531

Party Time

Yi couldn't take his eyes off the burning city for long. Every few minutes, his gaze returned to the flickering of flames that echoed in the night sky. Even this far above the mud and mess of the Piles, the air above the Skylines was showing the red haze of smoke. Ash fell on the ground faster than the bots could sweep up.

DaQi stepped up behind him and Yi could see his worried expression through the window.

"Ready?" Yi asked before DaQi could check on him. He didn't want to talk about what was in his head. There was nothing new to say. His home and the life he'd built over the last 7 years were gone. Everything from here out was to finish it off. Then they would start over someplace new. Together.

"Let's get moving," DaQi said.

Yi turned to look at him and the need to steal Two away from all of this was almost too much. He reached over and pulled DaQi in. He pressed his lips to the other man's, knowing his partner would feel his fear and desperation. DaQi held him just as tightly, but when he pulled away Yi pressed a kiss to his forehead before letting him go.

The tunnels leading into the lower city were still closed so they left their bikes behind. There were access tunnels and service roads that weren't used by humans and they exploited those. DaQi hacked the maintenance drones so that they were able to ride them through the underpasses to get to the Builds quicker.

When they reached the area, they left the tunnels and went out onto the streets. They weren't the only ones dressed in black with masks on tonight and they blended into the people in the chaos. They were three buildings away from their target when they went through a broken glass door and headed to the roof. The building between them and the Mariner office they were infiltrating was shorter by four stories. Yi shot a line past it to the building and watched as the hook embedded itself in a concrete pillar on the roof.

"What is it with you and ziplines?" Wu DaQi asked as they got ready to swing over.

Yi smiled. "People don't look up."

"They're going to be looking everywhere tonight," DaQi reminded him.

Yi didn't bother to answer. Instead, he pulled an extra pair of gloves on - just in case - and attached the handlebar. "Let's find out."

He took off across the distance, gaining speeds he'd rather not think about. Beneath him, the fires were dulled by the press of the buildings around them. They were too boxed in to see far, except for the eerie red glow. He crossed the building wall and dropped off the zipline, rolling to his feet before he could smack into the wall where it was mounted. He pulled a gun out and checked the perimeter while he waited for Wu DaQi.

The building had been one of five with the stolen tech DaQi had marked, and only one of three that had heightened security. It was also home to a series of tunnels that Chan Yi had used once on a mission before he'd emerged. He didn't know where they all led, but he was betting Obuo's life that at least one would take them back to Mariner's corporate office where they'd so obviously taken her in.

There were people in the building, and plenty of security watching exits and stairs. He hacked into their security and used their detection systems to get a head count and see where they were most likely holding Obuo. They'd already had a good idea, but it just confirmed what DaQi had suggested. Yi liked to come in high so they'd hide her down low.

"You didn't use to like heights," DaQi said as he set the anchor for their next move.

"You shot me out a window." Chan Yi reminded him. "Not a lot to be afraid of once you survive that kind of drop."