Not far from where one man had drawn his last breath, another walked casually toward the same end.
He moved at an easy pace, slightly ahead of the android assigned to him, his head down and eyes drifting lazily over the trail. Every few steps, he sighed. Every few more, he yawned.
The forest stretched around him in long silence.
"Man," he muttered, spotting the tunnel hole just ahead in the moonlight. "Mr. Barclay's gigs are getting a little serious…"
He scratched at his neck, blinking sleep from his eyes.
"…and longer hours too."
The hole in the distance yawned wide like the throat of some beast, but he barely looked at it. Just let out another sigh and mumbled, "Whatever. More money for me."
Then a buzz—bzzzzt—in his coat pocket.
He reached in and pulled out a smaller, more personal phone. Not the company issue one with the maps. This one had stickers on the case and a faint chip in the corner. The screen flashed with a new message.
