After they finished discussing the mole, Amanda faced Zephyr. "What's going on with you?" she demanded.

Zephyr frowned. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"Come on, I think everyone has noticed by now- it's been weeks since you took a mission. Is it because of me?"

"No! Of course not. Why would it be your fault?"

"You've been doing both of our jobs lately. Is it too much? I can lead again, if you need me too," Amanda offered.

Zephyr smiled, and shook her head. "You aren't ready for that yet. Anyway, it isn't your fault I haven't been taking missions."

"Then why?" Amanda crossed her arms and moved in front of the door. "Neither of us is leaving until you explain."

Zephyr gave her a look, but relented. "It's Mersor."

"Akram's guy?"

"Yeah. He's getting close to figuring out who I am. If I go on missions too often, I risk being exposed completely. It'll put everyone in danger," Zephyr explained. "I figure if I just stay here, he can't find me."

"You're letting him intimidate you?" Amanda asked, raising a brow. "The great Zephyr, leader of Supai, hiding at HQ? There's gotta be something you can do. Can you find him first?"

"I already know where he is. That's not the problem. The problem is that he's paranoid. The guy has so much security that it's practically impossible to get near him." Zephyr sighed. "But if I stay here without moving for much longer, he might find me anyway. At that point, things'll be worse."

"Still, you have the advantage," Amanda insisted. "You know where he is and he doesn't know you know. Come on, you must have thought of something. You watch him, don't you?"

"Yeah, but I haven't seen any clear way of getting at him. I mean, I had one idea, but it would never work."

"Well tell me anyway. Maybe we can refine it."

"He throws parties a lot. I thought we could infiltrate one of them and take him captive. But it would never work. His security is crazy and getting him alone would be impossible."

"Him, at a party? Really? Huh. I don't see it. The guy I met doesn't seem like the party type," Amanda muttered. She leaned against the door and stared down at her hands. "Still, it can't be impossible. No one has security that perfect. Can't you get an invite?"

"There is some sort of invite he sends out," Zephyr said. "I think it's digital, which would make it difficult to get, if his technical security is as good as his house." She paused. "Unless..."

"Unless what?" Amanda was sensing a very important 'but' here.

"I know who can get us those invites. Follow me- I'll introduce you to the Outlaw Squad."

***

The squad in question was busy playing monopoly when they entered. There were seven of them grouped around the board. One of them- a dark skinned girl with brown hair- was busy narrating the whole thing and occasionally snatching people's money without their realizing it. Another one- a guy- was sitting in the corner rolling an extra pair of dice repeatedly and muttering something about jail.

And then there were the two in the midst of it all. A girl and a boy- both with the same blonde hair and gray eyes. The boy was running the bank while the girl grinned and counted a ridiculously large pile of money. Next to her, a guy with red hair was busy bemoaning his bankruptcy. In the far left corner of the room, a girl with white hair and dark skin held a pillow over her head. Her fingers inched closer and closer to her pistol as the noise in the room increased.

Zephyr put an end to the chaos. "Cipher!" she yelled, raising her voice above everyone else's. "I need you."

The blonde haired girl frowned. "I was about to win," she muttered.

"You've been cheating," the red-head protested.

"How could I possibly cheat?" Cipher demanded.

"Your brother is managing the bank!"

"You accusing me of cheating too?" the blond haired guy demanded.

His pose was threatening, but he broke down laughing after a few seconds. Then he pulled a candy bar out of his pocket and began munching on it. It was the first candy Amanda had seen since being to the future, actually. She found that strange. There was always some sort of sugar somewhere. Even the future should have sweet stuff to eat every once in a while.

Cipher pushed up off of the floor. "How can I help you?" she asked, brushing an orange bill off of her pant leg. The red-head snatched it when he thought no one was watching and tucked it under the board where his money had probably been.

"We need you to get us invitations to a party," Zephyr told her.

