Her run that evening did an excellent job wearing her out, but she didn't quite come up with any solutions to the problem. She did, however, manage to get her Recovery Skill to nineteen, and Meditation to sixteen. Even Running went up a level to twenty-eight, which was encouraging enough.

When she went for another run the next morning, Alex pushed herself just that much harder. The perimeter of the facility flew by as she accelerated. It reminded her of the runs around the Red Blade compound, and she spent a portion of the time missing the chance she had to run along with Sam and the others. Alex tried to buckle down and force herself to go faster, even as the chill air burned in her lungs and the light dusting of snow made her footing uncertain.

She made it nearly three hours before exhaustion brought her to a halt. Alex went to catch the last dregs of breakfast and sighed in relief at the fact that she didn't have to talk to any reporters for the day.

Instead, she went to the gym, only to find that none of the Blue Moon Surveyors were there yet. Some of the other Surveyors were willing to spar with her, though, and she spent most of her time until lunch trading blows with the rest of the contractors. They seemed to be a little less experienced than Mahrez' team, but she still felt like she gained plenty of practice from the fights.

After lunch, she did manage to find Mahrez and the others. Despite her own fatigue, she threw herself back into the sparring rings, provoking more than a few shaken heads among the Blue Moon Surveyors. While she certainly didn't win most of the matches, she still thought she improved, and she ended up outlasting them a second time.

Still frustrated at not having a shot at the portal, she hauled herself out on a second run. On and on she ran, her feet pounding the concrete while the steam rose from each breath. Every so often, as her legs nearly gave out, she'd pause long enough to meditate and recover, before continuing her half-frantic pace.

By dinner, she was thoroughly exhausted, and yet she was still vaguely triumphant as she limped her way into the cafeteria. A few of the Surveyors that she'd sparred with waved at her as she made her way to the counter. The server behind the counter handed over a generous portion of potatoes, a tidy heap of steak bits, and a pile of corn. She accepted it gratefully, adding a pair of rolls that smelled incredible, and hobbled over to a small table. None of the others seemed to take offense at her choosing to sit and ache on her own rather than joining them, but with her level of exhaustion, she couldn't persuade herself to care either way.

Alex had taken the first hungry bites of her food, working her way through one of the rolls first, when someone else slid a tray up next to her. She blinked and glanced up in surprise to find Jason grinning at her. "This seat taken?"

She was tempted to say it was, but restrained herself. "Nope." He nodded and sat, tucking into his own meal of grilled chicken and his own mashed potatoes. Alex paused, expecting him to say something, but he didn't. Hesitantly, she turned back to her food, occasionally sneaking a glance at him.

The silence lasted for a while, at least until Jason was about halfway through his food. Then he swallowed and glanced at her. "So. You don't trust any of us, do you?"

Alex was halfway through swallowing a bite of steak; the question surprised her enough that it stuck partway down her throat. She coughed, reaching for a sip of water to help chase things down. "What?"

Jason smirked and cut another bite of his chicken. "I think you heard me well enough, Valkyrie." He paused long enough to pop the piece into his mouth and chew. "You don't trust us. Any of us."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "We have fought together. Watched each other's backs."

"You've certainly watched mine, to the point where you made sure the others shoved me through the vortex." Jason swallowed, his eyes still on his plate. "Yet you never really expected any of us to watch yours. Almost like it was a surprise when we did help you."

For a moment, she simply watched him eat, wondering what direction the conversation was headed in. She debated feigning ignorance, or acting offended, and discarded both options. Instead, Alex shrugged and scooped another spoonful of potatoes. "We don't know each other well yet."

Jason grunted softly. "You know us well enough to fight for our safety, though. It's an interesting contrast." He shook his head and chuckled to himself. "To be honest, there's a lot that's interesting about you, but that particular insight has opened my eyes quite a bit. I'm grateful for that."

Alex frowned. "I'm still not sure I'm following."

He set down his fork and studied her for a moment before he answered. "I'm aware that I have… advantages compared to most Surveyors. When I decided to join the Surveyors, most people viewed it as an odd hobby for an executive's son. Or something they thought I would give up in a few years once I was tired of it."

Jason shook his head again, though he smiled a little as he did so. "To be honest, I just wanted something… a bit more real than the boardroom negotiations and handshakes. My father had always spoken highly of the men who started the company with him, and I remember looking up to them so much…"

There was a short pause. Then he gave her a bashful grin and set himself back to working at his chicken. "I guess I wanted a bit of that admiration myself. To prove I wasn't just my father's heir. What better way to get out of his shadow, to earn his respect, than to follow in their footsteps? It was foolish, dangerous, but at least it was honest. It was real."

