Val coughed in surprise, taking a sip from a glass of water to soothe her suddenly dry throat. Zyra raised a slender eyebrow at her reaction, putting her fork down on the side of her plate.

“So I presume you’ve heard of the Unshackled, then?” asked Zyra, leaning forward onto her elbows and looking at Val intently.

“Barely,” answered Val, thinking back to her encounter with Gaia the previous morning and what Noir had shared during her day of imprisonment. “All I know is that they are a group of rogue Users. Individually ranked A, collectively ranked S?”

“Well, that’s more than most know. I assume Noir put the pieces together during your abduction,” asked Zyra. Val nodded, and Zyra let out a resigned sigh before continuing. “Technically, I’m not sure they were authorized to share that information, even under dire circumstances. But it seems nothing about your transition to becoming a User has been standard, has it?”

“I guess not,” Val said with a shrug.

The Guildmaster’s eyes darted off to the side as she apparently looked over a screen that was only visible to her. Val lifted another forkful of food to her mouth as she waited for Zyra to speak again. Luckily, she didn’t have to wait long before Zyra’s gaze focused back on her, apparently done with whatever business she had to conduct virtually.

“I’ve checked with the Council, and we’ve agreed to give you provisional access to some of this information. We don’t have much choice since you’ve found yourself in the middle of this mess, but be aware that we don’t do this lightly. Safeguarding knowledge like this is a heavy responsibility,” said Zyra as she fixed Val with an intense stare.

A shiver ran down Val’s spine as she met Zyra’s gaze. This wasn’t her aunt, but rather the Messenger Guildmaster and Peakpoint’s spymaster who was regarding her. Despite the familial connection, Val had no doubt that Zyra would use whatever means necessary to ensure the safety of Peakpoint. Swallowing noisily, Val nodded her acknowledgement. Zyra regarded her for another moment before returning the nod, seemingly satisfied that her point came across.

“What Noir told you is correct. The group we called the Unshackled is a small band of rogue Users. We don’t have a good count of their full forces, but they almost certainly have some settlements or outposts spread out throughout both Parvam and Henia. We believe the majority of their combat power stems from a core group of elite Users with somewhere between 10 and 30 members.”

“Really?,” asked Val, brow furrowing. “Such a small group is causing big problems?”

Zyra nodded. “Yes. As Noir relayed to you already, each elite Unshackled is ranked as an A class danger. Our collective might across the cities is high, but we can’t be everywhere at once. A small group of high-rank Users can easily attack our trade and Messenger routes to disrupt and isolate us, and even carry out precise strikes against an individual city. You have first-hand experience with this, after all.”

“So we’re sure it was the Unshackled that tried to capture me, then?” Val asked.

“As sure as we can be of anything when it comes to the Unshackled,” Zyra answered.

“What do they want?”

“Essentially, they want to dissolve the human-Daemon alliance. It’s their view that the Daemons, and Gaia in particular, have ‘shackled’ humanity. They believe that as a human creation, Daemons should be placed in a subservient role, giving humans the control and power they once had.”

“Sounds like they want to revert back to some pre-Singularity War society,” mumbled Val as she mulled over Zyra’s words.

“More or less. And they view those of us who willingly work with Daemons now as traitors to the cause. The general populace doesn’t have much choice, but those who become Users and especially the Council members that directly interact with Gaia…” Zyra trailed off, but her point was well made.

“Well, what does this have to do with me, then?” Val asked. She repressed a shudder as memories of the sketchy table in Brain’s lab filtered up to the forefront of her mind. It had seemed they wanted to extract Noir, but maybe Zyra had some more information.

“A Peakcour is always a high-value target,” Zyra said. The unexpected answer confused Val, but before she could ask any other questions, Zyra continued, “Before I answer any more of your questions, I should let you know that I’m only authorized to give you general information about the Unshackled or specifics regarding your own abduction. I’m not authorized to provide details on any past operations or individuals the Unshackled have targeted. Is that clear?”

“Y-Yes…” answered Val slowly, still feeling confused. Mentally, she reached out to Noir.

It feels like something is going on, but I’m missing it.

Remember our discussion about how the best lies are technically true? Zyra just laid out what she is technically allowed to discuss with us. If my suspicions are right, she may try to slip some extra information through anyways. Try to ask open-ended questions and look for any double meanings in her answers.

Ugh, why does everything have to be so complicated?

I’d expect nothing less of the most powerful spymaster on the continent. Better get used to it.

“I think I understand,” said Val as she turned her attention back to Zyra.

“Go on and ask your questions then,” Zyra said, gesturing with her fork.

Remember, open-ended questions.

“OK… Well, why do you think my abduction has to do with being a Peakcour?” Val asked.

