Explaining what happened was much easier than I thought. The tricky part was explaining my motives.

"We have the advantage of knowing who Wildfire is without him knowing about us. He spoke with Liberation's authority at Gaea's meeting, so that means he's one of Pandora's biggest assets. We take him out, we destabilize them," I explained, doing my best to ignore the smoldering gaze Lucy was sending me. "Let me just clarify that I have no intentions to kill him with this scheme, that was never my intention, but that doesn't mean we can't get something out of this."

Lucy didn't look happy, but she was the only one in the room that wasn't outright sneering. I only realized after the fact the reception to this news wouldn't be entirely positive, but I expected everyone to be a bit more open to the idea of taking the initiative.

"Okay… okay," Sam took a moment to compose herself, and a thoughtful expression formed. "Maybe we can do something with this. It's not at all an ideal time given how much we're dealing with already, but Max is right. If we play this right, we could deal a blow to Pandora."

"Hopefully in a way that doesn't involve murder," Lucy's sardonic tone caused Sam to tilt her head and cross her arms. "I might not be a Mentalist, but I can't think of a way to do that without making him disappear – and can I just point out that the last place Wildfire will be seen is at Max's house."

"Which is why we're not going to do anything while he's there," I replied, feeling like I was stating the obvious. "The goal here isn't disposal, it's information. The problem is getting that information without giving myself away."

"What 'information' are you even looking for?" Lucy asked, mockingly quoting the intention. "If you guys want the inside gossip on what's going on within Pandora's ranks, look no further. I may not know everything, but Dad shares a lot of things he probably shouldn't with me," she then pointed to Sam in frustration. "You guys have a Mentalist, invisible drones, and whatever the hell you'd classify Mia as. What the hell can you get from a dinner you couldn't otherwise?"

"General information on Pandora will be easy to get," Francis explained. "But this environment is more intimate. Don't take this personally, but I doubt you even realized what you were going for. If it were me, I would be learning as much as I could about Wildfire – her father – as a person. How does he act? How does he compose himself? His mannerisms and his way of speech – all of that are pieces that make up the puzzle that Wildfire is. If we figure out what parts fit where, we can pick him apart."

The way he explained it made me shudder.

"I guess that's one way to put it," my gaze landed on Lucy. "I may not have had a completed plan going into this, but there was plenty of time to develop one. In my opinion, it is better to seize the opportunity when it presents itself and adjust accordingly, than sit around wondering what would have happened."

"It's admirable," Francis admitted. "Foolish, but admirable. It takes a certain amount of guts to throw yourself into the fire like that. I feel like I should have seen this coming, given the role you played in dismantling Grim."

Finally, some praise. I would take what I could get at this point.

"I'm aware there were better ways to go about this, but I'm done being reactive," I said. "With Grim gone, Pandora is going to come for us eventually. We may have brought the maniac down, but there's no way they're as scared of us as they were him. They'll be wary and hesitant, but that just buys us time, not safety. If I were to guess, I bet they were planning to off us the moment we stick our necks out too far. We're fortunate the only hiccups we've had these last two weeks came from nosey independents."

"I… have noticed Pandora Supers inching closer to Groves Den these last few nights," Mia admitted, looking slightly off-kilter. "Are they gearing up for some kind of assault? Do they know where we are? I haven't seen any of them even remotely close to this place."

"Not an assault. Too risky for them right now," Francis replied. "They'll be under orders to test the waters. They're wanting to see how well you defend your territory. So far, none of you have taken the bait, but they'll keep pushing until you draw a line in the sand."

"A display of force is required," Sam sighed, rubbing her head. "Which will be a nightmare with Ajax's war machines stalking the streets. Sweepers can be at the source of any conflict in under a minute depending on how remote a specific part of the city is. Another thirty seconds, give or take, a Walker would arrive to put an end to any skirmish. It makes things difficult not just for us, but for everyone."

"That's probably the point," Mia mused under her breath. "So where does that leave us?"

