The line clicked off. Silence.

  “Stupid Lucas.”

  I sat up next to Lola, rubbing at my temples, fingers pressing into the ache building behind my eyes. Lola stayed close, her hand resting lightly on the couch between us, her expression tightening with worry.

  “It… it sounds bad,” she whispered. “Is your friend okay?”

  I let out a long breath, trying to shake off the weight pressing on my chest. “Lucas has another auto-message set up for when his built-in heart monitor spikes… or flatlines. If that one didn’t trigger, he’s probably fine.”

  Probably.

  “Jerry, please dial Pearl.”

  The holo-screen blinked, showing the new connection attempt. I focused on the little status icon, trying hard not to let my brain go back to that message. The last time I’d heard someone’s backup message instead of their voice. That day still lived somewhere behind my ribs.

  Lola shifted, sitting cross-legged now, leaning in a bit. “Pearl… she’s his friend, right? I’ve heard a little about them, but not much.”

  “Yeah,” I nodded. “They’re… she’s not exactly a social butterfly, but she’s got her network. If anyone knows how to track down the Gaia people, it’s Lucas or Pearl.”

  The call kept ringing.

  No answer.

  I sat up straighter, tension crawling into my shoulders. “Wait. She’s not picking up.”

  Lola’s smile faded.

  “That’s… more concerning,” I muttered, my fingers tightening around the edge of the couch.

  The call timer finally blinked out.

  Pearl still wasn’t answering.

  “Okay, Lola.” I turned toward her, meeting her gaze. “Thank you… for checking up on me.” I stood, steadying myself on the arm of the couch. “I… I’m going to build a plan—”

  “Wait!” Her hand caught mine, fingers clasping tight. “I won’t let you go alone,” she said, voice firm, but soft at the edges. “You’re not fine, Charlie. Don’t pretend you are.”

  I froze.

  Lola’s grip held steady, though I felt the slight tremble in her fingers as her words caught. “I want to be…” she stumbled, blushing deep as the words stuck in her throat. “I mean… I am your friend. I’m your friend. I can help you. Let me help you.”

  Something fluttered in my chest, warm and light and unexpected.

  She cared.

  And I wasn’t sure I knew what to do with that. “I…” My voice cracked. I cleared my throat. “You’ve already done too much for me, you know that? The event, the castle… You built so much. And it’s all just… ruins now. Gone.”

  I swallowed hard, staring toward the door like it could explain my failure for me. “I had one job,” I mumbled. “Keep it safe. And I couldn’t.” Lola squeezed my hand, but didn’t let me pull away. I forced a smile. “I’m going to get back in. I’ll fix it. I’ll get you the kingdom you deserve to run from shadows.”

  But Lola only laughed. “I don’t need a kingdom, Lady,” she said, tilting her head. Her gaze dropped pointedly to my hand, still in hers. “And… is this how you plan to go outside?”

  I blinked.

  Then glanced down.

  Oh.

  The giant metal band T-shirt. The underwear. Nothing else.

  My face went hot. “Uh—no.”

  Later, after I’d thrown on a dress, quick and lazy, but passable, we headed out toward Lucas’ place.

  The streets were still alive with people, the kind of quiet buzz you only get when it’s too nice outside to stay in. Not robots. Real people, wandering, chatting, existing. I felt the shape of it around me, the reminder that we weren’t lone wolves in some empty world. Simulation.

  The day was warm, that soft, golden heat that clings to your skin but lets you hide in the shade of the trees lining the sidewalk.

  I walked beside Lola, matching her pace. “So… what do you think about Riker’s revolution?”

  Lola hiccuped, caught off guard. “What?!”

  I shrugged, casual. “I know he’s planning something. I mean, in a few years, the commies are gonna run the Earth. Didn’t know he was this plugged in, but I guess…”

  I stopped because Lola stopped.

  She turned, eyes narrowing just a little. “Lady… if that were true, is this really something we should be talking about in the middle of the street?”

  I grinned. “Fair point. So, did we get any money from that movie?”

  Jerry answered for her. “You repaid all you debts and still have a lot of left.”

  “You should look at your back account,” Lola also said.

  “Woah!” I grinned at her.

  She gave me a look, half exasperated, half worried. “And I don’t exactly have a network of spies at my disposal,” she added, “like I did in Rimelion.”

