"The top of the Spire," Evan repeated. He looked down the long hallway. The elevators were at the end. "Okay. I am going up.""Keep the vest on, Sunshine," Marco advised. "The place is going to be a warzone. The guards will be busy fighting the monsters. If you look like a cleaner, they might just ignore you."Evan nodded, even though Marco could not see him. He picked up his spray bottle. He put it back on the cart. He grabbed the handle of the cart. If he was going to act like a cleaner, he needed his prop.He pushed the cart down the hallway. Squeak. Squeak. Squeak. The wheels made a terrible noise. He reached the end of the Silver Wing. The double doors opened into the main casino lobby. It was absolute chaos.The beautiful lobby, with its golden carpets and crystal chandeliers, was a warzone. The VIPs in their expensive suits and silk dresses were running and screaming. They were dropping their glasses of silver wine. They were dropping their chips.The glass doors of the lobby s

Below them, the sound of heavy boots began. Thud. Thud. Thud. It was not one guard. It was an army.Through the floor grate, Evan saw them. A squad of ten Scorpion guards marched into the hallway below. They wore the heavy, black armor of the elite. They carried long kinetic rifles. But that was not the scary part.Walking in front of the guards were the Hunter-Hounds.They were machines made to look like dogs. But they were the size of wolves. They were made of sharp, silver metal. Their paws had thick rubber pads so they made no sound when they walked. Their jaws were lined with steel teeth that could bite through an iron pipe. Their eyes were glowing red lasers. The lasers scanned the walls, the floors, and the ceiling."Hunter-Hounds," Marco breathed out. He pulled himself flat against the metal floor of the alcove. "Do not move, Evan. Do not even breathe. Those things have thermal sensors. They can smell fear. They can hear a heartbeat from a mile away."Evan lay perfectly still

The water dripped from Evan’s white hair. It fell onto the cold metal floor. Plop. Plop. Plop.Evan stared at the heavy steel door. It was closed. The red emergency lights flashed in the hallway. Everything was locked down. The Collector had spoken. The Collector had said Glitch’s account was closed. That meant Glitch was dead.Evan felt a deep, terrible anger in his chest. The purple fire of the Spark burned hot inside him. He wanted to scream. He wanted to punch the steel door until his hands bled. He had used the magic silver coin. He had gone back in time to save his friends. But the Bank was still winning.Marco put his real hand on Evan’s wet shoulder. Marco’s clothes were soaked. His robotic arm made a sad, grinding sound."I am sorry, kid," Marco whispered. His voice was rough. "Glitch was a good man. He was the best little mouse in the world."Evan closed his eyes. A single tear rolled down his cheek. It mixed with the dirty water on his face. Then, something happened.Stati

"Sunshine!" Glitch cried. Tears filled his eyes.Evan dropped his metal bar. He fell to his knees on the hard floor. He reached out and pulled Glitch into a tight hug.Glitch was small and bony, but Evan squeezed him like he was the most important thing in the world. Because he was."You are alive," Evan whispered into Glitch’s shoulder. "I thought I lost you again.""Again?" Glitch sniffed. He wiped his nose on his sleeve. "What do you mean again? I have only almost died once today. Well, maybe three times. But who is counting?"Marco stepped into the closet. He kicked the broken door shut behind him. He was breathing hard, cradling his dead robotic arm."Good job staying alive, little mouse," Marco said. He gave Glitch a warm smile. "But we have to move. The sprinklers will turn off in a minute. When the rich people calm down, the guards will remember what they were looking for."Evan let go of Glitch. He stood up. He helped the small man to his feet. "Can you walk?" Evan asked."I

Evan looked at the side of the black desk. He saw the main data port. It was a wide silver slot. It was glowing faintly in the dim red emergency light.Evan reached into the pocket of his yellow vest. His hand was shaking badly. He pulled out the black data drive."Okay, Glitch," Evan whispered softly to himself. "Here we go."With the distraction set, Evan slides the drive in.CLICK.The black rectangle fit perfectly into the silver slot. A small green light on the back of the drive turned on."I am in!" Glitch’s voice crackled happily in Evan’s earpiece. "I have the connection! I am downloading the override codes now! I need exactly two minutes! Do not let them touch the drive, Evan!"At that exact moment, Caspian looked down at his data-pad.The screen flashed bright red. A loud warning beep came from the computer on his wrist.Caspian stopped shouting orders. He frowned. His chrome eyes narrowed. He looked at the data-pad very closely. He saw a massive spike in the network traffic