It Was Bright Orange

Cassian wasn't really opposed to the activity itself - more the outcome. It wasn't every night he just woke up, rolled onto the ghetto old Hover Tram, and stalked around the worst neighborhoods of the city. Yet here he was, just after midnight getting dressed in all blacks. And tonight - he wouldn't be taking the tram. Never ever again.

His friend, Noa, had claimed it would be an easy in-and-out operation. Find the thing and get out. That was seventeen operations ago. But the girls were way too committed, and Noa was way too in love to refuse them anything.

Astra was really the one calling the shots. Which made no sense either because she was the youngest of their scruffy friend group. Still, she made sure things were always done her way. And the prize money on this thing was enough to make her head pop the day they all heard about it. Everyone except Reyna that was. She had been quiet since the whole thing got kicked into gear. The second bounties and missing posters and poachers entered the picture she seemed on edge. Not like she was guilty - there was no way - just that she may know something more than the rest of them. Like she had a different connection somehow. It meant something more than money to her and Astra hated that.

Before he realized it, Cassian was leaping through his bedroom capsule window. The rush of air and city smog lashed his skin as he fell, soaring past the blinding lights and ever-present glow. He would never admit it aloud, but the glow of the multicolored neon city lights carrying through the clouds was nothing short of magical. He lived in the Upper Quarter, a city of glass and lights suspended in the clouds above the ground. Miles above. Of course, there were more conventional ways to descend to the ground level - but not without being noticed. And that was a risk they all agreed to avoid.

Besides, this was why he had begged Reyna to put the anti-gravity pad on her roof.

She lived directly below him, convenient for moments like this. And it was perfect because she could lower the percentile of force it accepted, meaning a freefall from thousands of feet would feel no worse than jumping down the last step of your stairs. The real trouble was landing, which Cassian had made a fool of himself over plenty of times. He smiled for only a moment, remembering the first time he had tried to do it. He remembered her laughter and sarcasm. The way she rushed over and peeled him off the metal.

And just as he rotated to the proper landing position, he saw her. Waiting patiently. Leather jacket, wire-laced boots, and those sunglasses he had got her for her birthday. The ones that could, when you look up, show you stars in broad daylight.

“Took you long enough,” She smiled, lifting the sunglasses from her face. “What did you stop and chat with the birds?”

“Funny,” Cassian wobbled unsteadily, dismounting the huge pad onto the cement roof. He thought about what his history teacher had mentioned last week. About the old roofs with shingles. Wondered how an anti-gravity pad could stick to those. “We meeting them at the same place?”

“Sadly yes. But this time,” Reyna paused, digging something out of the depths of her bag. “Drea thought this would help,”

Cassian laughed a little harder than he meant to, and Reyna frowned. “What,” He chuckled, taking the staff from her hands. It had a claw-like contraption on the end with built-in tasers. “She thinks it's a living thing?”

Reyna was serious now. “Come on Cas you know it could be! That's the only logical explanation as to why we haven't found it yet.”

“Reyna, all of the fay and gobs and critters got relocated or killed or are completely extinct. Griffons are bred for sport and kept locked away -”

“Okay well then correct me if i'm wrong but the poster said: bright orange, long, small, and shimmering metallic-like surface.”

Cassian nodded, and Reyna went on rambling as they descended the stairwell. “So, what about lynx or those sprite things -”

“Listen I hear you, but that's just impossible!” Cassian couldn't believe he was actually having this conversation. Leave it to Drea to stoke drama and cause fear.

Speak of the devil.

Cassian and Reyna emerged onto the street, nearly pitch black and silent. Like a ghost town, aside from the two silhouettes leaning on the ally walls.

“Howdy.”

“Noa, Drea, we can see you.” Reyna rolled her eyes, sauntering over. Cassian followed, wishing they could just get along.

Drea laughed and stepped into the thin street light, Noa close behind. Astra materialized too, the mechanical twinkle of her camo suit vanishing from her body. She grinned.

“Ready when you are folks,” Drea smirked. Excited. Or malicious, as she was staring right at Reyna.

Cassian jumped in before Reyna said a word. “Let's just get it over with, some of us have patrol in the morning.”

Noa laughed at this, elbowing him on the shoulder as they disappeared down the street.

If only they had just the slightest idea what awaited them.

No one was laughing but Astra and Drea. No one. They were like drunken idiots poking at the dumpster, as though it were hiding a million gratis. Everyone else would have wandered on but the two girls were convinced it would be in there. Granted there had been a russell from within when they originally walked past, but who knows with the kind of stuff people throw out these days. Flaming food, cyborg type batteries, self aware fashion, you name it. That's why the dumpsters have some of the most magical locks. Or at least they did…

“Are you serious Dre?” Noa rushed at the dumpster she had just burst open. She laughed like a child as he peeled her away, lid swinging open. Astra gasped, dropping the abandoned pipe she found. Cheering about how it had worked.