The pitter-patter of rain slipped through the metallic ribbons above and landed on Sonya’s leather jacket.

“You’d think with the name of ‘The Pavilion’ would actually impede rain from landing on me,” Zach complained as he shook his hair for the millionth time.”

Sonya wiped her eyes, “Maybe if you stopped complaining, it wouldn’t be as bad.”

Zach peered through the scope of his rifle, “I don’t think so. Complaining is one of life’s untold virtues. Hey, I found him.”

Sonya stretched her neck and peered down the direction of the barrel. It was Walker, craning his neck to talk to a figure draped in cloth. Walker spoke animated, his hands gesturing toward the gate behind the central pillar. Finally, they parted ways: the clothed man ambled elsewhere while Walker strolled toward them, waving.

“Hey, Sonya.”

“You don’t look as shit anymore,” Zach interjected.

Walker’s eyes shifted between the two, “Who are you?”

Sonya sighed exasperated, “Walker, this is Zach. He helped us get out of that cave.”

“Put it there,” Walker stuck out his hand.

Zach didn’t move, “I’ve been trying to cut down on my male-on-male contact, sorry.”

Walker’s face pinched together in confusion, “What?”

“Zach. Shut up,” Sonya rubbed her temples. “Where’s Chet? Did he say anything in the group chat?”

Walker pulled out his phone, “Umm, yeah. Just now actually. I’ll read it: ‘I’m not trying to get an ST disease crawling through the sewers for no money and no PIP because Sonya lost her boyfriend, I’m not clinging to your every whim and call, either there’s a mission and I’m coming or I’m not.’ That’s not paraphrased by the way.”

“Someone’s a little cranky,” Zach said.

Walker frowned, “Why’s he in the sewers?”

“Yeah Sonya, why is he in the sewers?” Zach asked with a shit-eating grin.

Sonya clenched her fists, “One, not my boyfriend. He’s got a kid. Two, he is because he is, and third I’d rather be looking for him than sitting here with our thumbs up our asses.”

She took a step toward the street before a hand fell on her shoulder, holding her back.

“I don’t know who this guy is to you, but do you even know where to start? How long has he been missing? It seems a little rash to just rush in,” Walker said.

Behind Walker, Zach shook his head, and for once she agreed with the sentiment.

Walker followed her gaze, “What did I say? Were those not logical questions?”

Zach laughed. An odd noise. “Before Sonya blows her top, let me stop you right there.” He swung the rifle and connected the strap that wrapped around his back, to free his hands. “Why don’t we identify the possible manholes he may have entered and pick the most likely tonight.”

The three of them looked around.

“You guys know any manholes?” Walker asked.

“No, but I know where I can figure it out.” Sonya marched past Walker toward the PIP pillar.

“Excuse me, can I get a blueprint for all entrances to the sewer?” She asked the available PIP attendant behind the glass.

The attendant tapped the glass just above a card reader. Sonya swiped her PIP card, and after a few seconds, the attendant typed something into her computer. Another attendant appeared behind her carrying several freshly-printed sheets of white and black paper.

“I didn’t know you could just ask for blueprints of parts of the city,” Walker said.

Sonya spread out the sheets on a table near the edge of the courtyard, “You can ask for them at any government station. Typically if you’re a tax-paying citizen they’ll get them for you, with some exceptions. At Class C2 these are one of the privileges.”

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Walker gaped, “I’m only E2.”

Zach rolled his eyes “That’s it? Didn’t know you were such a plebian,” he interjected.

“Can we stay focused?” Sonya leaned over the spread-out blueprints, “Please?”

The blueprints were separated into two layers: a street side view and a map of the sewers themselves. Of the street side view, hundreds, if not thousands, of sewer pipes and manholes were marked.

Which can we eliminate?” Walker asked.

Zach traced certain streets with his finger, “Anyone got a pencil?”

Walker retrieved one from his bag and handed it to him, “What was his goal? Maybe that would narrow it down to a certain area?”

Sonya pursed her lips, “I don’t know exactly. It was a PIP mission, but we can’t just go up and ask. The government’s not just going to hand over someone’s info, no matter the rank.

Zach marked one side of the map, “This is where he would probably enter the city, why don’t we start there? There’s only a couple storm drains big enough to enter from there to the city.”

“We can ignore manholes for now then. Most are in conspicuous places, and I don’t think Dick would start there. There’s too many options.”

