Despite still being a rookie by Titan's standards, even I know how foolish it would be to discredit the work of the Sleepers. If the Gearheads served as the Brain and James was the Muscle, I'd prefer to think of them as the circulatory system. They breathe life into most of Titan's operations, with agents adopting the fake guises of teachers, janitors, or every other mundane job.

Without their assistance, there would be no divide between the underworld and the mundane, even if there wasn't any for me. On that same wavelength, though, it makes more than enough sense that its Director would have a deceiving appearance. After the limousine ride through London's rushing traffic, I thought we'd reach some underground cave or secret base.

Instead, I saw an apartment room that would make even my former room look like the Hilton Hotel. Once I stepped through the door, I felt I had time traveled. Each wall had paint so faded and cheap that you'd think a bomb's worth of bleach went over here. The floorboards shifted so much between my feet that you'd think they were tectonic plates.

Decades of old antiques or appliances lined up whatever else I could see as I saw an old clock, miniature Tv, and a record player, which felt straight out of the 60s. Most striking was a giant board that lay at the center of the room, decorated with numerous bottle caps which formed a tree-like pattern. While I was in awe, Persona danced across its surroundings unearthly and gracefully.

"Welcome, Sarah, to my home away from home away from -; you get the idea. I know the ole abode isn't exactly five stars, so if you need anything, just call me or one of my associates. From here on out, we're your shadows."

Once again, their voice radiated an aloof allure, like they were salesmen waiting to spring their next pitch. So I took the bait.

"Does that mean I'm taking the lead on this?"

Persona then perked up.

"Kind of. Dragoon's given us free rein to do whatever, but you will be the main star regardless of what we do next.

"If that's the case, then what's the stage look like?"

Persona then decided to take a page out of Daniels' book and got out a pen and pad in the most budgeted way possible using a dry-erase marker and a handheld whiteboard. Their fingers flew fast and true as Persona kept concentrating.

"About a week ago, some of my guys on the inside gave me reports about how the organized crime here is getting a little too organized. Small gangs that never would've worked together now walk hand-in-hand in Kumbaya. All while committing bolder counts of assault, thievery, and blackmail on poorer boroughs like Barking & Dagenham under some mystery boss called the "Messenger."

They then flipped the board over to display the most deal map of London's various boroughs with black and white dots to show off who was under this Messenger's control and who was not, respectively. The problem was I was seeing a lot more black.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"From the trends I saw in Cuba before you took care of Arachne, a lot of the tactics seem more in line with the Pantheon. And if that's the case, we must stop this before it starts. Left unchecked-"

"The Pantheon gets a fresh new batch of potential soldiers, dominance over parts of the UK, and potential access to bolster their already advanced tech with some of the best metallic materials in the world."

Before I continued, I caught myself, realizing I had dominated the conversation. Persona, though, didn't seem to mind. Instead, they watched over my ramblings like a patient hawk before answering.

"Don't stop on my account. We're clearly on the same wavelength here."

"If so, then stopping this guy at the source may not be the best play. If he sets his routes into these gangs too far, we could be making a martyr out of a molehill here."

And I don't know about you, Paladin, but I'd prefer to leave a place a little better than when I've found it. Parliament's already ignored these people. I'd choose not to repeat the cycle," Persona interjected.

Despite their candid and airy tone, Persona's reminder hit harder than a bus. They were still victims at play here. Except this time, I couldn't afford to mess up at this scale. Mounting pressure guided my thoughts like a dark fog until a little glimmer of light showed through.

"If that's the case, I may have something to solve all our problems. Do you have an alter ego connected to the underworld, like an arms dealer or racketeer who can spread their own message?"

In real-time, I saw mischievousness creep into Persona's very being as they responded.

"Yeah, I got the right person for the job. But, wait right here for a minute."

As my new ally departed, I checked in with "tech support."

"Hi, Wiz how's the dogsitting going with Brutus?"

"Achoo! Great Paladin! Everything's been going A-O freaking kay, Achoo," Wiz said while responding with a congested voice.

"Are you sure? On my end, it sounds like you're sick."

"Pshh, as if I could ever get sick of you, Pally. Achoo!"

"Wiz, I know you're smart enough to know that's not what I meant," I said with increasing disappointment.

"Really? If so, my bad. Hearing's been a little screwy ever since I've gotten here.

It took everything I had not to facepalm as I realized it utterly.

"Wiz's, you wouldn't happen to be allergic to dogs, would you?"

"What makes you think that?!"

A cold silence then cloaked our entire conversation as I tried to figure out if it were possible to scold someone from thousands of miles away.

"Achoo! Fine! I could be sick of your big and Beautiful Black Labrador, okay? I didn't even know I was allergic to dogs till now. Or that he'd be so cute and clingy and warm. Don't worry; I've already got something for this."

"You're going to hand Brutus to someone else before you get an allergy attack?"

"No, that would be silly. ACHOO! I already hooked myself with an Iv of caffeine, and my Epipen is connected to a rocket-propelled timer that will poke me if I don't enter a code every half hour. I AM GOOD TO GO, PALLY!!! ACHOO!"

A part of me wanted to rant at her blatant stupidity until my throat got raw, but there was too much work. And I'd rather have a sleep-deprived WIz than no Wiz at all. Besides knowing her I'll probably get a automized feeding system for Brutus. Still, I hope this doesn't lead to my first time assassinating someone through allergies.

"Welp, if that's the case, stay safe and strong on standby. We may need your big brain soon. Brutus being clingy means he likes you but if you blow on his face he'll leave you alone. Picked up that trick the hard way."

"Will do. AC-."

I didn't bother hearing another horrid sneeze as Persona walked in with their new outfit. Instead, with the greatness of a stage conductor, they simply stated.

"Oh, just for the record. You can call me by any pronoun. But publicly, for this role, you might want to stick with she/her for now. Regardless though, what do you think?"

I couldn't help but give a small smirk as I realized one look at Persona made me realize how my crazy concoction could work.

"Oh, that can work."