RUN! THE WARM UP
The manager of the place called for extra security help; the ROP (Royal Police) and a few Enforcers showed up. They climb up the stairs to the chaotic scene. The moment Nyx and Jayce saw that blue-and-silver armor, their hearts dropped.
"Bro, that's a whole Enforcer unit," Jayce muttered.
"Green light to get the hell outta here," Nyx replied.
To restore order, the Enforcers didn't waste time; THWACK! WHIP! CRACK!—their expandable batons smashed into anyone still throwing fists, guard or goon. Law was law, and they didn't care who started it.
"Move, move, MOVE!" Nyx hissed.
They dash to the exit; Nyx kicks open the old metal door. CLANG! The door sound was so loud that it caught an Enforcer's attention. The Enforcer snapped his head toward the noise and immediately locked eyes on the pair.
Torn shirts, bloodied faces, bruised knuckles—yep. Guilty as charged.
A sharp WHIIISTLE! pierced the air.
"HEY! STOP THERE—DON'T YOU MOVE!" the Enforcer barked.
Sadly that order fell on deaf ears.
"Yeah, nope!" Jayce barked back, already sprinting up the stairwell.
Half the Enforcers and ROP stayed to restore order. The other half stormed after the boys.
Running up the stairs, a guard lunged at Jayce mid-stairway, slamming him against the wall but Nyx whacked him with a cue stick across his ribs—WHAP! Jayce staggered, eyes flaring. He grabbed the guard by the belt and shirt.
"Wrong guy, buddy."
He hurled him over the railing—AAAAH!—straight down onto the Enforcers charging up. The pile-up bought the boys a few precious seconds.
They hit the rooftop, cold wind slapping their faces as they burst out. Nyx slammed the door shut and jammed a rusty pipe through the handles.
Jayce spun around. "We gotta shut that before these ignorant bastards—oh. Nice work."
"This is not the time to hand out compliments!" Nyx snapped. "Look for an exit!"
The only viable escape: rooftops.
And rooftops? That was their playground.
Below, the ROP hammered the metal door—BANG! BANG! BANG!—and a few Enforcers joined them.
OUTSIDE THE GAMBLING DEN
Exiting the gamble den, Boomer and Skyler maintained their composure to avoid unnecessary attention. They strolled out casually, pretending they heard nothing. Faint rumbling noises echoed behind them—batons striking bodies, people screaming.
Skyler adjusted her bag. "Think the boys need help?"
Boomer shrugged. "They're gonna be fine. If they're dying, they'll call us from police holding."
They rounded a corner. Skyler whipped out a black-market map. "Train 56-C leaves for the Underground in eight minutes. If we hustle, we'll beat it."
Boomer stretched like he was warming up for a soccer match—touch toes, twist spine, crack knuckles. "Then let's race."
ROOFTOP CHASE
An Enforcer amped his fist with pneuma—glowing like a compressed storm.
"STEP ASIDE!" he warned.
With supernatural strength, he punched.
BOOOOOM!!
The door didn't open—it exploded, ripped out of its frame, leaving the lock mechanism in a twisted, sheer mess.
Nyx didn't wait. He backed up, sprinted, and LEAPT across the three-meter gap—WHOOSH!—landing in a perfect shoulder roll.
Jayce followed, rolling just as the rooftop door burst open behind them.
"After them! TAKE THEM DOWN!" the ROP captain roared.
Chasers jumped. Some missed, smashing into balconies and tumbling down fire escapes—CRASH-CLANG-AUGH!
Those afraid to jump took the long way around.
The boys decided to take advantage of the surrounding tall buildings to discourage the chasers. If the rat race was between them and the Royal Police, it would have worked perfectly because most police aren't trained for such a chase. But that can't be said for Enforcers, as they are trained for every special operation.
PARKOUR—ROOFTOPS KINGS
Jayce darted ahead, planted his hands on a wooden ramp board, and sprang upward. He barely caught a third-floor ledge. Nyx used Jayce's arm as a springboard—stepping off Jayce's shoulder mid-air—and snagged the fourth-floor ledge.
Together, they climbed like a two-man human ladder—pull, swing, plant, reach—until Nyx rolled onto the roof and hauled Jayce after him.
