Chapter 2: Some Mysteries Are Better Left Unsolved

Inside a little training facility, Vi is using a practice robot. Claggor is off to the side watching her while Papi is sitting next to him; reading a book.

There's a leader board with high scores on it. Vi has nearly every high score.

Mylo is at the shooting range, picking his nose. "Remind me why we bother with this dump." He flicks his booger away and checks his practice gun.

"Vander said to lay low." Vi says. "Enforcers never come down here, so this is a good a place as any."

"Oh, what's the matter, Mylo? You worried Powder's gonna beat you again?" Claggor mocks.

"Hey, if she didn't keep fixing these things, I wouldn't keep missing." Mylo states.

Powder pops up from behind the counter with a cord in each hand.

Power puts the two cords together and the shooting range behind her lights up.

Powder hops over the counter and Mylo makes a face at her. Mylo then begins to shot at the moving targets, missing each and every shoot.

"You guys know I wouldn't take you on a job that you couldn't handle, right?" Vi asks.

"Are you kidding?" Mylo asks as Powder loads her practice gun. "That was the best job we've ever done." He goes back to shooting and keeps missing his targets. "Maybe just don't take Powder and Papi next time."

"Um..." Claggor starts.

"Show him, Powder." Papi says.

Powder aims her gun down range and shoots all the rounds, hitting every target with extreme precision. After she finishes she sets down her gun and gives Mylo the same look he gave her.

Papi laughs.

"Shut it, Birdie." Mylo says in annoyance. "You can't even shoot a gun."

"One day Papi will build a device that let's me shoot a weapon and I'll show you that I'm better than you!" Papi says.

Powder goes over to an arcade machine and Papi goes over to her and watches her play. But they notice a commotion outside and they look out a small hole in the glass next to the machine to see an Enforcer push a woman over.

Marcus is questioning a man. "Tell me where I can find them."

"Topsider business ain't my concern." The man says.

"It's everyone of your trencher's concern now. Give me a name."

The man takes a step towards Marcus and leans in close, the proceeds to spit on Marcus's shoe.

Powder looks back to the others. "Hey, guys? You should see this--"

"Get down!" Papi yells and he covers Powder as the man flies through the giant glass window of the room.

The Enforcers look into the room and Marcus motions to the kids. "Search them."

Enforcers walk into the room and Powder and Papi back up towards the Shooting counter.

"Go ahead, idiots." Mylo says in confidence. "We've got nothing."

Powder puts a hand on the pouch holding the blue gems and she looks up to Vi.

Marcus stops right in front of Papi and Powder and both the kids look to Vi in worry.

Vi looks at Claggor and he pulls a lever that turns the light off and black lights on.  Papi and Powder begin to run away and Marcus chases them. Mylo kicks an enforcer away from him.

Mylo hops over the gun range counter and shoots the practice gun at the Enforcers. The rubber balls harmlessly bounce off their armor.

The Enforcers walk towards Mylo when a metal plate hits one of them in the face and he falls to the ground.

Papi ducks under an enforcer trying to grab him.

"Stay still!" The Enforcer yells.

"Stay away!" Papi yells and his talons glow white as he proceeds to kick the enforcer away, sending him flying through the broken glass window.

"Come on, Papi." Claggor yells as he motions to follow.

Papi runs after Claggor and the group runs out of the hideout and through the streets as the enforcers chase them.

Suddenly the group stops as a few Enforcers are ahead of them, interrogating a guy. They notice the group and start to head towards them.

They turn around only to see Marcus' group running towards them.

They hear a whistle and look up as a ladder is dropped down to them.

"Over here!" Ekko yells.

Everyone begins to climb up the ladder and Marcus aims a pistol at the group, but as everyone is up she kicks the ladder down and it lands on Marcus.

Papi sticks is tongue out at him.

The group then starts to leave.

"You need to hide those crystals." Vi says to Powder.

"Yeah, no shit." Powder says.

"Papi thinks that's a good idea." Papi says.

-----

Sevika slams her hands on a table. "We should hit them back. We've got the numbers to beat them."

"Yeah." A guy agrees with her. "Let's teach them what it means to mess with us."

Everyone in the bar agrees.

Vander lights up a match and puts his pipe to hos mouth as he lights it. He takes a puff. "You sure that's what you want?"

"Let's do it." Someone yells.

"We crossed that bridge once before, and we all know how that ended."

"You're just protecting your kids." Someone says.

The gang is watching from the doorway that leads down stairs. Papi is standing next to Powder.

"I'm protecting our people." Vander states. "I'd do the same for any one of you. We look out for each other. It's the way it's always been. This will blow over. We just need to stand together."

"The Vander I knew, the one who built the underground, wouldn't be afraid to fight." Sevika says.

Vander walks over to her.

"Do I look afraid?" Vander asks.

"No." Sevika responds. "You look weak."

Sevika whistles and begins to leave. A group of people follow her.

"Why isn't he doing anything?" Claggor asks as the group watches Vander.

"We kicked the Enforcers' butts with just the five of us." Powder says. "Imagine what the hole of the Lanes could do."

"Jeez, even Powder wants to fight." Mylo says as he walks down the stairs.

Claggor follows Mylo

"So, why aren't we?" Vi asks.

"Papi believes Uncle Vander has a plan." Papi says as he follows the others.

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Vi starts to follow the others but notices that Ekko has been quiet. Powder also stays back.

"Spill it, Ekko." Vi says.

"Um..." Ekko starts. "Oh, okay. Well, um, Vander's got a deal with the Enforcers."

Vi's eyes widen. "What deal?"

----

Papi is sitting on the floor beside his and Powder's bed. Powder is showing Ekko her new device while Papi is making a Dreamcatcher and he's putting his feathers on it.

