The twins departed early; the other one came to walk Midge out. Those monetary credits—though ill-begotten—were Lydia's salvation. It had worked out.

As Lydia fixed a button on yet another new outfit from Joshua, she asked herself why she didn't feel relieved. Maybe it was the fact she'd had a strange and shameful sexual encounter earlier that day, one so strong she'd stayed hidden in that bed until Midge left.

Watching her own reflection, she tried to focus on the fact that Joshua had good taste. Never mind that they were nearly married at this point. With this money, she didn't need to consider Joshua. She'd clear the air just as soon as they were back home and the money was in her family funds.

"Midge...." Lydia brushed herself off and wondered what the E was wearing. Maybe he hadn't found any proper clothes and was strutting around the tunnel bare and naked for everyone to see.

Lydia's chest heaved up and down with each second she stood there thinking about that encounter. Each time, her memory would skew just enough for her to focus on the good parts. The way they'd squirmed together.

"I wonder if you still have my lipstick on you." To her left, the diskettes lay on the table where Midge had put them.

A full-body mirror was in the vanity area between the bedroom and bathroom. She thought to utilize it but her eyes settled on those diskettes again. Till now she'd left the diskettes on the table, as if she was being noble about not taking blood money.

She snorted out a laugh this time and snatched them up. "You two darlings are coming with me," she said, tucking them under her arm as she worked at doing up her buttons. "Damn it. Damn this E."

Once the bathroom door closed, paranoia drove her to lock it. Leaning back against the wall, she closed her eyes.

"I guess the memory of our weird encounter will have to keep me. I won't be seeing you again." Midge's teasing red lips came to mind. "Damn."

Her body pulsed even now.

That weird memory? What an awful thing to say. That wasn't how Lydia pictured sex. She'd never been the active one seeking out anything for her own gratification—there wasn't much she wanted, anyone she wanted. This was not her proudest moment, and definitely not something to fantasize about so she wondered...why couldn't she let it go? Why did she miss him—what he did—what they did...was terrible.

A part of her still wished it was a proper encounter; those were few and far between.

Much like countless other wishes and hopes, she put that E out of her mind and decided to figure out how to get home—with a fortune tucked under her arm—maybe with one less claim to shame.

A loud thud from behind the door gave Lydia pause. Someone was in her room. At first her heart fluttered at the prospect of Midge coming back.

"Why, hello Mr. Osbourne," Lydia muttered to herself with a grin. The pitch of the muffled voice told her that wasn't the case though. Midge's tone was rich and smooth. This one sounded fervent.

The words were hard to make out, but the hurried chatter and banging of objects meant it wasn't a servant cleaning the room.

It might have been Joshua, but it seemed unlike him to make such a ruckus.

Lydia's heart pounded when she realized she was basically defenseless, holding a fortune under her arm, holed up in a room with no second exit.

"Oh. My. Gosh," she whispered. If someone was searching, she hoped they'd stop at the room and not come toward the bathroom. She wasn't sure how long she should stay there.

After ten minutes of cowering, she decided to risk it. Lydia tapped the door then pressed herself against the wall.

Nothing. No chatter, and no sound.

She decided to risk peeking. Trembling, she turned to peer out only to meet up with a firm body.

Lydia stifled a yelp. When she stepped back to see one of the twins, she clenched the diskettes in her hands.

This probably wasn't the good one.

And then the twin embraced her. "What the hell are you still doing here? Why didn't you leave yet?"

The grip was like a vice.

Aching and confused, Lydia remained rigid. Finally the big brute stepped back and held her shoulders.

"Are you okay?"

Lydia couldn't answer.

Realization dawned in the man's eyes and he sighed. "It's me, Midge."

That name had Lydia melting. "Oh, oh, of course!"

"Sorry for the bravado. I came to check on you and found this place trashed. I.... Let's just say I regretted not escorting you out. You're holding a pretty sizable amount of credits. We don't want anybody to know about that."

Diskettes still clenched, Lydia stared up at him and smiled. "Aren't you afraid I'll violate you before we make it to the wall, Mr. Osbourne?"

"This is no time to joke." Midge waved his hand to indicate the room. "Look for yourself."

Lydia stepped into chaos. Her eyes widened as she surveyed the destruction.

Midge's hand on the small of her back made her flinch.

"Easy. I'll get you to the wall. From there you can head home directly," Midge said.

As sincere as those words sounded, Lydia felt ill-at-ease. Having a fortune in her grip did the opposite of comforting her. She even started to suspect her newly found knight in shining armor until she looked through the open door and spotted the other twin down the hall, his hands in his pockets. The not-happy-to-see-you expression meant that was Queen.

"I can handle it from here," Midge called out. "I'm just getting her to the wall."

Queen cut them a glance and shook his head. He turned to walk toward the elevator.

