Police sirens wailed through the quiet streets of District 16. The purple and green flashes painted every building, revealing the city's dormant state. A slick sports cop car zooms the street of District 16. Vroom Vroom, baby. Brash engine GRRR! Nitro boosts low spoilers and everything. The hover magnet thrusters revert back to wheels, and the super car kisses the ground again. Leah Rakishi accessed the car's mobile data terminal to set a way point. A contact calls, a picture of her and Captain Huando hugging lovingly pops up. She answers.

"District 17, Kalye 38, I am on my way. Keep the journalists from entering the vicinity, contain the area. Over-Kshhhh...."

"Walkie Talkies don't exist anymore, Leah. Stop living in the past."

"Oh shut up, Rahul. I had to leave a DND CNR homebrew session because of your incompetence. Over-Kshhhh"

Leah chuckles to herself. The radio chatter sounds, "Rrroger that, Over-Kshhhh". Leah smiles.

"I love you so much..."

"What was that? Can't hear you, Over-Kshhhh"

Leah's cheeks reds, smile showed her pearly whites.

"I love you, Over-Kshhhh"

"That's better. I'm expecting a kiss when you get here."

Damien and Maverick ran, looking from side to side. They heard an engine coming from around the street, they hid behind a garbage can. The cop car drifts a corner. KRRRRRRRRR! Accelerate mvvvvvvmmMMMMMM Boost BVSHHHHHH ZOOOOOM! Damien pulls the teen's hand and continues running. Maverick's unusual eyes are catching colors again. The boy looks behind them and catches a glimpse of a red and white figure, with a green outline.

"Where's your place?" Damien asked in between breathing

Maverick pulls him to a stop. Damien looks back, "What?". Teen shushes him, and look, two stationed cops answering radio chatter ran in the opposite direction.

"You heard their radio from around the corner? You're senses..."

"It's not as impressive as it seems to be. Most of the time, I am physically stunted from what stupid Ridan put me through. I hate him, I hate this body. I hope he goes to hell."

Damien gulps. He examines the teen's weird cloudy looking pupils and pointy ears the boy got. Maverick pulls our guy, "This way, mister".

Sheridan Labs, licensed veterinary centre up front, inhumane laboratory down below. Bright light bouncing off the white tiles, almost blinding compared to the dim streets outside. Before they enter, Maverick pulls out protective goggles from his pockets and wears them.

"I have sensitive eyes..."

The place is clean, there are pet foods displayed while medicines are shelved at the back of the counter. Both of them sat on metal chairs to wind down.

"Look, I'm sorry about your father..."

"Don't be. I never loved him anyways. He deserved what happened to him."

Damien sighs, places his hand on the teen's shoulder, "I don't dictate who deserves empathy, but he is still your father. You must have a lot of conflicting feelings right now."

Maverick humpfs, looks away with an annoyed face, his jaw shifts to the side.

"It's important that you process these feelings, talk to me."

"I don't want to, okay? I appreciate your concern, but I just... I don't know what to do right now...."

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"The police will probably search this place down after they discover the site. Do you have another place to stay? I'd invite you to mine but... I'd rather not be there either."

Maverick eyes an elevator behind the counter. The two used the elevator, Maverick inputs a pattern on the floor selection, the passcode scans the boy's face before they phase through the dirt. Damien's body jerked for a second, looked around, but then he recognised. "This technology..."

"My dad worked with a contact before. Another researcher, weapons expert and mob bos-" Damien follows his words, both of them matching, "Boss of the Andi-Division, Andrea."

Maverick's brows raised, "You know her?"

"I worked for her before my involvement with Bart."

The teen geeks out, "So you guys were the one who toppled the Crime King Jim?" Damien smirks, reminiscent of old times, "I was one of her goons. Then things got too heated, my best friends got killed, arrested, and I..." Look down, smile fades, "I escaped. She usually doesn't let anyone quit the gang, but I was an exception."

Ding! Geeshh... Empty hallway, echoes of animals and muffled voices from within. Maverick steps out the elevator and into the shadows the elevator lights are casting. Our Mav slowly bends down, creeped by the darkness.

"Do you want me to stay? I can stay if you want me to."

Maverick puffed his chest, "You should... Go... Now... Before they storm the upper ground."

