Florey excitedly drove up to the EHM building, humming to himself as he tapped his hands on the wheel. It had been a long time coming, and the fruits of his labour were already paying off.

Florey looked around for the employee parking lot, before coming across it and struggling to find a space. He drove through the entire lot, only to come up empty, as he settled for driving back to a spot a block away.

Right as he got out of his car, he heard an impressed whistle coming from behind.

“Wow. Look at Mister Paycheck.” Cassidy remarked, holding a sandwich and coffee. “Finally saved up enough for it, huh?”

“Yeah. The walk was nice and all, but it was starting to wear me out.” Florey admitted. “Cecil wanted to get me one, but I felt like earning it myself.”

“I can respect that. My first one was easily the worst car I’ve ever owned, but I loved it to death.” Cassidy admitted, joining Florey on his walk to the building. “Nearly crashed me into the first floor one time.”

“No kidding.” Florey remarked.

Cassidy nodded back, before looking up at the sky. “You know, you could probably ask Ryan for a reserved spot. Since you’re his apprentice and all.”

“Really?” Florey wondered, scratching his cheek. “It wouldn’t be an imposition?”

“You’re an employee. You’re allowed to park closer to the building.” Cassidy reasoned. “If I hadn’t parked in mine earlier, I would’ve offered my spot to you.”

Cassidy took another bite of her sandwich. “But just for today.”

Cassidy waited for a response, only to turn and find Florey with his tablet out, calling up Cecil, as she shook her head understandingly and kept walking. “I’ll meet you inside.”

Florey’s full attention was on the call, as he waited patiently for a response, right as the call went through.

“Hello?”

“H-Hi, Mr Cecil...it’s Florey.”

“Oh, Florey. How are you?”

“Good, good.” Florey replied, kicking his foot idly. “I was, uhh...I was talking with Cassidy, and she said I should ask about getting a reserved parking spot.”

“Does that mean you managed to save up for the Ranger?”

“Yes, I did actually.” Florey said, glancing back at it parked further down the street. “It’s parked about a block away from EHM, so I fig-”

“A reserved parking spot, you said?”

“Y-Yeah, that’s...just so I can...well, you know...”

“...tell you what. We actually have a separate parking facility.” Cecil admitted. “It’s reserved for another department, but you can use it for now. After that, I’ll see about getting you a personal space.”

“Y-Yes, sir, thank you.” Florey said, feeling his voice catch at the generous offer. “I won’t get in their way, will I?”

“No, of course not. Admittedly, you may even be transferred there in the future.” Cecil suggested. “Go ahead and use it. It’s the west exit off of Idis Street, just down a level. All the best, Florey.”

“You...as well.” Florey tried, before hanging up and smacking his forehead. Putting his tablet away, he headed back to his car to change over parking spots, as his excitement started to overwhelm him.

“My own spot...” Florey grinned, celebrating as he walked. “Everything’s really working out for me...”

———

Harley sprinted down the hall, charging past other students causally talking, as she beelined for the dorms, heading straight for Team Valiant’s dorm.

She was doing her best to control her breathing, but it was all she could do not to freeze up in panic.

“So Harley got eliminated?”

Julia nodded sadly. “Yeah. Her and Wess aren’t allowed to compete after what we did.”

“And is she okay?” Essex insisted.

“She’s fine. A little frazzled, but...” Wess said, turning to Julia. “...it seems she’s reflected a little on her actions.”

Essex let out a sigh of relief, as Sola hugged Essex unprompted.

“Thank goodness. If that jerk Archer had done anything...” Sola admitted, just as Essex realised she was being hugged, though didn’t do anything to stop it. “Is she getting back so-”

The door burst open, as the team turned to address Harley, only to realise she was sweating and panting, with visible panic in her eyes.

“Harley, what’s wrong?” Julia asked, as Harley tried to breathe. “I saw you tried to text earlier.”

“Are they refusing to hand back our weapons?” Wess suggested, only for Harley to shake her head.

“...they...” Harley got out, before catching her breath. “...they got stolen...”

The team reeled in shock, as the weight of Harley’s news sunk in for everyone.

“S-Stolen?” Essex asked, as Sola helped Harley over to the couch, before hurrying to get her some water.

“W-What do you mean stolen? That’s...” Julia asked, as Harley quickly downed the glass. “Harley, don’t kid arou-”

“I’m not kidding!” Harley yelled out, still panting. “I went to grab them...and then I got distracted...and when I got back...”

Harley slammed her fist on the coffee table. “...they’re gone. I lost them...”

“S-Surely that can’t be true.” Wess insisted, just as the team joined Harley in the seating area. “T-There have to be security measures in place. They’re stored in locke-”

“I didn’t...close it properly or something.” Harley admitted, slamming her foot down and grabbing her head. “I just wanted to get them for us and I fucked up all over again...”

“Hey.” Sola said, sitting next to her and resting her arm on Harley’s back. “Don’t beat yourself up. You’ve been through a lot lately.”

“...but they’re gone.” Harley reiterated, sitting back up. “All of them. My Buster Knuckles, Belvedere, Essex’s scythe...”

“Harley.” Essex said, sitting across from her on the coffee table. “This may be all of our weapons, but they can be recovered. This is not your burden alone. If you need our help, we’ll be there to aid you.”

Harley looked Essex in the eyes and stayed silent, quietly taking in her intentions, as Julia reached over the couch and rested a hand on Harley.

“...Essex is right. They’ve got to be somewhere.” Julia stated. “Do you have any idea who could have taken them?”

