9

Vale nodded. "Right. But let's try to avoid any direct confrontation. We've had enough of fights and chases for a lifetime."

A murmur of agreement rippled through them. They were all bone-tired of running and fighting. The next phase would be about subtlety and cunning.

"Jane," Vale said, turning to her. "Think you can manage to keep us…" he gestured vaguely in the air, "camouflaged, like you did before? Especially in town where there'll be people up close."

Jane took a slow breath. This was it – time to put on her invisible mask again. "I will," she said firmly. "I can make us look like ordinary citizens, and more importantly, steer attention away from us. It'll be easier than at Blackstone, actually. Back there I had to fool cameras and a concentrated security AI. In town, it's mostly human eyes and maybe low-level scans." She sounded more confident than she felt. The truth was, weaving illusions for an extended period – essentially creating a moving, talking glamour over five people – would be a complex task, especially while on the move. But she'd managed complex illusions during their escape under far more pressure. And something inside her had grown since then; with each use, her powers felt a bit more responsive, a bit broader. Part of her even feared how much she could do if she let loose. But she wouldn't let that part show.

"Just let me know if you need a break," Mira said gently, touching Jane's arm. Mira's empathy was keen; she always seemed to sense when Jane was straining.

Jane gave her a grateful look. "I will. But hopefully, once we have disguises and a vehicle, I won't need to maintain anything too heavy. We might even snag some real clothes in town to minimize the mirage. The less I have to actively project, the better."

"Understood," Vale said. "Everyone ready then?"

They took a moment to secure their meager belongings – which was little more than Mira's satchel of herbs, Ray's tablet and notes, and the clothes on their backs. Vale still carried a sturdy utility knife he had grabbed during their escape, and Kei had a length of metal pipe strapped to his belt (a makeshift weapon from Blackstone's machine shop). Their resources were scant, but their greatest assets now were intangible: their gifts and their resolve.

Before they departed, Jane closed her eyes and stretched out her senses, casting her telepathic net as far as she dared. It wasn't true telepathy – she couldn't read specific thoughts at range without intense focus on one individual – but she could feel the general mental landscape ahead. In Blackstone, she had learned to do this to sense guards around corners; the human brain emitted subtle "colors" of emotion and presence that she could detect if she tuned herself just right. Now she felt beyond the trees… There were faint auras in the distance, likely the town's inhabitants stirring and starting their day. Gentle hues of contentment, of morning busyness, perhaps a spike of annoyance here or there (someone spilled their coffee maybe, she thought wryly). Nothing alarmed. Importantly, she scanned for the dark, focused intent that usually accompanied their hunters – minds honed to a mission, brimming with the cold concentration of pursuit. She had felt those back on the island: the Blackstone wardens and the tactical teams, like sharp spikes in her mental radar. Right now, she sensed none of that in their immediate vicinity. If Coalition operatives were here, they were either well-shielded or not within range yet. That was a relief.

She did feel one thing that made her frown: an undercurrent of artificial static. The faint buzz of active scanning technology. It was all around, like faint radio chatter at the edge of hearing. Likely the satellites and drones – she couldn't feel them the way she did minds, but as a telepath attuned to electronic patterns (her Dominion-designed gifts straddled both mind and machine, in some respects), she sometimes picked up the background hum of data exchange. There was indeed a search in progress above. They had to move before it honed in.

"Let's go," Jane whispered, opening her eyes. With that, the five fugitives slipped out of their grove, leaving behind trampled ferns and the ghosts of their presence. Mira waved a hand and the vines that had sheltered them slowly unraveled, erasing some of the signs they had camped there. They turned southeast, toward the town and the city beyond, and set off at a brisk, quiet pace through the woods.

Through the Forest

The forest beyond Arcadia was remarkably untouched and vibrant. As they walked, Jane marveled at how different this was from the cold concrete corridors of Blackstone or even the artificial bio-domes inside the prison. Here, nature was rich and wild – enormous tree trunks wider than any of them, draped in moss and bioluminescent fungi that glimmered faintly in the shade. Ferns and flowering shrubs carpeted the ground, releasing spicy and sweet aromas as they brushed past. The calls of creatures – some familiar, like chirping birds and buzzing insects, and some alien, like the haunting flute-like calls of distant arboreal mammals – echoed around. Arcadia's influence was visible here only in subtle ways: Jane noticed small monitoring stations camouflaged as rocks or stumps at intervals (sensor units for environmental data, perhaps), and occasionally slender metallic tubes that rose from the ground to canopy – likely part of Arcadia's atmospheric regulators or research instruments. The city prided itself on merging tech and nature.