She thought back over her relationship with her mother. The Crimson Blade had cast an even longer shadow than Obadiah Hamilton could have. Even with her mother supposedly dead and her relationship a secret, Alex still had to fight to escape it. "I… can understand that."

He glanced at her. "It's kind of you to say so." Then he speared another bite of chicken. "I've been aware that the Surveyors I work with have… special instructions concerning my safety. It wasn't something I could avoid, but I could make sure they were just as safe as I was. We fought together, relied on each other… it was a kind of friendship I would not have been able to trust, if they had been some kind of suit looking for business work. Something I could trust."

Alex gave him a concerned look. "That can… be dangerous too."

Jason snorted. "So I've gathered." He chewed and swallowed. "Part of the reason my father brought you here was so I could learn from you. He… admires you, for multiple reasons, and he felt like I could use the example."

She picked up her other roll and tore off a piece. "As flattering as that is—"

"He's not wrong. You're the kind of Surveyor I need to work towards being." He set down his utensils for a moment and watched her. "Which means if you don't trust easily, I shouldn't either. And I think I know why."

Alex felt a chill. "Is that so?"

He nodded, his expression serious. "I've done research. First, when I was caught up in the fact that you'd saved me and my friends. Now, after seeing how you work, I looked back over your career." His voice grew softer. "And what I've realized is that Surveyors and corporations have nearly killed you as many times as the Grue, haven't they? That's why you don't trust us yet. You think we might try to kill you."

She looked back at him. It felt a little relaxing to put away the lie, just for a moment. "It's nothing personal."

Jason just stared at her for a moment. Then he laughed, a noise half-full of disbelief. "I know that, it's just…" He shook his head. "A fellow gets rescued, and he gets a bit attached to someone, you know? Realizing she thinks you might kill her is a bit of a blow to the self-esteem."

Alex felt her cheeks grow hot, and she turned back to take another bite. "Sorry."

He was still chuckling as he speared his next bite of chicken—a bit more forcefully than needed. "No, like I said, I understand. And like I mentioned, it was needed." Jason grew a bit more serious. "If you are taking that kind of threat seriously, then so do I. Not just for me, but for my people as well."

She looked back at him, surprised. He seemed determined, now, in a way she hadn't seen before. "That might be a bit easier if you showed up to spar and practice a little, you know."

Jason blinked. He grinned at her. "That would be true, I suppose. Unless I found an alternative way to train."

Alex frowned at him for a moment. Then her eyes narrowed. There was a freshly sewn patch on his uniform that hadn't been there the other day. A mostly healed cut above his eyebrow that he definitely hadn't taken on the last Survey, too. "You've been going through the portal."

He gave her a sharp look, and she lowered her voice. "You have. Not alone?"

The Ochre Star heir looked at her like she'd asked if he'd taken a long walk off a short pier. "No, not alone. I've been… tagging along with some of the other teams."

Alex looked around at the rest of the cafeteria. "And they haven't told anyone?"

"Giving them a sizable bonus tends to keep them quiet. It helps that each team thinks they are the only ones doing it." He smirked again. "I figured out that the best way to keep ahead of whoever might be out there, ready to ambush me, is to be a bit stronger than they think. Seems like that's part of how you've done it."

She felt a stab of intense jealousy and resentment, along with the need to hold herself back from begging to come along with him. "They might notice when you start leveling up early."

He shrugged. "It'd be hard to catch that before I reach B rank, and if I manage that…" Jason shrugged again, the message clear. A B rank was already far enough along that not many people were going to be able to threaten him. "Besides, I'm deliberately not completing some of my Quests. I'm just focusing on doing as much combat as possible to get my Skills up."

"And if you get hurt?" Alex looked around a second time, her anger still seething beneath the surface.

Jason met her eyes. "That's part of the risk of what you do, isn't it? Besides, I might be able to just excuse it as a sparring accident." Then he looked away. "It might be inconvenient for somebody, but the contractors know what they're doing. That's how it works."

She shook her head. "I still can't believe you'd run the risk."

He chuckled around a mouthful of potatoes. When he swallowed, he raised an eyebrow at her. "You're one to talk."

Alex grimaced and turned back to her food. "Point taken. Though you really must be hoping I don't go to your father with this."

Jason toyed with his fork for a moment. "Hey, I keep your secrets, you keep mine." When she looked at him, he glanced around and lowered his voice again. "Another part of the reason you're here is because my father hoped you and I might become… close."

Sheer rage swept through her, followed by cold determination. "Really?"

