URBAN SENTINEL: Cold Snap

                                             Tugging at the the length of her fleece blanket in an effort to reposition it, Serena started to lose the battle as the comfy beige blanket slid off onto the floor, much to her dismay. "Grrr." he muttered, before reaching down to get her favourite cover off the floor, shaking it and again wrapping it around herself carefully. It was soon up to her shoulders, covering most of her long blonde hair, happy to have it as close to her soft cheeks as possible. The television in front of her played an older drama series she liked to watch when alone, especially on a night like this. The winds howled outside as a relentless snow fall kept on dropping from the sky, the large snowflakes the size of coins.
                                             Even though she was happy to watch her show, she was a little saddened by the fact that Jared wasn't home with her. He had called earlier in the day to say he was working a little later to partially cover a co-worker's shift, and would also make a stop at the motorcycle shop on his way home. Whether or not he was checking in at the lair, or having a chat with Greg, his best friend, she did not know. Serena missed him all the same, wishing he was wrapped in the blanket with her, enjoying each other's warm embrace in the process. Just then, the living room windows rattled due to the high winds, giving Serena pause to look at them, reminded of the massive winter storm happening out there.
                                              "Come home safe, Jared....." she whispered, voice trailing off as she worried about her love. Soon her attention was making it's way back to her television, as well as the mug of hot chocolate on the end table next to her. She wiggled her left arm out of the blanket and grasped the mug, taking a few sips of the hot liquid, feeling a little warmer now. Still, she felt uneasy about the storm, noting that this one had come in like a lion, and had been dumping it's nastiness all day without respite. "Not good at all." she remarked, again looking to the window, knowing nothing had changed anyways. For the meantime, there was little she could do about it, and decided to keep watching her show, knowing that Jared would eventually come home, safe and sound, and hold her close. "He has to....." she said softly.

                                               "Hey boss, the weather is starting to get worse out there. You going to pack it in?" asked Victor, his service manager. A taller man with short brown hair, he had been a loyal employee for some time now. Greg Redmond, known affectionately as 'Gears' by his friends, got up from behind his desk. "Nah, I'll hang out a while, Vic." he replied. "Tell whoever is left to go home. Shut it down for the day." he finished. Having sent some of his employees home that lived a little farther out, he had now decided to have everyone go home and be safe, as business on this day was almost non-existant. Vic nodded. "Sure thing. Thanks, boss." he said, before disappearing back towards the service area to spread the news. Greg walked out of his office and towards the front showroom.
                                               Snow was just falling from sky at an alarming rate, the conditions close to a blizzard. Knowing there was little he could do, he shrugged and stood near the large windows to watch the storm for a few moments, before heading back out of the showroom and towards the service area, hoping to work on a few invoices now that he had some alone time. He heard the entry door bang a couple times just before he arrived in the service department, but saw that it was now empty. "Odd feeling, this." he remarked. The High Octane motorcycle shop was always buzzing with activity, and seemed to always turn a good profit. Today however, it had ground to a halt like the rest of the city due to the blizzard.
                                                Suddenly Greg didn't feel like working on any invoices anymore. "Might as well close up shop and head out." he said aloud, before heading off to the main bank of light switches. After a few minutes passed, lights began to go out one room at a time, with the mechanic's shop being the second to last. Greg went to his office and retrieved his coat before flicking off the last light switch before he left the building, locking the entry door and heading off to his car. There was a good chance he wouldn't bother opening tomorrow, preferring to give his staff a much needed rest before opening again on the Monday. Snow started to swirl around him as he got to his car, going in his ears and occasionally in his eyes. It wasn't long until he started his vehicle and drove off, heading for home.

