An L-train zoomed above pedestrians trying to snake their way down the Chicago street, their heads looking down whenever an armored vehicle appeared on the road. I kept my head down too, wolfish ears twitching at the humid air through my black hoodie. The last thing I needed was an Archangel or suspicious police officer trailing me.

            Ever since the Defiant's last stunt a few weeks ago, in which we mercilessly defaced Jackson Park's extravagant Monument of Faith (where the Museum of Science once stood), security had grown tighter. Who knew spray-painting a large statue of Devout America's first and 'greatest president' would anger the ruling political party?

            Our hackers confirmed that there'd been a steady rise in random arrests by Archangels, as well as an abundance of spy bots detected on online forums, trying to search for perceived traitors speaking their minds. Johanna and the rest of us were pissed about this—well, a lot of things to be honest, but we finally decided to do something today.

            “Ugh, how long again?" I groaned into my hidden earpiece. “I've been circling the Supreme Court building for hours…"

            “Hour and a half, actually...." Olivia spoke up. “And keep your trap shut. You've been failing to do that for the past two hours, Lowell" The otter no doubt was smugly laughing on the other end.

            “Well excuse me, Liv, but I thought we wouldn't be taking as long—" I hushed my tone when a crowd neared, “And I've checked over and over again. The patrol's not changing anytime soon, so when're we gonna get started already?"

            “When we get the signal, Lowell!" Donald replied on the other end. “And Johanna is telling me to tell you to do two more laps. We need to be careful, sonny."

            Relenting, I did just that. I casually disappeared into the crowds and went with the flow of the winding bodies along the sidewalk, avoiding eye contact and blending in. For the hundredth time, I turned left and crossed the street before doing the exact same thing. Once again, the police patrol sat parked down the road, and the officers inside were having some conversation in their seats. Once again, the cameras along the south side of the target building remained pelted with black paintballs.

            And once again, the unmarked white van stood parked opposite the entrance. Seeing the crowds of furs waltz on by without a care in the world, distracted either by the sounds or their handheld phones, none of them suspected that the driver, a senile gray bear, was a criminal suspected of aiding and abetting wanted 'terrorists', nor that three more sat inside the back, waiting for the goddamn signal like I was.

            Finally…a series of loud booms erupted down the street. Everyone ran screaming and confused in the opposite direction, unaware that the only explosions occurring were taped and being played on hidden stereos.

            In the ensuing chaos, my fingers managed to pull my bandana up over my muzzle. I nearly found myself pulled with the tide of bodies trying to flee, but managed to break free and run for the entrance. Olivia, Donald and Hector were already at work erecting the tombstone up.

            “About goddamn time!" I muttered, then looked back to an approaching police car. No doubt ordered to stay back as the rest of the force mobilized toward the fake explosions. “Dammit, who do you gotta fuck to do a protest?"

            Normally, the Defiant would do something like this during the evening, but at the risk of the Archangels having it torn down before any of them could be seen…yeah. And unfortunately for me, I lost the pool to choose who would be the one to keep the fuzz off their tails.

            So that was what I did, picking up a random glass bottle off the ground and tossing it at the fender of the police car. The red and blue lights flashed angrily.

            One of the officers shouted, “Halt in the name of God's law!"

            “Not today, zealots!" I laughed before bolting for it.

            Amid some shouting, I lured the officers away from the building and towards the crowds gathering a block away. Some alarmed pedestrians spotted me and tried stepping away, no doubt giving them a better shot, only for me to duck into a nearby alley. My footpaws pounded at the concrete with each step, aware they were closing in on me. Gripping onto my backpack and pulling out a Molotov, I steadied my running and lit the thing.

            A single toss behind me and flames erupted from the ground.

            “Woah! Don't let him get away!"

            “After him, now!"

            A few officers avoided the cocktail fire. Damn it.

            I didn't know how long I could run before a voice erupted in my ear.

            “Where the fuck are you, Low?!"

            I checked my bearings when I jumped onto a street. “Twelve and Addams! Hurry!"

            Gunshots thundered behind me, but thankfully I didn't have to worry about the next barrage. Not when a certain white van screeched into view towards me. Smirking, I willed my legs to run faster towards it. It swerved around onto the sidewalk, nicking a poor station wagon before the back doors flung open. I dove right in before Olivia could squeeze the trigger, and we ducked when a few bullets dented the right-side door.

            “Damn, now we're gonna have to scrap this, Lowell!"

            “Hey," I objected between deep pants and growls, “I…distracted 'em...didn't I?"

            “You did…a decent job," Olivia snickered beside me, helping me up as the car swerved and shook until it came to a steady speed. “At least we left our message."

            I couldn't stop myself from grinning. “Indeed."

            Across Devout America, other Defiant cells were erecting their own tombstones in front of civic monuments that once meant something. For Chicago's Supreme Court building, we left one that had a simple engraving:

            R.I.P. DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA

            Much like Jesus, I hoped it would also resurrect itself from the grave.