The safehouse fell quiet when Noir and Kaelith returned, but the silence felt… full, not hollow.
Specter lifted his head from the stack of documents, voice steady though his eyes were sharp.
"Found something. Looks like they're transporting something… not just weapons."
Orion propped his chin on his hand, smirking.
"'Something' as in contraband, hostages, or some top-secret crap even the grunts don't know about. But thanks to my excellent digging skills, I picked up a few fun pieces."
He turned the laptop toward Noir and Kaelith, a map pulled up with several red-circled points.
Specter continued, his voice lowering.
"There's a hidden route from Central Station to the northern outskirts. Their cargo moves on a fixed schedule. If we match it with Kaelith's data… this route is protected by an isolated signal encryption."
Kaelith blinked, realization flashing across her face.
"So the signal tower that Noir and I scrambled didn't fully disrupt them."
She looked toward Noir, then whispered.
"But…"
"If this is correct… that's their core supply line. Hit it, and their entire network within thirty miles collapses."
Orion barked a low laugh.
"Sounds great, damn. Except 'hitting it' means we'll be sticking our heads out. And I'd rather not die young, thanks."
Specter frowned, then fixed his serious gaze on Noir.
"If we want to disrupt them, this is the key link. What do you think, Noir?"
Noir didn't answer immediately. She closed her eyes, letting the thought ripple through her.
She knew this was a turning point. Targeting that secret route meant standing right under VOID's gun.
Then she opened her eyes.
"Two days from now, we start. No direct assault. We interfere with the route, disrupt it from a distance. Controlled risk, minimal exposure."
Specter nodded the relief in his eyes brief but visible.
Orion snapped his fingers.
"Finee. Setting traps and watching them trip over it sounds fun."
Kaelith quickly pulled up an auxiliary map, circling several strategic locations. Thanks to her, they could calculate where to place jammers and signal traps along the path without blowing their cover. When successful, VOID's logistics would stall and stumble.
"So the devices, jammers, and bombs go to Specter and Kaelith. Confirm the exact route. Orion and I will follow it and install the traps."
"What the heck, girl, you're good at delegating." *Orion cracked his knuckles*
Noir only gave him a glance.
The plan rolled out silently. By the next night, tiny traps were laid across the route, jammers disguised in the terrain, and both of them vanished without a trace.
They returned at sunrise. The tension that had coiled inside the house loosened.
Orion tossed a few stolen beer cans onto the table, grinning.
"Come on, war or no war, we can still drink."
A sharp pshht as the can opened.
Specter took a sip—rarely smiling, but he did now.
Noir leaned back in her chair, sunlight brushing her face, her eyes softer after days of strain.
Kaelith laughed, tapping cans with Orion.
"Didn't think we'd have beer at a time like this."
Orion winked.
"Hah. As long as I'm here, anything's possible—unless Noir starts nagging."
Noir shot him a look sharp enough to flay skin, but the corner of her mouth twitched.
The old house grew quiet again. Empty cans scattered. A faint warmth filled the air.
Orion stretched out with a groan.
"Man… maybe I am getting old. Twenty-six, running around like a draft animal, and now my back's killing me."
Kaelith giggled, raising her can, eyes sparkling.
"You're only twenty-six but talk like you're eighty."
Specter sipped, a small smile flickering and fading.
"You're nineteen, so you've got a long road ahead. I'm twenty-six, too… and some days it feels like I've lived a century. Ahh so tired."
Noir's fingers tapped lightly against her can. Her voice came slow, steady.
"Age is just a number. What matters is what you've lived through. Some people understand too much at nineteen… and some reach thirty still clueless."
The group fell silent.
Orion broke it with a snort.
"Yeah yeah, after Noir says stuff like that, I feel no smarter than a kid."
He narrowed his eyes at Kaelith.
"Hey, you really are nineteen? You look, like… sixteen."
Kaelith puffed her cheeks and tapped her can on the table.
"Don't underestimate me. I'm old enough to mess with you back."
Noir's lips curved—not quite a smile, not quite mockery.
Specter shook his head.
"Orion, are you ever serious?"
"Why not bro! When I eat and when I sleep."
Orion's retort made Kaelith burst out laughing.
Kaelith tilted her head, watching Noir with a mix of respect and curiosity.
"Are you always this cold, Noir? Don't you ever… feel lonely?"
Noir paused. Something flickered deep in her eyes.
Then she replied, with a faint lift of her lips.
"I'm used to it."
"Umm… I've never seen you smile either…" Kaelith whispered.
Noir remained silent, sipping her beer.
Kaelith sighed dramatically, chin resting on her hand.
"But I think… if you smile, you'll be really pretty. No matter how cold someone is, they need to let their heart breathe sometimes. Otherwise it suffocates."
Orion burst out laughing, slapping Kaelith's back.
"You hear that, Noir? Lessons in emotional health from a nineteen-year-old. You better take notes."
Noir shot Orion a look that shut him up instantly.
Kaelith kept chatting, tossing little jokes around—tiny sparks in a room full of people who'd only known blood and shadows.
Specter watched in silence, but his lips curved slightly. His eyes drifted to Noir longer than usual—gentle, hopeful… and weighed with something unspoken.
Orion noticed it, raised a brow, then looked away without a word.
***
VOID Headquarters – Technical Sector.
The information-processing division worked non-stop, trying to fix the signal disruption from the tower Noir and Kaelith disabled. VOID had dispatched extra personnel to repair and investigate the cause.
A soldier hurried up to the doctor.
"Ma'am, signal tower V-ΔS-ID:90B6.13018 is completely offline. It's been marked V-404-D."
"Send a repair team. A system that stable doesn't break without reason. They must be nearby." the doctor replied
"Deploy a sweep. NOW."
"Y-yes, ma'am…" the soldier shrank back.
***
Back at the safehouse.
Noir thought silently.
/VOID… consider this my greeting gift…/ *she gave the empty can a light shake*