A shadow flitted through the streets on the prowl. They’d received a tracking token and were following an odd magical thread, only felt not seen, to the target.

The window on the third floor was cracked open to let a pleasant cooling breeze in while the occupants slept. The shadow smiled grimly—it was too easy.

The shadow took out a knife. A plain blade, no enchantment, just a sharp edge. Why would you need anything else? The bigger the weapon, the more powerful, the more attention one might draw. Besides, the target wasn't in a position to fight back. A small blade would do a fine job.

The target was, in fact, sound asleep. Snug as a bug in a rug. That made the shadow’s job effortless. But sometimes it was disappointing. A challenge every now and then would be nice.

Murder was simply a job. Not driven by some great or sick desire to steal lives. Just a job, or perhaps a career at this point. An occupation the shadow was good at, raised to do since childhood, the only thing they knew. And the work paid well in most cases. Occasionally, though, it got rather dull, with contract after contract of this.

There was no sound in the room besides that of two people sleeping.

The room was dark. The shadow was nearly invisible. They slinked across the room. Standing over a defenceless figure.

———

There was no sound in the room besides that of one person sleeping.

The room was dark, except when the clouds would briefly part, and moonlight reflected off a growing wet sheen soaking into the white linens. The shadow was nearly invisible as it slunk across the room and back out the window they had entered through, leaving no sign that they were ever there except the body.

As a particular budding child thief would say. Just because the window wasn't on the ground floor doesn't mean someone can't get in through it. Secure your damn windows!

Words from the wise.

The shadow nimbly climbed down the side of the red house. The stained glass windows decorated with a stylized flame had just enough of a lip to provide easy handholds. Back through the quiet streets, with only the sound of the sea audible, the shadow returned to headquarters. Straightforward as could be. They didn't even need to collect proof of completion; spells could detect such things.

“Acolyte.”

The shadow arrived at the contracts office to report a successful mission to their superior.

Only the few guild leaders—selected from the top two ranks—knew who each guild member was. Everyone wore an enchanted mask inside headquarters—safer for all concerned since it was hard to sell out a fellow guild member without knowing who they were. However, the leaders had a Skill inherent to this specific leadership role that let them see past the disguise. All guild members were referred to by their rank unless they had a specialized role that warranted a different form of address. Names were not welcome here.

The shadow resented being an acolyte. They were better than most apprentice-ranked guild members, even without Skills. But rank was earned not only by accomplishment—as far as things were measured in such a place—but also by seniority. And the shadow was new to the organization. The leaders appreciated dependable assassins—the ones who had built a rapport within the guild. But the shadow was still a new mask, earning their stripes.

One of the shadow's greatest issues with the ranked system was that acolytes didn't earn as much gold. More gold than an initiate, less than an apprentice or higher. It still wasn't bad pay. However, the shadow was saving up for something, and a gold coin was considered a good amount of money in most scenarios. Which meant they needed to take on additional contracts. Mind you, a contract paid more than a single gold coin, but only slightly. More kills, more money.

———

Lars tore through the forest, leaving the walls of Last Stand behind him. The break-in was successful. Now, he just needed to make it back to their base of operation. Alchemist Silke’s house.

He didn’t take the footpath. Fleeing from Felhart and a potential attack from long-range weapons or pursuit, he’d dashed straight into the thick of the forest. He was in the clear as long as he didn’t get turned around.

The light had been fading when he started his mission. By the time he made his getaway, it was fully dark. Any natural illumination provided by the moon or the glint of voltage barrier coming to life around the city was blotted out by dense forest. Lars ran with almost zero visibility, which meant when he approached a thick, gnarled root hazardously arched up from the earth, it was nearly invisible.

Lars’ momentum barely slowed as his foot caught the root, and he flew through the air before skidding to a halt on the forest floor. Twigs and stones tore at his face. Dirt and leaves filled his mouth.

He lay there a moment, groaning, as he tried to suck air into his lungs. It had all left him in a rush when he collided with the ground.

