***

THE CCTV at the end of the hallway turned from left to right, covering the entire length of the corridor and the doors on both sides. The camera captured Trezdon with Ephraim and Aleck as they reached the top of the stairs and shared a short talk. It showed Trezdon pointing both ends of the hallway, and Ephraim offering him a handshake.

"Thank you so much, Trezdon."

"No problem!"

When their hands met, the camera blurred, as if there was a buzz that caused interference. It showed Trezdon walking away from the pair. The camera turned black just about time Trezdon entered his room.

A flash of static replaced the field of view of the CCTV which has gone unnoticed by the security in the surveillance room as they took their dinner on the nearby table. In that brief moment of black and white, the screen froze and went back to normal, immediately showing the empty hallway –although it was anything but.

The second floor was quiet except for the subtle shaking of the knob on Room 01, where two intruders wearing rubber gloves stealthily did their break-in.

"Luckily I asked Beak for some info." He bent the wire. "The vent's our best bet."

Aleck operated the small device as she stood directly under the camera. Its function was to interfere with the CCTV's field of view and replacing it with a stagnant image, hence, the surveillance could only show an empty hallway sans the two of them.

Ephraim fumbled with the locks for a moment, until it clicked open. The camera interference was automatically deactivated when they rushed inside.

"Okay, Al. Listen here." He pulled the tablet out of his coat pocket and turned it on. They left the lights off and made sure the curtains were spread out. "As long as that cam shows an empty second floor, we are expected to be in view of the first floor cam in about 1 minute and 15 seconds. The stairs is a blind spot." They rushed to the bathroom.

"Okay."

"Here." He handed her a micro model of the tight-nudger as he pushed the bath curtain aside and revealed a bathtub placed directly under a small window. "Mark that."

Aleck took the device and stepped over the bathtub. She jumped and held on to the narrow flat surface of concrete. With her other hand, she unlocked the window's lever and attached the nudger to the side where the lock was. The device emitted a red blinking light once it was activated. Aleck immediately pushed the window close. The lever wasn't sealed back but the nudger acted as an alternative lock that kept the window in place.

"Great job," Ephraim whispered as Aleck landed back on the ground smoothly. "Let's go."

They reactivated the interfering device for the CCTV before going out. They checked if the coast was clear then walked out, locking the room's door back in place and running to the stairs. Slow steps down each tread, they removed their rubber gloves and hid them in their pockets. Ephraim checked his watch.

"Just in time," Ephraim mumbled as they reached the bottom of the stairs. The end of the countdown automatically turned off the device hidden on the back pocket of his trousers, causing no further interference to all nearby surveillance cameras.

Ephraim smiled at the guards they passed by and gave them a small bow as he unlocked the sliding glass door and walked out to the patio along with Aleck.

"That was awesome!" Ephraim cheered in a whispery voice as he raised his hands for a high five, which Aleck went along with.

"That was a hassle," she responded, immediately sitting on the folding chair. "That wasn't in the plan!"

"Whaat, of course it was!" He sat across her.

"It wasn't! I didn't even know there was one!"

"Oh . . ." He rubbed his chin, trying to stop himself from laughing at her expression. She might be a child, but she can strangle him easily if she wanted. "I guess I forgot."

Her nose scrunched up. "How's that even possible? I'm your only employee!"

"Okay, okay." He raised his hands. "Kidding! It's not like we expected young Kornelius over there to come for us!" Sighing, he pulled out his tablet and laid it on the table for Aleck to see. She leaned over to watch the screen brighten up only to reveal an encrypted text. "I got these info from Beak. We can never be too sure of what's gonna happen, so I gathered what I can." When he swiped up, the file was converted into something readable.

"Woah, cool . . ." Aleck's hand reached out to touch the screen but he smacked it away. "Hey!"

"No touching!" His forefinger protruded. "See here, I knew which rooms were empty, how many people are checked-in until tomorrow, their profiles and some basic info, et cetera et cetera. What luck, right? Kornelius went to us so I snatched the chance! Geni-us!" He looked up to get a glimpse of the second floor's outer walls but his sight was blocked by the slanted roof of the patio. "Room 01, as lucky as we are, was unavailable for guests – the two rooms on each end of the hallway actually."

"What does that mean?"

“I'm assuming it's for precaution. Those areas might be prone to break-ins –"

"Like what we just did?"

"Erffsh – uh, yeah, but it's not as bad!" He cleared his throat. "What's bad are the break-ins from the outside, since it's close to the edge of the roof . . ." Smiling at Aleck, he gave another meaningful stare at where the upper floor was,

His eyes widened when he remembered his plan. "Oh, right . . ."

