“What are they saying, ANDI? I don’t like this..” Between the very jarring sights of Avernus and the sudden realization that ANDI could be talked to and perhaps even tracked down by unsavory types, he was growing incredibly anxious. Dread filled his throat, making him stop in the sidewalk as people pushed past him, telling him to ‘watch it’.

“Dane-- sit down over there, at that shuttle stop. You won’t stick out and you can calm down.”

He sat down. “ANDI--”

“She wants to talk to you. Open the comm on your watch.”

Again, Dane obeyed, tapping the side of his thin ‘watch’ to display a hologram, already blinking with a new transmission. He put his earpiece in to listen. He heard a woman’s voice, deep and unamused.

“You’re new here and you have something everyone wants. Once people get wind of your AI, they’re going to catch you. They’re not going to kill you, no. They’re going to keep you in a cage and torture you until your AI submits and does whatever they want it to. I need it as well; I'm not gonna' lie to you. But here’s the difference between me and common thugs-- I’m going to help you.”

Dane couldn’t get a word in edgewise, listening with his lips pursed.

“I can house you and block the signals your AI shoots out like a beacon while it puts its little fingers in everyone’s business trying to learn things. Yeah, they know. But none of those signals get out of my den. You can live there, if you help me out a little. You can try to run away, but they’ll come find you eventually. It won’t be pretty. You don’t really have a choice on the matter, if you ask me. I’m giving you the address-- come here now, or find out firsthand what Avernus means to someone as small and as naive as you.” The call cut out without a trace.

“She wants to help, but for a price? It could be a trap-- she could want to capture us.”

“I’m not sure, Dane. Her speech patterns didn’t indicate a lie.. and it would be odd to put you on alert about potential kidnappings just to kidnap you.”

Dane still didn’t like it, but his options seemed few. People kept passing him, each more terrifying than the last. He could see the tops of some of the buildings. Neon lights were already giving him a headache, and the place smelled so strange. He took a deep breath. “Okay. We’ll try to find the place-- wait, can you find it? You do everything else."

“Of course I can. I’ll just bring up a map…”