Chapter
13
A Serialized Story of the
Not So Distant Future
August 6, 2005
Part Thirty Seven
They visited Misty the next day, Sam and Dawn went up to the hospital. Dodge, Stubs and Baker were already there when they arrived. Dawn had picked up some flowers for Misty, "I hope she wasn't expecting black roses." She remarked.
"Hi Guys!" Misty said with uncharacteristic zeal. "I understand that we both gave them quite a scare." She said to Sam.
"Yeah, that we did." Sam said, "if Dawn had hair, it would be white by now." That brought a chuckle from the rest of the crowd.
"You look good Misty," Dawn said, "how are you feeling?"
"Different. Energized. I wish I could go home but they're holding me for a couple of days for observation."
Dodge was seated on the right side of her bed, holding her hand. "That's alright, I'll try to keep you from being too bored."
"So Sam, what happened to you?" Baker asked.
"I'm not sure, but it might have been low blood sugar or the heat." Sam lied, "I just collapsed on the steps to Misty's apartment. The next thing I knew, Dawn was waking me in the back of her car."
Misty had a wry smile, but she turned to Dodge and asked him for some water so no one would notice.
"So Dawn, are you guys playing tonight?" Stubs asked.
"No, they called Sab's number up, no doubt because he was around me. He's gone underground."
Stubs whistled, "you lose more band members that way."
"Yeah, it sucks." Dawn said.
"You don't play any instruments do you Sam?" Stubs asked.
"Not even the kazoo." Sam said, "I've got no musical talent in my blood."
"I guess it's back to me reading Vogon poetry again." Stubs said.
Sam heard footsteps coming up behind him and turned to see a doctor walking into the room.
"Good morning, I'm Dr. Hoag, I'm the staff psychologist. I'll need some time alone with Misty to ask her a few questions."
Everyone said their goodbyes, and filed out of the room. Baker said he had to get to work, while Stubs and Dodge headed for the cafeteria.
"I've got to go into the city, I'm recruiting a new bass player." Dawn said, "did you want to come Sam? I never asked you if you had plans today."
"No, I'd love to come." Sam said.
Once they were out of the hospital and in Dawn's car she said: "Actually, I got a message that something is planned for tonight, I'm going to meet Johnny to get more info."
"Should I get some bail money now?"
"Nah, wait and see if they catch me first. You're welcome to join me of course, but I'll understand if you don't."
"What kind of boyfriend would I be if I sat by and watched my girlfriend get clubbed and tasered."
"Tasered? The cops hardly use them anymore. Too many deaths, they have Acdens now. They produce low frequency waves that make you feel like you want to die. I was surprised that they didn't use them in Ohio last week, but I guess not every police force has them."
"Sounds like fun." Sam said.
They stopped at a light, and Dawn turned to look Sam in the eye. "Look Sam, I appreciate your support, but you are still recovering from your coma. I don't want you getting hurt on my account."
"I know, but I don't feel good about leaving you out there alone either. What's the protest about anyway?"
"I don't know yet. We don't share anything that can be monitored."
Traffic over the Brooklyn bridge was almost at a standstill. Flashing yellow construction signs had reduced the flow of traffic to just one lane.
"Well this is fun." Sam said.
"What's the matter, don't you like spending quality time with me?" Dawn joked.
"Of course I do Honey Kitten!" Sam said in his most cheerful voice.
"It's a good thing I know you're kidding," Dawn said, "I don't really do the pet name thing."
"Thank God. While we're on the subject, no referring to each other as 'my old man' or 'old lady' either."
"Deal!"
Once they were over the bridge, traffic moved fairly well. Dawn drove up the east side and parked in a garage on Lafayette St.
"There are probably parking spaces around." Sam said.
"Not for us. As a person of interest, any car I drive is subject to search if I park it on the street. These parking garages could even refuse us service, but most of them don't."
The attendent was friendly and polite, they exchanged the keys for a small magnetic card and walked out onto Lafayette.