It left us in no better position than anyone else. With Ajax's mothership hovering above the city, we couldn't do anything. Pandora had enough people that they could afford to lose a few more if it meant ousting us. To them, losing some weaker members in an all-out fight was well worth it if it meant taking out even one member of Madhouse.

"This is so frustrating!" Sam exclaimed with a groan. "All my plans have been shot straight to shit. No one has the firepower to contest Ajax, so we're all forced to play cat and mouse," she collapsed in the nearest seat and crossed her legs, letting out a mirthless laugh. "You guys wanna know what's ironic? Grim was the only one that could have dealt with this."

"Wait, so… this is technically our fault?" Liam asked.

"No, remember what we talked about before?" I asked, turning to Liam. He just stared at me with slight confusion. "General Jessamine's transfer to New Elpis had been planned for weeks. It's because of the earthquakes. Ajax would have been here whether or not Grim was defeated. All we did was make it easier for them to occupy the city."

"So that earthquake earlier…?"

"Yeah," I confirmed, trying to keep the anxiety out of my tone. "It's definitely related, and they're only going to get worse."

"There's something under the ground~" Sam said in an unnecessarily ominous sing-song voice. "By themselves, The ECU would be more than capable of handling the person or people responsible for it… but it's not that simple," she paused, her eyes drifting to the floor. "Instead, Chronos and Ajax have shown up."

"We still have no solid intel on who or what is causing it," Francis spoke up. "I've been in contact with our people stationed down around Zachery Port. Even our ECU contacts haven't had the privilege of being informed about what's causing it."

"Ajax's presence says enough," I dismissed with a sigh. "Whatever is causing it is a threat to the entire continent, otherwise he wouldn't be deploying war machines. We've got Sweepers and Walkers, and Zachery Port is going to get Hunters. Can't be certain what Caldon and Ashton are getting, probably the same as us."

"Hunters…" Francis' lip curled into a sneer. "Be grateful they aren't being deployed here. I've seen them firsthand. They're death machines capable of shredding some of the strongest Mechatech and supers I've ever seen. They're fast too," he heaved a sigh and turned to Sam. "Too fast… even you might have trouble with your speed."

Sam scowled, her lips twitching. I saw Pink wanting to throw out a smart retort, but she restrained her expertly.

His words should have dissuaded, perhaps even frightened me. It struck me then just how warped my priorities were when I felt genuine excitement about the prospect of getting my hands on one. The more of Ajax's Mechatech I learned about, the more I wanted it for myself. All I would need to do was touch it, and I would be able to reprogram it to my side. In reality, that was far easier said than done, I can't have been the only Super around that could kill one with a touch and Ajax was sure to have countermeasures.

"Well, that explains why Ajax hasn't dropped them here," Mia said. "Too many civilians could get caught in the crossfire, and the ECU doesn't want to kill people like us—"

"You can just say 'villains' you know," Sam chimed in with a smile. "They're heroes, and we're villains. That's just how people see it. They don't want to kill us, and most of us don't want the hassle that comes with killing them. It's a fragile seesaw—"

"They're stupid labels," Mia argued, cutting her off. "They can call it however they want, I'm going to call it how I see it."

Sam shrugged.

"Alright, I was just saying. You do have a point though, about the Hunters. They're lethal, while Walkers and Sweepers are mostly designed for occupation, containment, and de-escalation."

It suddenly occurred to me why Ajax's Mothership was still here.

I could picture it in my head, the mechanical umbilical cords connecting to the storage space at the top of the Citadel. Abby said it was a storage space designed by Deadlocked. It was bigger than it appeared, so Ajax would be able to offload any number of his war machines, and not just of the Sweeper or Walker variety either. There would be Hunters up there too, maybe even more that I hadn't heard about. They were preparing for some kind of battle— no, a siege.

I shuddered as a chill swept through me. I stared down at the floor like I expected something to erupt from the ground beneath my feet. It would be bigger than Grim, of that there was zero doubt. There was enough firepower here to turn Bayside into a glass floor. The worst part was Ajax and Chronos probably thought it was necessary to have all that firepower.