“Most likely an opportunistic burglar.” Wess proposed. “Venator weapons sell for qui-”

“Actually...I think I know who.” Harley said, silencing the room and rubbing her hands together. “...I saw her right after it happened. She was driving off...and I saw Essex’s scythe in the back of her car.”

Harley took a desperate breath. “...it had to be Rosalind Castello. I’m sure of it.”

“Rosalind?” Sola repeated in shock.

“‘Wicker’ Rosalind?” Julia asked, as Harley nodded back.

“She must have...I dunno, been spying on us.” Harley suggested. “I went to the Daiquiri Lounge before the fight, and Seears said there was a woman in there asking about us and where we were.”

“Was she tryna sneak away with the weapons while we were somewhere else?” Sola guessed, as Julia scratched her chin.

“Maybe. At least we know who...probably has them.” Julia admitted. “Except we don’t know where she is...”

“She would be with Wicker, correct?” Essex noted, only for Wess to raise a finger.

“Who we also don’t know the location of.” Wess pointed out. “They’re both an enigma at this point.”

“But she was on campus! Maybe there’s security footage of her taking them.” Sola suggested, sitting up. “If we show that to campus security, they’d have to help us out!”

Harley shrugged. “May-”

“We can’t do that.”

Everyone turned to Julia, as she shook her head in protest.

“...we can’t go to security.” Julia reiterated. “Not while there’s still a chance Faller is Wicker. If Rosalind did take them, then we can’t risk going to him for help.”

“But we can ask Dulce for help, right?” Harley asked.

“...no, no, Julia’s right. If we let anyone else in on this, word will undoubtedly get to Faller about the recently eliminated team whose weapons were stolen.” Wess begrudgingly admitted. “And if ‘Wicker’ finds out that we know about Rosalind...”

Sola started shuddering, as Harley instinctively wrapped an arm around her for comfort.

“...we should attempt to locate possible hideouts for Rosalind.” Essex suggested. “Ones where she could hide weaponry without it being considered suspicious. After that, we should plan out an attack in case we’re to confront her and Wicker.”

“Good idea. You guys get onto mapping that out, and I’ll get us some proper dinner.” Julia said, sighing out and staring at the setting sun. “This is gonna be a long night...”

———

Rosalind excitedly pulled into her empty spot, as the high she was riding all the way from the academy was still hitting her. She nestled her ute into her space, before getting out and whistling happily, just as the door to the main structure opened up.

“Hey, there’s the main man.” Rosalind remarked, just as Wicker made his way in, followed slowly by Salaire. “Oh, and he’s here.”

“Evening, Rosalind.” Salaire greeted, as she flipped him off.

“Rosalind. Is there any reason you texted me?” Wicker asked, only for Rosalind to kick the side of her ute.

“You tell me.” She said, indicating to the cloth covering the back of it, as Wicker raised an eyebrow, before tentatively checking under the sheet.

It took him a second to realise what it was, just as he lowered it again.

“Good move, right?” Rosalind let out, just as Wicker closed in on her with fury in his eyes.

“What the hell is this, Rosalind?” Wicker demanded, as Rosalind backed up slightly.

“I got their weapons.” She bragged, standing up a little more. “Team Valiant. They were dumb enough t-”

Wicker slammed his hand on the back of the ute, as Salaire visibly flinched.

“You took their weapons without informing me?”

Rosalind glared at him. “I had a limited window.”

“And you brought them here?”

“Yeah, so wha-”

“Are you in your right mind?” Wicker demanded. “Do you refuse to admit your actions have consequences?”

Rosalind grit her teeth, as Wicker tightened his grip.

“What if they placed a tracking device in the handles? What if their Whils let them locate objects?” Wicker insisted, stepping forward. “You didn’t think, did you? You just rushed in on instinct alone and almost led them here.”

“Hey, I did my fucking job. You said I couldn’t kill them. This is the next best thing.” Rosalind insisted. “If they’re dumb enough to wander into here, we know how to dispatch of them, which should be ten times easier now that they’re limping around without weapons.”

Wicker banged his fist on the car, as Rosalind shrank down slightly.

“You don’t make these calls.”

Rosalind snarled up at him, before slipping out of Wicker’s range. “Mission complete, boss. You’re welcome.”

She left into the main building in a violent huff, before Salaire wandered to Wicker’s side and breathed in through his teeth. “That could have been smoother.”

“We need to return the weapons without making a fuss.” Wicker said. “Let’s say one of our drivers came across her car and found the stolen weapons suspicious. We can return them while distancing ourselves from being responsible.”

“Easily done. I’ll find a driver who can cover for us.” Salaire agreed, pulling out his tablet. “We should also hold off returning them for a few days to add to the authenticity.”

Wicker stared at Salaire, as he briefly broke a sweat.

“U-Unless you don’t think that’s a good idea?”

“...we’ll transport them to a separate facility in the morning.” Wicker decided. “Somewhere a bit expendable in case they’re discovered. For now, we’ll have them moved inside.”

“R-Right, of course. Having them on site is...” Salaire said, only for Wicker to stare at him again. “...I’ll stop talking, sir.”

“Thank you.” Wicker let out, wandering back into the facility. “Rosalind’s already lit a fire under my ass. I’d rather not have the flame fanned with such an important deal coming up...”

———

“Out of everywhere in Detu City, there’s only so many places where a potential facility could be built.” Wess reasoned, as she spread out a map of the city over the coffee table. “The city’s seen a large revival in its infrastructure in recent years, so there’s hardly any abandoned buildings or warehouses to scope.”

“Plus, it’s all pretty centralised.” Harley noted, pointing at the circular structure of the city. “Everything builds up in Detu Central, while the surrounding area’s either residential or the academy.”