Mira was in her element; as they moved, she lightly trailed her fingers along leaves and bark, wordlessly communicating with the flora. At one point, she paused by a cluster of thick, broad-leaved plants with blue veins. Breaking off a few leaves, she handed one to each person. "Press this against your face and arms," she instructed softly. The leaves exuded a clear sap. "It'll mask our pheromones and heat a bit." Jane raised an eyebrow, impressed – Mira had found a natural way to make them less detectable. Sure enough, as Jane wiped the cool sap on her forehead and cheeks, a slight chill followed as it evaporated. Mira murmured with a hint of pride, "Local plant chemistry is amazing. This one's adapted to hide animals from predators – it can fool infrared a little by dispersing heat. We might as well borrow its trick."

Jane gave her a grateful smile. Already she could feel the sap drying into a thin film. Coupled with their cloaks and the cool morning air, it might reduce their thermal footprint for a short time. Every little bit helped.

After about twenty minutes of hiking, they came upon a narrow trail – possibly a maintenance path used by Arcadian rangers or drones. It was paved with what looked like recycled material, and led roughly in the direction they needed. They followed it cautiously. Vale took point, with Kei not far behind, using his seismic sense to alert them if any heavy vibrations (like vehicles or robots) were approaching. Jane and Mira walked in the middle, and Ray, though distracted by scanning his tablet, brought up the rear.

As they neared the edge of the forest, signs of civilization became more frequent. They passed a birch tree with a small metal plaque that read "Arcadia Rewilding Project – Zone 3". Just beyond, the trees thinned and they could see open space: the beginning of cultivated land or a park on the town's outskirts.

"Hold up," Vale said quietly, raising a fist. The group halted at the treeline. Beyond was a gentle slope leading down into a small valley where the town nestled. From their vantage, they could see clusters of buildings with solar-paneled roofs, a glittering lake or wide river reflecting the morning sun to the south, and the silhouette of Arcadia's towers further beyond. The town itself had the look of a model eco-village: winding roads lined with trees, houses integrated with greenery (rooftop gardens, living walls), and even what looked like a central plaza with a vertical farm structure. Jane also spotted moving shapes along one road – likely the driverless pods they had heard of. Small, shuttle-like vehicles gliding along without a sound.

Her eyes were drawn to something else: at the far side of the town, rising against the horizon, were two tall structures – like streamlined towers or pillars. She squinted. No, not towers: launch gantries. Perhaps five or six kilometers away, partially obscured by morning haze, stood the skeletal frames of a spaceport's launch pads or cargo cranes. It was distant but unmistakable to her knowing eyes. A ripple of relief and anxiety went through her. There it is. The spaceport, or at least part of it, visible beyond the town. It looked to be on the outskirts of Arcadia proper, separated enough that they might reach it without going through the busiest parts of the city.

"We need a better look at the town layout," Ray whispered. He crouched and carefully crept forward to a cluster of boulders at the treeline. The rest of them followed, staying low. They watched the town for a few minutes, observing the movements.

It was now full morning, and the town was awake. They saw a few figures on the streets – a person biking (or rather, on a hovering bike-like device) down a lane, an older couple strolling with a robotic dog, a pair of utility drones flying overhead carrying gardening tools. A larger driverless pod hummed along and stopped near what looked like a communal transit stop – a sleek glass pavilion under which a holographic display flickered. The pod's door opened and a young woman stepped out, perhaps heading to work; she wore a flowing jacket that shimmered with embedded lights, adjusting to the light – living fabric, no doubt. The pod then continued on, likely to the next stop. Everything was serene, automated, and normal.

Jane swallowed. For all the cruelty hidden beneath this society, at ground level it looked utopian indeed. That young woman had no idea that five desperate escapees from a secret prison were watching her from the woods. To her, this was just another day in a perfect world.

Ray pointed toward the transit stop's holographic sign. "There's a map," he said. Jane could barely make out the projection from here, but Ray's keen eyes (or possibly the small zoom camera on his tablet) might pick up details. "It looks like this is Arcadia District 6 – a satellite residential area." He tapped his tablet quietly, capturing an image.

"We should move before someone notices glints up here," Kei cautioned. The sun was rising, and they might be visible as silhouettes from the town if anyone looked hard.

