They were well hidden, and that was the difference between success and failure.
They were well hidden in this alley; even Paulina had to admit that. It was narrow and deep, strung out between two apartment buildings, and Paulina knew for a fact that the cameras that were normally focused on this location had been turned off. If they were quiet enough, no one would realize they were there until it was too late.
She and Star had ventured into one of the new cities, clothed in their best so they wouldn't be given a second look—something she'd be disappointed in if that wasn't the point of it all. This particular outfit wasn't exactly something she'd have been caught dead in Before (too plain, too common), but now, anything that wasn't stained or patched or otherwise mended meant it was valuable. Shades of white were preferred, of course, but anything clean would do. Those in the walled cities could afford clothes like this, just as they could afford other luxuries those on the outside could not.
Really, the frayed clothes they were typically reduced to wearing—distasteful but necessary, given the need to conserve resources and the difficulty of acquiring new clothes—would have drawn too many eyes, too many questions. Someone would have reported them for no reason beyond their worn clothing. In their disguise, however—courtesy of clothing they'd managed to swipe for themselves on a previous run, one that had been less about blending in and more about outright stealing—no one gave them any trouble.
It meant that this time, they were ahead of schedule. This time, they could feasibly make it out of the gates before they closed for the night. It also meant Star felt comfortable taking the time to tally their supplies before they risked heading back. She didn't want to risk missing something important. That had happened on previous missions, for reasons varying from forgetfulness to being recognized. They rotated the cities they hit for the last reason, rotated which pairs were sent in for each mission, but this was something she and Star were good at.
They went more often than most, despite the risk.
Even when their mission went long, even when something unexpected came up, they always managed to return.
Paulina was counting on that reputation of dependability now.
She took a swig of water from her canteen. Hiding in the shadows while Star sorted everything back into their packs was doing little good; the rough brick didn't even feel cool against her back.
In truth, she was nervous. They couldn't afford to wait much longer. Star was nearly finished, her pack already slightly larger than Paulina's, but—
It wouldn't matter in the end.
Paulina unclipped the disguised transmitter from her belt and raised it to her lips. "Now," she said.
Star's eyes snapped to hers. "Did you see something?" She shoved a roll of gauze into Paulina's bag, set at her feet, and a jar of fruit into her own. She didn't need to watch what she was doing; she'd done it enough times that she could practically pack by instinct. "I thought we'd gone dark."
Fenton had ordered radio silence except in the case of an emergency, but Star already knew that, so Paulina didn't answer. What Star didn't know was that Paulina hadn't been using the emergency frequency. She didn't need to. They'd be coming soon, and then Star would be able to play at this new role with her.
"Paulina? What did you see?" Star asked uncertainty, but she was already thinking the worst even if she wouldn't admit it. She'd stopped packing and was giving her full attention to their surroundings, scanning for signs that something that was out of place.
Signs she wouldn't find.
They were too well hidden.
Light bent, shifting at the mouth of the alley and shimmering into perception. Had the pattern been more random, it would have been easy enough to write off as waves of heat rising from the pavement.
Instead, Paulina watched Star's eyes widen as she realized their exit had been cut off.
"Move!" Star shouted, dropping her pack, grabbing Paulina's arm, and starting in a dash towards the dumpster, no doubt hoping to use their old cheerleader training to reach the fire escape above. They'd done as much in the past. These missions required athletic skill as much as stealth and unobtrusiveness.
Paulina let herself be pulled along as three Guys in White stalked towards them. She didn't need to look to know that one was readying a syringe.
Star vaulted onto the dumpster and reached down for Paulina, who stared at the sticky surface in disgust. The smell was enough to make her gag, and the flies—
"Come on," Star hissed urgently.
As Star's eyes flicked over Paulina's shoulder towards the advancing GiW, Paulina grabbed Star's outstretched hand.
Then she pulled.
Even after everything, Star hadn't been expecting it. She overbalanced, hitting steel and then asphalt with a shriek.
The Guys in White reached them before Star could scramble to her feet. Agents Q and C grabbed Star by either arm and hauled her up, suspending her off the ground so she swung as she struggled.
"You traitor!" Star screamed as Agent Epsilon drew up alongside Paulina, syringe in hand. "How could you?"
Paulina's lip curled. "You can thank me for saving you later." Star would understand her motives soon enough, and she would understand the necessity of going back, just as Paulina had. They'd be late getting back, but this wouldn't be the first time they hadn't made it out before the gates closed, and it wouldn't be the last. The others would worry, so Paulina would risk sending a message tomorrow, claiming that they'd heard news of a supply shipment and were lying low. Security always increased around delivery times, and they'd been caught inside during unexpected shipments before, too. While the others might be wary at first, they'd relax once she and Star returned and appeared to be their normal selves. They would let their guard drop, just like they already had around the ghosts who had them so completely fooled.
The ghosts wanted humans to fight amongst themselves, wanted their numbers to wane as the number of ghosts swelled. Not all who perished would join the ghosts, of course, but too many would be twisted into abominations to ignore. Most humans, even those who stood with the Guys in White, were ignorant of that little fact, the possibility never crossing their minds, and the ghosts would never advertise such an advantage.
Paulina knew how true it was, though.
She'd seen it herself.
It still made her sick to think how she'd once adored Phantom, how she'd fought with Fenton in the aftermath of the Merge.
She knew better now.
Before Star's bloody scrapes healed, so would she.