Down below, Enforcer Captain Marvick watched and scoffed. "Impressive, lads, but not enough to escape me."
Sadly, the Enforcers were only partially geared up—anti-gravity boots and ACS grapplers.
"LISTEN UP!" Marvick bellowed. "If you have ACS, you're cleared to use it! But WATCH YOUR AIM—I don't want you turning your teammate into Swiss cheese! IS THAT CLEAR?!"
"Yes, sir!"
Nyx noticed the law enforcement officers were gearing up even though it's a partial gear set.
The ACS grapples fired—FWIP-CLANK!—hooks sank into walls and rails as Enforcers zipped across the urban jungle.
Nyx saw it. "Jayce! Are you seeing what I'm seeing here?" He asked.
"Oh, I see it. I notice it too, Nyx," he replied. "Guess it narrows spaces."
They both agreed.
The city territory of Front Marina rose and fell in uneven levels, rooftops shifting like steps of crates stacked upon each other in a randomized pattern. The city is on board with the partial middle class and low-income residents.
Marvick shot his ACS and launched out a grapple hook with metal cable pinned against it. He swung his way to the building and climbed to the roof with ease.
The rest of the soldiers with an ACS grappler followed suit; two Enforcers shot their grapple hook to the previous building for those with anti-gravity boots to use the cable as a ramp to launch themselves onto the roof.
Nyx and Jayce, seeing this from afar, scoffed—"cheeky bastards."
THE DESCENT
Neon lights glowing, electric poles tangled with wires, and glass and metal surfaces have our escapees vaulting, sliding, and running full tilt.
Nyx sprinted up an angled ventilation outlet, vaulted to a water tower, caught the ladder, and descended by grabbing every third rung—THUNK-THUNK-THUNK.
Jayce dropped down the tower scaffold like a circus acrobat with a death wish.
Boomer and Skyler were still navigating crowds—Boomer bulldozing, Skyler weaving like a needle through cloth.
The boys hit the next roof, hurdled vents, skimmed past old satellite dishes.
"Jayce—narrow jump on the left!" Nyx called.
Jayce grunted and took it, landing with a rough THUD-ROLL.
Nyx followed.
Behind them, Marvick warned his men through comms:
"Easy on your landings! You go too hard, you'll end up in some grandma's bedroom!"
AT THE RAIL YARD
Boomer and Skyler finally get to rail yard, they climbed a maintenance ladder up the viaduct's support pillar. The train tracks stretched out before them—dark metal, humming faintly.
Boomer jumped onto the roof of the passing slow-moving freight car, landing with a heavy thud. Skyler hopped on with a graceful swing, barely making a sound.
Boomer took position near the last car's edge.
Skyler crouched and scanned the rooftop path behind them.
"Think they'll make it?" Boomer asked.
Skyler didn't answer—but her eyes were locked on the city skyline.
CHASE II
Meanwhile, back at the chases. The two knuckleheads moved like wind—vaulting pipes, leaping gaps, sliding under vents. Their footwork was nimble, refined, practiced.
The Enforcers reached the edge seconds behind them.
One attempted the jump and misjudged the step—SLAM!—chest-first into the ledge with his chest. He barely caught the edge with his gloved fingers. His teammates dragged him up.
Jayce panted, "They're STILL on us!"
"They won't catch us if we keep our rhythm," Nyx said between breaths.
They sprinted across the rooftop, weaving around humming AC units. Nyx snapped into a safety vault over a pipe, palm-checking the top while Jayce cleared the same obstacle with a kong vault, legs folding tight beneath him.
The Enforcers didn't vault—they plowed through, using brute force to smash aside what they couldn't jump.
The next drop was steeper: a two-story fall with a fire escape ladder halfway down.
Jayce went first, grabbing the railing and letting his momentum swing him downward. He hopped off halfway and landed hard, absorbing the impact in two staggered steps.
Nyx slid down the ladder rails instead, boots screeching against metal. Sparks spat. He released, dropped the last few meters, and hit the ground in a tight, controlled roll.
