Chapter 29 The Coffee Shop in Distress

Hans and his wife recommended a coffee shop nearby, and they went in. Thomas had never been to a place like this, or at least he couldn't remember.Customers lined up at the counter, waiting to buy coffee and pastries, and when they got them, they either went to the table or walked out.He watched and saw a nervous old lady always pulling up her surgical mask to drink her hot drink.A guard in a red shirt stands at the door with a hand-held device that checks randomly every few minutes or so for anyone infected with the Flare; equipment. Thomas sat at a table in the corner with Minho and Brenda, while Jorge went to get food and drinks.Thomas's eyes kept falling on a man in his mid-thirties, sitting on a nearby bench, in front of the large window that looked out onto the street.Thomas hadn't touched his coffee since he and his friends had been here, and the cup was stale.The man was just hunched over, elbows on knees, hands casually folded, staring straight at a spot on the other side of the coffee shop.

The expression on his face looked a little disturbed and blank.His eyes were almost floating in their sockets, but there was also a hint of pleasure.When Thomas pointed it out to Brenda, she whispered that the guy was probably on the Paradise Drug, and that if he got caught, he'd be in jail.Thomas's heart skipped a beat, and he wished the man would leave quickly. Jorge came back with sandwiches and steaming cups of coffee, and the four of them ate and drank in silence.Thomas knew, they both understood the urgency of the situation, but there was still time to rest and recharge, and he was grateful.

When they finished eating and were about to leave, Brenda sat still in her seat. "Would you mind waiting outside for a few minutes?" she asked.Her expression couldn't be more clear, she was speaking to Jorge and Minho. "What did you say?" Minho replied, with an angry tone, "Are there so many secrets?" "No, I promise it's not what you think. I need a moment. I need to talk to Thomas about something." Strange, but also curious, Thomas sat back. "Say it," he said, and said to Minho at the same time, "You know I never hide anything from you, and she knows it too."

His friend grumbled, but walked away with Jorge, and the two waited on the sidewalk, not far from the window.Minho suddenly smirked at Thomas and waved his hand, he was obviously mocking Thomas, it seemed that he was not happy at all.Thomas waved to him too, then looked at Brenda. "Well, what do you want to tell me?" he asked. "I know we've got to hurry up so I'm going to finish this quickly. We don't have time alone anymore and I just want you to know that what happened in the Scorched Earth wasn't an operation. I'm working there and helping Taking care of business, but I did get close to you, and it did change me, and I think there's a few more things you need to know. About me, about Prime Minister Page, about—"

Thomas raised his hand, interrupting her. "Please stop." She stopped, a look of surprise on her face. "What's wrong? Why?" "I don't want to know anything. I don't want to know a thing. I care about what we're going to do from now on, not your past, or mine, or even WICKED's past. It doesn't matter, we gotta go gone." "But--" "Stop it, Brenda, I mean it. We've gotten to this point, we have a purpose, and that's what we need to focus on, and stop talking." She met his gaze, didn't say any more, then lowered her head, looking at the hands on the table. "Then what I'm saying is, I understand you're doing the right thing and going in the right direction, and I'm going to do my best to continue to help."

Thomas hoped he hadn't hurt her feelings, but what he said was exactly what he thought.It was time to let go of this, although she always wanted to tell him something.When he was thinking about how to answer her, his eyes fell on the strange person on the bench again.Thomas saw him take something out of his pocket and press it on the crook of his right elbow.He blinked, closed it again, and opened it after a long time. He seemed a little dazed, and his head slowly leaned against the window sill behind him. The Flame Detector in the red shirt walked into the café, and Thomas turned sideways to get a better view.The man in the red shirt walked towards the bench, but the man who finished taking drugs was still there, sitting calmly.A short woman walked up to the inspector and whispered nervously in his ear.

"Thomas?" Brenda called him. He puts a finger to his lips, and nods toward where the confrontation is about to break out.She sat there and turned away to see what was going on. The redshirt kicked the toes of the guy on the bench, and the guy flinched and looked up.The two started talking, but the coffee shop was so loud that Thomas couldn't make out what they were saying, and the man who had been so relaxed suddenly looked terrified. Brenda turned to Thomas and said, "We've got to get out, right now." "Why?" The atmosphere was tense, but Thomas was curious about what was going to happen.

Brenda was already on her feet. "Come here quickly!" She turned and walked quickly toward the exit, and Thomas finally started to follow her.As soon as he stood up from the chair, the redshirt man drew his pistol and pointed it at the man on the bench, then leaned over and tried to put the detector in his face.But the man flung himself away, lunged forward, and grabbed the detector.Thomas was startled, staring, dumbfounded, and at that moment the gun slid out of sight under the counter, and the two wrestled and slammed into the table and fell to the floor. The red shirt man began to yell, his voice coming from the metal protective mask over his mouth and nose, which sounded like a robot: "We have an infected person! Everyone get out of this building!"

The place was in chaos as if a pot had exploded. Everyone rushed to the only exit, screaming one after another.