I grabbed Chase's hand, took one step backward, and leaped off the platform's edge. For one brief moment, we were weightless, before we rapidly descended towards the ground. We landed on the cement ground with a loud thud. I most likely would've fractured my femur if I had one. I checked on Chase to see if he was injured. "Are you okay?"
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"Like, after fall or in general?" Chase panted.
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I shot him a concerned look.
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He gripped the bleeding wound on his chest. "I don't think the fall did any damage. Let's get out of here, okay?" I nodded and helped him up.
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Vindicator glared down at us from the platform above. He appeared to be contemplating following us.
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I sent him an antagonizing stare, daring him to pursue us. Deep down, I begged that he would let us escape without a scuffle. Coming face to face with him again nearly gave me a panic attack on stage. I'm impressed that I managed to stay calm in the heat of the moment.
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Vindicator turned away from us and stepped out of sight. He was letting us go. For now.
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"Now what?" Chase asked.
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I placed both my hands on the wall next to us. Once, my hands were in the exact position. A secret passageway opened up.
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Chase couldn't contain his glee. "There's a secret tunnel!"
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I smirked in response.
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I guided Chase through the dark passage. Our cybernetic vision automatically adjusted to our surroundings, helping us see in the darkness.
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"How did you find this place?" Chase gazed around our environment. There was writing on the wall that said: G&A were here, 11/1/2059.
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"When I first met Gabriel, he told me there were all kinds of secrets around the stadium if I cared to look. As a curious thirteen-year-old, the concept exhilarated me."
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"Did you find them all?" Chase asked.
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"I did. It's not a big deal. I'm pretty sure every Cybrawl Fighter has found them sooner or later."
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Chase stared down at the ground. "Listen, I'm sorry about everything. I know I jumped the gun by volunteering to fight in the Cybrawl, and I cost us our chance to get the second piece of the map."
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"No, you did perfectly." I could barely contain my satisfied grin.
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He raised an eyebrow. "I did?"
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I proudly displayed the now half-completed map on my Holowatch.
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"What? How?" Chase sputtered.
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"I picked Gabriel's pockets during our meeting. He was so distracted by your fight, he still hasn't noticed it's gone."
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"Atlas, you brilliant scoundrel!" He chuckled. "I can't believe you got away with it!"
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I gave a modest shrug.
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Chase glanced back at the stadium. "They're gonna kill us when they find out, aren't they?"
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"Most likely."
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The passage led us outdoors, near where I'd parked my Hovercycle.
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"Wow! What are the chances we end up exactly where we parked?" Chase said, gesturing towards the Hovercycle.
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"I intentionally parked outside the secret exit just in case we needed to make a quick getaway."
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"Very smart."
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I marched over to the Hovercycle, slipped on my helmet, and put the key in the ignition. I sat down and motioned for Chase to do the same.
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He let out a reluctant sigh and followed my example.
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As soon as Chase was seated, I sped away from the area, without a second glance.
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In case of emergency, Patch set up several safe houses all over the city. In the past, I thought he was being paranoid, but today I was glad we had them. Chase needed someone to treat his wounds soon. I increased speed as we neared the closest safe house. When we were a little less than a block away, I parked the Hovercycle. I'd removed the GPS and all other potential trackers from my bike, but I couldn't risk Bionic Corp finding any of our safe houses. I opted to walk the rest of the way. I hope Chase can make it that far.
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We dismounted the bike, and I hid it behind some trash cans in an alleyway. It wasn't an ideal hiding spot, but it would have to do. I pulled my hood up onto my head and signaled for Chase to do the same.
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"Bionic Corp has surveillance around every corner on this side of town, so keep a low profile," I signed.
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He nodded.
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I glanced left, then right. When I was certain the coast was clear, I exited the alleyway and walked into the quiet street. All the market stalls were vacant.
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"Where is everyone?" Chase asked.
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I didn't know, but the lack of commotion unsettled me. It was unusual for any part of the island to be silent like this. I proceeded with caution.
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Bionic Corp security cameras peeked out from hidden spots around the path.
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"Look out, there are three cameras incoming, two on your right and one on your left. Don't let them see your face."
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"Where?" He intensely surveyed the surrounding area.
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"Don't look at them, dumbass!"
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"Sorry."
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Something whirred past our heads. I shoved Chase out of the way. The incoming projectile nearly grazed us, but it missed by an inch. It clattered to the ground with a faint tinging sound.
