"Tch. Of course it's you," Nadya muttered, the orb dissolving with a pop as she let her hand fall to her side. "You better have something good, jackass."

Sven just threw her a wink. "Miss me?"

Kai trudged in behind him, slumping onto one of the lumpy motel beds like his bones had melted. His sunglasses were askew, and his hoodie was half unzipped, stained with something suspiciously red. Probably ketchup. Hopefully ketchup.

Sven did know everybody, but that wasn't to say he was on good terms with everybody. For the most part, he was, but they did have to get their hands dirty once or twice while bouncing around the city.

Nadya crossed her arms. "You ditched us for a full day and didn't even leave a message."

"We didn't ditch you," Kai said, eyes closed, voice dry. "We were getting information."

That earned him a moment of silence.

They looked like hell. Both of them. Sweaty, grimy, borderline sleep-deprived. Sven's leather jacket had a fresh cut along the sleeve, and Kai smelled like motor oil, cigarettes, and bad decisions. But they were back. And they came with answers.

"So what did you find?" Isaac asked as he pulled Amina gently onto the bed beside him. The younger girl looked bored out of her mind, fiddling with something in her hands.

Kai sat up with a groan. "We found out through the perv's connections. A meet is happening tonight - Messiah and his new potential distributor."

Nadya's eyebrows shot up.

"Location's confirmed," Sven added, after giving Kai a little glare. "And I'd bet my left nut we'll also find the drugs we need samples of and need to destroy there."

A sudden shift happened in the room.

Like a fuse had been lit.

Nadya's posture straightened, her lips curling into a wicked smile. The frustration from earlier vanished in an instant. "Now that's what I'm talking about. Finally, something interesting."

She was practically bouncing with excitement.

The others didn't share her enthusiasm.

Isaac ran a hand through his hair and muttered, "Great. More chaos." Amina just sighed and leaned against him.

The whole day, they'd been stuck in the crumbling motel. The TV only played reruns of public access channels and breaking news alerts about them - blurred photos, city-wide alerts, and yet another heated segment speculating about Takeshi's whereabouts and the results of his battle.

They couldn't risk leaving the motel, so they stayed cooped up with nothing but vending machine crisps and ancient chocolate bars for sustenance. Nadya had been ready to punch a hole through the wall out of sheer boredom.

But now? Oh, now she was alive.

"You guys had your turn," Nadya said, stretching her arms overhead with a crack of her knuckles. "Kai had fun with my stolen opponent. Takeshi had his little sword duel. Sven got to go to the club and shake down half the city. Me? I haven't had a chance to let loose."

She grinned widely, eyes glinting with unholy glee.

"It's my time to break things."

Kai side-eyed her from the bed. "You do realise we're supposed to be spying on the meet, not blowing it up?"

Nadya placed a hand dramatically on her chest. "I am very good at stealth. I once snuck into a billionaire's panic room just to leave a 'your security sucks' note."

"You also blew up his car on the way out," Isaac deadpanned.

"It was an ugly car."

Sven chuckled and pulled a chair up. "We'll need eyes on the meet before it starts. The Messiah won't come alone, and if Krane's there too... things could get messy fast. We'll need to pick a spot and watch before we decide to act."

"Krane?" Nadya's tone sharpened. "The Scalpel Krane?"

Kai gave a slow nod. He personally hadn't heard of him until earlier that day, but it seemed as though he was somewhat well-known.

"Yeah. Looks like he's stepping in to replace Dominique."

That caught even Isaac's attention.

Amina looked up from her silent sulk. "We're going up against him?"

"No..." Sven began. "Who am I kidding? We probably will. But it should be fine, we completed a month of Mutant Training Camp after all," he laughed.

The room went quiet for a moment as the group absorbed the weight of the situation. Kai felt the familiar itch of adrenaline creeping into his chest. Things were escalating. Fast.

But then Nadya broke the silence.

She clapped her hands together and said brightly, "So, who's fighting who? I want the Messiah guy, but I wouldn't mind facing the Scalpel. How about I fight them both?"