Only a few hours ago, I felt like I had all the time in the world. Now, I felt like I didn't have any.

I needed defenses, strong enough to rival Ajax, and I needed them yesterday.

Turning my head, I glanced over at my upgrading laptop. There were still a few more steps to take before I could sit back and let my power do its thing over the next month. Twenty-four hours had already passed, so that 654 was already down to 630. Twenty-six days, just shy of four weeks. I didn't feel like I had even a week at this point. I could cut down that time, and invest every single one of my charges into it for the next week and a half. At the cost of no other progress, I could have Deadlocked's prototype open by the end of next week – potentially. It was still a gamble, and there was no certainty it would work.

It still felt too long.

What do I do?

Pivot, and pivot hard.

Instead of focusing on developing cybernetics, suit modules, and production, I could improve on this place – my workshop and its defensive capabilities. Before Mirage had managed to find our last base of operations, Sam shared the daydream of turning that apartment complex into an impenetrable fortress. I had the capability to do just that, but it would destroy any hopes we have of lying low. We wouldn't be able to leave the building without our identities being compromised. Secret entrances would have to be built before I committed to the project if we wanted to keep our civilian identities separate, and even then I wasn't sure how secure I could make it.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

It wasn't like it hadn't been done before either. The Queen's Court headquarters was the casino, and it had built-in Mechatech defenses. Rudimentary and barebones, sure, but it was Gaea. It wasn't like she needed those defenses anyway. It was probably more for her subordinates' safety.

Pandora's headquarters were probably run out of a church of some kind. Lucy would know more about that, and I'd be sure to ask her later.

The point is, I could refurbish our hideout to be a fortress if I wanted. In fact, I wondered if it would be the better option, now that I had a better idea of what was really coming. Gambling on my upgraded laptop being able to break into Deadlocked's prototype wasn't something that appealed to me, especially when it concerned the safety of everyone around me. The hideout was the more reliable option, and if I did things right, the scrambler that Cyberspace had us install would shield us from Sweeper scanning until it was too late for us to be stopped.

Still, I had to wonder… how much was too much? If Ajax's war machines were any indication, what was coming would require Mechatech that was nothing short of legendary.

"—ridiculous, we're not going all the way down to Zachery Port while Ajax occupies the city," Sam said heatedly. I blinked, realizing I had missed how we got to this point in the conversation. From the look on her face, it seemed like Liam had been the one to suggest it. "Getting in and out of Bayside is going to be difficult enough for the average citizen. We don't need to go trawling around the country looking for clues as to what is going on."

"Yeah, I don't really want to go anywhere either," Mia agreed, causing Liam to shrug disinterestedly. "If something's going to happen here, I want to be around to protect my family."

"I know I don't really count as part of your group, but leaving would probably be a bad idea," Lucy said, showing clear signs of fatigue. It looked like all the stress from today was finally piling up. "If Pandora is encroaching and, uh," she paused, waving a hand at Francis. "...testing the waters or whatever, then you guys need to be around to push back. The further their reach, the more people will fall under their umbrella. I don't just mean normal people like me either. New Supers will get caught as well."

Sam clicked her tongue in agreement.

"Can't have that, for sure," Sam turned and looked at me, her brow raising. "You okay there? I think we lost you for a bit."

"I was thinking," I replied softly, scanning the room. "Considering what we should do."

"We wait for The Mothership to leave," Sam started, looking confident with her declaration. "Then we handle Seraphim and her messed up freak of a boyfriend. After that, we figure out what we're going to do about this dinner date with Wildfire, then—" she paused for dramatic effect. "—we will discuss how we can actually capture a Walker without significant backlash. Get the small things out of the way first so we can focus on the bigger things."

"And where in all this do we find time to look into Natasha?" Mia said, beating Liam to the punch. "You guys keep saying you'll help, but the best lead we seem to have is all the way in Dubai."

"Well, like you said, you don't want to leave and we have to be here. Not exactly in a position to be going to Dubai, are we?" Sam said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Cyberspace said they were going to sort something out, so until then, it'll have to be on the backburner." Liam said nothing, but it was clear he wasn't thrilled. "Does that satisfy you?"

