The Rise

Your footsteps pound across the rooftops of the Rise. Behind you, angry shouts cut through the muggy night air, increasingly faint and frustrated. Never gonna catch you: no one could. Ahead, Lex vaults a gap between buildings with impossible speed and grace. You've always suspected she might be different. Like you. But she was as careful to hide it as you were. Now there's no need to ask. Nobody moves like that. "Come on!" Lex calls back, barely even winded. "We're almost clear!" You grit your teeth and make your own leap, soaring through the night to land lightly on the opposite roof. You know why they're really after you. It's not because of the law, or right and wrong. It's about power. They want what you have. Lex was right all along. That "community outreach" event you snuck into was just a front for identifying "persons of interest" in the Rise: kids like you who can do things nobody has any business being able to do. When Lex pulled out her phone and got caught filming, all hell broke loose. And now you're running for your life across the rooftops. Suddenly, a figure steps from the shadows of a stairwell just ahead of Lex. Your stomach drops as you recognize him: it's Marcus. You ran together as kids. When he became a cop and moved out of the Rise, you had your doubts. When he showed back up, promising to "clean up" the Rise from the inside, your suspicions were confirmed. He's working for them. Lex skids to a halt. "End of the line," Marcus calls out to her. There might be a hint of regret in his voice, or it might be wishful thinking. You slip back into the shadows, hoping he hasn't seen you yet. Lex smirks and then takes off, bounding across the roof in a blur. For a moment, you think she'll make the roof edge – Then Marcus glides forward, his movement so fast you barely track it. He snatches Lex out of the air, slamming her to the rooftop with a whump that makes you grind your teeth. "Shoulda known." Marcus says, as he pins Lex down without any apparent effort. He taps his radio, which squawks to life. "I've got one. Get up here." Marcus still hasn't seen you. You could walk away. Slip back down the fire escape, go back to your dingy bedroom and pretend this never happened. Have a normal life. Lex struggles weakly in Marcus's grip. She's careful not to look your way, to reveal your presence. That's Lex. Faithful to a fault.