When the breathless feeling abated, Lars rolled over onto his back and looked up at the stars, but he couldn’t see any through the tree canopy, so he pushed himself up. Carefully assessing for major injuries that would hinder his progress. His ankle, which had twisted painfully, seemed to be the worst of it.

Lars looked around and realized something. He was lost. He'd gotten turned around between falling, flipping over, and rising back up. Which direction had he been headed in? Around in circles, he turned, searching for any recognizable signs. But it was night, and every direction he turned looked the same.

It couldn’t be far to the house. He’d been running fast. But which direction?

He attempted to look for the root. If Lars could find that he had a 50/50 chance of heading in the right direction. Yet, that only served to get him more mixed up.

A city full of people who mostly avoided leaving the safety of Last Stand had only common sense and intuition to survive in the Wilds. So he did what many with the know-how would tell you not to do.

Lars picked a direction and started limp-walking. If he ended up backtracking to Last Stand, fine. At least he’d know which way to go. If he ended up at the house, even better. Lars tried not to consider what would occur if he chose the wrong direction altogether.

After hobbling through the dark forest for what he thought was nearly 15 minutes, there wasn’t a hint of the city or the house. Since the house wasn’t that far from the city when taking the main path, it shouldn’t have taken this long, even slowed by the dense forest and his ankle.

There was a knot in his stomach, and not just from the blast to his diaphragm. How would he find his way back? For the first time, waiting out the night crossed his mind. But no, Lars pushed on, reassuring himself that he’d find the route eventually.

He was found first. Not by the protectorate. And not by Anika. A low grunt came from a black hole that stood out even darker against the night around him.

Lars wanted to run. His ankle protested the movement.

A giant lumbering figure emerged from the cave, accompanied by a deep, resounding growl that ended in a slight crackling screech. Lars began backing up.

The bear advanced. Pawing the ground threateningly.

A regular ol’ black bear might run away from a human, preferring flight over fight. Aggressive, corrupt, biomechanically enhanced bears, though...

Lars was a tasty-looking, easy meal that would contribute to the bear's build-up for the coming cold season. Best of all, for the bear, its prey was frozen in terror.

This was precisely the type of corrupted biomech monster that haunted the nightmares of all the Eternal Collective. And what did he have to defend himself? A grappling crossbow, which Lars thought would have minimal impact on the bear. Sedation bolts with needles so tiny they would never penetrate far enough through the hide to do anything. A smoke grenade that would piss off the bear more. And a light-cancelling orb—extremely unhelpful outside at night.

The bear began a charge. And it was fast. Lars expected muscle and fat to weigh it down, but that wasn’t the case at all. Muscle rippled under thick layers of fur, and its metal claws dug into the earth as it launched forward.

Run. He needed to run. Now!

Lars broke out of his stupor, backpedalled, turned, and fled back into the forest the way he’d come, ignoring the sharp pain of his injury and forcing himself to speed up.

The biomech bear, already a fast animal, was infinitely quicker than the average human. It roared its anger as Lars ran. Each step on his injured ankle was becoming more and more excruciating.

The distance between Lars and the monster closed rapidly. He couldn’t dream of outpacing the bear.

A tingle washed over him—the sensation of standing near a powerful charge. It meant the beast was too close.

He looked back over his shoulder. His ankle gave out. Lars stumbled, trying to keep himself moving.

The bear took advantage of the opening and swiped at Lars' back.

Five gashes appeared on Lars’ shoulder blade, running down toward his waist. If he’d been standing still, he would have been done for. As it was, his fall took him just outside the bear's full reach. The claws grazed him compared to the damage they could have done.

A blazing white hot pain bloomed across his back, and his vision wavered. Blood seeped through his shirt, making the cloth cling to his skin in uncomfortable ways. One suspender strap flapped loosely, severed by the razor-sharp claws.

The blow sent Lars to his knees. He quickly flipped around to face his death.

Using his legs, Lars scooted himself backward across the dirt, ignoring the vegetation that cut his face and ripped his clothes.