"Let's get you clocked in for curfew and go home," Queen drawled. "Do you need to settle anything with Joshua?"

Midge gathered up what he could find of Lydia's things without prompting, then ushered Lydia out as he snorted out a laugh.

"Whatever. He may think it, but he's not the boss of me. All the better if we can get the fuck up outta here without seeing him."

During the elevator ride, Lydia tucked safely between them, Lydia leaned into the twin carrying her belongings. She didn't have much, mostly the clothes she'd arrived in. Midge wrapped the diskettes in some fabric and that's where they safely disappeared.

She lost track of them only once, when they took a sharp right after exiting the elevator. Lydia continued towards the door. She spun around in every direction, fearful they somehow bypassed the 'only enter by this wall' rule and made a portal without her.

That wasn't the case. Both brothers stood before an interface in a small hall. Midge wasn't doing much of the talking, just looking pensive. Lydia recognized Met's voice even though she couldn't see much of the man's face.

"One day? You lasted one day before causing trouble again?" Met said through clenched teeth.

Queen took it upon himself to answer.

When it was over, Midge stepped away with a frown suggesting he'd lost a verbal battle of epic proportions. His face did take on some color when he caught sight of Lydia, however.

"Hey. Sorry. Just had to clock in. Did you miss us?" Midge mused.

Lydia smiled back. "Always."

Being flanked by twin E's meant the journey to the wall was a fast and easy one. Once they reached it, they both signed out. Queen glanced at them from a safe distance before stepping into the wall.

He shot back out again, barely landing on his feet, though his hands were still in his pockets.

Midge chuckled at Queen's look of confusion.

"It goes in waves, Queenie. You can't make a portal on your own at this wall. You gotta do that on the ceiling. Five E's control the Lower-Levels' portals. Look." He gestured to an elder man on the far right, close to the Deadzone, and another in the opposite direction. "The other three are on the other side of the transport. E's can't come and go as easy as they'd like."

"We used to be able to," Queen grumbled.

"Yeah, well a lot's changed. Especially since a suicidal E left a lasting impression down here," Midge chuckled.

Queen didn't chuckle back. Instead, he waited for the next row of people to put their backs against the wall and joined them.

"Get your ass home, Mikael. Do you hear?"

With a nod of his head, Midge smiled. "I'm going, little brother, don't worry."

After Queen was gone, Lydia stepped beside Midge, who handed her clothes and hidden diskettes over.

And then they stared at the wall.

The money was sure to be enough. It had to be. The estate would be something Lydia could be proud of. Maybe Dizzy'd get outta her funk finally when she saw it. And Milton, lover of all things monetary, might come back, too. Hell, Lydia could probably give Stella a good amount in hopes of bribing her to leave. They could recover, somehow, and sit around the table together like a real family, one without threat of murder.

Each second Lydia stood there thinking of the best possible outcome, she felt like she was dying inside.

"You ever wanna run?" Midge asked, eyes fixed on the wall. "Just...just run and not look back. It's not like I'm going home to anything." He glanced at Lydia and their eyes met. "A few years ago, one of my little brothers got injured. I've been trying to find the bastard who did it. Trying to make amends, but I haven't. That fake raid was my last shot." He gestured to the wall again. "I don't know where to gaw-ro start. Not even slightly. Short of going to each and every nobleman's house and shaking the shit outta them, I have no idea what to do next."

Looking down at her belongings, Lydia muttered, "A vendetta like that'll make you miserable."

"Yeah. I guess it has." Midge let out a deep breath.

The next wave passed and another. It was getting late. Those old E's manning the transport wall started nodding off. It'd only be a matter of time before they'd clock out. Lydia and Midge would be stuck for the night. That didn't sound like such a bad thing.

No. It was best to go home and see about the estate. Go back to school. Hold a coming of age party. Get set up for life with someone she no doubt hated. Maybe if she moved quickly she could ignore the temptation to take this money and run. No. She had to go home. She had to save the house. She had to. This was her family's money. She had to go home.

"Your first time down here?" Midge asked.

Lydia smiled at him, happy for the distraction. "Surprisingly, yes."

"No way! Tons of rich kids come down here to shop. Well, the ones who have enough bodyguards to keep them in one piece when they stray into the rough areas. But if you stay around here," he said turning to point to the row of shops on the right. "Then you're safe. Just so long as those two E's can see you."

Nodding, Lydia said, "Kinda cruel to have the old guys by the imp border, though. Ain't it?"

"Ain't it?" Midge grinned. "You look cute when you talk dirty like that."

Lydia's heart shut down for a moment. She cursed herself for swooning at Midge's broad smile. Her body was getting hopeful. Damn you.

"And they 'ain't' old," Midge said nodding to the one closest to the border. "They're damaged. E's don't age much. We're constantly rejuvenating. We will live a normal life cycle, but do yourself a favor, if you ever find yourself going up against or in the same area as an old E, rest assured, shit's about to go down."

