Nestra aspired to some respite after having been cooked to medium-rare by the dungeon and its denizens, but that hope was soon shattered. Her visor screeched in alarm the moment her human self returned to the world. Sereth was more than happy to leave her frantically going through her notifications on her way home since he had things to bake. Nestra walked into her living room in a state of panic. Seven different calls mostly from the same person using an Internal Affair extension. And it wasn’t Officer Kim. The only message he’d left was ‘call me’.She still took ten minutes to check the news, her other messages, and her mailbox in case there was something she’d better find out on her own. There was just a speeding ticket. And two parking tickets. “Riel dammit. My precious money.” Otherwise, some good news. Helena had sent her a copy of her school’s newsletter. The doctor in charge had been suspended for medical malpractice. He was probably going to be fired after that. Helena also said her classmates had heard about her chronic pain. Since then, she had managed to slither into the good graces of one of the more raid-oriented groups. “I was probably a bit spiky as well. It helps my mood not being constantly in pain, you know?” “Also, is there any way for Sashimi to find me in portal worlds? I don’t think I can feed her when I’m raiding with the school, but I’d love for her buoyancy to look after me.” “Absolutely the fuck not,” Nestra typed back. “If you raid with a team and they’re not void users, they’re prey. Sashimi will just bite their arms off. That’s what she tried to do to me!” “Aw she’s so precious!” Baatar grunted in annoyance. While Nestra was merely frustrated, Baatar was livid. She gave him a moment. “Novsh min. That guy fucked me over.” “This is my first case, Officer Palladian. I was just transferred.” Nestra calmed down because it sounded familiar. “Our boss,” Baatar corrected, “is Captain Ito. He is Kim’s superior. Kim is our superior.” Nestra appreciated what went unsaid. She was a MaxSec officer, basically a grunt who had never been promoted mostly due to a lack of funds and open positions but also perhaps maybe possibly due to her personality. A mystery. Baatar was a detective. He was one rank above her on the food chain. “As per protocol, internal inquiries must receive the stamp of approval of two different people. I am the second one.” “That would be Ito himself, the same one who asked me to validate his findings.” “I still need to retrieve part of the case file from the archives in central. I need to show up in person.” He checked the time. It was almost seven. “It will have to be tomorrow. Threshold never sleeps but I’ve been at this since 6AM.” Nestra yawned. She needed to sleep the raid off as well. “Well, it’s not a burning case. Can I come with you?” “I don’t think it will help.” “Just call me Baatar and I will call you Nestra? Your file said you preferred that.” “Do they also list my favorite food?” Nestra grumbled. That would be amazing since a full list of the stuff she liked would need to be displayed on a spreadsheet. “It is quite comprehensive, but your medical and psychological records are sealed. As for what you asked… yes, you can come, but I fear this would only lead to disappointment.” “I know, but I will go anyway..” Nestra woke up at 3AM, half rested and craving some of the ice plant salad with sesame sauce she had in the fridge. She was now eating a good amount of veggies, which showed she was definitely getting better. And also that she was an adult Aszhii with a balanced diet who ate her broccoli, provided it wasn’t boiled. Boiled broccoli was a disgrace. Also, she had a message. It had been sent at 11PM which counted as office closing time for the city’s workaholics. It came from a certain Mr. Ilar. Nestra searched her memory. Ilar, Ilar. That name was familiar. Hmmm. He was with Special Affairs, Enclave Management Section. “Wait, I remember him.” He was the guy who’d debriefed her after her first, one-sided meeting with Fox Mask! Not like that other time when Nestra had shown her she wasn’t a pushover. She remembered Ilar had an interest in grand theft committed by gleams and specifically, by suspected enclavers. What did he want with her? She checked the message’s content. She was summoned the next day at 2PM in the… that couldn’t be right. The zoo was a small patch of wilderness right outside the walls that was left unchecked for training purposes. All of the local portals were allowed to breach. Most of the walls’ surroundings were flat terrain, especially with Threshold Army’s preferred herbicide being white phosphorus. The zoo was designed for raiders who intended to operate beyond the wall, as well as the army. It was full of monsters. It was also used to test foreign raiders who wanted to immigrate. Aunt Claire had mentioned a lot of people had sex there, though Nestra wasn’t sure what made a fenced off patch of forest with Spartan barracks a good place to engage in coitus. The ways of the allosexuals remained a mystery. “Maybe it’s the stress?” More importantly, even MaxSec hadn’t trained there. Why did they want her? The message told her to grab her gear and weapons. It wasn’t a request. She double checked that it was addressed to Nestra’s civilian identity and not a glitched message to Crescent. Nope. It was for human Nestra. “Weird as hell but ok,” she said while chewing on a crunchy leaf. The archives occupied an underground section at the periphery of central. The building’s atrium was the very definition of ‘this should have