Rushing down the stairs, trying not to fall but also not wanting to be stuck in a hallway if anyone was coming to check on the Archangels. It took a minute making them pant for breath before they finally reached the concrete halls of what seemed like an underground maintenance system. They stretched out their own body, the drastic shift from dry desert to cool basement made them ache. The area seemed clear, the well-lit halls showing all the pipe and cables of this section but no sign of life yet. As they scanned the pipe and cable laced walls, the cold mechanical feel of these halls a striking difference to their life outside. Jude almost jumped when they saw a camera mounted to the corner. But a second glance showed the cables had been unplugged. "Fuck..." was muttered softly followed by a muffled sigh of relief as they looked at their book, opening to the next part, a crude drawing of the path to take leading to a storage space with what Jude would need.

They made their way carefully, the occasional rumble of pipes or echoes of far-off movement in the halls or above made Jude flinch. When they saw the door, they entered the closet space and closed the door tight. Glancing over random equipment before seeing a small duffle bag with a note with a star symbol on it.

Using the staff to hold the door shut should someone try to come in without warning Jude sat down and pulled the bag over between their resting legs, a relaxed sigh from the brief moments rest for their body they moved and undo the mask. A sharp hiss from the masks depressurizing held to the face that way to ensure safe breathing. A red ring framing Jude's face as they strip the oppressive robes and set their leather rucksack down. Now only in a slick tight jumpsuit made from the same stuff as the mask acting as a light safety suit for the outside. Peeling the latex like body glove off the rest of their head, their form was firm and capable but thin, barely sun touched skin but with a hint of natural tan, and their features were hard to make any gender out until you saw the hint of masculinity on their face and Adam's apple. They peel off the heavy-duty gloves and boots, knowing they will not fit in where they are going. "Cannot say I hate ditching this stuff. A month is too long in that." They mumbled to themselves moving their only visible stand out feature, neck length hair, each lock defied the ones next to it by being a radically distinct color. Rainbows ending in neon tips flowed back down to their neck before moving on to the new color.

Inside the new bag, neatly folded was a simple, economical jumpsuit, the fabric thin but incredibly soft and comfortable, one did not need to worry about the weather being too cold in a dome. A set of thick black goggles makes the lenses look more like cameras. The black matches the accents on the belt and joins of the suit. A set of matching gloves with wiring woven in and the finger and palm pad a thicker material. All of it had stitched in the words. "ARK 3 Citizen Rank 0.0" A sigh as the thumb of the fabric. They knew the feeling well before everything went to hell. And with that their mind wandered to a face they tried not to think about this whole journey but did every night. "I'm coming home Alice..." They said, aware they would never call this home again.

It took time adjusting the straps and adjusting the one size fits all jumpsuit and boots from the bottom of the folded clothes. Fitting on the gloves looking at them before taking the goggles, pressing the on button before strapping them on. The goggles hummed with energy as Jude's vision filled with code before entering the active state. "ARK visor active, Scanning user retina." Could be heard through the goggle's special bone speakers, using the vibrations of parts of the skull to produce clean noiseless sound. "Scan Confirm: User Judas Storm, Status: Miss-Error: status correction: Status: Re-citizenship, ARK:3. All ARK access limited. Please report to transfer dock 3 for Intake and confirmation."

As Jude took in the familiar layout on the edges of their vision, a small map that was tampered with showed them in the bathroom of the transfer docks. Small icons along the rim of the goggles to various civilian applications. ID, Information, full map, contacts, emergency alarm, and two more they never saw before, a blacked-out box and a file. They opened the file and raised their hands to make the augmented reality visual computer form.

