SC looked at the tree of de-encrypted files she was able to access now with a growing sense of unease. They just kept going and going and going. She was supposed to be one of the first agents on site here to investigate, but some of these files were dated almost twenty years ago. And not merely investigation logs… inventories, action reports, personnel records, floorplans, anomaly data… this wasn't the project she had been assigned to.

They had lied to her.

That thought didn't want to stick in her brain. How could it? She was quite literally programmed not to question orders. But she was staring at undeniable proof that her mission was entirely arranged under false pretenses.

On a hunch, she keyed her own ID in, just to see where she fit into this larger puzzle. She expected to see her personal file, her ID card, her mission reports, that sort of thing. She had been submitting logs almost nightly since she arrived, those had to be going somewhere.

What pulled up was a single data file. An *anomaly* data file.

Subject 009 - “Stealth-chan”

No, no, that couldn't be right. She had to get to the bottom of this. She plugged in her data drive and started the process of saving as many of the files locally as she could, starting with this one. She wouldn't get them all, it was only a matter of time before the download was noticed, questioned, and terminated, and along with it likely her access. Then she would almost certainly have to deal with her XO demanding why she was looking at these files at all… or worse. But she would deal with that when it happened.

A sudden almost imperceptible whirring sound caught her attention and she turned her head. She couldn't see it, but she could hear the servos quietly activating and the lens focusing. She was being recorded.

And someone else had noticed her noticing.

“How did you do that?” Ember asked.

“Do what?” SC replied.

“Don't play coy. My spy bots are impossible to detect. First you show up with that super secret tech, then you sense the spy bot instantly without even using any gear.”

SC tensed up. She must have reached for her concealed weapon without realizing it because Ember pressed a button on something in her pocket and several robots appeared. One transformed from what had looked like a metal box moments before and leveled a gun-looking barrel at her. A crab-like bot scuttled up from under the workbench and clicked its pincers menacingly. Another robot that was… dressed like a tourist for some reason combat rolled from behind a fridge and made finger guns at her.

SC wasn't exactly threatened by this. She knew what Ember had going on here with her robots from the Subject file. But she didn't want to fight her way out if she didn't have to. She slowly stood up from the desk and raised her hands.

“Relax, I’m not here to cause trouble.” SC said.

Ember crossed her arms. “Then why are you here?”

SC nodded back at her terminal. “Nothing more than that.”

“Who do you work for? Are you trying to steal any of my tech?”

SC shook her head. It probably wouldn't be wise to say the government. “I’m special forces.”

Ember sized her up. “Right. And I’m a mechanic.”

SC looked around the room. “Aren't you?”

“Not the point. I’m not going to get raided for helping you, am I? Should I be worried?”

“You’ve been under surveillance for at least a few weeks now,” SC said. “I’m not going to lie to you. Not after you helped me.”

Ember leaned in, and studied her expression. SC felt nervous, which was also a new feeling. She didn't like all these emotions welling up ever since that voice hit her mind.

“Okay!” Ember beamed.

“What, just like that?”

The redhead grinned. “You've got the spark. I can tell. Stand down boys.”

The robots all dropped their guard and shuffled away like nothing had happened. The one with the Hawaiian shirt stuck around near the exit though. The “spy bot” was also still tracking her, but SC didn't blame her for that. If anything, it was impressive that she still hadn't seen a glimpse of it.

“In that case…” SC offered her hand. “Perhaps we can work together?”

—

Elsewhere -

Runie sat alone at the bus stop waiting for the late bus back to the college. She had spent the better part of the evening looking for any trace of Valerie, but found nothing. No one had seen anything either. It was like she had simply vanished into thin air. Or something had snatched her and took her to another dimension. It felt utterly hopeless.

The sadness hit her the moment she sat down and she spent a while crying alone at the bus stop like a dejected romance movie heroine. But there wasn't a prince charming to suddenly show up and solve her problem. Val was gone, and Runie had to do something to find her. But what?

“Don't you know it's dangerous for a cutie like you to be alone late at night?” a voice called from the darkness.

Runie nearly jumped out of her skin. “Who's there?” she called.

The figure smiled, revealing sharp fangs, and started to step closer.