“...the central forest is fairly unmapped.” Essex remarked, noting the edge of the city where the forest started to bleed in. “If it were to be built there, it would mostly be ignored.”

“Actually, you can’t build there.” Julia called out from the kitchen, as everyone lifted their heads. “It’s considered ‘essential environment,’ so development’s not allowed to touch it. That’s why the academy hasn’t cut down the surrounding forests.”

“Right, but if this is being run by Wicker, they wouldn’t care about that sort of thing.” Wess clarified, sitting back. “Then again, how could they build something out there without drawing attention...?”

“Alright, that probably means it’s not there.” Harley said, crossing out the spot with a marker.

“Ooo, the HyperMall’s pretty big! What if it’s there?” Sola suggested, just as she got looks from the others.

“...”

“...”

“...we’ll keep looking.” Wess said, just as Sola pouted and leaned back on the couch, before turning to Julia.

“Hey. Is dinner ready yet?”

“Almost done!” Julia called out, going back to working on her rissoles, just as her mind started to wander to Rosalind and their weapons, what she was doing with them, what they would do without them...

...would we have to get new ones? Julia wondered, slowing down on her cooking. Would I have to take responsibility?...how are we meant the finish the rest of semester?

Her mind kept drifting, as the panic set in.

What if we get in trouble for losing them?...w-what if we get expelled?

Julia suddenly dropped her tongs, as they clattered to the floor, surprising the others.

“Sorry, sorry...” Julia excused, picking them up again, before continuing on dinner. “...please, something come through...”

“Skibbidy ba ba...skibby da...” Florey sung to himself, as he headed for the parking facility, appreciating the orange glow over Detu City as the evening slowly turned to night. He spun his keys around in his hand, as the satisfaction of a good day's work was settling in.

“I should thank Cecil for the park...” Florey wondered, making his way down. “What would he like as a gift?”

Florey thought on this, as he went across the line of cars, looking around for his.

“Maybe a trip? Something for him and Marcus...” Florey muttered, before rethinking it. “...then again, Marcus creeps me out...I probably shouldn’t say that out loud. For all I know, he’s around the corner.”

Just then, he managed to find his car, as he clicked the keys and chucked his bag inside, ready to drive off back home, just as he passed his side-view mirror with something in the reflection catching his eye.

As his curiosity started to get the better of him, he spun around and noticed a car across from him, with a cover over the back and something reflecting off the overhead light coming from the inside, just as he made his way over, slowly visualising what was underneath.

Once he got closer, the items came into view, as a pentagon-shaped jewel attached to a sword stood out immediately, giving him pause for thought.

“Belvedere?” Florey remarked to himself, before he pulled back the sheet, just as all the weaponry made itself clear to him, with it all belonging to Team Valiant.

Florey stepped back in surprise, taking a second to understand what he was seeing, before his hand started to lower on the sheet.

“What are their weapons doing here?” Florey wondered, thinking to himself. “And why are they...?”

Florey looked at them again. “Maybe they’re being modified? Or...something. Something like that...”

Florey’s instincts started to tell him to lower the sheet, as he did so and headed back to his car, only for a nagging feeling to tug at him to turn back around.

“...no, there’s a good reason for this. Just...one I don’t know.” Florey reasoned, only to realise he was standing still, still looking back at the car curiously.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped back over and pulled up the sheet again, before taking out his tablet.

“They wouldn’t be hiding at the bowling alley!”

“But it’s loud there!” Sola defended, folding her arms. “No one could...hear them scheming.”

“They wouldn’t be able to hear themselves.” Wess remarked, crossing it off the map. “Are we any closer to narrowing this down?”

“...perhaps there are quieter bowling places?” Essex offered, only to get judging looks from the others.

Just then, as Julia was finishing plating up everyone’s dinner, she felt her tablet vibrate in her pocket, as she went to grab it, right as the team found another potential spot.

“We haven’t even considered outside of Detu City.” Harley noted, pulling up a map of Central Point on her tablet. “What about Yue Wai? There’s barely anything up there. If I was running some evil organisation, I’d want to be as far away from people as possible.”

“Harley, we have to be realistic with our search.” Wess pointed out. “Technically, Rosalind could be anywhere in Daysend. If we start thinking that large, we’ll never find them.”

“Alright, well where’s your brilliant suggestion?” Harley argued. “We’re no closer to finding them anyway, are we?”

“Now don’t you start arguing with me. I’m not the reas-”

“Guys, wait.”

The team turned to Julia in the kitchen, as she stared down at her tablet.

“...I think I know where they are.”

“Really?!” Sola let out, jumping over the couch, just as the others followed.

“I just got a text...from Florey.” Julia said, showing off the tablet to them, as an image of their weapons stuffed into the back of a ute came up on screen.

“No shit! That’s it!” Harley yelled, pointing at the screen. “That’s the car that drove off earlier!”

“That is...” Essex muttered, as Harley hugged her surprisingly, causing her to blush all over again.

“You said Florey sent you this?” Wess asked, just as Sola took the tablet from her.

Julia nodded. “He just came across them...I don’t know how he found them, but he gave us directions.”

“Way to go, Florey!” Sola cheered, handing the tablet back. “Let’s go get them!”

“Hold on. We still don’t know what we’re getting into.” Wess reasoned, folding her arms. “Just because Florey found them doesn’t mean it’s safe to take them back.”

“Good call. Rosalind could still be watching over them.” Julia said, before scratching her chin. “...however, we should still try to get them as soon as possible. Since Rosalind took them from Harley when she did, they probably didn’t plan this out much, right?”

“Yeah, it seemed like a moment of opportunity sort of thing.” Harley reasoned.