"Right." Jane took a deep breath and centered herself. "Time to get into character."

They stepped back into the shade of the trees where they wouldn't be seen. Jane faced her friends. "Everyone ready for a little makeover?" she asked with a faint grin.

Vale cracked his knuckles and gave a mock bow. "By all means, Ms. Illusionist." His tone was light, but Jane could see in his eyes he was putting full trust in her. It fueled her confidence.

She first reached out to them mentally, a habit from Blackstone when they coordinated under surveillance. Stay close, and try not to resist if you feel a touch on your mind, she sent gently to each of them in thought. I'll be skimming the surface to ensure our… performance is consistent. She received mental affirmations – a flicker of "okay" from Vale, a calm acceptance from Mira, a steadiness from Kei, and curiosity from Ray. They were used to this by now; Jane's telepathy helped them move in sync when needed.

"Let's handle the obvious stuff," Jane said aloud. "Hoods down – that'll look less suspicious." They lowered the hoods of Mira's flax-vine cloaks. Underneath, they still wore drab prison jumpsuits that had been crudely altered. Fortunately, those jumpsuits were a neutral beige and could pass for simple work clothes at a glance if one didn't see the serial numbers (they'd removed or obscured many). Mira had fashioned rope belts and patches from forest cloth to break up the silhouette. Still, better to not rely on that.

Jane closed her eyes and began weaving the illusion. For an illusion to truly fool someone up close, it had to have not just a visual component but a subtle mental push, encouraging the observer's mind to fill in gaps and accept the falsehood. This she did by extending a thin layer of telepathic influence outward – not dominating anyone's mind, just laying a soft blanket of suggestion around them. Anyone looking their way would simply perceive what Jane wanted them to: five ordinary townsfolk, nothing alarming.

She visualized the details carefully. Clothes: Instead of their cloaks and ragged attire, she painted the image of clean, modern garments. She gave Vale the appearance of a deep green jacket over a charcoal shirt and simple trousers – a style she had seen on one of the pedestrians. For Kei, she imagined a utilitarian jumpsuit like a mechanic might wear, with a logo patch of some local workshop on the shoulder. Mira's illusion wore a flowing patterned dress common to this region (with Mira's own seed-woven shawl blending in as a bohemian accessory). Ray got a collared shirt with a light computing interface visible on his forearm – something a young academic might have. And for herself, Jane crafted the image of a plain outfit of muted blues, similar to what she saw that woman at the pod stop wearing, but unremarkable. She also altered their faces subtly: hair color shifts, slight changes in facial structure, skin tone adjusted a notch. Nothing drastic – she wasn't making them unrecognizable monsters, just different individuals.

Within a few moments, through Jane's mind's eye, the group of tired escapees standing in the woods now looked like a group of local Arcadian suburbanites who might have been out on a morning nature hike or coming from a camping trip. To be sure, Jane had added a few props: a false image of a digital wristband on Vale's arm to serve as an identity beacon device, a small holo-map projector in Jane's hand (in reality she held only a palm out as if consulting something). These little touches would complete the story for any observer's subconscious.

She opened her eyes to inspect her handiwork directly. With her psychic overlay, she could see both realities at once: her real friends, and the illusion layers she'd draped over them. It was taxing to maintain that duality, so she usually chose one perspective or the other when moving, but right now she took a second to double-check. Vale's strong build was now presenting as a slightly pudgier, older man with a beard (she remembered something about a "bearded disguise idea" from last night's discussion and applied it – a neatly trimmed salt-and-pepper beard on Vale's illusion). Mira's bright eyes were toned down and she appeared a bit older as well, perhaps a motherly figure. Ray's hair turned chestnut and shaggy in the illusion, giving him an artsy researcher vibe. Kei looked a bit more tanned and rough, like a local handyman. And Jane – well, she deliberately made her projected self look a bit plain, with brown hair instead of her natural black and a face that invited no particular attention.

"Not bad," she murmured. Already a thin sheen of sweat had formed on her neck from the mental effort; illusions, especially detailed ones, demanded concentration. But she was pleased. The key would be motion and sound – illusions could falter with sudden movements or loud interactions if not meticulously controlled. She would have to keep everyone's projected motions aligned with their real ones. It was like being a puppeteer for five marionettes that coincided with five real people. A complex, but not impossible, task for her – especially since she could sync with them telepathically to anticipate their moves.

