After a quick rinse and change into a fresh set of shorts and shirt, Val joined the others at the workbenches. Each component of her exosuit had been fully repaired overnight by grafting additional nano-infused steel into each gash left after her fight with the direwolf. Satisfied, she suited up and waited for Zavis to brief them on the mission.

Unsurprisingly, Bri took the longest with her low-tech armor design. The most damaged pieces of her suit were still laying out on one of the spare workbenches, but apparently she had several extras of each piece. Val couldn’t help but feel a little bad for the local population of magma serpents.

Zavis started talking as Bri finished donning her armor. “We have a mission to wipe out a flock of giant eagles a few peaks over. Their population has been slowly rising the past few years, but it’s finally hit a tipping point and the eagles are expanding their territory. As we know, Peakpoint is still vulnerable to aerial attacks, so this has become a relatively high priority now.”

Looking around the group, Zavis paused on Kaya. “Obviously, attacking at range will be critical. Kaya, you’ll be the crux of our offense this time. Pack extra ammo, and feel free to load me down as well. I plan on staying by your side to provide any close range support you need.” The sniper nodded her assent and started walking over to the depot to load up on additional supplies.

“Wallon and Bri, you’ll go after their nesting grounds. Bri will handle most of the muscle, and Wallon can take out any hard to reach nests. Just… try not to take out a whole cliffside. We’re just doing a little population control, not terraforming a mountainside.”

“Or at the very least, make sure I’m not hanging off the cliff before you blow it, Wallon. I still haven’t fully forgiven you for the avalanche incident of 262.” Bri glared at the older man.

“Of course not! Give me some credit, I haven’t nearly blown you up in over a year,” protested Wallon.

Val couldn’t decide whether she should ask about the avalanche incident or not, but instead looked at Zavis. “What about me?”

“Ahh, yes. Unfortunately, this mission is estimated to be low-C rank. We brought you along for the direwolves because we were relatively confident we could keep you safe, but this mission is a little different. We’re splitting up, and the enemies are more numerous and can strike from any direction. So you won’t be able to come along.”

Val felt her heart sink. Obviously it wouldn’t do her any good to go out and get killed, but she couldn’t get stronger if she didn’t go out on missions, either. “So what should I do instead? Sit around here and train?”

Zavis cleared his throat, and Val noticed that Bri and Wallon had stopped their bickering and were listening in as well.

“No. Actually, you’ve been assigned your own mission. Apparently, the Guardians noticed some direwolf tracks in the outskirts of the city last night. It’s probably nothing, but… since you were the only one that noticed the third Enhanced wolf yesterday, my guess is they wanted you to help check it out. The mission is F ranked since the mission is just supposed to be recon within the city boundaries. You’ll be tagging along with a Guardian patrol that is investigating the tracks.”

Val frowned. “A solo mission? Is that normal for a day two User?”

“Better get used to it. Defects tend to take on riskier missions than most. But to be honest, this still seems unusual.” Zavis placed his fists on Bri’s workbench, the structure creaking slightly as he leaned onto it. It seemed like he wanted to say something else, but he held his tongue and just looked at her. Glancing over, Wallon and Bri both looked thoughtful as well but neither spoke up.

This is a test, I bet. They see something else, but they want to know whether I can figure it out for myself. Val bit her lip, thinking over the mission request. At first, it looked reasonable. Even if it was technically a solo mission, she was being paired with an entire Guardian patrol and there was supposed to be a low chance of combat since the tracks were found in the city.

Something about the mission didn’t quite fit, but she couldn’t piece it together. Luckily, she had access to an extremely paranoid intelligence that probably knew a thing or two about fishy missions. Noir, what do you think?

This time, the Daemon’s response was immediate. I’m incredibly suspicious. The mission request is full of inconsistencies. They call you out specifically, but surely there are Scouts with better tracking or sensing abilities. Also, if the tracks are truly from an Enhanced direwolf, the mission ranking should be much higher. A dangerous beast like that, within city limits? At least E, if not D ranked.

And what about pairing me up with a Guardian patrol? Safety in numbers, right?

Val got the distinct impression that Noir would have rolled their eyes if they could.

