The New Plan A is technically Emanuel's original Plan to break into the dock. This time, I sprouted it up to make it achievable. It starts with us getting to the Solar Sail Ship Docks. This part was the easiest but most tedious.

  Step One

  We have to… walk. Thats it.

  I learned from our time in the woods or how Emanuels says, “two years” of going back and forth, no one will stop us. I would get the occasional odd stares, disgusted looks, and terrified screams when I forgot to wear my disguise, but no one cared outside of that. It reached the point that people would even start selling us supplies near the end of our stay.

  This did not mean we could easily waltz in the middle of town toward the dock. Since Crimson never returned to Crane, I am certain that he was suspicious of our convenient disappearance. So we dawned our disguises and stuck to the shadows. Emanuel carried a backpack full of supplies as Fiend stuck to swimming in my chest.

  Whenever we needed to turn a corner, I would move my head close to the ground and slither, or Fiend would climb the building and squeak. We couldn't understand him, but ever since his resurrection, I have understood the intention of the squeaks. They weren’t words to me but more vague ideas—stuff like hungry, scared, the area is clear—simple concepts.

  We travel for a while until we make it to the dock. Emanuel says it was a day I didn’t notice as I was so focused on not getting caught that I was unaware the sun set and rose and set again. Either way, we made it to the outskirts of the doc. After eating the sandwiches , Emanuel got “donated” to us, he got a nap in and we went to our next plan.

  Step Two

  Disguise and Infiltrate.

  I went to the docks myself. If this was a solo mission, I could have easily gotten in and out of the Docks, but the issue was getting Emanuel and Fiend in and out. Sneaking in did confirm one of my suspicions. Plastered all over the docks are wanted posters of both Emanuel and myself.

  He misspelled my name, SID, but got Emanuels perfectly. The artist went into detail with Emanuel's portrait. Capturing his nose to the annoyed look on his face. Mine, on the other hand, looks nothing like me. It is just slime; it looks like a pudding cup the artist drew in two bobas for eyes. I thought I made a more commanding presence. The most disturbing part is the condition of the posters. Some are clean and fresh, while others are weathered with tears at the edges.

  Crane is still looking for us. I thought that sensation I’ve been feeling of being hunted down would have disappeared after the Grul, but it hasn't. I can still feel a magical energy sniffing me down. So, the next step is important.

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  I found the dock worker locker room. I picked a lock, and after trying for a few minutes, I broke the lock by punching it. This isn’t a random locker but one belonging to Colon Pol. He is a father of three kids who has been thrice divorced and is living with his third partner. The first, too, wasn’t really his fault.

  His wife cheated on him for his boss, the dock manager. His husband after her was his manager’s brother, which he started dating as revenge, but they fell in love for real. That is until he chooses family over him and their adopted kid. So, I guess you can say he chose his blood family over his current family. The third just didn't click. I feel thats the saddest. His latest partner is sweat, and he owns a nice clothing store that frequently donates to Emanuel and me without them knowing.

  Most importantly, he is Emanuel’s height and build. How do i know this? I spent some time in these air ducts before today trying to find the best-fitting uniform.

  I grabbed the clothes and a large worker's bag. Emanuel changes clothes and looks like a genuine dock worker. He has a grey jumpsuit, a yellow baseball cap, and a large bag on his back that is far heavier than he thought. In the bag are all of our supplies, including my shield. I am tucked way in the box in my shield. I have a small slither of slime with one of my eyes attached to it pushed through an opening we left in the zipper, hidden on his shoulder to keep an eye out. To add to the disguise, Fiend is in the jumpsuit on his stomach to give him an old man's gut. Now comes the most crucial step.

  Step 3

  Confidence.

  If you cannot sneak into the location and must infiltrate in broad daylight, the most critical detail you need is confidence. The person who stands out in a place is someone who feels like they don’t belong. Now, no one is going to think immediately, " He’s a spy! Beat him up for no other reason than he looks nervous!”

  That's dumb. What will happen, though, is security walking up on you and asking questions. Even the workers will be suspicious, as they might think you are new and want to talk. The best thing you can do is go in and go out. We need to go in, and Emanuel can't flatten his body into a puddle, so this is our best option.

  He walks around forward, pretending he is about to work another hard day. We just need to get him to his family’s old hangar. I whisper in his ear to keep him calm. I reassure him that he is doing fantastic and handling everything excellently. This must be annoying, as he glared and shushed me. Then, a man calls out to us.

  “Hey, you! The grey!?” A worker calls out to us. Emanuel freezes as the man walks up to us. I whisper what Emanuel needs to say.

  “How can I help, sir?” Emanuel deepens his voice while using the brim of his hat to hide his face.

  “We are down a pair of hands. Would you mind taking one of the grocery trucks to a Solar Sail? You won’t have to stock; we just need a grey to drive the truck. Union rules and all. " the man says, looking at his clipboard.

  Today is our day! Initially, I was supposed to steal a truck once Emanuel was on the vessel, prepping for take-off. Now, we can shave a chunk of time. We grab a pair of keys from the worker and head to the truck.

  “You know how to operate this?” I whisper to Emanuel.

  “Yeah, my dad taught me about taking over the business. Out of everything he has been taught, this is one of the ones that makes sense.” The engine coughs when Emanuel turns the key and steers the truck to his family's old building.

  You can always trust my three-step plans; they always turn out great. I can feel our luck turning around already.