"From Red,

Welcome back. If you see this you either ruined my plan and someone caught you and forced you here, in this case the black box is a secret self-destruct that will turn these into a flash grenade to flee. Or you did great, and I knew the resistance could count on you." Jude had to muffle an annoyed laugh at that before continuing. "Now that I do not have to smuggle info out to you, here is the details. ARK intelligence thinks you are you for the most part. Minus the details. You were taken from the Ark in your early teens, helped a team of outriders from ark 2 from raiders, so they agreed to petition you for citizenship, which somehow got approved~. Your family has not been informed yet, not until you have shown you have a beneficial use to the Ark. As far as the Arks are concerned, you are petitioning for a teaching position at the Cerebrum either for Botanical, or Astronomy teaching."

Jude takes mental note of the onslaught of information wishing they could have gone over this before so they could prepare. Skimming through the rest of random information they either could guess or knew from people kicked from or abandoned the arks before and their own history in the Ark. Before stopping at the part concerning his little trick outside.

"Concerning your skillset. Inside the dome the main archangel sensors are blind. Reportedly because the generators and solar panels mess with them. But you are not safe. Unlike the wastes if you are not on a sensor, you are in someone's view. Ark security is not always wearing badges and if anyone sees you and decides to report it. You are back on the system and will not be hard to find once they notice my little map hack. So, keep that trick out of site and keep it low."

Jude sighed. Happy to know they were not one spell wrong from an ARK team trying to track them down and having to run through the hot wastes to survive but also worried. Out of sight but only because they were already swallowed up. Closing the message made a program run. Adding contact named "Red" and an icon under the alarm. "Resistance Evac" A light smile at that. Losing their life on the outside. But at least Red made sure his friends were now potentially theirs.

Jude looked over the simple outfit. Feeling the hint of wiring and tech woven in the fabric meant to check vitals but Jude was aware they were on the map now and had to be careful. Sitting back down a pile of their old worn clothes and dirty bag beside them as they move the new bag in front of them and start to transfer things over, two canteens with water filtering attachments. A small travel mess kit an unfolding box, with an indent for a plate or shallow bowl, and magnetic utensils stuck to the inside of the doors followed with a handful of survival kit meals labeled. "Ark:2 Emergency ration. Government Property" looking it over like someone long remembered flooded back before setting the supplies into the new bag most of the space in their own bag filled with a bedroll and a metal box at the bottom. They leave the bedroll happy at the idea of a real bed and open the box. Inside was a leather-bound journal with a storm cloud on it.

They look it over next to their own wood backed journal. Opening it up, cyphered random codes and mystical symbols littered the page carelessly. "Couldn't make this any harder could you dad..." They sigh looking at the notes they scribbled around the code attempting to decipher it. One on the second page is marked with the word "Pherusa" and symbols of stars. The only ability they managed too truly master. A book full of secrets they were meant to have before now. Not that there was time to waste with practice now. Setting both in the small metal box and hiding it under everything else. They take a deep breath as the zip up their new bag.

"You can do it..." They say as they stand. "Your special. Your gifted... Your Jude. you can do anything your idiot father could not and everything your family could do better..." They say trying and clearly failing to pump themselves up "Fuck it..."

They sharpen their eyes, moving boxes off a shelf to reveal a small vent, the lock already turned off by Red, they open it up and hide their own gear inside before closing and locking it. They move their staff, turning the dials until the ribbons like up as a circle then starts twisting the staff making it break up into smaller parts the astrolabe top its own piece before storing them in the bag. Peeking out slowly checking the camera in the corner was still off before stepping out, keeping an eye on the fake icon on the map to make sure the system was still fooled as they walk, taking the path from Red's plan and the trail of offline camera to give them through the maintenance tunnels, the hum of pipes and energy occasionally broken up by some small noises from something far off.

This place was huge. A mega structure in every respect almost taking up the size of a small city but built so high it threatened the rare cloud that would pass just above it. The three lower floors of the rim were all maintenance, functional, and storage levels for trying to secure the Arks continued function. Since few people worked here it was easy enough to avoid people. But that did not stop Jude from moving two steps at a time to try and get to a civilian area quickly.