“I didn’t say that. I just said that a Peakcour is always a high-value target because of our tight connections within the Peakpoint Messenger community. Our family has been close to the Messenger leadership since the city was founded. Even our family name comes from our role as the original Peakpoint couriers – or the Peakcours for short. So if one’s goal was to isolate Peakpoint from the other cities, our family would be an excellent place to start,” Zyra responded. Despite the flatness of her tone, Val saw a flash of something in Zyra’s eyes. If she didn’t know better, Val would have said it looked like approval.

Seems like you’re on the right track.

Val nodded as she sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. She drummed the fingers of her right hand on the opposing bicep as she carefully examined each of Zyra’s words. Nothing Zyra had said was new to Val, but the emphasis on their family was still odd.

“Don’t you think it is more likely that I was targeted because of Noir?” asked Val.

“Yes, of course. Noir’s unique capabilities make them, and by extension, you, a threat to all rogue Users. This includes the Unshackled, although it will be some time before you actually pose the core members any significant danger.”

“Well, Noir and I did manage to put two of them on the ground and escape by ourselves,” Val snapped. She immediately felt foolish for lashing out, but constantly being reminded of her weakness irked her greatly.

Zyra held her hands up in a disarming gesture. “I’m not trying to take away from your accomplishment of escaping. But objectively, you’ll want to get much stronger if you want to guarantee staying safe from them.”

Val nodded glumly, pushing some food around her plate. “Definitely can’t risk getting caught again. Not when they were already so close to extracting Noir out of me,” she mumbled.

“What?!”

Startled, Val looked up in surprise at Zyra’s outburst. The shock on Zyra’s face quickly morphed into anger before settling into a neutral expression as Zyra calmed her emotions, although her eyes still flashed with an intensity that Val had not seen in her aunt for many years.

“That’s what they were trying to do?” Zyra asked, frowning severely when Val simply nodded. “That’s quite unsettling and not at all their standard operating procedure.”

“Standard procedure… Wait, does that mean this sort of thing has happened before?” This time, it was Val’s turn to be shocked. She had never heard about anything like the experience she had just gone through, not even rumors. It made sense for the Council to control information about the Unshackled, but she hadn’t realized this meant they likely had to cover up any incidents like this to prevent people from finding out about it.

“Like I said before, I’m not authorized to tell you anything about previous Unshackled operations or other high-value targets,” said Zyra in a flat tone again, the emotion from the previous moment completely suppressed.

Val opened her mouth to argue, but the words died on her lips. Something about Zyra’s phrasing triggered something in her brain, but she couldn’t quite piece it together. Suddenly it all clicked together. Her fork clattered onto the table as she slumped back into her chair.

What is it, Val?

The only other time she used the phrase “high-value target” was when she was talking about our family specifically. Between that and the insinuation that this has happened before…

It implies that your family has been targeted before. But… Oh, I see.

Yes. My mother and father.

Val stood up from her chair, slamming a hand onto the table forcefully as she glared at Zyra. Noir burst into her thoughts again before Val could say anything.

Be careful what you say, Val. The plausible deniability thing Zyra’s got going on only works so long as you don’t bring it up directly either.

Val’s jaw clenched but she sent back an acknowledgement. Across the table, Zyra seemed content to wait for Val to break the silence.

“You’ve known this whole time?” Val asked quietly.

“Known what, specifically?” Zyra responded just as quietly, meeting her gaze. Val didn’t understand the look in Zyra’s eyes, which almost looked hopeful.

“About the Unshackled going after… other high-value targets. You knew, and didn’t… warn me about it? Even though it is clearly so important to me.”

Tears clouded Val’s eyes, although she couldn’t tell if they were tears of sadness or anger. Noir was not impaired by her watery vision, though, and they didn’t miss the flickers of recognition and relief on Zyra’s face.

“Yes. This information is controlled for a reason. It was too dangerous for you to know, and it’s still incredibly dangerous. I can only tell you what little I have because it is directly relevant to your case,” Zyra responded. “The question is, what will you do with the information now that you know?”

“What will I do?” Val’s grip tightened on the edge of the table, the wood splintering in the palm of her exosuit’s glove. “Isn’t it obvious? Get stronger and get justice for those who have been hurt by the Unshackled.”

Zyra nodded, her eyes hard. “Then our goals align. Everything I have done since learning about the Unshackled and becoming Guildmaster, I’ve done with the express goal of protecting all the innocents in Peakpoint from those rogue Users. Even if our citizens didn’t know anything about it.”

Suddenly, everything snapped into focus for Val. After her parents’ disappearance, Zyra had thrown herself at her work, eventually becoming Guildmaster in Alestranda’s stead. Her rise to power had left little time to comfort Val and the apparent power grab had turned large parts of the Messenger Guild and the Peakpoint elites against the Peakcour family, ostracizing Val just as she was about to start her Guild rotations. Part of Val had always blamed Zyra for abandoning her and making her life even more difficult, but now Val realized that Zyra had just been doing everything she could to track down what happened to Val’s parents.