An intense pain burst through him as his back hit something rough. Lars’ path was blocked by a fallen tree.

The bear approached its downed prey as though it was savouring the moment. Anticipating the kill.

A paw came up to deliver the final blow—and stopped.

Lars had closed his eyes, ashamed but unable to watch the killing swipe land. But one eye popped open when he heard a screaming yowl that did not come from the bear.

Blood loss and pain were making Lars numb…and possibly delirious?

The bear lowered its paw and took a hesitant step back, snorting. The loud noise echoed again, closer this time. It was impossible to tell which direction the sound came from, but it made the biomech monster visibly nervous.

Lars didn’t want to be around for a second monster to join the fight, but there was nowhere he could run. For all its growing trepidation, the bear kept Lars trapped, watching him closely. It refused to give up the chance of a delectable meal just yet.

Another scream. Nearly on top of the human and bear.

Actually…

Lars looked up in time to see something come flying down from a tree.

“Urri?”

Yes, it was. Lars couldn’t believe what he saw; certain blood loss was taking its toll. Maybe the bear had already killed him, and this was his brain's final surge of consciousness.

The small biomech house cat came hurtling down from a limb above Lars. When Urri landed in Lars' lap, the impact was much heavier than expected from such a small animal. Metal anatomical parts would do that.

Urri stared down the fearsome bear. All his fur stood on end, making him appear twice as large—which still wasn’t terribly big compared to the bear. The cat’s tail was stiff and lowered, taking an aggressive stance.

Using Lars’ legs as a walkway, Urri prowled closer to the bear. Growling at such a low frequency, it was nearly infrasound.

The bear backed up as Urri moved forward. It began making a whining noise—a distressed sound—and its eyes sparked the colour of the voltage barrier. A colour Lars associated with charge.

Urri didn't leave Lars. When he reached the end of his improvised walkway, the cat started hissing and spitting at the biomech bear. It almost sounded like a warning.

Closer up, the bear, seeming to realize it was much, much bigger than Urri, stopped its retreat.

Right up until Urri’s tail sprang up. The tip curved like it was pointing at the bear, and a charge coalesced in the air.

Alarmed, the bear reassessed its situation, sensing the building charge even better than Lars could since the biomech monster was infused with the same stuff.

The beast made an odd clicking sound at Urri that died in its throat.

A crackling periwinkle blue ball of light unlike anything Lars had seen before—and was reasonably sure he was hallucinating—began forming at the end of Urri’s tail. It was like a physical manifestation of charge. But how?

The bear saw the sphere slowly growing and didn't give it the chance to finish. The beast let out a loud grumble of defeat.

The charged feeling radiating from the bear intensified. No longer in a challenging way but fearful. It beat a fast retreat as the orb launched through the forest after it.

With the immediate threat handled, Lars faded into a world darker than the night surrounding him. The flood of adrenaline keeping his eyes open left him all at once.

———

The hours passed by quietly.

The soft scratch of a pen over paper was hardly audible, even in the quiet space. The occasional potion bubbling or the flame's faint hiss added to the accompaniment. A sweet aroma hung in the air, constantly alternating with an acrid odour, giving anyone smelling it nasal whiplash.

Anika was scrawling observations, then cross-referencing them with Theo’s notes as a liquid distilled and floated up into the stem of an alembic. She alternated between notes and carefully measuring out ingredients. All while stirring and heating, crafting more than one recipe at a time, splitting her attention. Alchemy was a practice in multitasking.

The few elixirs she was preparing had to be perfect. There was no time for duds. The one ruined Alucinatus mind mender potion already set her back. A waste of a valuable ingredient—the tangible difference between an apprentice and a master.

A scratching at the door halted Anika in her tracks as she transferred a completed potion from the workbench to the shelf with the other finished concoctions.

“Lar would let himself in. He took the barrier remote.”

She glanced around the room for a weapon. And noticed something else instead.

Urri was missing. He had been sleeping on the cot, making the blanket into a small nest to curl up in.

