“I hope you haven’t come back empty-handed,” said a man’s voice.

The speaker reclined in a heavily padded chair that sat at the end of a long glass table. At the other end of the table sat four people that seemed out of place in the richly decorated boardroom.

“We do have leads,” said a woman, the leader of the Quad. “Your sister —”

“My what!” the man at the other end of the table yelled, slamming his fist into the thick glass. Fractures spread out from his hand, leaving long, branching lines that reached all the way to the other end of the table.

The four members of the Quad looked at each other nervously, before the woman spoke once more, “I meant to say the target, Lord Reech. My apologies for misspeaking.”

She bowed her head, her partners quickly following suit.

“Ah, no need to concern yourself,” Lord Reech said, his features softening. “She always was the troublesome one. And the man who aided her? Your report indicated you had identified him?”

“Yes,” the female Quad leader said, “Maximillian Chatter,” she waved her hand and a holographic display appeared over the table, depicting Max’s company ID badge as well as pages of information on him.

“Class-Tech?” Lord Reech interjected. “It indicates here that he’s … a data entry specialist? And unclassed as well? Are you sure your information is correct?”

“Absolutely, my lord,” she bowed once more, “it is likely, however, that the identity is a fabrication. The individual we encountered had a powerful stealth ability, and it seems too much of a coincidence that your … that the target fled directly to his location.”

“So …” Lord Reech steepled his finger, “Class-Tech is protecting Nina. How … unexpected. I never suspected my sister could be so ruthless and self-serving. I will be sure to inform the rest of the family. Is there anything else?”

“How should we proceed?”

“Round up everyone who had contact with this Chatter person. I doubt you’ll find him, he’s obviously using a burner identity. Interrogate his co-workers and friends, anyone you can get your hands on. I want a full report by the end of tomorrow.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Oh, and Cassandra?” he smiled. “If you let her get away again, I will personally see to it that you are stripped of your class. You’ll be working on your back, right where I found you, by the end of the week. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” she touched her forehead to the fractured glass, “I understand and will obey.”

***

“Let me go!” screamed Nina.

Her protests were silenced as she plunged under the icy water. She struggled against the madman, managing to free only a single hand. Had he specced entirely into strength?

Nina was pulling back her arm, readying herself to strike the idiot who had doomed them both. Did he think a Quad was afraid to get wet? By now, they likely had a dozen support teams on each side of the river. There was absolutely no way to escape, unless … wait, what is that?

Nina felt weightless, she was still sinking but the descent had slowed considerably. The black water had disappeared, replaced with shining lines of brilliant white that cut through a dull grey backdrop. Tiny orbs of light escaped from her mouth, slowly drifting upwards. 

This can’t be … Fade Space? Nina had read of it, of course, but the ability hadn’t been documented in over twenty years. How could a nobody civilian boy possibly have access to it? Just who was this man?

Nina looked at her hands, now just a black silhouette. Her armor and sword still glowed a brilliant white. The man who clung to her was equally featureless, save for a single point of intense light held in his left hand.

“Can you hear me?” the man said. His voice was distorted and seemed far away.

“What, yes. I can breathe … What is this?”

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“I’m not sure,” the featureless shadow shook its head. “The skill is called Fade, it allows me to … kinda sink into the background for a few minutes. I can’t interact with much, but it’s great for running away.”

For … was he joking? Nina shook her head, they didn’t have much time, but she finally had hope. They’d need to act fast.

“Do you actually have a plan?” she asked. “Someplace to go?”

“Can you stop pointing that thing at me first?”

“Oh,” Nina looked down at the glowing sword in her hand. “Of course. Now tell me your plan. Who sent you?”

The man watched as the glowing sword slowly shrank into a tiny bead and disappeared into Nina’s hand. “Well, My name’s Max. No one sent me, but I do have a place to go. I’ve been staying at my grandfather’s house, it’s only a few minutes away.”

Their descent finally ended. Lina looked down to the ground, a rolling hill of misty sand and translucent rock. It was like seeing the ocean floor beneath a sea of fog. A ghostly fish swam by Nina’s arm, its skeleton visible as a network of glowing lines. She shivered as the fish changed course, swimming through her outstretched arm. 