Lydia was enjoying the smooth banter. She wanted to poke Midge in his side, anything to prompt him to go on, but she thought better of it for fear her clothes might fall.

Midge pointed. "That right there is a good place to shop. Though the stuff is sorta low-quality, and cheap, but it's pretty popular. And there, if you ever want some good food, you'd have to stop there."

"You know a lot about this place."

"Sure. The love of my life lives here. Hell, she works right over there part-time. I spent most of my adolescence down here causing trouble," Midge said with a wink.

Love of your life? Oh yeah...that issue. Lydia decided not to dwell on it. She was leaving soon anyway.

"Can't believe this is your first time down here and you haven't gotten a chance to see it. And you have to see this place from high up. It's amazing."

"Maybe next time," Lydia chuckled. That was imp-shit. Next time was a long ways off. "Wish I could see it though. This place is pretty unreal. I always thought the Lower-Levels were, well...lower and dingy and stuff. But it's really busy down here."

"Yeah, that's a common misconception. This is the only place in the colony with actual shops. Aren't they quaint? You know how it got its name, right? All this used to be under a city; the lowest layer of it, and when the E's sank the research centers, other buildings came down with it. They made some crude tunnels to bring those people into the safer areas, but this place stayed pretty well-preserved...."

Together they stood there, Midge pointing out special attractions, ones Lydia would never see again. With each second, Lydia cursed herself for not leaving. The guy was smart, and teeming with so much information about the place. He made a great tour guide, even if they didn't move.

Until now, Lydia tried to avoid larger—taller men. Big meant possibly violent. And surprisingly, big meant insecure posturing.

Midge was anything but. He smiled when he gestured to the venders, pointing out small details Lydia hadn't even noticed.

"Right there, it's so thin," Midge said.

Lydia squinted as a tram zipped by. Sure enough, a thin sliver of metal flickered atop it.

"But how's it powered?" Lydia asked.

"Oh, most of this place was E powered. Now the System extends into it, but if you'd get into one, you can see the chairs where E's would sit barefoot to fuel it. We should ride on one. You'd love it."

"Minus the E seat?" Lydia laughed.

Midge smiled. "Hey, don't pick on the E's. We're warm and cozy, and loyal to a fault."

Lydia took in slow breaths, hoping to calm the fluttering in her stomach. "I'd love to try that coziness for myself."

Raising an eyebrow, Midge smiled. Eventually, he chuckled.

There were only three more waves left for the night, the wall announcement said as much. Do or die. Lydia couldn't possibly consider.... She couldn't consider it. She wasn't like Milton. Dizzy'd die if she was forced out of that house. It's the only one Lydia'd ever lived in. She had to go home with that money. And yet she didn't move.

"Guess we should go," Midge muttered.

"Thanks so much...for everything."

"Yeah. Same here."

They didn't budge.

Lydia was sure if Midge left, she could leave, too. She didn't want to be alone with those credits, though. Maybe she just needed to walk away first, but that meant leaving without Midge....

One of them had to move, so Lydia took it upon herself.

Unfortunately, she did so by turning to Midge and saying, "How does one go about seeing this place from high up?"

Midge laughed as he nodded to a building in the distance riddled with holes.

"You've gotta climb that—Big Henry. Most do it when they're courting. They climb up and throw a gift down at the one they're wooing. If he catches it, it's a wedding for sure."

Lydia blinked. "He catches? The woman climbs it?"

Smirking, Midge glanced at her. "Is that strange?"

"I—I guess because most of the Lower-Levels is said to teem with traditionalists, I expected the men to...."

"Yup. Nearly ninety percent of the Lower-Levels is traditionalists. When the buildings came down they dragged down a pretty strict cult along with it. But I don't care. To me, it's not much different from the Colony with regards to relationships. Anyone can climb it, really. Man or woman. Back then, getting offered marriage wasn't easy. Small acts of desperation spawned quaint styles."

"Oh." Lydia muttered, "Guess I'll never see it, then. Nobody to throw it down to."

"Come on, that's not true." Midge grinned. "I'm sure Joshua'll swoop in and save you the embarrassment."

They both chuckled.

"What's with you two, anyway?"

Lydia leaned into Midge, bumping him with her shoulder. "Oh, that's a secret I'll happily take to my grave."

"Oh...?" Midge's eyes widened. "Now you really have to tell. Within the course of a week, he goes from being your stalker to your 'beloved', and he's not taking no for an answer."

Lips pressed tight, Lydia hummed. "Hm-hn. Not telling."

"Fine. Maybe you'll clue me in when I'm serving drinks at your wedding."

