Ami had yet to finish her second knock when the hydraulic door suddenly shot upwards. She had rushed over to Red’s place, whose cryptic invitation only left her worried. She had nearly worn the wood floors of her tiny apartment through to the apartment below with the amount of pacing she had accomplished the last few days. But other than a few messages with Charlie, nothing of note seemed to happen.

  The odd meeting with the strange and ominous “Nero” had left her shaken. It wasn’t him who scared her, but the seemingly easy intrusion of her already compromised apartment that kept her from sleeping the past few days. With Charlie’s all-together too enthusiastic help, she was able to repair her little window again - only this time with a security system connected to her auto-locking door.

  Charlie seemed to blame himself for Ami’s capture by the Vermin, though she had reminded him over and over again that there was no way for them to know they were waiting for her. After they took her away, they had taken Charlie’s temporarily limp body down the street to a nearby alley - his Hologuard armor already notifying any others nearby of his location and abrupt change in vital signs. They left him in the middle of a group of young Sage users, and he awoke newly decorated, covered by them in tiny digital flowers, much to his surprise.

  He had been searching the streets for days when he got Ami’s message, sent through her old door’s electric terminal after much trial and error. As much as she wanted to tell someone of what happened and her strange escape, she was afraid that he wouldn’t understand. She wasn’t quite sure she really understood herself. But when he showed up, fresh new, neatly wrapped lens as a gift in hand at her doorstep, she found herself smiling. When she said she wasn’t ready to answer any questions, he said he understood and didn’t press further.

  Her new friend hadn’t shown up again. Every once in a while, she seemed to share a glance in the mirror with the shadowy-stare of her body’s own intruder, but the other Ami had kept quiet since their last odd little chat. Ami wasn’t complaining.

  She thought she had wanted to return to the peace of mundanity but after the few days of silence from Red and Sabrina, left to pace her apartment, she felt like a caged animal. Things had gotten even more chaotic on the street - with Hologuards and Vermin tensions on the rise. She admittedly was enjoying the view from above, though a bit fuzzy through the city haze. Yet something invisible still bit at her ankles, urging her to get up, to do something. Anything.

  So when she received the strange, “Come over now.” message from Red, she practically jumped to the door. But now, standing in his doorframe, staring into the small bubble-room, she began to regret her decision.

  Sitting there, legs crossed and arms stretched in relaxation, was Nero. As she felt her mouth open, shocked, she saw his twist into an amused smile.

  “Hello, Ami,” he said in a calm, coaxing tone.

  Ami scanned the room, stunned.

  Was this a trap?

  Red was at his computer, eyes not parting from the screen, as he waved a hand, beckoning her in. Cil was on the couch, looking through some sort of digital diagram, but also completely unphased.

  “Hello, Ami,” said Cil, whose tone was a bit more flat and tinged with venom than that of Nero.

  “Come, sit. There’s a lot we need to talk ‘bout,” said Red, spinning in his chair to face the rest of the group.

  Ami shook her head, taking a cautious step forward.

  “What is he doing here?” she asked.

  “Just sit down,” said Cil, not looking up.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Nero patted the space on the couch with a polite inviting tap tap, and Ami felt her face unintentionally contort into a grimace. Nero responded in turn with a wild-eyed cough-laugh, loud enough to make Cil look up from her documents.

  Red shook his head.

  “Sit, stand, don’t care. We have a lot to go over though and this might take a while,” said Red.

  With an exhale of defeat, Ami sat at the edge of the couch, eyes watching Nero’s every move. He only smiled in return.

  Red cleared his throat.

  “So a week from now, in the East City-” he started, but Nero stopped him, holding up his hand. Red shot a look at Nero. “What?”

  “Wait now. Not everyone’s here just yet,” said Nero, leaning back and crossing his arms, “Hate to have you explain everything twice.”

  Cil leaned forward. “Who else is coming?”

  “Yeah,” said Red, now clearly annoyed, “What are you talking about?”

  “I invited someone else. Well, Ami did, rather,” Nero laughed to himself, amused.

  “What?” Ami shook her head, annoyance also growing, “I didn’t invite anyone.”

  “Sorry, dear Ami, but I went ahead and invited someone on your behalf. An important asset. Knew you wouldn’t do it yourself so I took some liberties. Hope you don’t mind.”

  Ami shook her head.

  Who? Sabrina?

  There was a chime at the door.

  “Ah, there they are now. Red, mind getting the door?” smiled Nero.

  Red stood up slowly, blackened eyes locked on Nero. His long legs slid across the room to the door. Ami looked at the little screen on the wall beside the metal frame, showing the outside hall, but it was black. Strange.

  Red seemed to notice this too, knocking his palm against it in frustration.

  “Data blockers…” he mumbled.

  There was then a thunk, followed by the familiar hydraulic hiss of the front door zooming upwards, and Ami’s eyes locked with the visitor.

  “Charlie?” she choked.

  Charlie’s eyes lit up upon meeting her face, and he smiled, his hand raised in an awkward wave, only to be meet with the quick slam of the door back to the ground. Thunk.

  Red spun around, eyes wild enough to match his fiery hair.

  “No,” he seethed.

  “Well, that was rude,” said Nero, shaking his head in mock disappointment.

  “You invited a Hologuard to my home?”

  “Now now, dear brother. That is no ordinary Hologuard,” said Nero, standing.

  He stood in front of Red for a moment, face-to face, staring with unnerving calm against Red’s daggers. He then gave a little, unflinching smile.

  “He’s an unbelievable asset. Dear Ami here did us the great service of befriending this Hologuard. In fact, I believe he’s quite fond of her. It’s charming, really.”

  “What are you talking about? Why is he here? How-” stammered Ami.

  But then the puzzle pieces began to fit together. She then fumbled in her pocket, awkwardly putting her new lens to her face. There, in the little blinking sent folder, was a message to Charlie that she had not sent herself.

  “Have you been reading all of my messages?”

  Nero turned to Ami.

  “Of course I have,” he smiled, amused. “Am I wrong, though? Don’t you trust him? Don’t you trust Charlie?”

  Ami’s mind rushed through the last couple of weeks. At any time, Charlie could have given her up. He could have turned her in. And at this point, she had already told him everything. She looked down.

  “Please, please just let me send him home. He doesn’t need to be involved in whatever this is,” she said. She bit the side of her cheek. “I can’t believe you messaged him.”

  There was a tiny knock at the door from a probably very confused Charlie still waiting in the hall.

  “Ah, he’s far too valuable of an asset for our little project. I’m sure you’ll understand in a moment,” smiled Nero, pushing past Red with ease and making his way to the door.

  Ami watched then, slightly stunned as Nero then pulled Red’s wrist up to the door sensor with ease, Red’s face frozen, staring millions of miles away through the scuffed white floor at his feet. The door opened once more.