It had been a few days since he'd been kicked out of Benson's house. He could pass as a hobo, especially after several trips in the sewers. But teaching these rats a new trick would pay off.

Marlow paused and looked at his surroundings. Dirty street of hobos, check. Open a box with two holes on opposite ends. Check. Twelve semi-trained rats with little garage outfits. Check. Wadded up a piece of paper. Check. Presentable clothing? No.

"Better now than never," Marlow whispered to himself. He placed a hand on his bouncing leg. After he took a deep breath, he stood up.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! CHILDREN OF ALL AGES! COME ONE, COME ALL, TO SEE THIS NEW AGE OF ENTERTAINMENT! RATS CAPABLE OF PLAYING SOCCER!" This, of course, didn't get him the type of attention he wanted. But several of these people's crazy stares were better than a few seconds ago.

"YES, RATS THAT CAN PLAY SOCCER!" Marlow shouted to the hobos. Who didn't look to please with the ongoing disturbance? But a few approached. Marlow could feel his heartbeat in his chest.

As they drew near, Marlow gestured to the open box. With a flick of his wrist, twelve rats emerged from the shadows and scurried up the box to stand on its rim. Six rats wore newspaper trimmings, while the others wore scraps of cloth. Marlow had tried to find some plastic, which was rare in this new world. Their attention was wrapped around the small ball in Marlow's hand.

"I have spent many hours teaching these rats soccer, so I hope you all enjoy it." With that said, he tossed the paper ball into the box. The rats dove after it as it passed through the box's rim. Marlow had attempted to teach the rats teamwork. Gave whichever team won every food and head scratch. He could only hope that it would pay off.

A cloth rat got to the ball first and booted it toward a goal. But Gwaner, in a paper tutu, landed and headbutted the ball in the opposite direction. The same cloth rat rolled to strike the paper ball with its tail but missed as the ball sped by.

A paper rat scurried and kept pace with the ball. It gained ground towards the goal before stumbling as a bold cloth rat intercepted the ball. The two fought, each trying to kick the ball away from the other.

Until a third contender turns the tide in the cloth team's favor. A paper rat hoping to break his fellow enemy team's ankles. Tried to slide into the combat zone but accidentally rammed into its teammate instead.

The lone paper rat the opportunity and took it. It guided the ball-entangled rats and began making its way again to the goal. But the rat goalie wasn't having any of it. It stood on its hind legs and puffed up its furry chest. The little paper charged forward and rolled left. The goalie lunged left but should have dived the other way as the ball flew right by him.

The few hobos that had gathered to watch the event murmured in appreciation. This was a different success than he had hoped for, but climbing a mountain often took little steps. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a few bread crumbs, and sprinkled them over the paper rats who gobbled them up. He bent over and grabbed the paper ball, compressed it a bit more, then tossed it back into the center of the box.

As the new game continued, more and more hobos decided to see if what was being sold was true. Which brought even more hobos to see what was going on. The small crowd began to grow. Now, it was time for the second part of Marlow's plan. He looked at the crowd's faces more carefully with everyone so close. Making out details wasn't as painful when he was up on the rooftop when he first arrived. Unfortunately, his family was not among them.

When the second game ended, the audience gave a slight cheer While others moaned in distaste. Not wanting the crowd to leave, Marlow grabbed the ball, wadded it up again and threw it back in the box.

The hobos became more clearly divided between the cloth and paper rats as the game continued. During the heat of a game, A hobo attempted to snatch a rat, but an in-synced glare from Marlow, Gwaner, Opal, the eleven other rats, and the hobos. Stopped the hobo in its tracks. Marlow coughed, and the upset hobo released his grip around the wrap. Marlow had wanted to do one more game. He was, in fact, about to throw the paper ball back into the box when he felt a cold steel hand clamp down on his shoulder.

"You!" An old, authoritative, grumbled voice rang out from the guard with a hand on Marlow's shoulder. The presence of an officer of the law quietly sent the hobos away. Leaving Marlow alone with the armed men.

"Me?" Marlow questioned back; he could feel his limbs grow heavy, and his heart raced. The worried clucking and squeaking from his pets did not help.

"That was quite a show you were putting on? Where did you learn a trick like that?" The ancient guard asked, much to the annoyance of his younger partner. Who looked ready to run someone through with his spear at any moment.

"Oh, I was a… dog trainer back on earth. So I thought I make a living showing off my skills." Marlow lied. He tried to move his legs but found them stuck in place.

