At the parking garage outside...
The young man, Syd Barrett, was slouched in the black BMW prepared for the mission. Of course, he could drive—and he wasn't exactly known for hitting the brakes often either...
Still, guarding the BMW wasn't his only job. There was also a Mercedes parked beside it that needed watching too.
Syd listened closely to his team's chatter through the comms, but deep down, he was more than a little pissed that he wasn't out in the field with them. The five others had democratically voted him into babysitting duty.
"...Great..."
He muttered under his breath... before his mind drifted to something else entirely—
I hope Kan won't throw hands with Jody mid-fight...
Inside the venue.
Model after model strutted past the catwalk in a futuristic fashion showcase, each one more dazzling than the last, while Sera clung to the edge of the stage.
"...Hmm... not bad..."
She kept walking along, trying hard not to let the glitz and glam pull her off mission.
She looked calm on the outside, but on the inside, her heart was pounding like a war drum. I mean, imagine knowing that in just a few minutes, there's going to be an explosion and a blackout—caused by your own team.
That's not even counting the handgun hidden under her outfit. Come to think of it...
This was starting to feel like a dry run for being a terrorist.
She tried to play it cool, drifting toward the makeup displays to kill time—when suddenly, someone bumped into her from behind.
Thump!
"...?!"
She turned to see who it was—he did the same.
"Oh! Sorry about that."
It was an Asian man in a white-and-black suit, slick grey ombré hair, green eyes, and an odd vibe about him.
"N-no problem..."
And with that, he vanished into the crowd.
Unaware of what just happened, Sera continued walking—until she unknowingly ended up at the edge of the main stage, where the hosts would be speaking soon.
She was now less than ten steps away from the trio: Blanchet, Euclid, and their partner...
In the elevator.
Jody and Roxxy were en route to the server room, following the blueprint they'd gotten from Jade.
Naturally, getting in wouldn't be easy. But there was something Jody had been wondering about...
"Hey..."
"...?"
"Why don't we just hack in remotely like we did with Father Peter back at the cathedral?"
"The systems are different."
Roxxy's eyes were fixed on her laptop screen. Her answer was curt, but clear.
Fair enough. Comparing the tech from some crusty old church to this place would be a joke.
After that brief question, the two went silent.
They were nearing the server room on the top floor—but there was a problem.
The guest elevator didn't go all the way up. So the only thing they could do now...
"...?!"
Jody watched as Roxxy shut her laptop and turned toward her.
She didn't really want to talk to Jody, but since they were forced to work together—
"Hands."
"...Hands?"
"Boost me."
"...Ohhh..."
Jody got it now. Roxxy, who was only 165 cm tall, needed Jody to clasp her hands together and give her a boost so she could reach the elevator ceiling panel.
Jody obliged.
With her laptop strapped to her back, Roxxy stepped onto Jody's hands and then pushed up—with one foot landing squarely on Jody's shoulder.
"..."
Jody felt... weird. Not because Roxxy was heavy—she wasn't—but it felt like Roxxy was intentionally grinding her foot against Jody's shoulder. Maybe she was just trying to balance herself... or maybe not?
Roxxy's crimson aura flared as a cold wave of icy energy rolled over Jody. Then came the clang! of a loose bolt hitting the floor.
Even without looking up, Jody could tell—the ceiling hatch had been opened.
"We're gonna have to climb—!"
But just as Jody spoke—
Roxxy Barrett stepped on her head. Using the crown of Jody's skull as a springboard, she hoisted herself out of the elevator.
The sole of that boot—fresh from a whole day of street grime—had just stamped itself across Jody's still-damp hair.
"...!!!"
Jody looked up in stunned silence.
Roxxy's expression was blank.
Jody ran her fingers through her hair—and sure enough, dirt from Roxxy's shoe was there. But Roxxy? She just acted like nothing happened.
"..."
Jody stared in disbelief at the girl above, brushing the grime off her scalp. Her expression said, "What the hell was that?"
"..."
"..."
"What are you waiting for?"
Roxxy extended a hand.
Jody didn't speak, but she grabbed on anyway, letting Roxxy pull her up.
It was pitch-black above the elevator. The light from below offered some faint visibility, but not much.
Now standing beside the younger girl, Jody glanced over.
