Hitting the streets in our new clothes was more entertaining than I could ever imagine. Sure, people looked, but most of the time it was just sideway glances of disapproval or of mild curiosity but didn't want to be caught staring. And if they did look, they were looking at the clothes, accessories and makeup, not paying any attention to the faces that went with them. There wasn't a single reaction of recognition amongst the faces we passed. Jake found the effect so surprising, that he had us walk to the subway station after we ate some lunch. There was still a cop watching the entrance, but even as Jake walked by giving him the stink eye, the cop didn't even react. As we travelled on the train, this time without jumping off, I could sense Jake's satisfaction at having fooled the police in how he stood more confidently.

We transferred at Central station and despite our new clothes, Jake still had us avoiding the cameras just to be safe. We swapped lines to head towards the industrial area of Colville, which as it was the weekend, was nearly empty. So much so, we moved to the end of the train so we could have our own car.

"Well, I think I call this a success," I smirked.

"But we should try to not get too cocky," Jake warned as he sat down, sprawled across an entire row of seats.

"Says the one who was practically daring the cop to try something back there!" I laughed and sat down across from him.

He shrugged, "My chances at getting under their skin are limited."

"What was that about not getting too cocky?" I shook my head.

"I knew what I was doing," he insisted. "Why are you over there?"

"Because it's a big spacious car and it feels weird to crowd you?" I gestured to his man spread.

"Exactly, we have the car to ourselves, you should be over here," he smirked.

"Oh, does Jake need some cuddles?" I teased.

He leaned forwards and reached to grab my hand, pulling me out of my seat and onto his lap, straddling him. He put his hands on my lower back to help support me whenever the train decelerated.

"Hi," he grinned.

I bit my lip, "You're a naughty puppy."

"We're not even kissing," he laughed. "Although I am open to anything, and I mean anything."

"It's the middle of the day and there are kids on this train," I rolled my eyes.

"So if we come back at night you would consider it?" He teased.

"Ha, I would have to be absolutely drunk to even think about it!" I exclaimed. "Do you have a public sex kink?"

"I don't know, maybe I do. Nothing really says 'fuck you' to the system and my pursuers than having sex freely in the open. Besides those leather handles are giving me ideas," he gestured to them above us with his head.

"Oh, you would like that, wouldn't you? My hands tied to the pole while I am whimpering and completely at your mercy," I teased him seductively.

He sucked his teeth,"Are you sure you don't want to try it?"

I could feel his erection building in his pants, "I'm sure."

"Pity," he smirked.

"Shouldn't we be more productive?" I raised my eyebrow.

"There's only so much I can research on the internet before we arrive. We will be able to find out more just by exploring," he explained.

The train slowed down and stopped at a station. A young man wearing headphones stepped onto the train. He took one look at us and moved to the next car.

"See? They already think we're doing it, so why not give into temptation?" He cooed.

"You're so bad," I shook my head.

"And you like it," he smiled smugly.

"I plead the fifth, your honour," I acted defensively.

Jake smirked, "You can't hide from me. I see everything."

"And the scary thing is you still want me," I laughed.

"Maybe it just makes me want you more," he said seriously. "Where you see flaws, I see uniqueness."

"You can stop trying to lay on the charm, I'm already yours," I joked.

"That doesn't mean I need to stop," he brushed the strands of my wig back over my shoulder.

"If you're trying to convince me to have sex with you right now, it's not working," I teased.

"That's a shame. Well, we're getting off at the next stop anyway," he announced.

As if on cue, the train exited the underground onto a bridge crossing the river. Looking out the window I could see the vast industrial district topped with various old smoke stacks. Even at a distance I could tell there were sprawling alleyways full of shady corners to hide in. It looked quiet and empty, but I wasn't sure how much of it was actually abandoned given it was the weekend. The train reached the other side and sped past walls of graffiti to the next stop. Jake tapped my shoulder to encourage me to stand up and move towards the doors. Gripping tight on our bag, we alone disembarked onto an empty platform. The doors snapped shut behind us and the train sped off leaving us with dead silence.