"Making more?" Vi asks.

Papi looks at her and nods. "They help keep Papi's nightmares away."

"Same one?"

Papi doesn't say anything. "I... I keep seeing them. I keep going back to that night."

"The night your parent's died?" Mylo asks.

Papi nods and he sets the dream catcher up so it hangs above the bed.

Suddenly everyone hears metal clanking and they look up to a shelf to see a cymbal banging monkey toy walking on the shelf.

It's time to hide.

The monkey falls off the shelf and everyone climbs up to the ceiling and hides amongst the pipes.

Footsteps approach the room and an enforcer opens the door and enters the room. He turns on a flashlight and walks down the steps.

Papi has his talons dug into a pipe and his wings stretched out and holding onto two more pipes.

The enforcer looks in a ventilation pipe. 

"Mm. You be careful with that." Vander's muffled voice is heard through the floor boards.

"Nearly forgot." Someone says. "I ran into an old friend of yours." The man chuckles. "He had some stories."

A slam is heard and the sound of chairs scrapping against the floor is heard.

The man continues. "You weren't always the peacekeeper, were you?"

"Yeah, well, you can't escape the past. Right?" Vander says. "Be a shame if I had to put them on again. Cast iron's, well, it's hard to clean."

The enforcer looks under a bed. Papi notices that Powder is starting to slip from her hold on the pipe she holds. 

Papi looks down and the enforcer is right below her and he looks back to her in worry.

Papi looks to Vi in worry and she's looking to Powder in worry.

The enforcer goes back to the entrance to the room and gives it one last look as Powder is slowing slipping.

The enforcer slowly closes the door and it closes with a thud. Powder falls to the floor with a grunt. Papi dopes down and goes over to her.

"You people down here are all the same, mistaking arrogance for bravery." The man says. "You think you're standing up for something, but we all know there is a crime behind every coin that passes through this place." It goes silent for a few seconds. "You're just a small man in a little hole the world forgot to bury." The sound of class breaking rings out. "And I'm gonna bury the lot of you."

---

Vander opens the door to the room. "Are you all okay?"

Vi grunts as she drops down from the pipes. "No, we're not okay. They almost saw Powder. What if they took her?"

Powder turns on a lamp as Papi is hugging her. Mylo and Claggor stand next to the two.

"No one is taking any of you." Vander assures and Ekko drops down from the pipes. "Never let that happen."

"It's already happening." Vi points out. "You heard him, they won't stop. We need to fight back." She slams her fits against the door. "And if you won't, I will." She holds up a fist.

Vander sighs. "I've heard this kind of talk before."

---

Vander and Vi are at the bridge. Where Powder and Vi's parents died all those years ago.

Vi is leaning against a pillar while Vander is leaning against a railing across from her.

"Why are we here?" Vi asks Vander.

Vander sighs. "You still don't understand."

Vi takes a few steps towards Vander. "What I don't understand is how you can work with them. We were here. We saw what they did. I grew up knowing I'm less than them, that my place is down there. I want Powder and Papi to have more than that, and I'm willing to fight for it."

"So was I. I was angry, just like you. I led us across this bridge, thinking things could change. If I hand't... your parents would still be alive. I know you wanna hurt the topsiders for what they've done to us. But who are you willing to lose? Mylo? Claggor? Papi? Powder?"

Vi looks down. Thunder rumbles in the distance.

Vander walks over to Vi and leans on the pillar next to her. "Nobody wins in war, Vi."

Vi leans her head against Vander. "What are we gonna do?" Vi asks. "The Enforcers will come back. I... I don't know. I'll, uh, I'll figure it out."

Vi looks down to the light lanterns and flowers beside her.

---

Papi is sitting next to Powder on their bed and he watches as Powder is putting another device together. A few more dreamcathcers are hung up around the bed.

The door to the room opens and Papi looks up to see Vi entering the room.

"Vi, where you been?" Mylo asks.

"Rumor is the Lanes are gonna fight." Claggor says

Vi walks over to Powder and Papi and she sits down next to them.

Powder shows Vi her device. "Look, I made them for the Enforcers." Papi sees Vi set her old toy rabbit on the bed as Powder hands Vi a couple of devices. "These are smoke bombs," She motions to two other devices. "And those two are full of nails." Powder picks one up and chuckles. "They're gonna work this time, I know it."

"Papi knows they will." Papi says. "We worked very hard on them.

"Me too." Vi says as she sets the smoke bombs down and smoke moves a lose strand of Powder's hair behind her ear. Then she boops Papi on the nose. She slips something into Papi's pocket.

Papi covers his nose with his wings and looks at Vi in annoyance. Vi chuckles and hands Powder the toy rabbit.

Vi grabs onto Power's hand and holds it. "You know, Powder, what makes you different makes you strong. Always remember that, okay?"

Vi gets up and walks away and Powder hugs the toy rabbit. Papi lowers his wings and tilts his head to the side as he watches Vi walk out of the room.

--

Papi is cleaning around the room as he sways his hips to the music that's playing upstairs. 

Papi smiles as he spins around and dances side to side while holding a broom. 

"Our love." Papi sings. "For eternity." Papi continues to sweep. "And after all. After all." Papi swings side to side and something falls out of his pockets and he notices.

Papi looks down and sees a Piece of paper on the ground and he tilts his head to the side and picks it up and reads it.

Papi's eyes widen and he runs up stairs and goes over to the bar where Powder is sitting with the bunny rabbit on the counter. Vander is behind the bar and Papi runs over to him and shows him the paper.

Vander's eyes widen as he looks up.

---

Vi is sitting on a stool inside Benzo's shop. She notices some figures approaching the shop and she stands up and as the door opens her eyes widen.

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09-14-2022

2313 words

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