Gasping, Lydia squinted. "Even then, I'm not telling. Hell, with my luck, something'll happen and I'll blurt it out before I die. But you do have a point. At this rate, I'll be walking around with a 'property of Joshua' sign on my ass soon enough."

Midge grinned. "You'll be all right. I hear short people are fast."

Lydia paused and then smiled back. "Not when it counts. I assure you."

Another transport announcement sounded. Lydia looked to see but wished she hadn't. While a considerable amount of people joined that wave and exited, a small group didn't—they walked away with the arriving people.

"So you finally noticed them, too, huh?" Midge said, smiling.

Lydia swallowed hard, the thin, light diskettes tucked into her clothes feeling heavy.

Deep down, she figured someone with a reputation like Mitchellii's wouldn't let this much credits walk out of the Lower-Levels. Still, Lydia was hopeful. "Robbers?"

"I'm praying it's the resident hitman and not a new set of low lives." When their eyes met, Midge explained, "Crooks don't often go solo down here. There are codes of conduct. They joined clutches. If Mitchellii's sending for these winnings, it's probably not common knowledge. Besides, it's bad for their reputation—paying for a fair fight then cutting the throat of the winner to take it back."

"Throat?" Lydia's breathing became shallow. "I see."

"Relax, this is a good thing."

Less than convinced, Lydia asked, "Oh?"

"Compared to every other bounty-hunter or clutch knowing about this and running us down? Yes. One clutch is a blessing, especially if it's the one with the most to lose if it gets out they can't keep their word." Midge nodded to several buildings in the distance. "They are opportunist. I don't think Mitchellii'll try to directly take it. Otherwise I'd see Ruckus bearing down on us in all that thrill-seeking glory." He gave Lydia a smile and said, "So long as you're with me when we reach the portal out, you're getting outta here with that loot. I swear it."

Those words warmed Lydia and sent a lull over her which she savored. And if she wanted to stay.... Could she? No. staying wasn't an option.

They fell silent until Midge said, "Hey, you should at least try one of the sweets down here before you go. There're two waves left, but it'll be fast, I swear."

The not-all-that-covert men shuffled around the transport wall and the sight of them made her chuckle.

"They really won't make a move, huh?"

"They wouldn't dare," Midge assured her. "Going up against an E is one thing, a twin is another. Against me.... That'd be a mistake."

Lydia smiled when Midge dragged her by the arm and headed to the closest vendor on the right. Whatever the confectionery was, Lydia was impressed with it. She was all the happier when Midge brought it up again to let her take another bite.

"You sure I shouldn't take those? I don't know how I feel about feeding you like a pet imp," Midge said.

That smile turned into a grin as Lydia waited for the next bite she could take. "Oh no, no. I prefer it this way."

Midge laughed. "You do not give up, do you?"

"Uhn-hn."

Midge's smile faded. "Last transport for the night. That means another four hours down here unless it's an emergency. Or unless we climb something like Big Henry to reach the ceiling. You should go...we should go."

Lydia followed his gaze and sighed. "Yeah. We should."

"Come on."

They made their way back to the wall, not in any hurry at all. Several people charged past them in an effort to reach the final transport. The old—damaged E's—were nice enough to wait for them.

Midge stopped walking. Lydia looked up at him. As much as she knew she should go, a part of her longed to linger in his presence. Midge wasn't as focused on her as she was on him, however. Instead, Midge eyed one of the elder E's, a look of woe on his face.

"Something wrong?" Lydia asked.

Trembling, Midge said, "No. I just need a minute."

But he didn't move. Lydia thought to walk away instead. The old E eyed them in return, awaiting their arrival. It seemed unreasonable to think she couldn't make it the rest of the short distance alone.

The wall fluxed just as Midge took a step forward. A lone E walked through and Midge made an immediate pivot.

"Shit," he whispered under his breath.

Unsure what to do, Lydia turned toward the wall but Midge caught her around the waist and yanked her close.

"You know," Midge said, "It's the weekend."

"True," Lydia agreed, heart fluttering from the warmth the E radiated. Midge picked up speed as he hurried to one of the largest hotels in the distance. Lydia didn't want to think about it, but figured she might as well ask. "Is your lover expecting you?"

"Lover?" Midge glanced at that same restaurant again and sighed. "Lover, right. I can say without a doubt, she'll barely miss me."

One of the E's called out to them, but Midge didn't answer. They were skipping the transport—Lydia was actually doing it. She was running. She was really making a run.... Where to? She wasn't sure. But she had money.

"Let's get a hotel for the night," Midge said, tugging her closer. His hurried form of speech might have meant he was eager to get away from that wall.

Lydia was glad to follow behind him. She glanced back as the transport wall swallowed the last line of people. At the next wave inward, only a handful of travelers came through with it; one of those people was Queen.

Hands still in his pockets, Queen made his way through the scarce crowd, heading toward Midge's previously indicated restaurant.