They pushed open the door of the diner, Mian still leading the way. The inside was completely different from the exterior. The floors were clean and sparkling, and the chairs and benches newly upholstered. A small robot scurried around the room, searching for garbage or spills. They could see the reflection to the back kitchen on the counter that stretched the length of the opposite side. Stools lined the counter, and an elderly man sat at the right corner, a battered and cracked mug in front of him. An older man’s voice shouted out from the kitchen, then was echoed by a younger one, followed by the hiss of food landing in hot oil. Low light bars hung from the ceiling, one flickering towards the right end of the room, but they otherwise seemed in excellent condition. Booths ran down either side of the front of the diner with a window at each one, their fabric tattered in some places and pristine in others.

Two women stood behind the counter, talking to each other. Both were wearing rose colored blouses with vertical white stripes and black pants. One was chewing on something, and a familiar tattoo of rotating gears was on her neck, disappearing beneath the shirt. Xaleyp couldn’t place where he’d seen that same design before. They looked up at the pair of newcomers at the door, stopping their conversation at once.

“Go ahead and have a seat anywhere, darlings,” the one with the tattoo said. She smiled brightly at them. “We’ll be right with you. If you need a menu, there’s a code you can scan at the table.”

Xaleyp looked around. The dining room, if it could even be called that, was almost empty. Aside from the man to their right, there was only one other patron, and he was sitting in the corner booth. He was a middle-aged man with a bald spot at the top of his head and a light beard, wearing a one piece maintence uniform with an ArcDefense patch affixed to the front. A mug of coffee sat in front of him on the table, half drunk, with steam still issuing from it in thin wisps. His eye was twitching as he used his CAM, probably reading the daily news or something. When she saw him, Mian grabbed Xaleyp’s hand and intertwined their fingers. He recoiled at her touch, but a look from her told him to not say anything. She held on tighter, almost to the point of crushing, to make sure he couldn’t wriggle out of her grasp.

“It’s part of the cover I gave him. We’re a couple.” Her voice was quiet to not be overheard. Xaleyp glanced at her curiously. “I know. I don’t like it any better than you do. I had to think of something that would let us be together, though. Let me do the talking.”

The man looked up at them as they approached with a slight smile. There was a brief look of recognition on his and Mian’s faces, and he gestured at the bench across the table with a wide sweep of his arm.

“Please, sit down. We have much to discuss.”

Mian let Xaleyp slide into the bench seating first, then sat down on the outside. Both of them stared at the man as he placed his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together. Grease lined the laminate of the surface, attaching itself to the man’s sleeves.

“So, I understand you have need of gaining access to a certain building.” He kept his voice quiet, glancing towards the counter then the window. “I may be able to help with that. First, I want to see the money.”

Mian frowned, but her eye twitched to use her CAM. After several seconds, she stared straight at the man.

“Unmarked account number alpha kilo seven seven six three three four eight nine one two sierra. You should see the full discussed amount, and it will be transferred after our transaction is complete.”

He looked in his CAM for a moment before his smile broadened.

“Why do you need these passes?” he asked, twiddling his fingers. His eyes passed over Mian and landed on Xaleyp before moving back. “It’s not every day someone needs to get into ArcDefense.”

“That’s not really anything you need to concern yourself with.”

“I think it is when I’m the one putting my job on the line.”

“You can find a new one.” Mian shrugged. “Surely your expertise can be used somewhere else.”

“That’s not really the point, little girl.” As he said the words, Mian’s fingers dug into Xaleyp’s thigh. It took all of his willpower to not show the pain on his face. “Why would I betray the company I’ve worked at for fifteen years for just five years’ salary?”

“Because that same company would throw you out like yesterday’s garbage for the slightest offense. They show you no loyalty. They deserve no loyalty. Now, can you make the badges or not?”

The smile disappeared from his face, and his hands separated with one drumming idly on the table as he thought. Xaleyp found it difficult to just be sitting there while Mian did all the work. Lina was his friend, and this was his revenge, not hers. He was the one who needed to do this. Now, Mian was just taking over, she was in charge? It hardly seemed right.

Xaleyp glanced around the room for two reasons: first, to make sure no one was watching, and, second, to give him a feeling that he was actually doing something other than sitting there like a kid in timeout. As he did so, an odd thought struck his mind. The waitresses never came to get their order, nor did they so much as offer them coffee or any other drinks. When he looked over, the counter was empty, and there was no more noise coming from the kitchen. Even the man at the other end had vanished. There was only the three of them in the diner. It was silent apart from the drumming of the fingers.

“I can have them for you in two days’ time.” The man looked Mian in the eye. “But I want half up front, half on delivery. Just in case.”