“You know, things haven’t been easy for me since… you became Guildmaster. I see now what required all of your attention. But… I still could have used help the past few years. I could have used family,” Val said, her voice cracking with emotion.

Zyra’s face softened too. “I know. I’m sorry for everything you’ve gone through. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. It’s just–”

“No, stop,” Val said. She let out a little chuckle as she reached up and wiped the tears out of her eyes. “Don’t go ruining a perfectly good apology by bringing up work again.”

Zyra closed her mouth slowly before smiling at Val appreciatively. Giving Zyra a smile of her own, Val sat back down in her chair heavily.

“It’ll take me some time to process everything… but I’m glad we talked today,” said Val. Despite the seriousness of the conversation, it felt like some tension Val kept deep inside her soul release. She hadn’t realized how much she had missed talking with her aunt or even being in her childhood home.

“I’m really glad too. Thank you for trusting me enough to stay the night and for breakfast,” said Zyra, clearly feeling a similar sense of closure. She hesitated for a moment, but then continued, “You could always stay longer, if you’d like. There’s plenty of space here.”

Val shook her head. “No, I think… Thanks for the offer, but I think I need a little more time before I’d consider that.”

Zyra seemed unsurprised by Val’s refusal. “Where will you go instead? Can’t say I recommend your apartment or Fynn’s house. If you are still being targeted, those will likely be under surveillance.”

“I’ve been thinking about that a little bit on my way back to the city,” Val said, organizing her thoughts. “It’s pretty clear I need to get a lot stronger and that I won’t have any semblance of a normal life for a long time. So probably the best idea is just go all in and move into the Defect bunker. I can maximize my training time, and to be honest, they all seem crazy strong. I think I’ll feel safer around them than just about anywhere else.”

Zyra chewed on her lip in thought. “I’d normally agree with all of that, but the Irregular bunker is near the outskirts of the surface city. Not so far from where you got abducted the first time, actually.”

“Why is it that the Defect bunker is all the way out there, anyways? You can’t just keep calling them Irregulars and pretending there’s no discrimination,” said Val in an increasingly loud voice. “Here’s an idea: Why not build some of your most valuable Users a nice, secure headquarters closer to the rest of the Guilds instead of just hiding them under a pile of rubble in the middle of nowhere?”

Breathing heavily, Val felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment. It wasn’t Zyra’s fault that there was an inherent inequality, but it still bothered Val that the Council seemed comfortable with perpetuating the division between the Defects and the rest of the Users.

Well, no matter what rebuttal she has, I’m sure as hell not backing down on this.

“You’re right.”

For the second time in several minutes, Val felt her prepared words die on her lips. “W-What?”

“I said, you’re right,” Zyra answered. “The best solution is for you to stay with your squad and train, but only if you can stay in a more secure location. We can build a new outpost closer to the center of the surface city. Assuming your team agrees, of course.”

Val looked at Zyra for a long moment before shaking her head. It was easy to forget just how much power a member of the Council had. A team of Engineers could put up the new building in a matter of hours with Daemons doing the planning, a few Users lifting the materials into place, and nano doing the rest. Meanwhile, the Technicians and Merchants could outfit the building for a team of expert Users overnight if they had the funds and approval for it.

“Uhh, well… Wow, thanks. I didn’t actually expect you to agree with that,” said Val.

“Oh? Well, in that case, we can figure something else out.”

“No, no, that’s OK! It’s a great plan. I’ll, uhh… I’ll go check with them right now to see if they’d be fine with it.”

Val stood up in a hurry and started for the door. After taking a few steps, she sheepishly turned around. Zyra was watching her with one raised eyebrow and a slight smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

“Forget something?”

Without a word, Val stormed back over to the table, grabbed a handful of bacon, and stormed back towards the door. Stuffing one strip of crispy goodness into her mouth, she grabbed her helmet and rifle from the living room. Walking back towards the kitchen, she stuck her head around the corner. Zyra had returned to her own meal, quickly emptying her plate.

Likely in a rush to get back to work now.

Val hesitated but then called out. “I’m off. I’ll call you later once I figure out what I’m doing. If that’s OK.”

Zyra looked up in surprise, but just nodded. Val didn’t wait for another response, turning on her heel and nearly running down the hallway for the front door. It wasn’t until the front door was closed behind her that she let herself relax. For many families, that would have been an inconsequential moment, but it felt like such a big deal to her after these last four years.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Val started walking down the street towards the nearest tube entrance. There would be plenty of time to unpack all her issues with Zyra later. For now, it was time to return to the surface, let the Defects know she was still alive, and hope they’d be amenable to uprooting their entire lives for her.

You know, it sounds really egotistical now that I think about it like that.

Oh, I do know. I’m glad you said it first.