Progress -I

A woman clad in black, stealth-made costume skillfully claims the towering walls of the university. On one cheek, a small earpiece with a mic, the cheapest kind, and on her back, a small knapsack filled with preordained items. The student body paid no attention, distracted by the concert at the school's quad. The plan was going well - and even the clouds hid her approach to the designated entry point. Jutting bodies of air conditioners and window sills were her platforms and beams. It was like seeing a bat claw up, rather than parcour.

The silence was cracked by a voice from her piece. "Rilley here. Kat, You ready to tamper the dance of fate?"

" ...'Fate is a dance meant for two or more. ' is more like it." said Katrina. "you agreed to this, remember?" she whispered, and still half-way to the women's bathroom at the third floor.

"Who would've thought that the local wallflower could say that, hm?" said Rilley, adding further slander to insult.

"watch me then"
"just do it right this time...okay?"
"...the last one was your fault, idiot"

There was a momentary pause. "wait...remind me why I'm doing this, again?" said Rilley, with much sarcasm. "oh, that's right, you WANT to get paid for last time's blunder."

Weissland University stands with 7 floors, housing every classroom and it's other facilities in just one building, aside from the gymnasium and the chapel just outside the main. Born and aged by the times, it kept its medieval look outside, and hid its sophistication inside. The floors were tiled red, and its silent halls screamed plain. The rooms were a tad smaller, and only fits 30 people on average, including the professor. The facilities are usually well-kept, except the frequently broken windows done-in by mischief and foul balls, or wind and weather.

"Spare the jokes for later, Rilley. I'm at the entry point" Katrina hushed. "what floor was it in?" said Katrina, as she carefully grabbed what once was a glass window, now shattered by time, by its steel frame. She fixed her fine, slightly hazel, black hair, and slid her knapsack to the bathroom floor.

"it's in the fifth floor. That's three floors above you. If you see any guards, dart them or spray e'm. " Rilley said, with some static on the mic. "signals stop here. When you get to the 6h floor, I'll text you the next step. " Rilley was breaking up, as Katrina removed her piece and carefully replaced it with a mask, covering just enough to let her see

Katrina slowly turned the knob, and slightly opened the door. She took a deep breath and held it in, then peeked for any surveillance on the floor. When she declared it as safe, Katrina crouched as she walked the dead halls, shrouding as much as she could to avoid sight. She approached the stairs leading to the next floor.

"oh, that's right..." Katrina stared at the gates obstructing the passage.

The gates were old, and yet every floor had one of these. However, they were too short, like their budget, to fit the entire stairway. There was a noticeable gap above the gate, enough to fit a slender lady, like

"easy" Katrina smiled, confident in her flexibility and sharpness.

Katrina. She first slid her gear to the other side, then paced herself backwards, relaxed, and took a deep breath. She gazed seriously at the gates, and sprinted, each step strong, and yet no sound heard. She leapt and grabbed the gate's topmost bar, boosted herself just enough to form her body.

*ding* *thud*

She skillfully foxed through the obvious gap, but failed to move her leg to execute a successful landing. She quickly twisted her body like a snake, and tried to land on the floor with her back instead. Most of
The impact went to her butt, different from what she wanted, but she avoided a direct hit to her head. "...Ow...owowowowow...bitched the landing there..." Katrina silently cursed, gently stroking her buttocks.
She stood up, still mad at herself, and fixed her hair again. She grabbed her gear, slightly demotivated.

"This job had better be worth it" she gave a challenged look.

---

The school's quad broke the night's usual silent darkness. It was just eight, and the crowd was just teeming with energy. The open grounds held anyone who paid to see the bands perform. Several spotlights bathed both the stage and its surroundings. Whatever the lights did not reach, succumbed to the night.

"Arch, did you hear that just now? Said Fray Knights. "that *thud* sound" he imitated.
"What? I can't hear you!" Bowie Arches replied "you hit something?" he puzzled himself.