Above, an Enforcer misjudged the descent. He dropped straight down, landed badly, and stumbled as pain jolted up his legs—but snarled and kept going, limping yet relentless.
The troublemakers reached a rooftop skylight. Nyx slid over it like an ice rink; Jayce vaulted it sideways, twisting midair. The skylight burst as an Enforcer miscalculated and smashed through due to the excessive force exerted by anti-gravity boots.
"That's two seconds saved," Nyx muttered.
They sprinted toward a narrow gap where two buildings almost kissed. Nyx jumped first, hitting the opposite wall and springing off it—tic-tac jump—to land atop a fire escape. Jayce followed with a running leap, grabbing the edge and flipping up.
Below them, Enforcers and Royal Police began sliding down the fire escape stairs like steel avalanches.
"We're heading north, right?" Jayce asked him to gasp for air.
"Boomer and Skyler are tracking the rail schedule. The train to the Undercity passes in three minutes." Nyx replied as he looked exhausted and tired.
Jayce hollered, "Three minutes?! We're going to DIE!"
Nyx, "Only if you SLOW down."
"Is that—?" Jayce left stunned.
"Deadend"—however, noise like that of a marketplace was being heard behind the high fence. "I think we are heading into the busy Main Street; this is the best opportunity to lose our chasers," Nyx suggested.
"Alright, your call," replied Jayce.
Jayce dropped his hands low. "Step on!"
Nyx stepped into his palms and launched upward. He caught the top of the wall, swung his leg over, and reached down.
Jayce sprinted at the wall. One foot planted—second foot higher—he kicked up, and Nyx grabbed his forearm, hauling him over as the Enforcers and police thundered into the alley below.
They rolled down the other side together, dropped to a crouch, then bolted into the crowded marketplace.
"Parkour specialists," he growled.
"Annoying." Marvick fumed. Still, he could taste victory. "All squads: Set to lethal pursuit mode." Marvick followed without hesitation—
He landed like a hammer, scattering civilians.
"MOVE! LAW ENFORCEMENT!"
The soldiers spread out behind him, tearing through the night market. Vendors fled, and carts are overturned. People in displacement screamed as the heroes weaved through, sliding under tables, leaping over carts, and knocking over crates of glowing fruit. Behind are the soldiers in hot pursuit.
Marvick pushed faster.
He could see them up ahead—silhouettes cutting through the crowd like blades.
Then—he saw where they were heading. He radioed in, "They are running toward the northeast wing. What's around that area?"
The lead Royal Police officer replied, "Nothing, just residential areas for low income… and rail tracks up ahead."
And his stomach tightened.
"The viaduct… they're going for the train!" He yelled out—"Cut them off!"
THE LONG NIGHT
The night air smelled like rain and metal as Boomer crouched on top of the moving freight train, boots planted firmly on the rattling roof. The viaduct shook beneath him with every turn of the wheels. Sparks danced off the rails whenever the train curved. Neon lights from the city reflected off the metal surface in flashes of purple and blue.
A few cars down, Skyler knelt with her hands gripping the rail that ran along the train's edge. The wind whipped at her short hair and stung her eyes, but she refused to blink.
She stared back toward the rooftops of the city and spoke over the howl of the wind, "They should've been here by now."
Her spirit and confidence are dropping as minutes pass by.
Boomer cracked his neck, impatience radiating off him.
"Relax. Those two idiots have more luck than sense. They'll make it."
"Luck runs out," Skyler muttered.
Back at the intensive chase, the squad has started gaining momentum and distance between them.
Nyx spotted a delivery truck lumbering through the street and yelled, "Shortcut!"
THUD—THUD—FWIP!
They sprinted and jumped onto the truck's hood, ran across its roof, and vaulted off the back. The street sloped downward, revealing the train viaduct ahead—steel rails humming, lights flickering.
The boys climbed a stack of old crates, then scaled a brick wall using window frames as ladder holds. They reached the top just as rapid electrostatic metal bullets looking like electrodes were being shot at them.
PEW-PEW-PEW!
"Static bullets! Of course they'd use their chargers. They wanna paralyze my butt!" Jayce growled.
Bolts of black electrical wire electrode stun fire and punctured the wall beside them. The heroes ducked, then leapt to the next rooftop—a long industrial building beside the elevated tracks.
