[ He watches her for an instant, so grateful for her and fully intending to make use of the opportunity. Except that when he turns, grabbing the boys shoulder and shouting let's go!, the boy in turn refuses to leave. He's yanking instead at the chains, shouting about how his mom can go free. She can be free too!
And for a second, in the rapid speed of the moment and how quickly the events and rain are rushing past him, Scott nearly reaches down to rip the chains apart and free the woman.
He doesn't though. He doesn't because there are still other Enforcers around, speaking into their communicators and reporting the events that are taking place here. He doesn't because even if Scott could escape their tracking and their weapons alone, he can't do it while carrying the boy and his injured mother along. Scott doesn't rip the woman free because even if it is the right thing to do, it's not the smart thing to do, and when you live on Westerley, you have to live smart. This boy needs to learn that too.
So he yanks the child from his mother, tucking him under his arm so that he can bolt, away and toward safety even as the boy pounds his fists against Scott's abdomen and legs, because it's the smart thing to do, a lesson that he tries to impress upon his unwilling charge, even as he cries and cries.
Which is how he leaves him, because Scott can't watch him forever, and he hopes the boy's smart enough not to go back. He heads back toward his clinic now, walking carefully in the streets to avoid too much notice, and it's then that he runs into Riza again, now spent too long out in the acid rains, and it's out of concern that he's reaching out from the shadows to grab her shoulder.
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And for a second, in the rapid speed of the moment and how quickly the events and rain are rushing past him, Scott nearly reaches down to rip the chains apart and free the woman.
He doesn't though. He doesn't because there are still other Enforcers around, speaking into their communicators and reporting the events that are taking place here. He doesn't because even if Scott could escape their tracking and their weapons alone, he can't do it while carrying the boy and his injured mother along. Scott doesn't rip the woman free because even if it is the right thing to do, it's not the smart thing to do, and when you live on Westerley, you have to live smart. This boy needs to learn that too.
So he yanks the child from his mother, tucking him under his arm so that he can bolt, away and toward safety even as the boy pounds his fists against Scott's abdomen and legs, because it's the smart thing to do, a lesson that he tries to impress upon his unwilling charge, even as he cries and cries.
Which is how he leaves him, because Scott can't watch him forever, and he hopes the boy's smart enough not to go back. He heads back toward his clinic now, walking carefully in the streets to avoid too much notice, and it's then that he runs into Riza again, now spent too long out in the acid rains, and it's out of concern that he's reaching out from the shadows to grab her shoulder.
Silently. ]