Kai groaned. Sven just laughed.

And just like that, the chaos resumed.

They had a location. They had a time. And now, the wildest card in the deck was ready to be played.

But just as the group gathered near the peeling motel door, gear slung and adrenaline beginning to hum beneath their skin, a sudden, unspoken thought rippled through all of them at once.

They turned, in eerie synchronicity, toward the same person.

Amina.

The girl froze mid-step, one foot already lifted, clearly ready to trail behind the group like it was a given. But the weight of everyone's gaze landed on her like a brick.

She blinked. "...What?"

Kai, Sven, Nadya, and Isaac exchanged silent glances.

No one wanted to say it first.

Amina's combat skills had improved - sure. She could throw a punch now without spraining her wrist, and even disarmed Isaac during practice once. But compared to what they were heading into? A gathering of violent mutant criminals, potential drug handoffs, and a meeting with the so-called Messiah himself?

Yeah. No amount of disarming drills would prepare her for that.

"You're not coming with us," Kai said bluntly.

Amina's shoulders stiffened. "Why not?"

"It's not about you," Nadya added quickly, raising her hands before Amina could fire back. "It's just... you'll slow Isaac down. He can't scout or bail us out properly if he's also babysitting you."

That hit the mark.

Isaac looked away, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck, but even he didn't object. It wasn't that they didn't trust Amina; it was that they couldn't afford to trust the situation. Not tonight.

Amina scowled. "I can handle myself."

"You can," Sven agreed with a nod. "Against a drunk guy in a bar fight. Or maybe a security guard. But this? This is something else entirely. There might be people there who shoot acid out of their pores or read your thoughts while choking you."

"That's oddly specific," Isaac muttered.

"I fought them both one time over a girl. Long story." Sven waved it off.

Amina opened her mouth to argue again, but stopped. Her fingers curled slightly, and her gaze dropped to the floor. She wasn't dumb. She understood. But that didn't make it sting any less.

Still, that left them with another problem.

They couldn't take her... but they also couldn't just leave her.

Alone in the motel? Vulnerable, unguarded, and probably on every watchlist in the city? No chance. Even Kai, cold-blooded strategist that he was, couldn't justify that risk.

Isaac looked tense, clearly torn between loyalty to the mission and his protectiveness over Amina.

Kai noticed and narrowed his eyes.

Isaac was their emergency exit. Their scout. Their eyes and ears in places no one else could reach. If they lost that advantage, they'd be heading into a storm blind and without a way out of things went tits up.

"What do we do?" Nadya asked, half to herself, running a hand through her wild hair. Her tone wasn't sarcastic for once - she was genuinely worried.

Then, slowly, the atmosphere shifted.

Kai and Sven turned to face each other.

Grins began to spread.

The kind of grins that made Nadya's eye twitch.

Sven cracked his knuckles. "We've got just the place for her to stay."

Kai nodded. "And just the guy to look after her while we go stir up some chaos."

Their matching mischievous expressions immediately set off alarm bells. Nadya folded her arms and shot them the most unimpressed glare a woman could physically muster. "No. Absolutely not. I don't trust either of you when you smile like that."

Amina looked between them, suspicious now. "Who exactly are you talking about?"

"You'll see," Kai replied smugly.

"Yeah," Sven added. "It'll be fun and safe."

"For who?" Nadya snapped. "For us or for her?"

Kai raised his brows. "Yes?"

With that, the two troublemakers marched off like they had the most brilliant plan in the world, leaving a sceptical Nadya, a reluctantly convinced Isaac, and a confused Amina trailing behind them.

As they walked, Nadya leaned toward Isaac and whispered, "If they dump her in a sewer or with a one-eyed bookie who owes them a favour, I'm blasting both of them."

"I'd pay to see that," Isaac laughed.

And so, with doubts in the air and chaos in the wind, they set off on a detour that promised more surprises than comfort.

Whoever "the guy" was… he'd better be ready to endure Nadya's wrath if he didn't meet her requirements...

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