"Inspection!"
"Inspection!"
"Inspection!"
The day wore on as their squad patrolled through the chemical sea. Jack would stop the patrol every few houses for a random inspection, and every time it would deliver a rush of adrenaline.
Sometimes, the door would open slowly, and other times there would be a frantic scramble behind it. Oddly enough, Noland felt safer when he heard a scramble compared to the eerie stillness of dead silence.
Twice, when met with silence, the door crept open slowly, and he watched as Jack's hand started to crackle lightning behind his back. There were no back doors or windows to peer through considering most of these houses were surrounded by dangerous chemicals.
During a lull in their patrol, Noland asked why they were conducting these inspections.
"Most people living here get by by producing specialized chemicals or substances for the city." Jack explained. "Food flavorings, acids, gels... Explosives for mining and serums to enhance the Metallum Animatum's effects are produced in the upper city."
"'Usually'" Noland piqued, and Jack nodded.
"Serums produced up there are crystal white. The ones found down here, though, are gray and cause harmful side effects. They're more potent but dangerous. Explosives should be obvious. Down here, they produce liquid explosives- yellow, and much more volatile."
"So we're dealing with desperate people and assholes making dangerous chemicals and variants," Noland mused out loud.
Chuckling, Jack looked back at him and said, "More or less. What else can they do?"
Silence fell between them as they veered down another raised path toward a cluster of buildings. Noland thought he saw movement behind one of the windows and muttered, "We're being watched."
Jack nodded and motioned to Alice, who took up a guard position along the path with Jade. There were no visible exits to other pathways leaving the cluster of buildings, but someone needed to stand watch for runners.
"Inspection!" Jack shouted, banging on the door.
Noland stood ready behind him.
Suddenly, the door slammed open, startling both of them. Jack's hand flared up with lightning, ready to strike, but both men froze in place.
A busty, messy red-haired lady stood there, glaring at them with a fire in her eyes. She wore a cropped tank top and baggy pants. Spitting on the ground, she fixated her hostile gaze on Jack.
"You were here last week," she said bluntly, her hostility open.
Behind her, Noland couldn't see anything but could hear the sounds of frantic scrambling. A frown started to form. Usually, the mayhem stopped once someone answered the door.
Jack tilted his head, flashing a friendly smile that didn't quite match his eyes. "If it wasn't for the unusual reports, we wouldn't have to come here."
"What, the smoke?" she scoffed, leaning out to glance upward. "All houses here smoke. Maybe you haven't looked around, but we're in the Chem Sea. What else is there beyond smoke and toxic shit?"
Noises still resounded behind her with panic-muffled conversations. One? Two? No- more.
Noland's expression tightened further. She was obviously stalling. Why wasn't Jack doing anything? This lady, while undeniably beautiful, noticed his growing frustration and snarled.
"Keep your new dog in check. He looks like he's about to break loose-"
An intense, focused blast of air erupted from Noland and hit her square in the stomach. Her face contorted in pain, spittle flying out as she was sent hurling backwards into the house.
"Noland!" Jack shouted, startled and furious. Shaking his head, he quickly composed himself, lightning surging up his arms.
"We'll talk later! Fucking move in!"
Scowling, Noland followed him in, still fuming.
'I'm right! He was trying to give them time!' he thought furiously, teeth clenched.
Tubes and vials were scattered across the interior, the clutter giving the room a chaotic feeling. Barrels of different boiling concoctions gave otherwise dark home light. The acrid smell of burning chemicals was thick in the air.
Two kids were frozen in place, their backs pressed against the workbench behind them, gripping its edges with trembling hands.
"On the fucking ground!" Noland barked at them. The kids, wide-eyed and scared beyond belief, dropped like rocks.
A sharp exhale of disdain came from Jack before stepping further into the house. As he did this, Noland stood next to the lady sprawled out against a damaged, caved-in cabinet.
She was young- perhaps too young to have had kids yet. Then again, in the slums, nothing should surprise him. Her breathing was labored, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth, but her defiant glare remained unbroken and fixed on him.
