I stared at the place with tired eyes. Yellow Inc was right there, within reaching distance. I held myself back though. Rushing in wouldn't help anyone. It'd just make the situation worse, especially if I was caught. How could I save Mira if I couldn't save myself?

It was funny- my brain completely blanked on how to get into the Savant Lab now that I was actually here. It was like everything I'd done up to this point, all the places I broke into, just slipped my mind. The stress and tension made everything much more confusing then it should've been.

It didn't help that there wasn't a blueprint for this place. Not even in my Underground knowledge. It was either new, or it somehow dodged whatever the Circle used to scan the entirety of the Underground. My guess? New. The facility looked like it was just built three or four months ago.

I moved through the motions hollowly, checking everything out one at a time and forcing myself to sit still. It was difficult. Even my control over my electrokinesis slipped repeatedly, frying several innocent Dragonflies caught in the cross fire. Cold-Blooded was my only saving grace.

My Dragonflies weren't exactly the best piece of tech when it came to getting past Netrunners, so I was too scared to move them in fully. A good runner could hijack the connection and either find me or raise the security's guard. Neither of those were good options.

Just in case, I ended up using a technique I thought I wouldn't ever need again. I strapped a camera to Corvid and sent the brave little bird to scout the place out. He risked being spotted, though I had faith in the little guy to take care of it.

It was all hardlink too. He'd come back, I'd download the camera's footage, and then he'd go off to route around the area once more. I watched the entire scouting trip through my HUD, taking in every detail. I watched every route, every bit of tech, and every possible way in or out. If things went according to plan. Having more intel never hurts though.

The place was definitely a Savant Lab. It wasn't that hard to figure out once Corvid got down through a bunch of hidden elevators. As for Mira… Corvid couldn't go to where the people were being held without risking detection. I had hope though. Hope that I'd find her, and that this wasn't just a waste of time.

Plan A was to get in with the Transporter to get her out, then zip out with Spectral Flock and call in the cavalry. Plan B… I was hoping I wouldn't have to go for it. Sneaking her out past all the security wasn't a great option. Plan C was even worse. Get to her, bunker down, and then wait for the Crusade to bail us out.

And plan Z was by far the worst. If Saint didn't hear from me within an hour of going in, he was to call the Crusade and tip them off. Even if I went down, mutual assured destruction was the best option for Yellow Inc. And with the death of a Squire, the Crusade would likely root out the corp behind all of this madness.

I took a deep breath and went through the plan one more time. Corvid, on the other side of my HUD, just left the warehouse. He flew across the streets, flapping up to a water tower perched on top of an apartment building across the way. Eventually, I spotted myself in the camera strapped to the greater sprite.

I… I looked worse for wear. My eye bags had eye bags like I was some younger version of Hope before she was promoted. Everything about me looked drained. I disabled the HUD and pulled my long black hair into a tight ponytail. This would be it.

I summoned a Spectral Flock and left it on the water tower overlooking the warehouse just in case. If I couldn't get out with Mira though, I wasn't getting out at all. My plans were set, my contingencies were in place, and my equipment was ready to go. I took one last look and then jumped off the tower.

The Drop Chutes faithfully kicked in just above the ground, sparing me the lethal drop. I pulled my coil-pistol out and moved to the warehouse. The Blinder sprung up out of my pack, obscuring my presence from anything digital. That included most of the PMCs on guard up at the warehouse itself.

Just in case, I kept behind cover and slunk between shadows using Illusive. All I needed was one guard without chrome eyes, and my cover would be blown. Even just crossing the streets could potentially give up the ghost.

I hopped the fence around the back. Any anxiety, stress, or nerves I had instantly vanished, leaving me cool, calm, and collected. Entering places I shoultn't be in was my thing. Even the pressing circumstances couldn't fully take away from that. A familiar thrill buried deep in my heart pulsated with each step deeper.

I slunk across the small yard around the warehouse and clambered up an AC. It connected to an internal office space, giving me straight access to the roof if I needed it. One of the windows was left open by whoever worked here in the day though, giving me the perfect entrance.

I slid through the window and dropped into an office with several terminals set up. The elevator should be-

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I ducked down below a desk just as a duo of guards patrolled through the area. They both had ARs, body armor, and a full suite of chrome to boot. I wasn't sure of the numbers throughout the building, but they weren't small. There were at least a couple dozen guards on patrol. It was only a matter of time till I ran into some, though I wasn't expecting it to happen so quick.

They walked by me as silent as the grave. I was used to guards chatting during their patrols, so it was a bit off-putting to hear them so quiet. One of them paused a beat, quietly muttering under his breath. "Wait."

My heart caught. So soon? I thought I'd at least have time to get into the depths of this place. I slunk back further under the desk, desperately hoping my Blinder-Ilusive combo would work.

The guard passed right next to me, stopping just in front of the window. He casually lifted the bar holding it open and shut it. "Slags always forget to follow protocol."

