There was a lot Kaine was willing to accept, but this was pushing things too far.

“Are you freaking kidding me? I’m not going in there!”

Aj’uhl turned a quirked brow toward Val.

She crossed her arms, staring at Kaine.

“It’s not my mess to fix.”

“What mess? Besides, it was your idea to release whoever’s in there—assuming anyone is. I’m perfectly fine just ditching this thing.” He turned toward Aj’uhl. “You collect cubes, don’t you? Just take it, for all I care.”

“I only keep empty ones,” remarked the large man.

“And we know it’s not empty,” added Val, “because it was locked in a safe. Why else would you be asked to steal it?”

“Maybe my client wants to put someone in it?”

“You really believe that?”

Kaine scowled.

He was clutching at straws and he knew it.

Deep inside, he could feel they were right.

The cube had value in itself, which could explain it being kept in a safe, but with everything that had happened since he’d taken it... The whole affair stunk.

“I could just drop it in a river or something,” he grumbled.

Val gaped at him. “And leave its prisoner in limbo forever?”

“He could be a criminal, for all we know! Maybe he deserves this punishment.”

“But we don’t know, do we? Do you really want to condemn an innocent to such a horrid fate?”

Kaine paced back and forth. He couldn’t believe this was happening. Why had he taken this job? He should never have accepted.

Because he needed the money, that was why.

And now he was stuck with this damned cube and with no more credits than he’d had before.

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Heck, he had less now, since none of his expenses had been refunded.

He swung to face the other two.

“If I go in there, wouldn’t I just be as stuck as the prisoner? How the heck would I get back out?”

Aj’uhl slipped a tiny chip out of his wristpad and handed it to Kaine.

“I’ll lend you my transpin. Please don’t lose it, as those things are hard to find and very expensive.”

Kaine’s eyes grew wide. He’d heard of transpins, of course. They could teleport you anywhere you wanted, regardless of distance—though it could not take you through space. Still, they were highly sought devices.

He took it with reverence and carefully inserted it into his wristpad.

“You think it would work once I’m in that thing?”

Aj’uhl hesitated for a second. “I’ve never heard of it failing. But then, I’ve never heard of anyone trying it. But it should work. You wouldn’t be going through space, after all.”

“No, but it’s not exactly on the same planet either.”

“Technically, it is,” said Val.

“It still feels very risky.”

“I won’t lie,” said Aj’uhl, “it is risky. But there is no other way. No one deserves to be locked in a Kinzuki Cage forever.”

“Why don’t you go in there? Those things are your specialty, after all. Aren’t you curious to see what they look like inside?”

“Not enough to go looking,” Aj’uhl said with a shudder. “More importantly, my heart would not take well to the teleportation.”

“Then why do you even have a transpin?”

“I’ve had it for a long time, but my health is not what it once was. I keep it mostly out of habit, and because it’s such a precious item. Though a part of me thinks I might need it someday if the Impies come knocking. I might not survive the jump, but I’ll be damned if I’ll let them catch me. I would rather die than be tossed in a cell.”

He would have to do it, wouldn’t he?

Kaine could feel it.

No matter how much he tried to deny it, or to push the thought back, it was slowly sinking in. Acceptance was only a short breath away. He still hated the thought of doing this, but he knew they were right. No matter how much he wanted to ditch the cube, he couldn’t find it in his heart to condemn whoever was inside.

If it was a criminal, he deserved to do his time on Qreghan VI, not in a Kinzuki Cage.

He sighed and shook his head.

“Fine. I’ll do it. But I had better get out of this thing alive, or you’ll both be sorry I’m gone! What do I need to do?”

Aj’uhl grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him next to him as he walked.

“Sending someone inside the cube is much easier than releasing them. You just need to press two similarly colored sides at the same time, in a certain way, to activate the mechanism. A beam will come out of the device and suck you in. Just like that. Once you’re inside, it should be easy to find the prisoner. And if the transpin works, it’ll be just as easy to release him. You just grab him and teleport out together...”

“And if it doesn’t work?”

“Then we’ll have to find another way,” grunted Aj’uhl. “But I’m almost positive it will work.”

“Great.”

They went back to the medical room and Kaine sat on the table. He pulled the Cage out of his bag and handed it to Aj’uhl.

The big man grabbed it, turned it around, studying it for a moment. He nodded to himself as he placed his hands on each side and pressed on the surfaces.

At first, nothing happened.

Then a screech rang out, a bright blue light flashed, and Kaine felt his head spin—all at the same time.

He blinked.

When his eyes opened, everything around him had changed.