She and Zach looked at Walker who was staring at the map. “Why would he enter from there, nothing’s up north except trees.”

Sonya and Zach exchanged looks, but it was Sonya who spoke up.

“Remember when I told you I go to Church?”

Walker nodded.

“That’s where it is.”

He frowned and he glanced at them both, “You too then?”

Zach said nothing.

“What kind of Church sends its members on PIP missions?” Walker asked, his voice cautious.

She bit her lip, there was a strict policy on exactly what you could disclose to people outside the church. Sonya wasn’t even allowed to share its name.

Zach’s eyes bore into her as he responded instead, “The kind that appreciates their privacy.”

Walker’s face was unreadable. He stood very still and examined her face. Sonya widened her eyes, silently sending the message I’ll tell you later.

He broke out in a jaunty grin and leaned back, “None of my business, we ready to go then?”

Zach as detached as an anchor dropped into the ocean nodded and stood up. Sonya grabbed the blueprints and organized the quadrant that displayed the sewer's inner map to be on top. Zach led the way, Sonya followed, and Walker took the caboose. She and Walker made eye contact; he wasn’t going to let this go.

As they walked Walker made the mistake of asking about Zach’s rifle. That spawned a twenty-minute tirade of describing the ins and outs of the rifle and the modifications that Zach personally made.

Walker hopped over a fallen brick, the lights on the north side of the city could not penetrate the night’s rain. “The augmenter chamber, how does it know what energy to introduce to the bullet? If it applied thermal energy to a kinetic shard-”

Zach vigorously shook his head, “No, it applies the same energy every time. It’s specifically made to apply extreme amounts of heat to however long I hold this button.” He tapped the button near the barrel where one would hold to steady the rifle. “The bullets themselves contain a sliver of Thermal Stardust that reacts to the heat.”

“Those have to be custom-made then,” Walker peered at the bullet Zach pulled out.

Like regular lead bullets, it was grey with a rounded top. However, stripes of a darker metal lead to a flat bottom.

Zach shrugged, “I know a guy.”

Walker glanced at Sonya, “Is that how you took that thing down?”

She chewed her lip and then nodded, “I go the other spectrum though. Cold.”

“I’m impressed. Little jealous though,” Walker responded.

Zach stopped and dug his feet into the gravel, “We’re here, storm drain numero uno.”

The storm drain was a circle, around twenty feet in diameter, that drilled through a concrete casing that connected under a small bridge. The bridge itself was dilapidated, rust scored its hinges and the concrete itself had been eaten away by the power of erosion.

Sonya sped past the two boys and scurried down the ditch that led to the sewer entrance, “Looks like we’re on to something boys.” An iron cage that once covered the drain had been ripped off the entrance and had partially sunk under sewage and debris.

“Whoever wanted in got their wish,” Walker commented as he clicked on the flashlight.

Zach turned his light on as well, “Or whatever that was in the sewer got out.”

They entered, Walker first, then Sonya and Zach took the rear. Unfortunately, it seemed to be a heavy flow kind of night. Murky water sloshed past their ankles and soaked their shoes. Circles of light surveyed the walls as they swung their flashlights around. Copper pipes lined the curved walls. There were no scraps of clothing that could lead them on, nor was there anything else besides spraypainted nonsense on the walls like: Don’t Blink, You’re ALIVE and The DEAD don’t FLOAT.

After ten minutes of sparse conversation, Walker spoke up “What’s that smell?” he sniffed the air.

Sonya, against her better judgment, inhaled deeply. However, instead of the pungent musk of feces and garbage, a sweet smell filled her lungs.

“Wait that…” She sniffed again, “Smells good?”

Walker covered his nose with the crook of his elbow, “What the hell? It smells terrible, like rotted food.”

“No… I’m going to have to agree with Sonya, it smells good. Maybe fermented candy?” Zach yelled from the back.

They continued on, though Walker kept pausing.

“Why do you keep stopping?” Sonya snapped, breathing deeply.

“Keep going,” Zach said longingly.

“Somethings wrong,” Walker said.

Though Sonya wasn’t hearing it, she couldn’t believe the scent. So sweet, like honey, but not enough to make you cringe when you breathed too deep. It was subtle. Sonya dropped to her knees to get closer to the ground. Stronger. She filled her lungs.