Enforcers encircled the Cultivar, rifles raised as two heavyset thugs lay pinned to the ground. Three teams were on standby at the main and side entrances, ready to storm.
The Cultivar had no rear access because it wasn't a freestanding building. It was tucked between tightly packed buildings with the front jutting out. A dismal, gray blend of metallic works and glass in the Undercity.
While the thugs shouted furious insults toward the Enforcers, deafening bangs echoed from sledgehammers striking the door hinges at each entrance.
Caitlyn and Greyson stood a distance away, just inside the encirclement with Enforcers standing guard nearby. Both of them held rifles but Greyson was relaxed compared to Caitlyn who clutched her rifle close to her chest, body hunched and tense.
Loud metallic pings echoed as the hinges broke away and struck the stone beneath. Greyson nodded to Enforcer officers waiting for the order.
Aggressive, muffled commands rang out and the Enforcers stormed the building. Their boots pounded against the pavement, guns raised as their silhouettes faded into the dark interior.
Unsettling silence followed. Caitlyn held her breath, her mask fogging slightly with each exhalation. The silence stretched unbearably thin until gunfire, screams, and the sounds of a vicious battle sent everyone scrambling.
The Enforcers surrounding the building turned in alarm when the gunfire rang out, raising their rifles in expectation of combat. Caitlyn's gaze snapped up as the glass ceiling of the Cultivar shattered, a thick cloud of pollen puffing into the air before settling like a toxic mist around the building, obscuring vision.
"Get to cover, Caitlyn!" Greyson shouted, shoving her back as stray bullets whistled through the air, one past her ear.
Caitlyn stumbled before regaining her footing, retreating to a nearby building for shelter with one of the guards close behind. Her hands trembled as she tightly gripped the rifle, her eyes fixated on the unfolding chaos. The Enforcer beside her scanned the area, his stance protective and alert. He didn't seem to care about the battle, rather only the environment around her.
"You two, you two! Move up!" Greyson barked through the chaos, pointing at two Enforcers from each side and gesturing them forward.
At her command, the Enforcers sprinted forward and took cover at the doorway. They peered cautiously into the dark hallways, their guns raised and fingers on the trigger.
Gesturing at two more closest to her, she sprinted as fast as her old body would allow toward the entrance. Caitlyn saw her momentarily raise her rifle — and froze in fear.
Sidestepping, Greyson's eyes widened in horror as two bloodied Enforcers staggered out, one supporting the other with a limp leg. Caitlyn couldn't hear her orders but watched as she and the others disappeared inside.
Caitlyn's eyes darted apprehensively across the chaotic scene. The sounds of gunfire and fighting faded shortly after Greyson entered, leaving her emotions a blur. She watched in shock as more wounded Enforcers stumbled out, blood dripping from wounds or severed limbs.
A flicker of motion caught her eye and she raised her gun toward the shattered glass roof. Most of the pollen had fallen, leaving a clearer view of the top.
'Isn't that… that's the boy!'
Her eyes widened in shock, then anger. While a Chemical Mask obscured his face, he wore the same clothes from Count Mei's Menagerie. His jacket flapped in the gusts of wind as he crouched low, trying to stay unnoticed despite the light glinting off his goggles.
'I don't want to kill him… but I can't let him get away!'
Her mind raced.
Was she seeing an enemy or a boy from the menagerie? For a moment the world narrowed to his figure alone, her finger twitching on the trigger. If she fired, she might save lives if he is hostile, but she would also lose a piece of herself.
She chambered a bullet, exhaling slowly as she tried to calm her racing heart and trembling grip. Her vision through the optics shook, her finger still twitching on the trigger.
Bang!
The Enforcer's gun behind her rang out. He had turned to see where she was aiming and fired at the figure.
"No! Stop!"
More gunshots rang out, sparking off the metal roof frame as the figure darted away with a nimble speed that was hard to track.
Caitlyn breathed heavily, the imagery of his body twisting from the bullet's impact and clutching his shoulder burned into her mind. Her rifle lowered, her vision tunneled as her breath came in short bursts.
Hearing shouts, Caitlyn's gaze shifted, watching as Greyson walked out with two Enforcers accompanying her parents. Aside from bruises and cuts, they were fine. Relief flooded her immediately but the weight on her chest remained as her thoughts drifted back to the boy.
'What do I say? I wanted to stop him, but not like this!'
Caitlyn stepped out and began walking back toward the scene with her guard, catching their attention. She fully expected the typical reprimands and disapproval from her parents. Her gaze fell in anticipation of a berating but also because of the boy being shot at.
Instead, Cassandra and Tobias rushed toward Caitlyn. Cassandra pulled her into a tight hug, Tobias wrapping around them both. Unable to hold back, but speaking in a much softer, caring tone, Cassandra whispered emotionally, "You shouldn't be here…"
Caitlyn clutched her mother's dirty clothes, her acknowledgment subtle as tears formed. She cried softly between sobs, "I didn't want to lose you… I had to be here."
After a bittersweet moment of tears and relief, the family broke apart. Caitlyn's gaze drifted to the Enforcers dragging out dead comrades and foes alike. It had been a short, intense battle.
"Was there a boy in there?" Caitlyn asked, her voice faltering as she looked to Greyson.
Greyson, dividing her attention between the Enforcers and the Kirammans, briskly shook her head as she juggled both worlds.
"No. Should there have been?"
Greyson's gaze lingered on Caitlyn, whose figure trembled, her expression tightening with concern.
"T-that boy… He was there on the roof. I wasn't going to shoot him, but…"
Her gaze shifted to the Enforcer, who stiffened, his head turning between Caitlyn's accusatory stare and Greyson's demanding one.
"You shot a boy?"
"He looked like a criminal trying to escape. I didn't know it was a boy. All I saw were goggles glinting, and I thought she froze at the situation of having to take a life."
The Enforcer turned his head to the wounded groaning in pain before turning back to Greyson. She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment before looking back at Caitlyn.
"I cannot reprimand him, Caitlyn. He was doing his duty to keep others and you safe."
"But he was just a boy!"
"He did his duty. The boy shouldn't have been here. Caitlyn, children down here can be dangerous. Parents and adults give them guns or explosives and send them off to fight for their cause. While you may hate it on the surface, the Enforcer did what he felt was right to protect everyone."
Caitlyn looked conflicted, her eyes darting emotionally. Her parents eyed her with pity as she was forced to understand the situation before Cassandra, with tears in her eyes, pulled Caitlyn into another deep hug.
Soft sobs echoed as she hugged her mother. Cassandra nodded to Greyson, who silently continued to gesture orders.
All that was left were the screams and cries of the wounded, and the faint hissing from steam pipes.