"Well, you've got a nice talent there, young man. Just let me know when you get famous. I'd take my wife to a real circus one day." The old guard chuckled and stopped when he saw the intense glare from his partner.

"Right. Eh, hem. For as much as I love a good show. I'm gonna have to ask you to stop for now. I'm not saying forever, just for today. We need people to start picking up themselves and getting jobs. We can't have moochers sucking our drain. Especially after the war we just went through." The wizened guard informed Marlow in his sweet, elderly voice. While his younger companion relaxed his shoulders ever so slightly.

"Oh, thank you. I suppose I could start my show up again tomorrow."

"Thank you, Sonny." The old man smiled as he about-faced and began walking away. Marlow signed in relief, and his legs nearly disappeared from under him. They had yet to recognize him.

"OH! Before I forget." The gray-haired guard turned back around, much to the disdain of his companion. "If you want to stick around these parts, I'd recommend playing near homeless shelters. You may find a few good apples over there if you know what I mean."

Marlow nervously smiled and nodded. The ancient guard turned and walked away to the delight of this partner. With trembling hands, Marlow packed up the show. Then, he returned to the homeless shelter he had last slept in.

"You guys did great!" Marlow whispered to his rats, with Gwaner squeaking in delight. While Opal pecked at his arm from inside the wooden box. Marlow gave a glare, which was returned by the bird.

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"You did pretty good to Opal. But we are done for now. We'll try again tomorrow and maybe get some loose change." They slowly made their way back to the shelter. Until the street became so packed that traffic had stopped entirely. There were vague impressions of an argument, but Marlow was too far away to hear what was happening. A feminine voice rang out, which was followed by a meat wack. The fresh smell of copper stung Marlow's nose.

The hobos that stood idly now shoveled their way deeper into the crowd. Their thin frame slides smoothly into the dense street. The sound of wacks and thumbs increased as time went on. The assembled people surged forward a few feet before backing up a few yards.

"WOULD ANYBODY ELSE LIKE TO LAY THEIR HANDS ON ME?" A familiar voice shouted down the street. Marlow froze. He knew that voice. The scab on his collarbone itched. As the crowd backed up, the person Marlow had the misfortune of meeting came into view. Lilith stood over the Hobo, whose nose was bent at an odd angle. A few people stayed on but wore clothing similar to Lilith.

"NOW THAT I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION. I'D LIKE TO SAY. GET LOST!" Lilith snarled and lifted the bloody hobo with one hand. "ELSE WE'LL START PATROLLING THESE STREETS!"

She then threw the beaten hobo at her colleagues, who caught the stumbling bum. The thugs then turned the hobo right right and held them in place. Lilith approached, pulling three needles from her arm brace. Without saying a word, she pinched the hobo's check and pushed a needle in. The hobo immediately arched their back and began screaming.

"Good luck getting it out. That's if anyone else knows how." Lilith mocked, whispered before she turned to the stunned street. "I BETTER NOT SEE ANYONE OUT HERE TONIGHT, YA GOT THAT!"

Lilith smiled and turned to leave, but a 'mud' ball hit the back of her head. She whipped her head around, wide-eyed. No one moved, worried that the gangster in front of them might pick them for the next demonstration.

Marlow felt more than see an angry pair of eyes brush over him. He started to backtrack but bumped into someone behind him. The small move didn't go unnoticed as Lilith turned and ran at Marlow, believing he threw the 'mud' ball.

Thankfully, Marlow was towards the back of the crowd, giving him some valuable time to run! Unfortunately for the hobos at the front of the crowd, they thought this gangster was performing another demonstration on them. Causing their fight or flight instants to kick in, and not all of them could fly away.

Marlow shouldered his way through the terrified crowd; with each person he passed, he found it hard to get by. Til he realized that they were screaming, they were cheering? He turned and saw Hobo dogpiling Lilith, with the thugs failing to drag their colleague free from the sudden beat down.

A green light wave flashed from the dog pile. The mass of people stilled and suddenly started scrambling away as bees crawled out of the dog pile. Marlow froze, his eyes wide with terror, as bees crawled out of the dog pile.

The revolting bugs took flight as soon as they could see the sky, and within ten seconds, a thick mist of bees filled the street. The buzzing of their wings filled the air, drowning out the screams of the people around him. Marlow felt his stomach churn as he watched the bees swarm, their tiny bodies pulsing maliciously.

He tried to back away, but the press of bodies around him made it impossible. He was trapped, surrounded by a sea of people and a cloud of angry bees. As the swarm grew closer, Marlow felt his skin crawl and his mind race. He knew he had to leave, but his feet were rooted to the spot. The stench of bananas and lemons filled his nostrils, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he was about to die.

