Punks Worth Keepin'

**Punks Worth Keepin'** is the third chapter of the Ray Fox comic. It deals with Ray and Summer dealing with an assassination attempt from the Monroe Syndicate at the Pala County Correctional Facility.

## Plot

The chapter starts with Summer outside of the Pala County Correctional Facility. She receives a call from Carol, who scolds Summer because of the paperwork she now has to do because Summer and Asuka got involved with Liev and Blaze. Carol asks Summer what is she doing at the county jail, pointing out that she needs to face punishment for disobeying orders, endangering her teammate, and assaulting Ray during his arrest.

Carol points out that she may have to fire Summer if she keeps behaving like this. Carol then orders Summer and Asuka to return to S.O.S. to talk about their behavior. However, Summer dodges the meeting by pointing out that she's working as a guard for the county jail, much to Carol's annoyance, as she believes that Summer is looking for an excuse to avoid the meeting. After Summer hangs up on her, Carol scolds Rose, Arty, and Dex for spying on her rather than doing their work.

While Carol is scolding her underlings, Regi is watching a news report that talks about the Blaze's arrest. Jak, Ally, and Liz see the news and are horrified by Ray being outed as Blaze and arrested. Meanwhile, two assassins are infiltrationg the correctional facility to kill Ray. One of them is angry because he feels that the Monroe Syndicate is using him and his partner to clean up the messes made by their bosses. The other tells his partner to deal with it, stating that killing Ray may raise their rank within the organization, especially since they can ambush him at the T8 cell. The duo turns invisible and then enter the facility.

Morales is interrogating Ray with Detective Reese and Detective Saachi. The district attorney sarcastically asks Ray if he thinks that he'll be forgiven for his crimes (property damage, endangerment of citizens, instigating the Monroe Syndicate) just because he apologized. Ray attempts to explain himself, but Morales leaves the interrogation room, tasking the detectives to continue talking to Ray while he goes to the Capitol. Ray catches up to Morales, telling him that they are on the same side and he wants to help. Morales tells Ray that he needs to learn that actions have consequences, wishing him luck until the day of the trial.

Asuka leads Ray to the T8 cell, where Eli Karr, the warden of the facility, explains how inescapable the cell is, as it was designed to hold Super Meta Level inmates. One of the prisoners recognize Ray as Blaze, trying to attack him for getting him arrested. He is attacked by Kassady, one of the guards for his attempt to attack Ray. Asuka attempts to reassure Ray about living in the cell, but Ray is more concerned about Liz and Jak now that he was exposed and arrested.

Ray feels like he made the wrong choices by being Blaze now that his loved ones will be affected by his arrest. Asuka consoles Ray, telling him to forget about his public reputation, stating that his actions were focused on saving lives. She also promises that she will get Ray out of trouble, as she told him yesterday that he was going to work for her. Elijah tells Asuka that she can't keep moving forward because only authorized personnel can enter. Ray finishes his conversation with Asuka by thanking her for her help, stating that she changed his life for the better.

Outside of the facility, Asuka tells her team that they are going on a mission. Her squad asks her if they are going to return to HQ, but the tanuki states that they have a special mission at the Capitol. The squad asks if Asuka forgets something, but Asuka laments that she didn't. She pointns out that she called Summer all morning, but she's been ignoring her calls. As such, they will do their mission without her.

Back in the T8 cell, Kassady instructs Ray to disrobe, but Ray doesn't want to undress in public, especially when they are pointing at him with guns. Summer tells Ray to stop complaining and just follow orders. Upon seeing the hyena, Ray gets angry, telling Eli of how Summer assaulted him twice back when she arrested. Summer is not too happy that Ray is her inmate. Eli asks Summer if what Ray said about her assaulting him was true. Ray and Summer start arguing.

As the two bicker, Eli senses something strange. Roulette, the chameleon assassin, plans on shooting at Ray while he's distracted, believing that they won't get another chance to kill him. Suddenly, Eli gives a neck strike to the wall, unveiling Roulette. Eli and Roulette start fighting, with the former stating that the latter can't use his camouflage when in motion, which is how he was detected. Roulette states that he has a second plan, summoning his partner Brigade to take out the guards.

