skip to my step as we met up with Transistor.
Trombone Lane used to be the main strip, but when the Association built their headquarters on the other side of town, that all changed.
Now, it was mostly abandoned buildings and vagrants.
We found Transistor atop a crumbling building, looking down at a small camp of vagrants who were singing a drinking song around a campfire.
Galactic Gargoyle, wearing just sweatpants over his stone skin, landed beside Transistor and set me on my feet.
Transistor immediately pulled me into a hug. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” I whispered. “It’s probably for the best. The less who know about all of this, the better.”
“What information do you have?” Gargoyle asked.
“My drones have been providing me surveillance of the warehouse. Aside from the creatures going inside after attacking Lucky, there has been no other movement. I did an infrared scan, but the warehouse seems empty, which leads me to believe there is an underground location for them to go.”
“Lucky?” I asked.
“So, we go in and find the entrance and decide from there?” Galactic Gargoyle asked.
Transistor nodded.
“Alright, let’s go!” I said with a smile.
Transistor eyed my outfit with a frown. “I need to make you a suit that allows you to fly.”
“No way.” I snapped. “I don’t want to be up in the air and have it stop working. I’ll just let Galactic Gargoyle carry me.”
“Are you insinuating that my inventions are faulty?” Transistor’s eyes narrowed.
“I control electricity. It is very possible that I could fry your invention and then fall. I’d rather not risk it.”
“Bicker later. Let’s go find this asshole who keeps trying to kill Violet Strike,” Galactic Gargoyle said.
He swooped me up in his arms and took to the sky, heading towards the enemy’s last known location, an abandoned warehouse.
“No movement or body heat signatures inside the warehouse,” Alfred confirmed.
“Once inside, scan for metal plates in the floor,” Transistor ordered him.
“No, rubber ones,” I countered.
Transistor and Gargoyle arched a brow each.
“They are your enemy. They would expect you to search for metal door plates. If I were them, I would use something else,” I explained.
Transistor scowled. “I would not have thought of that.” He activated his mask and marched up to the door
“You continue to surprise me,” Gargoyle said, smiling broadly.
Transistor opened the side door of the warehouse, and Gargoyle stepped inside first, then me, and finally Transistor.
An empty and dusty warehouse was what I expected to find when we entered. Thousands of boxes making a huge labyrinth was not.
“Is this what science rats feel like?” I asked Transistor.
He chuckled. “Probably.”
We started through the labyrinth, waiting for Alfred to report his scanning back to us.
There was no sound and yet I felt like we were being watched.
“No rubber plates,” Alfred reported. “However, there is—”
The door we had entered through opened and a man began talking to someone.
Surrounded by boxes in this stupid maze, we had nowhere to hide.
The man drew closer.
We stared at each other for a moment and then resumed moving through the maze. If we hurried, maybe we could make it out before he got to us.
The only problem was we had to make decisions about which way to turn and it cost us time.
His voice closed in, and we all froze, leaning back against the boxes in an attempt to hide in plain sight.
The man came into view, he was a tall and slender male in a dark suit with a green mask. He walked past Gargoyle and Transistor and started to walk by me. He paused, turned his head to the left, and locked eyes with me.
I started to use my powers, but he hit a button on a panel on his wrist, and I screamed as the floor gave way.
Who made an entire floor two trap doors!
The man floated in the spot he’d been. “Nice of you to drop in,” he said and then laughed maniacally.
Gargoyle and Transistor dropped down to grab me and the floor doors closed above us.
Chapter Eighteen
Incredibly bright lights turned on, blinding me for a moment. I threw my hands up to shield my eyes, but was too slow.
“You hurt?” Gargoyle asked.
“Some boxes broke my fall,” I said and stood up, brushing myself off.
“Did you recognize him?” Transistor asked.
Gargoyle and I shook our heads.
“You should have stayed up there to fight him,” I chastised them.
“It’s better not to split our party up,” Gargoyle said. “We had no way of knowing what waited for you down here.”
“What is down here?” I asked.
“The room contains just three life forms, you