"This area used to look a lot more grungy." Sam said, as they passed a two story glass mall with a Starbucks in the front. The sidewalks and street were almost clean enough to eat off of, and the crowds walking around were reminiscent of the upper east side.
"Pretty much all of Manhattan looks like this now." Dawn said. "Soho, the Village are just names now, and areas like Harlem have been renamed to 'Guliani's dream' to make them sound more marketable."
"I see we still have Officially Famously Original Rays One of a Kind Unique Pizza." Sam laughed.
"Yeah, there's about 30 of them now, and they all suck." Dawn said.
They walked over to 8th street and went down into the subway, which was an impressive mini-mall on it's own. There was even a large glass chandalier hanging from the ceiling. There was a Barnes & Noble, Starbucks, and Golden Moon Chinese Restaurant on one side, and a giant Music Underground on the other. The floors were brightly tiled and well polished, and soft music was playing overhead.
"Geez, if I knew you were taking me someplace this nice, I would have worn a tux." Sam said.
"Don't worry, you can rent a jacket and tie from the token booth." Dawn said. They brought their cards and went through the turnstyle.
Down below, the subway looked a lot more like it usually did. Sam could hear the strains of a guitar, presumably from Johnny. They stood and listened as he played "All Along the Watchtower," laughing and tossing his head towards a portly man in a pale blue shirt reading a newspaper on a nearby bench.
"Hey Dawnie!"
"Hey Johnny. This is Sam." They shook hands briefly.
"So what's up?" Dawn asked. "Doing anything tonight?"
"Nah, I got to be up early. The band's got a gig in Lexington of all places, we're going to be driving all day."
"Wow, that sucks." Dawn said as she handed him her PDA
"Yeah, but the money's good. We get half the door fee, so that's 10 bucks a head. The cheapest beer is 3 dollars though, so we'll be lucky to break even."
"You guys are going to have to play the Red Eye again soon," Dawn said, "I lost another band member."
"Yeah, I know, Daniela was going to be our drummer but she disappeared as well. We got some kid right now, he's just out of high school, but he's pretty good."
The train came in and Dawn said, "well that's our ride, take care."
They got on the train and Dawn quickly kissed Sam and then leaned into his ear. "We're still not alone." She whispered. Sam thought back to his out of body experience and didn't doubt her for a minute.
They got off at 23rd street, which Sam noted looked exactly the way he remembered train stations, and it smelled like it too.
"Do you like Chinese food?" Dawn asked.
"Sure."
"Great, I know a place that's only a couple of blocks from here."
They crossed Broadway and walked west on 23rd street. "Sorry about the runaround," Dawn said, "it's how we stay ahead of things."
"So what's next?" Sam said.
"Lunch. I meant that part, we have to kill some time and then head down to 3rd street and 10th avenue. We'll go back for the car before that."
"Good, I'm starving."
They went to a small place on 7th Avenue, it was tucked in between a Gap and an Old Navy. The entire restaurant was barely 20 feet wide, and had only a single row of tables running down the length of the restaurant.
Sam ordered Beef Chow Fun, and Dawn ordered Beef and Broccoli. They sat and waited patiently for their meal, Dawn's back was to the enterance.
"Has anyone followed us in yet?"
"No." Sam said, looking up at the enterance.
"Did our chit chat sound real earlier? I always feel self conscious doing that."
"Yeah, you sounded fine. What's on the PDA?"
She waved her hand. "Nothing. That's just some phony files to fool the Hosers. The real info was the 10 bucks, that's 10th Avenue, and 3 dollars is 3rd street. Breaking even, means 3:00, halfway between 12 and 6."
"Damn! That was really good."
"There's some other clues too. Like Johnny always bites his lip when he's about to give the real info and plays with his guitar pick when he's bluffing for the feds."
"But what if you don't know Johnny and you want to join."
"It's a word of mouth system." Dawn said. "We operate in cells, so that no one can ever reveal all the other members. I know a lot of faces from the protests, but we don't even try to learn each other's names. The less we know the better."
