Lustral || Complete

IV

     The softly glowing tracks nestled along the edge of the floor did little more than outline the high-rise apartment's pathways. Liri's distorted shadow noiselessly slipped down the hallway in her black socks. After dropping some cash on the counter she'd eaten at a few hours earlier, she silently stepped out of Ardon's residence.

     With a few tugs and knots laced, her boots were back in place, and her hooded cape cloaked her in its embrace once again. She descended the stairs to New Seattle's street level and tapped the silver band on her wrist once stepping outside the building's doors. A small, 3-D holo-map hovered over the device with a flashing blue arrow.

     With a glance around the road filled with hovercrafts zipping to and fro, Liri moved down the sidewalk at a brisk pace dodging other pedestrians of various colors, shapes, and sizes. A few twists and turns later, a bustling hover-shuttle depot came into view.

     Placing the right change into the farebox, she seated herself near the back of the transport and kept her eyes on the unfamiliar city outside the large window.

     The vehicle's doors hissed closed, and a cheery woman sang over the intercom, "Old Seattle's air quality is holding at a steady level two this morning. Rebreathers with eye protection are recommended for all species whose physiology is unable to process high levels of metal particles. If you did not bring a mask, you could purchase one from the farebox before departing the transport. Thank you, and good luck on your upcoming journey." Crackling replaced the woman before the air filled with lifeless elevator music.

     The transport zipped forward into the tube network connecting the old with the new. Liri grabbed hold of the seat in front of her when they suddenly descended into the city's darkened bowels as if they were on a rollercoaster.

     After several stops and shuffling of riders on the way to her destination, the cheerful voice crackled to life over the intercom, "Arriving at West Loop road, Warehouse district, in one minute."

     Gathering her bag, she pressed a button on an earpiece she hooked into place. A rebreather clicked over her face, and she hopped off at her stop. Sticking to the shadows, she slipped down the darkened street. Her wrist band lightly buzzed as she approached the sign that said Bazentine Werk's complex. 

     Climbing onto a dumpster along the chipped cement wall surrounding the complex, she peeked over and spotted the loading docks with several workers bustling about their business. The rest of the area was vacant, with the exception of two Draconian guards that were walking the perimeter with a black hell-hound frothing at the mouth.

     Once the dangerous-looking trio passed her location, it took less than a minute for her to slip over the wall, locate an unlocked window, and crawl inside the building. Finding the door labeled financial office on it, she jiggled the handle before picking the lock.

     The office's cement walls coated in chipped paint held several filing cabinets on one side of the room and a desk piled with datapads and a computer system on the other. Scanning the labels on the cabinets, Liri pulled open several drawers and ran her fingers over the cartridges before picking one out. Moving to the computer, she slid the device into the port and tapped a few keys.

     Her eyes widened as they ran over the information on the screen.

     "No," she whispered while shaking her head.