It was a dark and gloomy place. Tunnels that stretched for miles, crowded with silent men and women who all looked like this was the last day of their life.

They boarded a tube that would take them to their destination.

As they waited, Kaine observed the people around them. They all had those same sullen faces. Some were lost in thought, others chatted quietly with unresponsive partners, while a few kept their eyes closed as if to evade reality.

He glanced at Ondine, who was watching a couple sitting across from them. Even those two seemed disconnected, like strangers to each other. You could only tell they were together because they were holding hands. But their gazes wandered in opposite directions.

When he looked at the girl again, he saw she was now staring at him.

“What? Oh. Yeah. You’re right.” He frowned. “Where are the children indeed.”

And yet, there had to be children on this world too. If there wasn’t, wouldn’t everyone be staring at Ondine? But nobody was. So where were they?

“Maybe they’re in school,” he muttered.

When they got off, they found more dark tunnels that looked exactly like the ones they’d been in before.

“What’s with this place? Couldn’t they have built their city on the surface like every civilized world?” He felt the girl’s gaze on him and glanced at her. “What? You think it’s too dangerous out there? Well, I suppose that’s possible.” He remembered Alterica and shuttered at the thought. “Still, they could have at least put more lights around here. Planted trees. Added some decoration. To liven things up a bit, you know? And make it easier to figure out where you are, too. I mean, these tunnels all look the same. It’s like a maze down here.”

He felt the pressure of her little hand in his and he fell quiet. There was no point in adding to her discomfort. She could see all this as clearly as he could.

They walked on until they reached the address Dhen had given him. Even if everything looked the same, you had to give these people credit for being well organized. The numbers were easy to see and every street—if you could call them that—was neatly labeled and referenced in the local holscreen maps.

Kaine reached out and pressed his hand against the call plaque. It lit up, then went dark again.

A few seconds later, the door swung open and a stern-looking old woman appeared before them.

“Yes?” she asked dryly.

“I was told to come here to get a package for—”

She held up a hand.

“Stop! I don’t want to hear it. Wait here.”

She slammed the door shut.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

He turned a startled look toward the girl.

“Did that just happen?”

Ondine nodded solemnly.

He was about to say something else when the door swung open again.

The old woman held a package, which she shoved into his chest.

“Here. Take it and go. Now.”

He grabbed it, blinking.

“But—”

Again, she held up her hand.

“The less I know, the better.”

The door slammed in their faces.

“Well, that was rude,” he muttered as he looked down at the package.

It was a small cubic thing, about the size of...

He frowned and glanced at the girl.

“I hope this is not what I think it is.”

From the expression on her face, he could tell she’d had the same thought.

She pointed at the side.

Turning the box, he saw a chip was attached to it.

After pulling it off, he slid it into his wristpad and tapped the screen as they made their way back toward the tube.

The face of Nevin Corvwah appeared, floating in the air before them.

“Hello, Kaine! I apologize for not telling you about this when we met, but it only occurred to me after the fact that we could perhaps help each other. It’s a small matter, really. I need this package to be sent to the rim but couldn’t find anyone...” He paused a moment, as if searching for the right word. “Couldn’t find anyone willing to do this for me. I’m not sure where you’re headed exactly, but anywhere in the rim would be fine. Just drop it off at a Regency. Tell them it’s for Talak Atvan and they’ll handle the rest.” He shifted in his seat and looked down. “All I ask is that you don’t open the package, alright? And no, it’s nothing illegal.” A slight smile as he looked up again. “Thank you, and good luck.”

The image dissolved.

“Well, that doesn’t sound foreboding at all. And why does that name sound familiar? Talak Atvan... I know I’ve heard it before.”

Ondine pulled on his hand. He looked down and saw her pointing toward the tube.

“Yeah, okay, you’re right. Let’s get out of here. The sooner we’re off this rock, the better. What a depressing place!”

As they made their way back to Dhen’s ship, Kaine couldn’t help but stare at the package.

“I wonder what’s inside,” he muttered. “The size, the shape... It couldn’t be, though, could it?”

Ondine shook her head, but her face was quite pale.

“Well, he said it wasn’t illegal, so I guess it couldn’t be a Kinzuki Cage. We’ll just have to trust him, right? He helped us, after all. This is the least we could do for him.”

The girl nodded, though she didn’t look so sure.

When they got off the tube, Kaine paused.

“Oh! I remember now! Talak Atvan...” He stopped and looked down at Ondine’s questioning face. Now what was he going to do? He shouldn’t tell her that the man was a notorious criminal who operated in the rim. That would only make her more anxious. He and his big mouth, he should have kept that to himself. With a sigh, he shook his head. “Never mind. It’s nothing. Just a name I heard on the holonews some years ago. It’s not like we need to find him anyway. He must work for the government if they know him in every Regency.”

Which was curious, he reflected. Corvwah’s message suggested the man had people on every rimworld. So he must be even more powerful than Kaine had imagined.

Well, he’d drop the damn thing off as soon as he could and be rid of it. He’d do it on Rimzana.

But the man was a criminal. He glanced at the package again. How could this not be a Kinzuki Cage?

As soon as they were back on the ship, the pilot launched them back into space.

Kaine sat with the girl in the room they shared and placed the package on the table between them.

“Listen. I think we need to open this.”

She frowned but did not protest.

“Alright. Let’s do this. If I’m careful, we can maybe put it all back together and no one will be the wiser.”

His fingers slid gently across the surface, undoing the wrapping without tearing the fabric.

Inside was a black box. Engraved on its surface were three words:

DO NOT OPEN.

“Well,” he muttered. “At least it’s not a Kinzuki Cage. It’d have to be smaller to fit into this.” He paused. Looked at the girl. “What are the odds of there being another box inside this one?”

She grimaced.

“Yeah. Okay. You’re right, we’ve seen enough.”

He wrapped the package back up and slid it into his bag.