He held up a defensive hand as she hissed the word. "Honestly, I wouldn't have complained, but we both know that it isn't going to happen. Not unless you suddenly started trusting me." Then a smile tugged at his lips. "Then again, an exchange of secrets might lead that way…"

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"Dream on." Alex deliberately set down her knife and picked up a spoon. It was harder to kill someone with a spoon. Not impossible, but inconvenient. "What secrets are you even talking about?"

"Oh, the one everyone is always talking about behind your back. How did the great Valkyrie manage to avoid dying inside a portal after staying there for a full day?" She paused, and Jason continued in an oddly casual voice. "Most people don't believe you did, by the way. A lot of people are talking about various Skills you could have used, like some kind of invisibility to slip past Wells, or a disguise spell or something. All of it would be extremely valuable—the number of tier three Skills has never really been completely mapped out—but if you had managed it, the possibilities would be unimaginable."

She kept her face carefully neutral. "Is that so?"

Jason snorted. "Of course. Can you imagine being able to set up actual settlements in the other world? Places with farms or mining operations? The profits would be astronomical. Even the specialized Skills would be amazing. There would be any number of people willing to pay for the information."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "And you're supposed to charm me into telling you about it?"

"Or persuade you to join the company." Jason sighed. "Unfortunately, that isn't to be—but luckily, I've already worked out what you did, anyway."

Her eyes narrowed. "Did you?"

Jason grinned. "I did." He speared another bit of chicken in seeming triumph. "You run an awful lot, you know that?"

She paused, and he went on in a casual voice. "More than most, actually. I watched you the other day, and the speeds you were reaching were really impressive. I think in three hours, you probably covered well over fifteen miles."

Alex nodded carefully. "I hadn't been keeping track."

"You might have done more if you didn't have to stop and meditate to recover every so often." His smile grew a bit more self-satisfied and clever than she liked. "Still, it matches up from what I heard about you from the others at Red Blade. They said you were always running all the time, and meditating as well. Then you stopped meditating so much between sparring sessions. Started pacing instead."

She dropped her eyes back to the plate and scooped more potatoes up. "Pacing."

Jason sounded just shy of chuckling again. "Not the word they used. Prowling, actually. 'Like a caged beast', was the best description."

Alex gave him a flat look, and he raised both eyebrows at her. "In fact, some of them noted that you got even faster, and had to rest even less around the same time. Like you Chained Marathoning with the Meditation Skill, and got something else. Something stronger."

When she didn't respond, he turned back to his food. "It made me wonder, how far could you run if you really, really needed to, with a Skill like that?" He picked at his chicken for a moment more. "Maybe far enough to reach another vortex? Maybe one twenty-five miles away? It'd be impossible for a normal Surveyor, but if one could just never stop running…"

Jason looked back at her expectantly, and Alex let out a slow breath. "That doesn't sound as interesting as an invisibility Skill."

"No, but it fits." He smiled in triumph. "I mean, if you had found something like invisibility, it would be the one you carried forward as a Permanent, or one that you worked to getting back as soon as you could. Instead, it seems like you carried forward some combat Skills instead, and you're spending all day running instead of pulling vanishing acts. Tell me I'm wrong."

Alex scowled at him, and his grin widened. She debated picking up her knife and fork again. "No comment."

He put a hand over his heart, as if she'd wounded him. "Oof. That stings." Then he grinned. "So, what do you say? Keep my secret, and I'll keep yours?"

She glared at him a moment longer. Then she nodded, and Jason popped a bite into his mouth with a satisfied air. "See, doesn't it feel nice to not have to keep so much from everyone else? It's probably a relief."

Despite herself, Alex rolled her eyes and turned back to her meal. Her stay at Ochre Star had just gotten far more complicated.

"Do you think he's a risk?" Sam's voice was low, but she could still hear his concern.

Alex looked around before answering. She'd taken a jog after dinner, partly to work off some of her frustration, but also to make sure there weren't any listening devices anywhere. That, and she was fairly certain the Ochre Star heir wouldn't be able to keep up with her. "Not a big one. He doesn't seem to realize what he's sitting on, yet."

Sam snorted. "Neither did we, for a while." He paused for a moment. "Well, at least he's not blabbing about it. Not yet."

She nodded, though he obviously couldn't see it over the phone. "If he's figured it out, though…"

"Then he won't be the only one." Sam sounded grim. "Still, I don't think that many people will be able to replicate it. The conditions were pretty unique, and most people don't have something like Motion Trance going for them."