Jane released a slow breath and felt the others' attention on her. "We look… completely different," Mira said, eyes wide as she gazed at Vale with a giggle. "That beard suits you," she teased him sotto voce. Vale smirked, running a hand through where an observer would see a short beard, though his real face was clean-shaven except for stubble.

Ray observed his illusory outfit by looking down at himself and moving his arms. "Remarkable," he whispered. "I almost believe I'm wearing this." He adjusted non-existent glasses (Jane had removed his glasses in the illusion, giving him an eye-implant display instead). Ray's real glasses were still on, but Jane's power made them effectively invisible or disguised.

Kei gave Jane a slight nod of appreciation. He was always a man of few words, but the fact he looked less tense told her he was more confident with this disguise in place.

"Remember," Jane said quietly, "to anyone else, we're just normal folks. But act the part. Move with purpose, not like scared rabbits. If someone addresses you, try to respond naturally. I can handle small talk illusions or nudges, but if we panic, others might notice inconsistencies."

Vale clapped her gently on the shoulder, an action that to others might just look like a friend's casual pat. "We'll follow your lead," he said. "Everyone, just imagine we belong there. Because for all intents and purposes, we do now."

Jane appreciated how Vale framed that – confidence could sell an illusion as much as any telepathy. If they believed their roles, observers would too.

Finally, Ray distributed tiny devices to each of them – they were actually just inert earpieces from some kit, but he'd reprogrammed them to emit a false ID beacon for each person. "These will broadcast a low-level identity ping," he explained as they each tucked the small coin-like disk into a pocket or shoe. "They're based on the credentials of a group of eco-surveyors I pulled from a public registry." He grinned. "Apparently a team of five researchers is scheduled to be in this region's woods this week, doing flora surveys. I doubt we'll run into them, but if any automated system queries our ID, it'll show something like 'Environment & Ecology Dept. Field Team' and some gibberish ID numbers. It won't stand up to deep scrutiny, but for a day-trip around here, it should be fine."

Jane shook her head in admiration. "You did that in an hour?"

Ray chuckled. "I had some of it ready from last night's intel gathering plans, and the rest… well, your distraction with the illusions gave me a moment to interface with a local network node." He patted the tablet slung at his hip. "Had to reconnect to the mesh briefly. Don't worry – I bounced through a few relays, nothing traceable easily."

He said it humbly, but Jane knew that was no small feat. Hooking into Arcadia's mesh network unnoticed was impressive. They were fortunate to have him.

With that, they were as ready as they could be. The group stepped out of the woods and onto a gravel path that led down toward the town's edge. As they left the cover of trees, Jane felt a familiar tension in her mind – the pressure of maintaining the illusions under direct daylight and open view. She kept their pace measured, matching what one would expect from a team of researchers strolling back after field work: not sneaky, not rushed, just casual and a bit weary.

Soon enough, they encountered the first locals. A man jogging with augmented prosthetic legs came up the path from the town side, headed right toward them. Jane tensed slightly. This would be the first real test of her disguise in face-to-face proximity. The jogger was about 30, athletic, and had small earbuds in. She could sense a mild curiosity as he noticed the group ahead on his usual jogging trail – five people together with equipment (Ray's tablet, Mira's satchel could pass as survey gear), not an everyday sight but not alarming. As he drew near, Jane subtly averted his focus; she caused him to feel that polite instinct to not stare too closely. To him, their faces would seem hazy in memory even seconds after passing. She gave him a mild telepathic nudge to focus on something else – the beautiful sky, the rhythm of his run, anything but them.

"Morning!" the jogger greeted cheerfully, slowing just a tad as he squeezed past them on the narrow path.

Vale responded without missing a beat, "Morning! Lovely day, isn't it?" His tone was genial, and he gave a friendly wave. Perfect.

"Gorgeous, and not too hot yet," the jogger chuckled, already continuing on. "You folks have a good one." He likely assumed they were indeed some kind of nature enthusiasts or researchers, given Mira's armful of wildflowers (she had indeed picked some up, possibly to blend in or out of genuine interest).

"You too," Mira replied with a warm smile.

And that was it – the jogger ran on up into the forest. No alarm, no suspicion. Once he was out of earshot, Jane allowed herself to exhale. She hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath. The illusions held, and the interaction was smooth. Each success buoyed her confidence.

"That went well," Kei murmured.

"Textbook," Ray agreed. "I think he barely looked at us."