been an email’: gray and boring, with nary a decoration. It smelled like cheap coffee and bureaucracy. Nestra felt a headache just looking at the leaflets. ‘How to make your data management system ISO-9001 compliant in seven easy steps: a guide’. She would rather sit on a trash spider eggsack with her buttcheeks slathered in honey. There were open terminals, displays showing how to connect to the database and only two bored employees at a desk in a maximum attempt to get people to do their business online. The young man at the desk still welcomed them with an open smile. Nestra deducted he could only be an intern since his enthusiasm hadn’t been sucked out just yet. “Hello! Welcome to the Threshold Archives. My name is Xun. How may I assist you today?” “Good day to you as well,” Baatar greeted. “I’m Detective Baatar and this is my colleague, Officer Palladian. We would like to access all files related to case EG13715. Here are my credentials.” “Oh, of course. I will retrieve everything and you can consult them on the secured terminal in that room over there. You said the number was EG…” “One three seven one five.” “Alright. Here I am. Hmmm.” “Terribly sorry sir. You seem to have access to the register itself, but the files appear to be locked.” Baatar sighed. It was as they had expected. “I’m afraid I can’t do anything on this end.” “Well, I think things couldn’t be more clear,” Baatar grunted. “Shall we?” “Give me a minute,” Nestra said. Baatar shrugged before making his way to the coffee machine for what would undoubtedly be some terrible arabica. Nestra returned her full attention to Xun, who smiled awkwardly. She didn’t know how to charm people, but she sure as hell knew how to move an intern. By making them believe they mattered, because their employers would never do that. “Maybe you could help me out.” “I really can’t let you access those files. I don’t even have clearance.” “Oh, I know that, but what I’m interested in is who locked it. Could it possibly be found out?” “I mean, it’s in the file’s metadata but… I can’t let you see that.” “No, naturally. Actually, the case file is about a friend of mine who I believe is innocent, and now the cop in charge of the case is locked out of the case. Kind of weird, don’t you think?” She could pretty much see the stars shining in the young man’s eyes. A worthy cause. “Shame you can’t let me see the metadata you mentioned, because I’m pretty sure the person who locked those files has something to hide.” “Sure, sure,” Xun replied with a smile. “I will just do a routine check of the files… yep, seems like they were all locked by the same person. No anomalies there. Whelp! I suddenly feel an urge to go to the lavatories. If you will excuse me?” “But of course,” Nestra replied with a knowing smile. The young man stretched, turned the monitor sideways, then left with a hum. The other employee gave him a curious smile before returning to her business. As soon as he was gone, Nestra leaned forward over the counter. The open window showed the properties of the locked file: date of creation, last modified etc. More importantly, there was the ID of the person who had encrypted it. Locked by order of Ito Junpei, captain. She turned the monitor back. Yep, no mystery here. Kim’s own boss was the one who didn’t want anyone looking into stuff. The thing was, why be so heavy-handed about it? She returned to Baatar. “You must be very, very new to high level office politics.” “I actually avoid office politics like the plague.” “How in the name of Riel did you manage until now?” “By being competent in a dead end job where nobody gave a shit?” Nestra replied. Baatar grunted. This one meant ‘fair point’. “Are you going to explain why the guy who put Kim in prison is also getting away with preventing anybody else from looking into it? Because that’s just insane.” “Yes, I can. Let me explain. You are tier 1. That means, you’re a mosquito. A cog. I am tier 2. That means I’m a slightly larger cog who can be trusted with other, smaller cogs such as patrollers or drone specialists or you. Kim Soo-Young is tier 3. That means she’s in the game. If she needs a small ad hoc team, she can make a request and she’ll get it. She can convoke small guild managers and they’d better listen. She matters in Threshold. Ito is tier 4. Tier 4s do politics, that means they’re dealing with budget, development, workforce; the works. Most tier 4s in this administration handle 300 people or more. Ito is worse. He handles all aspects of the rat squad’s finance division. That means he’s the only person in Threshold who understands what he’s doing.” “That doesn’t authorize him to throw anyone he wants in the can.” “Who’s going to stop him? Do you know how many people get purged from their positions every week because of something they might have no idea they’ve done?” “So it’s just another asshole abusing his power. And being really obvious about it.” “Of course, he’s obvious about it,” Baatar said, He looked at his half-drunk cup, then dumped the rest in the trash bin. “It’s a polite way to tell me to drop it. He’s being direct about it too.” “It’s not right. IA is supposed to —” “I know. Sorry. I… I hoped things would be different in the rat squad, but it’s not. Ito is entrenched. He’s unassailable.” “You could bypass him?” The detective massaged the bridge of his nose, and Nestra understood she’d lost him. He had given up. It was over for him. She wasn’t even angry. She understood. She’d been at the business end of the administration before, and that was with her being sheltered and