"You're fucking despicable. Do you take joy in this?" she rasped, each word a struggle against the pain.
Noland scoffed. "I take joy in catching scurrying rats trying to hide evidence."
"Evidence? What evidence? You don't know shit."
"I know when people are trying to hide shit." Noland snapped, his gaze shifting to the kids. "And it sure as hell didn't sound like just two little kids."
The lady stiffened unconsciously, her body and a brief flicker of her eyes for a fraction of a second betrayed her. But the flicker in her eyes didn't escape Noland.
Smirking, he stepped away from her as his gaze wandered the equipment and walls.
Jack passed him, his expression dark. He was no longer channeling the lightning and instead gripped Noland's arm tightly.
"There is nothing here," he said in a low, menacing tone as their eyes met.
The tension rose between them, neither backing down. Jack snarled, leaning in closer. "Stand down. That's an order."
"Keh!"
Noland's gaze shifted away with Jack's fierce gaze remaining fixed on him until he turned to walk out. His head turned to look at the red-haired lady. She was smirking?
Fury boiled up inside Noland as she let out a low, mocking chuckle too but he was forced out the door by a rough shove from Jack.
"We'll be back another day," Jack's voice resounded behind him before he heard the door slam shut.
"What the fuck was that?" Jack bellowed after they stepped away from the cluster of houses. Alice and Jade both looked concerned, having witnessed the sudden violence from the path.
"You fucking know they're hiding some shady shit in there!" Noland replied sharply, his teeth clenched as he pointed toward the building. "She's fucking smirking and laughing as we left!"
"She was laughing at your retarded behavior!" Jack said, poking him in the chest. Noland's anger was still bubbling, the poke almost acting as the spark to ignite it. He roughly brushed his hand away, "That still doesn't explain you covering for them!"
"That doesn't explain-?!" Jack's eyes widened as if listening to someone stupid. "How many prison cells do we have?"
Noland blinked, shaking his head and growing frustrated. "What does that have to do with this?"
"How many?!" Jack repeated, stepping closer to him.
"Ten."
"Exactly, ten." Jack spat, gesturing widely to the apocalyptic scene around them. "Look around! How many 'criminals' here do you think there are here?"
"You were just explaining how they produce dangerous explosives and chemicals! Why does that matter if it puts everyone else in danger?!"
Jack stared at him in disbelief, shaking his head. "Do you really believe, in this enclosed city, this isn't widespread?"
"What are you talking about?" Noland asked, his voice lowering in confusion.
"We just catch the stupid ones, Noland! If they can't hide their shit properly from a simple inspection, then we throw them in prison. It's the dumb ones we have to worry about, not the smart ones!"
Noland's mouth hung open after hearing this. Was he hearing this right? There was no way.
'How does that make ANY logical sense?!' he thought in disbelief.
"The smart ones sell their product without getting caught, and handle it carefully. The stupid ones, the ones who might drop it or spread it randomly- those are the ones we catch."
"But...why allow it at all?" Jade's voice echoed from the side, drawing their attention. "Why not use the prison space in the other districts?"
Jack sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Come on, both of you aren't from the upper middle or elite sections! You should know this!"
Jade and Noland stiffened a little. Deep down, they did know. Crime was rampant and it was so common, that they glossed over it as just normal life. Now that they were part of the guard- the 'peacekeepers'- it was more highlighted since they were on the lookout for it.
"I won't report this incident to the Captain, this time," Jack exhaled sharply while saying this, his tone still dangerously low. "But this will not happen again. Understood?"
"..."
"Understood?!" he barked.
"Yes, sir!" Both of them finally responded in unison before a tense silence fell back over the patrol.
"Let's keep moving," Jack said with a darkened expression. "We're almost done for the day."
With that, they started to move again. Noland gave one final glance back toward the cluster of housing, blinking again as he saw the four sets of childish eyes glaring out at them.
'Where then, do we draw the fucking line?'