Damien raises his fist. Maverick bumps it. They nod at each other and the elevator's doors closed. The Scarlet Serpent watches from atop the building, Damien exits the clinic. She hears the rotor of a helicopter and sirens getting louder and louder. S.S. glides down, activating her camouflage and entered Sheridan Labs. The police are coming, she carefully hurried to the elevator. When it was time for the face check, she pulled out one of her fang daggers, SHING!, and pries open the elevator control panel's cover BRAG-BRAG-BRAG, breached security and used the A.I. Lex installed into her suit to bypass verification.

"Holy shit..." S.S. held on to the elevator rails, as the metal box phases through the ground.

Maverick caresses the feathers of a bird without wings. It pecks the bird food from his hand, then eats the rest of it. Goddess Luna peeks over the circular window into the room, shining upon the moonchild. The eagle cawks. Maverick tilts his head.

"Maverick?"

The bird and the boy look at the figure in the dark, the source of the voice. To an ordinary observer, it appears as a shadowy figure, yet through the eyes of the moonchild, the true colors of Scarlet Serpent are unveiled.

"You're going to finish me off as well?" Maverick whispered to the bird.

"I'm here to check on you. I could never hurt a child."

.

.

.

"I don't believe you... I don't trust you..."

The Scarlet Serpent basks into the moonlight, staring down at the moonchild. She removed her hood and disabled her mask. Maverick quickly identified her, "You're with the AIB... I saw you on the news when that scientist, I forgot her name, was praised for pioneering the energy shield and project JED."

"Your memory is crazy. Yes, that was my friend, Alexa. And she asked me to check upon you."

Verna joins Maverick on the couch. The boy scooches away. She sighs.

"Sheridan was my friend's ex... He kept you a secret, but she discovered you through his files. That was one of the many reasons why she broke up with him. We thought you were a goner because of all the horrible experiments done on you, but when I saw you back there, she asked me to visit and check on you."

The boy feeds the bird, the rest he eats. "Why does she care?"

"She just does, okay? Lex is an innovative and initiative person, but unlike Sheridan, she has a heart. All this time, you've been on her mind, caring about your wellbeing. Hoping that you're still alive..."

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"I want to see my mom." Maverick demands with a look very familiar to her.

Verna narrows her eyes, "huh?"

Maverick locked in, eyes on the prize, "You're with the government, right? Help me see my mom."

"What do you mean?"

Maverick stands up, laid the bird to rest, and pointed at the vault just across the corridor. "She's locked up in there, and the only code to the vault is in stupid Sheridan's wallet."

.

.

.

"So, you want me to infiltrate the evidence room and get it for you?"

"If I'm going to be manipulated, might as well gain something from it."

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"Perhaps we can help each other-"

"I knew it."

"It was not like that, okay? Jus-Listen. I stalked your escape here. You were with someone. And that someone is?"

"Damien?"

"Damien, yeah. I need to reach him. He's my only lead in this case."

Maverick and Verna had a stare down for a while until the boy dropped it and looked away with his jaws shifted.

"Fine, I'll give you two a call tomorrow morning."

Vernadette exhales in relief. She gets up and hides her identity again with her mask and hood.

"Thank you, really."

"The elevator's that way. There's also a sewer tunnel leading to the outskirts of the city."

The Scarlet Serpent joins the darkness once more, "No way. I'll take the elevator... And risk getting caught... Better than soaking my suit with sewer water..."

Maverick watched her leave. The Scarlet Serpent sneaked her way out of Sheridan Labs and disappeared into the night. Dusk into Dawn, officers came and went, the place was on lockdown. Forensics arrived early morning, along with their drones that scan and store evidence. S.S. roped, jumped, and glided from rooftop to another, skipping Sheridan Labs, eventually reaching a large sewer exit. Maverick's there, sitting on the edge just above the muddy sewer water draining into the ocean. Swinging his legs and looking at the rising sun. Verna hands the teen a take out order, "Here's your request, eat."

Mav nods, takes out the container from the paper bag and starts munching rather slowly for a starved teen. Vee leans on the guard rail, joins the sunrise watching.

"Is he coming?"

*Munch* Mhmm *crunch*

She hangs her head down, resting her neck. Sighing as she looks down at her reflection on the water. Damien sneaks from behind and sees two figures. He couldn't make out who's who because of the sun's position, shadowing their true colors.

"Hey buddy..."

Mav ecstatically got up and ran to our guy and fist bumps him. Damien handed the teen, a water bottle and dried fruits. "You got it? Awesome! I've always wanted these, seeing them on the streets."

