The toxic wind of Midnight Veil hit them like a wall as they emerged from the portal's shimmer. After the bunker's filtered air, the acidic bite in their respirators felt almost familiar now. Luca adjusted his helmet seal and scanned the barren landscape.

In the distance, the Centurion's shield dome glowed blue against the sulfur-yellow sky, a beacon of safety in the hellscape.

"Come on," he said, hefting his pack. "Let's get home."

The trek back felt longer than it should have. Their packs were loaded with the SpectraForge equipment, cases of PMCs, bags stuffed with TL9 clothing, and the precious fuel rod Chris carried like it might explode if he breathed wrong. Every step was a reminder of exhausted muscles and bruised ribs, but nobody complained.

They'd earned every ounce of this haul.

Chris didn't even wait for everyone to fully enter the Centurion before he was moving toward the engineering bay, the fuel rod cradled in his arms.

"Give me ten minutes," he called back.

Luca watched him disappear down the corridor, then started helping the others stow their gear. The SpectraForge machines went into the cargo bay, too large and power-hungry to install anywhere else. Joey's cases of PMCs got secured in the medical storage. Zoe's bags of clothing got dumped unceremoniously in the common area.

"Power at one hundred percent!" Chris's voice echoed from engineering, triumphant.

The Centurion's lights brightened noticeably, and the familiar hum of full power resonated through the deck plates. A collective sigh of relief went through the team.

Thank fuck, Luca thought. No more rationing, no more worrying about life support failing.

The Centurion had exactly one shower. And seven people who desperately needed it.

Luca stripped off his armor piece by piece, letting each component clatter to the deck. The bodysuit underneath was disgusting, three days of sweat and grime creating a second skin he couldn't wait to peel off. Around him, the rest of the team was doing the same, creating a small pile of filthy gear in the cargo bay.

"Dibs on first shower," Emily announced, already moving toward the head with her towel.

"Like hell," Zoe called after her, but Emily was already through the door.

The remaining six stood in the narrow corridor outside the shower, stripped down to their grimy underwear and undershirts, waiting their turn like refugees from some post-apocalyptic summer camp.

Chris flexed his bicep, examining it critically, then poked Luca's bicep. "Dude, you're getting soft. Never skip arm day, bro. Never."

"We've been running for our lives through a toxic hellscape," Luca shot back. "Forgive me for not doing curls between dodging acid vines."

"Excuses," Chris said, flexing again. "I've been maintaining. Bodyweight exercises, planks during downtime—"

"You did one plank," Ryan interrupted. "And then complained your abs hurt."

"Still counts."

Zoe reached over and poked Danny's stomach. "At least Danny's honest about it. Look at this. Soft as a marshmallow."

"Hey!" Danny swatted her hand away. "I'm a scientist, not a gym rat. And it's not like we have space here to exercise. It's normal to lose muscle mass."

"That's what they all say," Joey said, leaning against the wall. He looked the most put-together of all of them. "You know what would help? Actually working out instead of staring at specimens all day."

"I work out my brain," Danny retorted. "Which is more important than—"

The shower shut off. They all went quiet, heads turning toward the door like a pack of wolves hearing prey.

Emily emerged in a cloud of steam, towel wrapped around herself, her wet hair plastered to her shoulders. She looked clean, refreshed, and entirely too smug.

"Heaven," she said, smiling at the six desperate faces staring at her. "Absolute heaven. Who's next?"

There was a brief, chaotic scramble. Ryan hip-checked Chris, who shoved Danny, who accidentally elbowed Zoe, who kicked Joey's shin.

Luca just stood back and watched the chaos unfold.

"You're all animals," he said.

"I'm next!" Ryan declared, slipping through the door and slamming it shut before anyone could contest.

"Fuck," Chris muttered, slumping against the wall. "Five more to go."

Zoe wrinkled her nose, looking at the remaining group. "We're disgusting. Like, objectively disgusting. I can smell us from here."

"That's not us," Danny said. "That's definitely you."

Luca held up a hand. "New protocol: Danny showers last."

"Hey! What gives?!" Danny protested.

"You, Danny, do not know the meaning of water conservation," Luca said flatly. "So we will all shower, and you will go last, because there's no way we can refill our tanks in this hellhole."

"That's bullshit," Danny muttered, but he didn't argue further.