Anika heard the noise again and recognized it for what it was. Urri was scratching at the front door. But how did he get outside?

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

She opened the door and found a cat that resembled Urri, but not an Urri she'd ever seen.

Parts of his fur were dark and matted. Dirt and leaves covered him. And he was panting. He didn’t even look this bad when they ran from Last Stand.

“Urri! What happened? How are you outside?”

Urri nudged a remote forward, then. The remote that controlled the voltage barrier. That Lars took with him…

It didn’t take Anika long to put the pieces together. She picked up the remote and slipped it into her pocket. Threw a bound voltage orb that would provide adequate illumination in the dark. Then she grabbed a freshly made bottle of flamespire potion—officially called Bring the Fire—the gun specially crafted to work with the potion and rushed out the door after Urri.

Lars wasn’t that far off from Theo’s house, actually. He’d just gone a bit too wide of it.

“Oh, my corrupted stars!”

Anika’s initial thought was that Lars was dead. He certainly looked the part, lying unmoving on the forest floor, covered in muck, clothes torn up and bloody. The white light from the orb enhanced his skin's deathly pallor.

“We have to get him back. I can’t seal the wounds here. They need to be cleaned first to prevent infection.”

Urri stalked the area around them, ensuring nothing else paid them a visit. Anika muttered to herself and readied Lars for transportation, which meant getting him into a secure position so she could drag him back to the house.

It wouldn’t be pleasant, but at least he wasn’t conscious to remember it.

Pulling him into a mostly upright position, she got a firm hold around his upper body, bracing his back against her—and heaved.

Urri acted as her eyes. She tried to watch her step, but walking backwards was difficult, even with the orb to light the way. Between the two of them, though, they made it to the barrier and then back inside the house.

Anika lowered Lars onto the cot face down and retrieved some sheers to expose the cuts across his back.

“Oof.”

It did not look good. She was no healer, but there was still blood seeping from the gashes. Not mortal wounds, but enough that they weren't clotting fully on their own.

She assessed the rest of him, noting a very swollen ankle and another dark patch of red on his forearm. When she snipped the sleeve of the shirt, she found another cut.

Anika got to work cleaning the wounds.

She hurt for Lars, looking at his injuries. But she didn't turn away, not once. Dirt and grime were cleaned off, revealing angry slashes. The skin surrounding it was red and puffy, and to Anika's dismay, large pieces of debris were lodged into the gashes.

She carefully removed the detritus with the assistance of ample antiseptic potion—a lively green and fluorescent yellow topical tincture—and long-handled tweezers. When Anika began applying drops of the potion directly to the wounds, it sizzled and popped vigorously, like fizzle-snap crystals—a popping sugar confection.

After cleaning, sterilizing, and bandaging, the final touch was a dab of numbing tonic to the outside of the bandage. Very little, and the wrap would further absorb some as it slowly worked into the wounds. It was a pretty intense formula. Use too much, and Lars’ nerves wouldn’t send signals for a week.

———

Urri wasn’t oblivious to the world around him like the uncultured animals that roamed Triahkel. Like all biomech animals, his capacity for intelligence was much superior to that of an ordinary house cat.

What set Urri further ahead of the other biomech animals was, strangely enough, education. He had grown up somewhere much different from Last Stand. There was no formal feline education system, but the cultural differences allowed him to learn about harnessing and using his innate charge. Not using it aimlessly like the animals in these parts of Triahkel, without even understanding what they were doing. No, Urri could focus his charge and use it with intention.

Yet, he was still just an animal. His capacity for thought and understanding of complex ideas was limited by that fact, for all it was enhanced by the charge and mechanical part of his being.

All biomechs had the ability to some extent. Most just lacked the knowledge to do so. Sticking to the obvious things like enhanced speed, hearing, and strength. Things that came naturally to them, through instinct more than anything.

Lars slept through the morning and well into midday, his body recovering from the trauma. Urri was sick of it. He wanted his nest back.

A disgruntled sound stirred Lars from his sleep.

“Meow.”

