The big rig threw up sand as it tore across the desert. The sun hammered down and wind pushed grit left to right, building a small tornado in its wake.

  "How far till we get there...?" Tanner muttered, clearly bored - his job only started once they were inside.

  "See those mountain peaks over there? That's our place," Mack said. Varryance listened, quiet.

  "Ugh...so FAAAAR."

  "Yeah, well - this is the job. Hey, is everything working properly? I don't want to stall once we're there and have them figure out who we really are."

  "Mm...let's see. Engines are fine, cooling's good, fuel's topped off..."

  "Eugh..."

  "And the jammer's up and running. Nothing out of the ordinary."

  "Countermeasures?" Mack asked, and Varryance pricked up an ear.

  "Countermeasures? For what?"

  "In case we get compromised. We gotta be able to defend ourselves."

  "I can turn them on, but won't that look suspicious?"

  "Standby is a thing, Tanner..." Mack sounded annoyed.

  "Oh yeah...right." Tanner fumbled with his PDA. The warm-yellow screen glowed for eye comfort, options and instructions scrolling. To Varryance it all looked like gibberish.

  "Alright - it's on standby. Let me actually power them up," Tanner said, reaching to the truck ceiling and flipping five small levers.

  "Okay, done."

  "Now quiet. Your job starts when we arrive." Tanner sighed, leaning his head back, leg twitching. Varryance stared out at the flat desert; the road was just a line cutting through emptiness.

  The wasteland looked the same at every bend - sand, barren hills, ruined memories. A few small buildings still stood, shelters for scavengers and the desperate. Varryance and Tanner watched a couple moving among the crippled walls.

  "Poor guys, huh?" Tanner said.

  "Yeah...guess that was probably their home before the Flash," Varryance replied.

  "You said you lived in California - ever wonder if your house's still standing? Like, what if it's government-protected now, 'cause you're a hero or whatever?"

  "Tanner-don't be ridiculous. We all know IARO doesn't care about protecting people."

  "Heads up. We're almost there." Mack called as the checkpoint appeared at the bottom of a rise.

  IN THE TRAILER

  Isabel, Jax, Kael, and Felicia were strapped into side seats. Isabel kept looking toward Troy and Celene. Two consoles faced opposite ways; the seats were back-to-back. Troy manned the left console, Celene the right. Three big screens displayed different programs and files, both of them constantly tapping and switching.

  "Do you even know what you're doing? I mean-look at all the boops and beeps!" Isabel asked.

  "Isabel...as long as the rig's moving we need eyes on the road and the surroundings," Celene said. "We're also setting up software so their systems won't detect us."

  "Systems...like security systems?"

  "The ones that, if they recognize you, launch a mini-BPNG shell at you," Troy finished.

  "What we're doing now is preparing the AI to jam those systems. Their stuff is autonomous. We have guys who'll open the physical gate for us, but the systems can still see right through people."

  "And that AI...negates all of it?" Isabel asked, still clueless on the tech.

  "Basically. So to their systems, we're scheduled to be there-the AI makes it so." Celene explained.

  "All this tech mumbo-jumbo makes my head queasy..." Felicia admitted.

  "If it was about the parasite or the toxin, I'd say the same," Celene joked. Felicia mimed the gesture back.

  The truck stopped.

  "Everyone quiet!" Isabel ordered, though no one else seemed worried except Felicia.

  "Don't worry. They can't hear us. We're suppressed," Celene said, confident. "Whatever you do, do not shoot."

  The trailer door eased open. Three of them aimed at the entrance. Outside stood Mack and a Stormer - the supposed inside man. He stepped into the trailer and scanned the crew.

  "So you lot... Hey, Lady," the man said through his mask. He wore black urban tactical gear, a wrist-strapped PDA on his right hand, an energy weapon on his back with blue LEDs around the handle. The mask matched his clothes in camouflage; the eyes glowed blue with scrolling text.

  "Y'all didn't tell me you grabbed Varryance for this... how the hell did you find him?"

  "He found us. Come on - let's move. We'll look suspicious if we hang around," Celene said, the three still aimed.

  "Alright - be careful. Some people might know him. Let him know that." The man stepped back out, waving and shouting, "ALL GOOD - LET THEM IN!"

  Mack started to close the trailer door. A loud alarm rang; the gate opened. Then the truck started moving again. In the trailer it was dead silence.

  "That's insane...we can't hear anything in here," Felicia whispered.

  "So the outside folks can't hear us either," Jax finished.

  BACK AT THE COCKPIT

  "He fucking knew you?! Shit, that's bad - that's real bad, Mack!"

  Troy panicked, voice cracking. Mack barked back, harsh and commanding.

  "JAM US, YOU LITTLE SHIT! WE'RE OPEN OUT HERE!"

  "FUCK-SHIT-OKAY!!"