“Right, so let’s hit them hard before they can get the advantage with their resources. Then we’ll be out before they can retaliate.” Julia suggested, proudly staring at the others. “What do you think?”

The rest of the team looked at each other, before smiling back at Julia.

“You really sounded like a leader just then.” Harley complimented, as Julia’s face turned a noticeable crimson.

“Oh, c-come on, it wasn’t that impressive...” Julia downplayed, trying to hide her embarrassment, just as Sola headed into the study.

“I’ll get some coats! It’s gonna be cold when we get there!” She noted, as Julia nodded and clapped her hands.

“Alright, everyone get ready. This is...gonna be a lot...” Julia admitted. “Let’s do what we can to prepare.”

The team split up and went to do their own thing, just as Harley took the moment to grab Essex’s arm before she could head into the study.

“Hey, just...while we have a moment.” Harley said, loosening her grip. “Sorry. I wanted to talk earlier, but...we kinda got caught up in all of this...”

Harley noticed Essex staring at her, before her nerves got the better of her. “B-But I promise we’ll get your scythe back. I know it’s really important to you and the clan...”

Essex nodded back, before taking a deep breath. “...these last few months have been...difficult. However, I hope that after tonight, we can return to some kind of normalcy.”

Essex bowed to her. “My apologies for having put you through so much. If I hadn’t burdened you with my emotions, you would not have been in distress when all of this had transpired.”

“...burden...?” Harley muttered, as Essex lifted her head back up.

“In some way, I feel responsible for what has transpired tonight...so in turn, I will make it up to both of us.” Essex assured. “Relias.”

Harley went to talk, just as Essex headed into the study to grab some text books, leaving her alone.

“...it’s not a burden...”

Harley was left standing in middle of the room, while Wess stood up and grabbed the sword mounted near her bed.

“If we’re heading out there, we’d best have some kind of protection.” She muttered, just as Sola noticed from the study and grabbed a large bag to hold it in.

Wess looked around for Julia and noticed her by the calendar, as she joined her side. “Planning something out?”

“I’m just making sure we don’t have any assignments due in the next few days.” Julia assured, hiding her face a little, as Wess went to reach out and grab her hand.

“We’ll get through this.” Wess insisted. “It’s a simple operation.”

“...hey. If you don’t think I’m...fit to handle this, at any point...” Julia prefaced, before turning to her. “Just let me know. I have no idea what’s gonna happen when we get there, and...”

“I can’t imagine anyone else handling this as well as you will.” Wess smiled, as Julia found herself blushing again. “You’ve got this. You’re the leader for a reason.”

“...yeah.” Julia said, pulling her hand up excitedly. “We’ve got this.”

———

The Flash-Rail ride was brief.

The compartment itself was fairly quiet, since night had just hit and the only occupants were Team Valiant themselves. They sat across from each other in silence, mostly readying themselves for what they might have to face once they arrived.

Sola was resting against Harley’s side, as Harley’s mind was jumping between recovering the weapons and Essex’s emotional state. Across from them, Wess sat cradling the bag their spare sword was in, as Essex stared out the window assuredly, and Julia tapped her hands on her lap.

Julia looked around the team, before noticing a few text books piled up on Essex’s lap.

“What are those for?” Julia asked, as Essex turned to her.

“Defensive measures.” Essex said, holding one up. “They’re large and heavy, and work well as improvised weapons.”

“Oh.” Julia let out, before turning her attention to the floor, just as the Flash-Rail pulled into the station to Detu Central.

The team hopped out and pulled on their coats, before Julia pointed them in the direction of where Florey said the weapons were taken.

“So, why did Florey come across them in the first place?” Wess asked, as the team headed down the night-stained street of Detu City. “Surely, he’s not connected to Wicker, is he?”

“Well, they’re in a car.” Sola pointed out. “Maybe Rosalind’s taking a break somewhere and just parked for a bit?”

“Are we approaching the location soon?” Essex asked, just as Julia pointed ahead.

“Should be...he wasn’t too specific, but once we...” Julia started, just as they rounded the corner, only to come across the massive monolith that stood solidly amongst the various skyscrapers of Detu City’s cluttered business centre...

EHM.

“No, no no.” Harley let out, stepping forward. “That’s...Florey works there, right?”

“Y-Yeah...” Julia let out.

“That explains why he was there.” Wess added, just as Julia looked back down at her phone.

“...th-this is the place.” Julia admitted “There’s an exit off of Idis Street.”

“I-I guess we’re going in there...” Sola let out, just as Essex helped her forward, following the rest of the team down toward the entrance.

Just as they headed downward, they came across a lengthy carpark, lined with a few cars under poor lighting.

“O-Okay. If the car’s gonna be anywhere, it’s here.” Julia managed, taking a breath before continuing.

The team scanned their way through the car park, thoroughly analysing every vehicle they came across, just a-

“I found it!” Sola exclaimed, jumping around and pointing at it, as the others hurried over to the ute.

Essex immediately pulled up the sheet on the back, only to find that the back of the ute was completely empty.

“They’re gone?!” Harley exclaimed, just as Essex frustratedly pulled the sheet back down.

“W-We were too late...?” Julia struggled, only for Wess to tap on her shoulder.

“I’ll give you two guesses as to where they would be.” Wess remarked, pointing at the nearby door that seemed the lead down into the building.

“If they’re intent on keeping them, they would be hidden within the building.” Essex pointed out, just as the team ran up to the door.

Sola pushed on the door to no avail. “They locked it.”

“Of course they locked it. It’s a business.” Wess argued.

“There’s gotta be some way to get in.” Harley said, as Julia started to look around for something to unlock it. “You reckon you could short the door out, Sola?”