Jake pulled out his phone and brought up the map of the area with the location of the rave marked on it, quite a distance from where we were. "We'll want to keep our distance from the rave. We have to assume it will be raided by police at some point. Even if the police don't check our location, we're at risk of fleeing revelers finding us by chance. So I suggest we look in these regions here."

"Sure," I nodded.

"What is it?" he raised his eyebrow.

"Oh, I love it when you talk all serious like," I giggled.

"You wanted me to involve you more," he frowned as we went down the stairs to the street level.

"I do!" I insisted.

"Then take it seriously," he shook his head.

"Yes sir!" I paused at the bottom of the stairs to salute, then continued to walk down the street with Jake.

Jake sighed, realising there was no middle ground with me, "Ok what we're on the look for is a location with power and running water, preferably with a hot water heater. We should be able to determine the status of the two on the exterior of any building by checking the meters. Only on the instance of those two conditions being met do we bother entering. Next we take note of extra amenities, such as a kitchen or a shower..."

"Or a bedroom?" I smirked.

"That is very unlikely, but sofas are a bonus," he clarified. "Although, who knows, maybe we'll find an old mattress factory."

"Do you want to split up and cover more ground?" I suggested.

Jake was quiet for a moment, then tapped his map, "We probably should, otherwise it'll take us well into the night to cover this area. I've turned on the tracking on your phone so I'll know where you are."

I pulled out my phone and opened my map app, "Ok, so turn on yours."

"What? No," he looked at me like I was crazy.

"So it's ok if I have tracking, but not ok for you?" I narrowed my eyes.

He stammered for a bit until he realised I had a point, "Fine, hand me your phone."

I handed my phone over to him and with the two phones in his hands he shared his location with mine.

"Promise me if you are compromised that you will break your phone," he sighed as he handed my phone back to me.

"Huh? Why would I do that? Don't you want to know where I am?" I questioned.

"I have other ways of finding out. However, if our pursuers know my location, we're screwed," he pointed out. "But if the threat is less severe, just hold down the home button on your phone. It'll send me an emergency notification."

"Oh, a bat signal!" my eyes widened.

Jake laughed, "Not quite. But I will come running."

"Such power!" I beamed.

"Act responsibly," he rolled his eyes. "Ok, you take these blocks. I'll take the southside."

"Hmm, one question, how do I break in?" I asked.

"You don't," he frowned. "Just note down which abandoned buildings have connected power and water. You don't know what sort of security they may have on the inside. Some won't have any, but others will be monitored."

"And if I find an old mattress factory, we can call it a day?" I shrugged.

"Check for power and water first, but yes, you can message me if you find a mattress factory," he smiled.

"Ok, let's roll out!" I turned and marched off to the first building on the block.

"Good luck," Jake called out behind me.

I glanced back to wish him the same, but he had already disappeared. It was scary how quickly he could do that. Meanwhile I was walking around in broad daylight with a bright pink wig on. Not very inconspicuous, MC, I thought to myself. But the area was empty so I shrugged it off and kept going. The first building was very much occupied so I continued to the next. Soon I realised that most buildings were actually occupied, just shuttered for the weekend, which meant this mission was actually much harder than I originally thought. After five buildings, I finally came across one with a For Lease sign, but when I checked the meters on the side of the building, I saw they were unmoving and labelled with a tag, which I assumed meant they were disconnected.

Feeling defeated, I leant against the brick wall and took a moment to think about the situation. The buildings on the main road near the train station would be considered premium properties. If I wanted a wider selection of abandoned buildings, I had to go further into the neighbourhood and look for the less desirable areas. I walked down to the corner and down the side street, away from the river. The area, even a couple of streets back, was quite dense with buildings, but soon I began to notice more boarded up windows and For Lease signs. At least I had more abandoned properties at hand.

