The group made their way through the north sector of Grandesia: eX-0281, eX-0704, and the Disco Menace with two rowdy prisoners in tow. As they neared their destination of the Security Administration Police Station, a mob was scattering about and running.

“More GPC snakes!” somebody hollered.

“Snakes?” eX-0704 murmured. “Now that’s just rude! It’s one thing to call us lizards but snakes? We have arms.”

Since the protesters were already trying to escape, some people immediately ran the other way. Others took them in with hostile glares, some makeshift weapons in their hands. One man held a section of a pipe much like the one that the Disco Menace held in her hand.

“There’s only two of ‘em!”

“The one already lost his helmet. They’ve been in a scuffle.”

“They have our hero!”

A resounding cry of a dozen voices seemed to cheer on the Disco Menace. The crowd probably would have rushed them already if not for eX-0704 pulling out his gun and taking aim.

“Stay back! This won’t end well for any of you.”

To better assuage the situation, the Disco Menace held out her hands. “I’m fine. The lizards are with me. Stick it to the GPC!”

Some hollers resounded and repeated her lame line of agitation.

“Hey, at least that rhymed.” eX-0281 commented wryly.

With eX-0704 at his side, they stayed back and tried to make themselves small. Both of their tails were flicking with distress since they did not want to do anything bad unless orders gave them no other choice. The two of them had been freed from the command of Grandesia Power Company when they ran away, if only everybody else could acknowledge the difference.

Luckily, between the Disco and the louder of the two looters, all the protesters were scared away.

“Help!” their captive cried. “Save me! I’m not an ecoterrorist. I don’t give a shit about the environment!”

If he had wanted the protesters to attempt to save one of their own, that was the wrong thing to advertise about himself.

eX-0281 chuckled to himself as he watched some hateful eyes flash his way. The remaining protesters dispersed to another city block. Like that, their party managed to evade any trouble.

In a low mutter, the Disco Menace said, “Same here. I don’t care about the environment. Funny how I started all this, huh?” She seemed to marvel at the destruction of the city, but the tone of her voice sounded dismal.

The worst of the violence in the city had already concluded, but they were traveling to a place where they could see the worst of the aftermath.

“Here we are,” the Disco Menace announced when they arrived at the north sector’s largest police station for the security administration. “My best guess: they’re holding Josie here. You ready to do your thing, Liz 2?”

“Ready.” He snatched at an arm from each of the looters and hauled them towards the door.

As her real voice faded away, eX-0281 could still listen to the Disco Menace over his headset. “Act natural, just like you did before. If something goes wrong, give a holler. We’ll come in to save you.”

“Roger.” At least, eX-0704 would want to save him. Not gullible enough to believe her words, eX-0281 knew that the Disco Menace only cared about rescuing Charlotte’s mom and getting out of here.

I’m not being used as a diversion, am I?

eX-0281 quickly shook his head. The plan made perfect sense to him. Plus, he would be careful as always.

The front of the police station was plenty busy. When he stepped inside, he saw a large number of sub-dragons with the GPC logo like himself. In fact, one such clone was taking in an old lady in handcuffs.

“This is a mistake!” she moaned in her wavering voice. “Let me call my grandson.”

The sub-dragon in charge ignored the woman’s plight. “We are doing everything we can to restore order to the city. Thank you for your cooperation at this time.” He had the emblem of the security administration plastered across his chest plate.

Presently, the two companies were coordinating a joint mission to lock down the city the best they could. After the security administration sub-dragon finished booking the woman with all haste, the power company sub-dragon took her away from there.

“I was just a peaceful protester!” she howled. “Back in my day, the pollution was never this bad. You youngsters really ought to be more concerned about it.” Her voice died away as a pair of elevator doors closed between them.

“Next,” the sub-dragon said, waving his talons towards eX-0281. “You power company guys really know what you’re doing.”

“Uh, thank you.” After witnessing such blatant incompetency, arresting a nice, old lady like that, eX-0281 had no idea how to take the compliment. Clearing his throat, he announced roughly, “I have two more eco-terrorists here.”

eX-0281 stepped forward and gave each of his props a slight shove. Though he felt bad about this, he reminded himself that they were bad people anyway. The GPC would let a vast majority of the people go after they had determined who the true instigators were at the protest.

Obstinate as ever, the one man still tried to justify his innocence. “You got this all wrong, man. I just wanted a new TV.”

“Wait, we’re supposed to get phone calls right?” the sheepish, teary-eyed fellow said. “I need to call my mom!”

