A loud knock echoed through the building. Vanesa opened the door, her expression curious.

  "Hey... I'm looking for Varryance. I was informed he's here? Unless it's the wrong building."

  "Yeah, sure, come in. He's asleep right now." Vanesa smiled warmly, gesturing for her to enter.

  Mercy stepped inside, glancing around the hallway — instantly jealous of the clean, sturdy interior. It put her rough cabin back in Maridyia to shame. She kicked off her boots and extended a hand for a firm shake. Vanesa accepted it.

  "Isabel, right?"

  "Yeah. How do you know?"

  "Well, I know Varryance was with someone during the incident. Figured it had to be you. I'm Vanesa."

  "Vanesa... nice to meet you." Isabel gave a warm smile and followed her into the kitchen.

  They sat down at the table. Isabel didn't waste time.

  "So, I heard you're going to help us fix Sam, or...?"

  "Yep. I already have a plan in motion."

  "Fill me in?"

  "Well, I did say it's in motion. A lot of thinking done, but not all of it's clear yet. It's centered around Fort Marrow."

  "But considering it's Stormer territory—" Isabel began.

  "—It's occupied by them," Vanesa finished.

  "Then I guess we'll need to scout the area first."

  "No need. I already sent one of my men. He's got maps and everything."

  "Handy one, aren't ya?" Isabel smirked.

  "Eh, just doing what I can." Vanesa shrugged.

  "Will it be difficult? Fixing her and getting what we need?"

  "Fixing her? I'll manage. The problem's the parts. First off, it's Stormer territory. Second, she's a prototype. Her parts are rare."

  "Right..."

  "Right."They both noticed the silence — the room too quiet. They shared a grin.

  "Coffee?" Vanesa offered.

  "Yes, please." Vanesa got up, heading to the counter. Isabel leaned back slightly, eyes locked on Vanesa.

  "Varryance. What was he like?" Vanesa turned on the machine, leaned against the counter, arms crossed. Her hair draped over her chest."Why ask?"

  "Heard talk around here while I walked through town. Seems you Barge folks knew him well before the flash."

  "Mm. I'm not big on talking about his past."

  "Why not?" Isabel's gaze sharpened.

  "Because the government already exposed every detail of his life — everything he did during the war. I'm not about to be like them."

  "Fair enough, I guess. But c'mon, tell me something cool about him. Who he was, for example." Vanesa's tone softened, pride creeping into her voice.

  "Varry was a freelancer. Mercenary. He reminds me of The Stranger sometimes."

  "Really?"

  "Yeah. If the pay was right, he got the job done. No disappointments. One of his most impressive gigs was infiltrating a terrorist base on an island. He destroyed it — more fortified than most countries — without breaking a sweat."

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  "Woah... alone?"

  "All alone."

  "No wonder he saved Maridyia when the Gutters tried to invade not so long ago."

  "So he was the so-called hero? Not impressed." Vanesa grinned, but her pride showed through.

  "You seem to like him a lot." Isabel tilted her head.Vanesa looked at her, almost offended.

  "Like him? He's my idol. You should see my office in the garage." She laughed. Isabel chuckled, not surprised at all.

  "Then I guess this job will be a breeze with Varryance on our side, huh?" Vanesa's mood shifted slightly, her tone sharpening.

  "Don't underestimate the Stormers. You do know how they operate, right?"

  "Vanesa, I've only run into them once or twice. No clue how they work."

  "Hand some idiot a gun? Dumb move. Hand them an entire pre-flash IARO fortress? That's suicide."

  "They're that dangerous?"

  "Besides us, they're the most dangerous group out there, mainly because of their firepower."

  "Just hope the Noire Siblings don't get involved..." Isabel muttered. Vanesa raised an eyebrow.

  "Oh yeah, shit... forgot about them. What even happened at the Capital?" Isabel exhaled and tried to explain.

  "Honestly? No idea. They just showed up at the bar and nuked the place. We survived by some miracle. Varryance was inside when it went off."

  "Those two give me the chills... true monsters."

