Gavin looked at his pocket watch as they unlocked the doors to the rooms. “Alright, Kat. It’s time. Can you get the ship prepped?”

“I mean, you saw the last simulation.”

“Kat, it is just starting the engines. I’ll pilot once we are ready.” She sighed and nodded. He spoke into the comms, “How is Jolly Green feeling?”

‘He is ready for the show today. Are you sure he is going to throw that swordsman to the wolves?’

Gavin laughed, “I’m about to piss him off so much he wants to see blood. That’s gonna be fine. I’ll slip into the prison block while he is focused on the decoy.” He looked at his emergency transformation device and its pale blue light. “As long as he keeps the decoy stones on him everything should be fine.” Stepping out of the room, Katsi moved to the left while he peeled off to the right. Taking a few ducts that he had found during recon, he opened the vent and slid down, adjusting his emergency transformation device a little on his wrist. Popping open the vent on the prison level, he walked through the halls as though he belonged there, his confidence and daring making the criminal mob from asking too many questions. Least of all when interference with someone could lead to being beaten to death. As he approached the warden from the night before and said, “The Serpent leaves it’s mark.”

The warden rolled his eyes, “He wasn’t joking. That was such a melodramatic password.” Retrieving his tablet from inside his vest, he took a few moments to enter a code to release Hasnacht and his new gang, Ulbricht bellowing a war horn. Gavin watched carefully as the prisoners left quietly as instructed, Hasnacht glaring at Gavin on his way out. Gavin pulled his hat down as he collected himself. So far so good. Now if everything-

“I was just about to rescue- hey!”

Reijaa slithered right past her fool of a brother before wrapping around and constricting Gavin. “What is your goal, Alabaster?” Her sarcasm and scorn dripped from her voice like venom from her fangs.

Gavin squeaked out, “Can’t answer. Very. Very strong.” She shifted her coils so he could speak. “Thank you. I knew you needed to know before-“ he gagged as she crushed his ribs a little. “Right. Short version.”

——————

Anisa sighed, “This is clearly a trap but I don’t know why.” She paced the briefing room.

Sai tried moving his prototype a little before hopping back out and making adjustments to it. “Knowing his reputation from the other world, he is probably scared of the main cannon and wants to find something to make himself scary again. Big fan of the ‘beauty of evolution’”

Gavin tossed the counterfeit blue stone in his palm, “We can use that. I think I’ve got projections down to some degree. It isn’t a super gun or anything, but it will do for this. I’ll use Alabaster to slip in and dig into what he’s doing. Tak, have you finished the adjustments?”

She tossed a few parts over to Sai for his prototype body. Before making adjustments to Pine’s armor. “I’ve created some smaller emitters for Pine, but he has to be careful with the mountings on the larger ones. The structure is old and there is no guarantee it can hold the weight.”

Katsi nodded, “So, we take a few days setting the groundwork and documenting his layout in person. Get chummy with some of his men over booze. Wait for Hasnacht to try to crash the party, hope that he doesn’t get killed when you upstage Tun, plant the decoys, free your girlfriend and the prisoners and then bail in the confusion?”

Gavin nodded, “The only gamble I’m taking is with her little brother. I mean, Ulbricht tends to grovel enough for the both of them but if push comes to shove I can get him to focus on Alabaster instead.”

————

Her coils tightened so he explained faster, “So, I used Pine as a part of the act, used emitters to saturate the temple with the essence of Truth, used that to create multiple solid projections to distract from me and my friends while we tried to save everyone.”

She glared at him, trying to scour the truth. “You are a coward to your core. Why would you put through so much effort to save others?”

Gavin smiled at her a smile she hadn’t seen in a long time before it vanished. “Look, I am running out of time, but I need to tell you something. So come with me and my crew. We could use you.”

She slowly released him from her coils and her cold voice responded, “I will. But only if Hasnacht is allowed to come as well. He needs better influences.”

Gavin growled as his frustration mounted. He hissed, “The brat and his literal toadie tried to kill me with a rocket launcher.”

“So you see my point.” He looked ready to strangle her but she made no effort to show compassion. He sighed and motioned her to take care of it. Getting close to him and flicking her tongue about him she said, “I will listen without interruption. If I don’t like what I hear, I will be sharing a bunk with you tonight.” She slithered away and got in her brother’s path, his toad friend on his shoulders. “You will be coming with Gavin and I after this.”

Hasnacht laughed, “I’m not your bab-“ she bared her fangs at him and he stopped speaking. Ulbricht tried to run away but she slithered around him and began to squeeze the air out of his body, a loud squeak filling the halls. Hasnacht ran up and whispered, “Fine fine. Just leave Ulbricht alone. He and I will follow. Just not here. Okay?”

She got in her brother’s face before slithering up the hall and turning to wait for everyone to catch up. Gavin started the chant, “Hasnacht! Hasnacht! Hasnacht!” Soon the crowd joined him. He snuck through the crowd and patted Hasnacht on the shoulder, “Saved you again, hatchling. Now we need to move. Tun just killed my decoy so we need to get to the landing pad fast.”

Hasnacht hissed at him but lead the charge, a now terrified Ulbricht latched to his back.