The first thing I did when I woke up the next morning, after a night of barely any sleep, was text Sage to see if she was available because I had a job for her. Her reply was almost immediate, that she was and I could visit her office at 11:00.

At 10:50, Ced and I got into his car and drove to Sage's office. I had passed the tears and sadness that I had last night, and had moved on to anger. This was fine with me, since anger definitely motivated me more than sorrow did.

We knocked on the door, and a minute later, it opened to reveal Sage. Since I had last seen her, she had gotten braids instead of her flat ironed hair, and was wearing a different pair of glasses. She let us in.

"So, Scarlet, and Ced Fields," she says. "What job do you two need?" I didn't ask how she knew Ced's name, most likely from one of her many jobs.

I speak first. "Last night, on her way home from work, Shadow, also known as Isa Delinda, was kidnapped. She's being held as leverage against me, but the only information I have to go off of is a voicemail and a photo. You're the best hacker I know, so I was hoping you could help me. I'll pay you, obviously."

Sage nods, taking this all in. "Okay, I'll try my best. Can I listen to the message?"

I play it for her, and her brow furrows. "Okay," she says after the recording is over. "So I can try to track the call, but this guy sounds like a professional. He might have either a throwaway phone or have used a pay phone. I vaguely recognize the voice, and I'll see what I can do with that. I'll track the call right now. "

She grabs one of the laptops, and opens up a program. I hand her my phone and she plugs it into her computer. A few seconds later, she looks up with a slight grin. "No matter how professional this guy and whoever he was working with seemed, he didn't protect his phone number. All I had to do was use an IPN tracking software, and I found a location. The question is, is he really an idiot, or is he purposefully doing this to lead us astray?"

"This guy does seem like a professional, so I'm not sure. He said he had unfinished business with me, so that means I might have worked with him before, most likely as a client, or maybe a messenger for a client. In that case, he probably knows one or two things about crimes, so he might be doing this to lead me to the wrong location if I did try to rescue Isa."

While I was talking, Sage was reading something on her computer. "So I searched up the address. It looks like it's an apartment near here. I'd suggest you take a look, but not too closely, because if it is a fake location, it could be a trap."

I nod. "Give me the address. I'll see what I can do." She types it into my phone, before handing it back to me. I look at the address. I'd seen it before. Ced looks over my shoulder curiously.

"I think it's a setup," I say simply. "This address is one from a target a few months ago. I think it was a woman who stole, surprise surprise, double crossed a gang. The leader was her boyfriend, who found out she was cheating on him with a leader of another gang, and also giving the rival gang information. Seriously, people are dumb."

Ced nods. "That's definitely a setup. Whoever took Isa, he's smart."

Turning towards Sage, he says "Is there anything you can do with the voice? Software or any shit like that?"

Sage nods. "Voice recognition software should work. I'll see what I can do," she says, going back to her computer.

"Well, I got results. The problem is, there are 4 different names that come up. I can give you the names, but they're probably fake," she says after a moment.

"That's okay," I reply. "I want them anyway. Anything I can do will help."

She gives me the names and I type them into my phone.

"Thank you," I say sincerely. "How much do I have to pay you?"

"Just $50," Sage replies. "It wasn't hard work, and I actually kinda liked Isa, for the little bit of time we met."

I write a check, and Ced and I walk out.

"I'm going home to get my computer," I tell him in the car. "I'll come back, and try to research these names. I'll deal with destroying the listening device once Isa's safe."

Ced nodded. "Okay. I'll drop you off. You still have a key to my place, right? I have to go to work today. Fighters are coming in soon to train."

"I do. Thanks, Ced. I feel a little better knowing something, even if it's fake names."