Enter Spyder

Sato

Sato met up with Rebe and Daniel outside the park near his house at exactly 11:45 P.M.. They had all come home for the weekend, but each had work to do. Daniel had begun regularly meeting with Frenchie's Secrets Service and was practically an agent by now. Rebe had more Wicc lessons with Gran. At this point, she had trained with Gran more than Sato did. He, of course, had all his training with Sensei, Leo, and Gran. 

The portal began to pierce the fabric of space. The first time he had seen it, it had changed the way he saw the world. It was ample fuel for an existential crisis. Now it was a regular sight. The circle was completed, and the mist emerged. The targets entered and vanished into the purplish mist.

Agent Spyder

From the rooftops above, Agent Spyder was perched with his scope trained on the portal. Spyder didn't have much time. Spyder had to act fast. Spyder dove off the rooftop like a dolphin and glided towards the portal like a flying squirrel. Spyder landed on all fours like a housecat and burst into a mad sprint like a cheetah. Spyder reached the portal before it began to dim. Spyder stopped, took a deep breath, and stepped through the portal. It closed quickly behind him, severing his umbilical cord and likely his only means of communication with the outside world. Spyder was going dark. 

Spyder spotted the targets with the very same young man and large older man who had first breached into their world, his other targets. Eyes on all targets. Spyder quickly made for cover. Spyder was clad head-to-toe in black coveralls coated in gadgets and equipment. Spyder had a massive backpack with even more supplies. Spyder reached for his holster to unclip his handgun. It was still there. 

Spyder took his bearings of the world Spyder found himself in. Spyder was within some sort of garden courtyard. Spyder was surrounded by avian humanoids. That Spyder had not considered. As Spyder looked out to the horizon, Spyder was shocked to discover they were on a giant plateau on a mountaintop thousands of feet in the air. Good thing Spyder had no fear of heights because it was certainly daunting. 

Keeping eyes on his targets, Spyder took inventory of his supplies. He had a handgun, useless communication devices and tech, knives, rations, and most of his survival equipment were intact. The things that needed to be charged were to be used only for emergencies. Devices requiring wifi, radio waves, and satellites were dead weight in the water.

Spyder decided it was too bright out, and Spyder was too exposed. Spyder either needed to change or get to the rooftops. Spyder chose the latter, less risky. Spyder was born to climb. Spyder stuck his fingertip onto the wall, and the suction cupped to the surface. Spyder tested his weight before going further. Spyder climbed a trellis up into the rooftops. Many of the buildings had glass skylights. Spyder would have to be careful. Spyder followed the targets closely. Spyder flicked out his notepad and jotted down everything Spyder had observed thus far whenever Spyder had a moment to pause.

Spyder's mission was eightfold: 1. observe this world, 2. keep track of those from his world, 3. learn more about this boy, 4. gather intel on their military and technological capabilities, 5. assess the risk of invasion, 6. establish relationships with certain locals, and, if needed, 7. perform sabotage, and 8. kill anyone who was a risk to Earth. Spyder sincerely hoped it wouldn't come to those last two. Spyder didn't like killing. 

A mission to explore another world was quite an opportunity, and Spyder had trained hard to be picked for this task. On top of being a champion sprinter and climber, Spyder was an expert contortionist, a skilled sharpshooter for whatever good that did, had an eidetic memory, spoke 8 different languages, an undetectable liar, trained in all major martial arts, and a solid cook.

Spyder had been training for this mission his entire life. Spyder would not fail. But Spyder had his world cut out for him.

The targets made their way to the docks, where they met a birdman whom they called "Earl." The avian creatures seemed highly sentient. The man called "Bruno" suggested they hit up a bar or a brothel, neither of which the "Prince Leo" boy seemed thrilled with. He suggested they go see the Minister of War at once. The Prince got his way.

Spyder was able to easily devise which building was the Capitol. A giant glass-domed palace in the center of the plateau city's gardens made the only plausible mark. Spyder would have to beat them there and infiltrate via the roof.

Spyder sprinted along the roofs until Spyder ran out of roofs. Spyder shot out his grappling hook from a compressed air cannon strapped to his left arm. A long, sturdy nano-fiber cord wound up in his backpack followed. The device automatically repressurized over time, no power needed. Spyder caught a tall gaslamp and climbed it like a spider on its web. His movements were fluid, acrobatic, and effortless. Spyder seemed to float, though the gravity appeared identical to that of Earth. 

Spyder climbed to the top of the lamp and swung to the next. While the cannon recharged, Spyder would need to manually hook his target. Spyder was trained and prepared for just such an occurrence. The hooks were wrapped in cloth to dampen the noise of their impact. Spyder was at the last lamp before the targets reached the edge of the gardens. 

Spyder swung for the edge of the Capitol and landed his mark. Spyder ran up the side of the glass domes, aided only by his perfect balance, until Spyder reached the largest central dome. The grip pads on his gloves and soft shoes allowed him to cling to glass like a spider. Spyder was as natural a climber on four legs as on two. 

