It's probably no secret at this point in the story that I enjoy a bit of control to my life. As much as possible, anyway. Being a creature on a planet with so many…breakable inhabitants tends to force one into either a life of control or a life of isolation. And fate has seemed to get it's jollies by making sure I know that isolation isn't an option. Cue Layla coming into my life.

So, with this in mind, it should be no secret why I only go to Rod when I have few options left to me. He's like…a trustworthy weasel. We have a complicated relationship, but the long and short of it is that he's done enough for me to trust him and for me to trust his fondness of his own skin.

With this comes the knowledge that he thoroughly enjoys yanking the rug out from under anyone he can get to stand on said rug. Knowingly or not.

Poor Layla met him once, and that time he had only been interested in doing what I asked in return for a favor. It was his favorite form of currency, and the easiest way to get him to do what you wanted. That time he hadn't needed to move us anywhere, so she hadn't been exposed to his favorite form of travel; his hat.

Rather, the magic inside of his hat.

With a flourish only he thought was entertaining, Rod activated the magic and tossed his hat to the ground. It disappeared in a flash, sinking into the ground and vanishing with a pop. At least, visually. The ground where it landed reeked of magic, specifically of the portal variety. It spread out enough to cover the ground all three of us stood on, and while Layla was busy asking him what that was for, it connected to the other side.

"Close your mouth," I warned her.

And down we all fell.

The sensation of falling only lasted maybe a second or two. It was like tripping down the stairs and catching yourself on the landing below. Well. It was more like someone throwing you down the stairs and you managing to land without any injury. On your feet was a mercy. One that Rod wasn't always inclined to give.

Case in point, I was flung through the air on the other side, back skidding against wood while pillows and clothes became casualties of my path. I slammed into something wooden and it took me a second to realize it was a wall, my legs crunched up under me with feet firmly planted.

It was by sheer luck that I didn't plow into Layla, who I realized had the same trajectory as me when she popped up between my legs and gaped at the room.

"Where-!?"

"A safe house." I pushed off the wall a little to give Layla more space.

"How-!??"

"There's portal magic woven into Rod's hat." I spun to get my limbs under me and pushed into an upright position.

She pointed as he leapt through, landing on his feet and striking a pose.

"Why!?!?" She asked, pointing at him.

"Because he's an asshat." I swatted her finger and glared at him, to which I got a pout.

"Oh come on," he said, "it's not like you didn't see that coming."

He tapped at the floor, a small spot warping and twisting in space until his hat popped back into existence, Rod bending long enough to sweep it off the ground. I used that instant to draw out a dagger and fling it, the blade's edge cutting his hand and biting into the ground. He turned and shot me a look and I shrugged.

"It's not like you didn't see that coming," I mimicked back to him.

"Charming." He picked his hat up and placed it on his head, quickly drawing out a bit of cloth from his pocket and flicking it clean with an air of annoyance. "And here I was thinking about helping."

"You will help because that's what you promised."

He snorted, blotting the blood with the cloth. "When?"

I growled and bared some teeth.

"Oh right. That's when." He flicked the cloth again before putting it back in his pocket and trotted over to a low table and flipped open a laptop. "So you were…where, exactly, when they got you?"

"They did not get me." I walked over to the laptop as well. "I was a day and night's worth of travel through fields. There was an old barn we stopped in and we trekked up a river."

"Colorful, but not helpful." He typed a little more before snapping his fingers. "Ah, gotcha. Motel 6 on the side of the highway. Look at that pretty face." He turned the screen to face me, the image of Layla and I walking into a room shown in grainy color. I snorted.

"So much for your program corrupting images of us."

He clicked and pointed at me. "Five points for the observant werewolf."

I snarled at the name despite the fact that he was fishing for that exact reaction. But I could not help it. Onishiki and werewolves…do not have the best history.

"So did you do the job or not?" Layla asked, finally finding her feet and coming over. "I thought you said it would be a piece of cake."

"I'm sure I did," he said, spinning the laptop back around to face him. "And I'm sure I thought that. Turns out…" he hummed and tapped a finger to his chin. "Hunh. That's interesting."

 ——————- 

"What?" I asked with a growl.

He didn't answer, which only annoyed me further. And when he did it didn’t help me feel any better.

"They're tracking you through a mechanical eye," he finally said.

"Mechanical eye? You mean some sort of satellite?"

Rod shook his head. "Not quite. Someone is accessing a wide range of cameras and speakers to track your movements and determine your location. Casting a technological net, as it were."

"But we don't travel in the cities much," Layla said. "How could they track us where there aren't any cameras or things?"

"You'd be surprised how many places have something that tracks," he answered, still flicking through information. "Security monitors on homes, data trackers used for ecological surveys, hell, there's cameras on automated farm equipment. It's easier to track people than you think, if you have the right back doors. And it looks like this particular hacker has the ultimate cheat."

I hesitated before giving off a soft growl. "Phae?"

He nodded. "Phae."

"I feel like I should know what that means," Layla sighed, folding her arms.

"It's from your universe, kiddo," Rod said. "You know holograms?"

"Um."

"Phae are like that, except the science behind them is magic."

"Okay."

"It also means that they have the annoying ability to interact with the digital realm like they're a part of it."

"So-"

"They can write code as fast as you and I can talk, and they can do it from inside the machine. Which means, in the simplest terms, that someone's made a deal and you two are royally fucked."

Layla squeaked and I let out a sigh. "Thanks, imp."

He flashed me a grin. "No problem, she-wolf." Rod grinned even wider, and I had the sinking suspicion he was already working on a new deal.