" I got three passports, a couple of visas,
You dont even know my real name" Sam sang softly.
Dawn laughed "We do that song or at least we did when the band was together."
"Cool." Sam said, "I hope you guys get another bass player soon."
"If not, I'll do an acoustic night some time. It doesn't draw as many crowds, but I enjoy it."
"Someone's coming in." Sam said. A smartly dressed Asian woman came in and ordered some food.
"Better play it safe." Dawn said. There food arrived, which gave them a convienent pause."
"You're right, this food is awesome." Sam said, shoveling in large forkfulls of wide noodles.
"Hey! I have an idea for later, but we'll have to go clothes shopping first." Dawn said.
"Ok, just don't blow out my credit card, those sirens were a little embarassing last time."
Dawn aimed a small kick at Sam's shin under the table. They finished their meal and headed out to the street. It was too crowded to tell if any agents were following them, but Dawn was unconcerned for the moment.
They walked down to 14th street and into the Walmart there. "We've got to age you up a little." Dawn said.
"Um, why exactly?" Sam asked.
"Try these on." Dawn handed him a pair of cheap reading glasses. "Nah, they don't do it. You're eyes look young though, so we may have to try sunglasses."
"You know, that's the first time anyone has said that any part of me looks young since I woke up." Sam said.
"You're looking a lot younger lately." Dawn said, "you've gained back some weight over the last couple of weeks and it makes you look much younger."
"Thanks." Sam was elated to hear that, he hadn't really noticed any changes himself. He was still at least ten pounds lighter than he had been before the accident, and he wasn't very heavy to begin with.
"Here." She said, pulling a plaid shirt off of a rack. "This is good. A dress shirt would be better, but there's no way to get the wrinkles out." She also picked out a belt and pants for him.
"I don't have to pull the pants up to my armpits do I?"
"Would you, for me?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him.
"Only if you'll wear that Little Bo Peep Costume."
"I told you, I'm willing to wear the costume, but I'll be damned if I'm doing anything with a live sheep in the room!"
A couple of people overheard her and Sam actually blushed.
Once they were out on the street, Dawn pulled him in close. "How would you like to be a getaway driver?"
"Hmm, this isn't some plan to keep me out of harm's way is it?"
"No, serously! You'll be in the car somewhere nearby, and when the cops come, I'll jump in, possibly with some friends. It's just as risky as protesting because we're likely to be chased, but we'll have a better chance of getting away."
"And if you get busted? Am I supposed to just sit there in your Mom's car?"
"Listen to me." Dawn said in hushed tones. "There's nothing you or any of us can do once the cops move in. If you fight back in any way, you'll go down hard. If I get arrested, call my Dad, use the panic button if you don't get him right away."
"These are big operations Sam, there will be other drivers like you around and people with cameras all around the edges. Every one of them is just as much a part as the people on the frontlines."
"Ok, I'm still not crazy about this though."
"Just think, you won't have to deal with your Mom or your brother complaining about you."
"Good point."
They made their way back to the car garage, and Sam realized that his feet were getting tired. They had walked around a good chunk of lower Manhattan already. The car cost them 35.00 for it's short stay in sheltered comfort, Sam just shook his head as they drove westward towards 10th Avenue.
"Where am I supposed to change my clothes?" Sam asked.
"Keep your pants on pal. I know a place we won't even be noticed."
She drove down to a small building on West 4th. The sign on the awning said: NYU Performance Center 2-A. "We'll have to take turns," she said, "otherwise the cops might grab the car."
She got out and went in the main entrance. Sam sat in the car watching students come in and out of the center. A few were in costume, but most were just in jeans and shirts.
A few minutes later, Sam watched as a tall woman with dark curly hair came out of the building. She wore a red blazer with a gold shirt underneath, and matching red pumps. Sam did a double take when she smiled and he realized it was Dawn returning.
"Before you say anything, remember that you're going to change too." She slid into the car and started applying make up in the vanity mirror.
"Where do I go exactly?" Sam asked.