                                                 His motorcycle didn't like the ridiculously snowy roads, sliding here and there on the icy and snow covered asphalt. Slush was everywhere as well, causing Jared to drive much slower then he would have liked. Navigating the city streets in a car was hard enough, but trying to speed down them in a motorcycle during a snow storm was near impossible. Having gotten off quite early from the shift he had been covering, Jared decided to stop in at his lair on the way home, wanting to check on some of the city's camera feeds for any signs of trouble fist. He doubted there would be any trouble on a day like this, but thought he should take a peek nonetheless. After a harrowing ride to the High Octane shop, he putted past it to see that the lights were all off, the place closed up for the day.
                                                "Greg must have shut down early. I don't blame him." he said to himself inside his helmet, turning the corner to head to the disguised tunnel entrance to his lair. Once inside the short tunnel, the pavement became dry as he rolled into his underground lair, hidden under the motorcycle shop. Bringing the bike to a halt, he dismounted and removed his helmet, hanging it on the wall next to his Blitzkrieg costume, which hung on it's own rack along with his quarterstaff and other weapons. Jared slid behind the computer desk and switched on the two monitors, bringing up the camera feeds he tapped into from time to time. Each view showed him almost the same thing - near white out conditions.
                                                 Turning his chair away from the screen momentarily, he gazed at his costume, yearning to go suit up and head out for the night, wanting some action. Jared shrugged and looked back to the computer screen, gazing at the white out conditions everywhere. "Not tonight." he said to himself, switching off the monitor and getting up to leave. As much as he loved being a vigilante, he loved his Serena even more, and pined for her very much on a day like this. It wasn't long before he had started his bike and roared off back up the tunnel and away from the lair, wanting to get home and spend as much time with her as he could for the next little while, preferring to be in her warm embrace. Snow continued to beat down on him and his motorcycle as he navigated the blizzard conditions on his way home.

                                                 With most of his normal police force out on special traffic duties due to the storm, Lieutenant O'Donnell marvelled at how quiet his headquarters were at the moment, a place usually chaotic with action and such. He ran a hand through his grey hair and scratched a temple momentarily. He was using the quiet time to go over some crime reports that he had shelved recently, now able to browse through them and get a better handle on what's been transpiring as of late. "Crime rate keeps on dropping. Good." he mumbled to himself, happy to see good news on the reports for a change. Just then, there came a rapping on the glass window in his door. "Come in." said O'Donnell, while still scanning the reports. He looked up briefly to see Sergeant Wolski walk into his office.
                                                 "What can I do for you, sergeant?" he said, still reading. Wolski smiled, his cheeks rosy from behind outside, his short blond hair ruffled from a hat. "Nothing sir. Was just wondering if you want some coffee from across the street." he stated, referring to their neighbourhood eatery nearby. O'Donnell thought for a moment, then put his reports down to look at Wolski. "Nah, I'm fine." he replied. "But thanks." he finished. Wolski nodded. "Fair enough. Might be hard to carry a lot anyways." he started in response. "Snow is getting bad out there. Some of our cruisers are stuck in the lot." he explained, the deteriorating conditions making it difficult for everyone. O'Donnell nodded, then pondered the situation. "Marcin, go home. No point in staying late on a night like this." he mentioned.
                                                   Wolski blinked and grinned. "You mean it?" he asked, happy to be able to get off early. O'Donnell smiled. "Yeah, I do. Not much trouble out there because of the storm. Might as well take it when you can get it." he finished. Wolski was appreciative of the gesture. "Thank you, sir. See you on Monday." he said, before leaving the office and closing the door behind him. The Lieutenant nodded before going back to his reports. "Lord knows he deserves it from time to time." he muttered, knowing the kind of pressure he put on Wolski sometimes wasn't always easy to deal with. With little else to do, he continued to read his crime reports, actually enjoying the peace and quiet. "It's nice that crime takes a back set for a day or two. Should happen more often!" he quipped, chuckling as he kept on reading.