Joey tried to hide his grin. "Fair call, Captain."

A few more days until we get back to the Triumph, Luca thought. This better be worth it.

Emily emerged from around the corner, now dressed in one of Zoe's TL9 finds. She'd changed quickly while they were all arguing, and Luca found himself staring despite his exhaustion.

The clothing fit her perfectly. Whatever material it was made from seemed to adapt to her shape, draping in ways that looked effortless but somehow accentuated everything. The fabric had a subtle sheen to it, catching the Centurion's overhead lights as she moved. Her damp hair was pulled back from her face, and even with the bruising visible along her jaw from where she'd taken that hit, she looked incredible.

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God, she's gorgeous, Luca thought, feeling something warm settle in his chest despite the grime and exhaustion. Three days in hell and she still manages to look like that.

She settled onto the bench nearby, wincing slightly as her bruised ribs protested the movement. When she caught him staring, she smiled at him, tired but genuine.

"You all look like wet dogs waiting for dinner," she said, her eyes lingering on him.

"We feel like wet dogs," Chris said. "Wet, smelly, disgusting dogs who would kill for hot water."

The shower shut off. Ryan emerged, looking like a new man. "That was incredible. Truly life-changing. You're all going to love it."

"Shut up and move," Zoe said, shoving past him and claiming the shower before anyone else could react.

Four to go.

By the time Luca finally got his turn, second to last, because apparently being captain meant nothing when it came to shower hierarchy, he was ready to cry with relief. He stepped into the stall and cranked the water to scalding. The first blast hit like a religious experience, washing away layers of toxic planet and alien bunker. He stood there, eyes closed, just letting the heat work into his sore shoulders.

Best feeling in the world. Bar none.

When he emerged, towel around his waist, he found an outfit was laid out on his bed. Fresh TL9 clothing, perfectly folded. Had to be Emily. The thought made him smile despite his exhaustion.

He put on his underwear first. Then the pants and shirt. The fabric felt impossibly soft against his fingers, breathable and flexible in ways his standard-issue gear never had been.

The difference was staggering. Clean, comfortable, in gear that actually fit properly instead of clinging like a second skin. He caught his reflection in the small mirror mounted to the wall and barely recognized himself.

Zoe, you beautiful genius. And Emily, for taking care of me.

The clothing made even his exhausted, slightly-less-muscular frame look good. The pants sat perfectly at his waist, the shirt draped without being tight. Whatever this material was, it was worth getting out of the portal.

Looking in the small mirror, he barely recognized himself. Clean, comfortable, in gear that probably cost more than a month's salary.

A soft knock on his door. Emily stepped in, her damp hair pulled back from her face. She moved carefully, one hand pressed against her ribs.

"Hey," she said softly. "Wanted to check on you."

"I'm good. Clean, finally." He moved toward her, his eyes dropping to where her hand rested. "Let me see."

"I'm fine," she protested, but she lifted her shirt anyway. The bruising along her ribs was spectacular, purple and yellow spreading across her side where the thorn had slammed her into that rock.

"Joey already checked it," she said quietly. "Just bruised."

Luca's fingers ghosted over the discoloration. "Still looks like shit."

"Feels like shit too." She smiled despite the obvious pain. "But I'll live."

For a moment, they just stood there, close enough that he could smell the soap in her hair. Her hand came up to rest against his chest, and he covered it with his own.

"We made it," she said softly.

He leaned down, pressing his lips to hers. The kiss was gentle, careful of her injuries, but it carried everything they didn't have words for. Relief. Exhaustion. Love. When they pulled apart, she was smiling properly now, the kind of smile that made the last three days worth it.

"I never thought a simple t-shirt could feel this good," Ryan said, dropping onto the bench. "What is this material? It's like wearing a cloud."

Chris, already changed, grinned. "Right? My ass has never looked better."

"Your ass looks the same as always," Zoe said. She tapped the medical pod, checking the readouts. "Pixel's vitals are good. I'm bringing her out of sedation."

She keyed in the sequence, and the pod hissed open. Pixel emerged slowly, blinking and disoriented, her small body trembling slightly from the induced sleep. The moment she spotted Zoe, she chirped weakly and crawled into her lap, curling up immediately.

"Hey, little one," Zoe murmured, stroking Pixel's head gently. "You've been out for three days. We missed you."