Aleck stared at him and realized why they marked Room 01's bathroom window in the first place. Oh, shit. "That's the plan, isn't it?"

For a moment, there was silence.

"Uhm, yup."

***

They were once again on high grounds, seated on the roof of the patio. Ephraim held his binoculars as he checked his wristwatch. Nine was considered the ripe stage of nighttime, and perhaps even the trigger of awakening for anything the lurked behind the shadows. Another hour of patience shall suffice.

Aleck sat beside him, blowing the remaining milk powder from the small packet named mikmik. The plastic straw remained on her lips as she nibbled on it.

"Boss, le'me ask ya something," she spoke with a slight lisp.

"What?"

"Why did we mark that?" Leaning her back on the wall, she looked up and saw the window a few feet above them.

"Remember the blueprint?" Aleck nodded at his question. "The vents connect the rooms. So if we enter from Room 01's window, we can use the vents to enter Trezdon’s –"

"Hold up!" She waved her hands. "You plan to break in that guy's room?"

"No!" He raised his hands in surrender. "Just in case! If something calls for it, we have our way in! We only have so limited access here. We need to have a way in somehow."

"So . . . you do plan to break in that guy's room," she confirmed.

Ephraim paused to think about it and shrugged. "Well, yes, technically. Only if the situation calls for it,” he mumbled.

"Hmm, okay," she responded in a dull voice. Not even bothering to turn to him, she folded her knees and hunched.

"I'm hungry."

"What did you see back there?" Ephraim asked in an attempt to distract her.

"Where?"

"The woods, duh." He rolled his eyes.

“Forgot." She let out a groan and hid he face in between her folded knees. "Hungry. No memory."

Ephraim palmed his face and reached inside his folded trench coat. Seems like there's no choice.

 From there he pulled out a round bread in a clipped plastic wrap. "Here." He tossed it over to her. Watching as she caught and ripped the plastic open, he couldn't help but feel a pang in his chest. A familiar sight of his own reflection that could only be seen from the eyes of another. "Check it first." He pointed at his nose.

Aleck split the bread and handed the other half over to him. "It's good."

He shook his head. "I'm not hungry."

Aleck's brows scrunched up and pushed the bread to him, but when she saw him put the binoculars back on, she stopped insisting and kept both halves. Ephraim stared at the night sky and silently enjoyed the cold breeze hitting his face, while Aleck gobbled up the snack in three bites.

"Back there," she spoke after a burp. "I found some sort of rafflesia sanctuary."

Ephraim turned to her, wide-eyed. "Oh your memory's back! Bread worked!"

"Yes." She cockily raised her chin. "I don't know much but I've seen those flowers a few times before. So I'm sure they're rafflesias." She stretched out her hands. "About this big, have these long tangled roots –"

"You mean vines?"

"Yeah, maybe. They were scattered on the ground. Thick as heck." She gripped her calves. "Like this thick. And those . . . vines, or whatever, had this weird transparent skin thing going on. Sure, they were green, but slimy and I could see the insides. It was like looking at a . . . uhm . . . opi-ti, piticol? Opat – what's that called . . ."

"Optical?"

"Optical silicone! Right! Those!" She clapped her hands once.

"So the rafflesias had translucent vines . . ." Ephraim rubbed his chin. "Not that those are strange descriptions, but still odd though. That area doesn't seem like the right habitat. Plus, you say they're organized?"

"Yes, I'm sure. There were lined up like . . ." She used her hands to gesture two parallel lines in the air. "I saw ingepteras too. Disgusting up close, urgh." With a short gag, she fanned herself. "I've always hated them the most. Too much fluid no matter how clean the slash. Fuckin' smelly as heck too! This camp is fancy and all but what's behind that wall is just shitpile – "

They stopped upon hearing the sound of the door sliding open from below them. Booted footsteps walked out, followed by the sound of the door being closed with a bit too much force. The steps were slow and heavy as it reached the end of the patio. Leaning forward, the two took a peek and met the eyes of the man in uniform who was already looking up.

"About time I found you, Joatys," he said, taking a few steps back to leave some space for them to land on. "I'd like to have a talk with you."

"Uh, no thanks," Ephraim answered.

"You have no say in this. That wasn't a question." His eyebrows were narrowed.

"Bring out dinner and maybe I'll reconsider."

The guard's forehead already had a visible crease that deepened further at his displease over Ephraim's behavior. "Too demanding for an intruder?"

