The Rat

Marcus Crassus sat in the heart of the Library. The bright lights above seemed to mock his frail form. Piles of data feeds cluttered the screens before him. He rubbed his temples, deep in thought. The air buzzed with the soft hum of electronic devices and the occasional beep from a cleaning roomba.

Beside him, Shadow stood silently—a loyal servant, but under Marcus's command. Today, Shadow had proven his use, dressed in the metallic mask of the Librarian, it's shoulders slightly hunched to mimic the real Librarian's weak and timid appearance.

It had walked into the lions den and got him a deal, but it was a double edges sword. Mr. Black wanted the rat and Marcus had no idea who that was.

Marcus took a deep breath, reaching for his pipe. He filled it with wakeleaf, his frail hands trembling slightly. Every puff he took calmed him but also reminded him of the ticking clock. He didn't have much time.

"Shadow, make sure you stay in character. We can't afford any slip-ups. If Mr. Black senses anything amiss, we're done for," Marcus instructed with a commanding tone, cracking his neck to ease some tension.

Shadow nodded, his face hidden under the metallic mask. "Understood, master."

Marcus returned his focus to the email contact—a single line of hope in a sea of uncertainty.

[The Rat: darkdescent@cryptomail.com]

He typed a simple message:

*Subject: Urgent*

*Message: We need to meet. Something urgent has come up. Name a place and time.*

He hovered over the 'send' button for a moment before clicking it. Now, all he could do was wait. Seconds turned into minutes, each one dragging on longer than the last.

Just as he was about to send another message, a buzz echoed through the Library. Marcus snapped his head up, his hazel eyes narrowing with suspicion. Who could it be?

Shadow moved to hide amongst the clutter as Marcus had instructed him to and he went to answer the door, a familiar face stepped in—Detective Vega. Her sharp features and piercing brown eyes immediately scanned the room, taking in every detail.

"Detective Vega," Marcus greeted, trying to mask his displeasure. He himself now wore the attire of the Librarian, to Detective Vega that's who he was.

"What brings you here?"

Detective Vega's eyes locked onto his, intense and unwavering. "Librarian, I regret to inform you that the police protection will be withdrawn by tomorrow. There has been no progress, and the chief won't justify the cost anymore."

Marcus slammed his cane against the ground in frustration. "This is ridiculous, I am almost complete and you would risk it all now!?"

Vega's tight-lipped expression betrayed her disapproval. "The encryption is taking longer than expected. And many in the force are beginning to doubt your... sincerity."

Marcus shook his head "Nonsense, allow me to show you the progress I've made-"

Suddenly, Marcus felt a sharp pain in his chest. He doubled over, coughing violently. Each cough spat out blood, it trailed down his chin. His frail body protested, each gasp of breath harder than the last.

[Warning. Space Plague flaring up in your body. Seek medical dialysis immediately."

Moving quickly, Detective Vega tried to help Marcus but he swatted her hand away not wanting to be touched while so weak. After many minutes of gasping breaths he could finally talk.

"Detective, I believe you should go now." Marcus said through clenched teeth.

Detective Vega looked concerned but nodded. "Of course. Take care."

Marcus waved her off.

As soon as she left Marcus tossed the Librarian attire to shadow and instructed it to behave as the Librarian in his stead and notify him of anything urgent.

"Shadow," Marcus rasped, struggling to speak. "You stay at the Library. Keep up appearances. I'll be back once I'm stabilized."

"Understood, master," Shadow replied.

Marcus had to make it to his apartment.

----

Back at his small apartment in the slums, Marcus collapsed onto the medical bed. The machines around him whirred to life, hooking him up for his treatment. He hated the weakness, hated the vulnerability, but there was no other choice.

As the treatment began, Marcus's mind raced. He was running out of time. The space plague was worsening, and he had neither the funds from the Black Hoods nor the blackmail money.

A whole month had passed, and he was still no closer to paying off his debt.

Hours ticked by, each one filled with the hum of medical machines and the occasional beep as his vitals were monitored. Marcus lay there, consumed by thoughts of failure and the weight of everything he had to do.

Out of nowhere, his comm device beeped—an email notification. Marcus's heart skipped a beat. Could it be?

He used all his remaining strength to grab the comm device and read the message. It was from the Rat.

*Subject: Meet Up*

*Message: Urgent. Meet me at 0400 hours in Sector J-8 this address. Come alone. Bring no one. Mr.Black is onto me, I need an escape.*

Marcus's eyes widened. Sector J-8 was nearby but venturing out alone was risky for his condition. Yet, the urgency in the message left no room for delay.

There was no time to send Shadow, he was too slow and this place was too far. The meetup was in two hours. Missing this meeting meant potentially missing the ticket for Mr. Blacks offer. The stakes were to high to not gamble.

He had no choice but to go himself.

With a grunt, Marcus pulled himself up, wincing at the pain. He steadied himself with his cane, moving as fast as his frail body would allow.

"System, assess my condition," Marcus commanded.

[Your physical condition remains critical. The space plague is at stage 4. Proceeding with this course of action is highly inadvisable.]

"I have no other option," Marcus muttered, pushing through the pain. He grabbed his coat and checked the time—0300 hours. He had one hour to reach Sector J-8.

Each step felt like a battle, but Marcus had faced worse, he had after all been tortured to death.

Finally, he arrived at the dimly lit intersection in Sector J-8. The air was thick with tension. Every shadow felt like it could be an enemy.

Marcus waited, his eyes darting around for any sign of movement. Sweat dripped down his brow, his breath labored.

At precisely 0400 hours, a figure emerged from the darkness. It was the Rat, cloaked and hidden just enough to avoid easy identification.

"The Librarian sent you, I presume?" the Rat's voice was low and cautious.

"Yes. You have information for me?"

The Rat nodded, glancing around nervously. "We don't have long. Mr.Black is onto me and I need to get out of here. You must help me."

"I can, you can follow me back to the Library." Marcus demanded, gripping his cane tightly.

"NO! It's not safe up above, he has eyes everywhere, we must go through the sewers."

Marcus observed the Rat and no unordinary stats came up.

Marcus's eyes narrowed. "Okay, lead the way."