April 25, 2021. 00:39. Burnaby. 5 days left till Italy.
"We went streaking in the park, skinny-dipping in the dark!"
We belt the line so loud the mics nearly clip—three girls tangled together in one chaotic chorus.
Shock throws her head back like she's headlining a tour, mic in hand, soprano sharp and wild. Azure leans in on the other mic, grinning wide, her contralto cutting rough but steady, grounding the harmony. I sway between them, hips rolling with the beat, my mezzo voice sliding in to fill the gap.
"Then had a ménage à trois last Friday night!"
The boys erupt with cheers. Tetra nearly chokes on his beer, clutching his stomach while trying to keep pace with the backup vocals. Remi howls, "FIREEEE!" between mouthfuls of pizza, waving his free hand like he's conducting an orchestra. Mister works with surgical precision, slicing and handing out pieces. Remi keeps swiping seconds before anyone else can, and Mister wordlessly keeps pace.
"Yeah, I think we broke the law!"
Azure jabs her finger skyward like she's calling to an invisible crowd. Shock grabs my hand and spins me, and we almost topple over the rug but catch ourselves, laughing through the stumble.
"Always say we're gonna stop-op, oh-whoa!"
Michelangelo claps along in steady rhythm, optics adjusting with every strobe of the RGB lights, his expression unchanged but his timing perfect.
"But this Friday night—"
I throw my shoulders back and forth, wig shifting as I play it up for the others, laughing and sticking my tongue out as I shake it loose. Azure mirrors me, and Shock bumps between us.
"Do it all again!"
We throw our arms wide, voices cracking, the last word echoing off the walls. Shock dives into a bow so exaggerated she almost faceplants. Azure's still laughing, hair sticking to her flushed cheeks, and I can't stop smiling even as my throat burns from yelling.
The guys cheer like idiots. Remi tosses his crust into the box and whistles loud enough to rattle the window. Tetra raises his beer in salute, grinning from ear to ear. Even Mister pauses mid-slice to give us a polite nod, before going back to work. Michelangelo just keeps clapping, like applause is the only language he speaks.
As the noise dies down, Remi's already waving for another mic. "Aight, pass—"
"Nope!" Shock cuts him off, snatching the mic from his hand and holding it to her chest like a trophy. "My solo. I earned this!"
Remi groans but throws his hands up in surrender, grinning. "Fine. Show us what you got."
Azure and I exchange a look, still breathless from laughing, before slipping back down onto the couch. My legs fold beneath me, muscles easing as the chaos swirls on without us.
Shock is already queuing up her next song, bouncing in place as the screen flickers with the karaoke menu. She scrolls with one hand, mic clutched tight in the other.
Remi leans back, wiping sauce from his fingers on a napkin, then suddenly points across the room. "Yo—after your solo, I'm singing another one with Big M." He jabs a finger at Michelangelo.
Michelangelo pauses mid-clap, head tilting. "Big… M?" His voice is flat, but there's a faint edge of confusion.
"Yeah," Remi smirks. "Didn't feel like we saw eye to eye earlier, but hey—it's a party. I'm cuttin' you some slack tonight. A nickname feels right."
Shock twists from the TV, brows raised. "A nickname? What about the rest of us?"
"Meh." Remi shrugs. "Half the people here already use codenames. Same thing, far as I'm concerned."
Shock fake-pouts, then breaks into a laugh. "Fair enough. Big M it is." She turns back, only to pause as her gaze sweeps over the empty bottles in the corner. "Wait… did we run out of drinks?"
"I'll check." Remi hops up, brushing crumbs from his pants as he disappears into the kitchen.
From the couch, I catch Tetra glancing at his phone again, thumb moving quickly across the screen. His expression hardens, serious in a way that cuts against the room's mood. Before I can say anything, he stands with his beer in hand. "Give me a sec," he mutters, slipping down the hall into a quieter spot. "I'll be back."
The party hums on. Mister sets the pizza tray back on the counter. "Anyone else?" he asks, visor tipping towards us.
I shake my head. "I'm good."
Michelangelo gives a single shake too. "No, thank you."
Azure waves him off, already pushing herself up. "I'm fine. Gonna hit the washroom anyway." She stretches, then calls over her shoulder, "Might see if Remi found anything in the kitchen while I'm at it."