"Yeah, but not every portal is that far away from the others. Some of them are a lot closer." She tried not to sound fatalistic about it, but if Pioneer started to slip into the mainstream, the advantage it gave her would disappear. It was the one real ace in the hole that she had against higher level Surveyors. If someone like an S rank got it…

Sam didn't seem discouraged, though. "Most of those close ones are owned by different corps. They aren't exactly going to be excited about rival Surveyors popping in for a visit." He paused again. "Come to think of it, I'm surprised that they haven't run into each other before now. Seems like they should have."

Alex snorted. "We can worry about that later." She shook her head, making sure to look around at the woods surrounding her. "This job seemed like a good idea at first, but I think I might need to cut it short. One Survey a week isn't worth it if Jason decides to keep digging. How close are you guys to being finished?"

He didn't answer immediately. "Funny you should mention that, actually. You're talking to one of the world's most recent C rank Surveyors."

She came to a stop. "Oh no. Wait, I mean—"

"Nope, too late. Your disappointment has been noted." The sheer amusement rolling down the line in his voice made her wish he was here so she could wipe the smirk off his face. "Obviously, there's a little bit of pride going on, being the person who got to C rank first. I'll just have to let the others know you aren't congratulating us about—"

"Of course I am, you twerp!" Alex rolled her eyes and then continued her walk. Her legs kept sending shivers of pain through her, but she ignored them. "I just thought that it meant you wouldn't be going into the portal anymore with the E ranks. How are they holding up?"

Sam gave a put-upon sigh. "They are doing fine, actually. I'd bet most of them hit level four by the end of the week, if not before then. We've actually been giving them practice destroying Camps. Joanna came up with a pretty clever system, actually. All three teams just go out and swarm one of the nests, destroying them three at a time."

Alex blinked, trying to picture it. "That sounds pretty efficient."

"It is! It didn't hurt that the portal level started dropping because of it, too." Sam's voice filled with a familiar kind of mischief. "Tollworth wasn't as happy, of course, but he can't do much about it. They're doing exactly what they're supposed to, after all. I just don't think anybody planned on them taking out twelve to twenty Camps a day."

She grinned. "You mean aside from you, of course."

"Naturally." Sam sounded so smug he probably could have floated off the ground. "They'll be going in without us now, but I think they'll do okay. Each team just has to break one Camp a day, and the portal will stay as low as it will go without breaking an Anchor Point. We'll be training with them, too, so they won't be going in helpless either."

"As long as Tollworth doesn't get rid of you, too." She felt grimly certain the little clipboard addict was already on his way to making it happen. "They aren't getting hunted by Killers?"

Sam sounded a little grimmer this time. "Not while we were around, though there were a few around the Camps. We've told them everything we could, and if things go bad, we can always just go in on our own to help. We aren't helpless, after all."

Alex snorted. "I'd hope not. What Role are you now, anyway?"

"Spy. It seems to fit." Sam went on in lighter tones. "Kept Fencing, but I'm already missing my Mind magic being high. Joanna picked Scholar, of course, and it seems like she's trying something new with Gravity magic. Clara took Priest, and she says that she's going to try something new, but—"

She laughed. "Nature magic?"

"Nature magic." She could picture him shaking his head. "You'd think between Lifeseeker and Lifespring she'd have enough of the plant stuff, but you'd be wrong. Girl loves her thorns."

"Well, at least that hasn't changed." Alex sighed. "Well, tell the others I miss them and congratulate them on their rank. We'll have to spar again soon."

Sam coughed. "Just as long as you don't try to drag us out for another run. I had to give up Marathoning so I could get Arcane—Mind back, and if I know you, you're halfway to getting Motion Trance again."

Alex gave a louder, more dramatic sigh. "I suppose I can find it in my heart to be merciful."

"Yeah, right." He paused for a moment. "Look, I've got to go, but keep us updated on your plans. I'll let you know how it's going out here in a couple days. Stay safe."

"You too, Sneak. Bye." She listened as he echoed the farewell, and then the call disconnected. Alex shook her head and started back towards the Ochre Star facility. It had been a long enough day that she definitely needed a full night's sleep—especially if the next day brought any more surprises with it.

To her infinite relief, the next day contained no new startling revelations or problems. She spent the entire day either running or sparring, something which made the other Surveyors shake their heads in either admiration or dismay, but the fact was that it brought both Recovery and Running to nearly full capacity, while also dragging Meditation slowly up in their wake. The higher tier Skill had reached twenty-six by the time she came to a stop that night and dragged her weary soul to bed.

