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.“Silverstein?”“Taylor.”“Collectors, at the gate, with guns.”Silverstein bolted up from the dining room table and slid in next to me to gaze out across the courtyard.We watched as the rubber-coat-clad goons peered through the bars of the gate at the courtyard.They had a brief conversation, then turned and got back into their large black transport.We breathed a collective sigh of relief as they slowly headed off down the road.“We should go,” Silverstein said grabbing up the mobile from the table and sticking it into his pocket.“Where?” I said plodding along behind with Ezra.“The garage first of all, see if I’ve got anything to drive.”The garage was large, easily capable of storing a dozen vehicles.At the far end there was a single transport of some kind, covered in a tarp.With one fluid yank from Ezra, the RV was unveiled in all its emerald greenness.“Nice!” he said, pressing a small hand to the smoothly painted side of the vehicle.We climbed inside, and after a quick check to make sure it was hover capable, Silverstein powered it on.The internal computer booted up displaying a menu of options.Silverstein checked its previous flight plans cycling through them slowly until stopping on one in particular.“The RV has been to the alley where I woke up with a head wound.” Silverstein whispered, half to himself.“The return trip was unmanned.”“Shotgun!” I yelled, giving Ezra a shove, and leaping for the passenger seat beside Silverstein.Ezra blinked looking around, presumably for a firearm, and finding none, settled into the seat behind us.“Are we going to fly over the city again?” he asked, shifting closer to the window.“Definitely.”Ezra smiled.Silverstein brought the RV around in the garage waiting for the garage door to open automatically.We ambled out into the driveway clumsily at first, then shot across the grounds just barely clearing the wall.I buckled my seatbelt.“You can pilot this thing, yes?” Ezra said nervously.“Got away from me there for a moment.I get the sense that this thing isn’t fitted with factory navigation or propulsion systems.Someone’s modified it for speed, among other things,” Silverstein replied, pressing several buttons on a panel above him.He brought the RV about and headed for the heart of uptown.A gasp escaped Ezra’s lips as we soured over the glittering city, framed on one side by the ocean, standing in stark contrast to the shadow it cast down below.It was as easy to see uptown as it was downtown from this vantage, and everything in between.Looking down at the monitor, I could see we were on a route the vehicle had followed many times before.We were heading toward the tallest and brightest buildings in uptown Port Montaigne.What business this RV could have had in such a place? I hoped I wouldn’t regret finding out.At length, the RV approached a large banking building and came to rest on a private landing platform that overlooked the financial district.The winds were fierce as we stepped out on the platform.Dodging the landing lights, we made our way to the stairs.My windswept reflection looked back at me in the glass that covered all but a few portions of the massive tower.From the walkway a hallway led to what appeared to be a lobby of some kind.Everything was white or cream colored in here, including the standing desk within.Our steps clicked on the lavishly tiled floor as we walked past the empty desk to a set of double doors.Silverstein pushed them open and stepped into a maze of cubicles, all of which were festooned with sticky notes, photos, and calendars with puppies, kittens, or other cuteness.The massive room which encompassed most of the floor was noisy with chatter as bank representatives talked to customers.None of the fifty people on this floor gave us a glance.Ezra and I were blessedly too short for most to see unless they stood up.We navigated the maze to an elevator where Silverstein pressed the up button.After a short wait, we slid into the elevator and watched the doors close, silencing the phone bank beyond.Silverstein opened a panel and entered in a numeric code.“How do you know what the code is?”“The code is hidden within the geometry of this place, like the mansion.There are hidden mathematical truths that, if you know what to look for, reveal the codes for these doors.Now, they vary depending on the day and month, I assumed.That’s how I would have set it up, and it’s worked so far.”“Just in case you, for instance, lost your memory?” Ezra whispered.“It’s possible.”As excruciating as the music playing in the elevator was, the anticipation of where we were going was worse.Were we on the verge of finding some answers regarding the enigma that was Silverstein? Or maybe just more questions?The doors slid open allowing us to step into another lobby, one with a desk, a secretary, and a set of large wooden sliding doors.“Good afternoon, Mr.Uroboros.May I get you and your guests anything?” the secretary said with a practiced smile.“Uh, no.Think we’ll just go in there and take care of some stuff,” Silverstein stammered.Smooth, Silverstein.We walked up to the double doors which parted automatically at his approach, allowing us to step into a large executive office.It smelled of lavender, wood polish, and decades old scotch.Even more puzzling, the place had as many bookshelves as a library, a pool table, several desks with shiny new computers, and two old guys dressed in suits.They looked up from their work startled, then exchanged worried glances.I couldn’t shake the feeling I’d seen those old suits somewhere before.“Vance, this is most unexpected,” one of the old codgers blurted, standing up from his chair.“I’ll bet
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