Van Terra

Chapter Seven ~ Physically I'm Here...

Chapter Seven ~ Physically I'm Here, Spiritually I'm Lying Face Down in a Puddle in a Fuel Station Parking Lot

***

There were plenty of lower districts that made great hideouts for people like Jasper. The Blue District and the Tide District were popular choices for villains, but her apartment happened to be in the Red District. It was the perfect location, really. High crime rates, few police precincts, several non-Blade gangs determined to protect their territory, and a lot of people crammed into small living spaces.

The five left the car in a parking garage that charged exorbitant prices to simply keep vehicles behind a locked gate. After that came a short walk through the dark and dirty neighborhood Jasper and her team called home. Grace's eyes darted back and forth as they moved, as if she expected any one of the people passing by to attack.

"Relax, Angel," Jasper said. "Most of these people are just trying to get through the day. And anyone dangerous is nowhere near a match for me."

"Right." Grace folded her arms. "I keep forgetting who's protecting me."

They reached the apartment building, the exterior of which was covered with once-shiny panels of white metal that were now grimy and graffitied. Jasper punched in the code on the keypad by the gate and led the team inside. "Any criminal in the area with half a brain cell knows I live around here. They stay away from this block. In exchange, the landlady doesn't rat me out to the police."

Holly caught up on Jasper's right. "Can we move faster?"

"Go ahead if you're so impatient," Jasper told her. "I've got to make sure Angel here doesn't pass out." And, truthfully, Jasper didn't want to walk any faster. She was in much more pain than she let on.

Holly rolled her eyes but kept pace with Jasper. "What's the plan?"

"What do you mean?"

"For tomorrow. When are we leaving for Starchatter? What disguises are we using?"

Jasper shrugged. "I thought tomorrow would be a 'go with the flow' sort of day."

"What are you doing at Starchatter?" Grace asked. "What does that have to do with Ringmaster and his races?"

Holly shot Jasper a glare. "Do you have a plan on how to handle her? Are we going to lock her up?"

"For starters, she's a person, not a stray animal," Jasper said. "And I hadn't thought that far ahead."

"Right. Why would you do that?"

They reached the elevator. Jasper pressed the call button. "Ringmaster gave out limited information about the races, but he made it clear he would be monitoring the courses extensively," she explained to Grace. "Which means he's going to need to spend some time setting up and scoping out the area."

The doors opened and the five crammed into the tiny elevator.

"The first race will take place here on Kronos," Jasper continued. "We found out that a building on the course has a whole floor closed off, as of a few days ago. Signs mention renovation, but they're vague, and security is ridiculous. Every entrance guarded at all times by people who are probably undercover goons working for Ringmaster."

"The renovation is fake?" Grace asked.

Jasper nodded. "Most likely. The guards won't let us get close enough to find out. And I don't want Ringmaster knowing I'm after him, so violence is unfortunately not an option. Instead, we're going to infiltrate Starchatter because their offices are directly below the target area. We'll see what we can learn and maybe find another way in."