  Tanner yanked out his PDA and started tapping furiously. As they neared the checkpoint, turret cameras locked on to the rig's path. Just in time, the jammer kicked in - the cameras glitched, the turrets froze, then returned to neutral. On the feed, the pilots' faces were blurred beyond recognition.

  "Now stay on it and keep us hidden. Just hope Celene's jamming them too," Mack ordered.

  Varryance said nothing - helpless in this part of the mission. He stared through the windshield, scanning the base ahead.

  Stolen story; please report.

  They rolled past the checkpoint, turrets and armed Stormers lining the perimeter. The path split: straight led to a parking lot, right curved toward a smaller checkpoint. The front entrance loomed ahead, guarded by two men and several sharpshooters on the rooftop. Behind the structure, the mountains hid something vast - Varryance couldn't tell what.

  "This way!" shouted a Stormer, signaling them forward. He walked beside the rig, leading them toward the unloading zone behind the main building. That's when Varryance finally saw it - the mountains concealed a huge open facility, littered with military tents and Stormers pacing between them. Some wore hazmat suits. In the middle of it all was a massive alloy hatch, the size of a house.

  Mack steered left, backing the rig neatly into a small garage-like section marked DELIVERY. He didn't shut off the engine - keeping it running in case things went south and to keep systems powered.

  "Varryance. Your turn. Head to the back - they'll fill you in," Mack said.

  Varryance nodded, stepping out the passenger side. A group of Stormers surrounded the rig, but none spoke - just small nods of acknowledgment. At the trailer's rear, one Stormer stood guard by the hatch.

  "Not yet. Wait," the guard muttered. Varryance froze. The tone gave him away - this was one of the inside men. The Stormer's head turned side to side, scanning patrol routes.

  "Now you can. You've got five minutes before they swing back around," he said, moving aside.

  Varryance hauled open the trailer door.

  "Everyone ready? Sweet Christ, these guys look terrifying," Varryance muttered as Jax and the others began unbuckling.

  "Oh, Varryance - one of our inside men mentioned people might recognize you," Celene said from her console. "You are Varryance Preez, after all."

  Varryance just nodded, unbothered.

  "Felicia, forgot something?" Isabel asked. Felicia blinked, snapping back to reality.

  "Oh! Yeah - so, uh... we might've used your parasite as a camera and health monitor without really asking first... hope that's okay?" she said, already reaching toward him.

  "You sneaky bastards. Asking me now 'cause there's no turning back, huh?... Fine."

  "Sorry..." Felicia mumbled, placing a small camera-like device behind his ear.

  "That should do it," she said, stepping back.

  "All good?" Varryance asked. Celene's voice cut through next.

  "Plans changed. I said I'd do the inside play with you - that's off. Jax will take my place. It'll be you, Jax, Isabel, and Vanesa. Kael and Felicia stay here."

  "And Silas?" Jax asked.

  "He's helping us too - got here earlier," Celene replied.

  Varryance blinked. It hit him why Silas had disappeared from the outpost so early. A heavy knock on the trailer wall pulled him back - the inside man's signal.

  "Alright, move out. He'll show you where to go," Celene said.

  The squad followed the Stormer into the loading bay, weapons concealed, hearts pounding.

  "Keep close and keep quiet. Jax does the talking," the Stormer growled through a deep voice modulator, pushing open the small side door beside the massive garage gate.

  The squad entered the dim corridor beyond. Varryance's eyes darted everywhere - cameras, reinforced doors, ventilation shafts. The first room was a storage unit: vehicles, crates, and racks of weapons filled the space. Stormers milled about, their eyes following the newcomers like wolves sizing up prey.

  "So... anything interesting?" Vanesa's voice came - but her lips didn't move.

  Varryance froze. The words had echoed in his head as a slight buzz ringed his ears every time she talked - or anyone else for that matter.

  "It's because it is in your head. What Felicia did connected our neuro-parasites together. So yeah, I can hear what you think, Varry," Jax explained.

  "So if I talk to myself in my head, you hear me?"

  "Yup," Vanesa and Jax said in perfect sync.

  Varryance's mental voice groaned. No wonder everyone thinks you're a threat...

  "Heard that too!" Vanesa teased.

  "Can't even think privately..."

  "Heard that too!"

  Varryance clenched his jaw, the ear ringing was getting annoying.

  The Stormer ahead unlocked a door - the only entry leading into the main lobby from the loading bay.

  "Celene, we've got a problem," Jax said through the parasite comms. "There's a keypad-locked door. Only way forward."

  "Can't you ask him for the code?" Celene's voice came through the comms.

  "If there's one keypad here, there are probably more, with different codes if it's a NURO base." Varryance added through the link.

  "Noted. I'll see what I can do." Celene replied bluntly.

  The inside man pushed the door open; an alarm beeped once. Isabel looked at everyone weirdly. They look constipated - she thought.

  "The code is four-five-four-six. Every keypad has a different code, so be careful," he said. Celene added, "Good thinking, Varry."