Brigade bursts through a wall and easily defeats Kassady and the other guards. He goes after Ray, but Summer takes on his punch by blocking it with her face and punches Brigade in the gut with a strength that far surpasses that of an average hyena. Summer attempts an ax kick on Brigade, but her blow is not as powerful as the previous one, much to Brigade's confusion and Summer's annoyance. Brigade knocks Summer down, but Ray hits him with a knee kick to the snout to protect her.

Meanwhile, Eli overwhelmes Roulette with a neck strike. As Roulette reels from the blow, he realizes that the gate is closing because of a lockdown. Brigade jumps at Ray and Summer, using electricity from his gauntlets. Summer moves Ray out of the way and blocks the attack. The sudden collision causes an explosion that blinds everyone with a smokescreen. Roulette escapes and then turns Brigade invisible. Eli demands the gate to open, but the shockwave created by Brigand and Summer.

In a different part of the cell, Brigand and Roulette start arguing when Roulette blames Brigand for causing him to lose one of his guns during the fight with Eli, even stating that the bull disgraced himself by losing to a rookie. Brigand angrily points out that he and Roulette are in no condition to kill Ray anymore. Suddenly, the inmates appear, yelling at the assassins for nearly getting them killed. Roulette then enlists the assassin to kill Ray, showing his ability to camouflage and promising freedom to any inmate who kills Blaze.

Ray and Summer are resting in a corner, having eluded the assassins. As the two argue, Ray analyzes Roulete and Brigand's abilities. He then remembers how Summer blocked Brigand's strike, asking her how did she do it. However, the hyena refuses to elaborate. Ray asks Summer to take off his handcuffs, believing that they have a better chance of surviving if they work together. Summer refuses, believing that she can defeat the assassins once she recovers her energy.

The conversation is cut short when an injured guard is thrown through the window. The duo are confronted by the inmates who want to kill Ray for revenge and get their freedom back. Since Summer does not want to let Ray use his powers and she has to carrry the injured guard, she and Ray are forced to run away from the inmates.

At the Meva City Capitol, Morales is talking with Governor Oddvar about what happened with Liev the previous day. The people at the Capitol are now accepting of Liev using Parallax technology to get away with his crimes. However, they are still confused on how to find him out, as Liev only appears when he wants to be seen. Morales points out his theory that there is a third party related with the Monroe Syndicate, an expert in Parallax technology. His suspicions comes from how the Rifters were able to bend time and space, a function that wasn't perfected with the prototypes he saw twenty years ago.

Morales points out two suspects who could have upgraded the Rifters. The first is a mole named Morton Digger, who disappeared twenty years ago under mysterious circumstances. Since Morton was 80 years old the last time he saw him, Morales believed that he somehow survived or he transferred all of his knowledge to a successor. The people at the Capitol ask for the second suspect, but Morales backs away from the topic with Oddvar's prompting. Oddvar finishes the meeting by tasking Georgia to send Meta Agencies in search of Morton or a successor, and then asks everyone to keep the meeting a secret.

Morales leaves with Natasha and Khali. As the two go to an elevator, they meet Asuka along the way. The four of them board the elevator, where they start to talk. Morales can see that Asuka arranged this meeting to talk about Ray, pointing out that the fox is charming and that he disappointed to have to judge him since he liked him at the exposition. Asuka tries to point out how Ray can contribute to society, but Morales counters by showing them the handcuffs that Ray melted the other day.

He points out that, because of his power, Ray is too dangerous to be left free. He also warns Asuka not to interfere, as he could get her suspended for the illegal interrogation that she and her team had with Ray the previous day. Though he intends to end the conversation, Morales is left stuck when the elevator refuses to move. Additionally, there's no signal, so Morales can't ask for help. Asuka then uses the time to try to convince Morales to change his opinion about Ray. Amused, Morales asks her to present her case.

