//Sae: Wait::[WEIGHT]

It seemed almost as if they were in a loop, walking back and forth from the slums and the main city of District 5. Void Industries was in Sector 7, on the opposite side of the District from EDGE, which was in Sector 1, so there was little chance of them being spotted on their way there.

This end of District 5 was much more quiet. It was as close to a rural area that could be found in this era. It wasn't that there was any vegetation, more that there was a lack of clustered buildings. In this place, there weren't any brightly lit casinos or hotels. It was almost tranquil, by comparison. It wasn't of course, without danger, but it was a bit safer than the other Sectors.

The people that lived here did so for the more relaxed environment, and, if one could afford it, this would be the best place in District 5 to start a family. Gang activity was sparse here, and crime was relatively low. There were even a few nearby private schools.

A few couples walked through the dark streets, some with children following happily behind. A few even waved at Ahn and Sae. It was like they were in an entirely different world. Because of this, it wasn't difficult to blend in. They had changed their clothes and cleaned the blood off of themselves before leaving Hephaestus' workshop. To others on the sidewalk, they looked like just another rich young couple going for a stroll.

This 'rich young couple' was mentally debating how they would go about infiltrating Void in each other's heads. Void was known for their focus on single-use explosives meant to deal with frenzied androids or heavily armored or augmented humans. They dabbled in gun development, but were nowhere near competitive with EDGE.

Despite this, their guards were not to be taken for granted. Each one had access to an excessive amount of various kinds of bombs and grenades for a wide array of scenarios. Their guns only added to the potential threat they posed. If possible, it would be wise for Ahn and Sae to avoid engagement for as long as possible when they got inside.

Sae was slightly distracted as she thought about what the strange blacksmith from the bunker had said before they left. He had asked her if her swords were broken or lost. It was obvious enough that she was missing a weapon, but how did he know that she used swords? He even used the word 'swords'. He knew that she used two. She needed to stay on guard with Hephaestus.

'We're going to need to get a grasp of the building layout before we enter,' Ahn was saying, cutting through Sae's constant stream of thoughts.

They had to be especially careful not to attract too much attention tonight. If another large company was found with everyone inside dead for two consecutive days, it was sure to put other companies on guard, or even motivate them to search for the culprits in hopes of preventing their own downfall.

'There it is,' Sae thought to Ahn, pointing to a building slightly larger than the others in the vicinity. It was covered in large tinted windows, which were framed by polished black stone, giving it an oppressive presence as it towered above the rest of the structures in the area. The words Void Industries were plastered over the doorway in a light blue font. It looked normal on the outside, but there was a reason the windows were tinted.

Inside, Sae found as she performed a number of scans on the building, was a series of complex hallways, all of which had a set of two heavily armored guards. Each guard wore black ballistic vests, which matched their black, tightly laced boots, their black combat leggings, black facemasks, and black helmets. The facemasks gave the guards an almost demonic appearance, showing very little of the face, red scanning screens covering the eyeholes. This would be the hardest part about infiltrating Void unnoticed.

These scanning filters, while much weaker than Sae and Ahn's own, would be able to detect electronics from twenty feet and closer, meaning that they had to maintain a respectable distance between themselves and the guards in the hallways.

One advantage they did have, however, was that there were fewer than ten security cameras throughout the building. Void was confident that their guards would provide more than enough security. Sae intended to exploit that falsely placed presumptuousness as much as possible.

By the time they had managed to get a feel for the building's security arrangement and had a plan to get in and retrieve the part, it was still noon. They were planning to go in at nightfall - it would be difficult not to attract the attention of the people walking by in broad daylight.

Now, all they had to do was wait.

'We should go somewhere else for the time being,' Sae thought to Ahn. 'It will look suspicious if we wait here all day. They'll know something is up.'

'Right,' Ahn replied, starting to walk again.

They decided on a coffee shop a few blocks away. They walked in, taking in their surroundings. Sae had never been in a place like this, and, as far as she knew, neither had Ahn.

The warm aroma of pastries and coffee brewing wafted through the air. While it wasn't a necessity, the ANGELs could eat in case the need ever arose to maintain their cover. With her unusually strong sense of smell, this small shop's scents were almost overpowering to Sae.

A small counter sat before them. Unlike the tables, which were bristling with people engaging in conversations, the counter was vacant. Sae looked around the room for somewhere to sit, but all of the chairs were full.

"I'll be right there!" a young girl who looked to be in her late teens shouted, hurrying through a door into the kitchen area.

Sae noticed some people sitting on marble benches lining the walls around the counter. There was no table. What was the point of sitting if there was nothing to place their food onto?

In the main dining area, a small group of people got up from their seats. Sae tugged on Ahn's sleeve. "Let's go," she said, gesturing to the table. "Before the other people here notice it's open."