"Can you blame them? Working in this stuffy place…" The other guard turned back to the door. "Let's go. Or that protocol will see us with pay cuts for slacking."

"I'm coming." The duo continued on their route, leaving the room.

I let out a breath I didn't even know I'd been holding. If I was just a minute later, they would've either seen me coming in through the window, or I would've had it shut in my face… so much for taking a nap. See, Saint? I could manage just fine… probably.

I shifted out from under the desk and cast a look after the departing duo. Blood rushed to my head, causing it throb uncomfortably. Okay, elevator should be just over there. I worked my way across the offices, exiting out into a hall. One of the elevator's doors was propped by a bar, and a chain pulled across it held a sign. 'Closed for maintenance.'

This might be the first time a broke elevator played to my advantage. I ducked out down the shaft for a moment and then jumped. I flew down dozens of stories into the depths of the Savant Lab, stopping just on top of a grounded elevator at the bottom of a shaft.

While passing down the shaft, I got the tingles of something in the Aether. By the time I flicked on Aetherial Perception, I already dropped past whatever it was. It didn't activate either, so I was probably still in the clear?

Mechanisms kicked on at the bottom, startling me back into the corner of the space. The other elevator slowly started to rise up the shaft, taking someone up several stories. I paused for a moment instead of heading out into the facility like I'd been originally planning.

Elevators… they were a death trap. And also a good distraction. If one just so happened to shut down on a quiet night like this, trapping people inside? It might draw eyes from further in the facility. That, and it was the only way in and out of this place. Guards would naturally drop with everyone focused on it.

I waited for the elevator to rise between floors and then fired a shot of my coil-pistol into the grinding mechanisms. They lurched to a halt, trapping a bunch of bastards within.

I pried open the access trapdoor of the broken elevator and hopped down into it. The elevator doors down here were likewise propped open. Must've been some serious damage to break the doors all the way up. I ducked under the chain and entered the lab proper.

The bottom floor looked like some kind of maintenance chamber. It was wide and open, with security bots on patrol around the area. Lots of machines scattered around the space, making it feel tight and narrow. Bunch of boilers, backup generators, and some other stuff I could only guess at.

I moved around the abandoned area. There weren't even guards on patrol down here, leaving it empty save the hums of machinery. Just a bunch of useless thermal cameras too. I moved to the stairs-

Damn… that was a lot of security on just a door. A sensor sat connected to the metal, ready to send a signal if it opened. It was a subtle thing. I probably wouldn't have even noticed it if I didn't pulse the lock with Technical Expertise out of habit.

I thrust out my hand, sending arcs of electricity through the sensor and circuits of the device. If someone came down here, they'd see it was broken. I should have more than enough time to get out though.

That just opened up the door, literally, for the second issue to appear: wards. I figured as much when I dropped through the elevator shaft. The ones there must've been shut down for maintenance. These ones, however, most definitely were not. They appeared like a runic wall under Aetherial Perception, blocking the way forward. I wasn't getting through without a pass… or a little assistance.

I summoned Corvid. The little guy immediately perched on my shoulder and tilted his head. "Caw?"

"You're a greater sprite, chek? Think you can get through that?" I motioned to the ward blocking my way forward.

The bird shifted his eyes between me and the ward and twitched uncomfortably. "Caw~ Caw- caw- caw- caw…"

"Just you, huh…" That threw a bolt in my plans. Stupid limiters. If only the Perk didn't restrict him so much, I'd practically be a Magus. Maybe I could find the maintenance office? Hope for a pass? Or there-

"You said just you, right?" I asked the avian. "Could you carry something in with you?"

"Caw!" He nodded his head several times.

I summoned a second spectral crow out. It put a heavy tax on my head having two. It felt like I was being pulled in two different directions, both of which were on opposite ends of the world. "What about this?"

Corvid looked at the spectral crow in distaste before slowly nodding his head. He hesitantly picked up the smaller crow in his talons and then flew through the ward. A small hole burned into it just before he passed, opening a tiny way through. Once he was clear and into the stairwell, I tugged on my connection.

Vertigo hit hard, made even worse by my exhaustion. I slipped and fell to the stairs. It was a bit scuffed, but I was through the ward just like that. Corvid plopped down beside me. "Caw?"

"Chek- chek, I'm nova. Let's keep going." I forced myself to my feet and headed up the stairs.

From Corvid's scouting mission, I knew the rough layout of this place. The labs themselves were up near the top of the subterranean facility. Then came the offices and workshops for the sick fucks that worked here. Experiment holding facilities were up two floors above me, with storage being just above the maintenance area.

I headed up the flights of stairs to the door into experiment holding. Another ward and sensor blocked the path forward, but they were easy to get through now that I knew the trick.

I was close now. I could feel it. Wait for me, Mira. Just a little longer, I promise.

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