Dane was directed down many alleys and corners, told to ‘walk with confidence and quickly’ as he tried not to observe his surroundings. But that was, of course, impossible. ANDI helped keep him from becoming too nosy.

The stores looked interesting, and he hoped the have a chance to explore them sometime. Maybe one day this would all be familiar to him… but that seemed far away.

He passed by a convenience store flooded with bright blue light, run by a robotic cashier who swiveled in place as he kept an eye on his customers. He has an opening in his chest-plate Dane was sure was some sort of weapon. His head was a speaker that announced friendly deals as he passed. “Stock up on your favorite portable snacks! Don’t forget to wash it down with new Mega Ice!”

Dane kept walking, going deeper into the city. ANDI was not unlike a car’s GPS, telling him about upcoming turns. He saw a group of aliens down an alley turn their heads at him. He prayed he wasn’t in some gang’s territory. There was no way ANDI could know everyone’s intentions.

They kept chattering in their language as he passed, but didn’t do anything about him. His ‘good boy’ nature made him feel guilty about assumptions.

Eventually, he wound up at an abandoned apartment building that had faint lights in the windows. He tilted his head, squinting. “A squatter?”

“Sort of. The laws are looser here.. It’s a free-for-all for residences, I believe. Be careful, this place is more fortified than it looks..”

Dane walked into the open front door. The old lobby was fitted into a kind of common room now, filled with different chairs and various bits of tech he didn’t recognize-- though one boxy device looked like it projected a television display. The door to the stairs had red silk draped over it and the walls were covered with countless posters, covered and recovered as time went by. There was a bar in the corner where everyone, whoever everyone was, seemed to hang out during downtime.

“From what I can tell, there’s a small community here hosted by our hacker.. ally. She’s protecting people. They live in these old apartments as a group.”

Dane turned and stared at a custom pink neon sign reading ‘DEKA’S DEN’ just before the stairs.

“Do you think a hacking den would be up top?” he asked, looking up at the floors. There were four. It was so quiet. Either few people were home, or they were watching him.

“That seems likely. She’s surely expecting us, anyhow.”