She felt there was something different to the outlook she had on this quest. It could have been the painkillers Jin had her hopped on, the faint numb pain of her ribs and legs calling out to her like the little echoes that were still around.

“Let’s go over the plan once more,” Jin redirected her attention to a device they held in their hands and a small bag filled with other devices, “You’re going to use this gadget to find the Banshee. If she’s around her hostages, set up a couple of these devices in the area to help in the oncoming battle. They’re mines using G Corp tech to create a gravity well when tripped; anything caught in it will be momentarily disoriented before the pressure of artificially enhanced gravity crushes the victim and the device. Her body will likely be able to withstand the pressure but slowing her down and forcing that kind of strain on her body will be beneficial.” Foxtail absentmindedly nodded in acknowledgement.

A task we are better suited for… skulking in corners and avoiding direct confrontation… The wraith whispered into her ear. It was something to get used to, a feeling she was coming to terms with during her time knocked out. Where the echoes were incoherent babbles asking for help from their doomed circumstances, since she acknowledged her past mistakes their voices have been given substance. There was an effort now for her to keep the facade of a carefree girl up to avoid the same mindset that her legion has sunken down to.

The shift in the wraith was the strangest to acknowledge. There was this lingering predatory energy that radiated off of it like mental frostbite, and yet it acted as caring and compassionate as a mother would to the unruly echoes dwelling within Foxtail.

“Alrighty then. Seems like an easy enough task to handle.” Foxtail strapped the bag of technologically advanced explosives onto her hip and held the scanner in her hand. It looked like a compass, ripples on the screen spreading outward like waves on emerald water. “By the way, do you have something reflective in the shop? A hand mirror would be great, the bigger the better?” Jin stared blankly at Foxtail before registering her plan of action. They rummaged through a pile of junk behind the counter and pulled out a cracked desk mirror, small webs spreading to edges of the frame.

“How do you plan to contact Peepers? I was under the assumption that their communications with me were one-way?” Jin asked.

“It’s a secret amongst friends. I’m afraid if you want that answer, you’ll have to talk to Peepers himself about it.” Foxtail winked at Jin and then jumped to kiss them on the cheek. They recoiled the next moment, eyes buggy and wild.

“Why’d you do that!” Jin yelled, throat hoarse from a lack of practice.

“Thank you for taking care of us up to now, Jin. I know you sort of hired us to save your Meister and all, but you’re going above and beyond to help a couple of schmucks like us. And I’m sorry about your gift. I’ll be sure to make it up to you somehow.” Before Jin could respond, Foxtail was flying out the door and into the working man’s foot traffic.

The device in her hand came to light with a steady ping, her target a small node on the far corner of the screen. She weaved through alleys and side paths while staring at the screen, getting a tighter and tighter read on which direction to head to. It didn’t appear that the target was moving either, suggesting that the Banshee hasn’t made any moves since she left.

Her travels took her further and further out of the center of the city towards a warehouse district adjacent to the Outskirts. When Peepers and them were looking for a place to call home, they considered squatting at a warehouse in that area. With some investigation on the going-ons in the late night of those areas, that idea was quickly called off. Roxy wanted to make a mess of things but we were different then, trying not to stand out and get unwanted attention or unnecessary heat for people we didn’t know. Peepers recommended that we take our grievances with the authorities but we didn’t have the money to hire a couple of Fixers to deal with that problem so we let it be.

She moved with more caution as she approached the district proper, movements from one street to another causing the target on the device to shift around. Aside from the occasional warehouse worker giving her odd glances, there wasn’t enough foot traffic to blend in the area. From a distance she could see the source of the blip, a long warehouse that looked like it had consumed the smaller buildings and stitched together their corpses onto its own metallic body. There was discoloration all over the walls and the few warehouse workers in the area gave the space a wide berth.

She ducked into a dead end and pulled out the hand mirror. Eyeballing the distance, she was within his range. Foxtail just hoped that he was still conscious to reach out with his mind. Pulling out a small knife, she pinched her thumb for a dollop of blood. She placed the thumb on the mirror and smeared a red streak at its center.

“I hope you’re there, Peepers…” Foxtail whispered under her breath, pointing the mirror in Peepers general direction. There was silence. The blood dried with loose streaks tracing the webbed lines on the broken mirror.

“Foxtail?” A voice called out from the mirror. It sounded meek, a whisper she strained to hear. It was Peepers, but he didn’t sound too good.

“Peepers,” She could see the mirror had fogged up now, a milky haze in each crack with his haggard face, “Can you hear me? Has she hurt you?” His face perked up to look at something in the distance.

“Can’t talk. Being watched. Be-” The mirror suddenly cracked. Foxtail took a deep breath and steeled herself. Even if she was facing a high ranking Fixer, she’d done enough growing to stick with her convictions and attempt to save her friend.

She just hoped she wasn’t too late.