(Hamilton, Michael's apartment building, moments after the explosion.)
Outside the building, below, emergency vehicles arrive with two humvee military vehicles. By standers stand meters around the scene with their faces etched with shock and concern.
The paramedics step out their ambulances and rush towards the building, people rushed out to safety from the building, mostly injured from the explosion.
16 soldiers in grey military overalls, carrying silver customer rifles, marched out of the two humvees. One of the soldiers yelled "Remember! Aje..."
BANG
A Loud shot is heard interrupting the soldier that falls to the ground with a hole present on the temple of his skull.
"Shots fired! Shots fired!"
The soldiers immediately take cover behind the humvees, bystanders chaotically ran from the scene, pushing and screaming. The paramedics attended to Kyle's aid, raise their hands up with fear in their eyes as they watched Ender walk up to them with his pistol in hand.
"Don't shoot. Please don't shoot." The male paramedic begged.
Ender: SHUT up! (He said quickly to the man before looking down at Kyle with sadness in his eyes as he holds back the urge to cry, slowly putting his gun down. Once down, Ender gets shot in the shoulder by one of the soldiers, prompting him to run to his car while firing back at the soldiers.)
Getting into the car, the soldiers retaliated, firing at Ender's car before Martin Shaw, the commander, commands his Troops
Martin: Hold your fire! Ajex wants them alive!
The soldiers stop firing, still having their sights aimed at Ender's car.
Ender coughs out blood inside the car as most of the bullets have punctuated through the car and pierced into his gut section. He takes out his phone from his pocket and dialed a number that rings.
Martin walked out of cover and stand in the middle of both sides,
Martin: Ender Sinclair! By the order of the Enforcers, you and the rest of covert are to be taken into custody. Surrender willingly or... (he gestures to Kyle's dead body,) end up like your friend, here.
Ender: (His eyes widen, recognizing the voice of the commander,) No fucking way.... (he whispered to himself as he breathes in and out rapidly, on a verge of panic until finally a male voice is heard coming from his phone,)
Viktor: "Hello?"
Ender: Viktor! (He said with a hope tone) It's me, Ender. I'm in a situation with the inhumans... they're here. Kyle's dead. Send backup, now...
Ender's breathing becomes more at ease as he waits for a reply from Viktor.
Martin: (He scoffs after getting no response from Ender, he turns to his soldiers.) Team 2 deal with our friend, there. Team 1 with me. (He began leading his chosen team into the building.)
Viktor: "I did send backup, Ender. He was supposed to be with you and your squad ages ago."
Ender: What? (His brows furrowed in confusion.) Who the hell are you talking about?
Viktor: The speed demon, Jack Drake.
Ender: Tch... Well send another!
Viktor: I can't do that, son. I can't, under any circumstance send in more soldiers to be in the same danger as you are right now.
Ender: Are you being serious, right now? (He asked in disbelief before he sees the commander of the Enforcers, leaving charge his team into the building.) Shit... (He attempted to fire shots at the commander's team but has run out of bullets, he looked down his phone and saw that Viktor ended the call.) Damnit... (He said weakly before a wet, gurgling cough is made with blood staining his lips to crimson.)
The air around him was hung heavy with the smell of smoke and burnt metal. Sirens wailing in the distance, bystanders watching nearby and thr inhumans... cold, enhanced, trained killers that all have one goal in mind, "Kill the opposition," but this... This was different and Ender had taken notice.
Ender desperately tried calling Viktor once more, a waste it was as he doesn't answered. Betrayal, cold and bitter, washed over Ender. He had trusted Viktor, believed his vision on making the world greater and now he's here, left laying slumped against the steering wheel, his vision blurring. Blood, hot and sticky, seeped through his shirt, pooling in his lap, abandoned by the very man who sworn to have always be at everyone's aid as they are to everyone else on earth, no matter the race.
Ender laughed brokenly as he glanced at the approaching soldiers, their faces grim, their rifles trained on him.
Escape was impossible. They were professionals, trained killers, and he was just one man, bleeding out and outnumbered.
He coughed once again before holding his phone with his fingers trembling, he written out a message to Rex before his fingers faltered, the phone slipping from his grasp as he slumped against the steering wheel. The screen flickered and died, his vision fading to black. He could hear the screams of the soldiers, the roar of the engines, but it all seemed distant, unreal.
Then, silence.
Suddenly, a deafening roar erupted from the engine of a motorcycle. A figure on a motorcycle skidded to a halt beside Ender's car, the rider quickly dismounting. It was the woman with the worn brown leather jacket and striking red eyes from the warehouse. She moved with a practiced swiftness, her eyes scanning the scene as she approached the driver's side door.
"Hey! Can you hear me?" Her voice was urgent as she tried to open the damaged car door. Seeing it jammed, she didn't hesitate, kicking it forcefully. The mangled metal shrieked and buckled inward, creating an opening.
She saw Ender slumped against the wheel, blood staining his shirt and the car's interior. His breathing was shallow and ragged.
"Damn it. Hold on!" She eached inside, checking for a pulse. It was faint. She quickly assessed his injuries, her brow furrowing with concern. The gunshot wound to his shoulder was bad, but the damage to his gut looked critical.
The commander of team 2 watched from his position, a cold fury in his eyes.
Commander 2: After her! She's helping the miscreant! (he yelled to his team.)
She heard the shout and knew they didn't have much time. She tried to pull Ender from the car, but his body was heavy and unresponsive. Gritting her teeth, she adjusted her grip and managed to drag him out, supporting his weight as she moved towards her motorcycle.