The very next day, however, things ran into an unexpected bump. She had run as she had before, finally reaching thirty for Recovery and Running, and twenty-eight for Meditation, and then gone to the gym—only to find that no one was going to spar with her.

"Sorry, Alex." Mahrez shrugged. "Just business."

She rolled her eyes. "What, did you all get tired of fighting me?"

The Spellsword snorted. "Maybe, but that's not why." He grinned. "Did you remember what you have waiting for you tonight?"

Alex paused, and her memory supplied the answer. "The investors' dinner?"

Mahrez nodded. "That's right." She opened her mouth, but he continued without waiting for her protest. "The suits don't want their poster girl showing up to the dinner with a black eye or a broken limb. That means no sparring."

"Bess could always heal me." Alex tried not to sigh as Mahrez gave her a flat look. She threw up her hands. "So what am I supposed to do, just sit around?"

Carter leaned over, trying to restrain a smirk. "You could always try to relax a little. If you know how."

She glared at him, but the Warden just laughed and turned back to watch Andrew and Bess dueling. Mahrez gave her a sympathetic look and then gave her a shooing motion. Alex stared at him for a few more moments in frustration before turning and leaving the gym. Perhaps she could go for another run after all.

Five hours later, Alex was glaring at the wall in her room and trying not to put a hole in it when there was a knock at the door.

She levered herself off the chair where she had been sitting and stomped over to the door, ready to yell at whatever flunky had come to remind her about the investors' dinner. They'd deserve it, at least a little; being forced to just sit and wait for the past few hours had been agonizing. One could only run so long in a day, after all, even if Meditation had mostly cleared away the fatigue.

Seeing Jason creep away into the vortex, unbeknownst to anyone outside the team he was with, only made it that much more aggravating.

When she pulled the door open, however, she found April on the other side. The assistant was standing with a squad of other assistants in tow, looking both relieved and impatient. "Great, you're here."

Alex frowned. "Yeah, I am. Do you need something?"

April arched an eyebrow at her and adjusted her glasses. "No. We've brought you the clothing for tonight."

It took a moment to register. "The… clothing."

The assistant nodded. "That's correct."

"I thought I was just going to wear my uniform." Alex very carefully kept her voice calm.

April looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "Of course not. This is a formal event." She looked back and motioned for one of the others to step forward. The woman was holding a slim black dress that seemed to be missing half the skirt and all of the sleeves and shoulders. "We used your measurements to—"

Alex made her voice as firm and unyielding as it could be. "No."

The assistant's eyes narrowed. "I don't think you understand."

She met April's glare with a flat look. The Storm provided just a hint of lightning, snapping between her fingers. "Explain, then."

As the other assistants took a long, slow step back, April held her ground. She took a deep breath before she spoke. "The people attending this meeting are serious contributors to our operations. They expect our employees and contractors to present themselves in a professional fashion. That requires a certain standard of dress. Ignoring that will have serious consequences for the future of Ochre Star as a whole."

"And your version of professionalism is… that." Alex turned her attention, briefly, back to the dress. The woman holding it took an extra step back. She looked at April. "Do you have any other options? Or am I suddenly getting a stomach bug tonight?"

April blinked, and a hint of uncertainty flickered in her eyes. She clearly hadn't anticipated Alex just not going at all. "We do have… another option." The assistant gestured, and someone stepped forward with what looked an awful lot like an Ochre Star uniform in their arms.

Alex sighed. Clearly, Obadiah would have been interested in implying—or outright announcing—that she was planning on becoming part of his company. It would have been a bold strategy, given what she'd done to her last three employers, but he obviously felt like her reputation for competence was worth the risk. She didn't quite agree, however. "I don't think so. Anything else?"

The third hanger-on stepped forward. Looking about as nervous as the other two, they held up a third set of clothes. They were far plainer than the other two choices, but Alex studied them with a bit less disinterest than before. It was a set of plain black slacks and a white button-up shirt, with a plain black jacket to go over the top.

She examined it for a moment, looking for any hidden traps, but she didn't see anything obvious. It was just a simple black suit, fancier than what she normally wore, but it felt a lot less like a costume for someone acting as window dressing and a lot more like actual business attire. "It'll work. Unless you have objections, April?"

When she looked back at the woman, April grimaced. "It is… acceptable." She gestured, and her helper stepped forward and handed the garments over, along with a pair of shoes.

Alex paused, biting her lip to keep from grinning. "Just to be clear, the fabric's from Earth, right? So I shouldn't go jumping through the portal in these?"

April looked faintly horrified and shook her head. Alex rolled her eyes and closed the door so she could change. It was already going to be a miserable night.

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