                                                    Having spent most of the day holed up in his office due to a number of things, it was nice to have shut his business down earlier in the day, letting everyone have some extra time off due to the storm, himself included. Wade Wallace was quite content sitting on his plush barstool at the upscale tavern not far from his skyscraper, preferring to be in the warm, quaint little establishment sipping on some old cognac. He doubted very much he would be need for the next couple of days, either in a business sense for his company, or as his vigilante alter-ego, known as The Knight. Just then, a familiar voice called out to him from across the room as he was taking a sip of his drink.
                                                    "Wade, good to see you!" said a man in his fifties, with greying hair and an athletic build. Wallace turned to see his friend and bartender, James. "You're a little early today, aren't you Wade?" asked the man with a grin on his face. Wade smiled. "You've not been paying attention to the great outdoors, have you Jim?" he said back with a chuckle. James walked up behind the bar to relieve the younger server, before stopping in front of Wallace. "Hell yeah I have." he replied. "Decided to come in earlier today and let the kids have the day off. I don't have much to do anyways." he explained.  Wallace nodded his acknowledgement, then looked to the window at the front of the establisment. Snow was coming down in such large flakes that they blotted out everything else.
                                                    "Good to be here." he said, turning back to his drink. Wallace could just have easily left for home and enjoyed a drink in the comfort of his own house, but felt more at ease here, in the bar. James smiled before wiping down the bar with his small towel. He whistled a tune as he worked, always happy to be behind the bar and attend to his customers. "Snow storm or no snow storm, it's all good." he mentioned, before heading off to check on the only other customer in the bar at the moment, sitting at the far end of it. Wallace took another sip of his cognac and lost himself in some thought. "I wonder if Blitzkrieg would be out there on a night like this." he murmured. "Not exactly ideal circumstances for fighting crime." he finished, before finishing his drink and motioning to James that he wanted another. With no particular place to go, he decided to stay put and enjoy himself.

                                                    Serena looked to the clock on the wall near the television and sighed. "Jared is only an hour into that second shift, and it will take him forever to get home when he's done." she mumbled, the weather outside still deteriorating as time went by. Sad at being alone on a day like this, she again settled into her blanket and got ready to watch more TV, wondering what she was going to eat for dinner later, being by herself and all. Just as she was about to commence her program, she heard a familiar sound, that of a motorcycle engine that she knew quite well. Sitting up straight now, Serena looked to the door in a cautious anticipation, hoping it would be him, but knowing there was a chance it wasn't.
                                                    Then, the sound of someone banging his boots on the wall next to the porch could be heard, before a key was inserted, unlocking the door as Jared stepped through and brushed some snow of himself, before closing the door behind him and removing his motorcycle suit and helmet. Serena grinned from ear to ear and threw off her blanket to meet her love at the door, wrapping her arms around him tightly. He reciprocated, also kissing her on her forehead gently. They stayed in the embrace long enough for Serena to get a shiver from Jared's cold chin. She let go and saw he was carrying a plastic bag with something in it. "Subs for dinner?" he asked with a smile, as Serena laughed. "I'll go make us some hot coffee to eat with them." she said, before heading off to the kitchen.
                                                    Jared joined her and put an arm around her as she plugged in the kettle for the instant coffee, not wanting to wait for the percolator. She stopped suddenly and kissed him on the lips passionately, happy to have him home. "I'm glad you got off early." she said, getting a couple of mugs ready. He smiled. "Me too." he replied. "All other shifts were cancelled for the time being because of that mess out there." he finished. Serena poked his nose with her index finger. "You were very thoughtful to bring subs home." she mentioned, before kissing him again. He reciprocated, and after a tender moment, helped her by getting the container of coffee out of the pantry. "At least I know you're not going out there in that tonight, and that means I have you all to myself!" she said with a wink.
                                                     Jared chuckled. "Yes you do." he replied, happy to be home with her. "Shall we eat at the table, or in front of the TV this time around?" he asked, wondering what she'd like to do. Serena unwrapped the sandwiches and put them on plates. "Let's sit in front of the TV this time, so we can snuggle as we eat." she stated. Jared nodded and grinned. "No argument here!" he said, picking up the plates and taking them into the living room. Serena followed a few minutes later with the coffee, and everything was laid down on the large coffee table between the couch and TV. The two of them sat down on the couch, and got comfortable as a movie was found so they could watch it. Jared took one more look out the window, daylight now gone, before turning back to Serena and kissing her on the cheek. Serena giggled as the movie started, and they both reached for their plates to start eating. Winds continued to whip around outside, the winter storm continuing on regardless.

                                                             THE END