not really replaceable. For him who’d just be transferred, it would be a death warrant to go after Ito and fail. “Ito’s boss plays golf with the mayor. As far as we’re concerned, he’s the Emperor. I wouldn’t get a foot in, then Ito would be notified and I’d spend the rest of my natural lifespan clearing fatbergs in the sewers. By hand. Look, let me explain.” “I got it. We don’t got shit. Ito is the only one who understands what Ito does. Kim is inconsequential and you are being offered a way out.” “I have a wife. We’re expecting our second.” Baatar lowered his gaze. “I’m no hero. I’m sorry. I’d say it’s Kim or me but it wouldn’t be accurate. If I speak up, it will be Kim AND me. I don’t stand a chance.” “I really do,” she insisted “But you’re not giving up.” “Not without trying a bit. Kim is innocent. If I don’t try anything, she’ll spend the next twenty years behind bars. I’m not leaving her out to dry like that.” “They’re gonna come after you.” “It’s ok,” Nestra said. “I’m a nepo baby with a short-fused aunt. If anyone can stick their neck out, it’s me.” “Well, you’re more courageous than me. Drive you back?” And by Riel was that an awkward ride. It was back to square zero. Kim was fucked. Nestra had no obvious way to help her, no leads, and even if she did, no one to show it to. She needed advice. Advice from someone in IA, perhaps. A quick search of her hierarchy on the internal subnet showed that there were only half a dozen people at Ito’s level. She gave Baatar a call. He picked up. His voice was slurred. He’d been drinking. “Listen, there’s one last thing you could do. Please?” “Just, hypothetically, who would be Ito’s rivals?” Baatar sighed. Nestra could guess what he thought about her idea. “I’ll ask around, but… I’ll just ask around.” “You should let it go.” “Not until they fire my ass. Enjoy your day.” Nestra had lunch, then she climbed in her pink roadster. It was time to see what Mr. Ilar wanted from her. Threshold’s gate was one of the oldest structures in the city, and that was fine, because three hundred tons of enchanted steel between what’s trying to kill you and you would never be a bad idea. The queue to get out was short and by short, Nestra meant that it was one military convoy and that was it. The head guard at the gate — a grizzled auged sergeant — ogled her with complete disbelief when she presented her fresh pass. “You’re aware that the road outside isn’t secure, right?” Nestra was wearing her Wellington armor, but she was still a lone woman in a civvie car. “I got a monster killing weapon and I know how to use it,” she replied, showing the Windowmaker. “Incidents are rare, right?” “Yes, but… do you have anything more?” “A shotgun in the trunk.” The guard thought for a second. “Go get it while I approve the transfer. Just keep in mind that you are on your own if something comes up. Don’t stop for anything and keep the emergency line on fast dial.” Nestra grabbed the shotgun, which got a huff of approval by the sergeant, then she was past the gate. The horizon opened in front of her. The plain, the forest, the mountains beyond, it was just so weird looking at all of that land with her human eyes and there wasn’t a wall in view. It was the first time she’d left the confines of the city as a human, second time as a demon if one didn’t include the trans-dimensional escapades. It was… a little disappointing. Just an asphalt path heading out in a straight line through a cratered wasteland of cracked stones upon which yellow grass clung for dear life, the result of decades of bombardment. There was nothing to see but desolation for kilometers upon kilometers. Reality seldom lived up to hopes. Nestra accelerated. She wanted to be back by nightfall. Base camp was a sad affair. It was the bare minimum, if that, and she would have spent two hours going through security if a mook in a suit hadn’t come to pick her up. Even then, the gleam guard’s condescending disbelief grated her nerves. Ilar waited for her in a borrowed office. He greeted her warmly. “Officer Palladian, please take a seat.” She did so. He offered coffee which she accepted. It sucked. “You must be curious as to what you’re doing here,” he finally said. “Straight to it then. I intend to test your physical fitness in anticipation of a possible trip to the Sword King Enclave.” Nestra nearly did a spit take. “The poster enclave for aggressive eugenics? The super arrogant enclave that embodies gleam supremacism? The hardcore isolationists? Those sword saints?” He sat with his fingers interlocked. “May I ask why?” she insisted. “The Sword King enclave is requesting a trade agreement. A delegation will go meet them, and it was decided that you would take part.” “Why me specifically? I'm not a diplomat.” “Three reasons. One, their lands are extremely dangerous, and it was established that you were the baseline with the highest chance of survival. Or close to a baseline, in any case.” “But why? They hate non-gleams.” “Precisely because they hate non gleams and we want to rub it in their faces.” Nestra waited to see if the man was joking. He was not. “You specifically want to piss them off?” “We specifically want to humiliate them and remind them of our mutual standings during the negotiations. We are confident your behavior will help us in this regard.” “You are sending me because I’m a rabid bitch?” “Your words, not mine, and that would count as the second reason.” “And if I refuse? Because it will be dangerous as hell.” “Threshold will blacklist you like every law enforcement agent who refuses an assignment.”