"Oh, take a quick left when you go in and head backstage. You'll see a sign for the changing rooms. They've got them marked for men and women. If anyone asks, you're an extra in a student's movie project. Oh, and when you come out, get in the driver's side Big Daddy." She blew him a kiss.
"That was kind of disturbing." Sam said. He went in the enterance and turned left. The room was dark and it took his eyes several seconds to adjust. The lighting was better backstage and he walked into the Men's dressing room just as a hairy young man in a kilt came out.
"Wow, what are you in?"
"Braveheart the Musical. My friend wrote it." He said with a smile.
"Now that I'd like to see."
There were a few more kilted students in the dressing room, but it wasn't very crowded. Sam switched out his clothes fairly quickly and realized that they should have gotten some more traditional shoes to replace his sneakers.
"If a cop should ask about them, just tell him your doctor reccomended them because you have a spur in your heel." Dawn said when he rejoined her.
"Damn. You've really got this all figured out don't you?"
It was Dawn turn to sing:
"We dress like students, we dress like housewives,
Or in a suit and a tie
I changed my hairstyle, so many times now,
I dont know what I look like!"
Then Sam joined in as they hit the chorus:
"This aint no party, this aint no disco,
This aint no fooling around
This aint no mudd club, or c. b. g. b.,
I aint got time for that now"*
"I guess this is our song." Sam said as they finished.
"Aw, that's sweet." Dawn reached over and squeezed his hand.
They cruised down to 10th Avenue and Dawn kept an eye out for her new contact. There was a guy handing out religious tracts and Dawn hoped it was him.
"Don't convert to any new religions without me." Sam said as he pulled over about a block away..
"Swing around and meet me on 4th in about 5 minutes." She said. Sam wondered how necessary all this cloak and dagger really was as she walked towards the stranger.
As Sam reached the traffic light, a homeless man came up to wash his windshield. His cloth looked pretty dirty, but Sam let him wipe anyway. He handed the man a five dollar bill.
"Thank you sir. You know, I was a Wall street broker once, then one April 30th the bottom fell out."
"Tough break." Sam said, "I'm sorry to hear that."
"Thanks man. I appreciate it." The man moved off to clean another windshield.
Sam drove around the corner and moved slowly to give Dawn a few minutes.
Dawn almost tripped in the stupid heels she was wearing. It had been years since she regularly wore dress shoes, and she never wore heels this high. She passed the man handing out the tracts and he offered her one. She looked at him casually and asked: "Do you have anything from Book of John?"
"Here's a timely piece from the Book of Revelations." The man said. "You can never be too prepared, the Rapture is due any moment."
"I was hoping we'd have a couple of hours at least." Dawn said, watching for tells. This man was a stranger to her, but she took the tract trusting that there would be something coded inside.
"We all hope for more time." The man said, "and most will still be hoping when time runs out."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Dawn walked away tucking the tract into her jacket pocket. She wished that she hadn't told Sam to meet her on 4th street, the walking was killing her.
"Yo, yo mama swing some this way!" A man called out from a doorway.
Dawn fought down her urge to ram one of her shoes down his throat and walk on. She hoped Sam wouldn't take too long to find her. As she turned on to 4th St. she saw a guy that she recognized from earlier rallies. He was reading a tract.
"Book of Revelations?" Dawn asked.
"I got the Book of Job." He said, looking at her carefully. He had long hair and wire framed glasses. He looked like a John Lennon wannabe.
That meant multiple locations again, Dawn thought, she glanced up the block and saw Sam turn the corner.
As the car made it's way down the block, the second guy said. "This doesn't make any sense?"
Usually, no one risked communicating like this, but Dawn felt that this guy was safe.
"You're Mark, aren't you?" Dawn said.
"Yeah. Who are you anyway?"
"Dawn. Don't let the wig fool you."
Mark squinted a little, but couldn't recognize her.
"Don't they usually give us one set of numbers?" He asked.
She pulled out her tract and noticed what he was talking about. There were several sets of Bible passages marked, and none seemed to indicate a street or address.
