“I don’t like the sound of any of that,” David said.

  “You’re welcome to hang out here,” Keep replied. “We can come back for you later. Maybe. We have a bad habit of leaving things scattered across the Spiral.”

  “Like my Avenger,” Druck said.

  “My Avenger,” Matt corrected. “The Mustang’s stuck now too, unless you sigil it out of here.”

  “I told you we’ll protect you,” I said to David. “You’re safe with us.”

  He nodded, but didn’t look convinced. I couldn’t really blame him for that. We had pulled him directly into an even worse situation than I'd anticipated.

  “I know some of you didn’t get any sleep last night,” Keep said. “There are bedrooms on the third floor. If you’re tired, you can hit the sack up there for a few hours. After I tuck Bennie in, I’ll go check in on a few places I used to know and see what’s what. Alter, I wouldn’t mind a bodyguard if you’re up for it.”

  “Sure,” Alter replied. “I’ll come with you.”

  “I want to go, too,” I said. “I’m not that tired.”

  “Sorry, Ben,” Matt said. “Keep’s got it right. You need to stay here and let him calm you so your body can recover.”

  “What? Who put you in charge?” I asked incredulously.

  “Are we on Head Case?” he countered.

  “No.”

  “Then you did,” he replied with a smile. “Fifty-fifty, remember?”

  I made a sour face and sighed. “Damn it. Fine.”

  “Can I watch you use the calming sigil?” David asked. “It’ll help me tune my simulation.”

  “It’s kind of embarrassing for me,” I admitted.

  “Dude, I’m a scientist. It’s all clinical.”

  I hesitated before caving. “Okay. You can watch. Let’s find a bed and get this over with.”

  CHAPTER 16

  Keep’s calm put me to sleep for nearly six hours. I awoke refreshed, realizing how tired I'd actually been before resting. I was starting to get used to the fatigue. Maybe too used to it. With the cancer slowly spreading, my energy didn’t hold out the way it had a few months ago.

  Shaq was curled up against my head, fast asleep until I stirred and sat up. He stretched adorably before quickly licking his paws clean and then cleaning his face. He caught up to me just ahead of the stairs, leaping from the floor to the wall and then to my shoulder, where he clung near my ear.

  “How are you?” he buzzed.

  “The rest helped,” I replied. “You?”

  “Perfect.”

  Quasar and Druck had left our gear in the room next to the bathroom where we had entered the house. I found my meds in one of the packs, along with emergency rations and water bottles someone had smartly grabbed before we left Head Case. Bill and George’s gift was in there too, still wrapped and waiting to be revealed. I nearly opened it then, my curiosity almost more than I could stand. But the outside of the tag read FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, and I was hardly alone right now. I heard Matt and David’s voices echoing from the ground floor living area, and someone’s footsteps on the stairs.

  Making my way down the corridor, I paused, startled when a door to my left opened at the end of the adjoining foyer. A wave of warm air washed in, along with Keep and a more concentrated version of the musty smell that permeated what remained of the building.

  Keep pulled to a stop, surprised to see me there. “Bennie, you’re awake,” he said. “Perfect timing.”

  Alter stepped out from behind him, carrying a large, worn duffel bag that was faded and covered in patches. “How do you feel?” she asked, obviously concerned.

  “Better than before,” I admitted. “I take it you found someone to smuggle us topside?”

  “Easy peasy,” Keep replied. “Turns out one of my old contacts had a kid who’s heading the Sludge.”

  “The Sludge?”

  “There are four primary gangs down here. The Sludge is one of them. They’re named after the fungus that grows on the support pylons. Because it’s slowly taking over Old Haydrun.”

  “The fungus is called the Sludge?”

  “I’m sure it has a scientific classification, but who uses that? Anywho, pack your bags, kid. We’re getting out of here.”

  “We never unpacked our bags,” I replied. “How much is this costing us?”

  “A cool million. I know it sounds like a lot, but considering the alternatives…”

  “Do you think we’ll ever be able to get the Mustang back?”