The train picked up speed as it reached the commercial district. The rooftops blurred past, each level a maze of vents, wires, neon signs, and rusted ladders. Skyler scanned them all.
Her chest tightened.
No movement. No silhouettes. No sign of the boys.
The rumble of the train turned her thoughts bleak. What if they got pinned? What if the Enforcers boxed them in? What if—
Boomer's hand landed on her shoulder, steady, unshakeable. "Stop spiraling. If they were dead, we'd know."
Skyler didn't answer. She pulled a compact binocular visor from her jacket and slid it over her eyes. Antenna flicks opened a zoom lens. Instantly, the rooftops sharpened.
Boomer leaned forward. "Anything?"
She froze. "Movement. Fast. Two figures. Roof-level."
A grin split Boomer's face. "That's them."
Then the grin vanished as Enforcers poured onto the same rooftop behind the heroes like a swarm of armored wolves.
The rumble of a train echoed.
As the Enforcers got to the last rooftop, their chase leader, Marvick, shouted, "STOP! DON'T MOVE OR YOU WILL BE TERMINATED!" As he ordered them to stop.
Nyx, being surprised and shocked at the same time, asked, "Is he for real, or is this just plain stupidity?"
Jayce smirked breathlessly. "Beats me. I'm as confused as you, Nyx. Guess we're not stopping."
Nyx's eyes lit up. "That's our ride!"
TRAIN THEATRICS
The train's roof zoomed past them—flat metal, vents, and small maintenance rails. On the final car stood two silhouettes, waving frantically.
Boomer, broad-shouldered and impatient, cupped his hands. "MOVE YOUR ASSES!"
Skyler, agile and sharp-eyed, shouted, "Jump on three! I'll grab you if you miss—DON'T miss!"
It's a now-or-never situation for the boys. With all his might, Jayce leapt over—WHOOSH—THUD!—and landed on the moving high train. Luckily for him, they caught him when he staggered backwards, losing his footing. He whistled with relief.
PARKOUR GAUNTLET
Nyx was still too far. He needed height, speed, and momentum. Due to the speed of the train, Nyx had to intercept the train.
He spotted a building crane overhead adjacent to the train track.
With the train just 50 seconds away from the crane mounted on the building roof.
Getting to the building. He sprinted toward the adjacent building. Jumped—grabbed a metal pole—swung himself forward—CLANG!—landed on a trembling AC unit.
It groaned under his weight—KRRRRNK!—but he leapt again before it tore from the wall.
Below, police fired up at him with blind frustration.
Nyx zigzagged up balconies, vaulting rail to rail. His hands burned. His lungs scorched. Below him, Enforcers with anti-gravity boots soared effortlessly, clearing distances he fought tooth and nail to cross.
"Man, that's cheating!" he gasped bitterly.
Reaching the rooftop, he sprinted toward the crane, running against the clock. Enforcers burst onto the roof, firing charged rounds—ZAP-ZAP-BZZT!—as Nyx dodged in a breakneck zigzag.
He climbed upwards, navigating in a zigzag pattern around the mast and up the peak. 15 seconds away from the train.
Fifteen seconds.
Then—
An Enforcer snarled. Couldn't keep the patient anymore. He angrily swung his hand forward in an uppercut motion. A chunk of heavy ice lunged toward the crane tower—CRASH—knocking it off balance from the foundation.
Nyx didn't hesitate.
He sprinted straight at the collapsing crane tower. The massive jib groaned, cables snapping like gunshots as the moment its base gave way.
He launched.
For one weightless heartbeat he was airborne over the gap—SLAM!
He struck the train's side hard. Nearly slipped—fingers scraping metal—
Boomer and Jayce grabbed him simultaneously, yanking him onto the roof.
The crane crashed down and fell onto the rail without causing any significant damage. The frustrated Enforcer raised his hand again, enraged, preparing another attack—
"Don't you think about it," he warned. "We gotta report to the captain—and get this crane cleared for public safety ASAP."
The speeding train made the curve into the metro tunnel and vanished, and it was out of sight. The bold move of our highfliers paid off.