Beneath the Uniform.

The morning light bled through the high windows of Central Station, casting long bars Mercer sat at his assigned desk, eyes scanning the cracked screen of an old terminal, trying not to look nervous.

He wasn't used to silence like this a silence that felt like it had teeth.

Across the room, officers loitered near the vending machines, swapping jokes that sounded more like warnings. Someone was laughing about a rebel kid who got caught last night. Said they made him ride home barefoot after slashing his tires.

"Should've made him eat the rubber too," someone chuckled.

Eli swallowed hard and kept his eyes on the screen.

That's when Kai dropped into the chair beside him.

"Good morning," Kai said casually, a cup of coffee in hand. "You make any enemies yet?"

Eli blinked. "Not yet."

Kai grinned like it was a game. "Give it time"

There was something in his voice playful, but edged. Like he was trying to see if Eli was paying attention.

They sat like that for a minute. The room buzzed in the background idle chatter, footsteps, phones ringing. But it all felt...off. Like everyone was in on something Eli didn't fully understand yet.

Then a voice barked from across the room. "Cross, Mercer. Let's go"

Officer Rourke. Heavy. Loud. Always smirking.

"Patrol briefing," Rourke said. "We've got another sweep scheduled. Orders come down from Command we're hitting sector Nine again. Harder this time."

"Didn't we already hit sector Nine this week?" Eli asked quietly as they walked.

Rourke didn't turn around. "And?" Maybe they didn't learn their lesson."

Kai gave Eli a sidelong glance. Like there it is. He didn't have to say it. The city taught its lessons with batons and boots. Repetition was part of the method.

The patrol briefing was short, brutal, and full of things Eli didn't want to hear.

"Take your time with this sector," the lead officer sneered, pointing at the map. "Make sure they feel it. They've been getting sneaky lately."

Eli didn't speak. Neither did Kai.

When it was over, the squads broke apart. Most of them were still cracking jokes real ugly ones. Eli stayed quiet as he followed Kai toward the lot.

Outside, the sun hit harder. The air smelled like asphalt and engine grease.

Eli was still trying to process it all when Kai spoke.

"You don't have to like them," he said without looking over.

Eli blinked. "What?"

"The other guys," Kai clarified. "You don't have to laugh at their jokes. Nobody expects you to."

Eli hesitated. "I just don't get how they can act like that. Like it's funny."

Kai kept walking. "Because its easy. Laughing's easier than thinking. Especially when you're the one holding the baton."

They stopped at the motor pool. Kai hopped on his patrol bike. He looked over his shoulder.

"You ever ride before?"

Eli shook his head. "No. Not really."

Kai tapped the empty seat behind him. "Come on."

Eli froze. "You're not serious."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "What, you wanna ride with Rourke?"

Eli climbed on.

The patrol's over. Rourke and the others went back to the station early, something about beer and card games. Eli and Kai stayed behind to "wrap paperwork."

Instead, they sat on a loading dock behind a shut-down shop, helmets off, sweating in the heat.

Kai took a sip from a soda can, then offered it to Eli without a word.

Eli took it.

Kai leaned back, the rusted metal of the loading dock creaking under his weight. His eyes drifted out toward the hazy skyline.

"You ever ride for fun?" Eli asked, sipping the last of the soda.

Kai let out a dry laugh. "I used to."

"Yeah?"

"For a while, I thought I'd go full rebel. No badge. Just pavement, wind, and whatever came next."

Eli blinked. " Seriously?"

Kai nodded. "Had a crew. Nothing big."

Eli looked at him, quietly surprised. 

"What happened?"

Kai's smile faded. "I crashed"

There was a beat of silence.

"Broke my ribs. Nearly cracked my spine. Would've died if my old buddy hadn't pulled me out before the others showed."

"What friend?"

Kai looked at him sideways.

He paused, jaw tightening slightly before he added, "After that, I stopped thinking like a rebel. Started thinking like a survivor."

Eli nodded, quiet for a moment.

"Still... you don't act like a survivor," he said. "You still talk like you believe in something."

Kai's eyes narrowed just slightly not in anger, but interest.

Then Eli added, casually: "My dad would hate hearing this."

Kai smirked. "What, the soda sharing or the rebel talk?"

"The rebel talk. The you." Eli turned to face him fully. " He's the chief."

For the first time in the conversation, kai's expression stilled completely. Not shock. Just a flicker of something distant.

"The chief," he repeated

"Yeah," Eli said. "Mercer."

Kai let out a slow breath, nodding like a puzzle piece had just clicked into place.

"Well," he said quietly, "That explains a lot."

Eli waited, unsure if that was a compliment or not.

But then Kai stood, tossing the empty can into the nearby bin.

"Come on," he said. "Let's head back before someone notices we have a soul."

Eli followed, still processing everything.

As they walked, he glanced at Kai's back the easy stride, the calm confidence and wondered just how close this guy had come to riding for the other side.