13572/A Question of Funding

A Question of Funding
Date of Scene:	30 June 2021
Location:	Staten Island Railway
Synopsis:	Sarah sees Theo get money from an ATM without a card, and decides to follow and investigate him.
Cast of Characters:	Hardline, Sarah Connor

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Hardline has posed:
    The Staten Island Railway does have hours of operation. They do end. One shaggy haired teen doesn't seem to be aware, though. Theo has spent most of the day traveling, by bus and on foot, trying to navigate the painful city of New York. He's tired. A brand new navy polo and equally new khaki shorts clothe him. In fact, his shoes are also brand new. It's like he just stepped out of a department store.
    He lets out a sigh as he makes his way to the line, the last train just arriving. It won't be leaving again, though. Not until morning. He walks up to the dispenser. End of line. He stares at it for a good thirty seconds, as if he could will it back to life. But it still reads the same thing. He lets his head plunk against it in exhaustion. "Of course. I'm so close... and... you." He lifts his head up, and indicates the machine. "Just couldn't do one more run, could you?" He kicks it in frustration. "Just. One. More. Run." Yep, he's talking to an inanimate ticket dispenser.

Sarah Connor has posed:
Sarah was doing her roam about town. Just recently she had heard through the grapevine that something was.. odd.. going on around the Staten area. So far, nothing stood out. Still, shd check it one more time before crossing it 'off the list' so to speak.

Sarah was paranoid. Extremely so.

Sitting in her car, she watched the people coming and going. Nothing usual for a hot summer's evening.

Hardline has posed:
    As the last of the commuters find their way off the last train, Theo glances at it, and he sighs. It was the thing he most looked forward to for the day. But he turns, walking back from the station, and stops by an ATM. He stands there, waiting for everyone around to disperse. And he's alone, just a teenage kid and the middle of the night. Unaware of Sarah, he turns, and looks at the machine. Suddenly, there's the sound of the cycling gears inside, and a stack of bills dispenses, extended to him, and he takes them. He pulls his wallet from his pocket, and neatly places them in, and folds it closed before pulling out his phone. He starts tapping away at it, as if nothing unusual had just happened.

Sarah Connor has posed:
She almost misses it. Almost.

At first the boy (for he was a boy, not a man, around John's age) looked to be using the cash machine. Nothing wrong with that. (Unless he was a Terminator, which could be possible.)

But he never took his card out.. Odd.

She honed her attention on him.. He could have forgotten it when he took out his phone. Maybe. But something doesn't feel right.

Hardline has posed:
    The youth seems oblivious to his watcher, and continues to look at his phone. He pivots, then pivots back again, checking the device. He sighs. More walking. Theo picks one foot up, and then the other, rolling his ankles around a little, and he starts walking into the parking lot, on to the next destination. He's not walking directly toward Sarah and her car, but close.

Sarah Connor has posed:
Sarah could not have pinpointed what made roll down her window. And she certainly could not have made the decision to call out to the boy.

"Hey!" She nodded her head back towards the ATM. "You forgot your card. You'll likely need it." Either for money on another day, or for ID. A pause.. "You've got a home?"

Something about this scenario didn't make sense. Maybe that was it. And if he had no home, it wasn't his card either. Which meant he'd stolen it.. but how did he use some else's cards, unless he had a card reader.

Unless he had a card reader. Bing.

Hardline has posed:
    Theo was completely unaware of Sarah, apparently, because when she calls out, he jumps. "What?" he asks, looking rather confused. "I...I'm fine," he says, a distrustful scowl on his face. Who is this lady and why is she talking to him? It doesn't take a mind reader to read that expression. He doesn't even address any of the things she said, about the home, or the card, and changes direction slightly, to keep walking, picking up his pace a little. Crazy city people.

Sarah Connor has posed:
Oh yes. Regardless of being 'city folks' and generally not talking to strangers, this was beyond that. Sarah was certain.

She let him get away just a bit, then she came out of the car, and followed him at a distance.

Hardline has posed:
    Theo keeps walking, checking over his shoulder a few times before deciding he's fine, but before she opens the door, illuminated by the light of the street occasionally. His shoulders are a little hunched, as if he's expecting an attack. He stops briefly at an intersection to check his phone, and is passed by a car with rumbling speakers. He recoils a bit more than most people might. Sure the car is covered in lights and draped with custom paint, but the music wasn't surely loud enough to hurt his ears. After it passes, he continues on his way.

Sarah Connor has posed:
Sure, he's spooked. Sarah can tell. The car with teenagers shouldn't have bothered him *that* much. Hell, she wasn't certain why she wanted a bit more info. It wasn't like she was going to turn him in. And she certainly wasn't going to invite him to stay with her.

Really she could go back to her car and wash her hands of the whole thing.

Then why does she go on?

Hardline has posed:
    It isn't long before he reaches an old motel. It isn't all that impressive. Clean, at least externally. He turns around, as if instinctively checking his surroundings, and spots Sarah. "Are you following me?" he asks. "What do you want?" He stops walking toward the motel, uncertain if he wants to commit to it with someone following him.

Sarah Connor has posed:
"Really?" Sarah shakes her head. "I have no clue. But you don't have to worry about the police. I'm not going to rat on you. In fact, you might be useful someday."

She holds her ground, just beyond 10 or 15'.

"You're okay?"

Hardline has posed:
    Useful?" Theo echoes the word. "What are you talkin' about, lady?" He gives her a very suspicious study. "I didn't do anything wrong." False, but he's not about to admit it on the street to a stranger. His accent sounds a bit more southern. Virginia? He glances about, as if looking for an attack from another angle.

Sarah Connor has posed:
Holding both hands up, palms out, "Woah. You can say you did nothing wrong, but do you want to try letting the police figure out how much money you got from that bank machine? Be my guest."

Of course Sarah doesn't move her hands.

Hardline has posed:
    Theo looks undecided for a moment, as if debating a response. "I used my phone," he says, though his phone didn't leave his pocket until after he got the money. "You didn't see me do anything, the camera will confirm, it's all legit." Of course, how would she check it to verify. "Just been a long day lady, I'm not looking for any trouble."

Sarah Connor has posed:
Sarah laughs under her breath. "Very well. You did nothing. I'm going to leave now, but in the future, you might want to get your facts straight. Like having you phone out before you use the machine."

She began to leave, and almost immediately turned around. "Oh and one more thing? The ATM works with a card, not your phone." She shrugs, and now she begins to leave.

Hardline has posed:
    Theo doesn't stop her. He gives a strange look, not giving an agreement or argument. He doesn't seem to feel the need to win the argument. When she turns to go, he walks backward a few steps, and continues on toward the motel.