Goofy, normally never one to sleep light, woke to the sound of movement from outside the apartment room he and Donald had been given. Donald's bed was empty, suggesting some hint who it was. With a slight sigh he pushed himself up and out, quietly slipping out of the room to find out what was going on.

Donald was pacing around, muttering to himself animatedly. Goofy just watched, leaning back on the closed door with a yawn. Donald hadn't noticed him yet.

"Receiving treatment," Donald said irritably. "It can't have been that bad. Why didn't he just get up and cast Cure or something."

"Something on your mind?" Goofy murmured as the little duck passed him.

"Of course there is! It's that, that, that story we got told!"

"You think there's something wrong with it?"

"I don't like it. It doesn't sound right to me. Sora's never needed more than a little spell to get him back on his feet. What's with all this treatment they're on about? And then he tells us Sora got up, turned around and broke out! He's not telling us something, I'm sure of it."

Goofy said nothing. He shared his friend's opinions, but didn't see anything they could do about it, not while they were told they'd attract undue and unwanted attention here. They'd been called the first sentient nonhumans to visit them. No doubt more than a few people would take that the wrong way.

"I mean, look at it out there!" Donald burst out again, now staring out the window that gave a commanding view of King City in the smoggy, misty-rain filled morning. "What would he want out there? Bleak, uninviting place if you ask me."

"Maybe he caught something off Roxas?" Goofy suggested. "Something Roxas left unfinished here?"

"I don't buy it," Donald replied. "He said himself Roxas had barely said anything to him. For all we know, Roxas could be making Sora do something."

"You're contradicting yourself," another voice said, the familiar clipped voice of the oddly young man who was their only contact with this world so far, Kane. He'd been insistent it was spelled correctly when they'd first met and had managed to evade all questions so far about why someone so young was at work in Akira's tower, not even suited like most of the others who worked here.

He was an odd contrast to them, bearing a worn and patched grey shirt, the stitching of the design on the front missing in places but still clear enough to show a lion's head.

"First you say this Roxas says nothing to him, then you think he's forcing Sora's hand? The two don't go together, little friend," he went on. Little friend had become a pet name he had for Donald, though he'd yet to come up with a similar one for Goofy.

"I don't see you coming up with a better solution," Donald retorted.

"Quite. But I'm only a messenger when it comes to the antics of your friend, I don't see these things myself. That said, Akira has asked me to request your assistance."

"In finding Sora?" Goofy asked. "But you said the people out there..."

"No, I regret he remains firm that you don't make yourself known here. We've been examining your craft, and I hate to admit it, but our engineers having the foggiest idea what makes it tick. We were going to repair it for you, but given the situation Akira feels you could assist us – a mutual agreement, if you will. You teach us about it, and we'll help you restore it."

"Better that, than sitting around here for days on end," Donald muttered.


Sora meanwhile was getting impatient.

"He'd be here by now, surely," he muttered.

"Patience, Sammy," Assault said. "Tommy's gang might be small, but it holds a lot of weight in the Alliance. My brother and I excepted, he has the closest relationship with the Oracle, and even I couldn't tell you the what or why of it."

"I don't like it though. What if something's happened to him?"

"That's why I'm here. You need someone experienced to handle things with you until you get the hang of it. Tommy will turn up, and if he doesn't then someone in the Alliance will know what's happened to him. We share news and information widely, and anything happening to him would be put out as soon as possible."

"And if no one saw it?" Sora persisted. "What then?"

"Relax. Tommy's not one to get caught easily. He knows how to get word if something comes up."

"How can you shrug it off so easily?"

"I grew up with all this," Assault laughed. "I'm used to it. You're right about one thing though... it's not like him to take this long without someone letting us know what's going on."

"I guess it just takes time," Sora said, leaning back in the chair. He'd started to pick up on Tommy and Assault's habit of keeping an eye on everything around, falling back on that again and almost causing the chair to fall back when he spotted someone familiar.

"Easy there," Assault murmured. "We're trying not to attract attention remember."

"I just saw the Inspector," he told Assault hurriedly. "I don't think she's seen us."

