Tee paced back and forth through the apartment. Cassandra looked up at them patiently, absent-mindedly cleaning her weapons on a rag on the living room table. She clearly knew Tee would talk once they’d processed whatever it was, and was kind enough to wait. They didn’t want to leave her hanging, though, and they stopped for a moment. 

“Hmm?” Cassandra asked, raising her eyebrows. Tee looked at her in admiration for a moment. 

“I was sent an encrypted transmission,” they finally said.

“Encrypted or corrupted? They can look very similar.” She paused. “I guess it depends on where it came from, I guess. Do you have the key?” Tee shook their head.

“No, but I’m sure it’s properly encrypted.” They went back to pacing. “And I’m ninety-nine percent sure it’s from Double-M. There’s a weird thing in the encryption with the two letters coming back. I’m pretty sure I can crack it, but it’s taking forever. Like being sent a puzzle, I guess.” Cassandra froze for a moment, then, with a resolution in her eyes that Tee found eminently attractive, she rapidly began assembling her hammer. 

“Do you think this is it?” she asked, her voice level. She probably didn’t want to get her hopes up, Tee assumed. They were in the same space. Maybe it was nothing. But maybe it was the signal they’d both been waiting for. They stopped pacing for a moment and looked at Cassandra. The past… fuck, it had been almost a year, had been amazing, all things considered. They both held on to the hope that Ellis would show up, and on days where either of them was close to giving up, they reminded each other that Tee had shown up too. That all they needed to do was wait. And until then they had each other. They’d spent several nights laughing at themselves -- and each other -- for doing nothing about that attraction for years after they’d met. There had been a lot of ‘oh my god, you too?’ to go around. But now it looked like it was possible, for the family that Tee had wanted to start so many months ago to finally become a reality. If only they managed to crack that encryption.

“Yes,” they said. “I do. But I don’t want to make any kind of definitive statement until I have absolute confirmation. We’ve had two false calls before and I’m not putting my emotional eggs in that basket again until I see his stupid face.” Cassandra stood up and closed the distance between them, then wrapped her arms around them. Tee took a completely unnecessary breath. They didn’t need oxygen, but sometimes the act of opening their mouth and expanding their chest helped them calm down. 

“Me too. So take your time to be absolutely sure.” Cassandra kissed their forehead, and then a softer one on the lips that did very little to calm either of them down, but at least gave them an outlet for their nascent excitement and anxiety. When she finally pulled away, Tee was sure they could see stars. Cassandra coughed self-consciously and Tee admired the little blush on her cheeks. “Anyway, for no reason in particular, I’m going to go look over the bike. Make sure everything is in perfect condition for no reason whatsoever.”

“That’s why you have your hammer with you,” Tee nodded with a little smile, looking at the giant weapon slung across Cassandra’s back. “To check on the bike.”

“Exactly,” Cassandra said, and she trotted off to their private garage. Tee watched her go for a moment, then went back to decryption. Being a magical android, incoming signals were messy at best, but they’d learned that almost everything arrived intact, after some unscrambling. After that it was like trying to solve a Rubik’s cube in their head while counting backwards from five million. It had taken some practice, but they were quite good at it now.

They walked out onto the balcony, a luxury Cass had been adamant they shill out for. Roof access was a possibility everywhere, but a balcony almost always meant a great view, an exit strategy in case of emergencies, and a quick way to get some fresh air. While they couldn’t strictly actually breathe, Tee’s external sensors were sensitive enough to feel air currents and their warmth, and it was good to be out of the apartment, even if it was just because the lack of immediate answers was making them feel distinctly claustrophobic. 

The evening sky was, of course, no different from the night sky, the morning sky, or any other sky for that matter. Not really. But the city ran on its own internal clock, and everyone went along with it. Casinos in the distance lit up. Billboards floated past. Air traffic increased as people went to and from their business, flying from block to block and, occasionally, between floors, stopping to show credentials to the hovering buoys. There was something relaxing about the business of the evening, although they missed the sunlight something fierce. They looked up and wondered again if the top layers had actual sunlight. What was above floor one? Tee shook their head. Not important right now. They focused on decrypting the information again, hands clamped on the railing. 

