Jay POV
The office was quieter than usual.
Outside, I could hear distant drilling, glass being swept, workers moving quickly. Hannah's voice giving orders. Miguel coordinating security. Carlos speaking to insurance.
Byte JC was wounded.
But not broken.
Inside my office, the Section E boys were unusually calm.
For once.
Felix was staring at the scratch on my leg like it personally offended him.
Ci-N shook his head. "He almost got you."
"Almost," I corrected.
Keifer stepped closer.
He studied me for a second.
Then he asked quietly,
"Jay… aren't you afraid of blood?"
The room shifted.
Yuri slowly turned his head toward me.
Felix blinked. "Yeah… he's right."
Ci-N nodded. "You literally fainted during biology practical once."
Traitors.
Hex, who was leaning against the wall, finally spoke.
"Well… when she wears her mask, she's not."
Confused silence.
All eyes moved between us.
I looked at Keifer.
"Come here."
He stepped forward.
Closer.
Closer.
His face inches from mine.
The boys froze like they were watching something illegal.
Instead of answering—
I lifted my mask…
And placed it on Keifer's face.
He blinked behind it.
"You still haven't answered my question," he said.
"Shh."
I adjusted it properly.
Then gently turned his face to the side and pressed a tiny hidden button near the edge.
If it wasn't yours, you'd never notice it.
The lenses shifted internally.
"Now," I said softly, "tell me what you see."
Keifer straightened slightly.
Silence.
"…Everything is grey."
Yuri frowned. "How?"
Hex answered calmly. "Polycarbonate."
Ci-N looked lost. "What is that?"
I crossed my arms lightly.
"Thin sheets of grey-tinted plastic. It creates an overall desaturated view. Less red. Less intensity."
Felix slowly processed it. "So… blood doesn't look red?"
Keifer shook his head slightly. "It looks like… water in black and white."
The room went quiet.
Hex spoke again, almost casually.
"She created it because she likes fighting. And she always gets hurt."
I shot him a look.
He didn't look back.
Keifer slowly removed the mask and stared at it differently now.
"So that's how."
"Yes," I replied. "When I wear it, my brain doesn't react the same way."
Yuri muttered, "That's insane."
"Effective," Hex corrected.
Outside, something heavy dropped. Hannah's voice rose slightly in irritation.
I looked around the room.
"I see you guys are very free."
They stiffened.
"Why don't you help outside?"
Felix pointed at himself. "Us?"
"Yes."
Ci-N sighed dramatically. "We came for fun."
"You got action instead."
Hex tilted his head. "Even me?"
I looked at him.
"Yes. Even you."
He didn't argue.
He simply took his own mask from the desk and put it on.
The shift was instant.
Night Byte.
Colder. Sharper.
He walked toward the door.
"Don't do anything reckless while I'm gone."
"I won't," I replied.
He didn't look convinced.
The boys followed him out, grumbling but obedient.
The door closed.
Silence returned.
Keifer didn't move.
I noticed.
"You're not going?"
He removed the mask completely and placed it on the table.
"What will you do now?" he asked quietly.
His tone wasn't teasing anymore.
I leaned back slightly in my chair.
"Fix what Kaizer broke."
"That's not what I meant."
I looked at him.
He stepped closer.
"You were smiling earlier," he said. "When we were joking."
"And?"
"And when you fight… you look different."
I didn't answer.
He continued.
"You don't hesitate."
"Should I?"
"No."
He paused.
"But you also don't look scared."
I glanced at the mask on the desk.
"I am scared."
He blinked.
"Of blood," I added softly. "Of losing control. Of losing people."
His expression shifted slightly.
"And Kaizer?" he asked.
I looked toward the shattered glass outside.
"Kaizer wanted attention."
A slow breath left me.
"He has it now."
Keifer folded his arms.
"You're not going to sit still, are you?"
I gave a small smile.
"When have I ever?"
He shook his head lightly.
"You're dangerous."
"Only to people who try to kill me."
A small silence settled between us.
Outside, Hex's voice echoed faintly giving instructions.
Keifer picked up the mask one more
time.
"You built this because you didn't want fear to control you."
"Yes."
He set it down gently.
"Just don't let the mask become you."
That hit harder than the knife earlier.
I didn't show it.
Instead, I stood.
"Go help before Hex overworks everyone."
He gave me one last look.
Then walked toward the door.
Before leaving, he said quietly,
"Kaizer messed with the wrong company."
The door closed.
I looked at the mask.
At the faint scratch on my leg.
At the city beyond the glass.
Kaizer wanted a war.
He just scratched the surface.
And I was done playing defense.
End of Chapter. 🔥