Mister inclines his head. "Very well." He slides the box shut, then moves to the kitchen. "I should clean up, then."
Shock clears her throat into the mic, pacing in front of the TV like she's psyching herself up.
Michelangelo sits patiently nearby, hands resting on his knees. "Do you have a song in mind?" he asks.
Shock bites her lip, scrolling the karaoke list. "Not sure… I could do another English pop banger, or maybe switch it up with something Italian." She pauses, glancing at him. "But then it'd just be me and you who get it."
Michelangelo inclines his head slightly. "English is preferable, unless you want to alienate the others."
Shock nods. "Yeah, you're right." She thinks for a moment, then suddenly points at me. "Waiiiiit, Artemis—any requests~?" She repeatedly bats her eyelashes.
I lean back, considering. "Hm. I guess… stick to the throwbacks. Shakira?"
Shock smirks, tapping her chin. "Oooooh! I'll think about it." Her lips purse, though, and a faint flicker of frustration crosses her face. The edge of her drunkenness is slipping, leaving her restless. "Ugh. Where is Remi?"
"Would it be wise to drink more?" Michelangelo asks, deadpan.
Shock gasps theatrically, hand over her heart. "Wise? It's essential! How else am I supposed to keep my sparkle?"
"That is not," he replies flatly, "how the human body works."
Shock just grins, wobbling dramatically on her feet. The exchange is so absurd I can't help but laugh, shaking my head.
I stretch my legs shortly after, pushing off the couch. Sitting too long makes me itch, and I want to check what the others are up to. I wander off to the kitchen, following the faint sound of cupboards opening.
By the time I arrive, Remi's already bent halfway into a cabinet, two cans wedged under one arm and a bottle dangling from his hand.
I lean against the doorway, amused. I raise a brow and place a hand on my hip. "Seriously, you actually have more?"
He looks back, grinning like a kid caught red-handed. "Want one?" He shakes a can at me.
I snort, shaking my head. "Not for me. Shock's the one begging for more."
"Say less." Remi crams more cans under his arm until he's stacked like a corner store display. "I still got a whole stash back here."
Behind him, Mister dries his hands on a dish towel. He steps forward, visor tilted.
"Do you need help carrying those?"
"Nah, nah, I got it." Remi staggers as a can nearly slips, but his grin only widens. "Actually—pause. Yeah. You guys wanna do me a solid? Grab the good-good from my room. Top drawer, desk. You'll know it when you see it."
Mister and I exchange a glance.
Remi waggles his eyebrows. "What? Best time to get cross-faded, right? Shotgun the vibes before tomorrow hits. Trust."
I sigh, smirking faintly. "Fine. Guess if there's ever a night for you to be stupid, it's this one."
"Gang gangggg, baby!" Remi grins, already backing towards the living room. "Drinks incoming!"
Mister inclines his head. "Very well." He gestures for me to follow. "Let's go."
We head down the hall together. Halfway down, we nearly walk straight into Tetra. He's hunched over his phone, thumb flying, expression stone cold—dead serious.
I open my mouth, ready to ask something.
But then the bathroom door clicks open. Azure steps out, drying her hands on her pants, only to stop short when she sees us. "Oh, hey. What's up?"
And just like that, it's the four of us, frozen in the narrow hallway.
The silence weighs heavy, broken only by the faint warble of Shock warming up in the background. A second later, Remi's voice cuts through from the living room.
"DRINKS ARE HERE!"
Shock squeals. "YAAAAASS! FINALLY~!"
The noise fades into the background as Mister tips his visor at Tetra. "What's wrong?"
Tetra hesitates, jaw tightening. He looks down at his phone again. "… I didn't really want to bring this up. Not tonight anyways. But… Wissen finally got an update. On Ras."
Azure's smirk slips. "Wait. Seriously?"
"What kind of update?" My brows knit together. "Do we need to drag everyone else in?"
Tetra's reaction surprises me.
"No! Not yet." He bristles, shifting his weight, suddenly guarded. "Sorry. It's… complicated." He clears his throat and gestures to Remi's room. "If you guys really wanna know, we should talk a little farther from the noise."
The four of us slip inside, the bass from the living room dulling once Tetra shuts the door. We don't bother locking it—too obvious. Instead, he turns his screen outward. "Just… read this."