  "Yeah. So I assume we're not using any nukes in our plan?"

  "Clearly." Vanesa let out a sigh. They both turned their heads toward the door as Varryance shuffled in, hair a mess, eyes red from rubbing.

  "Mmm... what are you two talking about?" he mumbled, yawning mid-sentence.

  "Morning, sleepyhead." Isabel smirked.

  "Morning, Varry." Vanesa's mood brightened as she greeted him.

  "Anything to eat? Kinda starving..."

  "Yeah, sure, come sit!" Vanesa offered. As Varryance plopped down at the table, Vanesa suddenly remembered—"Shit, Isabel — your coffee!" She quickly handed it over."No worries." Isabel took it with a warm nod.

  "Mmm..." Varryance grunted, eyes half-shut. Both women giggled.

  "What?" asked Varryance as the two girls shook their heads at the same time.

  "No, nothing..." Vanesa turned back to the fridge, pulling ingredients for a quick meal. The kitchen was filled with a warm, cozy aroma when the food was heated. She laid down plates — one for Varryance, one for Isabel, and one for herself. They all ate quietly for a moment, the silence oddly comforting.

  "So..." Isabel broke it with a glance toward Varryance, "We're headed to Fort Marrow soon, yeah?" Varryance looked up from his plate.

  "Huh? Oh—yeah, I guess so. Vanesa mentioned it earlier."

  "Stormers own that place now," Isabel said between bites.

  "Of course they do, whoever they ate" he muttered.

  "Vanesa said she already sent someone to scout it out, the same guys that attacked us at the town."

  "That true?" Varryance turned to her.

  "Yep. Someone trustworthy."

  "We got a name?"

  "You remember the guys that saved you? Yeah those two." She smirked.

  "There were two..?" he sighed, shaking his head.

  "Yup...hopefully you'll meet em when we do the actual heist." Isabel set her fork down and crossed her arms.

  "I'm gonna say it now — if this place is crawling with Stormers, we need a proper fully fledged plan before stepping near it, like you know spend an hour or two talking about it." Vanesa nodded at the comment, replying.

  "We will, relax. Once we get the map, we'll organize a route. I'm not planning on losing anyone over Sam." Varryance frowned.

  "Don't say it like that." said Isabel

  "What?"

  "Like she's not worth it. We owe her more than that, that subway gig that we did at the barren? Since you know it all? Yeah we came out there alive because of her." Vanesa blinked, realizing what Varryance meant.

  "Sorry. Didn't mean it that way. I just... I've lost too many people already."

  "Haven't we all..." Isabel muttered under her breath .The table fell quiet again, heavy with shared memories none of them wanted to say aloud. Vanesa stood and began clearing dishes.

  A loud knock echoed through the building.

  "I'll get it, you eat in peace," said Vanesa, as Varryance mumbled something with his mouth full, nearly choking.

  "Roger that."

  Vanesa went down the corridor, opening the door to reveal Jax, carrying several papers.

  "Good noon, m'lady," said Jax, offering a quick nod. Vanesa greeted him with a warm smile.

  "Hey, come on in. Varryance is eating right now."

  "Ah, let the man have his lunch in peace, came to talk about the raid but guess we'll do it in the autoshop?".

  "Yeah, sure. Just put everything in the helicopter and wait for us there. We'll be ready soon."

  "Alright, see you soon," Jax said, stepping back and heading toward the stairs that led to the roof. Vanesa closed the door behind her and returned to the kitchen, finding Varryance at the sink, washing the dishes.

  "What are you—?" she asked, her voice tinged with mock annoyance as she watched him scrubbing away.

  "Tried to stop him, but... okay, I didn't even try, honestly," Isabel giggled, and Varryance shared a smile.

  "If I'm gonna eat, I'm sure as hell cleaning up after myself."

  "Just leave it there; we gotta go. My men already scouted the area. We're meeting at the to talk logistics." Vanesa explained.

  "Alright, let's go, girls." Varryance rose from his seat, stretching his arms and cracking his neck with a faint grunt.