“I thought it’d be you,” Trace Taylor said as she saw the man standing outside of the police station.

Samuel Diaz gave her a winning smile. “Aw, I thought you’d be glad to see me.”

“What do you want?” she asked in a flat voice. “I don’t know if you can tell, but we’re pretty busy right now.”

“With the Onyx Lair Crew, right?”

Her eyes narrowed. “How do you know about that?”

“I hear things,” he said, waving a hand dismissively. “I’m part of the Precursors of Peace, remember? And I’m kind of important, too.”

Trace gave him a dubious look, and he laughed.

“Don’t give me that face. It’s like you don’t believe I’m a big deal!”

“It’s not that I don’t believe you. I believe you entirely. Which is why I’m suspicious.”

He rolled his eyes as he curled his brown hair back. “Right, you don’t trust us. Well, if you want to know what I’m up to, I’ve heard about your commune’s recent problems, which is exactly why I’m here.”

“Our problems have run off. Turned tails because they’re a bunch of fucking murdering cowards. Don’t know when they’ll return.” Trace scowled.

Sam nodded. “And no one knows where they’re hiding. Except for me, and the rest of the Precursors of Peace.”

She blinked, and he shot her a grin.

“I’ll explain more. But it’s cold out here.” He shifted and gestured past her. “So, can we talk inside?”

The redhead hesitated. She knew that Adair didn’t like the Precursors, however Sam was willing to offer his help. As long as the two didn’t meet, it’d be fine, right?

“Fine,” she said. “C’mon. I’m freezing too.”

* * *

“So, those bastards are targeting your members too?” Trace placed a hand on her chin as Sam finished his explanation.

“They are. They’ve already killed six of our members before they’ve even arrived at the Sanctuary. And they targeted five more of our guys today alone. You were there for one of the attacks.” He gave her a knowing look.

“That Duelist… he attacked Jackie and Nathan.” She frowned. “Is that why you’re doing this? Revenge for the attack against them?”

“If it was just Nathan and Jackie affected, I would personally go up to them and shake their hands,” he snorted.

“Aren’t you guys friends?”

“You’re assuming a lot here.”

The redhead scoffed and leant back on the sofa. A coffee table with two steaming mugs separated her from Sam. He grabbed one of the mugs and inspected it curiously.

“Wait, is this an actual espresso?”

“Yeah. Brandon got a single coffee machine to work. One of his tests with aether and energy or something.” She pushed her cup towards Sam. “I don’t drink coffee, though. You can have it.”

He sipped from it and his eyes grew wide. “Who made this? This is absolutely terrible.”

“Erm, I did? …”

“Oh.” A beat passed where he stared down at the cup. “Terribly good! This is the most delicious espresso I’ve ever had!”

Trace just sighed. “Fuck off with that crap. Just get to the point— how can you help us?”

“The Onyx Lair Crew must be stopped. They can’t just continue attacking us. So, I think we should work together to stop them, before more people are hurt.”

“You said you knew where they were hiding, right?”

“We’ve tracked down their lair, as they call it,” Sam explained. “Or their hideout. I can help lead you to them.”

“And why not just deal with them yourselves?” Trace studied the creases on his face— the subtle way his expression changed as she asked the question. She didn’t notice anything suspicious. “You guys are the Precursors of Peace, aren’t you? Can’t you deal with them yourselves?”

“We are, and we could. But we also, sort of, kind of…” He hesitated. Scratching the back of his head, he sighed. “Not all of us have gathered here yet. The highest-levelled members right now are myself and… my friends.”

“Those idiots.”

“Yeah, them.”

“Jackie and Nathan refuse to fight them. They must’ve been spooked by their attacker. Meanwhile, Darius is still recovering. He can’t fight just yet, and he shouldn’t.”

Trace crossed her arms, pointing out the obvious. “So, you’re here to help yourself, then.”

“It’s a mutually beneficial thing— it helps us both.” Sam smiled and took a sip from his mug. He coughed and placed the mug down, speaking as he grimaced. “That’s… ugh…” She stared at him, and he quickly straightened. “What do you say, Trace?”

She drummed her fingers on her elbow, mulling it over. “That’s—”

And the door down the hallway flew open. Veronica Vargas wiped at her forehead, an exhausted look on her face as she glanced over at the redhead. “Trace?” Her eyes flickered to Sam. “Who’s this?”

“Oh, I’m—”

“This is Sam,” Trace said, cutting him off. “He’s a friend. The one I told you about. And as for your question, Sam. That’s for her to decide.” She gestured at Veronica. “Not me.”

The police chief frowned. And they explained.

* * *

“Rooting out the problem certainly is a better idea than waiting around for the problem to come to us,” Veronica said, nodding slowly. “However, these aren’t just monsters we’re dealing with. They’re people— gang members— which makes them that much more dangerous.”

“Don’t forget, they stole our guns too.” At some point, Elizabeth Evergreen joined in on the conversation. She lay on the sofa the wrong side up, with her legs on the headrest, and her head next to the coffee table. “So, they’ll be packing some heat.”

“What should we do, then?” Trace asked as she eyed her best friend.

Sam shrugged. “I’ve given you my offer.”

“And I was talking to Liz.”

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’d like to make those jerks pay for, you know, ransacking my home.” Liz sat up, speaking casually. “If we’re going to do this, I’m in.”

