Mister Tyson huddled behind the nearest box as Erick and the 'new recruit' shuffled past him toward the boats at the wet docks. He hadn't been deceived when encountering the outlaw in the office. He knew 'Tin Man' Ortega from his wanted posters and the briefings he received from Miss Malone. He clicked his heels against the pavement, watching them sneak down the docks.

  Mister Tyson could try to take them now, but that would reveal his deception. While capturing Ortega would change things, giving up his mask as Secretary Eaton wouldn't make sense if Miss Malone didn't want to change his assignment. Having an ear close to the key islands at a Military Police outpost was valuable, especially one close to the base's commander.

  Mister Tyson also had to admit that he would not give up the form of Secretary Eaton without a fight. She had quickly become one of his favorite disguises. Not only was she in a good position, but she had the right look and proportions.

  His disguise was truly his kind of woman.

  Mister Tyson adjusted his skirt and peered around the boxes again. Ortega and Landson were looking over the ships in the docks. Mister Tyson couldn't understand why. If they wanted to escape the dome, they would go for a shuttle or one of the slipships. The little tugboats were only used to drag damaged ships through the water and—

  The realization slapped him across the face. They were going for the island in the center of the base. Mister Tyson had never been able to get past the defenses on the island. While he might try a disguise, he could only maintain one at a time, and Secretary Eaton didn't have the clearance. Reforming her would be costly and inaccurate to the original. A man like Milton would notice. This was his chance.

  He had a choice to make and an opportunity. How he would use it and the results were unknown, but if he could gain something from Ortega's trip to the island, he might make both himself and his Hand look good.

  He pushed a blonde lock of hair out of his eyes as he stood up. Ahead of him, Landson pulled up the rope on one of the tugboats while Ortega operated the controls in the cabin. Neither of them had noticed his presence, so he had a few moments to act freely.

  Ortega and Landson had managed to commandeer a ship, and here he was, letting them escape without following. The moment Landson started toward the cabin, Mister Tyson lunged forward. His heeled boots clicked against the metal dock for only a moment before he jumped. He tucked his arms and legs into his body, forming a ball as he cannonballed down toward the back of the ship.

  Ortega and Landson were already inside the helm. They would never have a chance to see what Landson would have called 'Secretary Eaton doing a cannonball toward the ship.' The docks themselves were mostly empty. In Mistery Tyson's estimation, it was the perfect move to ensure he wasn't left behind.

  He just needed to slow down.

  "Serpent's Wings," he whispered as he opened his gate.

  Flames fluttered out from his heart like the feathers of a great bird, pinning through his arms and legs, pins and needles stuck into his nerves. As Mister Tyson embraced the warmth of his fire, wings sprouted from his back. They were wreathed in flame and would give off a little light. That was why Mister Tyson had saved them for the end of his jump.

  He flared the wings open, bringing his fall to a sudden halt right before the end of the ship. He threw out his arms and legs, catching hold of the back and climbing onto it. For once, he regretted his deception. In his normal form, he would have easily been able to grab hold of the back of the ship and hold himself there. He couldn't quite hold his grip tight enough in his current body.

  It was too weak, too slender, too curvy, and too—soft.

  With a few deft movements, he drew in enough aether to flex his muscles and hold his body at the awkward angle. He held his body rigid like he was squatting down, with only his fingers over the lip of the ship. He held himself suspended above the water with one arm, his head hidden behind the edge and his other arm tucked tightly against his breasts.

  "What was that?" Landson asked from the ship, and Mister Tyson imagined the man sticking his head out.

  "See anything?" Ortega asked.

  "Nothing."

  With barely a rock to the ship, he had secured his passage across the water, out of sight of the two men. While he was confident they would be thwarted by the security measures he had already encountered in his attempts to infiltrate the area, it would be good to see what they tried.

  Boom. Splash.

