The hit from her stim stick moments before rushed up Freyr’s spine, like a thick fog. The music slowed in tempo slightly and rose in pitch.

“Who says we need Wallace? We have a bar right here, all around us!” As if to demonstrate, Freyr snatched a square green bottle away from the lips of a teenager with orange trunks. She effected a sweet smile when he looked angrily her way, and pushed him off the side with one almighty shove. 

The soaking wet biologist upended the bottle and took in a mouthful of the pungent liquid. It tasted like liquorice and chilli peppers. Freyr winced as she swallowed, then took another smaller sip. “We can make our own party.”

[hr]
A long bike whirred out of the long lines of air traffic above the city centre and dropped down to the promenade overlooking the lake. A girl in a full body protective suit and helmet parked it next to the man who was watching the concert and hopped off the bike. He looked over and offered her his binoculars, which she took wordlessly and moved to the parapet.

“I marked them. The mask is back on now, but body language matches known records.” He remarked. The girl quickly rewound the footage recorded in the device until she got a look at half of Freyr’s face. “Any shields?”

“I can’t detect anything. The lizards might.”

The girl clucked her tongue softly, tapping the parapet with a fingernail.