A stream of back-and-forth messages between Wissen and Tetra glows against the dark. I skim them—snippets of Wissen relaying updates about what's going on.
"I got word from my contacts regarding Ras. There's footage I think you should see. It took a while to dig up, considering the security."
Right after that message is a grainy, greyscale video of a hallway, clearly pulled from a security camera.
Tetra swallows hard, thumb hovering over the screen. "Here…" he hits play, and the rest of us lean in.
The screen jitters once before the feed sparks to life. A timestamp in the corner dates it—January 6 2021.
Three figures storm a stark white corridor, ripping through Arasaka guards in matte-black rigs—low helmets, faintly glowing visors, armour sharp with corporate precision.
The intruders move with sharp and precise efficiency. Too professional to be street punks. Black fatigues, light body armour, balaclavas hiding their faces.
Gunfire flares, steel clashes on steel, the mic doing a terrible job of catching their shouts over the chaos. Still, one cry cuts through—someone yelling to the others.
"Hurry the hell up!"
The figures round a corner—straight into another patrol.
One guard pushes forward, breaking from formation. Gunfire crackles, but the figure weaves through it, closing fast. In seconds, they're locked in a grapple with one of the operatives.
A quick, vicious melee—the guard using leverage and weight to disarm, hurling the operative into the wall so hard the feed blurs. Two others lunge in, only to be dispatched by the squad with brutal efficiency: a strike to the throat, a sweep to the legs, both driven to the ground with bone-rattling force.
Reinforcements pile in, boots stamping as rifles pin them to the floor. Hands yank at their gear, ripping balaclavas away in the struggle before restraints clamp around their wrists.
When the camera steadies, my eyes jump to each person, stopping at the man pinned against the wall.
He looks… like Tetra. Similar build, similar face—just older. The jaw's the same, though sharper, harder. His hair's grown into a rough mohawk, sweat clinging to it in messy spikes. He's in the same black fatigues as the others—but even under the armour, oceanic tattoos curl down his neck and peek from his sleeves.
But what catches my eye is the ink etched across his cheek—a torn robotic arm wrapped in script I can't decipher. Is that… the Tanwir symbol?
Tetra quickly pauses the video, his voice cutting low, reverent and tight. "Yeah… that's Ras."
Azure and I both whip to face him, shock plain on our faces. Even Mister tilts his visor. But Tetra doesn't elaborate—he just taps his finger against the screen and keeps the video running.
One of the guards pushes their visor back just enough to reveal a face. Jenny.
She looks directly into the lens, smiling. It's faint, but deliberate—like she knows someone will see this one day.
I stiffen. Azure's colour drains, her shoulders curling inward as though the sight alone might crush her. My hand twitches, instinctively ready to reach towards her, but I stop short. My gut knots. I can't look away.
Reinforcements flood the hall, overwhelming Ras and the others. He kicks and thrashes, swearing, cursing Arasaka with words the mic barely picks up.
"—EVERYONE will know—the world's gonna find out Asami—" His voice cuts through in fragments before boots slam into his ribs.
The feed jitters, static gnawing at the edges.
Then additional voices flicker in, faint and distorted, half-swallowed by interference. A clipped man speaks through the static. "—you really think your 'resistance group'..." Another voice follows, lower and steadier. "—off to Luna..." The words are shredded by static, but audible enough to sink in.
Then three figures step into view, their backs to the camera. An Arasaka suit, crisp and sharp. To his left, a Militech executive in corporate colours—business attire, not combat gear. To his right, a Lazarus contractor with the insignia clear on the shoulder.
The captured fighters snarl in defiance, voices cracking with fury, swearing the truth will come out no matter what. Ras forces his voice above the others, hoarse but unyielding. "You assholes can't bury this forever! They will—"
His cry cuts off as guards stomp him and the others down, rifle butts slamming against bone while they're dragged away like animals.
Jenny trails behind, calm and unhurried, vanishing around the bend.
The feed sputters once more, then collapses into static.
For a moment, we just stand there, dumbfounded.
My thoughts trip over each other, clawing for sense.
What the hell? Why was Jenny there? What was Ras doing? Was he really with the Tanwir? And why the hell were corpo execs from three different competing giants walking the same hall like it was just another Tuesday?
What did we just watch?