"Just a little further," she muttered, her red eyes darting towards the approaching soldiers.
The soldiers opened fire, the silver bullets whizzing past Selena and Ender. She reached her motorcycle, quickly maneuvering Ender onto the back, propping him up as best she could.
"Hold on tight!" she shouted over the roar of the engine as she kicked off the stand and sped away from the scene, weaving through the chaos as more shots rained down around them.
As they disappeared into the Hamilton evening, Commander Shaw stepped out the building, watching the two espacr, his face a mask of frustration.
Shaw: They won't get far, (he growled to his remaining troops.)
Soldier 1: Want us to head after them, sir?
Shaw: No. Let them be. (He then turned his attention back to the wrecked car and the body of Kyle Macher, his expression unreadable being taken into an ambulance.) Follow that ambulance... (Another soldier walked out the building, carrying the body of Ivy completely intact with no clothes on.) Take the Elf to wherever that ambulance is heading...
Later on...
Ender's eyes fluttered open, the harsh fluorescent lights of what looked like a warehouse ceiling assaulting his vision. He groaned, a sharp pain shooting through his shoulder and abdomen with every shallow breath. He tried to sit up, but a firm hand gently pushed him back down.
"Easy there, friend. You took quite a beating," a soft voice said. Ender blinked, trying to focus on the person leaning over him. It was a young woman with brown braided hair and kind periwinkle eyes, dressed in a black tactical suit with white padding. He noticed she was carefully stitching a wound on his side.
Panic flared in Ender's chest. He didn't recognize this woman or the surroundings. He was in a large, dimly lit warehouse, surrounded by several unfamiliar faces. His hand instinctively reached for his sidearm, but it wasn't there.
Ender: Where... Where am I? (His voice was raspy and weak. He tried to push himself up again, adrenaline overriding the pain.) Who are you people? (He was immediately on guard, ready to fight despite his injuries.)
Before anyone could answer, a woman with long white hair and piercing blue eyes stepped forward. Her Prussian blue tactical suit with stark white shoulder pads made her presence authoritative.
"Calm down. We're not your enemies," she said, her voice firm but reassuring. "You were in trouble. Allison brought you here." She gestured towards the red-eyed woman in the leather jacket who stood nearby, watching with a concerned expression.
Ender: "Allison?" (He frowned, trying to recall the name. The events after the explosion were still blurry.)
The white-haired woman extended a hand. "My name is Willow. We're part of the Covert Operations Division too.
Ender's eyes widened in surprise.
Ender: Covert Operations...? But... No, I'M part of covert.
Willow: (She nodded.) We know. We're the Second Division. (She gestured to the others around the warehouse.) This is Jasper," she indicated the imposing man in black tactical gear.) This is Aurora, our leader, (she nodded towards the red-tipped haired woman with the purple visor.) That's our medic, Claire, who's currently patching you up.
Claire offered a small, reassuring smile as she continued stitching.
Willow: And that's Vanessa, (she pointed to the woman with a brunette ponytail, brown eyes and fair skin, wearing grey overalls with a military protection gear such as the pads and ballistic vest.)
Ender looked at each of them, his initial tension slowly easing. They wore similar tactical gear, and the mention of the Covert Operations Division made him lower his guard slightly.
Ender: Second Division, huh? I didn't even know there was one.
Jasper stepped closer, his golden-brown eyes steady.
Jasper: (he scoffed) And there's more out there, working for Vik.
Ender looked from one face to another, trying to process this sudden influx of information.
Ender: Okay. But... what happened back there? The inhumans... Martin Shaw...
Aurora crossed her arms, her purple visor reflecting the warehouse lights.
Aurora: We know. We were monitoring the situation. We've been… keeping an eye on your division for a while now.
Jasper: Yeah. We even know about your mission in Central City.
Aurora nodded, her posture radiating authority.
Aurora: Martin Shaw isn't just any 'inhuman,' Ender. He's the leader of the Enforcers, a splinter group who believe that individuals with enhanced abilities should be strictly controlled, contained, or even eliminated if they deem them a threat.
Jasper: (he grunted in agreement.) Viktor's methods are… unorthodox, to say the least. The Enforcers see him and anyone working with him as a danger to the world.
Ender's mind raced.
Ender: But... why?
Aurora: We don't know.
Jasper: They've been targeting anyone associated with Viktor's Covert Operations Division.
Allison stepped forward, her red eyes meeting Ender's.
Allison: You lucky. If we hadn't intervened, you'd be dead or worse.
Claire finished stitching the wound on Ender's side.
Claire: You lost a lot of blood. You need to rest.
Ender looked down at his cracked phone screen, a wave of grief washing over him as he remembers Kyle.
Ender: Viktor... He... betrayed me.
Willow exchanged a look with Aurora.
Willow: Viktor's loyalties are… complicated. He operates in the grey areas. We've had our suspicions about what his true agenda is for a while now.
Aurora stepped closer, her purple visor glinting in the dim light.
Aurora: Ender, you're in the middle of something much larger than you realize. The Enforcers are a serious threat, and Viktor isn't always forthcoming with the truth. You need to decide who you can trust.
Ender leaned back against the crates, the pain in his body a dull throb compared to the ache in his heart at Viktor's betrayal and the loss of Kyle. He looked at the faces of these strangers, these members of a Second Division he never knew existed, who had risked themselves to save him.
Ender: So… what now?
Willow offered a small, reassuring smile.
Ender: Now, you rest. We'll explain everything and figure out how to survive this mess together.