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Hello, friends, and welcome to Sleep Tight Stories.
Red and the gang know they need to get to the last cache before anyone else finds it.
When Red has a visitor, they learn even more bad news and pick a time to go to the next place much sooner than they had hoped.
The Transfer Student, Volume 2, Part 24
The gang arrives at Red's house right at noon, each one looking tired and jumpy.
They file into Red's room quietly, and the moment the door closes, everyone starts talking at once.
It's obviously a trap, but what if it's not?
Torres probably sent her.
We don't have any other options.
Stop, Red says firmly, and everyone goes quiet.
She's been thinking about this all morning, her mind working through the problem, like she used to solve complex equations on Mars.
We are all panicking and we need to think logically.
She pulls out her laptop and sits cross-legged on her bed.
Emma said her family came from Mars five years ago.
That's verifiable.
If she's lying about being Martian, we can prove it.
How?
Charlie asks, pushing his glasses up nervously.
Red's already typing.
Integration records, school enrollment, public databases.
If her whole family suddenly appeared five years ago with a cover story about moving from another province.
There'll be patterns.
Within minutes, She's found Emma Vasquez in the school directory.
Eighth grade, honor roll, joined the school five years ago, midway through third grade.
Read cross references with news archives and find something interesting.
A local newspaper article about a sixth grade science fair where Emma Vasquez won second place for the project about theoretical Martian atmospheric composition.
Look at this, Red says, turning her laptop so everyone can see.
What Earth kid does a science project about Mars's atmosphere?
Unless she knows about it firsthand, Rachel finishes, leaning closer to read.
It still doesn't prove her brother's a good agent.
Charlie points out, but he sounds less certain now.
No Red agrees immediately, but it proves she's not some random Earth kid Torres recruited yesterday.
She really is Martian, which means there's at least a chance she's telling the truth about everything else.
Alexa nods slowly.
Okay, so maybe Emma's genuine, but that bookstore drop?
Walking in there blind feels really risky.
Red's been thinking about this, too.
We don't walk in blind.
We test them first.
Monday evening, we go to the bookstore like Emma suggested, but we don't bring the actual data.
We leave a message saying we have evidence and want to meet her brother face to face before handing over anything.
That's actually really smart, Alexa says, sounding impressed.
If it's a trap, we haven't given away anything valuable.
If it's real, We've opened communications safely.
Exactly, Red says.
Then she takes a breath.
But we still have a bigger problem.
Emma said more corrupt agents are coming to town.
If Torres locks down all the cache locations before we finish... The subway tunnels, Blue says.
The third cache.
We still need to get there.
When?
Kurt asks, though her expression says she already knows the answer won't be good.
Tomorrow.
Sunday morning, Red says, her voice calm but absolutely certain.
Torres will expect us to be scared after Friday.
The room goes quiet.
Outside Red can hear her mom moving around downstairs completely unaware that her daughter is planning another dangerous mission.
Charlie breaks the silence.
You know, Red, you used to just sort of go along with mysteries because we were doing them.
Red allows herself a small smile.
I'm a fast learner, and this mystery is incredibly important.
So we're really doing this?
Rachel asks.
Her voice small but determined.
Tomorrow?
Red looks at each of her friends.
They're all scared.
But they're all here.
We're really doing this, Red confirms.
But we're going to be smart about it.
Everyone has assignments.
She starts delegating based on actual strengths.
Rachel researches subway access points and history.
Charlie handles equipment.
They need better lights and those walkie-talkies his dad has.
Alexa maps escape routes and figures out transportation.
Kurt will watch Torres' house Sunday morning to make absolutely sure he's not following them.
Lou will hack into city maintenance schedules to find the safest entry time.
We meet at 7 a.m. at the old Riverside subway station, Red says.
The one that's been closed since the 90s.
Wear dark clothes.
Bring layers.
It'll be cold underground.
And everyone?
She pauses, meeting their eyes.
Tell your parents you're doing something normal so they won't worry.
As everyone's leaving, Blue hangs back.
Hey, Red?
Red?
You're getting really good at this whole leadership thing.
Thanks, Stinky Head, Red says, but she's smiling.
After everyone's gone, Red sits at her desk and pulls out Meridian's device.
The data from the water plant is still there, encrypted and safe.
Tomorrow, they'll get the final piece of Dr. Hart's puzzle.
And then...
They'll figure out how to change everything.
Sunday morning, 7 a.m.
The gang arrives one by one at the old Riverside subway station, a concrete plaza that's been abandoned so long.
Trees are growing through the pavement.
The entrance is blocked by a rusted metal gate covered in faded danger and no trespassing signs that nobody's bothered to update in 20 years.
Blue shows up first, giving Red a quick nod.
Charlie comes puffing across the plaza next, dropping a duffel that clinks when it hits the bench.
My dad's walkie-talkies, extra flashlights and rope, because there's always rope in adventure movies.
Alexa arrives in time to raise an eyebrow at the rope, We haven't needed it yet, Charlie says.
That's how I know we're about to.
Kurt jogs in a moment later, waving.
I checked and Torres is still at his place.
