I'll see you both in a couple of days," Nico said as he helped Lucia off the chair.

"Thank you, Doctor," Alma said, taking her daughter's hand as they said goodbye.

As the door closed behind them, Nico was left alone once again, the clinic falling back into its usual quiet. His attention shifted to the faint sound of the shower running in his office. He opened the door cautiously, stepping inside as the hum of the water grew louder through the closed bathroom door.

He stood in front of the sturdy metal box on his desk, the red handprints Kira had left still stark against the casing. There was nothing written on it, no indication of what it held. Nico reached for the lock, his fingers brushing the cold metal.

Suddenly, the doorbell chimed again-six rapid, impatient buzzes-shattering the quiet.

"Fuck," he muttered under his breath, leaving the office and heading toward the reception.

As Nico opened the door, Chief Corso strode into the clinic, his gaze sweeping the room, his thick black eyebrows locked in their perpetual scowl. "Morning, Doc," he grunted.

"Good morning, Chief. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Nico forced a smile, keeping his tone carefully neutral.

"I'll cut right to the chase, Doc." Corso stepped closer, his words clipped. "There's been a break-in at one of the warehouses. Something valuable's been stolen. Have you seen anything... suspicious? Any new faces showing up in the clinic today?" the chief's eyes narrowed, his question lingering as he crossed his arms over his grey-blue uniform.

Nico mirrored his posture, keeping his expression steady. "Only old faces, Chief. Any leads?"

Corso gruffed. "It's an ongoing investigation, Doc," he said, leaning in closer, his acrid breath filling the space between them. "I shouldn't be telling you this, but I trust you'll keep it under wraps." His voice dropped. "We found blood on a barbed-wire fence. Ran it through the database-no match. It's an outsider."

Nico felt his heart rate spike but kept his face neutral. "Uh-huh," he said, fighting to keep his tone casual, his eyes flickering at the blaster holstered at Corso's hip. "If I see anyone out of the ordinary, I'll let you know."

"You know how to reach me, Doc." Corso clapped a heavy hand on Nico's shoulder. "The company's breathing down my neck because of this sky-rat fucker. So if you see anything-anyone-different, you let me know. Understood?" His finger jabbed on Nico's chest.

"Understood, Chief," Nico replied, forcing a smile. As Corso turned on his heel and left the clinic, Nico let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

He stormed into his office, only to find Kira in her freshly changed clothes. She stood near his desk, combing her wet hair with her fingers, using the darkened screen of his holopad as a makeshift mirror.

"Hey, ever heard of knocking?" she shot as she glanced over her shoulder.

Nico's jaw tightened. "You know who just left the clinic, Kira?" he bit out, his voice low with frustration. "ExoCore's chief of security. He told me someone broke into their warehouse and stole something."

Kira's hands slowed, fingers still tangled in her damp hair, but she didn't turn around. "So? This is the Fringe. Someone's always breaking into something."

Nico clenched his fists at his sides. "Fuck, Kira, I know you stole that damn box!" he snapped, his frustration finally boiling over.

She turned, letting out an irritated sigh. "Okay, Sherlock, congratulations. You caught me." she said, clapping her hands in mock applause. "Want a medal?"

Nico's irritation only simmered more. "You're unbelievable! How reckless can you be, Kira?" he said, pacing the room. "Out of the blue, you show up on Gravis, rob fucking ExoCore, and bring it here. To my clinic!" He stopped, staring at her. "Do you have any idea what they'll do to me if they find this shit here? What they'll do to the clinic?"

"I didn't mean to bring it here, Nico!" she shot back, frustration creeping into her voice. "I got hurt, didn't know where else to go. I didn't plan it, okay?"

"Is this what you do now, Kira? Just plain robbery?" Nico asked, disbelief heavy in his voice.

Kira crossed her arms, her jaw tightening. "Come on, Nico. You're really going to side with the planet-busting, child-killing corporation?"

Nico opened his mouth, then paused. "Of course not, Kira! But if they shut down this clinic, who's going to take care of these people? You think robbing them helps?"

She looked down, biting her lip, her arms still crossed. Silence stretched between them, thick with tension.

Nico exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Come on," he said, nodding to the box. "Show me what's inside. I deserve to know since I'm your accomplice now."

Kira hesitated, her gaze lingering on the metal box for a moment. With pursed lips, she opened the lock and pulled off the lid, revealing a sleek metallic device with ExoCore's logo glaring back at them.

"It's a prototype drill unit," she said flatly. "For mining gravitas ore, really, really deep down. High-tech, top of the line. It can handle crazy amounts of pressure, runs autonomously, quantum processing, fusion power core-the whole package. Worth a fortune on the black market."

"So, you're just doing this for cash?" Nico asked, his voice edged with disbelief.

"Yeah!" She said bluntly. "I have no choice, Nico! The Skydancer got busted, I was out of cash, stranded on that fucking rock! The asshole who got me there ran with my money, so I had to borrow some, couldn't pay, then it compounded... Why am I even explaining myself to you?" she snapped, her frustration flaring.

Nico shook his head slowly, his disappointment a heavy weight settling in his gut. "You left... for this? What are you doing with your life, Kira? Is this who you want to be?"

Her eyes flashed. "I'm not you, Nico. I'm not 'Doctor Perfect.' Sometimes you gotta do things to survive!"