The first sight Lars got when waking up was a scowling cat looking down on him.

“Meow. Meooow!”

Urri sat on the very corner edge of the desk the cot was positioned next to and yelled at Lars. Not for any particular reason—he was over reclaiming the nest, a sunbeam was hitting the back counter, and that was the new place to be. But he needed to yell a bit first. It just felt to Urri like the right thing to do.

“How do you make that blasted thing stop?”

Lars grumbled groggily.

“Lars, you’re awake!”

Urri continued singing the classic song of his ancestors over Anika’s exclaim.

“Turn it off.”

Lars covered his ears, groaning. Anika stopped in her rushing over, put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him.

“First, he is not a thing or an it, his name is Urri. And second, you should be thanking him. I think he saved your life.”

Urri was exceptionally pleased with Anika’s defence of his individuality and need for appreciation.

Stick it to the buffoon!

“Meow!”

Anika whirled on Urri, pointing her finger at him.

Oops.

“And you. I don't need backup. Stop being a bully.”

A soft chirping noise was Urri’s much more polite response. He even nuzzled her pointing finger for extra cuteness. Humans couldn't resist the nuzzle.

“Aw, isn't he the sweetest though!”

Mollified, she returned to tending to Lars.

Worked every time.

Urri winked at Lars.

———

Lars rubbed his eyes. Did the cat just wink at him? Every day was getting weirder.

“How are you feeling?”

Anika collected some water and hurried over.

His first thought… horrible. How would she feel after being attacked by an overpowered bear? Yet, when he truly considered the question.

Lars knew he should feel awful, bedridden for days. But he'd never been patched up by an alchemist with access to all the best potions in Triahkel.

Gingerly, Lars rotated his bad ankle and found only the barest pang lingering. And, if not for the bandage on his arm, he wouldn't even know there was a cut.

But even he wasn't fool enough to think his back was so simple to treat. Yet, he didn't feel anything as he lay there on his back. No agonizing pain like he would expect.

“Theo has been dialed in on discovering the panacea for years. Her house is chock full of health draughts for various things.”

Anika read the confusion on his face, splaying her hands out toward the shelves full of finished potions, flashing, swirling, and glittering to mesmerizing effect.

“Guess so.”

Lars carefully eased himself into a sitting position. His entire body was terribly stiff.

“What happened?”

“How’d I get back?”

They asked at the same time. Lars took a long drink from the beaker of water she handed him.

“A protector spotted me at the gatehouse. I got away as quick as I could before they raised the alarm. Ran straight into the forest and got turned around. And I ended up running into that monster. Some type of biomech bear.”

He took another gulp of water as he tried to recall the foggier details of the attack.

“The bear's first swipe fell short, but it brought me down. The second would have done me in, but—and this is where I might have started hallucinating—I swear I saw Urri fly out of the trees and scare away the bear. Shooting a charged orb from his tail?”

He was really unsure about that last part and trailed off, realizing how ridiculous it sounded. It couldn’t be possible.

Anika gaped at him, jaw working, processing his story and trying to find the correct response. Finally, she gave a big sigh, her shoulders rising and falling with the breath.

“I think that’s exactly what happened. Urri got me and led me to you. I dragged you back here and patched you up. Actually, there’s something you need to see. I think it will help explain some of this. Can you stand? Walk?”

She reached out to help.

“I got it.”

Lars stubbornly shooed her back. He put his legs over the edge of the cot and carefully stood up, putting most of his weight onto his good leg. Then, he slowly started transferring some of the weight to test his injured ankle. There was only a dull ache left.

He was so stiff, though. Being stretched out a bit on the protectorate’s torture rack didn’t sound half bad. But he could move. He was alive. And there really wasn’t much pain. It wouldn’t get in the way of carrying out their mission. He was relieved of that.

With slow, clunky movements, Lars followed Anika outside to the edge of the property, Urri trailing behind.

“Show him, Urri.”

The cat narrowed his eyes at her. Anika glared back equally as intense.

