He was handcuffed. The dark recesses of the room seemed to reach out to brush against his legs and wings. He couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't close his eyes as the shadows turned to dark waters. Rising over his head and filling his mouth; lungs; eyes; choking him and forcing him under as the pressure rose.

Voices surrounded him as creatures moved just past his reach, grasping at the bubbles as they escaped his mouth and whirled around him. Whispers snatched at his scales as the water turned them ice cold.

"What do you know?"

"Where are you, I can't see-"

"They're coming, I need more-"

"Time is running out."

They overlapped, voices blending into a steady din of vibrations, worming their way into his ears...

Paurus sat upright with a gasp. His hands trembled as he pressed them to his forehead, clammy and cold. His stomach was twisted and his throat hurt like he had been screaming.

He rolled out of bed with a growl, head pounding, trying to remember the night before, the bar, the stranger, and the mission. He hadn't had hardly anything to drink. Shiel on the other hand...

A groan signified his arrival as the fire dragon stumbled into the main room of the building, paw over his face, blocking the light filtering in from the cracks above. He headed to the side of the room they used for storage and leaned on the counter.

"'Morning." Paurus mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

Shiel nodded in response as he rummaged through the cabinets, dragging a bottle out and pouring the water inside over his face. He sighed deeply as he dragged his claws through his messy mane. "Gotta... make some.. somethin'."

"Bone broth." Paurus stood up slowly, ignoring his head as it threatened to tear itself apart. "You want bone broth."

"I want bone broth..." Came the murmur from behind him as bowls and pots clattered against each other. The fire dragon cussed under his breath as he dug through the pile of unorganized dishes.

Paurus chuckled and pushed against him with his shoulder. "Move, I'll make it. Go back to bed."

"Are you... ok, fine..."

"The words you're looking for are 'thank you'."

"Mmmm, thank you."

"Oh, and 'you're the best, Paurus!'" The dragonet smirked, pulling out ingredients from a cabinet.

"Don't push your luck, kid." Shiel sighed, already halfway down the hall to his room.

As Paurus carried the pot over to the firepit in the corner, a crinkling of paper caught his attention. He had knocked a scroll off of the table with his tail.

He quickly started the fire using a shard of black rock, then padded over to put the scroll back. It had unfurled slightly, showing a corner of the map of the compound. Paurus picked it up, opening it further. The mission, to grab some plans, wouldn't be that bad, would it? Despite what Shiel had said? Despite how much silver the stranger was willing to pay to get his claws on their target?

He shook his head. They had done many jobs over the past few years, more than he could remember honestly. But had they ever stolen from the guard? He didn't think so. Something didn't sit right with him about it, and there was an inescapable sense of helplessness that he just couldn't place.

Whistling from the pot broke through his thoughts. Dropping the scroll on the table, he hurried over to throw some dirt on the fire. He fished the bones out of the broth and hung them to dry, then filled a ceramic bowl with the liquid.

Shiel was sitting up when he entered with the watery liquid. His room was unusually tidy, with nothing but his cloak and a few weapons spread out on the ground next to his fur bed. He had his head in his paws, and Paurus thought for a split second that he may have been crying. That would have made no sense, Shiel never cried.

"Broth's ready." He spoke more gently than he thought he would, and he flicked his ears forwards.

Shiel looked over at him and nodded his thanks, letting his paw slide down the side of his face.

Paurus set the bowl down and turned to leave, and heard the faint sound of Shiel clearing his throat. "Hey, kid?"

"M'yeah?"

"Thanks... and all that other stuff you said before."

Paurus smiled as he left, knowing that it was genuine.

...

Paurus stuffed the scroll inside his satchel beside the small lockpick and his loops of rope. It would be useful for locating the folder, even if Paurus had spent all morning memorizing the map. He had only seen a guard compound from afar, and he never imagined he would ever get to see inside one. He glanced into Shiel's room, watching him collect his weapons and the cloak.

They hadn't gone over a plan for the mission yet, but Paurus was done being worried. Shiel knew what he was doing, and Shiel was invincible.

