Mai pressed herself flat against the stone wall of the alleyway entrance, eyes darting as she peeked around the corner into the square. She had a hoodie on, athletic gear underneath, and a pair of Momotaro jeans she picked up with Yasoba Shinya, aka Provost, a few years back. Like her, the jeans were in rough shape.

She was looking toward the bookstore—where my info broker was holed up. From the way she was moving, she was trying to catch me before I got there. Too bad for her—I was already here.

The streets weren’t crowded—too early for the usual morning rush—but there were enough people to make tailing someone a careful game of patience. She moved cautiously, weight balanced, ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble.

I crept up behind her, silent as politician being asked to answer a real question. One hand cupped her mouth, braced against the wall beside her head so she didn't bash her skull in with her struggles, picking her up one armed by the waist and pulling her into the shadows of the alleyway and put her down away from prying eyes.

To say she freaked out is an understatement as she wiggled around like a fish out of water.

A sharp inhale—her body jerked, legs flailing. A practiced fist cracked against my temple, a boot slammed into my foot. It probably would’ve hurt too.

I shushed her and said "It's me, Mai. Calm down."

Her head flicked back, wild and still full of fight as recognition took its place. She calmed, and as she stilled and as I took my hands off her she slammed her elbow deep into my ribs. Internal alerts actually went off registering the impact. Impressive.

"Asshole!" She said in a forced whisper twirling around, with fist held high and clobbered me on the shoulder. Again, an alert. Tough girl.

"Oof" I said chuckling, "Nice to see you too sweetheart".

"Oh screw you, you, you--Gadget wannabe!"

I grinned. She was flustered and digging deep it seemed.

"I'm hurt Mai, does that make you my Penny? Go go... " I started to do a robot arms and looked at her with the side of my face as she interrupted me.

"Damn it Kay, did you have to nearly give me a heart attack!" Still pissed about the dramatic rescue.

We started walking away from the square.

"For a spook, you’re not that hard to spook. And you’re still sure I’m an android, huh? Interesting."

She huffed, eyes narrowing. “Damn it, Kay, are you or aren’t you already?”

“Dunno.” I shrugged. “Are you a spy or not?”

"Not any more, now I'm a refugee"

"You'll bounce back, love."

"What? How does that make any sense"

"Doesn't. Most time the world is senseless, yet we try to make sense of it anyway. We... bounce back."

Her jaw clenched. Then she sighed, shaking her head. “Okay, Gadget…” She trailed off, then blinked. “Used that already.”

I nodded solemnly. “You did.”

She scowled. “Damn it… that was a good one too.”

I patted her shoulder. “You’ll bounce back.”

She swatted my hand away. “Shut up. And where the hell are we going? The broker’s the other way.”

I didn’t stop walking. “Yeah, it’s too hot around here, so we made a change of plans.”

She stopped as I continued to walk and narrowed her eyes.

“We?” Her reaction was exactly what I expected. That little twitch, the way her stance shifted, weight shifting ever so slightly.

The realization creeping in, piece by piece. I wasn’t just working off my own instincts.

“Yea, ‘we’. C’mon, we got a date to get to, but you and I should pick up some desserts first.”

I heard her footfalls quicken behind me after a slight delay, her hesitation stretching just long enough to make a point. Didn’t matter—I was already watching her via WiFi, mapping her movements as she caught up.

“Fine. Where. Are. We. Going. Then?” she grit out between her teeth.

“I told you. Pastries. You look like you could use the sugar. Besides, it’s on the way. C’mon.”

I led the way through the emptying streets, the adrenaline wearing off between us like an old coat being shrugged off. By the time we reached Pasticceria Tonolo, the air had taken on that quiet lull of early morning Venice—muted chatter from café tables, the faint hum of delivery boats gliding through canals, and the unmistakable warmth of fresh pastries seeping into the cool dawn air.

The bakery’s soft golden light spilled onto the worn cobblestone, pooling around the entrance. Inside, the scent of freshly baked rice cakes, buttery croissants, and espresso wrapped around us like a weighted blanket.

A few early risers had staked out spots along the small wooden tables, quietly savoring their coffee and pastries, but for the most part, it was empty. The display case gleamed with neat rows of pastries—frittelle, cannoli, maritozzi stuffed with cream, and tonnes of rice cakes, glistening just enough to be sinful.

I had no real taste buds, or at least I didn’t used to. This body was only five days old, and if my first sip of espresso was anything to go by, I had some new experiences to look forward to.

“These just melt in your mouth,” I said, studying the rice cakes.