Heading down one of the single lane roads, I checked building after building for power and water. Each and every one had been disconnected. Still I marched on, determined to be the one to find us an ideal location. My competitive nature fueled me to persist with the search even though I was striking out on every occasion. Part of me wondered if Jake had found any yet, but my pride got in the way of checking with him. I wasn't going to contact him until I had at least something.

Then, finally, at a small, unassuming building, squished between two larger imposing buildings, I found a property that had both connected power and water. I don't think I had ever been so happy before. I took out my phone to mark the location on my map and realised I had been searching for two hours already. The location was so deep in the district that I wasn't even sure I could find my way out, even with GPS. I was so excited though that I had to message Jake.

MC: Eureka! Power and water! Mattresses unconfirmed.

Jake: Haha, good, I was beginning to get worried.

MC: Why? Haven't you found any?

Jake: I did, I found three. But I haven't heard from you for a while.

Jake: Your marker kept moving so I had to assume you were ok.

MC: You could have checked in.

Jake: I could have.

Jake: But I trusted you were ok.

MC: Wait you found three? I have been searching all this time and you have three!?

Jake: Hmm, well one was an old fish tinning factory. The smell was wretched. Another was completely barren with no extra facilities. And the third was so filthy the walls were crawling.

MC: So my one might be the one.

Jake: What do you think? Should I head to you now or should I keep looking?

I lowered my phone and walked around the building, looking for a window a peek in. There wasn't a lot to go on, but for some reason I had a good feeling about the building.

MC: Yes, my feet are hurting. I don't think I can take anymore.

Jake: Hmm, ok. It will take me a while to reach you. Try to find somewhere quiet to sit down and take a break.

MC: Aye aye captain!

I moved to the alley to find somewhere to sit when I noticed that the side door was slightly ajar. I tried my hardest to ignore it, but my curiosity got the best of me. I walked up and carefully put my hand on the door handle. Ever so slowly I opened it, hoping no alarms would go off. Thankfully there were none. I peaked inside and looked around. I couldn't see any sensors or cameras. Tiptoeing in, I snuck into the dark building, pausing for a brief moment to turn on the light on my phone. I had entered via some supply room, judging by the empty shelves. Heading further in, I walked into a wide, open space. I saw streaks and did a double take. Looking back, I realised there was paint splatters all over the floor, not blood as I had feared. Pointing the phone higher to the opposite wall I saw it was covered in various artworks. I walked over to have a closer look at the designs. It took me a while to realise these designs were original creations. Searching around the room more I saw several devices with stations set up in a circle. I felt something soft underneath my foot, which made me jump. Pointing the light downwards, I realised it wasn't a dead animal, but scrunched up clothing. Putting together everything I had seen, I realised the last occupiers were screenprinters. Far better than a fish tinning factory, I laughed to myself.

Walking to the back of the building, I saw several discarded boxes of t-shirts. At least we had a free supply of clothes, I shrugged. At the back was a closed door. I peaked in and saw an old break room with a small fridge, sink and hot plate. Even some plates and cutlery were left behind. Following the back wall a bit further I came across a set of mens and womens toilets with a shower room between. Now the place was too good to be true. At the end of the back wall was a metal staircase leading up to the loft office above. Carefully I ventured up the stair, wincing at every creak, as if it would give up my position, but there was no one to hear me.

At the point of the stairs was several empty desks with what looked to be the owner's office at the back. I opened the door and was happily greeted with the sight of a leather couch with cushions. I had to wonder what kind of situation the business was in to have left that much furnishing behind. Closing the door, I turned around and saw a figure standing behind me.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Jake!" I gasped. "Don't do that!"

"I could've sworn I told you not to enter any buildings," he frowned.

"I was careful!" I insisted.

"So careful you didn't hear me," he raised his eyebrow.

"Yes, light-foot. Make some more noise next time!" I sighed.

"Well?" he tilted his head inquisitively.

"Well we have a building with a kitchen, shower and a leather couch," I boasted. "It doesn't smell of rotten fish and comes with free t-shirts!"