Sam pulled up and Dawn waved. "Why don't you come with us?" She said to Mark.
"Uh, sure." Mark got into the back seat.
Dawn introduced Sam, and they moved off into traffic. "Just go uptown for now Sam, we haven't figured this out yet. I'm getting these stupid shoes off. I'll end up falling on my ass in them."
"Maybe he thought we were Hosers." Mark said, I've never seen this guy before."
"Me neither." Dawn said, "maybe they grabbed the real guy and he was a plant."
"So where should we go?" Mark asked. "We could just cruise around until we bump into a rally."
Sam glanced at the clock, it was 4:10, suddenly he had an inspiration. "I know where it is."
"What? Where?" Dawn asked.
"Wall Street." Sam said, turning down a side street so he could head back downtown.
"Impossible." Mark said. "Wall street is sealed off, you can't get in or out without official buisness."
"That's true, it's too well guarded there Sam."
"I had a window washer tell me that he used to work on Wall Street, and that he was fired on April 30th, that would be 4:30 wouldn't it?"
"Yeah, but how would he know you?" Dawn said.
Mark was looking increasingly nervous in the back of the car. "Dude, that doesn't make sense. You can just let me out here."
"Mark, wait." Dawn pleaded.
"No offense, but I don't really know either of you."
Dawn pulled her wig off: "Does this help?
Mark stared for a moment, and then he recognition set in. "Pink hair, right?"
"Yeah, you got it." Dawn smiled. "I've been hounded a lot lately, so I thought a disguise was a good idea."
"You had me fooled, I would have never guessed."
"So are you staying with us?" Sam asked.
"Uh, sure. I guess, but I still think you're wrong about Wall Street. Besides, everyone goes home at 4:00, what would be the point?"
"Believe me, only the brokers go home. I was a messenger down there one summer. Why don't we check it out?" Sam said, "if I am wrong we can head back uptown and look for traffic jams."
Sam drove down Broadway past City Hall, and then went west down to Water Street. It was 4: 25 on the clock but there was no sign of any protest activity building.
People were moving about, many heading for the subways. Dawn looked around for a familiar car or van, but nothing was visible.
"Sorry Sam, I think this was a bust." Dawn said.
"Wait. Look at the subway station, people are coming back out."
"Oh shit." Dawn said, "it's a volcano."
"Volcano?" Sam said.
"They're bringing the protest up from the trains. Everyone comes in and pulls the emergency brakes, bringing the whole system to a halt." Dawn explained. "The only problem is, the Wall Street stations can be completely closed from above, locking them in. They've only got seconds before the station managers order a shut down."
A blue and white city bus pulled up behind them. Immediately protestors started spilling out into the streets. Dawn looked backward and said: "Oh shit that's Shotzie driving the bus! He hijacked a freaking bus! Sam, pull over somewhere."
Sam whipped the car around so it faced north, and parked it a block below Wall street. "I'm coming with you." Sam said, "this is going to get nuts, so I think the three of us should stick together."
"Uh, thanks." Mark said.
Dawn gave Sam a measured look, and then said "Alright. Where are we anyway?"
"The side of 55 Water street. We have a few escape options from here."
They piled out of the car and Dawn tossed her wig and blazer in the trunk and pulled out her vest which was covered in political buttons. They headed out towards Wall Street. As if by magic, protestors were turning up everywhere. Vans pulled up, and began handing out cardboard signs. Sam read "WALL ST NUKES OHIO" on one and "OHIO'S TRAIL OF TEARS" on another.
"Whatever you do Sam, don't swing a sign at the cops, when they close in, just drop them on the ground." Dawn advised.
Mark grabbed a: "HOW MANY MORE MUST DIE" and Dawn took one that had a US Flag with 49 dollar signs and a gravestone for Ohio on it, Sam picked one with OHIO spelled out with raidation symbols replacing the "O's."
"Holy shit." Mark whispered. As hundreds of protestors were coming up from the Water Street Station. "I guess they didn't get to lock it down after all."