Before they can examine the entrance, Charlie sneezes loudly.
The sound ricochets across the empty plaza.
Dude, you're going to alert every agent in the city, Kurt says, shaking her head.
I can't help it.
My allergies are having an adventure too.
Charlie protests, wiping his nose.
Okay, equipment check, she says.
She's learned the jokes help everyone manage their fear.
Flashlights?
They run a quick inventory.
Charlie hands out walkie-talkies and shows the buttons.
Alexa's first aid kit and emergency supplies are neatly packed into pouches.
Rachel has her notebook and camera.
Kurt has a grocery bag full of protein bars.
What?
We might get hungry, Kurt says, defensive but grinning.
Red finds a gap where concrete has crumbled away from the base of the gate, just wide enough for kids to squeeze through.
This is it.
They slide through one by one. flashlights snapping on as they enter the dark.
Inside, the abandoned station is less scary than Red expected.
Dusty and grimy, yes, but still obviously built for people.
Proper stairs, platforms, old advertising posters peeling from the walls.
This is kind of cool.
Rachel whispers, angling her light at a faded movie poster from 2003 like a time capsule.
Red leads them deeper, using Meridian's device as a guide.
It's glowing softly in her hand, responding to something nearby.
The tunnels branch in multiple directions, but the device pulls her steadily toward the eastern passages, the oldest section, according to Rachel's research.
These tunnels are way older than I thought, Rachel says, stopping to examine the walls more closely.
Look at this brickwork.
This isn't from the 1990s subway system.
This is original construction.
Maybe 1800s?
Red moves closer with her flashlight.
Rachel's right.
The brick is ancient, crumbling in places.
And there's something else underneath.
Smooth stone.
Definitely not Earth-made.
They built it inside the Earth tunnels, Red says, her mind making connections rapidly.
The Martian scouts found these old utility tunnels and expanded them secretly.
Even if someone discovered the abandoned subway, they'd never know there was something older hidden beneath it.
Blue runs his hand along the exposed stone, tracing symbols that are definitely Martian.
Dr. Hart was a genius.
She hid the cache where nobody would think to look inside something everyone already knew was there.
The device grows warmer in Red's hand, pulsing with more urgency.
They're close.
The tunnel opens into a larger space.
An old subway platform that looks like it hasn't seen a train in a century.
Wooden benches rot against the walls.
Old light fixtures dangle from the ceiling.
Everything is covered in decades of undisturbed dust.
Except for one section of wall that's completely clean.
Red holds up Meridian's device and the wall shimmers the same camouflage technology they've seen before.
Here, she says quietly.
She presses the device against the smooth section of wall.
For a moment, nothing happens.
Then the wall section slides open silently, revealing stairs descending into deeper darkness.
The stairs go down and down and down, Why is it always creepy stares into darkness?
Charlie mutters, peering over the edge.
At least there's no ventilation shaft this time, Alexa points out, attempting optimism.
Yet, Kurt adds, there's no ventilation shaft yet.
Red clicks on her brightest flashlight.
Stay together.
If we get separated down there, use the walkie-talkies.
They descend single file, Red in front with the glowing device, everyone else close behind.
The air gets noticeably colder with each step and Red's enhanced hearing picks up something strange a rhythmic humming, mechanical but almost musical, like technology that's been running for a very long time.
Does anyone else hear that?
She asks quietly.
Hear what?
Charlie asks.
Exactly what I was afraid you'd say.
Red's Martian senses are picking up something the others can't.
Whatever's down here, it's active.
At the bottom of the stairs, they find themselves in front of a heavy door marked with Martian symbols.
Red recognizes Archive, Central Command, Authorized personnel only.
She presses Meridian's device to the door and it opens with a soft hiss of air pressure equalizing.
The chamber is massive.
Three times the size of the quarry location.
But more importantly, it's alive.
Lights glow along the walls in patterns of blue and green.
Holographic displays show scrolling Martian text.
And in the center of the room sits something that looks like a communications hub.
Still powered.
Still functional.
Still connected to... something.
This isn't just a storage facility.
Red breathes her scientific mind racing to understand what she's seeing.
This is a command center.
An active... command center.
Dr Hart's hologram activates the moment they step inside, but this recording is different from all the others.
She looks older, more exhausted, but her eyes are fierce with determination.
If you've made it here, the hologram says then you've found all three caches, which means you're ready for the complete.
And I'm sorry because the truth is so much worse than you know.
Dr. Hart's hologram stands in the center of the chamber, surrounded by glowing displays.
I've divided the truth across three locations for a reason, she begins.
The quarry gave you the cultural heritage.
The water plant gave you evidence of corruption.
But this facility contains something more important.
Proof of who is corrupt.
The hologram gestures and displays light up with photographs, personnel files, surveillance footage.
These are the corrupt agents.
Names, faces, documented evidence linking each one to technology theft.
Red stares at the faces.
Some she doesn't recognize, but others?
That's Torres, Charlie breathes, pointing at Agent Torres meeting with corporate representatives.
Red had suspected Torres, but seeing proof, seeing his face, made it painfully real.
More faces appear.