  I gave a little bounce on my feet, hopping next to her with a bright smile. “But I know you, Lola. I know.”

  Her expression shifted, concern softening her features. She stared at me for a second, like she was trying to read the code behind my eyes. “Not even half an hour ago,” she said quietly, “you were crying.” She blinked, confusion creeping in. “And now… now you’re jumping around with a grin?”

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  I gave another small shrug. “Emotions hit me like the tide. One wave crashes down, wrecks me, and the next? I’m sprinting again.”

  Lola nodded slowly. Thoughtful. But she didn’t say anything more.

  The receptionist was still at her post. Probably had a name, but not the kind of person you asked. “Hello!” I waved at her cheerfully, stepping right up without hesitation.

  Not afraid to talk. Not this time.

  I smiled widely. “I need to smile with Lucas.”

  The receptionist blinked.

  “…You need to what?”

  Lola doubled over with laughter, barely holding it back, while my face flushed straight to my ears.

  “Talk.” I groaned, dragging a hand down my face. “I meant talk with Lucas. Is he in?”

  The receptionist raised one eyebrow, unimpressed. “I can’t tell you that, and you know it. You don’t have an appointment, Charlie.”

  I froze.

  She knew me?

  Or… knew the other me. The body Lucas forced on me. The old Charlie. I cleared my throat, straightening. “I need to get into his apartment. I know the code.”

  She shook her head slowly. Not unkind, but firm. “Even if you know the code, even if I know you, I can’t let you in.”

  I followed her gaze toward the inner door. Thick, reinforced plating with a liquid metal sheen, high-grade security seals softly pulsing along the frame. Expensive as hell. For a second, just one stupid second, I considered sprinting for it. But one look at the receptionist’s hand hovering near the call panel told me security would be on me before I hit the handle.

  I clicked my tongue in frustration, grabbed Lola’s hand, and turned on my heel, pulling her with me as we left the lobby.

  “This is… unfortunate,” Lola murmured, her voice nervous as I dragged her down the sidewalk.

  “Yep.” I forced a grin. “But hey, it’s a hot day, right?”

  I guided us down a side alley, a spotless passage tucked between the towering apartment blocks. On one side, polished walls reflected the light like mirrors; on the other, the pale stone of the luxury apartments, shadowed by the height of the buildings.

  Clean. Quiet.

  Lola followed my gaze as it drifted upward, up the side of the building to the sixth-floor hallway window.

  It was open. “I… it is a nice day,” she said cautiously, but her eyes narrowed as she caught where I was looking. “But…?”

  She followed my stare to the window, then back to me.

  “Jerry, call Andreas,” I said, my tone shifting to business.

  Then I turned to Lola and shrugged, casual. “Old people like fresh air. Even with air conditioning. I get it. I like it too.”

  She looked down at my hand, still holding hers. I noticed it a second too late. “Oh.” I let go. “Sorry.”

  The call connected, and a familiar, slightly confused voice answered on the other end.

  “Charlie?”

  “Hey there, my favorite hard-working friend,” I chirped, all sweetness. “How much would it cost me to borrow a crane… say, just enough to reach the sixth-floor window of a fancy apartment?”

  I pointed at my ear, signaling to Lola. She nodded slowly, eyes wide, but curious.

  There was a pause.

  “Another adventure, huh?” His voice warmed with the amusement. “Yeah, alright. If you need it now, I’m just heading out to a site. Boss might be persuaded to let me borrow the Boom Lift for an hour.”

  I could hear the grin in his voice before he named the price. “Five hundred for the boss. Two hundred for me and a buddy of mine. Hit me with the address and I’ll give you the ETA.”

  Jerry beeped, sending the location automatically. “Oh, you’re close by,” Andreas replied. “Ten minutes. Agreed?”

  “Agreed,” I said, grinning as I dropped my hand back to my side. “Thanks, Andreas. Drinks on me next time.” He chuckled, then the line clicked off.

  I glanced over at Lola, who was now fully staring at me, somewhere between impressed and horrified.

  I gave her my best innocent smile.

  “See? I always have a plan.”

  It was barely eight minutes before Andreas rolled up, right on cue.

  The Boom Lift clanked behind his old construction van, the yellow arm folded neatly like some mechanical praying mantis. Andreas hopped out, wearing a scuffed orange vest, a hard hat shoved back on his head, and that same lopsided grin like this was the best part of his day.