“No way. My Whil’s way too powerful without my cannons. And even then, I’d just blow a hole in the wall.” Sola pointed out.

“Perhaps Harley and I could pry it open?” Essex offered, using her Whil on the door to change her hand to iron.

“Alright then.” Harley said, cracking her knuckles. “Expect a rush of security after this, guys. If we can-”

“Hey, wait.” Julia said, crouched down to the ground, before she picked up a scrap of paper covered in a dried layer of mud.

She hurried over to the others with it. “It kinda looks like an ID card. It’s falling apart, but...”

As she said that, Julia held up the card to the scanner next to the door, before getting it to line up just right. A chime came out of the scanner, just as the door opened up to them.

“Alright.” Harley let out, bumping Julia’s arm. “Someone’s looking out for us, huh?”

“I guess so.” Julia said, holding her breath, just as the door opened out to a claustrophobic hallway, filled to the brim with stale air and an uncomfortable energy.

“Is this part of the main building?” Essex asked, as Julia looked around and slowly shook her head.

“I saw the inside of the first floor when I visited Florey. This is really different...” Julia admitted, continuing down the solitary hallway, before coming across a fork in the road, with their only real direction being an open room emanating a still light.

The team snuck their way in, trying their best to stay silent, as they noticed two people across the room, sitting at a desk in front of several monitors, casually chatting.

“...lright, who do you think would win? Victoria Knox, or X-Ray in his prime?” One asked the other, with their feet propped up on the desk.

“Why are you even asking? Everyone knows Vector was the strongest member of Team Spectrum.” The other replied, annoying the first.

“Okay, fine, who would win? Victoria or Vector?”

“Victoria, easy.”

“Wha-why’d you change it if you were just gonna pick Victoria anyway?”

“Cause I wanted it to be a fair question. Vector’s got that deflecting Whil, and Ray just had that Whil that projected light.”

“You know what bothered me about that? That’s not an X-Ray thing. X-Ray's don’t do that.”

“I think they just wanted to call him that since his name’s Ray.”

“Right, but outside of the theme, at least have it make sense. It’s like back with Team Ballistic. We’ve got this army theme going on with Commander Major, Arty the Artillery, Semi ‘Automatic,’ and Collin ‘Colonel,’ then their leader Jack comes in with the nickname ‘All Trades.’ That’s nothing.”

“Again, they were matching that with his name.”

“Yeah, but his last name was already Sergeant.”

“...I mean, he was the leader. Maybe they didn’t want the other members to outrank him.”

“Outrank him? It’s a made-up theme. They’re not the real army.”

“Well, if it’s made up, then why’re you getting so mad about it?”

“I’m not having this argument again.”

Before the guards could continue, Harley snuck up and grabbed both of their heads, smashing them together and knocking them out cold.

They sank into their chairs, as the rest of the team breathed in through their teeth.

“Hey, Harley?” Julia asked, checking over the guards. “Can you do it a bit softer next time?”

“We coulda just tied them up.” Sola offered, sitting on the table.

“Hey, they work with Rosalind. I doubt they’re innocent in all this.” Harley pointed out. “And what if their buddies find them? We’d still have to deal with them later down the line.”

Julia sighed. “Alright, but that’s it. This place is terrifying enough, and we don’t want to start a fight we can’t win. We get our weapons, and leave immediately after.”

“It is difficult to make out detail in these.” Essex pointed out, looking over the video feeds from the surveillance cameras. “There appears to be one main floor connected by halls, with multiple rooms which could possess our weapons.”

“Is there somewhere that looks like a vault? Or a storage room?” Julia asked, as Essex pointed to a few rooms possessing cages.

“Possibly.” Essex said. “I will investigate those more thoroughly.”

“What about some sort of manufacturing room?” Wess asked, laying one of the guards on the ground and taking his seat. “This place is so industrial; it would make sense to have one.”

“That kinda looks like one.” Sola reasoned, pointing to a monitor. “Wait! Those look like weapons!”

Sola pointed frantically at what looked to be living quarters, or possibly a break room. “That’s gotta be it!”

“It might not be. Considering people like Rosalind work here, they may not necessarily be ours.” Wess said, staring at it intently. “But it’s a start...”

“Alright. I’ll go check out that manufacturing room.” Julia offered. “Sola, do you wanna take the living quarters?”

“Yes, ma’am!” Sola saluted happily, as Harley patted her head.

“I’ll look around as well. We may just stumble onto them if we’re lucky.” Harley offered, as Julia nodded in confirmation.

“I’ll stay behind here and watch over the cameras. If any guards are coming, I’ll text you as soon as I can.” Wess said, as Essex stared at the cameras again.

“We should return here with the weapons, or if in danger.” Essex said, scanning to find some sort of resistance waiting for them. “We will need to be quick. It won’t take too long for them to realise we’ve broken in.”

“Let’s do this!” Harley cheered.

“Stick it to ‘em!” Sola added, as the two high-fived, ready to leave, only for Julia to hold them up.

“Wait, wait. Before we do anything...”

Julia took a steady breath.

“Don’t...don’t do anything reckless, okay?” Julia said. “This isn’t like dealing with the Wailing. We might have to fight actual people, and ones who might want t-to...please don’t get hurt.”

Harley smirked, before giving a hug to Julia. “We’ll be okay. We’ve gotten out of tougher.”

She hurried out of the room, just as Sola went to hug Julia too. “And don’t you worry. No one’s tougher than me.”

She left soon after, just as Essex left her post at the camera feeds.

“We will make it out of this, Julia.” Essex assured, smiling to her. “Our weapons mean nothing if we are not there to use them. Peno Decu.”