"Packed, dried, and sealed to last for a long time. So, I suppose that person's who I'm working with?" Damien points at Verna.

The sunrise finishes and shadows were no longer. Verna and Damien first meet. He recognizes the suit she's wearing.

"Did... Did the kid set me up? That's..." Damien thought to himself as he looked down at Mav, hands gripping tightly on the boy's shoulder.

Verna notices his metal arm reaching for his waist, she wasted no time, "Wait... Please, hear me out."

"What do you want from me? That drink, from the bar."

"I... I need your help..."

Damien pulls Mav behind and looks at her.

"Okay... Full transparency... No bullshit, I swear...

.

.

.

I'm desperate, okay? I'll open up, don't stick a dagger..."

Damien and Verna looked at each other, one suspicious, the other ferocious, both nervous.

"You're a good person, I know that."

"I don't think so."

"Yes you are. I saw how you protected Maverick from Juan."

Damien and Maverick exchanged looks. Verna approaches them.

"Look, I might seem brutal and heartless, but so are these demons infesting our city. If the knot's too complicated, one brute force will solve the problem. This impostor epidemic, I can't solve it if I don't know where the knot is."

"You think that I'm still with Juan and Bart after the stunt they pulled? I know what they are now, and I'm not planning on endangering anyone else."

"Then help me find the leader of these demons, Damien. We need to look for their base of operations, they can't be this successful and coordinated."

"We?"

"Yes, we. You have people to care about, don't you? I do, and I will do everything in my power to protect them."

.

.

.

He remembered Jocelyn. Jalo, Andrea, Dick, Trixie, and how they managed to pull of a suicide mission together. An "A" brand on the back of his hand, an insignia of his past. He looks down at Maverick. He believed in the power of friendship before, why shouldn't he now?

.

.

.

A purpose, he thought. A chance to prove himself, to outweigh the wrongs he's been making his entire life.

.

.

.

"You know what? Fuck it. Life's been down lately, this might be my chance."

Verna shakes her head in disbelief, exhales in relief, then hugs him tightly, with an undeniable smile on her face.

"YOU gave me that chance!" She opens her eyes and lets go "ew wtf sorry for the um... That. Corny ass, why did I do that..."

"I know, don't ever do that shit ever again." She jokingly hit him, "I never wanted to do that! It was like, at the heat of the moment, you know how it is."

Maverick chuckles, looking up at the two of them kidding themselves. Damien and Verna were delighted at the sight of the him cracking. The two looked at each other, both with desire and determination.

"You sure, you're down for this, emo boy?" Verna teased with a grin.

"Fuck it, let's get this over with." Damien replied while shaking his head.

Damien and Verna escorted Maverick back inside the sewer tunnels before leaving him inside. The teen, alone again, explored the experiments and subjects Sheridan had in his facility. On the way to his mother's cage, he noticed a giant tube with green fluid bubbling inside. "Avatar" it was specified on the subject container. Mav ignored it and continued deeper into the facility. There, he saw a circular door with a passcode lock. The teen had hungry eyes, depraved, and desperate to see his mother. He clenched his fists. Lonely moonchild, dreaming in the shadows...

.

.

.

Hours later, Damien and Verna stood atop an apartment building, he wore a hoodie and a mask while she just used her S.S. suit for the mission. Vee handed Damien a grappling hook, saying, 'You'll need this to get inside. Remember, fourth floor, third window.'

 

'My younger self would never work for the government.'

 

'We're working for ourselves. The people too, but not the government. Now, Miss Leah usually doesn't take lunch breaks, but when she does, she still works, which means she'll bring her work to her room.'

 

Verna clung to the building sideways with her sticky shoes, like Spiderman. Damien secured the grappling hook on the rooftop edge and carefully descended. The wind swayed the rope, making him swing. He closed his eyes, using his weight to steady himself.

 

'Hey, you good?'

 

'Don't worry about me.'

 

Descending one floor at a time during the day's peak, with the sun directly overhead, they went unnoticed as people were absorbed in their phones or resting inside. Surveillance cameras only monitored the streets, ensuring their safety on the side of the building. Sliding open the glass window door, they entered Leah Rakishi's apartment. Amidst typical room furnishings, a table cluttered with papers and a closet filled with uniforms caught their attention.

 

'Everything's become so digital that physical copies are now safer and more private.'