But then Lars realized Urri was doing something odd. The cat began vibrating in place. A layer of charge crept over the small feline like a second skin. It was the same periwinkle colour as the orb Urri had shot at the bear.

Then, to Lars' horrified astonishment, Urri walked straight through the barrier. The voltage barrier was repelled away as he crossed. His protective layer forced the barrier to shape around him but not touch him.

Anika used the remote to open the doorway so Urri could come back in. Lars observed that the cat was breathing hard. He had less sass in his sway and less pep in his step.

“How did…what…the monsters have been able to just walk through the barrier this whole time?”

Lars wasn’t often left completely flabbergasted. How was Last Stand still standing? Why hadn’t the bots overrun them yet?

Anika's eyebrows furrowed as she too tried to make sense of the situation. Meanwhile, Urri didn't seem to share their concerns. He simply sashayed away to find a good place for a cat nap in the sun.

Lars and Anika went inside, silent, both thinking about what they just witnessed and the implications.

“I couldn't figure out how he got out to find you in the first place. It took some prompting for him to finally show me, but I still can't believe it!”

Did Lars believe that she truly had no idea? He wanted to.

“How does he do it?”

“I have no clue! It looks like he's channelling the charge, but I have no idea how he does it. I thought charge merely existed in all biomechs as part of their fundamental makeup. But never did I imagine they could manifest it in a physical way. Yet, he seems tired afterward. I think it takes a lot out of him.”

She yanked at her hair, frustrated.

“Sabdur must’ve known somehow.”

Lars came to the simple conclusion. It was apparent now, thinking back to Sabdur’s strange letter about using Urri and calling him a tiny god. It wasn't just a joke about the biomech cat’s haughty attitude. It was a hint about his power.

Anika looked at him with a frown, selecting an item at random from the work table to fiddle with.

“I think that damn cat is better equipped for this than us.”

Lars broached the subject of Urri coming with them again, none too delicately. Tack wasn’t his strong suit.

“Well, yes… but—Oh!”

The small vial she had been anxiously passing from hand to hand slipped from her grasp. Glass shattered as it connected with the hardwood, and the spot on the floor began to sizzle and disintegrate. Lars watched as her look rapidly morphed from consternation to bitter resignation.

“Anika, we have to take him if we want to break into that library.”

“There has to be another way…”

She busied herself as she spoke. Pouring a different potion over the damaged floorboard once the sizzle had stopped. The apprehension was evident in her voice.

“If there is, we don't have time to figure it out. We have to go. Tonight.”

“What do you mean? Why so soon? You’re still recovering!”

“Overheard a bunch of protectors talking about some sorta dice game. Sounds like a lot of them are going to be there. That means the evening guard will be lighter.”

Initially, they were going to spend longer preparing. But then Lars heard about the game. The one many protectors had said they would be attending. An event that was pulling away more protectors than usual, different divisions asking for time off. And they never properly coordinated. Resulting in a staffing shortage—and an excellent distraction.

“But I only have a few potions ready!”

“What ones?”

“One dose of the mind mender—low-grade, two flamespire reloads, and five crack-bang pellets.”

She looked worried as she ticked the items off on her fingers.

“I managed a couple grappling crossbows, sedation bolts, a smoke grenade, and a light-cancelling orb.”

“Will that be enough to keep all three of us alive?”

The question was asked softly, hesitantly. Anika was worried. They both were, though he’d never admit it.

“It's gonna have to be.”

Anika sat down heavily on a stool. Opening and closing her hands into fists anxiously. And Lars couldn't blame her. She seemed very attached to the small creature.

“But your injuries. You should heal more first.”

He just shook his head, not without sympathy, as she tried to find reasons to delay.

“I hardly notice them. It's incredible actually. Only thing that would make it even better is a drink.”

“Can't help you with that one.”

She cocked a disapproving eyebrow.

———

With the grappling crossbow, they didn’t have to bother coming in from the front gate and sneaking across the city. They scaled over the side of the wall closest to central command.