Assault did not turn around. "Where? Calm down and describe it, try not to be obvious."

"She just came out an elevator a bit beyond what I think is a music store. There's drums and stuff out front anyway. Looks like she's talking into something."

"Keep watching and look like you're talking to me," he advised. "Don't look over at her unless she gets out of your line of sight."

Sora just nodded, watching. Her entourage of agents was back with her, keeping close around her but not in front. It was clear they were acting as a guard as well.

"She's still talking," he told Assault. "Heading this way, but doesn't seem to have noticed us. One of the agents has seen me, I think, but he's not doing anything, probably the one that bothered me back in the store."

"Focus, Sammy. It's the Inspector that's the danger, not the agents."

"Right. Looks like she's turning down a side route between another clothing store and whatever was next to the music store." Sora looked closer, trying not to be obvious about it. "I think she's got someone with her. One of us, I can't tell for sure, they're too close. No, wait – they're turning the corner, there's a gap -" he broke off. "It's Tommy," he breathed. "I'm sure of it."

Assault didn't hesitate, he turned to look for himself, then nodded bleakly. "Damn. I hope he meant for that to happen. Looks like you're gonna have to stick with me a bit longer. I hadn't planned on it, but it doesn't look like there's a choice. Not unless you know where Whisper and Sparky have gone."

Sora shook his head, "He just said not to worry about them."

"Which is no help at all. We're going to have to move quickly, I've got things I need to do out around the city, you need someone to guide you still, and word has to be spread about Tommy. Come with me and don't hesitate, whatever you do," he told Sora with a faint hint of command to him, then got up and wordlessly led the way.

They went down a route parallel to the one the Inspector had taken, where another path linked the two occasionally checking her progress but otherwise paying her no attention. Once they turned off and down a separate route away from her, there seemed to be no logic to the directions.

"Keep your eyes open," Assault murmured to him. "This is unfamiliar territory for me, and with her on the prowl there's no telling what else might be lying in wait. If you spot something you think is suspicious, mention it."

"Where are you taking me, exactly?"

"For the moment, wherever I get taken. The Oracle leaves me messages and such to pass out, sometimes I get directions sometimes I don't. I go wherever they take me. First order of business though is to get word of Tommy's situation out."

He led the way over into a quieter corner of the mall that was more dimly lit, with no light from above reaching through for the stores above getting in the way. The corridors here were much narrower and the stores smaller and occasionally more disreputable looking. Other shoppers became a rarity, and those that were here kept to themselves, watching the oddly mismatched two pass with suspicion in their own eyes.

The store they eventually arrived at appeared at first glance to be a normal electronics store, but with items on the shelves that looked distinctly unlike the kind of things normally found there. Assault paid no attention to the merchandise however, picking his way through to the counter. Sora was surprised to find it was manned by a young woman with a hard, harsh expression, with everything she wore in black.

"Assault," she murmured in a dulcet tone. "It's been a while. Want to play some more?"

"I don't have time for this Sal," Assault answered. "The Inspector's captured Tommy. I don't know how or why just yet, it happened not long ago. I need you to get word to Latissa."

"Tommy? You mean-"

"Yes, you know exactly who I mean. This is important, I need it done." He paused, then added, "The Oracle also left me a message for you – 'Beware the traitor'. He didn't say which one, so don't ask me."

Sal looked troubled at this, but recovered quickly, "Anything else you need?"

Assault thought for a moment. "I'll need to know where a few of the other gangs are, but that can wait until I'm safely away from here."

"I'll talk with the boss then, see if I can get one of the Grey Wolves to meet you – if you're headed their way."

"Convenient. I can swing through and see Kildare right after. I think that's all."

"Are you sure you don't want to play?" Sal asked archly. "You or your friend?"

"I'm on business Sal, you know the Oracle doesn't like it when I indulge myself. Another time maybe."

"And him?" she asked, nodding toward Sora.

"Be nice," Assault murmured. "I'm taking care of him for Tommy."

"Shame. Could have been fun."

"Sal!"

"I'm just toying with you. Get going, or you'll keep Latissa waiting."