Part of me wants to scream. Another part wants to laugh at the absurdity. But mostly, there's this cold, hollow weight in my chest.
This isn't some wild conspiracy thread you stumble across while doomscrolling, or a fixer's paranoid rant in a back alley. No—this is real. Documented. Recorded. And if learning the virus's true nature wasn't bad enough, seeing this footage all but guarantees we're on Arasaka's "silence" list.
And the worst part is that I'm not even surprised.
Of course this kind of shit happens. Of course people get erased in hallways while executives walk away like nothing happened.
It's just… I don't usually see it.
The sad reality is that rumours float around all the time—and the news always spins it. The loud ones get silenced, and the rest of the world shrugs, too busy minding their own business. Hell, even me—I mind mine. Because what could I even do?
But this… this feels different. Maybe because it's Tetra's brother. Maybe because it's the virus. Maybe because it's Jenny. Or maybe it's everything at once that has me on edge. I don't fucking know anymore.
All I know is I don't usually see those types of faces. Or the tattoos. Or the way Ras shouted "Asami".
I take in a slow breath and glance at the others.
Mister is unreadable, visor blank, posture steady. If he's shaken, he's hiding it better than anyone.
Azure hasn't moved. She's staring at the phone like it burned itself into her retinas, her lips parted just slightly. The silence rolling off her is heavier than anything else in the room. My gut twists. I know that look.
Tetra breaks the silence with a clipped, almost reluctant, "… yeah." He flips the phone back around, thumb brushing the screen. "Wissen told me to be careful who I showed this to."
He hesitates, then continues, voice rough. "He… also said it wasn't easy to get. Officially it's been wiped clean, but some insider apparently held onto a backup. Otherwise, it would've been gone forever. Wissen's contacts spent weeks just chasing whispers before they pulled this from some Arasaka facility."
I exhale through my nose, jaw tightening. "So this wasn't anywhere near Vancouver?"
Tetra shakes his head, grip tightening on the phone. "I don't know where. Wissen wouldn't say. It could've been Japan, or somewhere in Europe. Anyways, he thought I deserved to know." He presses his lips together, eyes dimming, the weight of it pulling his features down. "It doesn't matter. Point is, my idiot brother made noise in the wrong place, got wrapped up in something way bigger than him, and this was the result. And Wissen said that if Arasaka—or any corp—catches wind this footage exists, we're screwed. Which means this stays between us."
After a beat, Mister tilts his visor slightly, his voice even but heavy. "So what do you plan to do with this, Tetra?"
He exhales hard through his nose, rubbing a thumb across the edge of his phone. "… I don't know."
My lips purse as I mutter, "Yeah… that's tough. Because you can't just… head home and pretend like Ras didn't get wrapped up in all this. You'd need to tell your family, right?"
Tetra's jaw works, his expression tight, caught between anger and exhaustion. "Just… give me a minute. I need to think. This—" he shakes his head, lowering his voice—"this is way more complicated than I thought. It's not just about him running off anymore. It's… bigger."
The look on his face twists my gut. He's conflicted, overwhelmed, and I can't blame him.
Mister's tone sharpens. "You're correct. But there's another variable to acknowledge. Jenny. Her involvement is not an isolated incident. She's crossed our path too many times now."
I nod, my stomach souring. "… Agreed." My eyes flick towards Azure, who hasn't moved, still frozen with that hollow stare. "Maybe it's time we look into Jenny. Like, seriously."
That's when it happens.
Azure snaps.
Her head jerks up—fast, almost erratic. The colour drains from her face, but her voice lashes out hot and sharp, trembling with rage. "No. No, fuck that. Are you insane?"
I reel back slightly, stunned at the sudden resistance. Huh?
She turns to Tetra first, eyes blazing. "Look, I'm sorry, about what happened to Ras and whatever he got dragged into… okay? But I know better than to fuck around with corpos and find out." Her hands are fists at her sides, trembling as the words spill. "I am done getting yanked around like some lab rat. Done being shoved into experiments. Done being a cog in their machine while they build weapons of mass destruction with our bodies!"
The heat in her voice scorches the room, and for a long second none of us know what to say.