Essex took charge and split off, just as Julia called out to her. “Good luck!”

Julia realised it was her turn to leave, as she started hyping herself up. “You got this. You’re a badass who won’t let anyone get in your way...y-you’ve got this...”

Just before Julia went to leave, Wess leaned out of her seat and kissed her, smiling back at her.

“One for the road.”

Julia smiled back and gave an overconfident thumbs up, before heading out proper, ready to take on whatever she might find.

Wess closed the door behind them, before getting comfortable in her seat, ready to survey.

“Where are you, Belvedere...”

———

Julia found her way down one of the numerous halls, taking her time to find any signs that might indicate direction or purpose. Unfortunately, the walls were mostly barren, save for the occasional locked door to break it up, as she trudged her way through in hopes of finding something.

Does Florey know about this...? Julia wondered, doing her best to distract from her debilitating nerves. He didn’t mention it when we met up...

She ducked her head around a corner cautiously, as the coast seemed to be clear. Then again, he probably wouldn’t be allowed to mention a place like this...

She turned her head back and rested on the wall. ...there’s no way he would. It’s just not like him...

She shook her head in frustration and continued on, just as an open door caught her eye.

But I don’t even know what they do here... Julia admitted, before checking that the coast was clear inside. EHM’s a manufacturing company, but that’s pretty broad...

Once she got in, she noticed the room was set up like a small workshop, including welding supplies, spare material, what looked to be an advanced computer meant for testing out technology. The whole place looked pretty haphazard, save for the clean workspace in the centre.

Julia’s eyes were immediately drawn to the blueprints in the centre, as she checked around her, before hurrying over to inspect them.

Most seemed like miscellaneous weaponry, with a few containment units here and there, but the one that caught her eye was buried in-between most of them, with the title ‘B-C-U' labelled at the top.

She pulled it out and inspected it, though it was unclear what it actually was, save for its square-ish shape and chip-like design.

This one’s different... Julia realised, laying it out on the workspace, before an idea came to mind. Maybe this is part of what Wicker’s doing?

She went and pulled out her tablet, holding it over the blueprint to take a picture, just as it vibrated in her hand, causing her to drop it in a panic.

She suddenly realised it was a text from Wess about some approaching guards, right as a few voices approached the room.

“...ear that?”

“Did something get knocked over?”

Julia panicked and grabbed her tablet, before ducking under the desk and holding her head, trying to keep her breathing still.

“I swear, I heard something here.” One of the guards mentioned, slowly coming in from where Julia had entered.

Julia realised she was started to breathe heavy, as she clasped her mouth shut, desperate to find a way out.

“Yeah, of course you did. It’s a mess.” The other guard mentioned. “You know Wicker never cleans this place.”

“Well, he was just here. I figured he would’ve put some stuff away, at least.” The first guard brought up, stepping back through the door.

“Uh huh. How long have you been working here?” The second guard joked, as the first guard punched their arm.

“I still get more hours than you. With an attitude like tha...” The first guard said, before trailing off, as Julia finally let her breath go and headed out from the second entrance, running down the hall.

Once she found a safe spot, she started taking heavy breaths, just as her phone buzzed in her hand again.

Wess [Are you alright?]

Julia managed to catch her breath, before typing out a message back.

Julia [I love you so much.]

———

“Who the hell builds a place like this?” Harley remarked to herself, staring at the continuous, featureless walls. A few rooms stuck out to her, but most amounted to generic office spaces or places for storing computer banks. For a large complex, it seemed awfully empty.

“So, if Rosalind’s here...” Harley thought through. “Then does that mean Wicker comes here too?”

Harley looked into another room. “Maybe...”

She moved on, before feeling a buzz from her tablet and seeing it was a warning from Wess about a few approaching guards.

Harley noticed them coming in the opposite direction, before quickly ducking into one of the side rooms, waiting for them to pass.

It’s almost like a compound. Harley thought. So, Wicker’s got enough to money to build this place and run it...

She sighed out and stared at the ceiling. And we’ve made enemies with them.

She rested her head on the wall, as the image of Rosalind grinning while making off with their weapons played in her mind.

How am I gonna make it up to the others? Harley mulled over. I was so shitty to them...all because...

She dropped her head back down. ...how am I gonna make it up to Essex? She won’t even hear me out...

After giving it some more thought, she quickly remembered where she was and got back up, checking the halls again for any more guards.

Noticing the coast was clear, she continued on her path, waiting to find anything of interest. Fortunately, she stumbled across what looked to be a break room, though only in the most basic sense.

She glanced inside, before spotting a couple employees about to leave and hiding quickly, letting them pass.

“...ight, but a wall’s completely needless. We’ve already got the Eldos Mountains.”

“Yeah, but they’re not close enough to Detu City. Wailing can stil...”

Harley watched them disappear around the corner, before going in herself, digging around for anything of note.

“They wouldn’t hide weapons in the break room...” Harley rationalised to herself. “But if they did, I’m gonna feel real stupid for not checking...”

She dug through a few more drawers and cabinets, being mindful to check for more approaching guards, only to miss someone about to come inside, before spotting her and hiding behind the entrance, peering in cautiously.

Who the hell is that? Salaire thought to himself, trying to slow his breathing. I nearly ran into a complete stranger without thinking.

He did his best to glance around the corner, thankful that she had her back to him.

She doesn’t look like she works here... Salaire wondered. She’s incredibly muscular. Maybe a Venator? Perhaps she’s collecting some weaponry...

Salaire realised the obvious and hid himself a bit better. It can’t be...is she looking for those weapons Rosalind took?

