Episode 21

We need to nullify two equations of their
security. Man and machine. Ross will
disable machine. The mainframe is on the
6th floor.

Night was absolute. The moon was a sickly crescent in the sky, the city under a dark blanket. Very few lights were turned on - no doubt they feared the White Sun's first move would be to bomb intelligence centres.

Two figures darted from shadow to shadow. Almost ten second intervals, until the alley behind Alcott's.

"Ow!"

"Sssh! You little moron -"

"You stepped on my foot. Who asked you -"

"Shut up!"

Ross and Sabriye were working together. There was no helping it, Alec said, both their skills brought them those roles. Ross made a dirty joke at Sabriye's expense. To her consternation, Ceri looked on without any reaction.

We didn't click at the ball?!

Back to the present. She had stepped on Ross's foot, but she wasn't going to admit it. They stole into INTERNAL's service area, and Ross lifted the vent he had loosened earlier.

"Ladies first." he said, gesturing at the vertical shaft inside.

Sabriye strapped on her climbing kit and shot him a look that usually curdled milk. "So you can stare at my butt throughout the entire climb? No. Way."

Ross shrugged and crawled in. "If i fart on you sometime in there, don't fall."

Sabriye gritted her teeth, forcing herself to remember this was a mission they couldn't just joke off.

She got in after Ross, who was already a few feet up and climbing.

*

Two zip lines thudded into the top of INTERNAL, sinking into the concrete. The lines were tugged as the owners tested them. Secure.

Ceri and Taylor activated the small rotors of their stealth suits, bringing them up like some warped yoyo against the side of the building. Higher and higher they bounced, leaving the cover of structures below them and getting knocked about in the wind.

Ceri was detached, as usual, thoughts on the mission like he was watching himself through a movie screen. Don't get caught up in issues, he told himself.

But as he clambered up, struggling against the drafts, he though back to that night at the ball. He had been caught up in reality, letting his thoughts flow into his words. Sabriye shared hers with him. That was a freedom he hadn't experienced in a long time.

"Bird patrol." Taylor snapped sharply.

Both of them stopped moving and pressed themselves against the face of the building. A flock of pigeons flew past, not noticing them due to the light illusion deployed by their suits. It wasn't going to last long - the suits had limited mana reserves.

The flock flew on. The boys continued the climb, now more wary for surveillance flocks scouting the city. Ceri, in particular, forgot all about his problems as they reached the top floor.

Taylor snuck a peek through the windoes. "Five guards," he said, shaking his head. "Not yet."

"Hold on." Alec said, crackling through their earpieces. "Ross should be arriving at the 6th floor anytime now."

Ceri looked at Taylor and shrugged. Well, he attempeted a shrug - the wind made it hard to do anything other than hang on.

Quietly, silently, they waited.

*

"You there yet?" the voice crackled in Ross's ear.

"Not yet." he panted, placing the next magnetic handhold.

"What?!" Alec yelled, "Ceri and Taylor are at the top now, completely exposed to drones!"

Ross rolled his eyes. "It'll take me like thirty seconds to get there. What can go wrong? You might as well kill off the human factor right now."

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