  The engine sputtered behind Alex as the ship shook through the water. While the ship they had stolen used lodestones, the same as any other, they clearly weren't empowered enough to fly or to move quickly. He leaned on the console and looked over the various levers around the pilot's wheel. Nothing on it matched what he was used to when it came to slipships.

  Granted, it wasn't a slipship at all.

  "Can we get it to go any faster?" Alex asked. "I don't like sitting out in the water."

  "Any faster, and we'll burn out the engines." Erik grunted as he pulled on the wheel. "These things aren't built for speed but built to tow. If we burn out in the middle of the lake, we'll draw more attention."

  Alex had to give him that.-

  "Maybe we should have taken a faster ship."

  "And have a combat ship rushing for the island?" Erik asked as he reached up and pulled down a lever. "Because that wouldn't draw any attention. Look. You and your friends are strong and good at fights, but you have to trust me when it comes to ships. I work with these things every day. I know what I'm doing."

  Alex had to give him that as well. If the creature in the darkness hadn't pointed him directly at Erik, he would have been worse off for the infiltration. It was almost like Erik had been a chess piece, held in waiting for a gambit to win the board. However, that didn't make him feel any better. He had no idea what the strange thing wanted from him.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  The entire situation left a bad taste in his mouth. He would have cut and run if he hadn't been so sure of the creature's threat. However, the point of regretting the choice was long gone. Now, he was stuck in the middle of a Military Police base, surrounded by enemies with only one path forward. His crew had been cut off and hopefully found a good hiding place.

  Crack-ksh. Crack-ksh.

  "Are you worried about them?" Erik asked as the engine rattled behind them.

  "Who?" Alex asked, drawing himself out of his thoughts.

  "Those two back there," Erik said, looking away from the window and into Alex's eyes. "They're running around a base all alone. What if they get caught?"

  "Don't worry about it." Alex flashed a smile. "Erin could find the exit in a heartbeat if she needed to, and Li Wen is ice cold under pressure."

  He snorted but held back the explanation when Erik tilted his head. Alex couldn't start laughing at his own jokes. If he did, people would think he was weird.

  "Basically, I trust them," Alex said, raising a hand. "Those two especially to keep their heads on their shoulders. Honestly, you lucked out coming with me. My track record isn't always the best."

  The confused look on Erik's face didn't change. Alex grimaced as he saw the problem. He was speaking in idioms. 'Track record' wouldn't make sense to anyone, not from Earth. Heads on shoulders would need decapitations to be common. He sighed and lied to himself that he would adjust to it better in the future.

  "Do you know what kind of security it has?" Alex asked.

  A long pause passed between them, and Alex regretted making his joke in that silence.

  "I have no idea." Erik sighed. "We make food deliveries, but I've never been on those. Occasionally, Commander Milton will come by to inspect the docks before riding out there on one of these ships. Other than that, and with shift changes, no one goes there. I've never heard the guards stationed there talk about what they do."

  "Isn't that weird?" Alex asked.

  Erick shook his head. "This base is full of things we don't know about. Grunts have to keep their heads down and hope they don't cross the wrong person. That's how you survive in the Military Police."

  A true enough statement for any organization. Keeping your head down meant you kept your job or your life, depending on the circumstances. Alex wished he had learned that lesson at some point in his life. He may have already been home in Buenos Aires with his dad if he had just kept his head down and not noticed the problems.

  But that was another life, a decade delayed.

  "We'll have to problem-solve on the move then," Alex said, sliding his neck back and forth with two hearty cracks before doing the same with his knuckles. "Once we hit the docks, we'll head straight for the door."

  "What about the current guards?" Erik gulped.

  "Knock them out and force our way in," Alex shrugged. "It's not like we can pretend to be their relief. They would know who that was. Our best option is to hit the hard and fast before they can set up an alarm. Once we get there, this entire thing sets off. Stick with me and keep your head down."

