Running all-out at top speed across uneven, broken terrain would be challenging enough for most people.

Doing the same through twisting, dimly-lit tunnels stacked with piles of loose rubble, dodging scattered construction equipment as you go? That would add another level of difficulty.

Now imagine trying to perform such a feat while carrying an unconscious, two-hundred-and-fifty-pound Enforcer under each arm.

In other words, Ryan was having a hard time.

This would be a whole lot easier if I didn't have these guys slowing me down, he grumbled to himself, swerving to avoid a stack of crates that he'd nearly collided with when coming around the last corner. But they didn't ask to be here any more than I did. Still –

The blaring alarm klaxon shifted to a lower, more insistent pitch, accompanied by a change in the repeating monotone announcement.

"CAUTION," the synthesized voice thundered. "CASE BLUE. GRAVITATIONAL FIELD INSTABILITY DETECTED IN TELEPORTATION-CHAMBER. INITIATE EVACUATION PROTOCOL ZERO-ZERO-ONE."

Case blue means highest alert priority, immediate response required... always sounded weird to me, but I suppose it makes sense that blue takes precedence over red for a species that has blue blood. And if they're using protocol zero-zero-one, then the minimum safe distance is... roughly a thousand feet, or thereabouts? Call it a quarter mile to be on the safe side.

I wonder how much longer I've got before the portal reaches the generator?

Swearing under his breath, he pushed himself to run faster.

***

The interference blocking his Implant's mapping and communications functions stubbornly persisted, preventing him from checking on the status of his team until the moment he stepped out of the tunnel and into the open air.

Mission accomplished, Ryan sent. Amy, give me a situation report. Without slowing down, he tried to split his attention between the now-functional display and the ground in front of him. A beat passed without reply. Amy, what's your status? Another beat. Cat? Syd?

Don't think I didn't notice that you mentioned me last, boss man, Syd's voice came back, her tone teasing. You can stop worrying. All the bad guys are down. Amy and Cat couldn't answer because they ran out of time on their Changers and had to transform back. We're all fine.

He let out a breath that he hadn't realized he was holding.

Great. I'm glad you're okay, Syd. Checking the position of their Changers on his map, he made some quick calculations. Deciding they were far enough away, he added, You three should take cover. I'm on my way to your position.

Wait, take cover? Suspicion crept into her words as she spoke, along with a touch of alarm. Why?

Something big is about to happen inside the base.

What do you mean something big?

I'm... uh, not exactly sure, honestly, but I think it's going to be spectacular. And probably dangerous. You're far enough away to be safe, but some debris might get thrown around.

...Ryan, she asked slowly, what did you do?

The ground shook, a seismic rumble that he could actually feel passing beneath his feet. He glanced around, then took his own advice, skidding into cover behind an overturned forklift.

Another, more powerful tremor rocked the clearing. This one caused some of the portable lights set up around the perimeter to tip over. A quake third followed, the interval between them growing shorter even as their strength increased. Loose stones began to cascade down the vertical rock face, bouncing and falling as a rattling hail on the open area below.

Pushing the comatose Enforcers against the side of the sheltering construction vehicle, Ryan lowered his head and waited.

An immense black fireball belched out of the cavern exit, followed by a wave of heat. A moment after it appeared, the explosion was sucked back into the opening, pulling most of the cliff along with it. The entire hill collapsed in on itself in rapid stages, eventually giving way to a yawning chasm. Cracks raced across the ground like jagged bolts of lightning, sending dirt and rubble tumbling down to the depths below.

One of the rapidly-spreading fissures reached the edge of their cover, and with a creaking groan of protest, the forklift toppled into the abyss.

Then, with a final loud pop, everything went still.

What the fuck was that ? Syd wondered.

***

The two dozen Enforcers that his team had taken out made a substantial pile. Someone (probably Syd) had already divested them of their Changers, he noticed. Snorting, Ryan added his pair to the heap, then dusted his hands off.

"Hey, Ry," Syd said, trotting over to meet him. "That was –"

The instant she stepped into reach, Ryan swept her off her feet. Lifting the young woman, armor and all, he carefully angled his approach to slip between the chinguard and visor of her helmet and pressed his lips against hers. Syd gave a startled squeak that quickly turned into a moan of pleasure as she melted into him.

"Hey," she said with a giggle. "Welcome back. That was one hell of a something big."

Planting a final kiss on the tip of her nose, he set her back down on her feet. As he'd predicted, the team's Assassin had helped herself to all the enemy Changers, which were now hanging off her arms and waist like a barbarian warlord's battle trophies.

"Are there any more surprises I should be worried about?" she asked.

"No more surprises," he promised, then amended, "at least, not for the time being."

"And everything went according to plan? Um, everything else aside from the... whatever that was, anyway?"

"It did. Here, I'll show you."

Establishing direct connection with Change Matrix... connection established.

Change Matrix is Attuned to user Station-Captain-Ryan.

