The gentle hum of the safehold was broken by a sharp rap on Nezra's door. He opened it to find Morgan leaning against the frame, her expression unreadable.
"Get dressed. Your days of moping are officially over. You have a job," she said, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Meet us in the common area in five. Don't be late." She turned and walked away before he could even form a reply.
Five minutes later, heart thumping with a mix of nerves and something that felt suspiciously like excitement, Nezra entered the common area. The rest of the crew was already there, arrayed around the central holo-table like a pack of wolves waiting for the hunt. The blue glow of the Aether-Spire's schematics cast dramatic shadows on their faces.
"Look who decided to join the living," Rielle said, not looking up from where she was polishing a hefty-looking wrench.
"Was he moping again?" Rin asked from her perch on a crate, her voice as cool and precise as ever. "I could hear the existential dread from the hallway."
"Leave him alone," Kara chided gently, offering Nezra a small, reassuring smile.
Scarlet just grinned, patting the spot on the floor next to her. "Come sit, New Guy! Time for you to earn your keep!"
Morgan silenced them all with a look. "We're hitting the Aether-Spire. A Syndicate data nexus. The target is a quantum-locked data cylinder. It's valuable." She zoomed in on the blueprint. "We go in quiet, we get the prize, we leave quieter. This isn't a smash-and-grab. It's a ballet. And everyone," her eyes landed on Nezra, "has a part to play."
Nezra's stomach did a flip. This was it. His first real mission. No more theory, no more training. The real thing.
"Scarlet," Morgan began.
"Digital overwatch!" Scarlet chirped, cutting her off. She held up her data-slate triumphantly. "I'll be your eyes in the sky, kids! I've already scheduled a mandatory seminar on 'Synergizing Paradigms' for the security team. They'll be comatose by midnight. I'll loop the drone patrols, ghost the camera feeds, and if anything goes wrong, I'll make the sprinklers sing show tunes."
Morgan nodded. "Rin."
"Rooftop overwatch." Rin's voice was a calm, flat line. "I will disable the primary and secondary comms arrays at the designated time. The building will be cut off. They will scream. No one will hear."
"Rielle. You're with me."
Rielle cracked her knuckles. "Lobby distraction. I get to break someone's nose. Again. It's becoming a tradition."
"Kara. You're on point for the infiltration. You handle the physical security. And you," Morgan finally turned her full attention to Nezra. "You're the key. The vault door has a quantum-lock that requires a specific, messy Orna signature to bypass. Yours is the messiest I've ever seen. Your only job is to stand there and let Kara guide you on how to push your energy into the lock. Can you handle that? Just… be?"
Nezra swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. "I… I think so?"
"Don't think. Do." Morgan's gaze swept over the group. "We move at midnight. Any questions?"
Rielle raised her hand. "Yeah. If the 'synergizing paradigms' seminar is a hit, can we get those for our next crew meeting?"
Morgan didn't dignify that with a response.