Disclaimer: I don't own the characters; they belong to (note: look this up before posting)
Author's Note: No idea where this came from; I haven't watched or thought about SPD at all. But this seemed like a good team to partake in this particular fic (those poor SPD souls...).
CHAPTER ONE
Commander Schuyler Tate edged his way forward through the musty hallway. Newtech City was one of the most technologically advanced, eco-friendly cities in the world, but it still boasted its' fair share of slums and alleyways. The building he was currently in was at least thirty years old, one of the few in the city that hadn't been torn down or destroyed in the battle with Grumm.
Sky's blue regulation boots left footprints in the dust of the hall, and he walked slowly to avoid creaking boards as much as he could. His blaster was drawn and held straight out in front of him, laser sight pointing down the hall. His flashlight barely illuminated the dirt and grime as he inched forward.
Movement. Left.
Sky froze, and held up a fist. Four sets of boots ceased moving behind him, and then, "Oof."
He whirled around, narrowing his steely gaze at his second-in-command and the three trainee recruits. His eyes caught Lieutenant Bridge Carson's and he knew Bridge was on the same page. His normally easygoing second-in-command had a look of frustration on his face, and the two of them turned to the three people behind them…one of whom was slowly backing away from their fellow recruit they'd just run into because they weren't paying attention.
Cadet Christopher Miller mouthed a sheepish 'Sorry,' as he untangled himself from Cadet Kyla Garcia's long black hair and returned to his place at the rear. Kyla looked annoyed, and Cadet Rich Collier looked like he was trying not to laugh.
Sky raised an eyebrow at Bridge as if to say, This is who's got our backs today?
Bridge just shrugged and motioned for him to keep going. They had something to do, after all. He tugged off one of his black gloves and stepped in front of Sky, slowly drawing a hand through the air. Sky thought he could detect a slight red ripple in the air as Bridge read for auras.
Bridge dropped his hand quickly and spoke out loud, "There!" He pointed to a door just down the hall.
Sky burst around him and took off as Bridge rallied the cadets behind him and motioned for them to follow. The four of them followed Sky as he stood outside the door Bridge had detected people behind. "SPD! Open up!"
"When does that ever work?" Kyla whispered, and Bridge bit his lip to keep from laughing. He heard the sound of a squeaky, warped window being opened, and the slam of shoes on the fire escape. "Sky, they're running, man."
"No time for pleasantries, then," Sky decided, and drove his foot through the door. It splintered easily and Sky burst through, blaster drawn, as Bridge and the three cadets covered him.
The holoscreen was on, tuned to a music channel that was on mute. Sky motioned for Bridge, Kyla, Chris and Rich to clear the other rooms as he made his way for the fire escape. He swung a long leg out the window and poked his head over the side. The alley below was empty, and he craned his head upward just in time to see a foot disappear over the roof. "He's on the roof!" Sky yelled in to Bridge. "I'm going after him!"
"Wait, Sky!" Bridge yelled. He grabbed Chris by the arm. "Go with him!" He swung Chris toward the window, where Sky was already climbing toward the roof. Chris followed his commanding officer out onto the fire escape and started up the metal stairs. They groaned under his big frame- Chris was a 5'6 fireplug of a man.
Blaster fire pinged and sizzled on the metal next to him, and he swung out of the way. "Watch it, Cadet!" Sky warned him, ten feet above him.
"Came a little late, Commander," Chris breathed as he resumed climbing. He glanced up, saw a head poke over the roof. "Commander!" he gasped. "Watch-"
He heard the blaster shot before he saw Commander Tate lose his grip, saw his feet slip on the metal rungs. "Commander Tate!" Chris yelled.
Sky managed to get his grip back on the ladder and started climbing faster. Chris followed, taking the rungs two at a time trying to catch up. He vaulted over the side, seeing Sky sprinting ahead of him, their suspect a few yards ahead. The edge of the roof was looming. What the hell is this guy gonna do? Chris wondered. Commander Tate had him cornered!
The guy drew his blaster. Sky dove to the ground and Chris ducked behind an air conditioning vent. He heard Commander Tate get a shot off, his marksmanship pinging the blaster from their shooter's hand. It clattered over the edge of the roof.
"Don't move!" Sky ordered.
Chris poked his head over the top of the metal unit. "Cadet Miller…report!" Lieutenant Carson's voice yelled in his earpiece.
"Roof," Chris reported in a whisper. "Commander Tate has the suspect cornered on the ledge of the roof."
"Copy that. Cadets Garcia and Collier are on their way."
"They better hurry," Chris muttered. Commander Tate was inching toward their suspect, blaster drawn. "All we want is your boss's name," he was saying. "Give us that, and as far as I'm concerned, you can go."
Their suspect shook his head. "I'm as good as dead if I tell you that," he said. To Chris's horror, he took a step up onto the roof ledge.
"We can protect you," Sky promised him. "Your boss won't know."
"You don't know him. You don't know what he's capable of. He's got eyes and ears everywhere." He glanced around, as if someone was going to appear right on the ledge with them.
Sky took another step closer. "Nobody up here but us," he said. He put his blaster back in the holster. "Come off the edge; let's talk down here."
"No!" Their suspect held up a hand. "Don't come any closer!"
"Guys, stay where you are," Chris told Lieutenant Carson and the others. "The guy's threatening to jump!" He stuck his head out again, just enough to see what was going on. "I'm gonna try to get around him," he decided, knowing that Commander Tate could hear him. He ducked around the roof, working his way around to where the watertower for the building was. He could see Commander Tate off to his right and the suspect up on the ledge. He heard sirens; Lieutenant Carson obviously had called for backup earlier, and it was arriving. This's gonna push him right over the edge…no pun intended, Chris realized. He pulled his blaster, put the energy setting on low. "I'm gonna try to stun him, and then Commander Tate can grab him," he said.
He saw the Commander's eyes dart in his direction, give a slight shake of his head.
"Negative," he heard Lieutenant Carson say. "Sky can talk him down. Don't do anything, Cadet."
"This guy's gonna go over the edge," Chris argued. "We have to do something fast."
"Don't do anything, Cadet!" Lieutenant Carson ordered. "Do not disobey that order!"
"I can do it!" Chris protested…and then realized he'd protested too loudly.
The suspect turned, saw Chris out of the corner of his eye. He turned back to Sky. "I thought you said we were alone!" he yelled at him. In his panic, his foot slipped.
Sky lunged forward, reaching for the guy's arm, to pull him back toward the safety of the roof.
His fist closed around the material of the suspect's jacket.
And both of them went over the edge.