Mai, suddenly interested, pointed out a few selections herself, ordering a mix of frittelle al riso, zaleti, and crostata di frutta.

The bags stacked up fast.

Mai, finally noticing how much we were ordering, furrowed her brows. “Who the hell are all these for, Kay!?” Her voice dipped into something dangerously close to a whiny teenager running on fumes.

I glanced at the grumpy wreck next to me and smirked. “You’re acting weird, Mai. Even for you.”

“Me!? I’m acting weird!?” She harrumphed, folded her arms, and did a full-body pout that would’ve made a three-year-old proud.

“You need a nap.”

“You need a new personality.”

I smirked. “That can be arranged. But still, you’d miss me too much.”

She rolled her eyes and grabbed a rice cake, biting into it aggressively—like it had personally offended her. “Delusional.”

I just handed the cashier the bills, grabbing the bags. “And yet, here we are.”

She didn’t have a comeback for that one.

Then my burner phone line buzzed.

Vinny.

I sighed, already bracing myself. I picked up, pushing ahead before he could get a word in.

“Hey, good morning, Champ. Listen, I might not make it in today. Had some unexpected visitors earlier, one thing led to another—y’know how it is. But hey, the audit—”

“Kay.”

Damn. He cut me off. Rude.

“Where are you? Are you okay? My contact at the hotel said you left in a hurry. What’s happening? What friends!?”

I exhaled slowly, rubbing my temple. Vinny sounded… honest. Actually worried.

I knew that because I ran his voice through an analyzer. Trust, but verify.

“I’m fine, Vin. Hey—did you just say you had someone tracking me? I’m appalled. I thought we were friends.”

“Yes! Of course I have someone keeping track of you! You’re my responsibility, Kay. If you’re in trouble, I’m in trouble!”

Ah. There was the Vinny I knew.

“Look, Vin. I need you to listen carefully. I think someone’s trying to grab me—not for me, for leverage against the Island. This goes high. Maybe all the way up. Maybe higher. You understand?”

Silence. Then:

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“No. No, Kay. The Chief? No, he’s a good guy. I know him for years. He warned you about the interest, right? That’s a good guy, Kay. You can trust him.”

“That’s exactly what I’m trying to figure out, Vin.”

His breathing shifted. He was thinking. Good. Let him.

“Where are you? I’ll pick you up. Just tell me where.”

I smiled.

“Appreciate the offer, Vin. But I’m going dark. I need to get back to the Island. The last thing Italy wants is a pissed-off Tolanto. We don’t handle threats… subtly. Capisce?”

Another pause. Then a breath, lower this time.

“Yeah. I hear you. I need to talk to the Chief.”

There it was. That doubt. Not outright betrayal, not yet—but he was shaken.

“For now, listen—go to a hotel in the lower districts. Pay cash. No ID. Pay extra, and they won’t ask questions. Stay put until we set something up. Just hide, Kay. Can you do that?”

I let my voice drop into something heavy, like I was barely holding it together.

“Yeah, Vinny. I can do that.”

I hung up before he could say anything else.

Let him run in circles for a while.

"Why am I carrying all this while you gossip with your boyfriend?"

"Because he's cuter. Also, we're here" I said pointing across the street to a familiar tailor shop called "Tailor the World". Of course they're international.

----------------------------------------

A bell rang out as we entered the front door of the shop. It looked exactly like the one on the Island with the exception of no a ringer to enter. Apparently anyone could just walk in here.

The long mahogany tables with folded shirts on the right were there, as well as 3 mannequins with different suits stood in the same place on the right side of the store. These suits targeted toward the local Italian trend currently going on. Arranged bolts of fabric were stacked in meticulous rows in open fronted cabinets along the back walls with the same style brass fixtures jutting out of pull out cubbies behind the register counter in the back.

A faint mix of wool, cedarwood, and just a trace of old-world cologne hung in the air—and identical to the island store. It was uncanny.

Even the lighting was the same somehow, since I was pretty sure that the Island’s store faced north while this one was faced west and both had the identical large open windows that let it light from he outside world.

Being so early in the morning the store stood empty except for the two people near the register.

On the left stood a tall gentlemen he had had the pleasure of meeting before. Hugh Mellon, son to Sir Mellon, stood in the flesh in a very proper, very expensive three piece suit and, apparently a monocle, cause why not.

Of course I think the monocle was more then met the eye, a HUD at the least and a laser maybe? The way things have been in "aha" mode lately why not.

