The hallways and elevator were tidy and classic, reminiscent of a bygone era. The carpeting was red, and oil paintings in antiquated frames lined the walls, a reminder that art was once physical rather than holographic.

On the twelfth floor, Nova used one of the metallic cards to unlock a door, and ushered the Negotiators through. "I hope this room is all right," she said. "They all tend to be the same size, so I don't know if you'll have enough room. The bathroom is spacious. And the shower has a 'steam' function for non-organics, so it will be safe for Ava. But...there's only one bed, you know."

"None of us sleep in a bed," Saito informed her.

"And none of us need much sleep, anyway," Ava-1 added.

Nova nodded. "Sure," she said. "I guess I'm not sur—"

She cut herself off, shocked by the Negotiators' immediate show of action.

They broke apart, each moving in a separate direction, and began a quick frenzy of thorough investigation. Saito inspected the doors, windows, corners, counters, walls, and floor. Mina took up residence in the center of the room and inhaled a rhythmic series of slow breaths, engaging her olfactory sense. Ava-1 twisted and removed her left pinky finger, which functioned as a detection laser. She swept the sensitive red beam across every surface in the room.

As abruptly as it had begun, their investigation ceased, and they faced each other.

"There is no way to gain access to this room except for the door," Saito told the others. "No way to unlock the windows, and the blinds are metal and opaque. No variation in thickness in any of the walls. No hollow spots in the floor or ceiling."

Mina and Ava-1 nodded.

"There has not been another living being in this room for approximately three and one half days," Mina said to the others. "And that person was," she breathed in again, "a tailor by trade, high fashion, and no threat to us. She was only passing through town."

Saito and Ava-1 nodded.

"There is no covert surveillance in this room," Ava-1 said. She switched off the red laser and reattached her pinky. "There are no audio bugs, no cameras, and no recording devices of any kind. The room is clean."

Saito and Mina nodded.

Observing this, Nova felt faint. She leaned against the desk as her head spun with the activity she'd just witnessed.

Mina turned to her. "Your blood sugar is low," she informed Nova. "I can smell it. Are you anemic?"

"Um, yes, actually," Nova confessed, uncertain if she was impressed by Mina's abilities, or disturbed because she was a vampire. "I just need some water. It's fine."

"You mentioned in your initial communication that there are others who knew you planned to contact us," Saito said. "Others who have information they are willing to share."

"Yes, three others, apart from Phoon and the Night Mare manager," Nova told him. "The computer repair guy at my store and two workers I know from the Chartreuse Factory. They're trustworthy. And they share my views and concerns about Big Sister."

"That should be fine," Saito said.

"When can we talk to these people?" Ava-1 asked.

"As soon as tomorrow morning," Nova said. "I told them to expect a visit at any time." She dug in the pocket of her work uniform and pulled out a folded piece of stationary.

"Actual paper," Mina remarked. "How archaic. But much to my taste."

"Anything digital or electronic could be intercepted," Nova said. She handed the paper to Saito. "Names and addresses. You'll find Whitlock at my store. It's further down the block, on this street. Genesis and Trip work at the Chartreuse Factory. It's only three pegs from here, in Micro-Oz."

"Three of them, three of us," Ava-1 said. She took the paper from Saito and scanned a digital copy for her internal archive. "We each can speak with one of them."

The others nodded in concurrence.

"Is the Red Palace found within Micro-Oz, as well?" Mina inquired of Nova.

"Just beyond," Nova answered cautiously. "But no one is allowed there. Only Big Sister's army and counsel. Anyone else who approaches is arrested on sight."

Mina's stoic lips curled up in the tiniest of smiles. "How quaint," she said. "Thank you for the warning."

Nova's stomach did a somersault. "Seriously, Mrs. Harker, if they see you, you risk vaporization!"

"No one will see anything," Ava-1 cut in. "Discretion, right? This isn't our first usurp of an evil dictator." With a reassuring smile, she set a flat metal disc on the desk and tapped it twice. There was a soft whirl of pixels, and a nanosecond later a large canvas travel pack containing the trio's provisions materialized on the desk.

"Whoa!" Nova cried, gawking at the room's new addition. "Is that—?"

"Dimension compression technology," Ava-1 explained. "The only way to travel."

"Show off," Saito teased.

"I've never actually seen it before," Nova said, poking the pack to make sure it was corporeal. "That's incredible."

"Thanks!" Ava-1 said, beaming.

Nova looked at each of her guests in turn. "Is there anything else you need before I leave?"

The trio shook their heads in unison.

"All right, then," Nova said. "I'll be at my store at 9:00 tomorrow morning if you want to talk to me again. Until then...um...sleep well. And thank you for coming."

With a brief parting wave, Nova left the hotel room. The door closed with a soft click behind her.

"Sweet girl," Mina murmured. "She called me 'Mrs. Harker.' No one has referred to me by my married name in centuries."

"Missing your late husband?" Ava-1 asked.

"Jonathan is never far from my mind," Mina answered, thinking back on her brief marriage. "Though he exists more as a fond memory than a person. Unsurprising. It was so long ago. And he was, after all, only human."

Mina fell silent, and Saito and Ava-1 exchanged a subtle glance.

"We should have a course of action for tomorrow. Keep things simple," Saito said. He inspected the paper that listed the three names. "I'll speak with this 'Trip' individual at the factory."

"I'll see Whitlock when I go to the electronics store," Ava-1 said.

"Then I'll make the acquaintance Genesis," Mina said agreeably. "But tonight I'm going to have a look at the setup of this Red Palace. The layout, the amount of guards, the security system. I should have a good idea of what precautions we will need to take before infiltrating the fortress of 'Big Sister' by tomorrow morning."

"Here," Ava-1 said. She removed a microminiature camera of her own design from the small hollow compartment in her left forearm. "Take a picture of any operating systems you see. That way, I'll be able to discern if they can be scrambled or hacked."

"Of course." Mina took the camera and slipped it into the pocket of her black gown. She then went into the bathroom to wash her hands. The billowing sand outside the city had been relentless.

Adjacent to the porcelain sink, Mina found a decorative soap dish shaped like a cresent moon with a small circular bar of soap situated atop it. The soap was encased in a soft jade-colored wrapper that read:

ᴄʜᴀʀᴛʀᴇᴜꜱᴇ

She turned the bar of soap over and read the label in its entirety.

Simple, and aesthetically pleasing. Until the printed warning at the very bottom. In considerably smaller letters, it read:

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️

This product is not intended to be left on skin for a prolonged period. Rinsing is essential.

Avoid contact with eyes.

DO NOT INGEST.

"Curious," Mina murmured to herself. "All of that prattle for clean hands."

Shrugging — as she knew she was, for all intents and purposes, dead and needed to heed no warnings — Mina removed the round bar of soap from its packaging and proceeded to wash her hands. The soap had a soothing texture and did smell pleasantly of mint, as the label advertised.

In the main room, the three of them prepared to rest.

Mina removed a scarlet velvet sheet from the travel pack. She unfolded the fabric with care, then wrapped it snuggly around her body. With a murmured "Good night" to each of her comrades, she slid beneath the bed and closed her eyes.

Saito sat cross-legged on the carpet with his back against the wall opposite the door. He placed one of his beloved swords across his lap and leaned the other against his shoulder. He crossed his arms over his chest and let his head droop.

Ava-1 retrieved an electrical charging device from the pack, plugged one end into the wall outlet and the other into her brain stem via a port in the back of her neck. She sat down in the chair beside the door and allowed herself to power down into stasis.

The lights faded out, and the Negotiators slept in silence.

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