Please. A random group of strangers that you can barely trust? I think that’s even worse than sending us out by ourselves.

Well, it doesn’t have to be strangers. It could be… Oh.

“Zavis, did they pair me with a specific Guardian patrol?”

Zavis nodded once, looking pleased at her question.

“Do we have the member list? Is there a Jenma or Fynn on the patrol?”

The grim smile that appeared on his face was the only sign Val needed to know that she was right. Wallon cocked his head in confusion, asking, “What’s the significance of those people?”

Val sighed. “They are the two Guardians I trust the most. Close family friends.”

Now it was Bri’s turn to look confused. “Why do you look so upset then? Isn’t that great news?”

Val nodded glumly. “That’s the problem. It is great news. That makes them excellent bait.”

A spark of understanding entered Wallon’s eyes, but Bri still looked uncertain. Val didn’t blame her; if not for Noir, she wouldn’t have figured out the elaborate ruse either. Clearly the older Defects had seen these sorts of games played before.

Zavis took control of the conversation again as Kaya finally joined the group at the workbench. “Yes, I’ve come to the same conclusion that I suspect Val has. Both missions are likely real threats that need to be handled, but the timing has probably been manipulated to ensure that Val is isolated from us. On top of that, her mission has been tailored to sound like a walk in the park: low rank, easy, with trusted comrades.”

Anger had slowly crept up on Bri’s face until she finally snapped out. “What the hell? I know they have no regard for our lives, but this… this is completely not OK! Obviously, we can’t just let her accept this mission. She can decline it, and either come with us or stay here and train.” She crossed her arms and glared at Zavis, who slowly shook his head.

“We could do that. But then we have two problems. The first is that it doesn’t make Val any safer. It’s true that a C rank mission is probably too dangerous for her, but just leaving her here still leaves her isolated.”

Bri huffed angrily. “And the second?”

“Doing anything other than accepting both missions will let them know that we figured it out. Which means Val is safe this time, but they’ll be even sneakier next time.” Val gulped nervously as Zavis fixed his stare back on her. “The best long-term course of action – if Val is comfortable with it – is to spring the trap, but walk in with both eyes wide open. Your new User status and separation from your assigned squad are perfectly good reasons for you to refuse to do things during the mission.”

Bri slammed her fist onto the workbench, leaving a significant dent, but Zavis sliced his hand through the air sharply and preempted her.

“Yes, it’s not fair. But. We. Are. Defects!” Zavis roared with an intensity Val had not heard from the large man before. “We get more than our fair share of ridiculous missions. And Val in particular will be targeted because of her association with Noir.” He took a deep breath, and when he spoke again, it was with the calm, controlled tone Val had come to expect from him. “I’m sorry she is being targeted so early, but the best way to protect her is to make sure she is capable enough to fend for herself. And sometimes that means taking on more risk than we want. Or do you not think she can handle a mission in the city surrounded by Guardians? It’s certain they will have some unpleasant surprises, but they still can’t be too overt inside the city.”

Bri looked just as shocked as Val felt at his outburst. She turned to Val with an apologetic expression on her face. “Sorry Val, I didn’t mean to insinuate that you can’t han–”

“No, it’s fine. It’s a well-warranted worry, and I appreciate the concern.” Val shifted anxiously, thinking for a few moments before speaking up again. “Zavis, do you really think this is something I can handle?”

He ran a massive gauntleted hand over the top of his head. “Honestly, I don’t know. But I wasn’t going to suggest it unless you figured out it yourself. And this seems too forced, too rushed. I doubt this is any of the major players – probably just an amateur that got their hands on some notification about Noir and is trying to make a move before anyone else does. The only way I’ll let you spring the trap is if I think you can see the next part coming and your opponent is not very skilled.”

“Well, it was mostly Noir who put it together, so not sure if your confidence in me is warranted.” Out of the corner of her eye, Val saw Kaya stiffen slightly at the mention of the Daemon. At least she didn’t storm off this time. Progress.

“Hmm. Well, having a savvy Daemon and trusting them enough to listen counts as your capability too.”

For the record, I don’t trust flattery either.