“Which way?” Nina asked.

“Follow me, don’t let go.”

The man began to run, clutching tightly at Nina’s wrist. He was nearly as strong as her, but obviously, he had specced poorly, neglecting reaction entirely. His movements were graceless, his steps more like the stampeding hoofs of a bovine than the light footfalls expected from someone with a stealth class.

How could someone with such a powerful ability have had so little guidance?

“Eve,” the man spoke. “Give me a readout: Fade, current duration.”

“Nina!”

“What?”

“My name,” she yelled, “is Nina.”

“Let’s save the introductions for later, we’ve got … a little less than four minutes before Fade runs out and we don’t want to be underwater when that happens.”

“Head north,” Nina said. “There’s a storm drain that we should be able to hide in that is less than a mile from here.”

The man stared at Nina for a minute, but she couldn’t read his expression. His face was a black mask, devoid of features. “Fine,” he said, “but we’d better move fast.”

They ran along the ghostly river floor, hand in hand, their legs pounding at the ground with furious speed. Despite striking the ground with strength far beyond normal human limits, it showed no marks of their passing.

“Thirty seconds,” Max barked, “where is this drain?”

“I’m not sure,” Nina said. “My AR implants don’t seem to be working … there!”

She pointed to a large pipe. A stream of rainwater, looking like a cascade of glittering diamonds under the strange light of the Fade Space, fell from the drain.

“Alright, sewer girl,” Max said. “We need to make it up there without breaking physical contact.”

“Sewer …” Nina harrumphed. Had her face not been a shapeless shadow it would have been beet red. “Watch and learn.”

Nina held out her hand, a crystal bead appearing in her palm. As the crystal began to glow, it lengthened into a pole. It extended until reaching the edge of the drain and then widened and split into a perfectly formed ladder.

“Neat trick,” Max said, holding his free hand towards the ladder. “Ladies first.”

As Nina began to climb she felt Max’s hand slowly slide down her back and along her leg before ending on her ankle. The man climbed up behind her, holding onto her the entire time. She glanced down and made eye contact, and she noted the gleeful smirk on his face.

“Pervert,” she muttered.

“We’re running out of time,” he hollered back. “I’m enjoying the view, but you really don’t want to be under that storm runoff when time runs out.”

They finished the climb, Max’s hands again sliding up Nina’s back as they walked into the drainage pipe.

“Great!” Max yelled.

“Huh?”

“There’s a grate here, we can’t get …”

Nina’s saber shot forward, cutting through the translucent bars. From what she knew of Fade Space, this should leave no evidence behind once they shifted back to normal space.

“Ten seconds,” Max yelled.

Nina nodded, running through the hole she had created. Inside was a deep tunnel. It glowed a brilliant white that swirled and mixed with deep grey shadows. The entire structured seemed to move, undulate, as if Nina was walking into the living belly of crystal snake.

The water current was heavy, but a narrow walkway ran along one side of the tunnel. As soon as they set foot on the walkway, Nina slapped away Max’s hand. He disappeared as the glowing white gradually faded into darkness.

A few seconds later, Max began to appear as a flickering shadow. He slowly regained color, his limbs appearing first. His face was the last to fully appear. It was rather plain, without the dignity or character generally found in those of noble blood.

He is at least well-muscled, Nina thought. She glanced at Max’s chest and shoulders, each clearly defined under the wet undershirt that clung to him like a second skin. As she watched Max, he began to … deflate. He wasn’t exactly scrawny, but his bulging muscles grew more compact and wiry.

“What the …”

“Oh,” Max said, “I dismissed Re-Spec. It’s hard to think when I’m in warrior mode, you know.”

Nina stared at the boy. She knew every ability ever recorded. Re-Spec was not one of them.

“Who are you?”

“My name,” he said with the same lecherous grin he wore during their shared climb, “is Max Chatter. And you’re welcome.”

Max yelped in pain as Nina pushed him against the concrete wall, walking past him into the darkness.