Jane just nodded, focusing on maintaining the mental veil. She felt a tiny trickle of sweat down her back. Keep it together, she told herself. She had done far more elaborate illusions for far more dangerous audiences.

They reached the first buildings of the town – a cluster of houses on the outskirts. Each was quaint yet futuristic: curved walls with solar glass, rooftop gardens spilling vines over edges, small wind turbines humming quietly in yards. One home had children's voices emanating from an open window and the sound of a morning holo-cartoons playing. Another had a robotic lawnmower gliding over the grass, trimming it silently. A cat lounged on a porch, eyeing a delivery drone that whizzed by overhead.

The group stuck to the footpath as any pedestrian would. A few more townsfolk were about now: a pair of elderly women briskly walking and chatting (they barely glanced at the five "researchers" beyond a polite nod), a city sanitation bot trundling along collecting trash, and a small cluster of teens on e-bikes zipping past, laughing about something on their AR displays. Jane felt an odd pang observing these ordinary scenes. This was life – simple, carefree life – that she and the others had been denied for so long. It felt like stepping into a dream or a time capsule of what the world should be.

It also made her deeply sad and angry, in a way. Because this peaceful town only existed as it did thanks to the oppressive system that had held them captive. Here were people enjoying the "free healthcare and instant housing" of Arcadia's benevolent society, completely unaware that their utopia was financed by knowledge extracted through torment. If Arcadia's citizens ever learned what lurked behind their paradise… Jane hoped one day they would. But not today. Today, Arcadia's illusion remained intact, and ironically, she was weaving her own illusions within it to survive.

They approached what appeared to be the town's central area – a broad street with various small businesses and a plaza. The smell of fresh baked bread wafted from an automated bakery, and a few people were gathered at an open-air cafe, sipping synth-espresso and reading data panels. Jane carefully guided the group to avoid any close brushes in the crowd. She steered them toward the transit stop where Ray had spotted the map earlier. There, a holographic kiosk showed local routes and points of interest. A live projection of a kindly virtual assistant hovered, ready to help travelers.

Ray pretended to study the map, his tablet subtly raised to take in data. Vale and Kei stood by as if waiting for a connection or discussing among themselves. Mira admired some flowers planted around the stop, completing the casual tableau.

Jane stood guard, half her attention on keeping the illusion going for any passerby, half scanning for threats. She gently probed the minds around – all mundane, filled with concerns of daily life. She sensed no spike of recognition or hostile intent directed at them. Good.

After a minute, Ray stepped back from the kiosk. In a low voice that wouldn't carry beyond their group, he said, "The spaceport is to the northeast of Arcadia city. There's a cargo substation labeled 'Arcadia Orbital Transfer Station'. It's about 8 kilometers from here." He flicked his eyes to Jane. "Those gantries you spotted are indeed launch pads. Looks like a freight line connecting out to orbital platforms and beyond."

Vale crossed his arms, considering. "Eight kilometers… If we had to, we could walk it in a couple hours, but that's a lot of exposure. A vehicle would cut that to maybe 15-20 minutes on whatever passes for a highway."

Kei interjected, "But highways likely have ANPR cameras and sensor checkpoints looking for unregistered vehicles or suspicious patterns. We'd need to spoof those as well."

"ANPR?" Mira asked.

"Automatic Number Plate Recognition – or the futuristic version of it," Kei clarified. "They'll scan any vehicle's ID beacon and plates constantly, looking for anomalies."

Ray held up his tablet and wiggled it. "I can handle some of that. If we get a vehicle, I can probably clone a legitimate ID from the town's own vehicles list and assign it to ours. Short-term, it'll pass. We just have to pick something not missed immediately."

Jane nodded. "So, something that won't be reported stolen within the hour, preferably. Maybe a public vehicle or a corporate one, rather than an individual's car." She furrowed her brow. "A driverless taxi pod is an option – hack it and go – but those might be centrally tracked each trip. A delivery or service vehicle might be better; they have set routes and might not raise an alarm if diverted briefly, especially if we loop its signal."

Vale scanned the street. "There," he said quietly, tilting his head toward a side alley next to what looked like a municipal building. "I see a couple of utility vans parked by that structure with the green roof. Could be town maintenance or something. No one around them at the moment."

Jane followed his gaze. Two squat electric vans sat charging at a depot, marked with the Arcadia emblem and some local insignia. They likely belonged to a maintenance crew or parks department. Perfect candidates: official enough to pass through checkpoints, generic enough that a short joyride might go unnoticed if done stealthily.