Veronica pursed her lips. “It will be dangerous, but I believe it’s the best course of action,” she said. “Jeremy can bring a few officers to accompany you. However, we can’t leave the commune entirely unguarded.”

“Can we even afford to bring others with us?” Trace raised a brow.

“We’ve gotten a few volunteers— new members of the force. Although, we’re still only a few dozen dealing with thousands, and the commune is growing by the day.” Veronica massaged her temples. “The question is, Trace: do you want to do this? I’m not going to force you. The choice is yours.”

“I’m doing it,” the redhead said without hesitation.

“Huh, I thought you’d need more time to think about it.”

Trace shook her head. “If Liz is fighting, I am too. And even if she isn’t, I’m not just going to sit around as a bunch of thugs murder innocent civilians while I can do something about it.”

“Damn, Trace.” Liz grinned. “When’d you grow a pair of balls?”

“Firstly, piss off.” Trace flipped her best friend off, only for Liz to give her a thumbs-up in return. “Second of all, I’ve thought about it a lot. I’ve already risked my life to exterminate those serpentfiends. I may as well commit to my role, alright?”

“Good on you. Let’s kick their asses together!”

“Is that settled, then?” Sam asked, raising a brow.

And as if it was some sort of cue, footsteps made their way down the corridor. Adair Russell turned the corner and paused. “What’s going on?” he asked. His gaze settled on Sam who simply grinned.

“Hey, Adair. Fancy seeing you here.”

“What is he doing here?” Adair tensed, and Sam stood up.

“What, I can’t be here? I didn’t know you owned this place.”

“No fighting here.” Trace stood between the two men and folded her arms. “I know the both of you have your… issues with each other—”

“He wants me dead, Trace Taylor,” Adair said, meeting her gaze.

The redhead bit her lip. “Right. But not at this very moment. Is that right, Sam?”

“Well—”

“I said: is that right?” She stomped on Sam’s foot, and he yelped.

“Fine! Fine! Yeah, I was just teasing him.” He sank back into the sofa. “Jeez, why do the both of you have to be so uptight?”

“Good enough,” Trace said, turning to Adair. “And you won’t start any trouble either, will you?”

“…I shall not act unless he does so first.”

“Good.”

“Wait, why does he get a good, while I get a good enough? That’s unfair!” Sam protested.

“Shut up. This is not a competition.”

“Dunno,” Liz said, chuckling. “Seems like Trace is being a tad bit biased against you, Sam.”

“Don’t stoke the fire, Liz.” Trace gave her best friend a disgruntled stare.

“I believe this conversation won’t be productive lest Samuel and I separate from each other,” Adair said, still eyeing the other man.

“I agree. Come on, Sam. Come on, Liz.” Much to Trace’s relief, Veronica stood up and ushered everyone else out of the room.

“Wait, me too?” Liz blinked.

“I don’t want you interrupting her as she explains the situation to Adair. Now move it.”

“Alright,” Trace said, glad that the distractions were gone. “Basically, Sam is here to help us with the Onyx Lair Crew. He knows where their hideout is located and he’ll help us take them down.”

“So, we’ve traded one group of uncouth individuals for another?” Adair shook his head. “And you believe he’ll keep his word?”

“He’s been good on that so far, Adair.” Trace wasn’t sure if Sam was good or bad, but she did know that he was at least trustworthy. “Look, can’t you put aside your differences just to work with him for a little bit? We’ll need your help if we want to take down that gang.”

“Work with him?” Adair narrowed his eyes. “He’s part of the Precursors of Peace. As far as I am aware, they are no better neighbours than the Onyx Lair Crew.”

“C’mon, you guys worked together before, haven’t you? We took down the durable serpentfiend together.” She prodded him.

He grimaced. “That was due to adrenaline and the desperation of the situation. Right now, the situation doesn’t necessitate his assistance. If he is so willing to help, he can simply offer up the location and take his leave. Any further assistance from him isn’t necessary.”

“The more people we have with us, the better. It increases our chance of succeeding. You should know this— aren’t you supposed to be smart or something?”

“And I was under the impression that you disliked fighting.” He peered at her expression. “However, right now, I can’t help but notice your enthusiasm to face the Onyx Lair Crew.”

There was a pause. Trace stared at him, suppressing an annoying feeling that rose from the pits of her stomach. Seriously? Her? Excited? No, that was the most asinine thing she’d heard all day. And she listened to Janus’ little speech just a few hours earlier.

She sighed, letting the annoyance simmer away into something far milder. “No, Adair. I don’t enjoy this. I’m not enthused with the idea of fighting a bunch of psychopaths who can potentially end my life. What I want, however, is to just get this over with as soon as possible.” Trace looked up at him. “And if you help us, less people will get hurt.”

Adair stared at her. He said nothing for a moment, simply meeting her gaze. She shifted slightly.

“W-what?”

“It is nothing. You are simply a curious individual, Trace Taylor.”

“Thank you?” She wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or an insult.

Adair spun around and started down the corridor. “As for my assistance, you will be receiving it whenever we decide to embark on this trip. I shall… make do with Samuel’s presence for now.” He hesitated, pressing his lips into a thin line. “Even if I’d rather not do so.”

Trace smiled in relief. “Thank you, Adair.”

“It is not a problem.”

However, just as he was about to leave, she called out to him. “By the way, how was the potion? Did it work?”

He halted by the doorway. Glancing back at her slightly, he nodded. “It did.”

“That’s good,” she said.

“Good, indeed.”