“Sorry, Dame. There’s been a change of plans,” Marcus said as he checked his blind spot before merging onto the neighboring lane. “Those upgrades of yours are gonna have to wait.”

“That’s fine, I wasn’t on planning on fighting anytime soon anyway. At least until the poison’s gone. But what’s with the sudden change?”

“Just got a message from Zero himself. Said he needs to see us right away.”

“Think it’s related to the prototype? Maybe he got the intel he was looking for.”

Marcus shrugged. “He didn’t say, but I sure hope so.”

***

They arrived at Zero’s office to find that Kat was already there, much to Damien’s surprise. She was standing in front of the alloy desk with her arms crossed, engaged in conversation with the bald man seated on the other side. They stopped talking as soon as the pair entered the room.

“Tell me some good news,” Marcus said with his arms wide open. “We ended up with the real prototype, didn’t we?”

Kat turned to face the duo as they gathered around the desk. “Seems like it.”

“We were discussing that very thing,” Zero said, before getting up from his chair. The blinds behind him zipped shut, and the lights above cut out, plunging the room into darkness. Damien caught a flash of skin zoom across the desk, and a blue hologram came to life atop it. Just as before, it projected a segment of the city, and the highest point of the hologram— a pair of skyscrapers— stood two feet above the metal surface.

“The suitcase that Kat returned contained the real model, and I have analyzed the meta-data inside.” Zero motioned over the projection, and it started to pan toward the east side, going over a portion of the city that Damien recognized. The hologram centered on a grouping of factory buildings which surrounded two large, rectangular slabs that seemed to protrude a foot off the ground. They looked like metal hatches that could be opened.

“I have learned that TrillTech posses multiple discreet research facilities from which they perform a variety of illicit operations,” Zero said. “This underground facility is just one of them, but I believe it to be the most important for our cause. Held within are the original files that document these secret operations. I require those files so that I can plan the next step in their destruction.”

“About that,” Marcus said. “It’s great that you’re getting what you want out of this, but our goal isn’t to take them down, remember? We just need to confirm if they’re behind the disappearance of our friend, nothing more. So how does this benefit us?”

“While I can not say with absolute certainty that the information you seek will be within these files, I strongly believe that will be the case. If he is not mentioned in their list of activities, then you can assume that TrillTech was not involved.”

“It’s not definitive, but it’s the best thing we have to go by,” Kat said. “But let’s say we go through with this. Will they know we’re coming?”

“I can not say for certain. After having all three convoys ambushed, they now know that someone has infiltrated their ranks, and they will be much more cautious. However, they know not what it is that we want, or where we will strike. The previous attack is not linked directly to their illegal research, so they have no reason to suspect an assault on their secret facilities. Even so, they will most likely bolster their defenses even further on all premises, so expect resistance.”

“Do you know what’s inside these buildings?” Damien asked. “If we can get an idea of what we’re going up against, we can formulate a plan to increase our odds of succeeding.”

“I do not. All I can tell you is that the files are held within a control room. How you choose to obtain them is none of my concern, the planning and execution of this operation is up to the three of you.”

Kat scoffed. “This is incredibly risky… If they’re doing some shit that they don’t want others to learn about, there’s no doubt that the place is heavily guarded. For all we know, it could turn out to be a battlefield in there. Not to mention, there’s always the possibility of more ex-military…”

The blue projection disappeared and the lights above turned on. “Again, that is none of my concern.” Zero sat back on his chair and rested his elbows on the desk, his fingers connecting in an arch. “You will attack the underground facility tomorrow.”

Marcus raised a defiant hand and shook his head. “Hold on. We can’t tomorrow, Damien got injured in that last fight and he needs more time to heal.”

“It’s fine,” Damien said. “If we have to do this, I’m sure I can-”

“No way,” Marcus interrupted. “We’re not risking anything. I’m not gonna lose one friend trying to rescue another. We’ll need another day for him to get back to full strength. That’s non-negotiable.”

“Waiting an extra day will allow them to bolster their defenses even further.” Zero said. “You will be making the job more difficult for yourself.”

“Doesn’t matter!” Marcus blurted out. “We’re not gonna put a crew mate in harms way!” The big pirate held his gaze at Zero for the first time, glaring straight into the black orbs where his eyes should have been.

Zero's face remained stoic and he turned towards Damien. “Very well. But let me make something clear. Another failure of any kind will not be tolerated.”

Despite the lack of expression on the metal-stripped face, Damien could feel a sense of anger behind those words, as if coming from a disappointed parent. Being called out like that stung enough, but the predatory black eyes that were fixed on him only made things worse, sending a chill down Damien’s spine as he fought to keep the discomfort from showing on his face.

“We didn’t fail,” Kat said. “We got you want you wanted.”

“Only by random chance.”

Marcus let out an aggressive grunt. “Yeah, well we’re the ones risking our lives out there. It’s like like Kat said, this’ll be the most dangerous job yet; we’ll be jumping into the lion’s den. Meanwhile, you’ll be kicking your feet up while we take all the risks. It isn’t exactly an even partnership, and we almost lost one of our own last time around.”

“The risks come with the job,” Zero said coldly. “You all agreed to the conditions prior to the mission, did you not? I recognize the heightened danger of this operation, so the reward will be increased to reflect that. Now, I recommend you hone in your petulance. As your employer, I will not hesitate to withdraw my funds from the deal.”

“Tch.” A scowl grew on Marcus’ face and he crossed his arms at the Inkeye. “Fuck you and your funds...”

“Hold on,” Kat said. “How much are we talking for this job?”

“One hundred and thirty thousand. Each.”

Marcus’ face dropped, but it quickly became concealed by a notification which popped up in the center of Damien’s vision.

Quest Updated! Retrieve the Archangel files.