The quiet in the old pumping station felt heavy after Caspian spoke about The Scribe in the Upper Spires. Only the sound of dripping water broke the silence. Anya looked at the artist in the hood, feeling how big his idea was. The Upper Spires wasn't just another part of the city; it was like a strong fort for the rich people. It had perfect, clean buildings and very tight security. The police there, the CID, had much better tools and were much tougher than the police in the Lower Spires.
"The Upper Spires?" Anya finally said, sounding unsure. "That's like going to your death. Even for me."
Caspian stepped closer. He seemed very serious. "You said you want to find Elara. You said you want to know why they took her. The Scribe is the answer. He knows Grimstone's true past, the parts they want to hide." His voice was low, almost begging. "My art can only warn, Anya. But you... you can do something."
Anya saw how desperate he was, how much he believed, even though his face was hidden. It wasn't just about Elara anymore. It was about pulling back the curtain Grimstone used to hide its problems. But the Upper Spires… Anya thought about the few people she knew, her old ways of doing things. None of them would get her close to the forgotten archives without setting off every alarm. She needed help, special help, people who knew Grimstone's hidden parts and how its police security worked from the inside.
An idea, risky and perhaps foolish, started to form. She knew two people who, even though they were no longer police, still knew a lot about how the CID worked. They knew its weak spots and secrets. They were disgraced, yes, but also desperate and very smart.
"There might be a way," Anya said, looking from Caspian to the empty space around them. "But we can't do this alone. We need two others."
Caspian tilted his head, asking silently who.
"Jaxon and Lena," Anya said, watching his reaction. "They used to be CID. They were good at their jobs, before the badness in the police took over them too. They know the police systems, the patrols, the loopholes. If anyone can get us into the Upper Spires without setting off every sensor, it's them."
Caspian seemed to hesitate for a moment. "Ex-CID? You trust them?"
"They were kicked out, not bought out," Anya replied. She remembered their strong faces in the police files about their disgrace. "They saw how bad the corruption was from the inside. They hate it as much as we do." She paused, then added, "Besides, they owe me a favor." It was a slight stretch of the truth, but true enough in Grimstone's strange world of favors.
A tense quiet filled the air between them. The idea of bringing in two former CID agents, even if they were no longer police, was a big leap of faith for Caspian. His whole life was about fighting against the police. But the urgent need to find Elara, and the bigger threat of "the blueprint," seemed more important than his doubts.
"Alright," Caspian finally agreed, his voice firm. "Where do we find these... helpers?"
Anya nodded. "Jaxon runs a somewhat honest repair shop for communication devices in the Mid-Spires market. Lena usually finds information for him, or works secretly with data. It will take some searching, but they are still hidden, just like us." She looked at Caspian. A different kind of team was forming between them, built not just on a shared goal, but on the quiet understanding of the dangers they both faced. The harsh truth of their situation, the constant threat of being caught or worse, seemed to pull them closer. It was a silent comfort against Grimstone's endless hunt.
"Meet me at the old Clockwork Spider pub in the market's lower level tonight," Anya told him. "If they're willing to help, I'll bring them. Then we'll plan how to get into the heart of Grimstone's lies."