As they got onto the western end of Wall Street, the narrow lane was a chaotic sea of people. A few suits that got trapped in the tsunami of protestors were shouting curses at the crowd, they were ignnored for the most part, and jeered at from a few of the protestors.
The police had clearly not been prepared for this, especially since the market was actually closed. They hastily threw up a line of barricades only a few feet before the intersection of Wall and Broad St., where the New York Stock Exchange was housed.
As Sam, Dawn and Mark made their way with the crowds, they could hear the distinct sounds of chanting and a bullhorn up ahead. Sam scanned the crowd, which was peaceful as far as he could tell. There were some hecklers in the offices above, shouting insults and throwing toilet paper down on the crowd.
"At least it's not used." Sam remarked. Sam realized that he recognized the back of someone's head. "Hey Danny!" He yelled.
Danny Smythe turned around, and looked surprised to see Sam there. "Hey Sam! I knew you had quit ARF, but I had no idea you became an activist."
"Neither did I!" Sam said, "it just kind of happened."
Mark was talking to someone who had a portable television with them. "We've got the Stock Exchange blocked on all sides!" He said, "there are even protestors blocking the New Street entrance!"
Sam looked over at the small television screen, which showed an ariel view of the area. Protestors had parked buses, trucks and vans along the Water street border, blocking easy access from the police. Cops were coming down from uptown, a solid wall of cop cars was forming a perimeter along John Street, allowing people to leave, but no one to come in. There was at least one bus of protestors which didn't make it to the rally and were being turned around by the cops.
Dawn squeezed Sam's hand. "Things are about to get scary." She said, and sure enough, the mass of people pressing against the barricades were pushing through. Police were ordering them back, but there were maybe 20 officers trying to hold back thousands of protestors.
The barricades all went down at once, and the police fell back, forming a tight at the main entrance to the Stock Exchange itself. The crowds cheered as protestors from each side of Wall street mixed together and began chanting: NO JUSTICE NO PEACE! NO JUSTICE NO PEACE!
Dawn, Sam and Mark all moved into the intersection of Wall and Broad Streets. The police guarding the Stock Exchange looked frightened as they held their line. One officer constantly updated his commander somewhere on the status of the situation.
They had managed to bring in a flatbed tow truck from the east end of the street. Sam was afraid they were going to ram the Exchange with it, but instead they parked it dead center, and were using it as a speaking platform.
A man with a megaphone was leading the crowd into a new chant: BUSH LIED, OHIO DIED! This brought waves of excitement from the crowds.
"That's Terry Hope." Mark shouted above the roar of the crowds.
"Oh crap. Here come the cops." Mark said, pointing north up Nassau St. A tank like truck was crawling slowly towards the crowds, along with the bobbing helmets of dozens of police in riot gear.
There was some excitement behind them was well. People began running and pushing Sam and Dawn forward. "What's going on?" Sam asked.
"Some idiot is throwing staplers and other crap out the office windows." A man said. "There was a roar of anger from the crowd and Sam heard glass breaking in the background. He was about to grab Dawn and tell her they should go, but she was gone. Mark was still by him, and he pointed Sam towards the flatbed tow truck.
Dawn was there with two other people Sam didn't know. They were rapidly assembling some sound equipment, while the man with the megaphone continued to rally the crowd. He was facing northward towards the oncoming police and probably didn't know about the chaos erupting behind Sam.
Sam tapped Mark on the arm, "let's get in closer."
Mark looked nervous, but followed Sam's lead towards Dawn. Dawn saw them and gave a little wave as they made their way forward.
There was a squeal of feedback from the sound system and then Dawn tapped the mike. "Testing" She said. Her voice sounded somewhat muffled, but after a couple of adjustments she was loud and clear.
She turned the microphone over to Terry.
"HELLO NEW YORK!" He shouted, causing more feedback, but bringing a roar from the crowd. "I want to thank all you beautiful, caring people for coming out today!"
