Maintenance tunnels. Not exactly the nicest walking route, especially when combined with the persistent feeling of, y'know, panic. Because of, y'know, the evil mad scientist trying to experiment on me.

Still, while they are dark, sketchy and... damp, for some reason, they're a way out. The only way out with no security cameras.

Speaking of, it sure is a good thing the ones in the station were disabled. I guess Dr. Blayne's team of kidnappers must've done that by accident when breaking into the station's computer system. Why did they do that, anyway? Well, whatever the reason, it meant I only had to check the cameras' status, and not turn them off myself, which would have not only taken longer but definitely raised suspicion.

Thanks to the whole criminal activity thing, I'm kind of an expert in suspicion. Either that or I just overthink everything. Either way, that came in pretty handy when my A-Maps route suddenly changed and instead of just assuming there was unexpected traffic, like a normal person, my brain just immediately went, "hey you know what it probably is? That creepy doctor you haven't been able to stop worrying about for the past 24 hours".

Turns out, I was actually right. A diagnostic scan of my phone revealed an unknown third party had been tracking my location all day.

So, that's why I'm currently walking through a maintenance tunnel I found in the station's blueprints, which I'm reading off my eyeview, while monitoring the situation with my internal computer chip — I can see the location of my phone from here on my eyeview as well, and can remotely wipe the contents when Dr. Blayne finds it. Wouldn't want to leave him any clues to my location — or secret identity, for that matter.

Oh, and as for my tracker wristband, I just disabled it. If I were to leave it in the podcar, it would look suspicious if the UNBI ever were to request the data. Just because there's a more pressing concern, doesn't mean I forget about hiding from the authorities.

I'll turn it back on when I get home, set it to loop my heart rate, and try to make it look like it just glitched.

* * *

Like usual, my mom is lying on the living room couch, staring at the TV screen on the opposite wall when I walk through the door. I honestly can't tell if she's watching it, or just... looking at it. It creeps me out sometimes. Also as per usual, I say a quick 'hey' before heading upstairs. Really, the only difference is this time, I'm not going up to do my homework, work on some scripts, and message clients on the dark web while eating a ready-meal and overthinking my life choices before going to bed at an ungodly hour.

It only takes a few minutes to pack my monitors, which fold up to a quarter of their size, and various other computer equipment and some clothes into a large backpack. I can't stay here — Dr. Blayne knows my route from school, so I can only assume he must know other information, like where I live. If he can't capture me on my way home, he might very well just come here. Instead, I'll stay at a motel or something while I sort out a more permanent solution. I don't know how long I'll have to stay there, so I packed for a week. I'll hide out, monitor the situation through the news and maybe with the help of OutlawResolve, who seems to know a lot about this. From there, I'll decide what to do next.

But, you already know what—

No! Shut up, little voice in my head! I can't think about that yet, the solution that's been popping up over and over again in my mind: leave Japan. I made my fake identity. I have the funds thanks to the anonymous client. I even have a few simple disguises so I could walk through a busy airport without looking like myself, in case those people were ever interviewed by the UNBI if my real identity's discovered. Really, the only thing left to do is buy plane tickets.

And that little voice won't stop telling me that that's what I have to do. That it's my best option, and I just have to do it, already. But can I, really? Can I just leave? Leave everything I've ever known behind?

My conversation with Idra comes back to me. I've figured out life on my own by now. I don't need to be rescued. Maybe this is my next step, moving on, moving away. Maybe there's nothing left for me here.

But, what about my friends? Ever since my dad died, and Idra had already gone off to university, they've been like the family I didn't have. They're the people who are always there for me, and who I can tell anything to.

Well, almost anything.

At least, until yesterday. I wonder how Roxanna's been taking that, anyway. I didn't see her at school today, but I have no way of knowing if that has anything to do with me — we don't have any classes in common on Tuesdays, and she had an Activism Today club meeting at lunch... which, technically, I was supposed to go to, too, but I was a little preoccupied worrying about the Dr. Blayne thing — I ended up spending lunch researching his project and learning every available detail of his experiments.

Oh, shit, I hope Roxy doesn't think I'm avoiding her.

Pushing the thought out of my mind, for now, I sling the backpack over my shoulders and head back downstairs, telling my mother a quick and dishonest, 'be back soon' as I walk out the door.

* * *

A cheap motel is easy enough to find, and before long, I'm checked in and sitting safely in my room, far from Dr. Blayne, the phone he was tracking, and of course my tracker wristband, which is sitting on my desk at home running a loop program. I paid with the rest of the funds on the temp card given to me by U5_Delta, from the meeting that seems like so long ago. How I'll continue my "job" as xCodebreaker01 is just one of the many concerns swarming in my mind right now. There's also school, seeing my friends, taking care of my mother... Despite today's excitement having me tired, even though it's only 19:00, that infernal 'little voice' has made it clear I won't be sleeping easy.