“Fine.” Mian’s eye twitched to bring up the FinMod. “What’s the account number for transfer?”

He gave her the number quickly, still keeping his voice low. For less than half a second, Xaleyp could have sworn he saw the man’s face break out in an ear to ear grin, but it was gone so quickly that he swore that it was a figment of his imagination, his mind playing tricks on him.

“Transfer complete. Have the badges at the location in the memo at precisely noon in two days.” She glared at him. “Don’t even think about bailing on us. We will find you, and we will end you.”

“Of course not.” His voice carried no hint of panic or alarm. In fact, he smiled. “I’m a businessman. I appreciate honesty.”

“Come on, honey,” Mian said as sidled out of the booth and she stood up, pulling Xaleyp with her. “We have a full day ahead of us.”

“Lead the way.” Xaleyp let Mian tug him toward the door. The counter was still empty as they walked out of the dinner. “That went well.”

“A little too well, I think.” Mian looked up and down the street. There were still no pedestrians, and only the occasional car passed them. “We should stay alert once we’re inside.”

“Of course.” Xaleyp led the way down the street, heading in the direction of the nearest sewer entrance. They continued holding hands until out of sight of the diner, just in case anyone had been watching. When it came time to let go, Xaleyp almost didn’t want to, enjoying the feel of her fingers intertwined with his, but did so begrudgingly. “It’s almost like we’re breaking into one of the most defended buildings on the planet.”

“But something didn’t feel right about that.” She hesitated for a moment, thinking hard about something. “Did you see that weird smile he had for a second? Something was off there.”

“I thought I imagined it.” Xaleyp replayed the image in his head, trying to decipher any hidden meaning, anything that he might have missed when he saw it the first time. “I guess not. It was… unnatural, or something.”

“It definitely gave me the creeps.” She shuddered. Out of nowhere, she stopped and turned to him, and he stumbled to do the same. “Are you sure you want to do this? It’s not too late to change your mind.”

“Of course I do. She’s worth it and deserves revenge.”

“Forgive me for asking,” Mian said, her voice reluctant, “but were you and Lina…?”

“No.” Xaleyp shook his head as he interrupted her. “We were friends, best friends, but nothing more.”

“Did you want it to be something more?” After several seconds of him not answering, she continued, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. It’s private, and I’m sure it hurts for me to bring it up. Here’s our stop anyway.”

She pointed ahead of them, where there was another building similar to the one they had entered their first night in New Alexandria. As they reached the door, she held her wrist with the bracelet up to the lock. It chimed and hissed open to let them in. The bracelets were a neat little invention, designed specifically for the Hyperion Resistance to get in and out of the sewers without having to remember and key in the codes each time they came and went.

They moved across the room and began climbing down the ladder into the sewers. Somewhere was the familiar dripping of water and some small animal scurrying away. The resistance set up strings of light throughout the sewers to make it a little easier to get through. It wasn’t bright by any means, but it was at least something to keep them from getting lost in the cavernous system.

Xaleyp considered what Mian had asked. Did he want to have more to his relationship with Lina? Is that why he felt the way he did when she was killed? Why he wanted so badly to get revenge? He had never thought of her that way. She had always just been his friend. Someone he could rely on. Someone who could rely on him. She never seemed like she wanted anything more, and Vertyn made it hard anyway. But the bond they shared was incredible. They were almost inseparable at times.

“No, I don’t think I did,” Xaleyp said as they rounded the first corner. Mian jumped at the noise. “I don’t think I wanted to be more than friends with her. She was just… Lina, if that makes sense.”

The look Mian had on her face told Xaleyp that she didn’t think it made sense, but she nodded anyway. Why was it so hard for him to describe his feelings? Flying a starfighter came so simply to him. But when it was time to talk about how he felt, it was like being tortured or something.

“She was smart, and funny, and brave.” Mian’s voice pierced the still air after several minutes of silence. She placed her hand on his shoulder as they continued walking. “We’ll get the revenge she deserves, I promise. After you.”

She gestured to the door. Xaleyp hadn’t even noticed that they approached it, but he typed in a code on the lock at the side out of habit anyway. After it chimed, he spun the spoked wheel in the center, and it slid open towards him, creaking and groaning. They walked through, and Mian closed it behind her with an echoing clang. The wheel clicked with each rotation as it locked in place.

Mian was right. Lina was smart. She was funny. She was brave. She was all those, and so much more. Not anymore. Now, she was none of those. But Mian was also wrong. He wouldn’t just get revenge for Lina. He would make sure the Arcadians suffered the way he did.