The shining white Moon Hall glowed under the endless black sky of Sera, beneath the transparent dome housing the moon’s city. It wasn’t the sort of place you just waltzed into. It was rarely open to anyone besides government employees, and security guards and cameras monitored every entrance.
The night of the party honoring Precinct 421, five wanted criminals strolled in without anyone batting an eye.
Well, four criminals and Grace, wanted as she may have been. Thea still had a surprisingly hard time thinking of her as anything other than the hero Starr paraded her around as for years, which was an impressive feat given that he’d rarely let her make public appearances.
Jasper adjusted her sunglasses. “Thea, Holly, you ready?”
“Let us get to the edge of the room, first,” Thea told her.
“Okay, just make it quick. Ringmaster’s probably going to use the party as a distraction to sneak in, too. He could show up at any moment.”
While Jasper approached the mayor, Thea and Holly hurried through the crowd. They were nearly to the exit when Jasper began her speech.
“I’d like to make a toast to the precinct,” Jasper said. “I was lucky to witness such an incredible display of teamwork so soon after joining the force.”
Everyone turned their attention to Jasper, leaving Thea free to assess the electronic box by the door. She tapped a finger against it and sent a signal to trick it into thinking a badge had been swiped. The door unlocked.
Jasper was still rambling. “Also, the 421st Precinct should get to move up a rank!”
“The numbers are assigned by location, they aren’t ranks,” Holly muttered into her comm.
“Oh. Uh, well, as I was saying, these phenomenal officers—”
Thea slipped through the door. Holly followed. They entered a quiet corridor, took a few turns, and went through another locked door to find the staircase to the basement. Their police jackets came off as they walked, revealing their villain costumes underneath.
“I’m sensing a lot of electronics nearby,” Thea told Holly. She rested a hand on the wall and let it slide across the concrete as they walked. “Through that door up ahead, on the right.”
This door was locked, too, and the electronic locking mechanism was even more complex than the ones upstairs. It took Thea about a minute to trigger it. The door swung open.
Ringmaster stood with his back to them, facing a massive bank of computer monitors. His right hand held a red data stick.
He turned his head slowly, unconcerned with the intrusion. “Red Holly. Jolt. I knew someone was messing with my stuff, but I certainly didn’t expect you two.”
“Ringmaster,” Holly hissed, doubling as a warning to the others.
The only response was static. Thea shot Holly a warning look. The walls of the room had been made to keep signals from going in and out. They might get a message out this close to the doorway, but comms wouldn’t work deeper in the room.
“You two are small fish in a big sea,” Ringmaster said. “Turn around now.”
Thea eyed the data drive in his hand. They needed to steal it, and she needed to wipe the computers so Ringmaster couldn’t make another copy.
“We’re not letting you leave with it,” Holly told him.
“Suit yourself.” Ringmaster lifted his free hand and fired a blast of golden energy. Holly and Thea dove in opposite directions, narrowly avoiding the beam.
Thea hit the ground and rolled. As she sat up, Ringmaster sent three golden rings flying her way. They solidified into metal in mid-air. Thea dodged two, but the third smacked into her head. Stars flashed in her vision.
Holly drew her blaster and fired. Ringmaster dodged. While he was distracted, Thea stood and darted to the computer bank. She pulled out her own data stick and attempted to jam it into a port.
A metal ring hit her hand with a crack. Thea gasped in pain. Her yellow stick bounced off the desk and tumbled to the ground.
Holly lunged at Ringmaster and managed to get a few hits in. His own data stick slipped from his grasp as he blocked a punch to the face. Then he was swinging his fists, and Holly was knocked to the ground.
Ringmaster’s data stick slid across the floor, stopping a few feet from Thea’s. She reached for both of them.
Golden light turned to a blade in Ringmaster’s palm. He rushed forward and stabbed at Thea’s hand. She yanked it back just in time. The blade snapped on the concrete floor. Ringmaster summoned another and slashed at Thea as she stepped away, leaving a gash on her arm.
Holly was back on her feet, but she was stumbling. She swung her blaster and slammed it into Ringmaster’s back. He grunted in pain and jammed his elbow backward, shoving Holly into the wall. It was a temporary delay, but it was enough for Thea to grab both data drives.
A ring of gold appeared around Thea’s wrist. Cold metal pressed to her skin and tightened. Pain raced through her arm in warning. Tighter. She grimaced. She needed another second. Tighter.
Her fingers opened and the drives fell. Ringmaster snatched them up as the ring dissipated, freeing Thea’s wrist. She hardly had time for relief before Ringmaster delivered a blow to her ribs.
Air left her lungs. The world spun. Holly was in a similar state, gasping for breath on the ground nearby.
Ringmaster summoned a long rod of energy. He swung it in an arc and smashed through the computer bank. Monitors cracked and shattered. Ringmaster delivered another blow. And another.
Then he left.
Thea crawled toward the door.
“It’s no use,” Holly gasped.
Thea winced. “I don’t need to catch up,” she managed. “I can access my data remotely if I can just get out of this room.”
She dragged herself to the doorway, her pain worsening with every movement. She pulled out her smartsphere and reached through the opening.
No signal. Thea made it another few inches. Almost. She stretched her arm as far as she could manage.
The sphere buzzed, and she managed a weak smile.