Mister raises a hand, palm out. "Azure, reacting in anger—"
"Don't tell me to calm down!" she cuts him off, eyes flashing. "You don't get it. None of you do." Her tone cracks, but the fury only hardens. "You think I wanted this? You think I wanted to fly to Italy, just to chase down another mess tied to corps? The only reason I agreed was because Wissen asked so damn nicely—and because the eddies were good. That's it! But now? Now I don't even want to anymore!"
Tetra straightens, hurt flashing behind his eyes. "Azure, listen. I get it. I do. But Ras is my brother. Blood or not, Thelas nation looks after our own. That's how it's always been. I made a promise, and I can't just walk away."
"Yeah, and honestly?" I lean in, backing him up. "That kind of loyalty… some might call it reckless, but it's rare, and worth respecting."
Azure whirls on me. Her laugh is sharp and bitter, nothing like the smirks she usually hides behind. "Respect? You have no fucking clue what you're talking about."
Something in me flares hot. "Excuse me?"
Her voice rises. "Are you kidding me? You stand there acting like you understand, but you don't. You have no idea what I'm in for. You still think Jenny is just some random stalker at best. You don't know what it's like to wake up every day knowing you're one wrong move away from being dragged back into their labs, forced to work endlessly." Her breathing is ragged, shoulders shaking.
I glare back, eyebrows pinched tight, my posture stiffening. "Funny. Because a few nights ago, you begged me to help you look into Jenny. You wanted answers, and you wanted me in it with you. What changed?"
Azure's eyes widen, then narrow. She slams her foot against the floor, voice spiking. "What changed? I just realised how fucking stupid it was, Artemis! Can't you see? Jenny's everywhere! Everywhere we go, she's there. Watching. Smiling. You think we can beat that? You think we can fight that? No. You dig into her, you die. Simple as that."
The air in the room sours, heavy with her rage.
I bite down, heat crawling up my neck. "… Then what? What do you suggest we do? Just pretend she doesn't exist? You think ignoring her makes her go away?"
Azure's lip curls. Her voice sharpens, venom dripping from every syllable. "Okay. Why do you care so much all of a sudden, huh? Miss 'secret double life'? You never tell us shit, Artemis. You live two lives and we all know it."
My jaw tightens. "Okay, fuck you. Privacy isn't a crime. That's how we survive."
Azure shakes her head, eyes flashing. "Oh, don't even start hiding behind that 'privacy' excuse."
My fists curl, nails biting into my palms. "How is that an excuse?"
Her voice hardens, cutting deeper. "You keep us at arm's length. Every. Single. Time. You're here, Artemis, but you're never with us."
"How the fuck is that any different than Mister?" I snort, glaring daggers at her, fighting the urge to reach out and shake her. "I'm literally just working as a paid merc."
"Mister has an excuse and is consistent. His whole deal is business, anonymity. That makes sense. It's part of the job. You? You hide just to hide. You snark, keep your distance, and make damn sure nobody ever gets too close."
Just as I'm about to respond, she points a finger at me, cutting me off.
"And don't give me that garbage about protecting your 'civilian life.' There's a difference between keeping personal shit locked up and flat-out refusing to be part of anything. You act like some office drone who clocks in, clocks out, doesn't say a word to anyone—and then, sometimes, you give these mixed signals. Almost like you do want to be part of it. But you never commit fully."
Her eyes burn into me, voice ragged. "So tell me—why are you even here? Because right now, you're not any better than me. At least I admit I'm broken."
The words hit harder than I expect, and for a split second my throat goes dry. My mouth opens—then shuts.
My thoughts twist, jagged and bitter. Why do I care? These people are supposed to be colleagues. Work buddies. Not family. Not friends.The plan was for me to keep them at arm's length since day one. And now? Now I've let myself get too damn close.
Mister tries again, voice calm, deliberate. "Azure. Please. You're not thinking clearly."
But she's past hearing it.
"No. I've had enough." She rips her gaze away, chest heaving, fists trembling at her sides. "I'm not dying for this. Not for Ras. Not for Jenny. Not for anyone."
She storms past us, shoving the door open so hard it bounces off the wall. The bass from the living room floods back in, Shock's voice rising in some half-drunk karaoke scream.
Azure doesn't even look back. She slams through the hallway and disappears into the chaos.
Silence follows in her wake, broken only by the muffled thump of music bleeding through the walls.
