"I can see why that wouldn't fit on an after-action review, Officer Caitlyn," acting Sheriff Derek told her as she drank a cup of coffee.

"I thought of limiting it to the immediate and concrete, but I regret not telling your predecessor," she stood up and started pacing around his old captain's office. "Even if Sheriff Marcus was…"

"Dirty? A traitor?" Derek offered with minimal emotion.

"Compromised, at least I would have found that out and tried to go above him."

Derek's fingers scratched his nose and he stood to glance at the now outdated organization chart. "Meaning–Councilor Cassandara Kiramman."

Caitlyn frowned but nodded. Forever my poisoned chalice. Though I can appreciate that many have it much worse than me.

"She's already contacted me, you know. Said the department is unsafe if the Sheriff can be killed in his home. Even if I don't remove you, I should transfer you to desk work," he summarized.

A plaintive expression came across the officer's face. But I've finally gotten somewhere. I've interviewed V and Ren and the customs official. I know more about the Undercity workings than any enforcer not as bought as Marcus was.

Derek sighed. "I had little time to consider it, but with all the recent attacks, I've got to act quick." He walked back to his desk and opened his drawer. "Officer Caitlyn Kiramman, I need your badge."

At least he let me have time to prepare for those words. She felt her throat tighten and her temple throb. Cait took the badge off and set it gently on his desk. "My revolver as well, sir?"

Derek shook his head as he reached into the drawer. "No. The officer's revolver is the same as the captain's revolver."

What? "What?"

Smiling broadly, Sheriff Derek took a captain's badge out of his drawer and extended it to her. "Technically, it won't be a formal rank until I can make the division official. But if you accept, you are Brevet Captain Caitlyn Kiramman of the Undercity Division."

She blinked and then despite her years of training at home and work, glared at her boss as she took it.

His hands went up pleading for mercy. "Marcus did the same thing to me when I became captain. Something of a tradition, I'm told."

Caitlyn stared at the badge and felt its weight in her hand. "But, what would be the division's mission? What members would it have? Honestly, I'm young and haven't been a lieutenant–"

"Yes, I'm aware of your greeness. But you've also presented a bold and thorough report into half the city that has either been blank or lies for years. The mission is something I'd like you to draft and then reviewed by me and the other captains. The ones I feel I can trust, anyway."

Derek walked over to a filing cabinet. "As for the composition, I'm giving you a list of members and their official and perhaps more importantly unofficial records." He pulled out a short ream's worth of folders. "It will be incomplete and biased, but internal affairs is likely as compromised as Marcus was."

Caitlyn nodded. "I'll have the mission ready tomorrow morning and should have a ranking for division candidates no longer than the morning after."

"Tomorrow morning–" the sheriff said, taken aback. "You're not still planning on guarding the Progress Day Hall, are you?"

"If I'm the ranking officer, the physical work will be minimal. And I wish to watch my old friend's main announcement," she explained.

The dark brown eyes of the new Sheriff widened. "You're friends with Heimerdinger?"

The hand not holding the captain's badge went over Caitlyn's mouth. "No, I thought it would have been known by now that Jayce Tallis is the main speaker tonight."

"Friends with the Man of Progress," the Sheriff chuckled. "I envy your connections. He is revered by most of the department."

Cait put a hand behind her head.

"Let me know what it is at tomorrow's meeting," he continued. "But then I'm giving you a direct order to take time off after it. I can better survive attacks from Councilor Kiramman about working you to death if they don't have merit."

"Yes, sir. It will be in my report."

Caitlyn decided it was best to let her mother hear from her directly. She went to their mansion, but only Tobias was there.

"Cait!" He walked over fast and hugged her with enough gusto to challenge her balance. "I heard about the sheriff and you confronting the bomber. Are you well?"

"Yes, dad. It… the Sheriff's death seems to have been more from negligence. There was an altercation, but they weren't trying to kill me." I would be dead if they were. The Underciters deserve sympathy but many don't shy from violence.