"You sure I'm the best person to ask?" Cipher gestured to the rest of the squad. "Unless one of them is throwing the party, I'm probably not invited."

Amanda shook her head. "Not a party here. Do people even have parties here?" She paused. If they did, she hadn't been invited. Should she feel bad about that, or relieved? Focus. "We need invitations to one of Mersor's fancy rich people parties. Can you get them?"

Cipher raised a brow and pointed at her brother. "Does Sugar love junk food?"

Amanda noted the candy bar and decided to take that as a yes. "Great. How soon can you get them?"

Cipher held up her phone. "Should I email them to you?"

***

Mersor lived in a huge, fancy house with top-notch security, just like Zephyr had said. Guards patrolled the perimeter and there was a fence that stretched around the house. Laser trip wires ran along the top, ensuring that there would be no way for anyone to sneak over it without an alarm going off. Luckily, Amanda and Zephyr didn't need to get in that way. They were going in through the front door.

"I shouldn't have agreed to this," Zephyr muttered, tapping the side of her phone anxiously.

"Relax," Amanda whispered. "This will work. Anyway, if it doesn't, our exit strategy is perfect. Besides, we have invitations." She held up her phone, which displayed a fancy digital card with a time, place, and signature, as well as a nice little note.

Zephyr shook her head and returned Amanda's grin. "Well let's go then," she said.

They stepped out of their car. Amanda smoothed out her red skirt and grimaced. "I look ridiculous."

"No you don't," Zephyr protested. "Hawk did a great job with you."

"She's the only reason I look presentable," Amanda laughed.

Shaking her head, Zephyr looked down at her own outfit. It was a deep navy blue dress that fit her perfectly. The long sleeves extended to her wrists and ended with a black bead design. The neckline and bottom of the dress matched and the dress itself was simple, but elegant, extending just past her knees and flaring out a bit at the bottom. She hadn't had to do much with her hair, but whoever fixed her outfit had found a tiara with black gems in it to match her dress and the effect was amazing.

Amanda's outfit wasn't nearly as nice. Hawk had chosen a simple black blouse and put a tank top underneath it. Her skirt was long and there was plenty of material, which had made it much easier to hide the fact that she'd thrown on dark blue leggings underneath instead of the stockings that went with the outfit. Her shoes were also hidden by her skirt, which was good, because she'd trashed the glittery high-heels and gone with combat boots.

"Well... here goes nothing," Zephyr muttered.

"I'll do the talking if they get suspicious," Amanda offered.

"Probably a good idea."

They approached the gate and Amanda smiled, handing their invitations to the people at the door. The guard on the left examined the invitation and went to wave them through, but his comrade stepped forward. "We have to pat you down," he said. "To make sure you aren't bringing in any weapons."

Amanda huffed. "And what do you think Mersor will say when I tell him that his guards man-handled his special guests?" she demanded. "You think he'll accept this kind of behavior?"

The guard shook his head. "No... no, of course not." He scratched his head, chewing the bottom of his lip nervously. "I'm sure two ladies like you would never carry a weapon."

"Of course not." She went to push past the two men when one of them noticed her boots.

"Hey... why are you wearing boots?" The guard on the left stepped forward, reaching for her skirt.

She side-stepped him and crossed her arms. "Would you question a lady's fashion decisions? What would you know about shoes and which pair to wear with which outfit? Honestly, the way you two are treating me and my companion is completely unacceptable. Mersor will hear of this, believe you me."

With that, she stomped off. Zephyr followed, laughing quietly. The guards stared after them, half terrified, half confused about what had just happened. Once they were out of ear shot, Amanda let out a sigh of relief.

"I thought we were caught..." she admitted.

Zephyr just kept laughing. "I cannot believe that worked," she said, finally catching her breath.

"No kidding."

"You play the part of a rich lady pretty well. But you don't dress the part." Zephyr glanced at Amanda's boots and snickered. "Fashion choice... I can't believe they bought that."

Amanda rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's go."