“Alright, shoot. Troy, keep watching,” Celene ordered.

  “On it.”

  Varryance leaned forward slightly. “So… I’m guessing I was the only one who didn’t know Silas was that Stormer the whole time. Anyway. Here’s what we’ve got.”

  He exhaled once, steady.

  “There are one or two sharpshooters on the roof. Silas said they keep the skylight open because their ventilation system isn’t working.”

  “Yeah,” Jax cut in. “Because he sabotaged it.”

  Varryance nodded once and continued. “Then going through the skylight was probably his plan too. We take out the sharpshooters, grab their disguises, and enter from the top floor. I watched them closely — their gear’s meant for PU units.”

  “PU?” Isabel asked.

  “Parasite Units,” Celene clarified. “Newest program before the Flash.”

  “So the suits will fit us better than them,” Varryance continued. “Once we’re inside, we move to the surveillance room. If every door has keypads, that room will too.”

  “We’ve got a third-party keypad unlocker,” Celene said smoothly. “Software’s ready.”

  “Fine,” Isabel muttered. “but how do we actually take over the place?”

  Jax answered this time.

  “Their comms are centralized. They use a localized frequency broadcast from that room to connect through their suits. If we cut that, they’re blind and deaf.”

  “With comms and security down,” Varryance added, “we call reinforcements. Hit from inside. Move to the lower level and grab the parts SAM needs so Vanesa can repair her.”

  Isabel shifted in her seat. “There’s one problem. I can’t exactly super-jump onto a roof.”

  “I’ll go,” Kael said immediately, raising a hand. “If anything goes wrong, I’ve got you.”

  Varryance nodded. “Good. Isabel, you stay here and defend the rig. Mack and Tanner stay in the cockpit at all times. If we get compromised, you hold position.”

  Celene watched him as he spoke — faint smirk, unreadable.

  Kael leaned back. “We doing this tomorrow? We got everything?”

  “Most of what we need is at Vanesa’s place,” Jax said.

  “Felicia stays here too,” Jax continued. “Monitoring vitals with Troy.”

  Varryance rubbed his temple lightly. “We could’ve discussed this at the outpost. Just… came to mind.”

  “It’s fine,” Vanesa said. “Troy, signal Mack we’re clear to move.”

  Five seconds later the rig rumbled back to life. Vanesa pulled down a seat beside her. “Sit.”

  Varryance buckled in.

  Isabel frowned. “They must have a ladder up there, right? For the sharpshooters?”

  “Restricted access zones,” Jax replied. “We won’t be allowed everywhere. Ladder’s probably along the side.”

  “And the disguises?” she pressed. “Sharpshooters don’t look different from other guards.”

  “They wear the same suits,” Jax said. “But dragging actual snipers around the upper floor would raise questions.”

  “Right…” Isabel said. “So what about weapons?”

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  Silence stretched briefly.

  “We either go unarmed,” Jax said, “which looks suspicious. Or we hijack their plasma repeaters.”

  “What do they use exactly?” Kael asked.

  “NURO-issued plasma repeaters,” Varryance answered without hesitation. “Sharpshooters use extended plasma cells.”

  “Only NURO?” Kael asked.

  “IARO uses laser systems. Too advanced. Wouldn’t match the disguise. Civil Security used kinetic rounds — old world stuff. So yes. Only NURO.”

  Kael ran a hand through his hair. “So what’s the call?”

  “We take the sharpshooters,” Jax said. “Risk it. We can’t wander around unarmed and hope cameras miss us.”

  “Sharpshooters,” Kael agreed. “No other choice.”

  “Then it’s knives until we secure weapons,” Vanesa said.

  There were nods. Uneasy ones.

  Isabel hesitated again.

  “It just feels… convenient,” she said quietly. “bentilation broken. Skylight open. Everything lines up right when Varryance shows up.”

  Jax turned toward her sharply.

  “We didn’t go earlier because we didn’t have an Assault Robot to repair. Now we do. Motivation changed. And Stormers aren’t exactly known for organization.”

  Isabel didn’t look convinced.

  “Isabel-” Vanesa started.

  “Don’t baby me.” she snapped. “Why shouldn’t I worry? I don’t have a parasite giving me superhuman durability. We’re walking into death with knives against plasma weaponry.”