"You came from the second floor to look for us, didn't you?" He smiled down at the guard and mockingly placed his knuckles on his cheek. "Since we weren't there, you came straight here. I see you need us for something." He smiled until the corners of his eyes crinkled like that of an innocent child. "A favor for a favor, right?"

"Scumbag," the guard murmured as he turned around.

"Watch it." Ephraim held the ends of the patio's roof and leaned down. "Or you won't get the help you need." His silver hair swayed as the upper half of his head peeked. The guard paused at his warning, then headed back inside.

No sooner than ten minutes did the man come back holding two plates filled with leftovers. A colleague opened the door for him, then shut it once he was out. As he placed the plates on one of the wooden tables, Aleck's nose perked up. The scent of mashed potatoes and roasted chicken was enough to make her jump down the patio roof.

Upon landing, she immediately straightened and opened her arms.

"How kind, sir." Ephraim said as he jumped down as well, swiftly landing in the outstretched arms of Aleck. It was a strange sight – a full-grown middle-aged man being carried like a princess by a teenage girl just about half his size.

"Thanks for heeding our request. My kid here is hungry, you see." He patted Aleck's head as she placed him down. "Thanks, Al."

"Cool." Aleck shrugged and went straight to the food.

"Thanks, really," Ephraim whispered as he settled himself on the other table. "Takes a lot to feed growing kids." He patted the other seat. "Please."

The guard looked at Aleck who was already eating, then sat across Ephraim. "I've heard about you. You don't work under anyone. Anything for good pay, right?"

"Correct."

"Contracts?"

"That depends." He clasped his hands. "Long-term ones are no-no. We prefer chores. That's why we know what to expect from those who chose us to do their work. They provide us nothing for the job leaving us to fend for ourselves alone."

"Isn't that your loss?" The man crossed his arms. "When shit gets messy, they're out of the picture. You take all the blame."

"Well, we know what we're getting ourselves into once we accept payment." Ephraim waved his forefinger. "See, if they're not under our noses, they have no say on how we do stuff. That's why we make it a point to always get the job done." He poked a chunk of beef and took a bite. "That's delish." He chewed thoroughly. "So? What did you call us for?"

"I'm sure you heard the commotion earlier." The guard laid his hands flat on the table.

"Hmm, which one?" Ephraim feigned ignorance.

The man sighed. "One of our guests was . . . 'attacked' earlier as he went out to answer a phone call. We heard a shout. And I suppose you heard it too since you were here."

Ephraim's eyebrows raised as he placed a hand over his lips, casting a calculative look at the man in front of him. "What do you want us to do then?"

With a subtle glance at the closed sliding door, the man pulled out a brick-like thing clad in paper bag and slid it over to Ephraim's side of the table. Ephraim glanced down at the thing in front of him then returned his eyes back up to stare at the man. "No questions asked, we want you to eliminate whatever you see as threat while you're staying here for your mission with Kornelius."

Ephraim tapped his chin. "Hmm . . . you are Arnoldii's guards aren't you? Surely, you don't need us to 'eliminate' this 'threat' you speak of. That's your job after all."

"I'm not asking you to eliminate them."

Oh ho, them? He hid his smirk.

"I'm telling you to kill and leave no tracks when you see one." His jaw clenched and basically pushed the paperbag over to Ephraim. "Honestly, we're being generous here. This is not a matter of yes or no. We're paying you when we could simply –"

"Eliminate us instead?" He smiled. As if you can. "I'm glad you chose pity." Ephraim unwrapped the bag and found a bundle of bills inside. He let out a whistle. "Very generous."

"Great. You accepted it." The man stood up and strode to the sliding door. "Helpers will clean up your plates." He gave Ephraim a threatening glare, as if to give a warning. "Do your part," he growled as he went back inside.

Ephraim pulled out the payment and flicked them with his thumb. Aleck turned to him as well, her eyes glinting at the sight of the bundled money.

"Two birds with one stone for us today, Al." He chuckled. "No wait . . . I meant three wonderful birds." Stuffing the money in his chest pocket, he ate his meal as well. That man didn't pay them for a job.

That man . . .

His wristwatch blinked. The silver streaks of light from the moon turned brighter at the stroke of nine.

. . . paid for our silence.

***

Author’s Note:

Hi! Thanks for reading JOAT! I'm back, bringing a little fun fact from today's chapter.

An Ingeptera is a giant fly. It's a combination of the words "diptera" (the scientific name of flies) and "ingens" (latin word for "great" or "huge").

Just to remind that I created that name in the midst of my wordplay hobby solely for JOAT's universe. It may or not be an existing word in real life. Any case of similarity is purely unintentional and coincidental.

Thank you! (^_^) See you on the next chapter!