"To survive? To survive?" His anger spiked. "Kira... are you using again?"

He regretted it the second the words left his mouth.

Kira's face darkened like a gathering storm. Her entire body tensed, her hands curled into fists. For a moment, she seemed to grow taller, dangerous. Nico instinctively took a step back. She didn't need to answer his question-he already knew.

She yanked the metal box off his desk, hoisting it up as if it weighed nothing. She shoved past him, shoulder-checking him out of the way. He grabbed her arm, desperate. "Kira, please-just listen-"

Her eyes, burning with a cold fury, locked onto his. She shoved the box down, and it hit the floor like a thunder, reverberating through the room. The clinic plunged into silence, thick and suffocating.

"You know I killed that girl long ago," she said, her voice tight with barely-restrained rage. "Burned her body, buried the ashes, nuked the graveyard!"

"I know. I didn't mean to-"

She cut him off with a sharp gesture, spinning around to grab her jacket from the terminal. She shoved her arms into the sleeves with an angry force, turning back to him, eyes closed, sucking in a deep, shaky breath as if trying to pull herself back from the edge.

"I didn't come here to ruin your life, Nico. I just..." Her voice wavered for a split second before she shook her head, jaw clenched. Without another word, she bent down, hoisted the box, and strode toward the exit.

"Kira, stop!" Nico ran after her, stepping in front of the open door that lead to the street. "I'm not letting you walk out there with this thing."

"Get the fuck out of my way, Nico, or I'll-" Her eyes widened, locking on something behind him. Before he could react, she yanked him to the side. A deafening blast ripped through the air, a thunderous sound that echoed and cracked in the room. Nico hit the floor hard, Kira landing on top of him. Her face was just inches from his, her eyes wide with fear.

"They found me," she whispered, scrambling to her feet. She pressed herself against the wall, her fingers flying across the keypad beside the door, quickly typing in his code. The door hissed shut.

A smoking hole marred the wall opposite the entrance, the stench of burnt plastic stinging Nico's nostrils. His stomach dropped as fear gripped him. "ExoCore?" he asked.

Kira shook her head, her expression tense. "Vlamurik's men." Her eyes flicked to the door. "Is this thing blast-proof?"

Before he could answer, a loud bang rocked the door, shaking the frame. Kira grabbed his arm and yanked him to his feet. "Don't just lie there!" she snapped. She hoisted the box again, and they rushed toward the examination room.

Once inside, she dumped the box behind a counter. "Is there a back exit?" her voice was sharp, her eyes scanning the room

"Yes, it's right there by the-" Another, louder bang shook the building, followed by the sharp crack of splintering metal. Kira ducked behind the counter, pulling Nico down with her.

"Who the hell is Vlamurik?" Nico asked, his pulse racing.

"The guy who wants his money back." She sat on the floor, pulling up the leg of her pants to reveal a small blaster pistol holstered against her calf.

Nico stared at the weapon, his disbelief evident. "Weren't you unarmed?"

"Guess I lied about that too." She gripped it in both hands, raising her arms over the counter, her eyes locked on the door to the reception. "When I start shooting, you run for the back door. Got it?" she whispered. "Run like hell and don't look back."

"I'm not leaving you here!" Nico protested, panic rising in his voice.

"I'll be right behind you," Kira insisted, her voice tight with resolve. "Just do as I say!"

Nico caught a flicker of movement from the reception. Kira immediately fired off a quick series of blasts, banging his eardrums, splinters exploding in every direction. Nico glanced at the back door, but his eyes flicked back at her.

"Move!" she shouted through the blasts.

Nico sprinted toward the door, his head ducked between his shoulders as the gunfire erupted behind him. He punched in the code with fumbling fingers. The door hissed open, and he stumbled across the threshold into the sunlight. He turned back, just in time to see a dark figure step through the reception's shattered wall.

The man was tall, imposing, clad in black tactical gear, his pale hairless face slashed by a jagged red scar. His right arm gleamed with sleek cybernetics, metal plating glinting in the light. He moved slowly, with mechanic precision, each step deliberate, calculated. An artificial red eye shone coldly in his face, scanning the room like a targeting system. His blaster rifle, held in his metallic grip, looked like it could tear through walls.

He raised the rifle, and Kira dove behind the counter just as a deafening blast ripped through the clinic, shaking the room.

"Hey!" Nico shouted, trying to draw the man's attention.

The man's cybernetic eye locked onto him, and in an instant, the blaster followed. Nico threw himself into the ground, another thunderous shot erupting just behind him. The ground shook with the impact.

Three rapid blasts rang out, followed by a guttural grunt. Nico scrambled to his feet just as Kira burst through the door, her pistol smoking in her hand.

"Run!" she screamed, her voice raw with urgency.

They bolted from the clinic, weaving through the maze of dusty, metallic homes. The air was thick with the scent of dust and the steady hum of a nearby generator. Nico's heart pounded in his ears, drowning out everything else. Beyond the village, the barren land stretched out in all directions, a muted palette of browns and grays, offering no cover, no escape.

Author's Note:

Thank you so much for reading this chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it.

If you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a vote or leaving a comment below.

Your support means the world to me and keeps me motivated to continue writing.

Thank you, and enjoy the rest of the story!