My mind just won't slow down, going over every possible next move over and over, combined with every anxiety and fear, even the irrational ones. Even if I can manage to push those aside, I just end up going over the events of today again instead. Was my escape good enough? Can Dr. Blayne still somehow track me? How will I avoid him from now on?

It's a good thing OutlawResolve warned me about him. Who knows what would've happened if I hadn't been overly anxious today, constantly scanning my surroundings and overthinking my A-Maps route.

I wonder why he did warn me, anyway. Of course, there's the question of how the H-E-double-hockey-sticks he knew, but also, what does it matter to him?

Well, I can overthink about that later. For now, I have another important mission: contacting my friend.

I have no idea how Roxanna is reacting to finding out my secret identity — I don't know if she's mad I didn't tell her, or judging me for what I'm doing, or what. All I know is, I care about her, and I need to make sure we're OK.

I flip open my laptop, having already disabled the location when I was at home, of course, and click on the Messages app.

Kalix [Me]: Hey Roxy, I just wanted to check in with you, since we didn't get a chance to talk at school. Do you want to get lunch together tomorrow?

Of course, we can't talk about Codebreaker stuff over text, so lunch seems like the best option.

In true Roxanna Davis fashion, she responds within a minute.

Roxy \(^• ‿ -^)\v: Sure :) Sorry I missed you at ATC.

And, in true Kalix Raven fashion, I spend the next several minutes over-analysing the message.

She seems OK, totally normal, in fact. But at school before, she did say we had to continue the conversation. What if she's just acting normal because she knows Messages conversations can be searched by the UNBI with the right warrant, and so she's trying to avoid saying anything suspicious. Even that would be a positive sign, though, right? She's trying to protect me.

Seems like a lot of people have been doing that, lately...

That strange thought crosses my mind again as I re-read the messages between me and OutlawResolve. He doesn't know who I am — Kalix the cyborg test subject is a total stranger to him. Even if he wanted to protect Codebreaker-me for some reason, why would he care about Kalix-me?

You know what, enough with all the overthinking and the unanswered questions. I'll just ask him.

xCodebreaker01: Are you still there? I was wondering about something.

OutlawResolve: Yeah?

xCodebreaker01: The girl you're asking me to protect, Kalix. You don't know her, do you?

OutlawResolve: Of course not, she lives on the other side of the world.

xCodebreaker01: So, why do you care? I mean, what does it matter to you if Dr. Blayne does his weird experiments or whatnot?

This time, it takes a few minutes for him to respond.

OutlawResolve: I may be a criminal, but I like to think I'm not a bad person.

OutlawResolve: How could I live with myself if I let an innocent girl die?

I'm unsure of how to respond after that, but luckily I don't have to. Another notification comes in, so I shift my focus to that.

U5_Delta: I really need your help, Codebreaker. Can we talk?

U5? What does he want?

There are really only two logical possibilities. One, he's been captured by the UNBI and needs my help erasing warrants or something, or two, it's not him at all, but an undercover agent pretending to be him.

Second one is definitely a lot more likely. Still, out of curiosity, I type a quick reply.

xCodebreaker01: What is it?

His response is almost instant.

U5_Delta: Do you think we could meet in person? I'm really worried about being caught using this channel.

U5_Delta: You choose the place, of course.

Wow, not even subtle about it. Seriously? Did they put a new agent on my case or something? Because there is no way the same person who found out about Café Suki, figured out who my client was from FaceRec, and discovered my Xaria Clarke alias is this stupid.

It's like, are they even trying to trick me? I can't resist being a little sassy about it.

xCodebreaker01: Yeah, I knew you were a UNBI agent, but you're not even a good one.

And with that, I mute him — er, whoever it is.

Unfortunately, though, closing 1NT-C0M and shutting off the screen doesn't alleviate the lingering stress from the conversation. In all seriousness, a UNBI agent — albeit a rather stupid one — tried an undercover operation. It's a bold reminder that they're still on my tail. Maybe this encounter wasn't so worrying, but they have been getting closer.

If they did in fact switch agents, for whatever reason, I'm hoping the "new guys" and their, let's go with "rough transition", will buy me some time, but the truth of the matter is that they're too close for comfort. And not just them, either — can't forget Dr. Blayne. I may have escaped this time, but he won't give up. With Dr. Creeps-a-lot determined to capture me for his twisted experiments, and the UNBI getting closer every day, I'm running out of options. The only solution, the one I've been dreading all day, forces itself to the front of my mind.

The little voice is right. I have to leave.