He looked around frantically, searching for an escape, but all he saw was chaos. People were running in every direction, trampling over each other in their desperation to get away. The bees' buzzing grew louder until it was almost deafening. Marlow closed his eyes and prayed that it would all be over soon, that he would wake up from this nightmare. But when he opened them again, the swarm was coming closer and ready to strike. Marlow tilted the box and covered the opening with his body. Shoving his hands into the open holes, he bent over and waited for the stinging pain.

But the pain never came. After several loud heartbeats later, he looked up. These bees seemed off. Firstly, they're too big to be considered bees and weren't wasps. They were too fuzzy. In fact, he was sure that a bee just flew through a hobo's hand.

What did Benson say about Magic again? Magic had numerous ways of expressing itself, and illusions were one of them! Lilith had illusion magic! Oh no, Lilith had magic. Good thing Marlow also had magic, well, a magic stick. But what if she… NO, NO, NO! Be positive!

Through the forest of legs, Marlow saw Lilith and her goons begin to make their escape. Shoving aside, hobo as they made their way toward a back alley. If Lilith was heading back to her hideout, this could be the only opportunity to track her. He doubted that he'd ever see her again, hopefully never. Then again, Marlow could stay on the street till night, but that might leave him with a couple broken bones. He could follow her, find out where she was, and then return for another day or lose his chance to make things right again.

With less than a penny to his name, Marlow charged after the known criminals. As Marlow chased Lilith and her goons through the streets, they merged into a crowded marketplace. Vendors and customers alike were running and shouting, trying to get out of the way of the running group. Marlow tried to keep his distance, but he was slowed down by the awkward size of the box in the dense crowd.

Suddenly, a fruit cart was overturned, blocking his path. He heard Lilith's laughter as she and her goons slipped down an alleyway. He looked for an alternative route and spotted a narrow gap between two buildings. Without hesitating, he used the overturned fruit cart to jump over the sudden crowd, snatching up the food before the card owner could sell it. He squeezed through the gap and emerged in a small courtyard.

The courtyard was deserted, but Marlow could hear Lilith's footsteps echoing from the other side of the high wall at the far end of the courtyard. He looked around for a way to climb the wall and spotted a stack of crates in the corner. He dragged them over to the wall and used them to hoist himself up onto the top of the wall.

Marlow saw Lilith and her goons disappearing from his new vantage point into a beaten-down warehouse. He jumped from the wall and sprinted towards the warehouse, his heart pounding with excitement and fear. Mainly fear at what he was doing!

As he approached the door, Marlow hesitated. He had no idea what was waiting for him inside. He pushed the door open slowly and slipped inside. His breath froze as it left his mouth. The warehouse was dimly lit, with rows of crates and barrels stacked high like a maze but probably made with more illegal Goods. He heard Lilith's voice coming from somewhere ahead, but he couldn't understand what she was saying.

He crept forward, staying close to the shadows. But suddenly, he felt an odd object tackle his ankle, and he stumbled forward, barely catching himself on a nearby crate. He looked down and saw a rat staring back at him before it scurried away. Signed continued on, but the stumble was much louder than he thought.

"Who's there?" Lilith called out, her voice echoing through the warehouse. As footsteps drew ever nearer to his corner in the maze. Marlow froze, his heart racing. He had to think quickly. He sucked in his gut and wedged himself around and behind a couple of crates.

The minutes passed like hours as Marlow waited for Lilith to move on. He could hear her footsteps moving closer and closer, and he knew he was running out of time. Suddenly, Marlow felt something brush against his hand. He looked down and saw Opal pecking at his fingers. Marlow smiled to himself. He had an idea.

He looked at the other occupants in the box, Gwaner and the other rats inside. One by one, he pulled the rats out of the box, placed them on the ground, and ran out of their hiding place. He could only hope that Gwaner could round them all up again.

Marlow held his breath and pressed himself into the shadows behind a stack of crates as Lilith and her goons rushed past him toward the front of the warehouse. He peered through a crack between the crates and watched as they disappeared from sight. He signed in relief, only to clench his mouth shut again as an out-of-breath goon jogged behind the rest of his friends.

Unfortunately, this was when Gwaner decided to scamper back to Marlow. Wiggling its large rat body down the same path Marlow used. Marlow felt his heart drop as Gwaner snuggled against his leg. As the goon stopped and stared.