Akilah, Taro, Kai, and Alex stood in an alleyway on the other side of the city.
Static crackled through their radios before a voice cut in.
"We found them, but we're getting held up. Head southeast." Slim's voice came through the radio, immediately followed by sirens.
The group looked at each other in shock.
"Let's go!" Alex exclaimed.
They sprinted down alleyway after alleyway, trying to keep themselves out of the public eye.
"Of course. The group I left alone was the one that found him. I hope they didn't get caught up with the Correctional Forces." Alex shook her head, keeping a fast pace along with the three kids accompanying her.
Southeast Shinjuku:
Slim and Amora stood up as Tine and Ocho cackled.
Amora was focusing her healing on Slim.
"I can finally use it on command." Amora acknowledged, but with no joy. The two Deputies in front of her reminded her what kind of situation she was currently in.
"Wait! Do you think we'll be Officers if we kill these guys?" Ocho asked his sister.
"Oh! You're right!" Tine jumped in joy.
The siblings' laughter instantly reminded Amora of the night of the infiltration. That spider Officer she and Vida faced, the terror she felt, it all flooded her mind.
A loud gust of wind was heard from the alleyway Sev and Chase entered.
"Chase, are you okay?" Amora stared at the alleyway, taking a step towards it.
"Eyes on the enemies." Slim spoke to the girl behind him, his eyes fixed on the two Deputies.
Amora's head turned back to the Deputies as she nodded.
"We'll try this one more time." Slim nodded as Amora grabbed onto him.
"I'll try…" Amora muttered. An idea popped into her head, but she was entirely unsure if she could pull it off.
The two of them faded into nothingness as the Deputies assumed combative positions.
Silence swept over the scene.
The Deputies stood back to back, looking around for any signs of movement.
Tine grabbed her glasses with one hand as the frames began to glow purple.
"On my 12!" Tine ducked as Ocho spun around.
His fist glowed purple as he swung a haymaker straight into the invisible Slim's face with a pointed finger from his Tine.
Amora tried to react in time to stop the fist. "Remember that feeling," she told herself.
She tried to imagine the feeling that led up to her outburst during the sparring match, pushing her hands out in an attempt to recreate it.
Ocho's fist met Slim's face.
The blonde boy flew across the street.
Slim hit the ground with a violent thud.
"Do it!" Amora told herself.
She focused Spirit into her hands. They glowed pink, but nothing happened.
"What're you doing?" Tine asked, grinning as she fixed her glasses.
Amora's eyes widened as she realized her situation.
"Ocho," Tine called.
"Got it, sis." Ocho winded his fist back as Amora turned to run.
"CHASE!" Amora screamed.
Chase heard it through the sound of the raging winds pinning him against the wall.
"I've never felt like giving up this much…" Chase thought. His gaiter was covered in blood dripping from his nose and his whole body ached.
He hadn't been able to breathe for what felt like hours. He could feel his ribs meeting their breaking point as the force of the wind pushed them in.
Finally, the wind stopped.
Sev's feet hit the ground as he doubled over in exhaustion.
Chase gasped and coughed, blood now dripping from his gaiter.
"You didn't pass out?!" Sev asked in between breaths.
Chase looked around for his guns, ignoring the question.
He caught sight of one.
The blue haired boy scrambled over to it, reaching for the handle.
Sev waved his hand, sending out a small gust of wind.
The gun slid away from Chase as the wind pushed him onto his back.
Chase, bloodied as ever, looked over to the Deputy with tired eyes. "To think I'm struggling this much with a Deputy. I thought I'd grown…" Chase thought.
"Not happening." Sev said.
The Deputy closed his eyes, forming a triangle with his hands. His hands began to glow teal as he channeled Spirit into them.
Chase sat up as quickly as he could in his exhausted state. "What is he up to now?" he asked himself. He honestly didn't want an answer.
He stood up, trying to rush towards the firearm that was swept away from him moments before.
