Zery was an average world in the far reaches of the cosmos. Outside AIC territory. Outside most people's radars. So why? Why did Erin feel the signals of hundreds of graduates the minute he stepped foot off the ship? Why did Sasha's presence feel miles away despite being right next to him? As was Xan's, the panda too busy admiring the moonlight to notice the change. Then again, he wouldn't have sensed it anyhow.

This. This isn't right.

As the thought crossed his mind, he saw Sasha staring at someone across the street. A young girl. A wolf.

Oh no.

Sasha's voice quivered as she called out to her.

"I-Iris. I found you. I finally found you."

The stranger didn't respond. Nor did her signals resonate with his commpad. It was locked on the wolf's signature and yet it gave not even a ping at her presence. The same phenomenon as with the other graduates. It couldn't have been a coincidence.

"Sasha," he said. "I know what you're thinking, but-"

The wolf darted around the corner.

"Hey!" Sasha zipped after her. "Iris! Iris!"

"Sasha! Don't- " Too late, she was already disappearing across the street. "Sweet whiskers. Xan!"

"Crap!"

They both ran after her, the panther zipping through the Zerian city. All the while, she kept shouting at the wolf to no response.

The canine leapt a building clear, Sasha arcing through the air to give chase. Erin's wand glowed, barrier steps rising while Xan flung his hammer skyward, the winds carrying him up to the roof. But Sasha. She was already three buildings when they landed. Sweet whiskers. Since when is she so- He shook the thought away, focusing instead on trying to keep up. The shouting from below certainly didn't help matters.

The people of Zery were no strangers to oddities. It was a small planet, sure, but one that had a diverse array of sapient races from the big-horned bullimians to the red-skinned athians. Too diverse, in fact. To see so many in one place raised more than a few alarms in Erin's head. But they were all pushed aside as he saw both Sasha and the wolf leaping to the ground.

"Iris! Stop! Why are you running?"

The panther's voice was the only thing helping them keep up since signals were useless.

"Twig!" Xan shouted. "You gettin' a reading over there?"

"No luck. This place must be full of jammers. I can't even sense Sasha."

"Crap."

They both picked up the pace, jumping to the streets below.

Hovercars whizzed past, the wolf diving headlong into traffic with Sasha hot on her trail. Vehicles swerved and honked, but it did little to slow them down. Sweet whiskers! Erin threw down a gravity field to prevent what was almost a full-scale pileup, the vehicles all falling to the ground rather than crashing. That panther. How could Sasha be so careless?

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Several angry pedestrians shouted in his direction, to which he could respond with little more than an apologetic bow. Dangit, Sasha, where is your head? He spotted Xan waving for him and went to catch up. By then he was ready to give the panther the mother of all scoldings.

They both stopped when they turned the corner.

"Sasha!" they shouted in unison.

She winced. The panther was standing in a dark alley, her fur nearly blending in with the night. Erin and Xan fell on her immediately.

"Are you crazy, Panther?"

"Sweet whiskers, Sasha, you almost caused a wreck! Never just run off like that!"

"What the heck were you thinking?"

She didn't respond. Nor did she so much as look at them. Xan growled.

"Uh, hello? Talkin' to you, Panther!"

He pulled her around to face them. Erin's anger melted away.

"Sasha?"

Her ears fell, streaks running down the girl's face as she finally looked up at them. Even if it wasn't the first time he'd seen her do it, the minute he saw her tears was the minute the lecture went out the window. Xan faltered as well. As the two stood tthere, it only occurred to Erin then there was no sign of the wolf Sasha had been chasing. Not a hair nor scent. The panther was completely alone.

"Sasha. What-"

She didn't say a word, quickly burying her face in Xan's stomach. The panda opened his mouth to say something, but the words fell in his throat, Xan instead simply stoking the child's head. For the time being, they tabled their accusations, instead trying to comfort the young graduate.

***

It took a few minutes for Sasha to finally regain her composure. Enough to speak, at least.

"She disappeared," the panther said. "I chased her to this corner, but then she up and vanished. Didn't even say goodbye."

Erin nodded. "And you're sure it was her?"

"I think so. She had the same smell. And when she disappeared she- she looked at me."

Her voice started to waver, but he could tell she was trying not to cry again. He decided against pressing for more, instead moving to examine the walls of the alley more closely. Of all the times to vanish, it seemed odd she'd do so only after leading Sasha across the city. Then again, it was odd to vanish in the first place. Or to run from her closest friend.

"Got something, Twig?" Xan asked.

The weasel rubbed the brick. Though subtle, there were small indentations within the material. And he could feel a draft against his hand.

"It looks like there is some mechanism here. Hang on."

He found a piece of wall that seemed to jut out. When he pushed it forward, the whole section collapsed.

The wall fell away, the light of a hallway illuminating the alley. A secret passsage. Erin squinted against it, Xan pulling on his shades. The area was lined with metallic paneling and smooth tile. Much different than the brick and concrete of the world outside. Too advanced for a simple Zerian home. They stepped within, the room a bit warmer than the city.

"Any chance this where wolf girl went?" Xan asked.

"It's worth investigating, at least. But we should be careful. No telling where this leads." Erin gave Sasha a nudge. "Will you be alright?"

She wiped her face.

"Yeah," she said. He could tell it was a lie. Even so, he didn't press the issue, putting a hand on her shoulder as Xan echoed his thoughts.

"We're right with ya', kid," the panda said. "Don't push yourself, alright."

She smiled, her color returning if only a bit.

"Yeah," she said. "Thanks for that."

The wall slid shut behind them.