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"What the hell was that?" Chase asked.
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I picked up the fallen projectile and showed it to him.
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"Is that a bullet?"
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I nodded somberly.
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"Oh my God, someone tried to shoot us!"
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I dove behind an abandoned stall for cover and dragged Chase down with me. I expected to be bombarded with a storm of bullets, but they never arrived.
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My heartbeat pounded in my chest, and I gasped for air. This is a very inconvenient time to have a panic attack! My head began spinning, and I broke out in a cold sweat. "Not now," I silently mouthed to myself. Of course, my brain refused to listen. Recently, I've been reliving painful memories from my time in the cyborg army, and it's been taking a toll on my psyche.
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Chase tapped my shoulder. "Come on, dude. We've got to keep moving. I've got an open chest wound, remember?"
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I nodded. I rose to my feet, even though my muscles were still tense. I counted backward in my head to try to shake off the dizziness. Left. We need to turn left. I pointed in the direction of the safe house, and we continued our journey to the safe house.
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When we arrived, I paused outside the safe house to signal that we'd arrived.
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"This is the safe house?" Chase cringed.
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I nodded.
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"It's a dumpster." He wasn't being metaphorical, the entrance to our safe house is hidden within a literal dumpster.
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I nodded again.
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Chase was about to protest, but before he got the chance to, he clutched his chest and started gasping.
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I hurried over to him. "What's wrong?"
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Chase waved his other hand dismissively. "I'm fine, it's just a flesh wound." A few seconds later, he fainted.
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I checked his pulse. His heartbeat was in a fast, yet steady rhythm. I let out a sigh of relief. He wasn't dead. I'm starting to get attached to this idiot, despite my better judgment.
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I pushed the heavy dumpster out of the way revealing the staircase to the safe house.
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I dragged his limp body onto the stairwell, then moved the dumpster back into place behind us. I bundled Chase into my arms and attempted to carry him down the stairs, but it was difficult because he was taller and larger than I was. His arms and legs dangled awkwardly, and he bled all over my jacket. "You owe me, big time!" I mouthed silently to his unconscious form.
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The safe house was really more of a safe room. The cramped studio featured a small kitchenette with an outmoded microwave and coffee maker. The living area had nothing but a plain gray futon and a hideous patterned rug.
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I lowered Chase onto the futon. I dismounted the first aid kit from the wall, and rummaged through it, taking stock of our supplies.
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Chase stirred awake beside me. "Are we inside the dumpster?"
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"Yes."
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He surveyed our surroundings. "It's bigger on the inside."
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"Can I treat your wounds? I don't want them to get any worse."
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"No. I think you should let me bleed out." He rolled his eyes. "Yes, you can treat my wounds!" He shrugged off his shirt, revealing the sharp gash across his chest.
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I downloaded a first aid tutorial to my cybernetics and hoped it would suffice. I don't have time to download anything more comprehensive at the moment. I slipped on a pair of rubber gloves and prepared to treat the wound.
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Chase sprawled out. "So, are you going to tell me the story of your first kill, or what?"
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I froze. I'd forgotten I'd agreed to tell him.
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"Come on! You promised!"
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I sighed. Honestly, I didn't think he was going to live long enough for me to make good on my promise. "I can't sign while I'm working, so we'll have to create a temporary cerebral link."
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"What's that?"
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"It's when two cyborgs make a wireless connection to each other's cybernetics, so we can hear each other's thoughts."
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His eyes widened. "You can do that?"
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"Hypothetically."
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"Awesome! Let's try it!"
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I took a deep breath and connected to Chase's cybernetics. I established a link between us.
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"Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now?" Chase thought repeatedly.
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"Yes, I can hear you." I thought back.
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"Oh my God, it worked!" Chase bounced up and down on the futon.
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"Stop moving around," I commanded, with my thoughts. I pulled a chest seal out of the first aid kit and tore open the packaging.
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"Why didn't you do this earlier? It makes communication so much easier!"
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"I've never done this with anyone before. My mind can be a dark place sometimes, and I don't want anyone else to have to experience it," I lowered my gaze. "and I didn't want to hear the sound of your obnoxious voice in my head."
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"Rude!"
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I prepared to apply the chest seal. "I need you to take a deep breath and release any excess air. Okay?"
