Scheduled Departure Time: 16:00 sharp.
Vwshhhh!
The automatic doors slid open, and Sera and Jody stepped into the facility, dressed to impress in their prom-inspired outfits.
Jody wore a long-sleeved navy blue suit with yellow buttons on the sleeves, a V-neck, and black trousers (as seen in the previous scene illustration).
Sera, as always, went all out—donning a sleek black outfit with an open front, a fitted skirt, and a spiked necklace to top it off.
Roxxy wore the same outfit she had on when teaching Sera how to shoot: a red coat, brown pants, and a plain white T-shirt underneath.
Syd came in simple yet sharp—black suit, red shirt, no tie. Understated. Confident.
Toshi, however, looked strikingly sharp, perhaps the most dashing of all, in a perfectly tailored grey suit and matching tie. You could easily mistake him for a club-hopping playboy.
And then there was Mickey…
Sporting an orange suit with a black inner shirt and brown pants.
Of course, Sera found his outfit the most aggravating.
That guy... His green hair, orange top, and brown pants—
He looked exactly like a walking carrot.
To be fair, this wasn't new irritation. The discomfort had been festering for a while.
Now that she thought about it, this guy really is just a carrot with legs.
As they entered, everyone moved into position to prepare for the final mission briefing before deployment. But naturally, thanks to the mischievousness of the guys in the group, a little off-topic banter broke out beforehand.
"Sera~!"
It was Toshi calling her from his seat.
"Heard you're a Man United fan?"
"...."
Sera's eyes immediately darted to Syd. He definitely spilled that.
"Yeah... Don't tell me you're a fan too?"
Toshi grinned coolly and nodded.
"I'm an Arsenal fan."
"..."
Sera raised a brow.
"Ho..."
Syd: "Stupid cannon-loving son of a b—"
"Easy there, pal," Toshi cut in. "At least I'm not stuck down in 8th place."
Sera smirked, eyes gleaming with mischief.
Truly, they were both just as trash-talky as each other.
Toshi slumped forward onto the table, resigned.
"Whatever. Talk all you want. I gave up a long time ago... Just staying in the top 10 would be enough. We dropped to 15th last season... for crying out loud."
"Aww, poor baby. There, there. It'll get better, Toshi."
And with that, the meeting began.
Jade took the lead.
"The target's red carpet event will begin 12 hours after you set foot in Beijing. This is the venue."
Dozens of images appeared on the massive touch-screen display.
A massive skyscraper, complete with a rooftop pool for Full Moon parties.
Inside? The luxury was unmatched—even more extravagant than the Oscars.
"This event won't just feature business elites. Celebrities, reporters, and high-profile influencers from both China and abroad will be attending. Why is that important?"
Jody: "...It's going to be crowded... and even messier than Paris."
"Exactly. This time, we cannot afford any screw-ups. There will be dozens of cameras, and hundreds—possibly thousands—of mobile devices and electronic equipment. Ideally, we get in and out quietly, and extract the target alive. That's the mission's core objective."
"But how? With hundreds of cameras... and the targets aren't exactly nobodies."
Sera voiced the obvious concern.
"Correct, Sera. Which is why we'll be creating a distraction."
"!?"
Both Sera and Jody looked surprised. Jade continued.
"It's Syd Barrett's idea, actually. While it may seem aggressive, the Masters have all agreed that creating a diversion is our best chance for this abduction mission."
"If we can't avoid the media... we make them point their cameras somewhere else. Think about it."
Syd leaned back, smug, tapping his temple as if to say, "Use your brains, people."
"So what kind of distraction?"
Jody asked.
"We're splitting into teams. Toshi and Mickey will infiltrate the building's main power control room."
"Oh... to cut the lights?"
"Nope. To blow it up."
"!?"
Sera let out a startled yelp.
"They'll plant explosives in the power room. Once it goes off, the alarms will trigger."
Syd: "And the sirens will go off. Chaos unfolds."
"That's our window to approach the targets."
"Damn. I'm a genius."
Syd held out a hand for a high-five.
Jade, though skeptical, gave him a half-hearted slap.
Mickey: "Everyone now—say it with me... 'Ge–ni–us'..."
He clapped.
Only Jody clapped along.
Jody: "Well, at least he can come up with stuff."
"Hey! You got something better, huh?"
"Didn't say your plan sucked. It's great! Good job, buddy~"
She pointed finger-guns at him with a grin.
That grin alone made Syd feel like she was mocking him.
"Ugh, where's the nearest wheelchair...?"
"Chill out, man."
—
Back to business.
"Actually... we used advanced hypnosis on Sally to extract more details about her experience. Here's the footage."
Jade mirrored her iPad to the large screen.
It was 4K footage of Sally lying comfortably on a dentist-like chair, her hands resting on her belly.
She blinked slowly, showing no signs of resistance.
Soon, a technician inserted a small device into her ear, and her brain activity appeared on a screen.
[Just relax, okay?]
The team reassured her, and she nodded along.
Eventually, she entered a trance-like state.