Salaire watched as Harley dug around a couple of the higher cabinets. She’s certainly young enough to be a student. And she’s clearly not familiar with the space.

Just as Harley finished up searching, ready to head out the other way, Salaire quickly noticed her approaching and immediately sprung to action.

“One of those Venators students, I presume?” Salaire greeted, stepping into the doorway, as Harley immediately entered a combative stance.

“Who the hell’s asking?” She said, fists at the ready, before Salaire collapsed to his knees.

“Please, you’ve gotta help me! These people are crazy!” He demanded, grabbing at Harley’s arms. “They said if I didn’t help with what they were doing, they’d kill me! You’ve gotta get me out of here!”

“H-Huh?” Harley let out, backing off, just as Salaire started crying.

“Y-You’re my only chance of escaping! I heard this Venator team were running around and I just knew they could help!” Salaire insisted, clasping his hands together.

They already know about us breaking in? Harley realised, breaking a sweat. Shit. We need our weapons fast.

“Please let me come with you!” Salaire begged. “I-I know about money! All sorts! Clean and dirty!”

Harley’s suspicion started to wash away, as she showed her hands. “A-Alright, just calm down. I’ll...see what we can do.”

Harley glanced around them. “We can’t do much without our weapons, so if you can help me find them, we’ll help you out of here.”

“R-Really?” Salaire replied, stars in his eyes. “Oh, thank you! You have no idea how grateful I am.”

No, I have a pretty good idea. Harley admitted, pulling out her tablet. “Hold on. I’ll ask my team whether they’ve found them ye-”

“Thank you!” Salaire said, getting up and grabbing Harley’s tablet, before running out of the break room in a sprint. “And so long!”

“Wha-” Harley let out, before gritting her teeth and chasing after him, her fists once again at the ready.

“What a chump! Alright...” Salaire read aloud, looking over Harley’s contacts while he ran. “Julia, Wess...Sola and Essex. That’s five...she said we...so they’re probably...all here too...”

He started to get winded and ducked into one of the side rooms, waiting for Harley to pass.

“I can hand this off to Wicker...” Salaire wondered. “Then again, he already knows about them, so it’ll only be so useful.”

Salaire smirked to himself. “Rosalind might get a kick out of it. I’m sure she could come up with some pranks to pull using it.”

Salaire failed to notice the lack of running coming from the halls. “I’ll just do the classic. Bank details, personal information an-”

Before he could continue, Harley clocked him in the face, sending him flying across the room and into the wall, sliding down to the floor. She walked over and picked up her tablet, before forcefully closing the door behind her.

She hurried back to the break room and grabbed one of the spare chairs, then went back to the door and propped it under the doorknob, locking Salaire inside.

“Sorry, Julia, but he had it coming.” Harley said to herself, checking her tablet to make sure he hadn’t messed with anything. “Was he lying about knowing we’re here?”

Harley sighed in relief, before pocketing it again. “There’s no alarm going off, and the guards didn’t look like they were hunting us down.”

Harley tapped her chin. “But he knew we were Venators...that’s not a lucky guess...”

Harley pulled out her tablet again and wrote out a group text for the team. “Better let the others know.”

———

Jules could hear footsteps coming from the hall.

Compared to the usually quiet soundscape of the facility, she didn’t know what to expect. Having spent so much time in close proximity to her co-workers, it was easy to recognise whoever was walking down the hall, and with her solitude, there wasn’t much else to focus on.

But these steps were more frantic, and a bit bouncier. Nothing like Salaire, nowhere near Rosalind...

...so I have to do my job.

Jules prepared herself, hiding just inside her personal living quarters, waiting for the steps to get closer, as she grabbed for her combat knife.

The moment the steps reached her doorway, she pounced, pining whoever it was to the ground with the knife to their throat.

Jules grabbed their collar with her other free hand and stared angrily into their eyes, before recognising who it was. Sola was cowering on the floor, quickly adjusting from her previous obliviousness to shock to panic, then to crying, as she had no idea what to do. She could feel Jules pulling on her collar, worsening her pain with each second.

She closed her eyes tightly, hoping to hide away, just as Jules let her go and stood up, reeling from the realisation of who she was so suddenly attacking.

Sola took a second to register that she’d been freed, before she opened her eyes again to find Jules standing over her, still holding the knife.

Sola backed away carefully, only for Jules to drop the knife on the ground, displaying her palms peacefully. Sola stopped moving back, but still kept her distance, as she noticed the pain present in Jules’ face.

[I’m so sorry.] Jules signed back to her. [I...I heard footsteps.]

“W-What are you doing here?” Sola asked, standing up as best she could.

Jules went to answer, but thought better of it. [What do you mean? What are you doing here?]

Sola wiped her nose. “Some mean jerk named Rosalind stole our weapons! We’re taking them back!”

Jules blinked.

They know Rosalind? Jules thought. Is this the team she kept complaining about?

[Is your team’s name Team Valiant?] Jules asked, as Sola hid her face.

“...yeah.” Sola said, touching her fingers together. “But I don’t think I should tell you that...”

Sola stared at the floor. “Last time we were together, you...joined up with her and ran away...”

Jules couldn’t help but relive the moment, as she tried to push it down.

[It wasn’t my choice.] Jules sighed. [I was forced to go there...]

Sola looked back down at the ground, still visibly dejected, before Jules grabbed her attention again.

[Where are your weapons stored?] Jules said. [I can help you find them.]

Sola’s eyes lit up. “R-Really?”

Jules nodded back, as Sola immediately sprung to life. “Great! That’ll be so much easier!”

Sola pointed to the individual living quarters littering the sides of the hall. “They might be somewhere here. If not, then they might be in a storage room.”