Red recognizes two agents who'd visited her house months ago asking so many questions about Mars, about old stories.
These agents steal from the caches and funnel the locked technology to Earth corporations.
The hologram explains
But because the devices only unlock for Martians, the corporations can't use any of it on their own.
So the corrupt agents befriend arriving refugee families, gain their trust and convince them to help identify old artifacts.
The refugees unknowingly unlock the stolen technology for them.
Blue looks sick.
They trick people into helping them steal?
And once corporations start using technology that clearly isn't from Earth, the hologram continues.
Any investigation will lead straight back to the Martian families.
Every refugee could be exposed.
So we need to expose the corrupt agents before the families arrive, Rachel says.
Exactly.
But you need proof of who to trust.
New files appear showing different faces.
These are the good agents working to stop the corruption.
They've been building a case but lack the documentation I've preserved here.
Red sees Emma Vasquez's brother in one photo in an AID uniform labeled Integration Protection Task Force.
Emma was telling the truth, Alexa says quietly.
Red scrolls to the next file and her breath catches.
Misty and Shade, they're on here too.
Both listed as Protection Task Force.
The agents who'd helped you at the quarry?
Blue asks.
Red nods, relief flooding through her.
She'd trusted them, but there'd always been that small doubt.
Now she knows for certain.
Everything is here, Dr. Hart says.
Personnel files, financial records, surveillance footage, undeniable proof of who's corrupt and who's trustworthy.
Download it all.
Give it to the good agents. hologram flickers.
I know this is hard, but I believe you can finish what I started.
The hologram fades.
Nobody speaks for a long moment.
Finally, Kurt breaks the silence.
So, no pressure or anything.
Red laughs, a slightly hysterical sound that makes everyone else laugh too.
Okay, Red says.
We need to download everything.
We know Emma's brother is one of the good agents now, Blue says.
Do we just give it all to him?
Red shakes her head.
We give him a copy, yes.
But we also send copies to people who can't be silenced.
We release everything at once, so it can't be covered up.
When?
Alexa asks.
Red checks Meridian's device.
The families arrive in six days.
We download everything today, spend Monday and Tuesday making copies and release everything Wednesday morning.
That gives the good agents time to arrest the corrupt ones before the families land.
Three days, Rachel says quietly.
Let's get to work, Red says, connecting Meridian's device to the command center.
The download begins.
Twenty minutes later, Red watches progress bars crawl across holographic displays.
Charlie backs everything up to physical storage drives he brought.
Rachel photographs every document she can, her camera clicking steadily.
Alexa and Kurt stand guard near the entrance, watching and listening.
Blue, who's been exploring the edges of the massive chamber, suddenly goes still.
Guys, he says quietly, we have a problem.
I can hear footsteps, Blue whispers, in the tunnels above us.
Multiple people coming this way.
Red's enhanced hearing confirms it immediately.
Boots on concrete.
At least four or five people moving with purpose.
They're still several minutes away, but definitely approaching.
How did they find us?
Charlie whispers frantically.
The device, Red realizes.
Torres is tracking the signal.
The device isn't fully stealth, of course.
He found us.
We need to leave now, Alexa says, already moving toward the entrance.
But Red looks at the download progress displayed on the nearest screen.
73%.
So close, but not complete.
If we leave now, we don't have everything, Red says.
The footsteps are getting louder.
Voices echo down through the tunnel system.
Definitely agents searching systematically.
How long until the download completes?
Kurt asks, glancing nervously at the entrance.
Red checks the display.
Three minutes?
Maybe four?
Blue moves to the chamber entrance, pressing his ear against the doorframe and listening intently.
There may be two minutes away.
We don't have time.
Red makes a decision, her voice steady.
Everyone else leaves now.
I'll stay and finish the download, then follow right behind you.
If something happens, you still have the other evidence from the quarry and water plant.
Absolutely not, Alexis says, stepping away from the entrance to face Red directly.
We're not leaving you here alone, Charlie adds, his voice firm.
We're a team, Rachel insists, clutching her camera.
Yeah, we don't do the noble sacrifice thing, Kurt adds.
That's not how we work.
Then we finish this together, Red says, managing a small smile.
And when that download hits 100%, we run.
Fast.
Blue grins.
Now that's a plan I can work with.
The footsteps are getting closer.
The download progress ticks to 82%.
Come on, come on, Charlie mutters.
The download reaches 91%.
The voices in the tunnel are clear now.
Red can make out words.
Movement detected in Sector 7.
Converge on the lower levels.
They're down there somewhere.
95%.
Red?
Alexis says warningly.
I know, I know.
Red whispers back.
98%.
The chamber door is closed, but Red can hear the agents reaching the bottom of the stairs.
They're right outside.
Ninety-nine percent.
Red!
Blue hisses urgently.
One hundred percent.
The download completes.
Red yanks Meridian's device free and shoves it into her backpack.
Go, go, go!
She whispers urgently, pointing toward the back of the chamber, where her enhanced vision spotted another passage hidden behind a seemingly solid wall.
They run.
And that is the end of this part.
Good night.
Sleep tight.
