Hopefully, DH was still safe. They had to be, if they were using DH’s communicator to contact them; the implant communicated with the chip in the back of DH’s head, and if DH was dead, the chip wouldn’t work.

DH was at least alive at the very least. Alive, and was likely somewhere on Okoia. They had let DH’s chip go online, and even if it was offline now, that would have given their system just enough time to pick up a ping.

Just enough time to locate DH.

TO rushed back into the ship and pulled up the information on DH’s computer once more. They were faster this time, having fumbled through the process once already, so they could find the information quickly. They flicked through the data and got to the coordinates.

According to the consol, DH had been on the ship.

No, that was impossible! DH hadn’t been on the ship! There had been no way DH could enter. There were no logs of them using the chips by the doors or anything!

They were about to run around and search the ship when they stopped and looked at the coordinates again.

Latitude and longitude showed that at being on the ship, yes. Altitude showed them as being far beneath it. But there was nothing beneath the ship! Sure, there were water intake tunnels, but they wouldn’t go under the ship…. Would they?

Their communicator went off again, and though TO hoped it was DH, instead it was the minister of space travel. Well, they weren’t necessary now. It was tempting to simply ignore the call, but they had insisted that the minister wake up for them, and he would probably keep calling.

“Minister Junon.” TO said as soon as they picked up the call.

“Yes, Honored synth.” The strained voice of Junon said from the other end of the call, “So sorry to have kept you waiting. What can I do for you?”

What could they do? TO’s mind strained for something the minister could do for them.

It came up with two things, actually.

“First.” TO said, “I need a list of every ‌space port on Arkane. Anything where so much as a shipping freight could leave orbit.”

“Of course, honored synth. Is there something specific I should look for?”

“No, I just need the list as soon as possible.” TO said, “And second… This may be out of your expertise, but I wonder if you have a comprehensive map of the tunnels under the Okoia.”

“Do you want an active map, or an archived one?”

Active or archived? That was an odd question. “What’s the difference?”

“An active map shows only places that are currently maintained and in use.” He said, “Waterways, sewage intake, and storage. The archived one has that, and the old tunnels as well.”

“What old tunnels?”

“You’re not aware of- Oh, apologies, Honored synth.” Their tone had started as one of utter disbelief, according to the translations they were getting, but had once more shifted to that passive way that civilians spoke to synths. “Pre-unification, there was an old community down there; a few species that lived underground. Once King Decon joined us with the Galactic Empire and optimized the planet, He moved them from the old tunnels.”

Why were they moved? TO didn't know and didn’t care at this moment. Still, old tunnels beneath the city seemed to be exactly the ‌place where insurgents could hide.

“Yes, I’ll need the archived map.” TO said, “Send it as soon as possible.”

======

Apparently, the water that flowed from the sea to the interior of the city to create an artificial river had once been an entire underground city. It sprawled out under the water and beyond the confines of the water itself, creating a labyrinthine web of cave systems.

All the information that TO could find about the people who had lived there before was that King Decon had ordered them to be moved to the surface and integrated into the Arkanian majority during the planet's primary optimization phase. There was a note that some had hidden in the tunnels, but the central caves flooded when the island was being sculpted and most didn’t survive.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

It was a neat story, and TO was certain that if he brought it to Lendulin or Petra, they’d have a different story about it.

Further research could come later, though. At the moment, all that involved was the location of the caves. They superimposed the old tunnels underground with the buildings above ground. Though there wasn’t a tunnel directly under them, there was one close enough. Close enough that a good collapse, or some digging, might create a cavern underneath. It was an old map, after all; from the early days of King Decon’s reign.

DH was here. DH was here, and was underground in these tunnels below the city, being held captive by the insurgents. Was the area under the ship their holding cell, or had they simply gone there to throw TO off? It didn’t matter. They marked the area as a location of interest and started following the nearby caves as they twisted about. Where did the cave start, and where did it end? Was the entrance to the tunnels new or old? Was there one entrance, or multiple?

They were thinking this when their communicator went off, warning them that Avery and Kei were about to land. They weren’t traveling in their normal ship; that was still in orbit around the planet. Instead, they were using their emergency ship to land, and then take off again using the one landing pad in the central district, which was reserved for synth traffic. They have to meet them in their vehicle, brief them, and wait until the evening to meet the insurgents.

They got up to leave, but stopped as their eyes glanced over a part of the map, still superimposed over the city. It was hard to see where all the tunnels went, and it was an outdated map; not entirely reliable, but useful. Still, they couldn’t help but notice a single cave that twisted near the security district, wrapping around where the holding cells were. Specifically, wrapping very close to the building that the insurgents had already attacked.

The only identifiable DNA had been that of the guard.

They hadn’t died. It had seemed so odd to TO that they’d go through all that work to plan and escape, then end up with nowhere to go once they went underground. Now they understood; one of these tunnels had to be linked to that section of the water purification system.

They killed the guard, threw him into the system, and used that as a distraction as they made their way into the tunnels.

