152 DANCE FOR ME
The locator on Damen Dark's hand flared once, then fractured into sparks that winked away. He watched with a detached grin.
"Congratulations, your target tracking has reached Level 3."
"Tracking range increased."
"Available tracking targets: 3."
The Rewind sisters drew blades as one. Damen lifted a single hand and the room stilled.
"Stand down," he said softly. "None of you can kill me — not even all of you together. And if you try, I could end this orphanage with a single slam."
The words cut through their anger.
The orphanage was in the back of each sister's mind, a fragile thing they would never risk.
Damen has found the Rewind sisters' weakness- it wasn't their lack of skill; it was their kindness to their kins.
"What do you want?" Rewind I demanded.
"I want to take down the Order of Cockerel," Damen replied. "I need your help."
"Are you mad?" Rewind VIII spat. "The Order pays us to kill you. You ask us to betray them? We have honor."
"I'll destroy the Cockerel with or without you," Damen said. His voice was quiet and cold. "I'm giving you a chance. If you weren't doing this to help the orphanage, I'd have slaughtered all of you already."
"Arrogant," Rewind II sneered. "You're only a student."
"Do you think Coracle would order a group mission across different cells if killing me was easy?" Damen asked.
He let the thought hang between them, then watched as their resolve frayed.
They muttered among themselves, their honor butting against the very real faces of children sleeping in the next room.
Rewind I stepped forward. "What do you want from us?"
Damen tapped his chin to think.
Then he'd got it. "Every time you return from a job, what happens to the tracking device?"
"We return it to the Order," Rewind VII said.
"How do you return it?"
"We call the delivery guy for a return. That's all we know."
"Send the device back to Coracle now," Damen said.
"But they were destroyed." Rewind III protested.
Damen plucked a vase from the table and tossed it at her like proof. "Send them this."
The sisters exchanged horrified looks. "The Order isn't forgiving," Rewind I said. "They would come for us — what about the children?"
"Do this for me," Damen said, "and I'll relocate your orphanage. Somewhere Coracle can't reach."
"That's impossible … Coracle has influence across all of Melrose city," Rewind III said.
"Then I'll place you beyond reach," Damen said. "Fortress Myrone can use people with your skills to fight the alien hounds in the space rift. You'll have steady pay and a good purpose. It's dangerous, but you can tell the children proud stories about how you saved mankind."
They thought of the beds, the small shoes lined in the hallway, the mouths that needed feeding.
"Okay," Rewind I whispered. "We agree — but you must get all of us out of the city by tonight."
Damen tapped his ear. "Get me a direct line to Fortress Myrone."
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"I couldn't believe you brought down an assassin cell with just a few words," Lander said, admiration in his voice.
"It's more than a few words. It's a pledge — something that can change their lives for the better. Who would refuse that?" Damen replied.
"The Rewind sisters and their orphanage have been sent to the space rift. What's next?" Dorin asked.
"Seven placed the return package with the delivery and I'm tracking him in real time," Kail answered. "They're sneaky— the package got rerouted a few times. The paperwork trail would be gone, but luckily my drones are tailing the shipment live."
After a beat, Kail shouted, "Got the final destination."
"Where did it go?" Lander asked.
"The Big Cat Cosplay Bar."
"Wait…isn't that a male escort agency?" Dorin flinched.
"You go there often?" Lander asked her, aghast.
Dorin waved him off. "No. No — I only heard about it in a girls' chat."
"So, what now?" Kail asked.
Lander and Damen turned to Dorin.
"We need an undercover," Lander said as he looked at her.
"Me?... No way," Dorin protested.
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[Big Cat Cosplay Bar]
Dorin walked into the Big Cat Cosplay Bar with her friend, nerves tightening in her stomach.
"Noreis, are you sure about this place?" she whispered.
Noreis smiled, looping her arm through Dorin's. "Relax. It's a smart move asking me to bring you. I know all about this place."
"What exactly do they do here? Is it… dangerous?"
"Oh, not at all," Noreis replied with a teasing grin. "You'll find out soon enough." She gave Dorin a gentle push through the doors.
Inside, the air shimmered with perfume and low jazz. Crystal chandeliers glowed above a gleaming diamond-cut bar counter. The men behind it were tall, sharply dressed — and each one wore a cockerel mask.
Dorin's pulse quickened.
She tapped her comm discreetly. "I'm in the right place … judging by those chicken masks."
"What did you say?" Noreis asked.
"Uh…why are they wearing masks? Are they, like… ugly underneath?" Dorin covered, feigning innocence.
Noreis burst out laughing. "No, silly! It's cosplay. Nobody shows their real face here. That's the whole point — you come here to become someone else."
She handed Dorin a mask — a glossy white bunny with silver-tipped ears.
"Here. Try it on," Noreis said.
Dorin hesitated, then slid it over her face. The mask fit perfectly, her reflection in the mirrored wall both strange and thrilling.
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[Minutes ago]
"What is this… a broken vase?" Coracle snapped at Liorea.
"It's real. The Rewind sisters sent this back to us," Liorea said.
Coracle's eyes narrowed. "There must be something fishy going on."
"It could be an error in logistics," Liorea offered. "We did reroute the parcel through several channels. It may have been misplaced."
"I need to perform an oracle," Coracle said suddenly.
"Now? But there are no dancers around." Liorea glanced toward the empty floor.
"What about the customers? They'll do…" Coracle asked.
"There aren't any at this hour," Liorea replied.
At that moment the doorbell chimed.
Noreis, their recruitment agent, stepped in, ushering a new customer across the threshold.
"Erm…Hey boss, I brought in a new sucker to the bar, don't forget my commission", she said.
"Perfect," Coracle replied, a smile curving like a blade. "Have those two dance for me."
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