MISSIO

DEREK

Derek Huntsman had lived in Domina City his entire life, with only his mom for company. He didn't have many friends. It wasn't that he was shy, it was just... okay, maybe he was a little shy, but he was trying to change. Mostly the problem was that he spent all his time on rooftops he wasn't supposed to be able to get to. Great views, but not very much company. When he came down, it was for jobs. He knew a good number of people through his work, but he never hung out with them outside of jobs.

Adam... he seemed to be a step in the right direction. As Derek's roommate, they would be pretty much forced to socialize. If Derek could get him to make friends in turn, then they'd prop each other up.

Which made Derek feel even worse for lying to him.

Adam's friend, the one he was meant to room with, was dead. At best, he was lying mortally wounded in a hospital. Derek didn't have any concrete details, but North Outer had a few big shootouts around the time Adam said he lost contact. Something about the Levisians getting into another argument with Sealtiel. He just didn't have the heart to voice his suspicions.

Adam was hard to place. More than anything else, he looked average. Average height, average build. A simple John Smith. But something about him seemed... Derek wasn't sure. It was hard to put his finger on. Perhaps he was just imagining things.

He didn't act special, that was for sure. As they walked through MC's tour, every word she spoke seemed to surprise him more.

“Wait, wait, this is a job board? Like...”

“A place you pick up jobs. Yes.” He really did seem like a good guy, but seriously, how sheltered was he? “People post things they need done, with a reward and a hard end date. See, this one here.” Derek walked up to the board, a simple digital screen with a very heavy plastic layer for protection. He tapped the job he was looking at. It took a few seconds for the board to recognize the input, but it quickly brought the relevant details up. “Some guy needs a rat from the area for an experiment. Alive, of course.”

Adam stared. “He needs a... what?”

“A rat. You know—”

“I know what a rat is. I mean, why would he need one for an experiment?”

“Let's find out.” Derek flipped out his phone. “MC? I want to accept job 45768 from the South Central job board.”

“Done,” MC's fake voice responded smoothly, as the entry on the job board disappeared. It had been a while since he got a job from an actual board—mostly he got them in person these days—but the fake didn't care. “This job has an end date of noon tomorrow, and requires any live rat from the South Central district be delivered to Duke Ratko in the same district. He will arrange a meeting when you have completed the job.”

“Ratko?” Derek asked, incredulous. “Is this a prank?”

“I'm sorry, that question does not make sense to me. Please clarify.”

Derek sighed. “Ratko sounds like a bad joke regarding rats.”

MC's voice was as calm and collected as ever. “Ratko is Slavic, and means approximately war, or battle.”

“Right, right, sorry. I shouldn't make fun. Just tell me where the nearest trap shop is.”

“Around the corner to your right.”

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“Thank you, MC.” He hung up and turned to Adam. “C'mon, it's right over here.”

“What is? The rat we're supposed to catch?”

“No, no, you'll see.” As MC said, there was a shop around the corner specializing in traps. It wasn't much bigger than the cell phone store they had gone into earlier. But in this case, the shelves were lined with cages of varying sizes.

The clerk looked up. Derek was surprised to see that it was Lily. Everyone knew Lily and Lily knew everyone. She looked like a short little girl, just over five feet, with sand colored skin and abstract, tribal tattoos all over her body. She kept her black hair cut short and out of her face, where it framed her red eyes like a picture. As we walked in, she scratched her horns—short red devil horns, poking out from her hair. She smiled at us, making her sharp fangs prominent.

“Hey there, Derek. You come by to say hi?” She nodded to Adam. “Who's your friend?”

“This is Adam Anders, my new roommate.” Adam immediately stepped forward and shook her hand. “And sorry, we didn't come here for you. I had no idea you were working here. I thought you normally just did waitressing.”

She smiled. “The boy needed someone to fill in for him, so I'm watching the shop for a few hours.”

Adam frowned. “The owner lets random people work his cash register?”

Derek smiled. “Lily is a special case.”

“Everyone is a special case,” she said, her tone friendly but brooking no argument. “We're all snowflakes, after all. Now—what can I help you with? This store doesn't sell anything big enough for your usual fare.”

“We need a rat trap,” Derek said. “Non-lethal, please. I'm showing him how the job board works.”

“Ooh,” she said with a grin. “Sounds fun. When's the last time you took a job from the actual board?”

Derek shook his head. “Honestly, I don't remember.”

Lily clicked through her phone. “Unfortunately, we don't have any actual traps of the size you're looking for. Just cages.” She looked at him with no hint of mischief in her eyes. “You're going to have to wrestle it in by hand.”

Derek just smiled. “Sounds like a perfect first job. We'll take it.”

She shrugged and went to retrieve a cage from the shelf. “Fine by me, just go to the hospital after. Don't want you two starting a plague.” She checked her phone again. “That'll be twenty bucks. Half back if you bring back the cage.”

Derek pulled a twenty from his wallet and handed it over. “I'll pay this time,” he said to Adam. “But just so you know, generally we'd split it.”

He reached for his wallet. “Well I can—”

Derek waved him off. “No, this is a freebie. I'm not going to make you pay for something that wasn't your idea.” Lily handed him the receipt, and he picked up the cage. “Let's go catch a rat.”

Adam nodded a goodbye to Lily. “Have fun at your party.”

Derek stopped and stared. Lily blinked.

“What party?”

“Uh...” Adam seemed unsure of himself now. “The... costume party. I assume that's why you're dressed like a demon? With the horns and the eyes and the tattoos?” He winced. “The tattoos are real, aren't they? I'm sorry, I was being insensitive...”

Lily blinked again, then laughed out loud. “Oh, Derek, you didn't tell me he was brand new.”

“Well, uh...” He scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. “I didn't know he was that new...” He frowned. “Didn't your friend tell you anything?”

Adam looked first at her, then at Derek. “What am I missing?”

Lily came around the counter and stood right in front of him. He wasn't tall, but he may as well have been a giant next to her. “It's all real, sweetie.” She bent her horns forward. “See? Touch 'em.”

He gingerly did as she suggested, reaching out to touch her horns. He parted the hair where the horns connected to her skull, and jumped back about five feet.

“Those... those are...”

“Real, yes.” Lily stepped forward and smiled even wider, making her teeth even more obvious. Derek had enough experience with her to know she meant it to look cute, but it probably looked terrifying to poor Adam.

“Lily, maybe you should...”

“What?” She touched his cheek lightly... with her tail. “I like this one, Derek. He's adorable.”

He frowned. “When did you get a tail?” She definitely hadn't had that the last time he saw her. Adam seemed completely frozen.

“Hm? Oh, about two months ago. Isaac only recently started selling them.” She cocked her head quizzically. “I thought I've seen you since then.”

“I thought so too.” Derek wanted to inquire more, but any longer and Adam would cause a scene. “I think we need to go, though.” He grabbed him by the arm and headed out. “I'll see you later, Lily.”

“I'll be around,” she said. “And make sure to bring your friend. I mean it.”