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"There’re three," I whisper to Sarah She’s standing next to rown ones Malcolly, as usual"

"What’re they doing here?"

"Don’t know," I reply "But they’re easy targets"

"I didn’t bring a gun on our date," she whispers back "I should’ve known better"

"It’s okay," I tell her "They haven’t spotted us"

Sarah looks down at , can we?"

"Hell no," I reply, realizing that adorians I want to knohat they’re up to No o bad, you run for help"

"Things won’t go bad," Sarah says firht those assholes up"

I step into the alley and walk right towards the Mogs Their hollow eyes focus on me in unison For a itive feeling I shove it down; this tiuys lost?" I ask casually, striding closer

"Get outta here, kid," one of the next to hi me the handle of a blaster tucked into his pants They’re trying to scarea really ill-advised shortcut honizehere, it isn’t huntingabout ten yards away fro for a response, I trigger my Lumen A fireball swirls into existence overHe doesn’t even have a chance to react before it envelops his face, lighting hirates to ash

The second Mog at least ets I hit hiht in the chest He lets loose a short screaround

I don’t hit the final Mog withthat envelope and I don’t want to risk torching it I want to see what the Mogs are after, what secret o He stares atfor me to dispatch him as easily as I did the others, the envelope clutched to his chest When he realizes that I’ down the alley

A Mogadorian running frorab the Du before he can get too far The Duainst the alley wall It hits the Mog and pins hi

"Tellhere and I’llover to him To demonstrate, I put a little telekinetic pressure on the Duled body A bubble of dark blood dribbles down the Mog’s chin His scream of frustration and painlike this before The Mogs I’ve killed have all been quick and in self-defense I hope I’ to die," spits the Mog

I’ important from some lowly scout I shove the Du him off Then I pull the Dumpster away froadorian ash I turn it over in my hands--it’s stuffed with papers

"What is it?" Sarah asks, approaching cautiously froht up one ofthree pages covered in rigid script that looks like a cross between hieroglyphics and Chinese Written in Mogadorian, of course I guess it’d be too lucky to catch the Mogs sending secret orders in English I hold up the papers so that Sarah can see

"Know any good Mogadorian translators?" I ask

Back at the penthouse, I gather everyone in the dining roos Nine patsthe three Mogadorians

"You should’ve brought that last one back here," he says "We could’ve tortured so out of hilance over at Sa his scarred wrists "That’s not e do," I say "We’re better than that"

"It’s a war, Johnny," Nine replies

"What does this mean?" Marina asks "Do they knohere we are?"

"I doubt it," I say "If they were here for us, they’d have sent nize me when I approached"

"Yeah, and you’re a faht "Weird"

"They’d have co," Six adds "They aren’t exactly known for their subtlety We need to figure out what these papers say It could be some kind of invasion plan"

"Just like my dream," whispers Ella

The papers in question are being passed around the table, everyone taking a look at the es

Malcol "I spent tie"