It had been a rainy week. Zara felt lucky that she could at least reach the park before Mother Nature continued her assault.
The moment she got to the usual spot, the clouds above seemed to have a vendetta against her. They opened up and dumped a torrential downpour that almost soaked her from head to toe. Fortunately, the trees offered some shelter. Zara leaned against one, catching her breath and wiping the rainwater out of her eyes.
Barely a minute later, she noticed a hooded figure running from an alley. At first, she thought maybe one of those hooded weirdos came back to attack her, but no. This one seemed to be different. It looked a bit bigger than the hooded woman but much smaller than the bulky man with the axe.
The figure dashed through the last few meters and skidded to a halt beside Zara, almost running into the tree.
"Wow! I didn't plan a second morning shower...," she panted, "but at least it woke me up," she finished the sentence with a chuckle.
"Hmm, maybe we should run to the HQ's building," Zara offered, pointing at the building.
"Nah, I'll have to go soon. I'm just waiting for my mentor here."
"Oh, so you're waiting for Aritimi as well. I'm also waiting for her."
"Ah! Sorry. I probably didn't see you in the previous weeks," the hooded girl said, pulling back her hood. "Rexine Lurtz," she stuck her thick hand out.
"Zara Cromwell," she shook the girl's hand, trying not to stare at her too obviously.
Rexine looked quite unusual. It wasn't her build. She was tall, but just slightly taller than average. Her frame was muscular. More buffed than Freya, but not as absurdly jacked as Olympia. What made her stand out was her green skin color. She looked somewhat like an Orc. Her red hair was short and messy, slightly boyish. As Zara took another glance at her, she even noticed the tip of a small fang peeking out from her lower lip.
"I see your augmentation is from an Orc," Zara speculated.
"Um...no, it's not," Rexine said awkwardly. "My augmentation is a bone implant from an Xyston Xana."
"Oh, sorry. I just..."
"It's the Dora syndrome," Rexine cut her short.
"Ah! Okay...," Zara nodded, but she wasn't sure. Dora syndrome is known to affect the physical appearance of the augmented humans' children, but she didn't see someone who looked exactly like a monster because of it. Then they both ended up staying silent for a while.
"Good morning, pupils," Aritimi appeared in front of them in the rain. She had a portal opened above her head as a makeshift umbrella.
Neither Zara nor Rexine needed a second invitation, and they took shelter beneath Aritimi's portal.
The rain hadn't let up, but Aritimi's umbrella portal provided perfect coverage as she led the girls. The shimmering circle hovered above their heads, casting a soft purple glow against the grey downpour.
Zara walked beside Rexine, eyeing the swirling light above.
"Why aren't we just jumping through a portal?"
"Because we're waiting for someone. She's nearby."
They walked a bit farther along the path, past empty benches and puddle-filled playgrounds. Aritimi kept scanning the area.
Then, something made her pause.
A faint voice floated up from the curb.
"Timi..." it said, soft but clear over the rain.
"Did someone just call you?" Zara blinked and looked around.
Aritimi didn't answer right away. She stepped toward the edge of the path and crouched near a storm drain. Peering into the grated opening, she stared down until a pale face suddenly popped into view.
A woman with clown makeup and a bright orange afro grinned up at her, eyes wide so does her smile.
"Oh Timi," the woman cooed. "Don't you want a balloon?"
"Coco, get out of there." Aritimi rolled her eyes with practiced annoyance.
With a sharp giggle, the clown-woman slipped out through the narrow opening easily, as if her body had rubber skeleton or no skeleton at all. Somehow, impossibly, she folded and twisted her body with unnatural ease and popped out of the drain like a spring-loaded toy.
Her outfit wasn't traditional clown garb. She wore tactical gear, but every piece of it had been painted in a patchwork of bright colors: green knee pads, bubblegum pink shoulder plates, and a vest dotted in polka dots. Holsters and pouches were strapped all over her gear, some shaped like toy blocks or rubber ducks.
She struck a pose, grinning as the girls stared.
"This is Coco Rivera." Aritimi gestured toward her, "She's the chief of the Underground Surveillance Unit."
Rexine couldn't stop herself.
"Why do you look like a clown?" she asked.
Coco's grin didn't falter. "Because I am one, mija," she said in a thick Mexican accent, voice warm and musical. "Well, not by choice exactly. My augmentation is from a Goofy Gagster. This..." she pointed at her wild orange afro, "...is not a wig. That's my real hair now. And this..." she tapped her pale white cheek, where a pink heart was naturally etched in the skin, "...is the natural color of my face. Can't wash it off, I've tried."
She twirled in place, showing off the rainbow of colors splashed across her armor.
"The clothes are just for style. Gotta match the theme, you know?" she giggled.
Zara exchanged a glance with Rexine, who gave a slow nod, still trying to process what she was seeing.
"Not as creepy as that doll lady from last week," Rexine murmured.
"She's a professional," Aritimi said flatly. "Don't let the look fool you."
"Gracias, Timi." Coco gave a theatrical bow. "Now, shall we go to work before I slip on my own banana peel?"
Aritimi raised a hand, and a new portal shimmered open before them.
As they stepped through, the sound of rain vanished, replaced by the low hum of subterranean life. They were in a local subway platform, old tiles cracked and stained with time, but surprisingly clean. Faint echoes of dripping water echoed through the tunnels.
Coco took the lead, hands tucked behind her back like a tour guide.
"So," she began, voice cheerful, "the Underground Surveillance Unit, my babies, we were originally created to protect human settlements from the things that crawl up from below. Back then, it was simpler. Smash whatever comes out of the ground, keep people alive, repeat."
Zara and Rexine followed close behind, listening.
"But now?" Coco shrugged. "Now, it's trickier. Some monsters, we gotta fight. Some, we just scare off. Sometimes, a brawl would do more harm than good, like collapsing an entire tunnel, or worse. And not all underground monsters are problems. Some are actually helpful. Territorial freaks that don't let other monsters pass through their turf. It's like having a mean, slimy bouncer patrolling your walls."
"You let monsters act as security?" Zara asked.
"Why not?" Coco grinned. "It's free labor. Besides, some sewer creatures help clean the tunnels. Literally eat the gunk and sludge. That's why I was down in the storm drain, checking on the population. It's part monster census, part plumbing."