Pixel made a soft trilling sound, already settling back into her favorite spot. Within moments, she was purring.

Zoe looked smug, satisfied with herself for both grabbing the clothing and having her companion back. "You're all welcome, by the way."

Danny was the last to finish, and when he emerged, he beelined straight for the cargo bay where the SpectraForge equipment waited. "We need to analyze everything we found," he said, already in science mode. "The compounds from the Grimveil, the anti-toxin formulas, the—"

"After dinner," Luca interrupted. "When everyone's read, and after we figure out our next move."

The team gathered in the dinette, clean and comfortable for the first time in days. Hot coffee filled the small space with something approaching civilization.

Luca nursed his cup, looking out the viewport at the dissolving remains of the Grimspine Leviathan. The massive corpse was still visible in the distance, slowly being consumed by its own acidic blood. The ground around it was scoured bare, rock exposed where topsoil had been eaten away.

It reminded him of something.

"That acid rain in the portal," he said slowly. "It stripped the rock bare and exposed those veins of Varionite."

Ryan's head snapped up, eyes widening. "You're thinking the Leviathan's acid splash did the same thing here? That acid was super-corrosive. It ate through meters of topsoil and rock."

Danny, who'd been examining one of the PMC cases, looked up with sudden interest. "The chemical principle is sound. A massive, concentrated acidic event would absolutely reveal underlying geological strata." He set down the case. "It's a prime opportunity for mineralogical surveying. We should investigate immediately."

"Immediately might be pushing it," Joey said, gesturing at Emily's bruised ribs. "Some of us are still banged up."

"Which is why we will be splitting up," Luca said, the plan already forming. "Danny, you're on analysis duty. I want a full report on everything we collected from the Varnathi. Emily and I will coordinate from here and plan our next moves."

He looked at the others. "Zoe, Ryan, Joey, Chris - you're the A-Team. I want a full survey of that impact zone. Zoe on point for security, Ryan on mineralogy with the multitool, Chris for engineering support, Joey for medical and heavy backup. Scan everything the acid exposed. If there's Varionite or anything else valuable, I want to know about it."

"What about the portals?" Emily asked. "We just leveled up to 69. If we can find another portal scenario..."

"One step at a time," Luca said. "But yeah, that's the plan. We use these portals to level up fast and unlock our next abilities." He grinned. "And get rich doing it."

Ryan stood, already energized despite the long day. "When do we head out?"

"Give it until morning," Luca said. "Rest, eat, and make sure all our gear is functional. Then you go survey while Danny and I handle the science side."

Zoe stretched, Pixel protesting the movement with a small chirp. "Works for me. I could use a nap in actual comfort before we head back into the toxic hellscape."

"We all could," Luca said. "But this is good. We've got fuel, we've got gear, we've got a plan. Things are finally going our way."

Danny was already back at the SpectraForge equipment, running his hands over the machines like a kid with new toys. "The molecular synthesis capabilities alone... if we can replicate the Varnathi compounds, create our own anti-toxins, adapt the formulas for different environments..." He looked up, eyes bright. "This could allow us to adapt to the environment, coat our vehicles and actually spend time on the surface."

"That's the idea," Luca said, raising his coffee cup. "To the Varnathi. For leaving us the good shit."

The team clinked their cups together, a quiet toast to people who'd been dead for a hundred thousand years.

Outside, Midnight Veil's toxic wind continued to howl, but inside the Centurion, surrounded by their haul and clean clothes and hot coffee, they'd carved out a moment of victory.

We earned this, he thought, watching his team finally relax. Every damn bit of it.

"Poker game before bed?" Ryan asked, already pulling out a deck of cards from somewhere. His grin was infectious, despite the exhaustion evident in his eyes.

Luca groaned. "You're kidding."

"Come on, Luca. Just one game. We're all too wired to sleep anyway."

Looking around the table, Luca could see he had a point. Despite the exhaustion, there was still that post-mission energy humming through everyone. The kind that made you feel like you should be doing something, even when your body was screaming for rest.

"Fine," Luca said, cracking his neck again. "One game. Then we all get some actual sleep before morning."

Emily squeezed his hand under the table, and he could feel her smile even without looking.

One game, he thought, glancing at Emily. Then bed. Some actual sleep. Maybe some cuddles with Em if we're both still conscious. He squeezed her hand back. Definitely bed.

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