  “As long as I survive or you learn how to transit, plus either another million electro or your bounty's rescinded, sure. Why not?” In other words, it wasn't likely.

  I activated the embedded comms. “Attention all hands. Keep and Alter are back. Let’s regroup in the study.”

  “Copy that,” Druck said, responding for everyone.

  We made our way down the hallway to where Matt and David were on the sofa. “Look alive,” Keep said as Alter dropped the duffel in the middle of the floor. “We picked up some destination appropriate outerwear while we were out. There’s something for everyone.”

  “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” I asked.

  “Nothing,” Keep replied. “Except everything. If we want to get close to the Empress, we need to look like we belong in the palace. There’s a change of clothes for me in there too.”

  Alter knelt over the bag and unzipped it, starting by pulling out threadbare coats and dirty cloaks.

  “Did you pick up the wrong bag?” Matt asked, looking at the duds.

  “That’s to blend in down here,” Keep replied. “You’ll shuck the top layer when we exit the tunnels.”

  Druck and Quasar entered the room, eyes falling to the clothes as Alter continued removing them from the bag.

  “You found something in my size?” Quasar asked.

  “Believe me, it wasn’t easy,” Keep replied. “Fortunately, Vango’s enforcer is your size. You’ll have to settle for menswear, though.”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

  “How come underground gang leaders always have names like Vango or Kingo or Kano?” David asked. “So cliche.”

  “Why don’t you tell him that when you meet him?” Keep replied. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate the feedback.”

  “I’m not wrong though,” David insisted.

  “You’re not wrong,” I agreed, amused.

  Gia shuffled into the room, eyes still heavy from sleep. Seeing her just out of bed, her long hair frizzy and tousled, her face puffy, I would never have pegged her as the same woman I had seen up on stage before Alter’s pillow fight. Not that she looked bad. In fact, I found her natural appearance more appealing rather than less.

  “Didn’t you sleep at the Ackermann’s?” Matt asked.

  “Not really,” she replied. “The bed was a bit harder than I’m used to. I slept better here. Too well, maybe.” She rubbed her eyes. “I thought we might have more time. I could really use a shower.”

  “No time,” Keep said. “Vango gave us an hour, and the deposit is non-refundable.”

  “What are you talking about?” Gia asked.

  “Vango is the gang leader who agreed to smuggle us to New Haydrun,” I summarized. “But I guess we’re on the clock. How much was the deposit?”

  “One hundred percent,” Keep replied.

  “You gave him a million electro in good faith?” I asked, my eyes widening in shock. “How do you know he won’t turn us in and collect the reward on top of that?”

  “Honestly, kid? I don’t. Except I didn’t announce who I was bringing topside. Just that we needed access as a group. Hopefully she won’t know who you are.” He shrugged. “I told you that was a risk. It’s not like we can afford to walk away and not buy passage.”

  “We’re so screwed,” Druck said.

  “Ben, this is yours,” Alter said, throwing me a shrink-wrapped bundle of clothes. “Matt, here.” She threw him a similar bundle, passing out the others to the rest of the crew.

  “How come you don’t have one?” David asked when she had finished.

  “I don’t need it,” she replied.

  “Why not?”

  Alter stood up, her current outfit pulling back into her form until she stood naked in front of us, clearly female though her breasts and genitals lacked definition. In that state, she looked more like a mannequin than human. David watched in fascination as new clothes formed from her flesh, molded like clay until she wore a pair of loose black trousers and a long black microfiber coat over a frilly black blouse.

  “Ready,” she said.

  “Wow. That is so cool!” David exclaimed.

  “Wait a second,” Druck said, seeing her change for the first time. “You…that…I…huh?”

  “Seriously?” Quasar quizzed him. “You still hadn’t figured it out?”

  “I…No.”

  “When we all evacuated Head Case, a simple headcount should have given you a clue.”