  They pulled up to the docks without incident, which wasn't surprising. They were already deep inside the base. No one in their right mind would expect two people infiltrating the base to get this far. All the security measures would be directed at keeping out the curious soldiers who were normally on the base and nothing more. With his stolen uniform and a real soldier beside him, Alex was no different than any other recruit on the base.

  As long as no one looked too close anyway.

  A tall metal door stood against the side of the stone building. As they approached, Alex saw two guards in red and black uniforms standing out front, carrying rifles. As Alex and Erik approached, they pulled their rifles from their shoulders, pointing them forward but not directly at Alex and Erik. Alex went ahead and opened his gate. Things were about to accelerate.

  Electricity cracked through his body, starting at his heart and snapping out to his fingers and toes in short bursts. Alex flexed his fingers as the world around them was wrapped in a blue glow, and the various pieces of metal surrounding him were brought to his senses. The stone building ahead of him even had a metal underlay beneath the stone, and he picked up several strings stretching across the area between them and the door.

  When they were closer, the guards called out to both of them, and Erik stopped to listen. Alex walked a few steps forward so that he was between Erik and the guards. After all, he had to keep his promise not to get Erik killed.

  "You two, what are you doing here!" one guard yelled as the second leveled his rifle at Alex.

  He was just outside of a range where Alex could rip the rifles out of both of their hands. He had a few options, but he also wanted to make sure that they didn't have gunshots running out through the entire dome. He could only imagine the echoes when something loud happened there. A cavern of that size would give away any major action.

  "Woah there." Alex held up his hands, raising his voice. "We're responding to an alarm sent from here!"

  Alex had no idea whether an alarm had been sent from the area or whether there was an alarm system at all, but he thought it was a good guess. The two guards looked at each other and hesitated. That was precisely the opening Alex had wanted. He leaned forward as he gathered aether into his legs, causing his muscles to bulge with increased strength.

  "Step."

  He disappeared, his feet blurring at the moment of impact before he cut the distance between himself and the guards in half. His feet hit the ground like he had taken a hundred steps in a single instant, and as he reappeared, he threw his hand forward, connecting magnetic strings to the two rifles and ripping them like strings away from the two men.

  "What the—"

  The guard had time to say that, but not much more before Alex was on the move again. He released the two rifles mid-air and rushed forward a second time. His muscles bulged again as he leaned forward a second time. He held up both hands, lining them up with the two solder's heads as he accelerated his body again.

  "Step."

  Boom.

  Catching both men's heads, he slammed them up against the metal door with a precisely timed strike. They shook in his hands from the force of the hit, and if they hadn't been aether-filled people, but people from back on Earth, he probably would have killed them with that. However, the resilience granted by those who lived on Erth allowed them to fall to the ground unconscious instead. Alex knelt and checked them.

  "They'll have a concussion, maybe, but better than dying," he whispered as Erik came up behind them.

  "You just—" Erik paused as he looked down at the bodies before looking at the door. "How are we going to get in now?"

  "That part is easy," Alex said, raising one hand as he focused on the door and took a look at the mechanism within.

  The door had no external parts he could see, and there was a nearby console with what looked like a pad on it to type in the entry code. Alex didn't worry about that because he didn't need any of that. He could see the internal mechanisms with his senses through the door. He reached out and spun a set of gears attached to the door. A slit opened in the center of the door, and it cracked open, revealing a bright white behind it. The two sides of the door touched the wall in moments, leaving long corridor lines with metal ahead of them both.

  "See," Alex said, motioning to the door. "I make security measures obsolete. Let's get this going before someone comes and checks on these two."

  Together, they ran into the hallway, and Alex had to duck a few aetheric strings that crossed the hall ahead of them. There were fewer of the strings inside the building. It made sense if they were part of how the creature sensed the outside world. It was already inside a fortress; it didn't need to sense threats that came close by.

  He imagined the nightsea around Aherlow and the massive web of strings that had to surround it. The threat of tracking them down wasn't as ironclad as it had seemed. He kept that in mind as they pushed into the base.