  Silence fell hard as Celene stopped typing.

  “She has a point.” she said calmly.

  Felicia nodded. “If someone gets shot, I can’t exactly sprint in there. I’m only useful if this rig stays protected.”

  The conversation tilted into contingencies — worst-case scenarios stacking on worst-case scenarios. Jax’s jaw tightened.

  “You stay here and monitor,” he said flatly to Felicia. “that’s your role. The only reason you’re here is for Varryance. The rest of us will manage.”

  The words landed heavy, Isabel looked visibly unsettled.

  “And one more thing,” she said carefully. “Varryance… how do you know exactly what weapons they use?”

  He didn’t hesitate.

  “Before the Flash, the U.S. had three enforcement divisions. Civil Security — kinetic rounds. Minimal destruction.”

  He stared at nothing as he spoke.

  “Then NURO. Military. Ionized plasma. Collateral damage didn’t matter. They’d level a building if it meant success.”

  Unease spread through the trailer.

  “And IARO. Laser repeaters. Precise. Quiet. Clean.”

  “NURO sounds worst.” Felicia muttered.

  “They’re all the worst,” Varryance said quietly. “people who operate like that… don’t have souls.”

  “And you’ve seen it.” Jax said, voice low.

  Varryance met his gaze.

  Silence swallowed the space between them as only the soft beeping of Troy’s monitors filled the air. Vanesa’s hand found Varryance's slowly gentle and careful, across from them, Jax saw it and looked away. Facing elsewhere

  “Isabel, right?” Jax said casually.

  “Yeah.” she said unsettled still by the conversation earlier

  “You’re from Meridyian Village. What’d you do there?”

  “Scouting mostly. Intel on the Golden Complex. That’s how I found Varryance half-dead in the sand.” she said rather with a blunt tone, though she grinned once Varryance commented.

  “Yeah,” Varryance added. “real-life savior.”

  Jax’s expression hardened almost imperceptibly.

  Kael leaned forward. “What was it like in there? After everything?”

  Varryance exhaled slowly.

  “Whoever that masked attacker was — professional. Turrets inactive. No laser casings. Explosions everywhere. The place nearly collapsed. Eventually… it did.”

  Kael’s eyes lit up slightly. “War room still intact though? Heard it had AEGIS units.”

  The words hit him like a sudden tornado, his mind filled with the pulsating alarm and the voice-com repeating the same warnings over and over. His vision turned red almost like the lights in the hallway of the Golden Complex, explosions and debris flying past him in his head feeling like it was happening right then and there.

  “Varryance?” Vanesa’s voice cut through.

  He blinked. The trailer swayed.

  “You good?” she asked.

  Felicia was already unbuckling. “Look at me.”

  The red faded but nausea surged.

  “Everything just… went red.” he muttered.

  Felicia checked his pupils. “That spike shouldn’t happen from conversation alone.”

  Kael shifted uncomfortably. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to—”

  “We’re done talking about it. Vanesa said sharply.

  Felicia sat back slowly, still watching him. “Parasite’s adapting to new conditions. But that kind of response…” She frowned. "That is not baseline."

  Varryance said nothing.

  Jax rolled his shoulders. “When we get back, you rest. Eat. You’re burning through calories faster than you think.”

  Felicia nodded. “Parasite metabolism is high.”

  Vanesa stiffened slightly. She forgot to tell Varryance about it.

  “Maybe,” Jax added lightly, “if you weren’t so distracted Vanesa you'd-”

  “Enough,” Celene said without raising her voice.

  Jax went quiet instantly both when the the rig slowed and Celene's presence thunderstruck the rig.

  “Home,” he muttered.

  Belts clicked open as Vanesa and Felicia helped Varryance up. His balance still felt off — like gravity wasn’t quite aligned.

  “Yo, Varry okay?” Tanner called from the cockpit.

  “He’s fine,” Celene answered brightly as she moved toward the door.

  The outpost gates loomed outside as for just a second barely there the floodlights flickered red. Varryance froze as the hum behind his eyes stirred again. Lights returned to normal yet no one else seemed to notice. Celene opened the door.

  “Welcome back.”