Not What You Expected

Central City Palisades

As she followed Francisco down the dimly lit streets, Amy began tolook around to get her bearings. The layout of the the buildingsseemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite place why since noneof the buildings really looked like anything she'd seen before.Everything looked like it had jumped out of a futuristic comic bookfrom the 40's, all chrome and brick she wondered what it would looklike in the sunlight. They didn't pass many people as they went, andthose who did see them coming seemed to hurry across the street ordown alleyways in fear, Francisco seemed to command a certain levelof respect here, or at least his persona of Reverb did; Amy shudderedto think how exactly he'd earned such respect, knowing it wasn'tlikely for his charity. She thought back to the vibrations he'dgenerated over her hands, the force of them hitting her hands makingthem shake down to her bones and all the while seeming practicallyeffortless to him. If he could do that, he could probably do a lotworse, maybe even vibrate whole buildings to the ground, or even awhole city.

"Are you even trying to keep up?" Amy snapped to attention asFrancisco called to her from several feet ahead, having stoppednoticing Amy had fallen significantly behind. "I thought you saidyou could still walk?" He said in a huff as Amy caught up.

"I can," she snapped, "I was just trying to get a sense ofwhere we are, I got a little distracted by everything,"

Francisco rolled his eyes, "We don't have time for your sightseeing, we have to move quickly," he snatched her hand up and beganwalking again, keeping a steady pace as he all but dragged Amy behindhim.

"Hey, slow down!" She whined, trying to tug her hand from hisgrasp, her body flaring with pain as she struggled to keep up.

"Pipe down and keep up," he barked as they turned the corner,"we're almost there anyway."

He maintained his speed for another half block before stoppingoutside of an impressive looking apartment building, a tall brickstructure with large metal gargoyles perched in rows of three betweenevery fourth floor. He released her hand then, pulling out a plasticcard key from his pocket. He waved it in front of a spot on the glassdoor before them and it slid open to allow them entry, a computerizedvoice welcoming them. Once inside Amy's eyes went a little wide atthe elegance of it all. The lobby they seemed to be in reminded herof a fancy hotel, a set of two leather sofas positioned around whatappeared to be a hologram of a fountain projected from the ceilingwhile a man in a button shirt and a tie sat at a desk nearby with thewords 'Central City Palisades' set into it with glittering glassletters.

"Central City Palisades?" Amy read aloud, "this is CentralCity?" she asked as Francisco moved towards an alcove with twoelevator doors.

"Where did you think you were Dorothy, Oz?" he replied with asmug smile.

Amy scowled, "I told you I had no idea where I was," she growledback, "all you told me was this was a different world, not the samecity on a different world,"

Francisco shrugged as he hit the up button for the elevator, "Sosue me, I didn't think it was important at the time," he crossedhis arms as they waited, then a small stuttering voice called frombehind them.

"Ahem....Mr. uh.... Mr. Ramon?" They turned to find the man frombehind the desk standing there, a piece of paper in his hand as hesmiled nervously.