* * *

  Sarah rummaged through her bag, looking for a granola bar she thought she’d stuffed in there yesterday. Did she eat it already?

  She checked her phone. It’d been almost half an hour since Robyn said she’d be right there. And there had been no replies to her last two messages. Annoyed, she sent her sister a message saying she was at their favorite between classes snack place. At this rate, she’d die of hunger before Robyn showed up.

  She grabbed a chicken sandwich and a small bottle of orange juice and went to join the long line at the cash register. Above the lady’s head, a couple of screens were showing the news, but the sound was muted.

  The words BREAKING NEWS made their dramatic entrance, ignored by Sarah’s fellow students. She watched as the closed captions ran past, saying the president had been reportedly taken to the hospital a couple of hours ago. There had been no word from official channels yet, but the reporter on location said the president was seen taken into surgery.

  Sarah edged forward in line. Maybe he had a heart attack or something. People needed surgeries for those, right?

  The boy in front of her turned around, putting a hand out to stop her from moving forward. “Careful.”

  Sarah followed his gaze down to a trail of coffee that had yet to be cleaned. “Thanks.”

  Lights flashed, the daylight coming through the glass doors shifting to darkness in the blink of an eye as the black coffee itself shifted to a more familiar, and scarier, crimson. Where the screens had been, there was nothing but distant lights.

  Sarah’s breaths shook, her grip tightening on the orange juice. The bottle had become a dark object, but it blurred the more she tried to focus on it. And then, just as suddenly, it was a bottle again.

  “You okay?” the boy in front of her asked.

  Sarah nodded, used to pretending by now.

  * * *

  Sarah rubbed at her tired eyes. How many hours had she been sitting there already? The clock told her it was almost time to stop for the day, so she finished organizing everything before turning off her screen. Her muscles felt stiff when she stood up, and she did some simple stretches before moving.

  Lore still looked very much busy. Sarah had been hoping to chat with her some more, but she could wait until tomorrow. The woman had to eat at some point—though today she’d eaten in front of her computer.

  The elevator door opened and Sarah took a step forward, distracted, only to be grabbed gently by the shoulders and walked back out by Pegasus. He laughed at her surprised expression, placing a kiss on her cheek.

  Mermaid gave her a brief greeting, not even a hint of her usual complaints about their public displays of affection. Unicorn and Scorpion followed her out in silence.

  “What happened?” Sarah asked.

  He took her aside so they weren’t blocking the elevator doors. “Mermaid’s informant is dead. We still don’t know exactly what happened, but he’d sent a message earlier today that indicated he had something urgent to tell her.”

  “Is she okay?” Silly question, she didn’t look okay.

  “I think she will be.”

  “Is this why you guys are so late? I thought you were supposed to be back hours ago.”

  Pegasus leaned against the wall, brushing his hair back. “We went from our first site to check on Mermaid’s informant. Then on our way back, we got another report of suspicious activity that might’ve been related to the New Nation. It took a while to confirm it was a false alarm.”

  “Everyone is paranoid right now.”

  “That’s what Scorpion said.”

  “Not sure how I feel about that similarity,” Sarah complained.

  “I wonder if the New Nation set that one bomb off on purpose to create this scenario.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “Are you heading to your room?”

  She nodded. “Should I wait for you to go eat something?”

  “No, I’ll stop by your room when I’m done here.”

  “After you grab some food.”

  He smiled. “After I grab some food, yes.”

  Sarah kissed him, forgetting to be self-conscious about it until they parted. She then escaped into the elevator, thankful it was still waiting.

  Back in her room, Sarah went to her computer before anything else. Curiosity sprinkled with a little bit of hope made her heart speed up as she opened the two mistake files she’d copied for herself.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Unfortunately, by the time the familiar knock came, her excitement had been replaced by disappointment.

  Eating the last few bites of a chicken sandwich, Pegasus sat down on her couch, leaning in to look at her screen. “I see you haven’t been resting.”

  “Rest is a relative term.”

  He shoved the last bit of the sandwich into his mouth, joining her at her desk. “Why are you reading a transfer list?”

  “That is mistake number two.”

  He laughed. “What?”

  “Remember I told you that I met Lore in another world during the Foundation Day party?”

  He nodded slowly, a little mischief coloring the corner of his eyes as he leaned in closer. “I remember something else you told me about that day.”

  “Are you still jealous of the other version of you?”

  “Shouldn’t I be?”

  Sarah averted her gaze. “I mean, it was one kiss.” Or a couple. “And I didn’t know it was you.”

  “Who did you think you were kissing?”

  “You! No, I mean, I didn’t think it was really you because I didn’t know it was real.”

  He chuckled, thumb brushing against her lower lip. “Should I kiss you as if you’re a dream? Call it even?”

  Sarah grabbed him by the collar, pulling him down to press her lips to his. The kiss got away from her, and by the time they parted, Pegasus had pulled her out of her chair and into his arms. He went to kiss her again and Sarah pointed at the screen. “Can you look at the files now?”

  “Sorry, I got carried away by other thoughts.” Laughing, he pulled over one of the other chairs. “What was it you were saying about mistakes?”

  “That other Lore I met said one of the files I sent her by mistake might be helpful depending on whether something had been a typo, I think. She didn’t give me any details, but coincidence or not, I also sent our Lore some files by mistake.” Sarah rested her head against his arm. “Three files to be precise. This is mistake number two.”