  He shrugged. “I didn’t really think about it. I’m not a math person.” He looked at Alter. “How do you do that?”

  Quasar face-planted. “I don’t believe this. She’s an alien, you idiot.”

  “Since when?”

  “Pretty sure she was born that way, Druck.”

  “I’m glad you’re embracing what you are,” I said, smiling at her. “There’s no reason to hide it with us.” I glanced at Druck. “But if you say anything to anyone else about this—”

  “I won’t,” Druck said, mind still reeling. “So wait. You’re Enigma?”

  “Yes,” Alter said.

  “And that’s why nobody could ever catch you. Because you just poof, turn into somebody else to get away.”

  “Yes.”

  “Damn. How did I miss this the whole time?”

  “I already told you, it’s because you’re an idiot,” Quasar said. “A good soldier, an incredible mech pilot, but otherwise a moron.”

  “Takes one to know one,” Druck commented.

  They both laughed.

  “Moving on,” Keep said, unbuttoning his shirt to change into his new clothes. “There are plenty of empty rooms if you’re shy.”

  Gia took her bundle out of the room. So did David. I thought about going somewhere private, but I didn’t need to strip naked to change and wasn’t that shy about underwear. I thought Quasar might go to another room, but maybe Alter’s visible reconfiguration convinced her to undress to her undies in front of us. I did my best not to look at her, but I couldn’t help noticing the colorful tattoos that ran along her back and upper arms. I wasn’t sure if I should mention them or not. Druck took care of it for me.

  “Love your tats, Zar,” he said, not shy about giving her the once-over. He had some artwork on his skin as well—a large snakelike creature wrapped around a mech that occupied his entire right calf.

  “Thank you,” she replied. “I got them done after I was accepted to the Royal Marines. They’re done in special ink only available to service members. The shade changes depending on the light.” She turned her body to pose like a swimsuit model. The tattoos seemed to come alive when she did, the color flowing like water.

  “That is really cool,” I added. “Did it hurt to have it done?”

  “Oh yeah, lots,” she replied. “But it was worth it.”

  We finished dressing. Our outfits were all riffs on the same look Alter had reformed into, with dark trousers and coats over fitted shirts. Mine also came with a red vest, Matt with a yellow one. Keep’s jacket differed from ours, longer and larger, and he also wore a black beret.

  “This is fashion?” Druck said, looking down at his clothes. His shirt had a frilly front like he was a Flamenco dancer or something. “I feel like I should be standing on a street corner hitting on soldiers on Graviti.” He pointed at Quasar. “How come she gets the cool threads?”

  Her jacket was sleeker and more leathery, closer to the dragon-scale coat Sephiroth had worn on Furion. I had tried to get Asshole to make me a coat like it, but the materials on hand didn’t allow for a suitable replica. Her shirt was dark blue, her pants more finely detailed. They were men’s clothes, but they looked good on her, without taking away her femininity.

  “Jealous?” she asked, obviously feeling good in the clothes.

  “A little,” he admitted.

  David returned to the room first, his clothes a little tight. He didn’t seem to care about that part of it. “Don’t they have t-shirts and shorts on this planet?” he asked. “Or is this galaxy too cool for that?”

  “We’re trying to get into the Empress’ palace,” Keep replied. “You don’t do that wearing shorts.”

  “They don’t have tourists here?”

  “Not American tourists.”

  “Ouch,” Matt said. “Low blow.”

  Gia returned a few minutes later. She had taken the opportunity to clean herself up a bit more, combing her hair and wrapping it into a ponytail and adding makeup I didn’t know she had. She still didn’t look like the Gia, but she did look younger and less tired.

  “Ta-da,” she said unenthusiastically. “Who picked the sizes for these threads? The blouse is pinching me in all the wrong places.”

  “Sorry,” Keep replied. “I did the best I could purely on memory.”

  “We brought a bunch of guns with us,” Druck said. “What are we supposed to do with them? There’s no way we can bring them into the palace.”