Tetra leans back hard against the wall, dragging a hand through his hair. His chest rises and falls with a long sigh.
I exhale too, sharper, angrier. My arms fold tight, jaw clenched. If I don't find somewhere to vent this, I'm going to bite someone's head off.
Mister, calm as ever, straightens to his full height.
Before any of us can move, Remi's voice booms down the hall.
"AYO—Azure, you're leaving?"
Her reply is quick and cold. "Yes. Good night."
"What? Where are you go—"
The slam of a door cuts him off.
"What the fuck?" Remi groans loud enough for the whole apartment to hear. "Did I do something?"
A moment later, his footsteps stomp closer. Panic jolts through me. My head snaps up, reality rushing back in. Tetra jerks upright too, shoving his phone into his pocket.
Just in time too, as Remi pokes his head in, brows raised. "Yo, the hell was that? Did she seriously just dip?"
Before I can scramble for an answer, Shock staggers in behind him, humming off-key at the top of her lungs. She throws her arms wide like she's stepping onto a stage.
"HELLLOOOO~!" She waves both hands dramatically. "Everybody's hungry, right? LATE-NIGHT SPICY RAMEN TIME!"
The shift is so jarring I almost laugh, but it comes out as a ragged exhale instead. I roll my shoulders back, fixing my posture like I can fake composure through sheer force. My face smooths, my lips tug into something polite, but deep down? I'm still pissed. Furious at Azure for snapping. Furious at myself for even giving a shit. And worse—somewhere under all that fire—sympathy I don't want to feel. Both sides piss me off.
Before I can stew longer, Mister steps in with his steady, level tone. "It seems Azure was in a poor mood. Best to let her go."
"Poor mood?" Remi throws his hands up. "Bruh, she just ghosted! Like, what—"
"Later," Tetra cuts him off firmly. He's back to his usual calm, though I can see the tightness in his jaw. "We'll talk about it later."
For a heartbeat, I think I catch Shock glance between the three of us—me, Tetra, Mister—like she's noticed the tension. But the moment vanishes as quickly as it comes. Instead, she wobbles forward and nearly falls into me, throwing her arms around my shoulders.
"Bestieee, don't you dare leave before ramen~!" she squeals, squeezing me tight.
I freeze, caught between shoving her off and letting her cling. Part of me wants to run after Azure—to at least try—because I get it. I know that kind of pain. But another part of me knows I wouldn't even have the right words. Right now, all I'd do is make it worse.
Shock keeps tugging at me like an overgrown kid, refusing to let go. My irritation spikes—but I force a long breath through my nose, steadying myself. "Fine," I mutter. "I'll stay for the ramen."
Shock cheers so loud it rattles my eardrums. "YAAAAAYYY!"
Mister inclines his head towards me. "Wise choice. Don't worry, I'll speak to Azure first thing tomorrow."
I glance at him, a strange mix of relief and unease settling in my chest. At least someone reliable's handling it.
"But," he continues, stepping back to the apartment door, "I need to leave as well. I have… other obligations."
A chorus of groans follows.
"For real?" Remi throws his hands up. "Damn, first Azure, now you? Y'all killing the vibe."
Mister gives a small shake of his head. "It's not unexpected."
Michelangelo comes around the corner, appearing behind us in the hallway. "It's getting late. I should head out too."
Remi clutches his chest like he's been mortally wounded. "BROOOO! Two in a row? Naaaah. At least say bye properly." He flashes finger guns. "Later, Big M."
He doesn't even flinch. "Good night." He follows Mister out without another word.
And just like that, the room feels emptier.
I stand there, caught between wanting to scream into the wall and wanting to crawl out the window.
Tetra notices. He gives me the smallest nudge with his elbow, offering the faintest smile. "Relax. Just enjoy the party, yeah?"
The warmth in his voice—calm, steady—cuts through me. The tension in my chest loosens, if only a little.
I nod, returning the smile. "Yeah… okay."
The four of us—Shock, Remi, Tetra, me—drift back into the chaos, sitting down for ramen.
Shock digs through cupboards with a victorious shout, Remi cracks more jokes than the room can hold, Tetra settles in quietly, and I sit, forcing a grin. Each of us trying to enjoy the moment, to live in the present—even with the storm still clawing at my ribs.
Man, I just hope Mister can handle Azure.