  The squad moved into a small antechamber with two doors: one labeled MAIN LOBBY, the other unmarked but fitted with another keypad.

  Varryance spotted a camera watching the room as the Stormer punched the code for the next door.

  They entered the main lobby. A kiosk stood in the center, Stormers behind desks and armed guards posted at every corner.

  Jax stepped to the counter while the rest of the team waited behind him.

  "Equipment trade from Golden Complex," Jax announced.

  "Okay? What kind of equipment, moron-we get a bunch of trades coming in," one of the Stormers barked.

  "Research equipment and weapon parts," Jax replied.

  "Oh right-gutter trade. Sit tight on the couches at the entrance. My guys will handle unloading."

  "We can he-" Isabel started, but the guiding Stormer snapped at her.

  "You listen to him. Sit down!" he ordered.

  Isabel fell silent and backed off.

  Celene murmured into the comms: "Thin ice." Varryance followed the others to the couches.

  "So we've got the main lobby room and another keypadded room. That room's got cameras watching both doors," Varryance reported.

  "We can loop it like the turret feed. Anything else that i can't see?" Celene asked.

  "There's a set of stairs near the desk, and the elevator we need is to the left of the main entrance," Varryance added.

  "I guess that's keypadded too? Can't see clearly from your angle," Celene said.

  "Strangely-no. It's operated from the desk. No buttons on the elevator doors."

  "Guys, look at their weapons," Isabel whispered to the squad, her knowing the parasite link was a thing. Jax replied.

  "What about them?"

  "They use energy weapons. Any way to remotely disable them? They're fully electronic-not mechanical."

  "She has a point. An EMP would work, but then the elevator controls would be fried," Varryance said.

  "Just throwing it out there," Isabel replied.

  "The problem is-where's their control room? Where the cameras are. They've got eyes everywhere. We can't clear this place without pulling a big string," Varryance said. Jax whispered back so Isabel could hear.

  "Judging from schematics, the control room's upstairs. How to get up there is the question," Jax said.

  "You're Barge, yeah? Can't someone just super-jump to an outside window?" Isabel asked. Vanesa nodded.

  "She has a point-hope there's an open window or something we can climb through."

  "You four, we're done here. Come on," the guiding Stormer said curtly. Isabel, Vanesa, Varryance, and Jax rose and followed him back to the truck.

  As they crossed the loading bay, the Stormer added casually, "Skylight windows are open during the day-ventilation on the upper level doesn't work."

  They filed that away. Varryance wondered quietly how the Stormer knew they'd been talking about upper-level entry. At the trailer door, the Stormer stopped and turned.

  "I won't be on duty tomorrow, so listen: two of you will act casual in the lobby-same routine as always. The other two will go up through the skylight. We'll excuse your absence at the lobby as 'helping unload.' Follow the schedule. Be back tomorrow. They won't come looking for you."

  He knocked on the trailer; Kael opened it from the inside.

  "Hurry and get back," the Stormer urged, and shut the trailer door behind them.

  Varryance climbed into the cockpit at the passenger side. Tanner glanced up, still focused on his screens, and waved him over. Mack waited for the signal to leave; the Stormer waved. Mack hit the gas and made a sharp right U-turn, retracing their path down the hill and back through the second checkpoint. A Stormer escorted them as they exited. The cockpit fell quiet-everyone locked into their roles.

  They made it through the checkpoint without stopping.

  "Fucking hell. These guys are powerful. Their systems are nuts," Tanner said, leaning back with a relieved breath.

  "So, Varry...what happened in there?" Mack asked.

  "Everything as planned...but it's tricky. No direct way in-the only lead was that Stormer."

  "That was Silas," Mack said bluntly.

  "Oooh that's who it was...no wonder." Varryance replied. Tanner shrugged like he already knew.

  "He's a mute freak, but his skills outmatch everyone. He's been our inside man for ages-feeding intel on the Stormers," Mack said.

  "Every op he touched got wrecked because he kept leaking their plans. Gutters...Stormers, hiding in plain sight," Tanner added.

  "Reliable asset, hopefully he isn't doing the same against us, leaking intel to someone else, Mack can you stop somewhere so i can get in back? Talk about plans?" Varryance asked. Mack didn't hesitate and pulled over, keeping in Mind what Varryance said, Tanner too, they also needed a stretcher.

  "Thanks, Mack."

  Varryance climbed out as the rig came to a full stop in the soft desert sand. Wind flung grit into his face, and the sand underfoot gave way as he walked. He rapped on the trailer door; Jax opened it. So did Mack and Tanner open their cockpit doors to get out.

  "What's the holdup?" Jax asked as Varryance climbed in and shut the door behind him.

  "Told Mack to stop so I could come in and talk logistics about what we saw."

  "Got anything in mind?" Isabel asked.

  "Might be doable. Just might."