Calvin, behind the wheel, drove a white blue police car with Alice riding in the front seat. Chase rode crouched on the hood of the car. Poised and alert, Chase looked around, feeling the wind press against his helmet.

“Are you sure you don’t wanna sit inside?!” Alice called out to him from the window.

“I can move and see better like this,” Chase said.

“But isn’t it harder to hang on out there?”

“Heh, don’t worry about him,” Calvin said. “Chase is just too cool for us.”

“Well alright then,” Alice sat back in her seat, butterflies fluttering in her stomach as she never dreamed of things going this quickly, if only she could enjoy this to the fullest.

Once the car turned a corner, the street grew darker as the buildings seemed to tower over them, casting a shadow. Vines covered broken street lamps, the road was rougher as the asphalt seemed ancient, and dried mud and exposed land could be seen more frequently. “What is this place?” Calvin whispered.

“We’re here,” Alice said, grimly.

“What?”

“Welcome. To Lion’s Grove.” Alice and Calvin got out of the car once it reached the entrance of what looked to be the start of the dark streets, Chase hopped off the car.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” Chase said. “This better not be a trap.”

“Why would I bring you into a trap? And yes, this is the place. I’m surprised you didn’t know this was here before.”

Chase scanned the area suspiciously and noticed several figures watching them from the darkness. “What are those things?”

“Those things are also people of this city,” Alice said, dropping her usual smile. “And could you please be a bit more respectful?”

“Huh, I don’t think I’ve ever been here before,” Calvin said.

Alice sighed. “Yeah, I figured. Anyways, c’mon.”

“Shouldn’t we stay in the car?” Calvin said.

“Does it look like this place is big enough to fit a car?” Alice pointed out the broken roads, that would make vehicle travel a lot harder, and the much-more-narrow street.

“Oh, right,” Calvin grimaced.

Chase kept his guard up the whole time, scanning anything they came across. But none of the people there actually looked dangerous. There were little children hiding from them behind buildings, poles, and stairs. Men and women just watched them from the sides, scowling but not threatening, and most of all, almost everyone just looked gloomy and afraid. These people looked more like they needed help than possible threats to him or his companions. However, it seemed strange how Alice didn’t look bothered at all despite sticking out like a sore thumb. Then again, Alice’s smile looked duller than before.

“Where are we going?” Chase said.

“My friend has a small shop further down. His name’s Xu by the way,” Alice said.

“And how can he help us?”

“Well, Xu’s a map maker and owns a print shop here. But he mainly helps my dad plan out his events by checking which places would be the best, who will be there, and finding patterns with the populations’ behavior. In other words, he’s pretty good at predicting things based on data. So, if you can give him records of the attacks then he could probably make a pretty good prediction on where the Technician will attack, and if not, it’ll be really close.”

Chase stayed silent and busied himself by gathering records of all the recent attacks to be at the ready.

“Who’s your dad?” Calvin said.

“Hmm? You mean you don’t know him?”

“Not really.”

“Well, he goes by the name Kingsmen and he’s kind of a diplomat for Altaria. But his real purpose is bringing peace between Eurona and Altaria.”

“Peace?”

“Geez, you guys seriously don’t know any of this?” Alice said, turning to face them.

“Eh,” Calvin scratched his head. “I guess I’ve been too focused on work to notice, right Chase?”

“Hmm?” Chase brought his attention back after he finished compiling the records.

Alice sighed. “It’s fine. Basically, you know Altaria and Eurona have a long history of wars, battles, conflicts, and pretty much just hating each other.”

“Yes,” Chase said. “But I was told that ended after the Dark War and the Treaty of Coresia was officially signed?” He remembered his history lessons during his time at Highrise, although the only reason why he remembered this particular event was because he kept hearing and seeing about it all over the Academy.

“Officially yes, Altaria and Eurona are at peace. But do you really think a piece of paper is going to stop two nations from just forgetting about all those years of pain and hatred?”

“You’re saying that the people aren’t at peace…” Chase said.

“Exactly, surely, you’ve noticed it?”

Chase looked to the side and glanced at a few of the impoverished people hiding behind walls. “No. I haven’t.”

