Indigo's Owl [Indigo Rewrite]

Chapter 24 - Preparations

Shift slept like Kione after one of his forty-eight hour coffee crashes.

A sleep-addled frown creased his face when he opened his eyes and found himself staring at the wall. Usually, he slept with his back to it, a habit he'd developed after—

Last night came rushing back to him like some haze-fogged dream.

Athira — she'd fallen asleep on him. He still wasn't entirely sure he hadn't imagined that, but it explained why he'd fallen asleep facing the wall instead of away from it.

Still, if she'd been here, how long ago had she left?

With a groan, he rolled over and glanced at the time, where the clock showed half an hour until midday.

Shift cursed, doing his best to untangle himself from the blankets and get dressed. He'd had the late patrol, so it wasn't entirely unforgivable that he'd slept in so late, but it was also surprising that Raph hadn't marched into his room and dumped cold water on his head.

Somewhere in the middle of putting on his shirt, he realised his shifting journal wasn't on the bedside table where he vaguely remembered leaving it — evidence enough as to how tired he'd been. His anxiety spiked as he checked the drawer for the box, unsure exactly what he'd do if it wasn't there, if for some reason, Athira had—

He unlocked the box, finding the notebook tucked safely inside with a handwritten note on top.

Thanks, turtle boy.

Shift picked up the note, smiling at the scribbled turtle she'd drawn on the side of it for a long moment before he put the note back in the box and locked it with a small shake of his head.

With the smile still on his face, Shift headed downstairs to locate some breakfast.

He was chest-deep in the pantry, attempting to decide between oatmeal or risking death for one of Zoe's OmNom bars when someone else entered the kitchen.

"You're up late," said Raph.

Shift glanced over his shoulder. Raph was in his Keeper suit — no surprise given that their day had started some five hours ago.

"Uh, yeah," said Shift, reluctantly putting the OmNom bars back in the pantry. Witnesses were bad when it came to sneaking Zoe's food. "About that—"

Raph held up a hand and started the coffee machine. "Athira explained what happened, though I do have to ask. This plan is kind of questionable. You sure it's a good idea?"

Shift paused. "What plan?"

"The plan to go Owling?" said Raph, frowning. "She said you'd figured out potential locations for Reader's hideout, and an idea to find those three behind the Sleeper?"

"Oh, that plan," said Shift, vaguely recalling last night's conversation. "It should be fine. We're just gonna do some scouting, maybe ask a few questions. She's gonna do it regardless, and I figured that me going with her was better than her sneaking off alone. Speaking of, do you know where she is?"

Raph shrugged, stirring his coffee. "She said she had something to organise before tonight." He took a sip and headed out. "I hope you know what you're doing, Shift."

Shift was left staring at his oatmeal packet, reconsidering the OmNom bars in the pantry as he muttered, "Me too."

*+*+*+*

It was night when Athira returned.

Shift was losing a game of Rainbows to Kione in the common room when she came down the stairs dressed in dark, casual clothes, once again preferring the roof instead of the front door as her main entry point to the base.

"Welcome back," said Shift, glad of the excuse to exit the game with his dignity somewhat intact.

"Did you get it?" asked Kione, earning him a look from Shift.

Athira handed Kione one of the two bags she'd been carrying. "Exactly like you said. Waited until they'd done inventory for the day, then grabbed it without anyone noticing. You wiped the cameras?"

Kione unzipped the bag. "Of course. I was tapped into the system the whole time you were in there."

Shift narrowed his eyes. "Why does it sound like you two just stole something?"

"She was already going to break in for her cloak," said Kione, pulling a sleek, handheld object from the bag. It looked somewhat like a weirdly smooth remote, only without the buttons. "Why not make the extra stop while she's there?"

Shift ran his hands down his face. Her cloak had been in Elite HQ's vaults, which meant— "She does not need your help coming up with illegal ideas, Kione."

Kione ignored him, turning over the object in his hand, his ice-blue eyes alight with wonder. "It's amazing, perfectly sculpted to a user's hand." He fiddled around with it, opening the case to reveal a maze of swirling walls, each embellished in its own, unique way. "The amount of skill it would have taken to design this Frame is insane. It's complicated, yet so elegant."

Shift's curiosity won out. "What is it, anyway?"

"It's the Key Frame to that 'Project: Spectrum' database the Elites have hidden," said Athira, folding her arms. "And we have about ten hours before they realise it's missing, so someone should probably get started making that replica."

Kione scowled. "What, a guy can't admire a piece of art before he rips it off? This Frame right here is the pinnacle of Orange, a master craftsman's—" Athira raised an eyebrow at him, and Kione stood up from his chair with a huff. "Fine, I'll admire it while I rip it off. I should be done in five or six hours, just make sure you're back in time to return it."

Kione vanished down the hall to his Tech lab, leaving Shift with Athira.

"Impressive," said Shift. "I think that's the first time I've seen anyone but Zoe cut Kione's monologue short with a look."

Athira's mouth tweaked upwards as she tossed him the second, larger bag. "Once you're dressed, we can leave."

Shift peeked inside the bag, eyeing the dark fabric inside. "Is this what I think it is?"

"What, you thought I was going to let you run around in any old black pants and shirt?" said Athira. "I know a tailor that owes me a favour or two. It's Colourblend fabric that's been infused with my Black. Basically indestructible, though I'm sure you'll find a way to prove me wrong about that at some point."

"Implying?" said Shift, frowning at whatever it was he'd just pulled from the bag — some kind of long, black flap attached to a whole lot more fabric.

"That in the time I've known you, you've almost died on a minimum of three separate occasions," said Athira. "Hurry up, turtle boy. We're wasting moonlight."

*+*+*+* 

A/N - I'm convinced that Athira and Kione could take over the world if they wanted to, especially if Zoe were involved.

Next chapter: It's time for ~dramatics~