"So, what is it exactly you need?" Ionut asked, voice quivering just enough to betray the nerves he was trying to hide. "Where… where do you need to go?"

He already had an idea. For them to come to him - especially Kai and Nadya, two names whispered across the mutant underworld - meant they were desperate.

They weren't the type to mingle with small-time smugglers unless they had no other option. Romania might've been a haven for mutants, but even havens had limits. At their calibre, there was no place on Earth that could truly be called safe. Not anymore.

It was only a matter of time before they were caught up in something. Getting out of the country unnoticed - let alone out of Europe - was no small feat, especially with the Association sniffing around every port and border checkpoint.

Still, Ionut wasn't just some trembling coward. Beneath the greasy hair and the cigar-stained grin was a sharp mind. He'd survived by reading people - knowing exactly who to flatter, who to cheat, and who to run from. That instinct had kept him alive this long.

Kai's glare pinned him in place for a moment, cold and deliberate, before he turned toward Nadya. "The Pentagon, right? That's where we're going."

The air seemed to still.

Nadya met his gaze, a faint smirk playing on her lips. "Yeah. The Pentagon."

There it was. Said aloud, the words hung heavy in the air like madness given shape. Even Amina and Lenny, who had followed along without question so far, exchanged a look that screamed, "Are we actually doing this?"

They'd all thought it, but none of them dared to say it aloud. Breaking into one of the most heavily guarded places on the planet - the headquarters of the AMC - was pretty much suicide.

But then again, insanity had never stopped them before.

Lenny scratched his neck, forcing a laugh that came out a little too high. "Right… The Pentagon."

Amina just sighed, muttering under her breath. "We've officially lost it."

Ionut blinked, trying to piece together whether they were joking.

"Yeah, that's where we're going," Nadya said again, too casually for his liking. "Do you know where that is?"

Kai shrugged.

The smuggler's jaw nearly hit the floor. 'The Pentagon?!' His mind raced. 'Are these lunatics actually planning to break into the Pentagon? And they're not even sure where it's located?!'

Ionut wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry at the lunatics in front of them.

'But I just need to do whatever they want, and they will let me live. They won't kill me until they arrive at their destination, and after that, I'll make sure I never see these fuckers again.'

He didn't dare voice the thought aloud. One wrong word and he could end up as a blood smear on his own port. Best to play along. Whatever these mutants were planning, he just had to nod, smile, and survive it.

"I-I believe the Pentagon is in D.C.," Ionut stammered. "Washington D.C."

"Sounds about right," Kai replied, unfazed. "We need to get there as soon as possible. And you're going to help us with that, right?"

"Of course, sir Bloodweaver," Ionut said, the title rolling off his tongue like venom. "I can get you on one of my trade ships heading to the US. It leaves today."

That sounded convenient, and things were going much more smoothly than they had expected.

'To think all you needed to do was kill 15 people and blind another to get someone to help you for free,' Kai joked internally. Not that he felt guilty in the slightest, Ionut was the kind who deserved everything that came to him, at least according to Nadya.

"How long will that take?" Nadya asked.

"With minimal stops… around twenty days."

"Twenty fucking days?" Kai's tone cut through the air like a knife. "No, thanks."

He immediately shut that down; they didn't have twenty days to spend on a ship. In the current landscape, the entire world could change in that time. And they had silently agreed to meet up again with the rest of the crew within a couple of days at most.

"Well, you are trying to get across the world," Ionut muttered under his breath, though he immediately regretted it when Kai's eyes flicked toward him.

He gave Kai a sheepish smile, but thankfully, he ignored the remark and turned to Nadya. "Maybe we should just ask Shadow for a hand."

"No way," she shot back instantly. "He'll dump us in the middle of nowhere if he finds out what we're up to. That's if he even shows up. He's not going to fall for the same stunt twice."

Kai sighed. "Fine. What's the quickest option you've got?"

"The air," Ionut said, hesitating. "But that's… difficult. And costly."

Kai's stare hardened. "It's what?"

Ionut's throat bobbed. "What I meant is - it'll take some time to arrange. You'll have to be smuggled in cargo. I have a shipment heading to New Jersey soon."

Kai's expression softened just a fraction. "That'll do. Make it happen as soon as possible." He turned to the others. "New Jersey… that's near D.C., right?"

Nadya shrugged. "Fuck knows. But isn't it near New York?"

That name alone made them all grimace. The chaos they'd left behind there - the One-Eyed Serpent, the Scalpel, the Messiah, and Takeshi's rampage. It would probably be best to avoid that city, especially if they didn't want to alert the Association of their presence.

"We'll just keep our heads down," Kai said, half-grinning. "We don't have a giant lizard this time, so we should be fine."

Planning had never been their strong suit. Improvisation was practically their religion. And right now, trusting a shifty smuggler who looked like he'd sell his mother for a decent meal was the best plan they had.

So they agreed. They'd be smuggled halfway across the world in cargo crates, gambling their lives on the hope that Ionut valued his survival more than his greed.

Hopefully, their little display earlier was enough to keep him honest...

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