What would they do once they found Ellis? Try to get back home? Tee knew Cassandra would take convincing. She fit in, in this world, in a way she never had before. Tee themself had found a place here, helping out left and right where they could and living happily with Cass. But would Ellis want to stay? Would he want to go home? Could they, even? There were many questions, and all of them had to wait until they finally --

There should have been an audible click, or a ding of some kind. But the message decrypted without the fanfare it deserved. For a moment, Tee hesitated to read it. What if it was nothing again? They groaned. There was no time to lose in case it wasn’t nothing. They opened the message. The words seared themselves across their core processing unit.

‘ELLIS HAMILTON IS IN THE PRESENCE OF THE QUEEN,” it read. “COME SEE ME AT YOUR EARLIEST CONVENIENCE. -- MM”

They almost shattered the balcony door on the way as they barreled through the living room, scaring the living daylights out of Mort who had attempted to walk calmly across, and who would now be spending the rest of the day hiding under the couch. Tee found Cass where she said she’d be, hands on her hips and covered in grease. She looked up at Tee’s turbulent entrance, her eyes wide in a question.

“Yes!” Tee almost shouted. “Up to Double-M!”

“Good news?!” 

“Looks like it!”

“Fuck!” Cassandra tossed the rag she’d been using to clean her hands aside and hopped onto the bike. There was no time to wait or waste. By the time Tee had grabbed on behind her, Cass had started their ride up with a rumble, and they were out of the garage while the doors were still opening, clipping one of them on their way out. Neither of them cared one iota. They were going up. They were going to get Ellis. And they’d be together again. They’d be a family. Tee found themself tearing up despite the excitement. They’d waited so long. Maybe it had been easier for Cassandra, who had spent that time here so much longer. Cassandra, she’d gone from being alone to finding someone. Tee, instead, felt like they’d lost someone. They tried not to see it that way. It wasn’t easy. The bike thundered upwards, and Tee could feel the various permits being sent out. It tingled.

Cassandra expertly maneuvered the bike upwards through traffic. It was clear to Tee that she was barreling forward, her attitude bordering on reckless, and they wouldn’t have it any other way. They counted the floors as they passed them as best they could, which was more than a little challenging. The breakneck speed at which Cass was flying made it hard to focus on much of anything, but they knew they were getting very close to their destination. They approached the same garage they had last time, and it opened slowly, so much slower than either of them could stomach, and parked inside it. The fancily dressed guards were nowhere to be seen, and Cassandra wordlessly unslung her weapon from her back and pressed a finger to her lips. 

People like Double-M had routines, Tee knew, routines they didn’t just change on a whim. Dismissing guards for no reason was suspicious at the very least. “Trap?” they mouthed to Cassandra, and they got a nod in return. Their partner looked at the door in the direction of Double-M’s office, and she bit her lip. Tee could tell she was considering the possibility that Ellis had been found. Sure, they could avoid the trap altogether, but what if that meant avoiding information on Ellis? Cassandra looked at them, almost as if to ask for permission. Tee nodded and stepped back to the bike, retrieving a pistol from underneath the seat. They’d been practicing, and while not an expert marksman, the hefty weight of the hand cannon gave them a sense of security. If they weren’t going to hit anything, at least it was solid enough to beat someone over the head with. 

Cassandra carefully opened the door with the head of her hammer, scanning ahead. Tee came up behind her, gun at the ready, and they stepped into the room beyond, the hall that led past the offices. There was… nothing. Nobody was present. The whole place was empty. Deserted. A few chairs had been tipped over. Supplies were scattered around. “Fuck,” Cassandra whispered. Tee was about to suggest they head back when they heard a ‘fwoompf’ behind them. They spun around, bringing their gun to bear, but it was snatched out of their hand expertly and before they could even get a good view at their attacker, their vision was filled by a rapidly approaching fist. Which stopped, suddenly. 