Sae started walking towards the empty seats, earning some dirty looks from the people on the benches. Was she doing something wrong?

The young waitress returned to the counter in the front, looking around for the two people who had just disappeared. Her eyes drifted over to them, an expression of exasperation occupying her face. She strode to the table.

"Can you two please go to the waiting area until we call you out to be seated?" she asked, appearing to force politeness.

Sae glanced at Ahn, who just silently stood up and walked over to the benches. After a moment, she followed.

The waitress was calling the group of people who were already sitting there, telling them that their seats were ready.

She approached them again after they were seated. "May I take your names?"

'Ahn,' Sae said to him, casting a meaningful look at him. 'What do you think she wants?'

Ahn shook his head. 'I don't think she's a threat,' he replied.

"Ahn and Sae," he said out loud.

The waitress smiled, typing something on a small holopad.

"We'll let you know when your seats are ready," she said, looking directly at Sae.

"Utterly idiotic," Sae said after the waitress left. "Why is it our fault that the others weren't paying attention when an opportunity presented itself?"

Ahn shrugged, but the corners of his mouth looked like they were struggling to refrain from breaking into a smile. Sae was okay with that. If it meant that Ahn, who would usually have to force himself to keep a smile on his face, would actually have to try not to, she would face all the ridicule in the world. Even if it was from him. Ahn didn't deserve to force himself to smile. This was the first time Sae had ever seen a legitimate one.

They sat in silence for about ten minutes, waiting for their names to be called. 'How inefficient,' Sae thought. 'Why would anyone wait for more expensive food when they could get cheaper food and make it at will?' It made no sense.

"Ahn and Sae?" a middle-aged lady wearing the same formal clothing as the first waitress called.

They stood up, following her to a two-person table by a window. Sae noticed that there was a table more towards the center of the room that was also open. "Can we have that table instead?" she asked. They needed to avoid being seen as much as possible.

The waitress looked at the table Sae was talking about, which was meant for four people, with a look that blended hesitation with poorly hidden frustration.

"Of course," the woman said after a pause, changing her route.

When they sat at the table, a holographic interface sparked to life, displaying a small list of food and beverages. Sae had heard of many of them, but never had a need to try any of them before. Their timing was always exact on their missions for EDGE, so there was no need to wait around and blend in.

The woman returned and asked, "What can I get for you two?"

Sae, after a moment's hesitation, ordered a blueberry scone and hot chocolate. Ahn asked for coffee and a ham sandwich.

They again remained silent until the food arrived. The waitress set the trays down gingerly, allowing Sae and Ahn to take their respective plates.

Sae bit softly into the scone, not knowing exactly what to expect. It was sweet. The dough itself was dense, and had little flavor on its own, but was complemented by the sugar and blueberries spread across its surface and through the pastry. It was good, she decided, taking a much larger bite.

After the third bite, her mouth had started to feel dry. This was another foriegn sensation to Sae. She took a sip of hot chocolate, nearly spitting it out in surprise. It was even more sweet than the scone, filling her mouth like a warm nectar. She drained the cup in her next series of sips.

The waitress came back a few moments later to ask how the food tasted, an astonished look crossing her face as she looked at Sae's empty plate and cup. Ahn was absently chewing on his sandwich.

"More," Sae said.

"What?" the waitress asked, now looking a bit confused.

"Bring me more," Sae repeated.

"Okay," the waitress said, the cheerful smile returning to her face. "Just so you know, we will have to charge extra."

Sae nodded her approval. Hephaestus had given them a large sum of counterfeit credits before they went out.

"These won't work on androids, but if you can find a place run by humans, these will be nearly indiscernible from real credits. Have some fun," he had said.

Sae couldn't get a read on that man.

The waitress returned a few minutes later, bringing Sae's refills over to her. She wolfed them down without any reservation. Had this not invoked an expression of shock from the surrounding customers, she would have ordered more. She declined more food, exercising an enormous amount of self-restraint to do so.

By this time, Ahn had also finished his food, and was staring blankly at the wall behind Sae, apparently lost in thought.

"Ahn," Sae said suddenly, snapping him back into reality. There had been something bothering her for the last couple of days. Now, she figured, was a better time than any to ask him about it.

She paused.

It was heavy. It chained her voice down; she was unable to bring it back. She could feel it forming in her eyes, plaguing them like a deadly disease.

She had been weighed down by it since she saw Ahn's deep blue eyes in Ava's house. It waited in the corner of her mind, ready to come crashing down. Guilt dwelt deep inside of her.

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Why was it so hard to speak? Guilt wasn't an efficient emotion, she decided. It made things more difficult, if anything.

An unfamiliar voice broke the silence that her own refused to. A young voice. It was crying as it spoke.