The two seemed like fighting as they tried to talk and understand each other, but with the rowdy crowd and them shouting, it was in vain.

"What? No! I said I-"
"Dude you better speak up! I can't hear ya with the band playing and the people singing!"
"you're hopeless! I'm outta here!"
"okay! But be careful, man!"

Fray Knights was a large man around his late teens. His downward-spiked black hair and his unusual 'sensing' was his trademark. The only person who didn't find his unusual gut-feels was Bowie. A highly curious man, he has found himself in several pinches that he led himself into. He was wearing something plain, being a plain white shirt and a pair of black slacks, a belt. His 'scarf' wasn't for his neck, covering most of his left arm like a cast. Because of this, he stands out among his peers, even in his own club, boxing.

"...I'm sure. Someone's up to no good here." said Fray as he slowly descended into the concert's outskirts. "...hmm where to look...?" he concerned himself, frantically searching for answers.

He stopped for a breath and pondered. He suddenly remembers the girls talking about the bathroom window that broke last month. He pointlessly wandered around for a few seconds, and the stopped again, facing the large first-floor gates. At first, he regarded it as another useless piece, but the flashback had motivated him to pace.
"...an intruder, maybe...?" he thought. He stood motionlessly, thinking of his next move. "If only Arch was here he could-" he stopped at the feeling that someone else was there with him. He looked around where he stood "I know you're there, c'mover here already" he shouted.

"okay, you got me." said Bowie, as he slowly approached fray from behind the stairway. "you need the keys, right?" he flashed the keys, and made the metal jingle. "I got access except for the roof. Care to join a little mousehunt?" he reached his hand out, offering a smile.

Fray simply nodded

The two silently released the locks, and quickly opened the gates, making a creaking sound as they closed it again.

---

After every unsuccessful landing at every gate, Katrina was definitely pissed with the results. It was obvious that she hasn't been in-shape for a while. Her rage pent, about to explode if she somehow messed up another one. She was already at the sixth floor, ready to pluck the fruit of her error-filled effort.

Upon reaching the door, she reached her phone, and called Rilley. Her next orders awaited her. While waiting for a response, she grabbed several items from her gear. "ignition... *tee~hee* " Katrina maliciously giggled.

"yo, katrina. What's up?" Rilley asked through the phone. "

"the usual" Katrina sighed. "this ain't fun, Rilley. I made a bit of a racket here by accident." she exhaled.

"you fell on your butt didn't you?"
"what? No! I-"
"I bet someone heard your fall, and went to investigate"
"...fine, I fell a few ti-"
"I bet you fell thrice"
"what? No way. I did slip, but-"

Katrina heard creaking from a gate below, probably from the first floor. "Rilley, let's stop the chitchat." she rushed, readying herself for her next move.

Rilley took a deep breath. "right. First, unlock the faculty with the duplicate. Then-"
"where's her desk?"
"from the upper right corner, the third from the top. It's in-"
"l'll just grab it and go"
"wait! It's not in-"

*kssshhhhhshshhhhshhh*

"odd... I though phones didn't do that sound anymore...?" Katrina commented.

It was only static. Katrina's line was suddenly cut. She let out a sigh, and shook her head lightly. Her woman's intuition flared "this....is probably a bad idea." Katrina slid the phone in her gear, and replaced it with her spare key. The room was already
in front of her. There was no turning back, as Katrina sensed the presence of others coming to her location.

"Well...no better time than now, I suppose..." she mumbled.

Katrina unlocked the door before her, slowly turning the knob and pushed slowly, trying to avoid creaks. The vast, dark, unnerving room's ambience was shattered by Katrina's. Her first step mutely echoed throughout the room, and so did her others. She headed immediately to where Rilley's orders were. She plucked open the teacher's desk without regard.

*Screeech*

"ah...fate is bitching if my intuition isn't wrong" Katrina regretfully sighed.