Project Getaway - TommyInnit's 'Taxi' Service

Chapter 11: Carpool Karaoke

Summary:

In which Tommy pays for the consequences of pickpocketing Absens and continues trying to live through all 50 hours of community service.
—-

tw for this chapter - very brief mention of a gun
—-

That next morning Tommy groggily awoke from a restless sleep to the sound of a faint tapping against his window. Reluctantly, he pried open his eyes and angled his head upwards, peering over the edge of the sofa. The sky was still dark, though the sun was creeping up over the city skyline–one of these days he would invest in curtains.

Tommy frowned with confusion when he saw a crow drumming its beak against the window.

And then suddenly all the memories of the previous night crashed over him: his fist closing around the car key. Absens appearing before his eyes. The hero's fist crashing into his nose. Dream and Ignis smashing against the concrete.

After fleeing from the heroes, Tommy had spent almost an hour driving across the length of the city to drop off The Blade and Chorus on the outskirts of the city. Once the villains thanked him and disappeared among the shadows of the woods that lined the city, Tommy continued driving until he saw a rusting sign pointing to the city's scrapyard. He had spent the majority of the journey out of the city bickering and laughing with The Blade and Chorus, but during the gaps of silence, he had resigned himself to deciding what to do with the stolen Ford Mondeo. He didn't have the key so even if the night market were available, Tommy wouldn't be able to sell it.

So, he had silently decided that he would simply hide the car among others.

The scrapyard would scarp the car, disposing of the evidence for him and none would be the wiser.

Once that task had been completed, Tommy then had to turn back on himself, venturing back into the heart of Eastbound on foot where he was caught up in the bustling crowds of the Friday night. Unlike Northdown and South Side, the west and east of the city was a bustling hub for business and recreational entertainment at all hours of the day, especially as the weekend neared.

Typically, with his superspeed, this journey would've taken perhaps minutes. But exhaustion was tugging at him and sprinting through a bustling crowd buzzing with the thrill of the city nightlife is just as painstakingly tedious as you can imagine–having to weave through the crowds without getting trampled, avoiding arguments with drunken idiots, trying not to get your toes crushed by a stiletto.

It was as undeniably exhausting as it was irritating.

And now, thanks to the string of continuous delays and setbacks, Tommy didn't make it back home until the early hours of the morning. He had managed to cram in a few hours of sleep, but they were scarce and unfulfilling. And now, because of this stupid crow, Tommy had woken up along with the sun.

He groaned as he forced his limbs to carry him over to the window. As Tommy pried open the window latch, he was met with the cold, bitter breeze of the winter morning. The crow hopped in from the window sill and Tommy didn't hesitate to shut the window behind the bird, savouring in what little heat was retained in his flat.

Below him the city was already wide awake and bustling with its busyness; people rushed to work, traffic flooded the streets and vigilantes scoured the streets from the roofs of flats and buildings. Tommy scowled at the figure on the skyline swathed in purple. He fucking hated vigilantes. Not as much as the heroes. Their intentions were good but because of that, vigilantes were too nosey for their own good and often took to trying to stop the Speedster and his crimes.

He shifted his attention to the crow which had perched itself comfortably on the arm of the sofa. Tommy approached the crow who offered forward a piece of folded-up card which it held in its blunt black beak. Tommy didn't need to open up the card to know what it was. Nonetheless, he reached forward, gently plucking the card forward and flattened it out. Much like last time, the cheque was signed under the name Cathy Destine and, even with the knowledge of his prior paycheck, Tommy was still amazed by the sheer amount of money The Syndicate was willing to throw at him for his services.