Once the security administration sub-dragon finished logging some information, he dismissed eX-0281 into the depths of the station. “Eh, add these guys to another cell on B2. They don’t seem like hardcore eco-terrorists to me. I’ve forwarded the reports that you need to fill out.”

Police report received.

A few more notifications came through with the various other forms in his inbox. Each one made eX-0281 more and more glad that he did not have to do mundane work anymore. Instead, he just needed to focus on finding Charlotte’s mom so that he could live a happy life in that peaceful, little town after this was over.

“No,” eX-0281 stammered, “these guys are definitely eco-terrorists. I heard them saying bad stuff about the environment and everything.

“I. Don’t. Care. About the environment!” the man cried.

Exactly. That’s a bad thing to say! eX-0281 had to agree with the old lady on that one. After what he had just witnessed up top, people had to be out of their minds to not be concerned with the mana pollution. The mutant stalker behemoth still sent shivers up his spine.

“That does sound like the sort of thing an eco-terrorist would try to say when they’re being arrested,” the security administration sub-dragon said quietly to himself.

Instantly, the man changed his tune. “Wait, no. I mean, I love the environment! Just a peaceful protester, haha, that’s me. Didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Just shut up, sheesh,” his friend whispered.

The loud-mouthed guy was certainly making things sound worse and worse for them. It was certainly a good thing for eX-0281 who could not keep his tail from lifting in amusement.

“That’s a confession!” the security administration sub-dragon declared. After changing some things in the log, he said, “Take them down to B5 where all the other eco-terrorists are housed.”

“Great. Thank you.” eX-0281 needed to go where the most dangerous protesters were being kept, assuming that Charlotte’s mom had been grouped up with them as an A-class nature mage. “Move it, you two.”

Both resisted in subtle ways and tried to shuffle their feet, but they had no choice other than to move forward. eX-0281 had his claws pressed against either of their necks. He was nearly free to roam the interior of the jailhouse when the security administration sub-dragon piped up.

“You know you’re in the north sector, right?”

“I know,” eX-0281 started to say but realized that was the wrong answer. “Wait,” he said with a hard shake of his head. “I am?”

“Yeah. The lowest two thousand numbers of the eX series are all registered in the central sector. You might want to get back there, so you don’t get in trouble with your superiors. It’s been a hectic night, not like they would understand.”

“Yeah,” eX-0281 drawled out.

Heavy sighs whooshed past both sub-dragons’ lips.

Quickly, eX-0281 slipped away. If scales could sweat, he would have bullets dripping down his face. That was close. Good thing we’re all nice to each other.

When it came to work, the sub-dragons understood the difficulties of the crisis situations, security protocols, and everything else that made their jobs treacherous. Across companies, all sub-dragons had more or less the same bad experience.

Back in the day—about a year ago, eX-0281 had believed that he was getting employed by the best company around. Those aggressive advertisement and recruitment tactics had thoroughly tricked eX-0281. Shaking his head, he tried to get the memory of signing the contract out of his head. At the time, he had felt so happy but now he just felt foolish.

Slowly, eX-0281 began to realize just how blindsided he had been.

It did not make sense how thousands of his clones ended up at the same company. It happened not just at the Grandesia Power Company. The same inexplicable coincidence could be observed with the security administration sub-dragons—all fire elementals with red wings. Maybe, none of them ever really had a choice where they worked.

The contract that he had signed must have been fake. An awful feeling twisted around in his gut.

I’ve really lived my life as some kind of puppet till today.

He was just happy that he had finally opened his eyes by now. eX-0281 tapped his claws along the ground and hummed along with the elevator music. A ding resounded once the lift had carried him down five stories below ground. The brightly lit hallways were pristine, and eX-0281 observed the numerous occupied cells.

Lots of arrests had been made today, but eX-0281 tried to find a spot that had the nicest looking people. He used the key card in his gloved hand, updated on the first floor when the office worker had helped book the miscreants.

“You, um, might not want to say bad things about the environment in here,” he whispered to them.

A gulp slid down both the men’s throats. The two looters stepped inside the cell and sat together, cloistering themselves away from the existing jailbirds.

“Now then….” eX-0281 murmured to himself. “Time for the next step.”

The Disco Menace’s voice came alive over his personal speakers. “Sounds like things are going well for you?”

Since he could not respond without sounding suspicious to anyone on the outside, he opted to remain quiet. Just like how a file existed on Victoria Carrabotta in the databases, eX-0281 made a query for Josephine Bouchard.

I sure hope she’s here. The keycard probably would not give him access to the different floors. eX-0281 made a silent prayer while her information sheet appeared on his screen.