when he spots me, able to see through the spell since he knows exactly what he’s looking for. The others apply their own concealment spells, get up slowly and stretch, drink the last of their tea, and amble my way, tossing the cup into a trash processor along the way. I pull the hatch open for them, slow and calm, and hold it until all three of them have passed through.
Once I slip in after them and pull the door quietly shut behind me, I climb down to the catwalk that runs above the river of underground sewage. The others wait with mischievous grins. We’re in it now. No point pretending they don’t love it as much as I do. Jaesin holds his hand up for a fist bump, which I happily oblige, part hell-yes-we-got-this and part thanks-for-not-ratting-me-out-yesterday. He hasn’t mentioned my earlier slipup about the job-offer issue, so I guess he took me at my word for once.
“Any security?” I ask, and Jaesin shakes his head.
“No sign on the usual patrol paths. We’re good to go. Remi,” he says, gesturing ahead of us. “Lead the way.”
“You just want me to step in the poop first,” they whine, but take the lead anyway, practically skipping. In just a few minutes, we’ll know for sure if maz-15 is real, and their excitement is palpable. Sewers aren’t the best place for someone immunocompromised, but Remi always take precautions—a mask, rain boots, disposable gloves, a truly alarming amount of sanitizer once we leave, and a hot shower with decon chems when we get home. They run one gloved hand along the pipes above as they walk, sensing for the maz inside.
“I think this is the one we want. Something’s weird,” they murmur, muffled by the mask, and follow the pipe deeper into the tunnels. Even after knowing them for almost ten years, Remi still amazes me. The fact that they can feel out which strains are running through the pipe when it’s all mixed together is amazing. And this is the last time I’ll get to see them at work, doing what they do best.
I never knew it was possible to feel nostalgic for something that isn’t even over yet, but when Ania meets my gaze with a little twist of a smile, I know she feels the same.
The smell intensifies as we draw farther and farther away from the fresher air near the entrance, until the air actually feels thick and heavy with the indescribable stench of rotting waste. Scentaz is fairly rare and of limited use, so we never bother stealing any. We breathe through our mouths and creep along the narrow catwalks until we find what we need—a junction point with a small pressure release valve on one side, the same one we just tapped two days ago. That’s our cue, and we move like the practiced, efficient team we are.
Jaesin and Ania break off and take up their respective positions. I swear half the reason Ania comes with us on these jobs is so she can try out the new shielding and warding techniques she likes to experiment with. She takes her time weaving protection for us in case of trouble, making it look like a graceful performance rather than a practical safeguard. Jaesin begins his circuit, walking the perimeter of the wide platform and a few feet down each connecting tunnel, listening for incoming guards and keeping watch for any other surprises.
Remi and I get to work on the pipe itself. The security on the access hatch was nothing, but this ice is always much harder to crack. Unlike the other night, my attempt at a wireless connection is denied almost instantly, so I put my bag down and dig for a screwdriver. “Gonna hardwire in. Let me know if the world burns down.”
Because honestly, when I’m eyeballs deep in code, I wouldn’t even notice.
Jaesin and Ania murmur their affirmatives without any particular concern, but Remi frowns, pressing both hands to the pipe they’ve identified.
“Everything okay?” I ask, fitting the screwdriver into a groove and prying the access panel off. The junction box looks new, and much more modern than the others we’ve worked with in the past. Maybe they did update their security after all. Not good.
“Yeah,” Remi says, distracted. “Fine. Go ahead.”
Super convincing there, but what can I do? I have no idea what it’s like or what it means when Remi’s maz senses are tingling. That’s their deal.
I snip and strip a few wires, my