"Tap your watch. It's got a flashlight."
Jody tapped the Thrak-issued watch Syd gave her—yep, flashlight included. Bright as hell, too.
Without another word, Roxxy grabbed a cable and started climbing, not even glancing back.
"...We seriously have to climb up this?"
"You fall, you die."
"..."
No other choice. Jody followed.
Inside the venue.
"...Status, Trigon?"
Euclid contacted their CIA ally, having to raise his voice over the swelling crowd. The floor was packed now.
[ Five minutes. ]
A voice replied through their small talk comms.
Everyone acknowledged it silently.
Backstage, Fred and Priya were preparing to go on and address the crowd.
Were they nervous? Stressed? Scared? Under pressure?
Hell yeah.
But they handled it like seasoned pros—no panic, no fear in their expressions.
Fred wrapped an arm around Priya and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"..."
Priya looked back at him with the same gaze... as the curtains parted, revealing a storm of camera flashes and the honored guests awaiting them.
Clickclickclickclick! A wave of applause and orchestral fanfare erupted through the hall as Fred & Priya stepped into the spotlight.
"Targets have appeared. Repeat: both targets are now in sight."
Blanchet reported to HQ.
The operation was in motion.
Beneath the building, in the restricted areas...
The facility was designed to near perfection.
Dozens of guards were posted throughout the electrical sector, and teams of engineers worked inside air-conditioned control rooms to respond immediately to any system malfunctions.
By all accounts, there was no way any guests from upstairs could accidentally wander into this part of the building. And yet...
One of the guards spotted a man approaching.
He was in a grey suit and a deep blue tie, looking quite lost.
"Excuse me... could you tell me where the bathroom is?"
The man, clearly Japanese, now stood face to face with the guard.
"Sir, this is a restricted floor—uhh—wait, what the—?!"
Before he could finish, another man emerged from a nearby service hatch and choked him out in one swift motion.
That man was Mickey.
He'd emerged from an electrical outlet—thanks to being, well, a literal current of electricity.
Together, the two quickly dragged the unconscious guard into the shadows.
Toshi slipped into the man's uniform.
Mickey phased back into the building's power grid.
Toshi, now disguised, passed through the guards with ease—until he reached the control room.
Electrical Room
Problem was—it was locked. Not with a basic key, but a dual biometric scanner for both iris and fingerprint.
Only the engineers in the nearby office could access it.
"...Hmm."
He shrugged and walked into the air-conditioned office.
"Hey."
Heads turned.
"Which one of you is in charge of the electrical room?"
After a moment, a man in the back raised his hand.
"That's me. What's up?"
"Come with me a sec. Boss needs to see you."
Toshi (still disguised) beckoned him.
"...Huh? What's it about?"
The engineer followed him into a blind spot—and just like that, Mickey ambushed from behind, silenced pistol drawn.
"!?!?"
The man froze in terror, Mickey's hand clamped over his mouth. He tried to turn, but Toshi gripped his face and held it still.
"Alright, buddy... wanna walk away from this? Then do exactly what I say. Otherwise, you can spend your last moments studying the floor tile pattern real close. Got it?"
Beep... tick... BEEP—click!
Thanks to the (very terrified) engineer's cooperation, Toshi and Mickey gained access to the control room.
Toshi leaned over to whisper.
"Alright... you're free to go now. Thanks."
But Toshi wasn't taking chances.
He pulled out a device from his jacket pocket—just a black cord attached to some cheap plastic blob.
He tied it around the man's neck.
"This is a bomb. Think about playing hero, and it'll splatter your skull like jam. I hear everything, got that? Just walk out. Quiet. If you wanna help someone, do it smart. Say you got off early, or you're taking a break, or whatever. Tomorrow, go tell the cops it was terrorists. You'll be fine. Now get."
Toshi patted him on the back.
The man bolted, gone in a flash, without saying a word.
"...Is that thing real?" Mickey asked.
"You serious? That's just a name tag."
"...Wow. Bit gullible, don't you think?"
"People panic. Tell 'em to spin in circles and bark three times, and they'll do it. You just gotta hit the right timing."
Toshi grinned.
Mickey thought back to what happened when Sera faced down "Mr. Cockroach"...
Didn't go quite like that, huh?
Still—better focus. They had work to do.