It took a moment to realize that the question was directed at me.

I thought for a moment, wondering if there was a better way to go about it.

I looked back at my upgrading laptop one more time to consider more options. I hadn't yet shared with the rest of the team my intention to break into The ECU's storage facility at the top of the Citadel because, at face value, the suggestion was insane. However, with the right execution, I could make off like a bandit with invaluable tech at my disposal. It would benefit all of us in the long run. Why risk our lives going for an active Walker when I could secure an inactive one? Not only that but Sweepers and Hunters as well.

The only question was whether or not we even had the time to put the plan into motion before another city-wide conflict broke out.

"I potentially have better a solution regarding Ajax's war machines. One that doesn't involve throwing ourselves into a fight that could potentially kill us."

"Oh?" Sam looked intrigued. "Do tell."

So I did.

I went through my half-concocted step-by-step plan to infiltrate the Citadel using Deadlocked's prototype as a Trojan Horse. Nothing about this plan was complicated in the slightest, and everyone followed along. I had discussed very briefly what this plan entailed with Cyberspace, and they saw the potential for it. However, obvious circumstances distracted me from sharing it with everyone else, until now.

Step one: break into the prototype and remove whatever biological components there were so my power could properly interface with it.

Step two: reprogram the security so that only I could access the prototype. Since The ECU worked with Deadlocked, they would undoubtedly have the tools to access her older technology, even if they weren't necessarily at the Bayside branch, I needed to make sure that they couldn't crack the prototype quickly.

Step three: Madhouse would orchestrate a disturbance to draw The ECU's attention. I would place myself inside the prototype while someone – preferably Alice – would leave the prototype behind. The prototype would be collected and stored at the top of the Citadel.

Step four: Once inside, I store whatever I can fit inside the prototype.

Step five: Escape.

On paper, it appeared simple, but it wasn't foolproof. With our attention split between several goals, it was hard for me to find the time to brainstorm with everyone else. There were holes and things I hadn't considered that Cyberspace had very bluntly pointed out.

First and foremost, we had no clue about the security inside the storage room. I could be unknowingly walking into a literal death trap. Deadlocked helped build a lot of the recent evohuman prisons around the world. To assume there wouldn't be countermeasures was idiotic.

Secondly, there was no exit strategy.

As of now, I relied solely on chaos, panic, and overwhelming force. While there was merit to that, there were too many variables to consider. The ECU would throw everything they had at me if they saw me break out with Walkers, Sweepers, and Hunters at my command. They'd spare no expense to bring me down.

It wasn't just The ECU we had to consider either. With that amount of firepower at our disposal, there was every possibility we'd become public enemy number one like Grim. Gaea might call another truce, and this time we would be the target.

Cyberspace might be able to stop it. Emphasis on might. Chances are Gaia would see it as breaking their truce and would at the very least demand concessions.

Ultimately, the less noise this operation made, the better. Unfortunately, unless The ECU had teleportation mechatech up there, the only way I could escape would be through brute force. So, for now, that meant this plan had no solid exit strategy. Not viable… unless we actually intended to fight a full-scale conflict with the ability to win.

I couldn't speak for everyone else, but even with stolen war machines at our disposal, I wasn't confident in a war on all fronts. I didn't want another full-scale war. Too many people were bound to get caught in the crossfire and killed.

"...Why?" Lucy asked. "Why are you so insistent on stealing Ajax's tech? Don't you realize the kind of trouble you invite by doing that?"

"We've already got targets on our backs," Liam jumped to my defense. "We brought down Grim. It can't get any worse than that."

"It can," Lucy shot back with a low laugh. "Oh, it can get so much worse. You start trying to mess with Ajax and you will invite an entire Space Station's worth of trouble to your door. Do you think he's just going to let you guys stroll off with his technology?"

"Yes."

Cyberspace's voice made us all sit up.

Lucy's face fell as Cyberspace began talking.