Spyder ran to the top of the dome and looked down on the massive plateau city. Spyder saw the docks filled with flying ships, townhouses,  cage-like houses dangling over the cliff, and the slums hanging off the side of the cliff. Spyder saw that the mountains continued on either side of the plateau. Some of the mountains even seemed to sway or float high in the air, seemingly untethered by gravity. Far below were wide fields of vast open plains. Spyder seemed to be on top of this new world.

Spyder spotted a hatch at the top of the dome. It was locked, but Spyder had little trouble busting it with his remaining tools, which included a simple lock kit.

Once inside the dome, Spyder found himself walking on rafters with egg-shaped chairs dangling below them. This must be the main assembly room. There was a session underway. Birdmen of all shapes and colors, but mostly skinny and fat, black and blue, loudly argued over the "Undien Invasion" and "Pax Æure." Spyder stopped to document everything Spyder heard. While his memory was infallible, his life was not. Once the meeting broke, Spyder followed the rafters to the edge of the dome and climbed down to the floor. Spyder quickly searched for any important documents but found nothing of note. Spyder couldn't read anything. How could Spyder understand their words?

Spyder followed the birdman Spyder had determined to be the Minister of War through the halls of the building silently and invisibly, like a chameleon in camouflage, until Spyder made it to his office. The room was incredibly tall, like most in this structure. The Birdman seemed to be able to use the verticality of rooms to serve many functions. They must have some degree of flight capability. Most of the chairs were suspended in the air and vaguely egg-shaped, though Spyder thought that more likely a coincidence than by design. Like the birdcage-shaped houses. Spyder scuttled up the top of a massive bookshelf and burrowed into one of the shelves as Spyder heard the door stir. In walked the War Minister, Earl, Bruno, and Prince Leo. The others were nowhere to be seen. Spyder went very still.

"Thank you for coming all the way out here to see me, Prince. I understand you have a request for us?" the Minister quiered. 

"Quite so, Minister. Our ground forces are thoroughly overwhelmed by the Undien's numbers and tactics. Only our small fleet of airships has been truly effective at fending off the attacks. We have come to request that you lend us some of your great fleet or otherwise sell us some ships. I have been authorized to negotiate on behalf of my father," The Little Prince revealed.

"The Undien are quite ineffective at attacking airships from their battle was in the ground. I am very sympathetic to your struggle with these people. We ourselves are struggling with a great population of the same living within the undercity. Nonetheless, we have met, all the Ministers, and our decision is to stay out of this conflict," The Minister of War confessed, in contrast to his title. 

"I must beg you to reconsider. We are at our wits' end," The Little Prince pleaded

"You know something, Little Prince? We did. We won't fight another of the Duke's wars. We supported your father's first war. We funded and armed him with ships and swords and men. He was doomed without our aid. The Orre's had too great a navy, too many Royalists, too much land. Yet we supported your father. Gave him the crown, we did. You'd think he'd be grateful, repay our investment, support us, yet when we called upon his aid, that which we were owed. He sent only this turnfeather and a boy he scarcely loves, no offense," the Minister diatribed. 

"None taken," the Little Prince replied.

"The truth of the matter is this. We are not convinced you will win this war. If you do lose, we do not wish to explain to your new Undien Underlords why we sent our feet to bomb their battalions. If they join with the Orre Royalist, then that father of yours will only be remembered for being the shortest monarch in the history of Pax Æure. And he isn't even a true monarch. He wears the crown but refuses the title. No, I don't think we will aid you, Little Prince. I think your father owes the Prime Minister a visit, a show of friendship, and most importantly, a show of gold," The Minister demanded.

"I understand your position, Minister. I don't imagine I can change your mind?" the Little Prince tested.

"Afraid not, Little Prince," The Minister confirmed.

"I see. Thank you for your time, Minister. I will take my leave," the Little Prince concluded with a bow. 

"I do hope they spare you, Little Prince. You are wise and strong in all the ways your father is not. You do your mother well," The Minister added.

"Thank you, Minister." Leo bowed again and took his leave. Earl and Bruno bowed and followed. The Minister sat in his hanging wicker egg, deep in contemplation.

Spyder could tell Spyder was going to be stuck here for a while. Spyder considered briefly killing the Minister, but perhaps the Minister of War being found dead after meeting with a foreign prince would not serve anyone well, least of all the children with said Prince, those in his charge.

Spyder waited. And Spyder waited. And Spyder waited. Eventually, the Minister retired. Spyder moved loose from his bookshelf. Spyder was stiff and numb. It was now dark. Spyder hurried to the dome and looked to the docks, but found "The Sky Whale," the ship Earl had arrived in, was gone from the docks. That was going to be a problem. Spyder didn't know if his suit could survive a drop from this height.