“Take that elevator down,” Philip pointed. "Now can I go?"

“Hold on.” Luna approached the elevator door at the end of the sewer tunnel. She glared at the door as her vision changed to X-ray, viewing the emptiness behind the doors. So far, nothing suspicious. “You came from this elevator?”

“Yes, my comrades took the elevator to the lower level,” Philip answered. “It is the only way to reach the abandoned chemical factory.”

Luna tapped her temple, changing her vision to normal. “How far did you go down there?”

“I don’t know! And I don’t want to go back down there!”

Luna hissed and turned around, pointing her gun straight at the little fox’s face. “You’re coming with us, whether or not you like it.”

Philip glared his little eyes at her. “Then shoot me! I whether die than let that thing enter my body and force me to explode!”

Luna shook her gun, ready to shoot the little pain in the ass. But Rei placed her hand on her arm.

“Come on, Luna,” said Rei with a calm voice. “Let him go. We can track the target from here. Ihaehada?”

Luna sighed and placed her gun back in her holster. She almost forgot she was trying to remain better than her former self. Endangering other people's lives was wrong, even if they were part of the competition. "Get lost before I change my mind!"

Philip nodded with relief on his face and dashed off like a mouse running from two hungry cats.

Rei giggled. "That is very nice of you-"

"Zip it!" Luna shot her finger up toward Rei's lips. "We got bigger fish to fry than messing with that loser. Got it?"

"Ye ye!" Rei pushed the button next to the elevator doors. In a few seconds, the doors opened, releasing a musty scent.

"Yuck!" Rei pinched her nose. "I bet it totally smells worse down there."

"Yeah, but it doesn't bother me." Luna stepped in first, and then she closed the doors after Rei stepped through. She glared at the panel. "They definitely built this elevator for the sewer cleaners. Each level is a different tunnel."

"So which level is our destination?" Rei asked.

Luna stared at the last button on the bottom. Level 50. "This one."

After she pushed it, the elevator creaked and descended.

Rei leaned against the corner. "So that little guy is a freelancer? I thought all bounty hunters worked for the MCPD."

Luna leaned her back against the left wall, facing her partner. "Anyone can be a hunter in this city, kitty. But you still need to buy a license at the station."

"Really?" Rei dropped her mouth a bit. "O ileon….. If I knew that, I wouldn't have gone to the police academy."

Luna chuckled and crossed her arms. "Don’t sweat it, kitty. Cop training helps you survive. Only fools are freelancers who think they catch anyone for cash. And they ended up dead. Without training, you're toasted."

Rei stared at the floor, pursuing her lips. "I guess you're right. After all, I already took it because I was told to."

“Good.” As Luna stretched her arms and tail up, the elevator rocked to a stop, and the lights flashed off. “What the hell?”

It was dark until tiny red lights switched on, shining on the catgirls’ faces.

This isn’t good….. Luna turned around and punched the elevator buttons. The elevator tremored, but it continued to stop as its brakes screeched.

“What is going on now?” Rei exclaimed, glancing around in a panic.

Something slammed above the elevator, rattling the ceiling a bit. Luna pulled out her E-gun while keeping her eyes on the ceiling. She switched her vision to night vision, just to get a better view since the red lights weren’t too helpful. “Something is on top of the elevator.”

Rei looked up and dropped her mouth. “Sesang-e! There is something on top! Look!”

Luna switched her vision to an x-ray. At first, there was only blackness, but then Luna realized it was moving like water. “Shit! It’s the blob!”

Toward the other corner, the vent door fell down as the black ooze dripped down like paint being poured out from a bucket.

Luna quickly aimed her gun. “That thing will flood the entire elevator! Use your ice ammunition!”

“Al-assda!” Rei fired one ice ball toward the muck.

Her shot coated the ooze into ice, frosting up toward the vent. It stopped after the frost touched the ceiling.

Luna smirked at the icicle, amazed at how powerful the ice blast was. All it took was one shot to freeze the entire creature. If she never loses her new weapon, nobody can escape from her.

The ceiling shook again as a roar echoed above the top.

“Shit! He isn’t completely iced!” Luna exclaimed.

The elevator rocked again, but with four loud screeching sounds. Something snapped too, nearly pushing the elevator down.

Luna’s mouth fell wide open. “It’s going to make the elevator drop-”

Too late!

When the elevator fell after the last snap, Luna felt weightless as her entire inside rose toward her throat. She guessed since the thing couldn’t get them, it might as well drop them to their deaths. But Luna knew she was harder to kill.

She held onto the railing near the corner as she sat down. “Quick! Cuddle with me!”

In the other corner, Rei gazed at her in confusion. “What?”

“Just come here! I won’t make out with you! My body can absorb the impact!”

Rei nodded and jumped toward Luna. She landed on Luna’s lap and wrapped her arms around her. Luna held her tight, smelling the coconut shampoo in the lynx’s hair. She couldn’t help it, but keeping her partner alive mattered the most.

As she held onto Rei like a baby, everything turned dark after the flood exploded and the ceiling fell onto the girls.

*****

Dan heard a loud bang from the other side of the dark tunnel. It was so loud; it sounded like piles of metal crashing down into the ground. Whatever it was, investigating a disturbance was part of Dan's job in the bottom sewer level.

The black crow raced through the rocky tunnel, carrying a laser rifle. Toward the end, he spotted the open elevator doorway where rubble laid out.

"Oh, wow!" Dan placed his rifle down and approached the debris.

How could the elevator fall so fast? Not that old or rusty. The sewer inspection unit kept it maintained well so the cleaners could access each level without taking the longer routes. But accidents happen unexpectedly, Dan guessed.

After pulling the doors open wider, Dan crawled through and dug his feather fingers through the mess.

First, he found a black hand resting on a furry body. He touched the hand, feeling a pulse.

Dan's longer beak dropped. "Oh, crap."

He pulled out his walkie-talkie and pushed the button. "Hello? This is Dan here! Come in, please!"

"We hear you, Dan," his leader's voice answered. "You got a situation?"

"An elevator crashed near our territory. There are two survivors buried beneath it, still alive. I need reinforcements now!"

"Copy, I'll send in a team for you."

"Thank you." Dan clicked off his communicator. Hopefully, the rescue team will arrive on time before it is too late.