Readying themselves hadn’t taken long. They only had a few supplies to put into the bag. Lars had made her memorize the rudimentary map he’d drawn up in his notebook. And he quizzed her on it many times as they waited for sundown.

Anika had also had a chat with Urri. Explaining what they were doing and asking for his consent to come along and help them. She had no idea if he understood any of it, but he nodded in the end. That was going to have to be permission enough.

“Strange that the city doesn’t keep the voltage barrier up all the time.”

Anika whispered as they dropped down to the other side of the wall. It was game time. They were making their big move.

“Can’t. Charge’ll run out.”

“What?”

She didn’t shout in surprise, but she stopped in her tracks. Lars just grabbed her arm and towed her along.

“The city can’t maintain enough charge to run it all 24 hours, especially with all the other charged items constantly in use around the city—voltage orbs, the CLR. They let it recharge over the day so it can be used all night when patrols run lighter or if an attack occurs.”

“Wasn’t it always activated during the war? I can’t imagine how the city would have held otherwise. Wonder what changed?”

“This isn’t the place to puzzle it out. Come on.”

They moved up through a narrow alleyway along one side of the looming concrete building.

Anika could hear Lars counting under his breath, looking for the correct window on the backside of a giant L-shaped building. This was her first time seeing central command up close.

From a distance, it looked like a box of solid grey concrete. Closer, individual blocks were visible. Cinder block, upon cinder block, made up the austere building. There was no ornament, signs, or anything else to mar the plain surface on this side of the building, just windows.

“That one.”

Lars pointed out one of the windows. Three floors up, fourth in.

They ascended onto a small ledge just below the window, close enough to lift themselves up and over. The pane slid open smoothly, and Lars muttered something about locking windows.

The office was plain. A simple desk sat in the middle, and an ugly dark gray carpet covered a portion of the cold concrete floor. No pictures, flyers, or even work documents hung on the walls. There was one floor-to-ceiling shelf of drawers and a step ladder folded up leaning against it. A wastebasket, a chair. Only the most essential office furniture.

Inside Lars' old office, they took a moment to assess their situation.

“The real challenge starts when we walk out that door.”

Lars tipped his head toward the only door in and out of the office.

“We need to be on alert for patrols. And staff, though there shouldn't be as many around at this hour.”

“What about bots?”

“Protectorate doesn't use bots at central command. Too much of a risk.”

Anika didn't miss how Lars' eyes darted to the bundle strapped to her before catching himself and quickly looking away.

“Let's get moving.”

Once they entered the hall, cover would be almost nonexistent, according to Lars.

“Check every corner before we expose ourselves. We have to move quickly. If someone comes at us head-on, they’ll catch us. Be as quiet as possible and listen for any signs of approach.”

She thought Lars recapped more so out of nerves rather than Anika forgetting the plan.

Lars peeked out the door, then motioned Anika to follow him out into a plain concrete hall with tall metal doors and even taller ceilings. Painfully bright voltage chandeliers illuminated every inch of the corridor.

———

The thing was, all the stealth in the world wouldn't do any good against surveillance cameras—too bad invisibility potions weren’t a thing—which was how High Protector Velric and his superiors came to sit in front of a screen watching two fugitives, Lars Von Cercher and Anika Twile, sneak through the halls of central command.

The only one left unseen was Urri because he was taking a short cat nap in Anika’s non-compression bag. Conserving his energy and all that.

The protectorate didn't have the capability of video surveillance through the whole building. Occasionally, the spectators lost sight of the criminals. Still, they were easy to track because these high-ranking protectorate officials knew where Anika and Lars were headed.

It wasn't difficult to figure out if you were in on the secret. The intruders were headed to the library. And the power guarding that place—no way they’d get past that.

The group chortled at how ridiculous the two looked, trying to creep through the halls. Some had the glint of anticipation in their eyes, among them High Protector Velric. Anika and Lars had made him look a fool. He knew they'd get what was coming to them.

The High Protector couldn’t quite suppress the pleased smile that spread across his lips.