Change Matrix is Bonded to user [No Entry Found].

Type: Change Matrix Mark-II (Amethyst)

Class: Assassin

Effective Level: 7

Combat Data Collected: 32%

Access granted to Change Matrix systems at Station-Captain level. View available functions?

"I wish I could see what you were doing," Syd muttered as he worked.

Disable Change Matrix Transponder?

Verifying user permissions... user permissions verified.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

Change Matrix Transponder disabled.

"There, all done. Let me do the rest of the Changers you're wearing, too, while I'm at it." He moved his hand to the first of Syd's war prizes, repeating the process. "What are Amy and Cat up to?"

"We weren't sure if that laser defense grid thing was busted, or just temporarily out of commission. Amy was worried that the rhino might get hurt if it suddenly turned itself back on." She rolled her eyes. "Last I saw, they were trying to drag it out of the way."

"They're trying to move a rhinoceros?" he asked, surprised. "Without their suits?"

"Amy borrowed one of the bulldozers."

"...do either of them know how to drive a bulldozer?"

Nearby, he heard the sound of an engine roar loudly to life, then sputter and die.

"Doubt it."

"I see." He paused. "Maybe we should go help them?"

"That sounds like a job for my big, strong boyfriend," she said, patting him on the bicep encouragingly. "I'm sure they'll be glad to see you."

"You're Level 7 now, Syd," he pointed out. "When you're transformed, we've got the same Strength. And you've still got a few minutes left on your timer –"

"The rhino pooped when it passed out, Ry. It went everywhere. Do you know what rhino poop smells like?"

"I, uh, can't say that I do, no."

"Well, neither did I until a few minutes ago." Wrinkling her nose cutely, she gave him another pat and a gentle shove in the direction of the machinery noises. "And hey, you're about to find out, too. Tell them I said good luck!"

***

Connecting a rhino to a bulldozer in pitch darkness had proven to be another major challenge, as had pulling the animal clear. All of them were exhausted and totally spent by the time they made it back to the access road. Mercifully, the rental car was still there, waiting for them right where they'd parked it.

Syd, yet again dressed in one of his borrowed shirts since he'd vaporized another of her outfits, claimed the passenger seat, while Amy and Cat clambered tiredly into the back.

Both women had fallen asleep by the time they reached the highway.

"Can we start salvaging these Changers?" Syd asked eagerly. Unlike the three of them, she hadn't spent the past half-hour trying to tie chains around an unconscious pachyderm. She held one of the devices in her hands, turning it from side to side as she spoke so that the glittering orange gem at its center would catch the light of the passing streetlamps. "There's gotta be enough of them here to get me to Level 10, right?"

"Now that the transponders are all disabled, we can afford to slow down a little," he replied. "And we've got some decisions to make. We're probably going to want to use most of those Changers to bring Cat up to the same level as you and Amy. I think it might be a good idea to save some of the Mark-II Changers for future recruits, too. At the very least, we should talk it over with Amy and Cat first."

"Aww, but it's my loot!" she whined, hugging the captured Marksman Changer to her chest possessively. "What if I don't want to share?"

Ryan snorted.

"It's the guild's loot, Syd. You can't need-roll on every single piece of gear that drops."

"But they barely even helped." Glancing away from the road, Ryan gave her a level stare until she relented. "Ugh, fine. I guess they helped out a little bit."

"Taking out two full Enforcer teams is quite an accomplishment, you know," he said. "Even with the Level advantage you had. How did the three of you manage it?"

"Psh, it was no sweat. Amy and Cat took care of a few of them, then they holed up in this abandoned building, right? The bad guys followed them inside, and there was a big fight, but they were outnumbered, and they were running out of time on their Changers. Amy was like, 'oh no, we're finished', and Cat was like, 'my only regret is that I wasn't nicer to Syd', but then all of the sudden I dropped in behind the bad guys, ninja style, and it was like WHUMMM ZZZT VREEEOW!" Making Energy-Claws noises, she waved her arms to illustrate the sneak attack she was describing. "Super easy. And that was only using two claws!" She held up her spread fingers. "Can you imagine what it's going to be like when I've got ten of them?"

"I really can't," Ryan said, shaking his head.

A few minutes later, Syd's own exertions finally caught up with her. The young woman's head drooped, her eyes drifting closed as she joined her teammates in dreamland.

Fighting back a yawn, Ryan drove on. Where, he wondered, do we go from here?

It wasn't a philosophical question. After checking out of the cheap motel, they had loaded all their luggage into the rental car and set off, without bothering to decide what they would do afterwards if their plan succeeded. At the time, it seemed like a distant concern.

He turned off the access road, merging onto the highway. A string of police cars, sirens flashing, whipped past at high speed in the opposite direction. Amy said she'd put in some kind of anonymous report about the rhinoceros, so they could be responding to that, or maybe someone in the area heard all the explosions and gave the cops a call. Either way, it was a relief to know the authorities had been alerted... and that by the time they arrived his team would be long gone.