 

Vee snapped her fingers, gestured towards the door, then began searching for evidence among the files on the table. Damien accessed the peephole, providing a view not only of the corridor but also of anyone approaching from across. The door viewer extended outside for Damien to keep watch. Meanwhile, Vee delved into numerous files, unrelated cases filling the room. However, she couldn't find any pictures or photocopies related to the Sheridan case.

 

"Hmm, it's not here..."

 

"You might want to hurry. There's a couple headed this way. I already closed the peephole, but I can say based on their walking speed, 30 seconds until they get here."

 

Verna bit her lip while doing a "ffffffffffff" sound. Damien looks at the closet.

 

"That's Leah and Huando..."

"Come on, we need to get out of here."

"No, we're not leaving until we have what we came for. Those files, they won't be here tomorrow."

They can hear a man and a woman laughing at the corridor. Their steps sound louder and louder. Damien gripped Verna's arm, she nudged him as she struggled to find anything. A card swiped, and the door was unlocked. The door creaked open, Leah went inside with a folder under her arm, laughing with Huando outside.

"Yeah I know... You want to... You want to do something?" Leah looked behind her with bedroom eyes. Huando leaned on the door frame and stroked his mustache, smirking. The two giggled, eyes glued to one another. Verna and Damien squeezed themselves into the closet like sardines in a small can. There's literally no space for them both that they are forced to each other, body to body. She shushed him, peeking out a small opening of the closet. Verna whispers, "That folder, that might be it. We need to find a way to see it..."

Damien locked in, brows straight and eyes closed. Verna narrowed her eyes, feeling something pressed on her. "What's wrong?"

"I hope you understand the situation, this is purely body instinct, I have no control over it."

Verna chuckled, "Don't make it weird then, big boy."

Leah throws the folder on the table before pushing into Huando outside the apartment. Verna sees her out of the apartment, and she wasted no time. She stumbled to the floor, exiting the closet. Oh shit, did they hear it? She looked at the door, then back at Damien. Alright, coast's clear. She rushes to the folder, Jackpot! "Sheridan Case"

Cover page, a bunch of yapping, picture of Sheridan on the grave, another dozen of paragraphs full of yapping, energy shield, yapping again, turtle neck, pants, code-CODE! Verna pulled out her phone and pictured the photocopy of the code. She could hear moaning and kissing just outside the apartment, she grinned, and thought to herself "Miss Leah's going to get watered"

Verna closed the folder and pulled Damien out of the closet, he asked "You've got it?"

"Yeah, come on."

Leah slams Huando into the door open, kissing and undressing his polo shirt. Verna and Damien hurriedly sneaked their way out the window. Their lips parted for them to breathe.

"I've got a dildo we can try on..."

"Dildo? What do we need that for?"

"Hello? You requested it last week? You said you liked strap-ons."

Huando's eyes stretched WIIIDEE OPEN. He forced himself to Leah, kissing her even if she's confused as hell. While they were kissing, she muffled "mmmkay... Yer acwing a mmmhwittle mweird...."

His mouth slid down her neck, licking and biting, giving her a hickey. Leah's shoulders became stiff, her facial expression gave a weird and uncomfortable vibe.

"I thought... You were a sub..."

"I've got the power..."

Leah suddenly felt sharp teeth ngawing on her neck skin. She tried to stop Huando by gripping his face.

"Huando, that's enough. I don't like this..."

"Don't you struggle... Don't you fight..."

"...Huando?"

"Don't you worry, cuz it's your turn tonight..."

BARTHOLOMEW RIPS OFF LEAH'S VOICEBOX. She tried to scream but she couldn't. Through teary eyes, she could see Huando's skin pigment change. Hands shaking, she tried to push the impostor off her, but she couldn't. He's too strong, inhumanely strong. Bart bites, and bites, and bites like a dog mawing down a watermelon. Mouth stained with blood. Chunks of red meat fell to the floor. Leah's body shivered, heart pounding fast. Her face crunching, crying without any sound. Tears and blood running down her body. Legs shaking, arms trembled, punching Bart with the strength she had left. Then... {Crunch}

.

{Break}

.

.

.

Bart decapitated Leah's skull from her spinal cord.

Head rolls over to the side, leaving a mix of blood and tear trail.

Eyed her up and down, Bart deftly undid the buckle, allowing the belt to slide free with a subtle click.

Pants down, bulge up.

"Let me... Hmmm-yeah... Let me put my love into you, babe..."