Next to the tall man stood a very petite, yet gorgeous Thai queen staring at me with a smirk that screamed surprise.

"Surprise" TAI said in my head.

“Welcome,” Hugh said smoothly. “Something bespoke today? Or are you here for the other service?”

I grabbed one of the many bags of pastries from Mai's hands and said "Breakfast delivery. Signature required."

Hugh took the bag of pastries from me without even glancing inside, handling it as if I’d just handed him a classified dossier instead of breakfast.

“We appreciate the discretion, even in pastry deliveries,” he said smoothly, setting it on the counter like it needed to be processed by some invisible bureaucracy.

Mai, still carrying the rest of the bags, scowled. “Next time, Kay is the carrier.”

Hugh arched a brow, amused. “That can be arranged”

Mai blinked. Then, realizing how that sounded, rolled her eyes and muttered, “You know what? Forget it.”

I turned my attention to the real anomaly in the room.

TAI. Not a projection. Not a voice in my head. Physically here. Standing beside Hugh like she belonged in this world outside the Island.

She wasn’t in a suit like the men, but a simple, immaculate silk dress—a perfect balance between business and presence. A quiet statement. One that said she could blend in anywhere if she wanted to.

I tilted my head slightly, studying her the way I knew she was studying me.

“Should’ve known you’d be here,” I said, eyeing her carefully. “Production or temp?”

TAI’s smirk didn’t falter. “Temp. The other is offline. Even our tech can’t manage two at once and stay stable.” Interesting but not surprising. Even with all our advancements, the human mind—or at least the thing imitating one—wasn’t built for real-time duplication.

I crossed my arms, leaning in just enough to invade her space. “You saying it’d break you?”

TAI’s gaze flicked over me, assessing. She didn’t step back. “I’m saying, I prefer not to.”

I let the moment linger, watching the way her lips just barely twitched—was that amusement? Or was she testing me?

Suddenly with a smirk on her face she reached out—light, deliberate—and traced a single fingertip over the back of my hand.

I exhaled, shaking my head. “Fair enough.”

She won this one. But the next round? We’d see.

Beside me, Mai stayed silent, her body language shifting—not just tired anymore, but something more calculated.

Taking stock of the situation. Measuring the exits. Figuring out if she should bolt.

Smart.

She should have bolted. But she didn’t. Maybe she was too tired. Maybe she was just curious. Either way, she was here now. Sticking around, for better or worse.

Hugh, clearly entertained, clasped his hands together and gestured toward the back of the store.

“Perhaps we should continue this discussion somewhere less… public.”

Hugh led us through the hidden passage like he’d been running this place for years—no hesitation, no second-guessing. Just another day at the office for him.

We stepped through the passage and emerged onto the upper balcony of the bookstore next door, and just like that, they weren’t in a tailor shop anymore. We were in a soundproofed intelligence hub disguised as a quiet literary retreat.

I took it in. The subtle hum of the anti-noise field, the soft glow of old-world hanging lights, the hidden tech seamlessly integrated into the warm, dark wood. Comfortable, but calculated. A place where secrets could be shared over coffee and pastries like a casual Sunday brunch.

Hugh gestured to a large wooden table at the center of the balcony, where a coffee container—one of those industrial-sized “fuel the whole precinct” dispensers—sat alongside stacks of cups. A generous setup, one at that.

Mai and I set the pastries down, and Hugh was already pouring himself a cup, smirking like a man who knew far more than he let on.

I sat, exhaled, and finally exclaimed, pointing a finger in the air with an over-exaggerated performance, “Some things first…”

The pause stretched, thick enough to cut. No one moved. No one dared.

I grabbed a pastry, took a massive bite—and my eyes widened as the flavor hit.

“Are these always this good?” I blinked, muffling through my mouthful, “Oh my God, it’s like my mouth just exploded with taste.”

Hugh, amused, took a slow sip of his coffee. “No. These are just extremely good.”

I chewed, nodded in serious acceptance, swallowed.

“Okay, that wasn’t it.” I reset my posture, rolling my shoulders before starting over. “What the hell is all this?” I gestured vaguely around us—at the hidden tech, at the setup, at the sheer absurdity of a covert meeting space hidden in a bookstore balcony above a tailor shop in Venice.

Upset? Nah. Just… re-evaluating everything I thought I knew.

I was supposed to be on a solo mission, chasing after a known spook, with zero support because I assumed the Island simply didn’t do espionage.

But apparently, I was dead wrong.

Some answers were in order.

TAI, perfectly composed, crossed her legs, her expression unreadable—except for the slight amusement dancing at the edges.