Driving back to the airport would be an option, he supposed, although Spokane was hours away, and they hadn't even looked into buying tickets for the flight back. Besides, like he'd told Syd, they could afford to slow down a little now.

Ryan's eyes drifted down to the cell phone in Syd's lap. Before sleep claimed her, she'd been exchanging text messages with somebody. From her expression, he was fairly certain he could guess who she'd been talking to, and that gave him an idea. It would be a bit presumptuous of him, but...

Pulling the car over to the shoulder, he threw on his hazard lights, then stepped out into the night, taking Syd's phone with him.

His guess, as it turned out, was spot on. Typically for Syd, the individual she'd been talking to was labeled NOSY ASSHOLE in her address book, but he immediately recognized the picture displayed beside the unflattering name. Bingo. Tapping the dour face, Ryan gave the man a call.

Naturally, he picked up on the first ring.

"Good evening, Mistress Eleanor," the stiff voice on the other end of the line said. "I must say, this is unexpected. How may I be of assistance?"

"Sorry for the false alarm, Adam. This isn't Syd – my name is Ryan. We, uh, met a few weeks ago, if you remember."

"Ahh, yes." Although he couldn't see the man's expression, Ryan could almost hear the peevish frown in his words. "Ryan. The... boyfriend." There was a sound of papers rustling in the background before Adam resumed speaking. "Ah-hem. Ryan Wright, no middle name, formerly of Seattle, Washington, no current address on record. Enrolled in a state university bachelor's degree program..." Another pause, accompanied by more shuffling noises. "...seven years ago, and yet to graduate. At present, unemployed. Yes, Mister Wright, I recall our last meeting quite clearly. If you don't mind me asking, sir, why are you using Mistress Eleanor's phone to contact me?"

"Well, you see, Adam, I was hoping that you could do me a favor."

"Do you a favor," he repeated, flatly.

"Uh, I guess you might say that it's more a favor for Syd, really."

"Go on."

"Right now we're on US-395 North outside of, uh..." He looked over at the nearby billboard. "...Ritzville, apparently. If you could find the fanciest hotel in the area and book us a room for the next few days, that'd be great. Actually, on second thought, you'd better make it a suite. One with at least three bedrooms. Do you think you can manage that, Adam?"

"Of course I can manage that," Adam snapped. "The question, Mister Wright, is why would I?"

"I already told you, it's for Syd."

"So you have said. Try to consider it from my perspective, sir. You have contacted me, using Mistress Eleanor's phone, to ask for a no-doubt expensive favor that you insist is being requested on her behalf. Surely you can understand how very... questionable all of this would appear to an outside observer."

"Sure, I understand where you're coming from, but it's supposed to be a surprise. Having Syd ask you herself would defeat the whole purpose."

"Perhaps you could give Mistress Eleanor back her phone so that I can speak with her," he suggested.

"She's asleep right now, Adam. We've had a busy couple of days, and this is the first chance in a while that she's had to get some rest. You know how cranky Mistress Eleanor gets when she's tired better than I do, I'm sure. But if you really, really want," Ryan offered, placing a great deal of extra emphasis on the word really, "I can wake her up right now, and tell her that I'm interrupting her vacation because you insisted on talking to her..."

The line went silent. Ryan waited.

"No," Adam finally said. "Ah-hem. No, I... don't believe that will be necessary." He sighed. "All the necessary arrangements will be made. In exchange, when you arrive, you can... politely request that Mistress Eleanor contact me to confirm them. Would that be acceptable to you, Mister Wright?"

"Yeah, that's fine. Great talking to you, Adam. And hey," he added before the man could hang up, "thanks for looking out for Syd. She'd never admit it, but she's lucky to have someone like you in her corner."

"Yes, well... goodbye, Mister Wright. I'm sure you'll forgive me for saying that I hope we do not speak again."

With a click, the call ended. Less than a minute later, a text message popped up, informing him that reservations had been made in Syd's name at a hotel called the Davenport in Spokane. Taking out his own phone, Ryan punched the address into the navigation app, then climbed back into the driver's seat.

He glanced up at the rearview mirror. Throughout the whole conversation, not one of the three sleeping women had stirred.

Perfect.

With a smile, Ryan pulled back onto the highway.

***

Adam, he had to admit, did good work. The Davenport was even bigger and more impressive than he'd expected. Before their car even finished rolling to a stop, a uniformed valet was already approaching.

"Hey, Syd." He gave the young woman's shoulder a gentle nudge. "Time to get up, sleepyhead. We're here."

"Mmh. That's nice." Syd rubbed drowsily at her eyes, then blinked as she took in the Davenport's opulent facade of columns and glittering glass. Sitting up straighter in her seat, she asked, "Hold up. Where's here?"

He'd promised Syd that he wouldn't be giving her any more surprises... but one last tiny surprise for the night should be okay, shouldn't it?