Storage room? Jules wondered, following behind Sola as she searched each room. Does she mean those ones? We wouldn’t keep weapons there...

The duo walked in silence, checking each open doorway for a sign of the weapons, as Sola felt the need to fill the silence.

“So, you and Rosalind were together during the attack...” Sola clarified. “And Rosalind works for Wicker, apparently.”

Sola turned to her. “Does that mean you work for Wicker too?”

Jules slowly nodded in reply.

“Can you tell me who they are?” Sola asked.

Jules gave a firm headshake in response.

“Alright. At least we know where they’re working.” Sola pointed out.

Sola ducked into another room, before coming up empty again. “Lotta spare rooms here. Are you friends with Florey?” Sola wondered, as Jules’ jumped at the word.

She turned to Sola. [You know Florey?]

“Yeah. He’s Julia’s friend. I’ve told you about Julia.” Sola pointed out. “But that was a while ago...”

Sola ducked into another room, before becoming briefly distracted by it.

“Is this your room?” She asked, staring at the near featureless, basic living arrangement that Jules had jumped out of, no larger than the team’s dorm room kitchen.

[...yeah.] Jules admitted. [How’d you guess?]

“Well, you don’t seem very happy, and there’s barely anything here.” Sola reasoned. “If you did feel comfortable here, you probably would’ve decorated more.”

Jules couldn’t argue with her logic, but still insisted they leave her room, at least to speed up finding the weapons.

“This is Rosalind’s room, huh?” Sola said, ducking into the next room, as Jules just nodded back to her.

The place was a mess, which was only made worse by the cramped size. The fridge was packed, and clothes were lain about without any care. The only thing that looked clean was the seemingly brand-new TV, and a spare sword laying on the wall.

Sola immediately recognised the pattern running down the blade and recalled when Julia’s life had been threatened during the attack.

She scowled at it, before knocking the sword over for some catharsis, only to find a sheet hidden underneath it, propped up against the wall.

Followed by Jules, Sola lifted up the sheet and gasped, pulling it back completely.

“There they are!” Sola cheered, lifting up her arm-cannons. “I missed you guys!”

Jules noticed the rest of the weapons piled together, as Sola did her best to grab her cannons and Harley’s Buster Knuckles.

“Come on! Let’s get these back to the team!” Sola encouraged, ready to head back, only for Jules to stop her suddenly.

Jules’ hands were noticeably shaky. [I-I can’t take these back with you. If he...if W-Wicker ever found out what I was...I can’t do this again...]

Sola blinked, before pumping her fists. “Who cares what he thinks! Fuck that guy!”

Jules held a hand over her mouth and stared back at the hallway, just as Sola grabbed her shoulders.

“You hate it here! It’s plain as day! This has gotta be torture for you!” Sola pointed out.

Jules didn’t argue back, as she could feel her eyes welling up a bit.

“If you don’t want to be here, then you’ve gotta leave!” Sola insisted, huffing out. “It’s not fair to yourself to stay.”

Jules shook her head again, more frantically. [It’s not that simple. You can’t just leave. I can never...]

Sola watched Jules try to hold back a few tears, before grabbing her hand. “Then do it now.”

Jules stared at her in disbelief.

“We’re leaving here tonight. And we’ve got our weapons now!” Sola said, showing them off. “We can protect you. Then you won’t have to worry about Wicker anymore.”

Jules waved her hands again. [I-I'll just be a b-burden...]

“Nu uh!” Sola insisted. “You so won’t!”

Sola picked up Essex’s scythe and lay it in Jules’ hands. “Especially if you help carry these.”

Jules rested the handle against her palms, accidentally letting a few tears land against it, before she tightened her grip and nodded back, exciting Sola again.

“Alright, no more time to waste!” Sola insisted, pointing back down the hall. “Show me where to go, cause I forgot how I got here!”

Jules grabbed up Julia’s rifle and Wess’ sword and shield, before noticing Rosalind’s spare sword and taking it as well, just as she caught up with Sola, ready to feel the fresh air once again.

———

Essex was finding the halls harder and harder to navigate. The lack of any landmarks or clear direction was frustrating enough, but unlike the academy, there weren’t even any windows to orient yourself.

Essex constantly checked her surroundings, her textbooks at the ready just in case she was being followed, even as she desperately wished for her scythe back.

...we will make it out of this. Essex assured herself. I cannot burden the team any further. I will not be a forseca for them.

Fortunately, Essex seemed to find what she was looking for, as one of the hallways looked to be leading to a storage room of some kind.

She hurried over, before finding herself walking across a railing, with the rest of the large room filled with empty cages, decrepit from lack of use.

She slowly made her way down the stairs to the floor proper, scanning the room for any sign of repurposed weapon storage, only to come up empty.

Suddenly, the door closed.

“I had a suspicion.”

Essex turned frantically, as she noticed Rosalind standing proudly on the railing Essex had just come down from, with her hand planted firmly on the door.

“Of all the dumbass moves your team could have pulled, you came into here, somehow, and started wandering around.” Rosalind mocked, as Essex did her best to chuck one of the textbooks at Rosalind’s head.

Rosalind just dodged it, smirking back at her, right as a loud, blaring alarm rang out through the room, accompanied by a flashing red light near the door.

“Guess your break-in’s not so secret now.” Rosalind mocked, climbing over the railing, before hopping down to Essex’s level.

Rosalind lay her hand over her sword, as Essex found herself backing up, realising just how unmatched she truly was without her scythe.

“It’s about time we address our unfinished business.” Rosalind insisted. “Finally, the revenge I so deserve. So...”

Rosalind grinned.

“...feel like making an enemy?”