Val was so distracted by Noir’s sudden interruption she almost missed what Zavis said next.

“Now, the real question is what do you want to do, Val?”

Startled, Val blurted out, “What do you mean? I thought you already said I should spring the trap?”

“I do think that’s the best long-term solution if you think you can navigate the dangers of the current trap. But this is still your decision. And as long as you abide by the conditions we set out this morning, I won’t force you into anything.”

What do you think, Noir? Seems risky.

Risky but I don’t see a better choice. Our only advantage now is that we’ll be underestimated. If we avoid the trap, they’ll take us seriously and we’ll be in an even worse situation. Best case scenario, we turn this into a counterintelligence operation and find something out about who is targeting us and who we might be able to rely on.

I thought you didn’t trust anyone?

Did I say ‘rely on’? I meant ‘ruthlessly use’.

That’s more what I expect from you.

Letting out a heavy exhale, Val looked up and around at the other Defects. “OK, we’ll go with Zavis’s plan. We accept both missions. You go kill some eagles as fast as possible, and I try to stay under the radar and alive until you get back.”

Bri looked at her with concern. “Are you sure, Val?”

Val shrugged. “No, but Zavis and Noir both have good arguments. And I’ve made it through two days so far by surprising people, so I’m hoping my luck will hold out at least another day.”

She tried to imbue as much fake confidence into her voice as possible, but it was clear that none of the other Defects were convinced. Luckily, rather than call her out on it, Bri simply nodded slowly.

“Well, alright, if that’s your call then. In that case, let’s leave right away, Zavis. The sooner we get back, the better.”

“Agreed.” Zavis grabbed a container that Kaya had brought over and slung it over his shoulder. His nano armor immediately reconfigured to hold it in place. Letting go of the container, he looked around the table. “Anything else?”

Everyone shook their heads, preoccupied with a final check on their equipment. Zavis started walking towards the large door at the back of the compound. Wallon and Kaya immediately followed, while Bri hung back with Val for a moment before jogging to catch up to the group.

“We’ll head out now. The patrol doesn’t head out for another few hours Val, so you can stay cooped up here until then. My advice: keep your head down and eyes wide open. I know they put your buddy on the patrol as bait, but it still means you have at least one person to watch your back. And remember your conditions: only kill another User as an absolute last resort.”

Val accepted Zavis’s words of parting silently, nodding numbly as the large door slid open. It didn’t bode well that he seemed to think she might have to face down another User already. Bri glanced back one more time, a sad smile on her face.

“Sorry about this, Val. Stay safe and we’ll see you probably tomorrow morning.”

“Uhh, yea. You stay safe too. Good hunting!” Val said weakly, forcing a smile in return.

The doors slid shut, leaving Val alone in the compound. She slumped heavily onto a stool before laying her head down on the surface of the workbench. The metal surface felt cool against her forehead, and Val focused on that sensation in an attempt to stop the situation from overwhelming her.

Wait, did she just say they’ll be back tomorrow morning? They plan to go over a few mountains, take down a pack of C-ranked giant eagles, and get back in the next eighteen hours or so? Val shook her head, feeling her skin pull slightly against the surface of the table. Seems like it’s just one impossible task to another for these people.

Seems like you’re fitting right in, then. I’d focus more on our upcoming mission than theirs.

I know, I know. Just give me a moment.

Val closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. Of course it couldn’t just be a normal mission for her. But it wouldn’t do her any good to give in to panic or despair.

Just have to look at the positives. Noir seems relatively experienced at this sort of thing. Some of the mission parameters are in my favor: witnesses, staying in the city, and either Fynn or Jenma to watch my back.

I trust nothing that is being provided to us by them. Better to assume the whole patrol is in on it, your friend is a traitor, and city or not, there are plenty of places where they can ambush you or dump your body. Just make sure to pack an extra knife and couple magazines. Maybe one of Wallon’s grenades if he left those around.

Val felt a twinge of annoyance as the Daemon rained negativity down on her, but got up to get the additional supplies. If there was anything that was going to get her through this, it was the paranoid Daemon in her head. Hopefully, that would be enough.