Gunshots rang through the air.
Ocho, still wincing from the pain of Kai's attack, looked to the alleyway where the shot came from.
The shots continued as the group in the street began to witness stray bullets flying into the air above them.
Sev flew out of the alley a few feet above the ground, holding his hovering leg, now covered in blood.
Ocho's eyes widened.
"Retreat!" Sev screamed, gritting his teeth as he applied pressure to his wound.
Amora, Kai, Taro, Akilah, and Slim watched in confusion as the once confident and terrifying Deputy now showed fear in his own expression.
The bullets continued to fly as Sev shot through the air, heading straight towards their car.
"Shit!" Ocho ran to his unconscious sister.
The Deputy picked Tine up and carried her to their Correctional Forces vehicle.
Ocho dropped his sister off in the backseat and got into the driver's seat as Sev shot into the passenger's seat.
Out of the alleyway, Chase sprinted out. He held his two handguns, surveying the scene.
The blue-haired boy locked eyes with Sev and instantly raised both guns toward the car.
He squinted, locking the Deputy in his crosshairs.
"Bang!" Chase muttered as he pulled the trigger.
One last bullet cut through the air, shattering the windshield into a million pieces.
Ocho flinched as the shot cracked through the glass.
"Fuck!" Sev shouted.
Blood began to pour from his right shoulder as Ocho watched in shock.
"Drive!" Sev shouted at Ocho.
The Deputy nodded, shifting the gear into drive.
Dust kicked up under the squealing tires as the Correctional Forces' Deputies zoomed down the street in a painful retreat.
After they drove out of view of the rebels, Chase fell to his knees. He wiped the blood from his gaiter while he tried to steady his breath.
"Chase!" Amora ran over to the kneeling Chase.
"Hey babe." Chase uttered with a gravely tone.
Amora wrapped her arms around the boy as he leaned into them.
"Are you okay?!" Amora's voice began to shake.
Her healing light came out with ease. She was getting the hang of activating it on demand.
"Yeah." Chase's cuts and bruises slowly healed. He felt his strength renew as he looked up at Amora's face, "Are you okay?"
"I don't know," Amora whispered, her voice trembling harder now.
"What's wrong?" Chase sat up.
"I wanna fight for freedom, but… I'm scared, Chase. We're so close to dying every time." Amora's voice gave out after the last word. She closed her eyes, trying to stop herself from crying at the sight of Chase's bloody gaiter.
Chase's brows furrowed as he tried to understand.
After a few moments of silence, Chase finally connected the pieces in his head. He held a hand to the back of Amora's neck.
"That's why I'm getting stronger. You won't have to worry." Chase looked into Amora's tear filled eyes.
"You don't know you'll be able to-"
Chase cut her off before she could spiral.
"I'll make it happen, babe. We'll be heroes one day." Chase smiled through his gaiter.
Amora loved those smiling eyes, but his words didn't console her. She nodded, not convinced, but too tired to keep arguing.
"Oh man. You did great, Chase." Alex hobbled out of the alleyway, stretching her arms and steadying her breath.
"Oh my god, are you okay?" Amora rushed over to Alex, activating her healing light on her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just need to catch my breath." Alex patted Amora's head.
Amora held Alex's arm as her Mode healed all of her injuries, mostly minor.
"We still haven't finished the mission. Hendrix and Molly are still out there." Slim walked out from the middle of the street with Kai, Akilah and Taro.
"Yeah." Taro wore a face of defeat.
"Don't worry kids. You guys still did a good job. We'll get after Hendrix right now, if you're up for it." Alex raised her eyebrows, awaiting an answer from the kids.
"Well… we have to finish the mission, right?" Chase asked, looking at the others. They all nodded.
"Alright, then. Let's get to it." Alex stretched.
The southern border of Shinjuku:
Vida had been using the news broadcasts at the top of the city intersections to follow Hendrix's trail.
He kept a steady yet fast pace, with the Officer hot on his trail. Vida didn't give up hope, though.
"The perpetrator is now heading south, towards the city border." The news reporter on the large screen stated.
"Okay." Vida muttered to herself.
She turned into another busy street, heading south.
In a split second, Vida was standing in an alleyway on the side of the street she was just standing in.
"What are you doing here?!" Bloom shook Vida's shoulders.
The girl looked around, trying to get a sense of direction after being displaced so fast, "Bloom?!"
"What are you doing here?!" Bloom restated her question, keeping her hands on Vida's shoulders.
"Well, I wasn't gonna let my friend die!" Vida exclaimed.
"I'm not letting them die, Vida! I just don't want you to die too!"
"Do you have that little confidence in us?!"
"Yes! All of my friends are dead! Do you want to end up like me?!" Bloom was now screaming.
Vida went silent. She looked away, her shoulders stuck between Bloom's hands.
"I…" Vida couldn't think of anything to say.
Bloom took a deep breath before beginning to speak.
"I know you want to get back at the world that wronged you-" Bloom was interrupted.
"It's not about getting back!" Vida twisted out of Bloom's hands.
She thought to herself, trying to remind herself why they were doing all this.
"We want to live freely. But also, there's no going back." Vida thought to herself.
"We're going back to the compound!" Bloom pointed backwards.
"WE are not going anywhere! I'm going to help Hendrix!" Vida ran out the alleyway and onto the street.
Bloom put her face in her hands. After a few seconds of contemplation, Bloom began to jog, catching up to Vida.
"What are you doing?!" Vida asked once she noticed Bloom following her.
"WE are going to help Hendrix." Bloom answered.
Vida didn't answer at first. Bloom looked past her, toward the giant screens still broadcasting Hendrix's chase.
Vida nodded to herself as she picked up her pace.
A couple blocks down, Hendrix was carrying Molly as he swung from his steel strings.
The Officer kept the chase on foot, unable to use his Mode in fear of scaring the public even more than they already were.
"Officer! Officer!" Sev's voice came through Officer 9274's watch.
"What is it?! Did you finish off those dissenters? Because you've been held up for long enough, dammit!" The Officer exclaimed into his watch as he kept his eye on the pink-haired boy.
"We had to retreat, sir. The rebels are probably zeroing in on your location." Sev's voice grew ashamed.
Officer 9274 gritted his teeth, "Dammit!"
Hendrix turned a corner into what seemed to be an area of lower income. The houses were smaller, broken down, and packed tightly.
"We've made it to the slums! Good thinking, boy. Now we can battle without a worry!" 9274 faded into the shadow of one of the apartment buildings as Hendrix tried to get away.