"Good job, MC," Jake smiled.

Jake took his backpack to the middle of the floor and plopped it down on a large desk. From there he could see the front of the building in full view. I sat down on a nearby desk, dropping our bag to the floor, and watched him set up his laptop.

"We have six hours until the rave starts. I would like to check on things before we leave. Can I trust you to order us some food?" he questioned.

"Will they deliver here?" I asked.

"Hmm, some businesses are working overtime. It isn't that unusual," he assured me.

I pulled out my phone and looked up a pizza delivery service that would cover our area while Jake turned power on to the building. Using my browser's translation add-on, I was able to navigate it and order a couple of pizzas and drinks for us. Jake gave me a Paypal account to use. I didn't bother questioning whose it was. While I waited for the pizza, I headed downstairs and checked out the lobby after a brief pitstop to the bathroom.

The lobby was fairly simple, but also had a couple of leather couches in a makeshift meeting area for clients. I dusted off one of the couches then laid down and kicked my feet up. After hours of walking that day, it felt like a godsend. I spent the rest of the time browsing idly on my phone until the pizza guy knocked on the front door. It took me a moment to work out how to unlock the front, but I got it. Making sure I locked up tight, I went back upstairs to Jake with the pizzas and drinks. I set up the food on one of the empty desks and dug in. After a few minutes, Jake joined me.

"It's not so bad here," I commented. "Aside from the lack of beds, I definitely see us staying a while."

"I will need to do some research later and find out why so much has been left behind, but we should be able to stay at least until Monday," he warned. "How exactly did you say you got in?"

"The side door was ajar," I shrugged. "Someone didn't close it fully."

"Hmm, we'll have to assume the building isn't fully abandoned then," he said as he picked up another slice of pizza.

"What makes you say that? I questioned.

"This is a prime location for squatting. If we are the first to discover it, the door must have left ajar recently," he explained.

"Yeah, but this area is a maze. It's not like I was casually walking by and saw it," I countered.

"True, but it is better to err on the side of caution," he spoke with his mouth full.

"So you want to take our gear with us tonight?" I glanced over at his laptop set up.

"No, I will find a place to store it where it won't be found easily, but still accessible for us," he assured me. "Unless you had second thoughts about going. It has been a long day."

"No, I still do," I smiled. "I might take a little snooze and freshen up."

"Don't worry about getting too fresh. The other revelers won't be," he joked.

"What about you?" I asked.

"Me? I want to finish setting up roots in the area," he replied. When he saw my confused expression, he decided to elaborate, "I will break into surrounding networks so I can set up a wide surveillance net across the area. That way I can easily track the movements of anyone who enters the net. I have a program that detects an unknown entity on a camera, determines their phone signal and tracks their movements with it, assuming they are carrying a phone, but who isn't these days? It's a poor man's facial recognition software. Within a week, I will know who belongs in the area and their usual behavioural patterns. Then I can filter them out to create an early warning system."

"Is that how you knew I was coming?" I questioned.

"Yes, although I couldn't believe it. I was so stunned watching you approach the building, I nearly didn't have enough time to deactivate the traps," he explained.

"Are you going to set up traps here?" I looked around the building. It was much smaller than the one I found Jake in.

"Probably not. That building you found me in, I could live on the upper floors without descending for entire weeks at a time. Here, there's not a lot of distance. Also, that building had been deserted for years. This one was more recently occupied and more likely to have the owner or agent come by," he pointed out.

"It sounds like you're saying this isn't a good pick," I frowned.

"That building you found me in was a real lucky find. A completely desolate building with a shower is extremely hard to come by," he emphasised. "I was pissed that I had to give it up."

"Is that why you were so cranky?" I teased.

"I was cranky because someone was blindly and foolishly walking onto a battlefield," he glared. "Even after all these years, you never cease to keep me on my toes."

Grinning, I shrugged, "Well I do like to keep things lively. Would you have me any other way?"

Jake laughed, "No, no I would not."