  His buddy pulled up close behind in a smaller service van, immediately hopping out and starting to unload collapsible construction signs. Temporary Work Zone, Caution, all the usual “we’re totally allowed to be here” signals.

  Andreas strolled over into the alley, already giving the building and the open sixth-floor window a practiced eye.

  “Hey!” I called, waving him down with a grin. “This is Lola—she’s coming with me!”

  Lola blinked, then stiffened as her eyes tracked toward the lift’s platform.

  “Me? Me too?!”

  But Andreas was already halfway done with his assessment, nodding like this was the most normal day imaginable. “Yup, got it. Both of you in. C’mon—up now.”

  “Roger!” I gave a mock salute, then grabbed Lola’s hand before she could talk herself out of it and pulled her toward the lift.

  She stared at the platform like it might bite her.

  I squeezed her hand tighter, giving her my most reassuring grin. “Hey. It’s just the sixth floor. The window’s open. We hop in. Easy.”

  Lola swallowed, nodding stiffly, but didn’t pull away from my hand.

  Andreas was already in motion, unfolding the lift with practiced ease, the hydraulic arms hissing softly as they extended. The platform locked into place with a solid clang, and before we could second-guess it, we were rising toward the open hallway window.

  The platform groaned softly as it reached its full extension, rising level with the sixth-floor hallway window. The window itself yawned open, its sheer white frame gleaming against the shadowed interior.

  Half a meter.

  That was the gap between the platform and the ledge. Not huge. But big enough to make your stomach do a little somersault. “Right,” I said, cracking my neck like I was prepping for a boss fight. “Here we go.”

  I crouched and leapt the gap in one clean motion, landing with a soft thud on the polished hallway floor inside. A little off-balance, but nothing too embarrassing. I straightened and turned, grinning back at Lola.

  She was still standing frozen on the platform, hands gripping the rail. “Lola?” I called.

  She shook her head, backing a step away from the edge. “I—uh—I don’t know about this, Lady…”

  I crouched down by the window, resting my arms casually on the ledge, keeping my tone light but steady. “Hey. Look at me. It’s nothing. Half a meter, that’s it.”

  She still didn’t move, her knuckles white on the rail.

  “Okay,” I added, softening. “How about this, you give me your hand, I’ll pull you the rest of the way? Easy. You don’t have to jump at all.”

  Lola’s eyes darted between the gap and my hand. She bit her lip. I could see her weighing it. Finally, slowly, she reached out. I grabbed her hand firmly.

  “You trust me, right?”

  She nodded, biting back a nervous breath.

  “On three,” I said. “One… two…”

  I didn’t wait for three. Gave her the tug as soon as she leaned forward enough, and in one awkward scramble, she was half-jumping, half-stumbling through the window. I caught her by the wrist and steadied her as she tumbled in.

  She let out a little squeak, then flushed red as she realized she’d made it.

  “See?” I grinned, helping her up. “Easy.”

  Lola huffed, brushing down her dress, but didn’t let go of my hand right away. “…I hate you a little,” she muttered under her breath.

  I laughed and squeezed her fingers once before letting go. “You’re doing great.”

  We both looked up at the same time. Right into the unblinking eye of a security camera, staring straight back at us. “…One floor down!” I hissed.

  “This is more excitement than my entire year,” Lola whispered, but I was already pulling her along before she could finish the thought.

  We scrambled down the stairs, quick but trying not to make enough noise to echo. I could feel Lola’s heartbeat through her grip, could feel my own keeping pace with it.

  Below, we stopped in front of a door that didn’t even try to be subtle. Heavy, polished wood inlaid with swirling gold accents, intricate patterns carved so fine they looked almost like embroidery. The nameplate gleamed at eye level. Lucas, engraved in pure gold, catching the hallway light like it wanted to be admired.

  I reached toward the code panel, already keying in the numbers—

  —but before my fingers touched it, the door creaked open on its own.

  Lola and I froze.

  We exchanged a look, then stepped closer together and leaned forward to peer inside.

  The apartment was a wreck.

  Furniture overturned. Cushions shredded. Papers scattered across the floor like confetti at a funeral. A holo-screen hung tilted off its mount, one corner cracked and flickering with static.

  Glass crunched under my heels as I shifted my weight. “Lucas…?” I called, voice low.

  No answer.

  The air inside was too still.