Her father looked skeptical, but gave a slow nod. "Well, Cassandra is concluding conversations at the pavilion. Are you coming down? I hope that your double shifts ended with–I hope you can rest."

Caitlyn restrained a sigh. "It's not that many more hours. Oh, let me tell mom first, but Sheriff Derek made me Captain of the new Undercity Division."

Tilting his head a little, Tobias still smiled. "Congratulations. I'm not big on secrets, but I'll gladly let you tell your mom that one. She'll probably see them as giving you a poisoned chalice."

He's right. I'm deeper in the field she sees as beneath me, but it does have more prestige. I could argue that the Undercity Division would enable more connections for our businesses, but I don't want it to be corrupt like the other other divisions and she'll know that.

Caitlyn's hand twitched just perceptibly at the future conversation. "Do tell her I'll be down there soon. Just a couple of things first."

Caitlyn stopped by her room to rinse up, compose her hair, and take some of her investigation materials with her to compare against the personnel files. She also took a couple of minutes to consider her floor diagram. Marcus. Firelights. Silco. Jinx.

I know have questions around two sheriffs deaths. V had claimed Silco, probably the fissures wealthiest businessman, was actually the shimmer chemking and de facto ruler. He is fighting the Firelights, who are an anti-shimmer faction of mostly younger Underciters.

Jinx… fits in how? V said he was Silco's daughter, but she wouldn't be the go-between with Marcus. Ren said she looked terrified before the explosion, but wasn't sure why. Is she trying to create or working for a third group now? Maybe for the sister Ren said she had mentioned.

With a sigh, her eyes drifted to Stillwater before heading out. At her meeting with Derek tomorrow, she'd ask about reviewing some sent their summarily by Marcus. Maybe there are other Firelights there that would break omerta and talk about Silco's operation. Or vice versa.

Moving a brisk pace, Cait picked up a captain's jacket at headquarters then reached the main hall for the Progress Day keynote address. She checked the perimeter and spoke with the different enforcers on guard duty. Most looked skeptical that her promotion was because of her mom–when it was despite her–but were polite or at least prudent enough to not vocalize it.

She checked the back passage and was lucky enough to run into the Hextech Partners.

"Congratulations, Jayce. And you too, Viktor," she began. "Do you have much time?"

Viktor took a step back to lean against the wall while Jayce nodded. "A while longer. What can I do for my favorite officer?"

"Captain," Viktor corrected softly. "Congratulations to you as well, Captain Kiramman."

Jayce blinked, but then saw the jacket and badge. "Of course. Well done, Cait." He gave her a hug. "You'll be in charge of security for tonight? We can rest easy knowing the hextech gemstone will be safe. There were concerns, after hearing about the sheriff."

Cait nodded. "It appears to have been accidental, but it will be looked into. And I will continue to look into Grayson's. Tangentially, I was hoping to ask you about the Undercity more, Viktor."

Viktor glanced away. "My knowledge would probably cause more harm than help. I rarely visit it now; it was a long time ago when I was living there; and even then I didn't have much attention on those the enforcers would be interested in."

Jayce frowned. "Come on, Viktor. I'm sure you could give her some pointers. It could help the enforcers a lot."

"Hmm," Viktor said. "Perhaps you are right at that."

We've talked and the Kirammans have funded much of hextech and we've known each other through Jayce, but he still cares for the fissure folk too much to freely and unconditionally speak to an enforcer about it.

"If not people or places, what about the science of it? The airship fight that happened earlier was between shimmered users in armor and chemtank flying technology. Do you know anything about those inventions?"

Viktor shook his head. "All I know of shimmer is its healing can be as monstrous as the rumored shimmer giants and I know little of chemtech or its engineers. Sadly, gang turf fights are highly credible to still be happening, but I am pained to argue that is not all the people of the underground are."

Jayce was going to speak, but Cait held up a hand. "It's okay. Please let me know if you change your mind. I promise, I just want to help."

She left just as the assistant was arriving. You'll find garrulous Underciters eventually. Just make it through this long Progress Day first.