  “We never planned to bring them into the palace,” I said. “We aren’t going there to start a fight.”

  “Since when do we go anywhere without a fight starting?”

  “I’ll book a room at the Galaxian when we reach New Haydrun,” Keep said. “We’ll drop our equipment there before moving on to the next part of the plan. Are you jabronis ready to go?”

  “Ready as I’ll ever be,” David said.

  “Since when are you in charge?” Matt asked.

  I cringed at the exchange. I knew he had some kind of weird rivalry going on with Keep, but he was taking it too far.

  Keep shrugged, unbothered by the question. “Okey dokie, Mattie. They’re all yours.”

  “Zar, Druck, grab our gear on the way out,” Matt said. “Alter, do you still have the Star?”

  “I do,” Alter replied, part of her form turning clear to reveal it.

  “Wait, you can carry stuff in there too?” Druck said. “I didn’t know we had a pack mule. Can you do guns?”

  “Why do you think we all have empty holsters?” Alter replied.

  “I don’t have an empty holster,” David said.

  “You don’t know how to use a gun,” I replied.

  “Yeah, but still.”

  “I don’t have a holster either,” Gia said.

  “Really?”

  “I’m not about to start shooting at Royal Guards. For any reason.”

  “And you think we are?” Quasar replied. “Not on my watch.”

  “The guns are in case Sedaya’s goons show up before we move on the palace,” I said. “They know that we know about the space dock. They might anticipate us trying to reach the Empress.”

  “You should have said that sooner,” Gia said.

  “We discussed this during the first briefing on our way here,” Matt explained. “Where were you?”

  “I guess I wasn’t paying complete attention. Is it too late to get a holster?”

  “Yes,” Matt and I both said at once. “We need you to focus on the technical side, anyway. Your neural link is our best tool to pinpoint both Head Case and the Empress.”

  “Neural link?” David said. “Is that a mind-machine interface?”

  “Yes,” Gia confirmed.

  “Wow. That’s so cool. What can it do?”

  “You two can talk neural links later,” Matt said. “It’s time to go. David stick close to Alter.”

  “Okay,” David said.

  “Everyone grab a dirty coat or cloak and let’s move out.”

  CHAPTER 17

  I turned around as soon as the last of us cleared the door and Keep used his sleeve to shove it closed with a deep thud. It wasn’t like any front door to a skyscraper I had ever seen before. More like the entrance to a bank vault, even the frame around it and the architecture beyond that looked menacing and impermeable. Apparently, the Atlassian Hegemony had taken the standard Atlas depiction of a man holding Earth on his shoulders and updated it slightly. Instead, Atlas held multiple galaxies, all joined together by a tight ribbon that reminded me of the scarf Sedaya used to choke me. The icon was plastered over the heavy door, along with an inscription:

  Royal Guard Barracks #31

  Looking higher, I saw the jagged edges of twisted superstructure, which told the story of how the rest of the building had toppled sideways, crushing the smaller building beneath it. The shells of both remained locked in an eternal, terrifying embrace beneath the heavy lid of New Haydrun.

  “Horrifyingly mesmerizing, ain’t it, kid?” Keep asked.

  “Yeah. How many people died during the battle?”

  His expression darkened. “You don’t want me to answer that. Come on.”

  He hurried to join Alter at the head of our group, while I stayed near the back with Quasar. We made our way along the wide avenue just outside the study’s window, and I glanced back a second time to confirm that outsiders only saw a wall there. If we had more time, I would have gone back to knock on the solid masonry to see if it felt more like stone or glass.

  “You feel okay, Ben?” Quasar asked. I could tell she was on edge, uncomfortable with her weapons being out of immediate reach in the backpack she carried.

  “Well enough,” I replied. “You?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t want to kill the mood. But I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

  “I think we all do. Except David, maybe.” He had already drifted away from Alter to get closer to Gia. Probably to ask her more about the neural link. It seemed his interest in the technology exceeded his puppy-dog crush shyness toward her.