"I see the members of New York City's Finest have brought up the Big Guns." He paused as the crowd erupted in booing. "Let's keep ourselves peaceful, so that they have no justification to use it. We have cameras watching every corner of this rally, so they can't get away with anything!" This brought more cheers.
"I have been told that the Police are holding their places on William Street as well as on Broadway and out on Water. I will say now, that as a people, we promise to stay here only until 6:30 and then we will disperse peacefully! We are hear to demand justice for the poor people of Ohio, who have been duped into suffering at the hands of our war mongering El Presidente!"
The crowd erupted in cheers again, and Terry Hope waited a few moments to get quiet again. "We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters, and we mourn them the losses of their property, their health, and even their LIVES!" The crowd erupted again, chanting "O-HI-O!" over and over again.
"We're priveleged to have a few local musicians with us." Terry continued. "At least those that haven't been drafted!" This brought laughs from the crowd.
"Some of you may know Dawn Weinstien from the band Proud to Be Left Behind. A smattering of cheers went up through the crowd. We also have Leah McCleod, the Irish folk singer. This also brought a small amount of cheers. And on percussion, which is a set of bongos a couple of upside down cans because we couldn't bring a drumset, is Ariala Johnson.
"Now these three ladies have never even met, never mind played together, so let's give them a big hand!"
Dawn picked up a guitar and began tuning it a bit. She strummed a few chords as Leah stepped up to the microphone.
"Good Evening." She said with a thick Irish brogue. "I thought we'd start off with an easy classic: 'We Shall Not Be Moved.'"**
Dawn nodded and began playing, Ariala joined in, keeping a smooth rhythm. Leah had an operatic, mysterious voice, which wouldn't normally seem suited for simple protest songs, but she brought a sincerity to the lyrics that just seemed to capture the crowd.
Dawn joined her on the refrain, their voices complimented each other beautifully, the crowd actually fell into a hushed silence.
"Please, sing along with us." Leah said, which brought some laughter from the crowd. Slowly, people joined in, bringing a muddied chorus of voices which somehow maintained it's own harmony.
"I'm going to let my friend Dawn here do the next song." Leah said as they finished.
Dawn cleared her throat, and spoke: "I'd like to do an old Pretenders song, you might have heard it before, it's called 'My City Was Gone'"***
Sam guessed that Leah didn't know the lyrics, since she stayed quiet through the entire number. The music had been an excellent idea, turning a potential mob into a concert audience, at least for the moment. Even the excitement from the office buildings on Wall St. had calmed down, hopefully without anymore injuries. Sam thought.
As the song finished, Leah leaned over to consult her two bandmates, and Ariala began pounding out a familiar beat.
"When The Moon is in the Seventh House, and Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets, and lo-ove will steer the stars...****
Sam had to admit, the two women sounded amazing together, and the crowd was enraptured by their sound. At least until the police brought out their own bullhorns breaking the silence.
"This is the New York City Police Department. This is an illegal gathering and you are ordered to disperse immediately. Failure to comply will result in your arrests."
Terry Hope stepped back in and retorted: "We are within our legal rights as long as the gathering doesn't last more than two hours. We will disperse voluntarily at 6:30pm, but not before.
The crowd grew restless again, and Sam wished he could get Dawn the hell out of there.
The Police officer continued: "You have two minutes to begin dispersing, then we will begin making arrests."
"They waited until they had enough reinforcements to move on us." Mark said. "This might turn into Ohio."
Dawn smiled down at Sam, and then said something to Leah and Ariala. Leah just laughed, and Dawn took the microphone:
"That's great it start's with an earthquake and Lenny Bruce is not afraid..." This brought cheers from the crowd who all gladly joined in with the chorus:
"It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine!"*****
They continued singing as the wall of police began moving forward to meet the crowd.
---------------------------------------------
*Life During Wartime © The Talking Heads
**We Shall Not Be Moved © Peter, Paul and Mary
*** My City Was Gone © The Pretenders
**** Age Of Aquarius © Gerome Ragni
****It's The End Of The World As We Know It © REM
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