Sev heard Chase's footsteps, flying towards the boy.
The Deputy rushed towards the boy, flying through the air like a heat-seeking missile.
Chase, panicking, picked up a piece of broken concrete, throwing it at the flying Deputy.
"This has gone on for long enough." Sev muttered. He clapped his hands together, making a sharp slit through the air.
The rock was sliced in half.
Chase stumbled back in shock. He couldn't imagine how many tricks this guy hadn't shown yet.
Sev closed the distance in a flash of wind, grabbing Chase by the neck.
Both of them levitated in the air, Chase struggling to get out of Sev's grasp.
"Let… Go…" Chase gasped for air.
"Do you plan to call for help? Do you think the same people who called you terrorists will help you now?" Sev chuckled as he looked into Chase's angry eyes.
The blue haired boy started to swing at The Deputy's face, causing Sev to hold Chase at a distance.
At the opening of the alleyway, Chase saw a sight that made his face twist in horror.
Amora's recognizable dirty blonde hair thrashed about as she tumbled across the rough concrete.
Ocho stepped into sight, grabbing the girl by the hair as he whispered something into her ear.
Chase began to twist and turn violently, trying to get to his love before she got hurt.
His chest felt like it was going to cave in. His throat felt like it was wrapped in barbed wire.
Sev turned to see what the boy was so worked up about.
"Is that your girlfriend or something? How sad. I'll let you watch her die, though." Sev grinned.
Chase's eyes began to well up with tears.
Ocho winded his fist back as it glowed purple.
"NO!" Chase screamed.
Ocho brought his fist down, ready to meet Amora's skull.
In an instant, a blur zoomed across the scene, taking Ocho with it.
"You check on Amora and Slim. Chase is in here, right?" Alex's voice echoed down the alleyway as Akilah rushed over to the now unconscious Amora.
Alex turned the corner into the alleyway where she was met with the sight of Sev holding Chase by the neck midair.
"More of them?!" Sev rolled his eyes.
Back at the compound:
Bloom walked down the hallway. She mentally prepared herself for the words she had planned to say.
She got to the end of the hallway, where she stood face to face with the door to Vida's room.
Bloom let out a big sigh before opening the door.
"Uh, Vida-" Bloom quickly realized there was no one in sight. In an instant, she began to panic.
She sped down the hallway with her Mode, checking every spot she could think of.
"Oh no…" Bloom thought. There was only one option left for someone worried about Hendrix.
Tears began to stream down Bloom's face as she realized where Vida must have gone.
"I… I'll just have to follow her… Oh god, please don't get yourself hurt, Vida…" Bloom tried to slow her breathing as she picked up a gaiter Jason had given her just in case.
She zoomed out of the compound in a blur, the residents confused by the sudden gust of wind as she passed by.
Bloom ran at one of the fastest speeds she had reached since her teens.
Near the heart of Shinjuku:
Vida had borrowed a gaiter from a compound resident she saw on the way out. She had been jogging from the compound into the city at a steady pace.
She reached a massive intersection and realized she had no idea where to go, "Where could Hendrix be?".
Vida looked around to see if she could find any of her friends who went on the mission.
A sound from above caught her attention.
Audio of a panicked crowd rang out from the enormous billboard sitting atop one of the taller buildings.
The panicked crowd faded out as a reporter began to speak.
"Here in southeast Shinjuku, a group of terrorists are on the run. The brave Correctional Forces' Officer and Deputies are attempting to stop their path of destruction as we speak." The reporter finished as the visuals panned into a picture of the terrorists.
"Hendrix?!" Vida muttered. Hendrix's pink hair spilled out above the dragon mask that the photo was focused on, "Is that really you?".
Hendrix was holding Molly in his arms, a sight that Vida didn't expect to see in a million years.
"No, that's gotta be him." Vida analyzed his posture, his hair, his scared eyes. She nodded to herself as she burst into a sprint, heading southeast without a plan in mind.