  He scrolled along the file. “Anything here?”

  “It’s a record of transfers and new assignments from twenty-two years ago.” It came down to a list of unfamiliar names.

  “How much did Lore tell you about her pet project?”

  “She’s looking for someone who might’ve been connected to the New Nation back then, but not anymore. But this list of WRO personnel doesn’t fit into it unless one of them is a spy. Mistake number three seems even less useful.” She directed his hand and the mouse to open up the other file. “It’s a monthly report from medical, listing materials used, procedures performed, work hours for medical staff… that sort of thing. No names in common between mistakes two and three.”

  “And mistake number one?”

  “I haven’t been able to open it because my clearance got downgraded.”

  “Should I go get it for you?”

  “No need.” Sarah took control of the mouse, pulling up the login prompt. “You can access it from here. I sent you a copy.”

  Laughter shaking his shoulder, Pegasus covered her eyes as he typed in his password. When his hand came away, a mission report was waiting on her screen. “This is from twenty-eight years ago.”

  Curiosity reignited, Sarah scrolled along the report, stopping on the fifth page when something caught her attention. “One of the New Nation members was captured alive.”

  “That would definitely fit with Lore’s project.”

  “Wilbur Black,” Sarah read.

  Pegasus pulled up the file number for his arrest file. It was also an old one.

  “I’ll have to get that from the repository.” Sarah wrote the file number into her notebook, a yawn causing the last two numbers to become crooked. “Would he also be in the system?”

  “A regular search should give us any information on his current whereabouts.” Pegasus picked up her pen, spinning it back and forth between his fingers as he closed her notebook. “We can track him down tomorrow.”

  Sarah, who’d been considering heading out to the repository before bed, struggled to suppress another yawn.

  Pegasus set the notebook and pen back down, turning off her screen.

  With minimal protest, Sarah let him lead her to the couch. “Are you keeping an eye on me until I relax?”

  Pegasus pulled her close. “I don’t think you’ll rest if I leave you here like this.” Long exhales warmed her skin.

  He wasn’t wrong. “Okay, I’ll look at it later.”

  “Tomorrow.” The word swept tendrils of her hair, tickling her neck.

  Listening to his breathing slow, she relaxed as well. It wasn’t long before she felt herself be lifted off the couch. She burst out laughing when Pegasus placed her on the bed. “Are you tucking me in?”

  When she felt his warmth draw away, she dragged him onto the bed. “Stay here.”

  A soft chuckle, and the mattress shifted with the added weight. Lips brushed against her temple and warmth enveloped her. That soft breathing lulled her deeper and deeper.

  Pegasus wasn’t wrong. Wilbur Black’s name had been sitting there for over twenty years, one more day wouldn’t make a difference. Right?

  * * *

  Sarah hurriedly paused the recording she was listening to when she saw Lore get up from her desk. Putting great effort into not looking like she was following Lore while straight up following her, Sarah sped up her pace when the woman got into the elevator. She snuck in as the doors were about to close.

  “Lunch break?” she asked.

  Lore pressed the button for the floor where the cafeteria was located. “I didn’t have time to pick something up before I started my shift.”

  Sarah nodded along, staring at the changing numbers. “I needed a snack break.”

  Continuing the pretense, Sarah followed Lore in silence to the cafeteria. The woman went towards the many prepared sandwiches like a targeted missile.

  Sarah grabbed a fruit salad and a spoon, her mind trying to come up with a natural way to bring up the specific files. “Have you had a chance to look at any of the files I sent you for your project?”

  “Some of them.” Lore absentmindedly picked up a turkey sandwich with one hand and a cheese and tomato sandwich with the other. Yawning, she tucked her mouth in the crook of her elbow. “Excuse me.”

  Sarah hadn’t noticed before, but the dark circles under Lore’s eyes were definitely darker today.

  “I got distracted and ended up spending half the night reading about the mission where General Moore got his first commendation.” Lore offered her a timid smile. “You might not think it’s that awesome since you went on similar missions, but it’s all very exciting to me.” She put the cheese and tomato sandwich down, and whirled to face Sarah. “When he was only twenty-five, he took down ten New Nation agents almost single-handedly and rescued his entire team. It’s like I’m looking through the history of a real-life action hero!”

  Sarah took a reflexive step back at the unexpected outburst. What the hell was happening? Lore was totally fangirling right now!

  Lore went on about how she’d collected every random tidbit about General Moore, from his favorite gun to his shoe size. Sarah suddenly felt very inadequate in her role as a stalker. She didn’t even know Lore’s real name.

  The forgotten turkey sandwich was getting waved around, and Sarah was sure it would wind up on the floor at some point. “I didn’t know you”—adored?—“admired General Moore.”

  Lore’s face lit up. “Yes! Very much!”

  Was that why Lore had come here? To increase the number of people who supported General Moore and his view of tightening a military hold on the WRO? But then, wouldn’t it be better—or at least more useful—if she’d stayed at Center?

  Watching Lore going on with the same enthusiasm one would expect of a teenage girl who had gotten the last ticket to her favorite idol’s concert, Sarah felt cold spread through her hands all the way to her insides. Cypher’s comments came back to her, though she couldn’t place which world they’d been from: what else was Lore doing there if not spying on them?