He dropped the bag by the door and padded outside for some fresh air. District 2 was almost completely covered in fine dust from the collapsed buildings. The fighting had been fierce here, or at least, that's what Shiel had told him. Their makeshift home was in one of the few sections that hadn't been extensively damaged, just evacuated by the guard. But Shiel must have thought that with the fighting over, it was safe to use one of the abandoned buildings for themselves.

The sky was uncommonly overcast, and Paurus felt a jolt of excitement. Rain would be a welcome surprise in Ironpit. The other dragons living on the block must have thought so too, since pans and bowls were placed outside their doors and pits were dug, expectant for water.

He turned to reenter the house when Shiel appeared behind him, his bag slung over one of his shoulders. "Ready to go?" He rasped, tossing the dragonet his satchel.

"Sure am!" He grinned and stepped aside to allow Shiel to walk past him. "Any attack plans? Or are we just gonna go in, flames blazing?"

Shiel, instead of smiling or rolling his eyes, jerked slightly. "No." He almost growled. "The guard is nothing to mess with. You are keeping this a stealth mission, understood?"

Paurus hesitated. "Yeah... got it."

Shiel walked on without another word, and Paurus fell in behind him. Uncharacteristically silent.

. . .

The outer wall of the complex was going to be a problem. Shiel growled as he scanned the guards below, pacing. They sure wouldn't be able to stroll in through the front door. What had he been thinking?

"Alright kid." He stepped back down behind the rocks. "We'll have to get you in somehow..."

Paurus slid back beside him, glancing up. "What about the ventilation shafts? I could fit. It wouldn't be too hard to navigate-"

"We don't know where they lead, it's too risky. The map only shows the main corridors, and I wouldn't be able to go in and save you if you're caught." This is a stupid plan. A stupid mission. Seriously, Shiel, what were you-

"But the vents should run above the corridors. The architects planned the compound for functionality. It makes the most sense." Paurus had studied the map. He knew he could find his way, even if Shiel didn't. "And I won't get caught. I'll sneak in and out before they know I'm there."

The older dragon shook his head. "You won't need to." He reached into his bag and pulled out a circular disk, handing it to Paurus. "You just need to place this inside, then wait for me to meet you."

Paurus turned the object over in his claws. A smoke bomb.

"Get that inside; hide it somewhere in the office block. Once you pull the pin, you have two minutes to clear out before it blows."

"I can do you one better." Paurus said, digging out the map and unfurling it in front of Shiel. "The main air filter is here," he pointed to the area below the corridor leading to the rows of offices. "I can sabotage the filter, then the smoke will travel farther and stay longer." He understood Shiel's plan now, cause confusion within the compound, slip inside, and grab the folder. Classic stealth mission.

Shiel nodded after a moment. "Alright kid. Meet me in the main office. That'll be where the commander keeps his goodies. Do not let them find you."

Paurus nodded, hesitating for a moment before sliding quickly down the embankment towards the compound wall. The most prominent vent was below a tall watchtower, with guards swarming at the top.

He crept up towards the vent, flicked his head from side to side, then darted to the wall, feeling carefully with his claws before digging through his bag and pulling out his multi-purpose tool. He unscrewed one side, pried open the grate, and crawled inside.

The shaft was small, but it wasn't unbearable. The dragonet wriggled quickly upwards, taking him into a straight section.

It was unnerving really. To be surrounded by echoing voices, and see shadows slip by through the cracks underneath him. He felt a shiver down his spine. What do you know? The voice from his dream seemed to jeer.

He knew Shiel was counting on him, the mission depended on him planting the smoke bomb. He only had a little more distance to cover anyways. He just prayed to any deity listening that the shaft didn't get any smaller.

A low growl below him made him freeze. If they found him-

"No, Commander. My squad has made sure to patrol the District's edges at all times. We'll find any dissidents within the half-moon."

"Very good, Captain Octonus. I look forward to your squad's continued success."

Paurus sighed a breath of relief. He crawled forwards, painfully slow to avoid detection, and the warbling of the radio fell behind him. He had reached the edge of the air filter.