"Good eye," said Ray. "Let's move casually in that direction."

They broke from the transit stop and walked along the sidewalk as if heading to another destination. The vans were in an open lot beside the municipal building (which a sign identified as an "Eco-Engineering Field Office"). The area was quiet – presumably the workers hadn't started their rounds yet or were inside prepping.

A lone security camera was perched on the building, covering part of the lot. Jane noticed it and instantly adjusted the illusion on a broader scale. For the camera's benefit, she bent light around their figures just enough that on a video feed they'd appear as a blur or not at all – a trick she had practiced back in Blackstone's dome. However, doing this while also maintaining the person-to-person illusion was demanding; a bead of sweat rolled down her temple, and she felt a mild throb in her skull. She ignored it and pressed on.

They reached the vans. One was locked and closed, but the other had its back doors open, with some equipment loaded – likely being prepped for a morning job. No person was currently there, but they couldn't loiter long.

Vale gently tried the driver's door of the closed van – it was locked firmly. Kei motioned him aside and placed a hand near the seam. He closed his eyes in concentration. Jane felt, rather than heard, a faint vibration in the air as Kei applied his gift. Click. The lock popped open a second later. Kei had essentially resonated the mechanical lock into releasing – a quiet and elegant trick. Vale raised his eyebrows in impressed approval and silently slid into the driver's seat. The van's console lit up at the presence of a person.

Immediately a gentle AI voice greeted in Arcadian accent, "Good morning. Please authenticate to begin." The windshield projected an interface awaiting a code or biometric.

Ray was already on it – he hopped into the passenger side and connected his tablet via a cable under the dash, fingers flying. "Shh… override… and… got it," he muttered. The AI voice stuttered and then displayed, "Maintenance override active. Welcome, Technician 12." Ray had used an override code he likely found in local data or simply exploited the debug mode.

Jane and the others climbed into the back. Mira carefully closed the rear door behind them. Inside, the van smelled of cedar and machine oil. There were tool racks and a few drones strapped in charging ports. It would have been a tight fit for five normally, but they made do, crouching among the gear. Vale remained in the driver's seat purely to monitor, though the van could drive itself. He pulled the door shut.

Jane allowed herself a small smile. Too easy. She peered out the windshield from behind Vale's shoulder. No reaction outside, no shouts. The van hummed to life quietly.

"Time to disappear," Vale said. At that, Jane fully dropped the personal illusions – there was no need to maintain their fake appearances inside the van out of sight. She instead focused her power outward, to anyone who might see the vehicle leave. If someone looked this way, they'd simply think a maintenance van was heading out on routine duty. If the actual scheduled driver came out and saw it gone… well, hopefully by then they'd be long down the road.

Ray tapped the console, bringing up the map. "Alright, let's set a route. But we don't want to connect to central navigation – I'll program it locally so it doesn't flag an unscheduled destination."

Vale moved his hands to the manual wheel but left it for now, letting Ray do his part. Kei and Mira huddled in the back, with Jane between them. Jane took a few calming breaths, easing her mind after the intense multi-illusion she'd just done. A slight headache pulsed behind her eyes, but nothing she couldn't manage. She'd relax while the van did the work.

Moments later, Ray gave a thumbs up. "Trajectory set to Arcadia Orbital Transfer, cargo entrance. I fed it a false work order – we're delivering 'Engine parts' to Pad 12. The van's transponder now identifies as vehicle ID ACMA-4471, assigned to maintenance at the spaceport. It should get us through the outer checkpoints."

Jane couldn't help but grin. "Ray, you're brilliant."

He smirked. "I try."

Vale switched the van into drive. The electric motor was nearly silent as it pulled out of the lot. "Here we go."

They rolled out of the alley and onto the main road. The van's AI politely flashed a turn signal and began navigating. From the outside, it would appear completely ordinary – and that was thanks to Ray's hack more than illusions now. Jane still kept an eye on their surroundings through the rear window, ready to conjure a mirage if needed. But so far, no pursuit. The town receded behind them as they merged onto a larger road heading for the city.

Inside the van, everyone took a moment to catch their breath. Mira gave a soft cheer under her breath. "We did it. We actually did it – we stole a van," she giggled in a disbelieving whisper. The absurdity of being excited about such a petty crime wasn't lost on them; after all, in context of everything, a bit of grand theft auto was minor. Still, it was a victory, and victories were few.