Red emergency lights filled the interrogation room with strange shadows. Polly's claws dug into Esteban's shoulder as glass broke somewhere in the darkness.
"Move!" Inspector Chen shouted. "They found us!"
Valentina ran to the door, but it wouldn't open. "We're trapped," she said desperately.
Polly realized the irony - they had been hunting criminals through La Boqueria market, but now they were the ones being hunted. Through the broken mirror, she could see shapes moving slowly in the next room.
"The ventilation shaft," Esteban said suddenly, pointing up at the ceiling. "It goes to the old Metro tunnels. My uncle used them during the dictatorship to hide political papers."
Smoke started coming under the door. It smelled chemical and dangerous. These weren't ordinary criminals - they were professionals.
"Help me up," Valentina ordered, taking off her shoes. She reached for the metal grate near the ceiling.
Esteban made a step with his hands so she could climb up. "What about our evidence?" he asked.
"Forget it," Inspector Chen said, destroying her tablet. "We are the evidence now."
The grate fell just as someone started breaking down the door. Valentina pulled herself up, then helped the others. "Come on! Unless you want to meet our cheese empire friends."
As Polly flew into the shaft, she saw Miguel Torrente through the broken mirror. He wore an expensive suit and watched them escape calmly.
"This isn't over," he called out confidently. "You think you understand our operation? We control every market in Europe."
They crawled through the narrow shaft until they reached the old Metro tunnels. The abandoned underground passages stretched out like a maze.
"Which way?" Inspector Chen gasped.
Esteban closed his eyes, remembering his uncle's stories. "Left," he said quietly. "Always left in the old tunnels."
As they ran deeper into Barcelona's hidden history, Polly felt they weren't just running from criminals. They were fighting for everything that made La Boqueria special - the trust, the authentic food, the culture itself.
Behind them, their pursuers were getting closer.