"I initially agreed with Maxis' idea because it presents a unique opportunity. I have never had the chance to openly dissect Ajax's technology, and the flaws I've already exploited in his systems are rapidly patched. I have a vested interest in obtaining a complete machine," Cyberspace explained. "Maxis' power is also able to learn from interacting with said technology, and you all gain a powerful deterrent. Therefore, our interests are aligned and we are all set to benefit. Is that enough for you, Ms. Kim?"

Lucy's expression hardened

"The damage this'll cause will be—"

"—Catastrophic if necessary precautions are not taken," Cyberspace cut her off. "I have faith that Samantha will utilize her strengths in this regard. There will be consequences, but I'm sure you will all do your part in ensuring any inevitable damage is minimized."

In other words, people were going to get hurt, and there was no way around that. It was a price Cyberspace was willing to pay.

Sam leaned forward, hands pressed together tightly.

"Okay… this has potential."

Lucy just groaned.

"We're talking about stealing unstable mechatech, and hijacking war machines created by the world's strongest Mechakinetic. Whether you guys do this subtly or not doesn't matter in the SLIGHTEST! There is no version of this where… where you're not found out eventually, and the entire city doesn't get fucking glassed just to stop you!"

"Calm down," Francis intoned. "Annihilating a city the size of Bayside would require a cataclysmic event that threatens the rest of the world. This wouldn't even come close," he slowly lifted a hand and removed his hat, rubbing his forehead in the process. Francis had always looked old, but right now he was ancient. "The most likely scenario is what happened in Dubai. The ECU deems the city too dangerous to occupy and evacuates. Ajax would return in force and Bayside would be a warzone until every single one of us are either killed, captured, or escapes."

"Potentially," Sam agreed. "There's no guarantees, but we're not trying to start a war here. Even if we could win, I don't want the city turned into another battleground."

"Really?" Lucy said incredulously. "Because from where I'm standing, it sounds like that's exactly what you guys want. Consequences be damned."

"None of us want that, if we did we could have just sat by and let Grim have his way," Francis replied before Sam could get a word in. "So long as there is a degree of restraint in the execution of this operation, Ajax and the ECU will respond with appropriate measures."

I heard what went unsaid loud and clear. What we stole would be used defensively, and a dialogue between our two factions would be opened. It was exactly what happened with Gaea when she formed The Queen's Court.

"How close were we?" Liam asked.

Francis contemplated for a few seconds before he answered.

"The executives were considering the option around midnight. If you hadn't acted, I imagine the order would have been given by sunrise."

"Wowie, look at that," Liam said, completely void of enthusiasm. "We're actually heroes."

"Which is why this plan needs a proper exit strategy for it to be beneficial," Francis continued. "No one here benefits from having the city condemned."

"I suppose if we give it some time, Sam could find a way – let her work her Mentalist magic," Liam gestured to where Sam was sitting. She gave a little wave. "Not too keen on starting another fight myself but hey, if it gets Ajax and the ECU off our backs? I'm all for it."

"This is unreal. I can't believe—" Lucy stopped and took a breath. "Actually, I can. It's completely insane, but I can easily see my father organizing a similar heist if they had the resources you do," she shook her head, clearly dismayed. "They wouldn't even bat an eye at the casualties."

"Could we win?"

My head turned with complete shock upon hearing where that question had come from. Mia stood, anxiously biting her thumb. Her gaze was fixed on Sam who appeared more stunned than the rest of us.

"If we did this," Mia said again. "If the worst happened, could we win?"

Sam switched to Gold and sat quietly. Her fingers drummed against the armrests as she stared, unblinking, back at Mia. Liam looked like he was trying to find something to say. Lucy was just stuck speechless, much like me. Francis, on the other hand, was just as stoic as ever, perhaps a little sad.

"Enemies everywhere we look," Gold started. "An offensive on all fronts. There would be no room for errors."

Mia scowled.

"That doesn't answer my question."

Gold opened her mouth to reply, but Cyberspace beat her too it.

"Yes, Ms. Coleman," Cyberspace declared with certainty. "We would win."

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