Her eyes went blank. Mouth open. Completely still.
Then came the memory-triggering code words.
[Fred...]
No response.
[Priya... Wetton]
Still nothing.
[Doctor Diamond]
Suddenly, Sally screamed.
{Aah! AAAHHH! No no no!!! It hurts!!! IT HURTS!!!}
She cried out in pain—yet no one had touched her.
The pain was entirely in her mind.
Eventually, she calmed. Now in a drug-like haze, the staff asked her questions.
[Sally? Can you hear us?]
{...Yeah...yeah...}
[What does Doctor Diamond look like?]
{...A man... scary face...}
[What color is his hair?]
{...Blue... yellow eyes... white skin... cruel... he controls everyone... a bad man... cruel... bad...}
Tears fell. The staff gently wiped them away.
[The day the van was attacked... what happened?]
{...I was in the van... all of us were... hands tied... I didn't know anyone... then the van stopped... there was an explosion... gunfire... then the door opened...}
[The cabin door?]
{...Blown open from outside... Then I heard over ten vans screech to a stop... we ran... the people with me were shot... men in black suits shot them...}
[Men in suits... or black armor?]
{...Helmets... covered faces... guns... lots of them... the driver fought back but lost... they started shooting us... red blood everywhere... bitter smell... burnt smell... made my throat sting... loud sounds... I went deaf for a while... I crawled under the van... used the chaos... everyone died... I was the only one left...}
[Everyone died?]
{...I don't know... but so many were lying still... I jumped into a boat... it took off just in time... and then I saw his face...}
[Whose face?]
{...A man... black suit... brown hair...}
Syd: "...Autumn..."
[Anyone else?]
{...Another man... blond... and a woman... dark skin... and a woman with glasses...}
The video ended.
"From her account, it was a direct assault between CIA-backed forces and Enlighten. Sally was the sole survivor."
Jody: "...Which is why Fred and Priya are tearing the earth apart looking for her."**
Toshi: "...So we've got at least four new enemies in play..."**
"Correct. And it's highly likely we'll encounter them in Beijing. We don't know how much they know."
"But... why all this secrecy?"
Sera interjected.
"Doesn't this organization control the world? Why not just call... I dunno, Trump or someone? Tell them to get the CIA outta the way?"
"No. We control the world, yes—but not the governments."
"Wait, what? But governments—like the U.S.—they do control the world, don't they?"
Sera was still confused.
"Don't step into the hyperloop if you're stuck thinking in straight lines."
Mickey spun his whole chair toward her.
"Shallow thinking like that just puts you on stage. If the world is a stage, and countries are the actors under spotlights—Thrak isn't the director. Thrak is the one controlling the lights. Where we point, the world moves."
"...Ooooh..."
Jade: "But yes, we have agents embedded everywhere. Every country. Every major company."
"Maybe even in the Gilmour family's empire~?"
Toshi smirked like a fox, making Sera flinch.
Now she was paranoid.
"I'll find them... and fire them all."
"Feel free to try."
Syd smirked.
Sera tensed—her family company was a global name, after all. It wouldn't be far-fetched.
But then Jody leaned over and whispered:
"You don't have to worry about spies in your house... if you're the spy."
"...Ooooh~!"
Sera's ears perked up.
That made a surprising amount of sense.
—
Vwshhhh!
The group descended into a new level.
Before them was the central terminal of a massive Hyperloop tunnel—a vacuum tube transit system with futuristic vehicles shaped like stylized pen tips.
Everything here was white.
Which made the diverse, sharply dressed agents moving about stand out in contrast.
This was the Hyperloop.
A tech of the future—but Jody and Sera got to ride it today.
Sera was completely dazzled. She excitedly pushed between Roxxy and Toshi, bubbling with energy.
Meanwhile, walking alongside Jade, Jody saw an opening.
"We haven't seen Sally all day. Where is she?"
"...Under medical supervision."
"Ah... I see..."
The group was led to one of the Hyperloop pods. Jade turned to the two girls.
"This line will take you to the Beijing HQ. From there, you'll proceed directly to the mission area."
"China branch?"
Sera asked.
"Yes. And I suggest you stick close to those four. In China, the agents are even more numerous and diverse than here. If you're not careful... you might run into some strange ones."
"...Haha... As if we haven't had enough weird already?"
"That's not advice, Sera. That's a warning."
"....Ulp...."
Sera's smile instantly vanished.
"Haha, just kidding, Sera."
Jade gave her a squeeze on the shoulder.
"...Even you? C'mon, Jade..."
"We go today—or we don't go at all."
Mickey called from inside the Hyperloop pod. All four guys were already seated.
"Can't a girl admire the tech for a second!?"
Sera huffed, following in.
Jody, however, turned to Jade for one final question.
"Will we see you again?"
She was the last one standing at the station, giving weight to her words.
"...I believe so."
"...You believe so?"
"As long as they continue to protect you... it's my duty to protect you too, Jody."
"..."
Jody nodded... then stepped into the pod, into the cool blast of Hyperloop air.
The doors slid shut.