Back at the facility, Summer and Ray are alone, having left the unconscious guard in a corner since they know the inmates are after them. The two of them are confronted by three inmates. Once again, Summer and Ray get into an argument, which the serpent inmate uses to separate Summer from Ray by slamming her with his tail. Summer recovers and defeats the snake inmate before fighting another one. Meanwhile, Ray fights the panther inmate who tried to attack him. Eventually, the panther inmates accidentally slices Ray's handcuffs with his claws. This allows Ray to defeat him now that he can use his neo-mutant powers again.

After the fight ends, Summer is annoyed when she notices Ray without his cuffs. She gets annoyed when Ray proposes they fight together, angrily reminding him that he was the one that suggested to run away at first. Ray points out that this was back when he couldn't use his powers. He states that they have a chance to win since they are two neo-mutants together, having figured out that Summer was a neo-mutant after seeing her use her powers.

Ray believes that Summer hates him because he's giving neo-mutants like her a bad name because of his vigilantism, expressing his support and desire to work together with her. Summer punches Ray down and steps on his face, offended at him for thinking that they are similar. Finally reaching his breaking point, Ray sweeps Summer off her feet and threatens him with a fire fist, telling her that he doesn't see how she's a good person from Asuka's team. The two neo-mutants start fighting, with Summer voicing her frustration at Ray becoming a Meta officer for being a neo-mutant while she had to struggle a lot to get where she is.

The two clash in with their powers, with Ray sending Summer crashing into a wall. As Ray attempts to diffuse the situation, Roulette shoots him in the shoulder. Roulette reveals that he summoned all of the inmates in the same room, planning on having them rush Ray and Summer in order to fulfill their mission. Brigand and Roulette start arguing because of the latter's bragging. Seeing the pair bicker, Summer has an epiphany, realizing that she helped the assassins by refusing to cooperate with Ray.

Remembering Carol's words to act as one of the good guys, Summer rushes to help Ray. After getting her hand burned accidentally while Ray was busy cauterizing his shoulder injury, the two of them finally agree to work together. Roulette orders the inmates to attack Ray and Summer, but the two neo-mutants easily hold their own against them.

Back in the elevator, Morales continues his discussion with Asuka. He states that while Ray may be a strong ally, he's still a source of fear for Meva City, stating that they need closure. Asuka is against Morales' argument, pointing out that the greater good for Meva City is not the same as the greater good of Ray, believing that they should help him find out who he is since he didn't know that he was a neo-mutant. Morales points out that while Ray was selfless in fighting crime, he still knew the risks of his vigilantism, and adding that his selflessness is countered by his naivety, as he has enough power to rival a nuclear reactor within him if he ever loses control.

Morales asks Asuka why she wants Ray released. This causes Asuka to point out that Ray saved her team despite how badly she and her underlings treated him when they arrested him. Hearing Asuka's words, Khali feels guilty at hiding the truth about Ray saving Morales from his boss. Morales concedes with Asuka's argument as the elevator starts working again. As Morales leaves, Asuka thanks her team for sabotaging the elevator for her conversation with Morales.

Asuka's squad is driving away, asking the tanuki if Ray joining them is guaranteed. Suddenly, Asuka gets a call from Regi, who questions her why she didn't return to the office today despite the Blaze case being closed. He asks Asuka if she's trying to rebuild S.O.S. by having Ray working with them. Feeling convinced by Asuka's words, Regi suggest a plea bargain by having Ray work at S.O.S. rather than face imprisonment. Regi tasks Asuka to get Ray out within a week, much to Asuka's delight.

Back at the facility, Ray and Summer manage to defeat the inmates. Brigand, sensing that they are outmatched, teleports away. Roulette is then shot by Ray for talking too much, causing the chameleon to escape as well. With the assassins gone and the inmates defeated, Ray and Summer decide to finish their fight. However, Eli neck smacks them before they can fight, since he doesn't want his prison to get destroyed any further. Asuka returns to the facility and is annoyed when Eli shows her Ray and Summer childishly fighting each other. Elijah ends the chapter by pointing out that he doesn't get paid enough for this.

## Trivia

* The chapter reveals that Ray caught up lots of inmates as Blaze, but he doesn't remember them.
* Once again, Georgia appears, but she has a different design compared to the current one in Chapter 4.