Through my extensive research and notes, I was well aware that the first domino had already fallen, and that was the incident that first put the Doctor on law enforcement’s radar. Still, the case would soon be dropped and completely botched by the local police.
"In a little over a year, he will be captured, wherein he will rot in jail for a year before going on trial. Right now, he should be in full swing with his inheritance schemes." With that vocalized thought bouncing around the library, I flipped forward a few pages and got to the end of his story.
"Sigh, the coward hung himself before his conviction; I hate when they do stupid shit like that." Rolling my eyes, I thought of a few well-known Serial Killers who were far more clever and intelligent than Harlow and couldn’t help but want to meet some of them as well, especially the ones who had a pattern of releasing extra victims’ names every year from behind bars.
Closing the book, I got up and returned it to the shelf I had found it on before opening my eyes back on the train.
Night had already fallen, and a quick look around the train car was enough to tell me that we were getting near our destination.
People were gathering their belongings and holding them in their laps, a common action for experienced travelers who wished to dart off the train as soon as possible.
Propping my elbow on the armrest of my seat and looking out the window as the world went by, I thought about my next few steps.
It was approximately 6-7 miles from the train station to get to the town of Hyde, where Harlow lived, and while I could try and catch another train there, I figured it would be easier just to get a map, check the exact location, and run.
After all, I could move more fluidly and quickly on foot, probably clearing that distance in only five or six minutes versus goin by car, which was around 22-25 minutes, or train, which would take another hour with all the in-between stops.
A few minutes later, the train pulled into the Piccadilly Station, Manchester’s main train station, and the passengers exited in droves, allowing me to blend in with the crowd easily…well, I would have been able to if there wasn’t an annoying brat who spotted me all alone.
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"Mummy, why is that little boy all alone?" the shrill voice of a small girl, no older than me, caught my attention, making me look back at her and her mother, who was holding her hand tightly so as not to lose her daughter in the crowd.
’Fucking kid,’ I grumbled as all of a sudden multiple eyes locked on my small stature with worried and curious expressions.
"Little boy, are you alright?" The mother, a woman in her late 20s, asked while dragging her daughter toward me.
"Yes, Mum, I am supposed to meet my papa; he is waiting over there," speaking with a perfect British accent, I pointed into the distance where a few men in suits were coincidently waiting around for something.
You may be asking, why the accent? Well, the last thing I wanted was to muddy the situation more by being an American child alone at a busy train station.
"I see; hurry along then; we don’t want you getting lost or, worse yet, snatched up." Giving me a pat on the head before checking that I was bundled up properly as it was a chilly night, the woman continued expressing her concern for my well-being. She stood by with her daughter before watching me carefully so that I didn’t get kidnapped or anything.
Apparently, that was already a common occurrence here in the UK. Unlike in the States, where the people weren’t as united as they used to be post-WWII, the people here looked out for each other.
"Yes, Mum, I’ll be going now," playing the part of a polite little boy, I hurried off in the direction of the men. Still, now that I had been singled out, I’d have to throw people off my tail, so the moment I got close enough to one of the men, I hijacked him with Coersion and had him act like my father long enough to exit the station alone…80 British pounds richer and map of the area in hand.
’That was annoying,’ uncapping a water bottle filled with particle water, I took a few sips and felt the pleasant wash of particles expanding out of my stomach while watching my PC tick back up slowly.
Storing away the bottle of Particle Water, I took in my surroundings and found that the buildings were tall enough for me to get my bearings, so without a second thought, I augmented my legs and disappeared from the spot I had been standing, only to appear on the top of the tower-like roof of the station several stories above the ground.
Had anyone been watching, I would have suddenly vanished, like a ghost, because I had accelerated to my top speed within a fraction of a second, too fast for the eyes of non-Rankers to keep up with.
Now out of sight and hidden thanks to night falling on the City of Manchester, I stood, crouched on the corner of Piccadilly Station’s tower, glancing out over the bustling City like some dark avenger from a comic book.
’Hm, I need to be more careful; I almost got caught there…’ Glancing down at a telephone pole, I spotted a large white box, one I had recognized from watching British TV in the Origin Timeline.
’I didn’t expect that CCTV would be so widespread already….sigh, this makes things more annoying than I wanted them to be. At this rate, I’ll have to push my body to avoid getting caught on camera.’ Expanding out my perception, I carefully examined every street and intersection in the nearby vicinity, looking for all the cumbersome boxes, and to my dismay, they were EVERYWHERE.
’Damn, alright, think, what is the framerate of those cameras…’