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He did as he was told and let out a long exhale.
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I placed the seal over his wound, then checked for the buildup of air in the lungs. I needed to make sure he wasn't at risk for tension pneumothorax. When I was confident he was stable, I focused my attention on disinfecting his scrapes.
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"You can't avoid this forever. Tell me the story." He folded his hands in his lap and waited for me to begin.
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I frowned. "Fine."
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He shot me an obnoxious grin that made me regret agreeing to this.
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I let out a solemn sigh and began my tale. "Back when I was first drafted, a few of the older soldiers enjoyed pummeling the weaker recruits, we were fresh meat for them to devour. There was one in particular who was particularly sadistic, his name was Draven. I became his primary target because I was so small and weak, I couldn't fight back." My whole body trembled as I relived the memories. "Those knives belonged to him. He used to slice me open just to watch me bleed out. One day, I had enough. While he was cutting, I managed to wrestle one of the knives away from him. I drove it into his stomach and carved him open." Despite my best efforts to contain them, tears spilled down my cheeks. "I enjoyed killing him. I liked inflicting the same pain I had to suffer through. I'm a monster, just like him."
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"No offense, but that's a pretty stupid way of looking at the situation."
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I did a double-take. "I beg your pardon?"
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Chase raised his hands in mock surrender. "Hear me out, that dude was a psycho who enjoyed hurting children. As far as I'm concerned, killing him was an act of community service."
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I shook my head. "You don't get it," I thought, as I poured a saline solution on his scrapes.
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He flinched when the cold liquid touched his skin. "You're right. I don't get it. I don't get how you can think you're a bad person for protecting yourself from abuse." He gazed at me earnestly, but I looked away. "Listen, I've lived in the spotlight for most of my life, and I've met some truly despicable people along the way. I can tell you're not like them, Atlas."
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His tone was so sincere, I almost believed him. "You don't know me," I replied.
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"I know enough, the only thing you've done since I met you, is try to help people. You've been working your ass off, running all over Ikigai II, to try to find a map that might lead to the Annihilation Code. Bad people don't do stuff like that."
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I refused to meet his gaze as I finished applying his bandages.
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"You're such a noble and selfless person, I wish I was more like you."
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No one said anything for a long time. I disconnected our cerebral link. Chase must've sensed it because he began speaking out loud. "My seagull is still there."
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The change in topic was so jarring, it took me a moment to adjust.
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Chasepointed to the painting of the seagull with sunglasses on his cybernetic arm. "It isn't even smudged! I thought it would've rubbed off by now. Are you sure you didn't use permanent paint?"
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"Yes, I'm sure."
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He smiled down at the seagull. "You know, it's starting to grow on me."
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...
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Later in the day, I lent Chase some of my spare clothes that I had stored in the safe house. They were a little small for his physique, but they'd have to do.
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We took some time to recharge our bionic limbs, and relax in the safety of the safe house.
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Our rest was disrupted by a persistent scratching sound coming from the safe house entrance.
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I sprung to my feet and stuffed the knives in my pockets. "I'm going to figure out what's making that sound."
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"Are you insane?" Chase objected. "It could be Vindicator or Oblivion!"
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"If it was them, they would've kicked down the door," I argued.
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"Maybe it's not one of them, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea to go out there!"
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I ignored him. If someone was trying to get in, I'd want to get the drop on them.
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I tiptoed up the stairs with my knife clutched in one hand. When I reached the top, I slid the door open with my free hand, then moved the dumpster.
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"Meow." My cat stared up at me with her sparkling amber eyes and purred.
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I took a good look around the alleyway with my infrared vision. She came alone. I slid the knife back into my pocket. "Venus, what are you doing here?" I signed.
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Naturally, she didn't respond because she was a cat.
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I picked her up and carried her downstairs, closing the door behind me.
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"Is that what was making the sound?" Chase raised an eyebrow.
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I nodded.
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Venus hopped out of my arms and ran over to Chase. She nudged him with her cybernetic paw, begging to be pet.
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Traitor! Don't you know, I'm the one who cleans your litter box!
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"What's that thing on her collar?" Chase asked.
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I was so distracted I didn't even notice something was attached to her collar.
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Chase handed it to me. It was a handwritten note scribbled on an old piece of cardboard. It read; I need your help, Patch is in massive danger! I'm coming to find you.—Marisa.
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