Alice stared at Chase intensely before shaking her head and giving a grim smile. “Well, at least you know now. I guess you guys really have been busy. Either way, my dad has just been leading a movement to bring the Altarians and Euronans together and actually make peace. But…” She gestured to the entirety of the dirty streets, and Chase noticed that most of them looked Altarian, or at least noticeably more different from most citizens he’s seen, along with graffiti on the walls with several slurs and the word Euronans written with them. “That’s easier said than done.”

“I’d say that’s a worthy cause,” Calvin said. “Is that also why you’re training to be a Guardian?”

“Mmm, yes, but it’s a bit more than that.” Alice stopped in front of a shabby old building that looked slightly more well-kept than the rest of the buildings. “Anyhow, here we are!”

The windows were dark or more like something was blocking it from showing the interior of the building since light seemed to peer through. Chase scanned the building for any signs of suspicion and to just get a better look of it. He noticed a broken sign that seemed to say, “Papers Galore,” an interesting name for a shop but appropriate nonetheless.

“Is Xu here?” Chase said.

“Should be, but let’s find out!” Alice burst through the front doors and called out. “Xu! I need something!” Dust blew everywhere from the sudden outburst and Calvin started coughing, Chase was mostly annoyed at the loud noises.

“Alice?” A rough male voice could be heard from the back of the store. Out came a hunched man with gray hair, wearing a black shirt and circular glasses. He looked at Alice with a confused expression before noticing Chase and Calvin, and he immediately gave an unamused frown. “What is it?”

“Nice to see you too, Xu. You know about how I’m an apprentice now and,” Alice gestured to Chase. “He’s my mentor.”

“Yes,” Xu narrowed his eyes.

“Well, we need something for our first mission that I think you can help out with.”

“What? Why?”

“We’re trying to find this REALLY dangerous criminal, called the Technician,” Alice said in a dramatic voice, “and so we need to figure out where they’ll be next.”

“The Technician?”

“Mhm!”

“Okay…and how would I be able to help?”

“Oh, c’mon! You’re pretty smart and great with maps! Chase here has records of the Technician’s attacks that you could use to predict his next attack! And then we’ll be ready to take him down when he comes!”

Xu blinked at Alice and then rubbed his nose, “Okay, first, it’s probably going to be way more complicated than that. Second, why should I help you?”

“You mean other than doing the right thing? Well, because you love me?”

“No. I don’t.”

Alice froze as it looked like her heart was shattered and Calvin was in the back whispering, “ouch.”

Alice quickly recovered, taking a step back, and laughed. “Geez, Xu, brutal today, huh?”

“Believe me, Alice, I merely tolerate you and you can be amusing at times. But no amount of love will be enough for me to work with the likes of him,” Xu didn’t waste any energy hiding who he was referring to, as he lifted a wrinkled finger directly at Chase. They all looked at Chase, who stared back impassively.

“Me?” Chase said. This would be the first time anyone has openly expressed hating him, but it was something Chase had long expected. Of course, his numerous mistakes on the job would get him plenty of resentment, and it didn’t surprise him that the people living and suffering in this area would blame the Guardian who was supposed to support them.

“Yes, you.”

“Woah, c’mon on now, what’s with the hate against Chase?” Calvin said before Chase stepped forward.

“I’ll handle this, Calvin,” Chase said and turned to Xu. “I understand your resentment towards me, but this is a very important matter. A dangerous criminal is loose in this city and we need to detain them as soon as possible before any more damage is done. Also, this criminal could even affect this part of the city.”

“And now you care about what happens to these parts?” Xu said, “cause I don’t recall ever seeing you being all worried about us here, in fact, I’m pretty sure this is the first time you’ve ever shown yourself here.”

“I–” Chase hesitated, there wasn’t really a good way to say any of this. “It is.”

Xu scoffed, “And now you have the gall to come in here asking for our help.”

“Hey! It was MY idea to come here,” Alice said. “And I thought that by bringing the Guardian here, then you’d be able to help.” She leaned closer to Xu and stared daggers at him as if trying to convey a message.

Xu sighed. “Is this really the best you could come up with?”

“Well, it would take care of two birds.”

Chase narrowed his sights and made his way to the door. “I see that I’m not wanted here, and this was a waste of time.”

“Wait! Chase!” Alice exclaimed but Chase was already out the door.

Calvin held up a hand in front of Alice. “Um, I’ll go talk to him.” And he followed Chase out of the shop, leaving Alice and Xu alone.