“I’d recognize that shitty moustache anywhere, Haze,” Cassandra said. Tee jumped backwards and vaguely recognized the man whose wrist was caught in Cassandra’s vice-like grip. He’d been in Sal’s bar several times, although he looked like he’d spent a few days trying to break a cinderblock with his face. His ‘dashing’ little moustache was a little less trim than it used to be. Haze, wearing more professional-looking clothing than Tee had ever seen him in, struggled to get free, to no avail. Cassandra was easily a head taller than he was. 

“What the fuck are you doing here? This is none of your business!” He seemed almost hysterical. Cassandra cocked her head, and then, with all the grace of a dancer, swung Haze over her head in a beautiful arc and slammed him on the floor with a loud and dull thud. She let go and crouched down next to him.

“I’m really not in a mood to play games. I’m here to meet someone, and if you don’t give me a very solid reason why they aren’t here to meet me, I’m going to start playing she-loves-me she-love-me-not with your limbs until I get a satisfactory answer.” She looked up at Tee, and then back down at Haze. “I think I’m making myself clear.”

“Fuhhhh,” Haze said, the air knocked solidly out of him. For a moment, Tee thought Cassandra was maybe overreacting, but with another ‘fwumpf’ he was gone, and appeared by the gun on the floor, grabbing it in one swift motion and aiming it at Cass. She didn’t even hesitate and started to walk towards him. Tee saw him do the mental calculus, and he reached the conclusion they hoped he wouldn’t, leveling his gun at them instead of Cassandra. Cass stopped and glared.

“You’re gonna put that gun down or I’m going to shove it so far up your--”

“Another word and I put that bot down,” Haze panted. Cassandra’s mouth snapped shut. “On the ground. Both of you.” Cass looked at Tee and then did as she was told, locking her fingers behind her head. Tee followed her lead. Haze put his wrist up to his mouth, coughed once, never moving his gun away from Tee. “They’re here. Yeah, it’s a merc and some robot. I know they got here fast. Just send your fucking team. I’ll be exp-- Motherfucker.” The swearing he did away from the device on his wrist. He was about to say something smug when two doors on either side of the hall opened and a dozen armed men, dressed in ornate white and gold, trotted into the room in what felt like a mockery of professionalism, like they were all trying to one-up each other in how cool or methodical they could look. 

“The fuck are you doing here, Haze?”

“I’m asking the questions here, Loki. The Queen is sending messages up to Double-M. That means she’s desperate for something. You clearly know. What is it?” 

Cassandra looked up at him for a second, and then erupted in a snide, spiteful laugh. “You don’t even know? You went full lapdog and you don’t even know what you’re doing here?” She scoffed. “You always were a sad sack, Haze.”

“Tag ‘em and bag ‘em,” Haze said. The soldiers locked Cassandra and Tee’s hands behind their backs. “We’ll find out what you two know, and we’ll get to Black-62.”

“Hey, Haze,” Cassandra said as the soldiers tried and failed to pull her to her knees. “Did you try to go after her?” Haze just glared at her, and she laughed in his face. “You did, didn’t you? Hey, hey Haze, is that why your face is so fucked up?” Haze said nothing again, but more loudly. Cassandra laughed until they pressed a taser to her neck, and then laughed again until they did it three more times. Then a device was pushed into Tee’s upper back and their vision went dark.

Elamimax

:O Haze is back and he's still an ass

If you like this story and want to know how it ends, the whole thing is up on my patreon! Subscribers will get access to every single chapter right now. Other than that, I will be posting a chapter (maybe even two) every other day. You'll also have access to my other stories, including some that aren't available on scribblehub yet!

ALSO: 2 new stories on scribblehibble!

Among Brighter Stars is an ongoing science-fiction series that anyone can request additions to. 

Eris, The First God of Chaos is a VRMMO with a (secret) twist. :)

If you're in the mood to catch up on my other stories, feel free to check them out. Additionally, Horns in the Library 1 is now available as an ebook! 

I also want to point people at the discord server of the ever-prolific QuietValerie (right here) where you can find her wonderful stories, like Ryn of Avonside, Falling Over and The Trouble With Horns, as well as other authors' works, and talk about them with fellow fans, and even the authors themselves! I heartily recommend joining it and reading their works! (Also check out Walls of Anamoor. It's rad as heck.) 

Thanks again for reading, and I'll see you all in the next one. 

<3