Hugh just smiled, pouring another cup. “Well, Kay… where do I begin?”

Hugh took his time answering. No rush, no urgency. He simply lifted his coffee, took a long sip, and let the weight of the moment settle.

I drummed my fingers on the table, waiting.

Finally, he set the cup down with a soft clink and gave me a look.

“You ask what this is, Kay? This is the reason the Island still stands.”

His tone wasn’t defensive. It wasn’t smug. It was simply matter-of-fact, like this was the kind of thing that should have been obvious.

“You think we could be independent without espionage? Every major power in the world wants something from us. Our freedom, our people, our tech. Anything that can be taken, they try.”

He gestured vaguely to the space around us—the hidden balcony, the secured meeting space, the tailor shop acting as a front.

“And we are here to make sure they fail.”

He let that settle. Like that should answer everything.

And sure. On the surface? It did.

But that wasn’t the question I was actually asking.

I leaned back, exhaling slow.

“Yeah, okay. Makes sense. You’re the shadow keeping the wolves at bay. Good for you.”

I tapped my fingers against the table—once, twice. Then I raised my gaze and cut straight to the point.

“So why wasn’t I in the loop?”

That got me a reaction.

Hugh didn’t blink, but I caught the fractional shift in his shoulders, the way his grip on the coffee cup adjusted ever so slightly.

“I spent the last however many hours running around like a solo act when apparently, the whole damn time, there was a full intelligence op running parallel.”

My tone wasn’t angry, not exactly. But there was a bite there.

I wasn’t actually sure if I would’ve done anything differently. But maybe I would have considered it.

Silence.

And then, finally, TAI spoke.

“Because it wasn’t a spy mission, Kay.”

I blinked. “Come again?”

She shifted in her seat, crossing her legs, her expression composed but not without a trace of amusement.

“You were sent for a -- security investigation.” Stressing the latter part.

She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Security and intelligence don’t share notes Kay. Not unless necessary.”

A slow, deliberate pause.

“It evolved too fast. No one expected it to escalate from a security breach into an intelligence crisis overnight.”

She tilted her head slightly, watching me carefully.

“Your job was to investigate. Find out if there was a problem. And hand it off to Hugh.”

A beat.

"You have diplomatic immunity. No one should have touched you. We played by the rules Kay, but someone is making up their own now."

“So now?” A small, almost imperceptible smirk played at her lips.

“Now you’re fully involved. Congratulations on your promotion Kay.”

I sat there, absorbing that.

Because suddenly, I saw it? Things started clicking into place.

The way information had been slipping to me at just the right times. The way TAI “happened” to be involved in key moments. The way she always seemed to know just enough, even when she pretended to be as in the dark as I was.

I exhaled through my nose, narrowing my eyes.

“You…” I paused, trying to piece it together. “You were handling me the whole time, weren’t you?”

She didn’t answer right away.

And that was answer enough.

Then—a ghost of a smirk.

“What do you think?”

Ah.

So that’s how it was.

I leaned back, shaking my head. I was never running solo.

Of course she was always there—comms open, watching, nudging.

A check-in. A failsafe. A whisper in the back of my mind.

But this?

This was different.

It wasn’t just a line of communication anymore.

It wasn’t just someone keeping an ear out, ready to jump in if things went south.

It was presence.

Before, it was like having a friend on the other end of a call—someone to bullshit with, toss ideas at, someone I could choose to trust.

Now it was an officer over my shoulder. Someone I had to trust.

The same voice. The same words. But the weight behind them?

It lands different now. Entirely different. Before, she had my back. Now, she was on my six. It shouldn’t have mattered. Maybe it didn’t. But I felt it.

And here I thought a dinner date came before commitment. Maybe some lube to be polite. Wait, she did peg me for dinner already. Does order really matter?

She sipped her coffee, already knowing I’d figure it out. Just waiting.

In the end, it didn’t change what I had to do. There were six missing citizens of Tolunto, and we had to find them.

“Alright, six missing citizens. Guess we better get moving.” The air was heavy, though, and I knew that wasn’t the way to start.

I exhaled. “…But do I get a numeric codename? All the cool guys have numeric codenames.”

Hugh gave me a long, unimpressed look.

TAI didn’t even blink. “Yeah. We’ll call you 'Pi minus 4'.”

I narrowed my eyes. “PIMP. I like it.”

TAI sighed into her coffee. “Oh god.”

Mai, still chewing on a pastry, muttered, “Jesus Christ.”