Cursing that they had fallen for the insurgents' trick, they continued on to meet with the others. For a moment, they were glad that Kei would be there. The insurgents knew that TO loved DH, and would use that against them to distract them. Kei at least wouldn’t care about that. Kei would focus on the insurgents while TO went to get DH.

======

“It’s convenient that Ark-88-”

“DH”

“Ark-88 disappeared so soon before their planned exit from the planet.” Kei said, ignoring TO’s interruption altogether.

TO, Avery, and Kei were riding on the self-driving vehicle back to the ship. The only civilians who noticed the landing were the security guards that worked around the landing area, so they could get the others away with no delays. Though TO was happy enough to see Avery, happiness was a hidden feeling overshadowed by everything else. Avery seemed to understand that, and kept their distance from TO, keeping quiet as they watched their friend. Still, once they were inside the vehicle and had their armor off, it was easy to see that Avery was relieved to see them.

“I had nothing to do with DH’s abduction.” TO hissed at Kei. They wished Kei was being as quiet as Avery, but no; For a change, Kei had a lot to say.

“You might have hidden them.” Kei said, “Or run off on their own.”

“The insurgents took DH.” TO snapped, “They destroyed a civilian residence in Thalassa, and took DH. I had nothing to do with it, didn’t plan it, and didn’t want it to happen.”

Kei watched TO’s ears carefully as he spoke, watching to see if they were lying or not.

“TO wouldn’t have done anything to put DH in danger.” Avery said, “You know that.”

Kei’s ears flicked in disgust once more before they turned away, looking outside.

“Perhaps it’s for the best.” Kei said, “The loss of a synth would be troublesome, but so long as you can control your perversions, you’ll be far more capable in the future.”

TO wasn’t aware that they rose from their seat; they were only aware of Avery suddenly shifting over and pushing TO back down before they could do anything.

“Kei, stop.” They said, “I know you hate it, but can’t you understand that they’re upset and you’re making things worse?”

They stared at Avery, a long, level stare; one that brought TO right back to the training center. That look that said, ‘What are you? Why are you here?’

“I am more concerned that you can understand such issues.” they said. “And concerned that they looked as though they were about to attack me.”

“You pushed them-“

“This is the second time they’ve been close to attacking me, and the second time someone had to hold them back.” Kei said. “I said nothing the first time, just ‌nothing about them and their animalistic behavior on the ship.” Their eyes narrowed. “Of course, we know where that led.” They stared at TO, their ears pinned back, “I ‌think you’re capable; you know this. I believe you have a keen mind, but every action I’ve seen you take since we left the training center has made me doubt my choices. I will report this.”

“And I’ll say that you were goading them.” Avery said.

“If they’ve done that twice, I know they’ll do it a third time. Next time, there might be nobody to hold them back.”

Avery sighed, then looked back to TO. “Don’t let them get to you.” They said, “What’s the plan?”

TO’s hand felt itchy, like they wanted to move, like they wanted to grab Kei and rip them apart.

“Is there a plan, or have you been too busy pinning?” Kei hissed.

“There is a plan.” TO snapped. “Thanks to the insurgents, I have a hint as to… ‌Where the insurgents might be hiding.” They projected a map before them, showing the city and the tunnels beneath. “The insurgents contacted me a few hours ago.” They said, “wanting to meet and talk.”

“About what?” Avery asked.

“I have no idea.” TO said, “but when they contacted me, they used DH’s chip. It came online for a moment, and I could track it. It showed up directly under the ship, and I then discovered that there’s abandoned tunnels under the city.”

“Then are we going right there?” Kei hissed.

“No, not yet.” TO said, pointing to the spot on the map where DH’s chip had activated. “This is where the signal came from, but I don’t know how to get into the tunnels. I’m not even sure which tunnels we can access; many of them are flooded.”

“So then the logical thing to do would be to check all the old entrances and see if any of them are still functional.” Kei said.

“That would take too long.” TO said, “THe logical thing to do.. is meet with the insurgents.” They closed the map. “They said they were sending a person of interest to meet with me; something to tempt me. At worst, we’ll capture them and find out what we need, though there’s a chance they may give away the entrance of their tunnels, and we can go in and rip them apart.” As the last words escaped TO’s mouth, they felt their ears pin back, their wings puff up, and their lips curl back. They would rip the insurgents apart. They’d reach into their chest and rip out their hearts.

“Rushing in might be unwise.” Kei said, “You realize it’s a trap, yes?”

“Of course I do.” TO said, “But we know it’s a trap, and I’m fairly confident in my ability to outsmart some civilians.”

“Very well.” Kei said as they looked back out the window, “We capture the insurgents, retrieve Ark-88, and then leave.” Kei said, “I’d like to say we could plan a full infiltration, but if they expect us, I don’t wish to risk it.“

Kei could do what they wanted. TO realized that as soon as they got in the caves, they’d be looking for DH. They wouldn’t leave without their mate.