Jocasta finished her pizza, wiping the grease off her fingers with a napkin. She licked her lips, relishing the delectable delight she had just consumed. Who knew this hidden shop could possess such a treat?

"Dios mio, turn off the line when you are chewing," Markel's voice filtered through the static in her ears. "It is making me nauseous."

She made it a point to keep chewing more aggressively that moment before promptly stopping. After barely getting any sleep last night due to dry heaving, Markel was as grumpy as a senile cat dunked in piss. If not for Jacqueline dropping by the next morning with a bag of medicine and fresh food, he wouldn't have enough strength to even slot a soft bud in his ear.

Ji-yeon stayed with him in the flat, despite the girl's absolute disapproval. Jocasta understood how Ji-yeon and Markel hadn't really stayed in one place without aiming to chop each other's heads off, but perhaps, now was the time. She had no problem with Markel, since he was as indisposed as he could be, but Ji-yeon was a ticking time bomb, and she could be a literal one when she got angry. And knowing Markel, he'd find a way to piss the girl off despite not moving an inch.

The three of them went out to fulfill Jaq's only request, which was to get a sentry's tablet. Jaq had admitted getting her hands on one before—that was how she found out about the escaped assets from one of Primeva's trials—but she destroyed it knowing she could be tracked. With Markel around, perhaps, they could work out a way to keep the device from being pinpointed.

That was why she was out here early in the morning, shoving pizza slices into her mouth and waiting for any sentry to spot and attack her. Daring them, even. She has been here for an hour, and yet, no one showed up. Time to call it a day, then. There weren't that many people either, with the last passer-by being a woman with a fly-away bowl cut and black shades resting on it.

"They're just sounds, Markel," she replied in the comms. Markel never got angry at them and hasn't hurt them out of it either, so it was fun teasing him. "Focus on eating."

Something rustled from the other side, no doubt the dusty blanket they found lying around last night. Stuck in the couch, Jaq also lent one of her phones to Markel for him to watch something, pollute his genius mind with a bit of worldly nonsense. A cough rang out, followed by a sniff. "I pinpointed who the murderer is," he whined. "I don't see the point of finishing the show when the clues are already in front of you."

"Just go and watch some romance stuff, I guess?" Jocasta said. Like the books she scavenged in the grounds, perhaps he'd find delight in those too? She picked up her glass of iced tea and took a sip. "That way, there weren't really any murders."

"What was the point of those?" Markel replied. The box of the takeout scratched against the low table in the living room. "Are they not essentially documentaries about how humans procreate?"

The iced tea burst out of Jocasta's lips in a huge snort. She coughed, ducking her head at the pairs of eyes who found her to be revolting. Her fist jabbed against her chest, aiming to dislodge what portion of her drink made it in the wrong tunnel down. She snatched another napkin from the provided holder and dabbed her lips and chin. The comms fizzled to life, signaling another line firing up.

"Don't even attempt thinking about that with Kevan around," Alon's humorous voice crackled through. "The poor boy won't be able to handle it."

Markel's line shut off, no doubt curling up to enjoy the crime dramas he love-hated. Jocasta sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose. "You tell me," she said. "Where is he anyway?"

"I'm here!" Kevan's line came alive. "I'm sensing a flurry of thoughts in the parallel avenue, so get ready. By the way, I heard it all. No need to hide things from me. Your thoughts are horrifying too."

Alon was silent on his side. Jocasta wasn't one to be absolved from that accusation either. She shook her head and stood up, exiting the pizza place and stepping into the uneven asphalt of the street. Avenue, was it? It meant a road parallel to this one. She learned that through scouring the phone on the three-hour drive from Boston to New York.

The line glitched. "They're here! Third complex down south!" Alon shouted, but he was probably hissing at the comms in some hidden alley or something. Jocasta tore across the road, hair flying out behind her. She grew it out last night and kept it long in case she needed to construct something on the fly. One of such devices flew out of her makeshift belt bag.

A sea of black and blue appeared on the horizon. By God, that was a lot. Still, they'd take their chances. The ones at the rim of the mass spotted her and hollered at their commander. Batons pointed at her and fired. With the last of her footwork training, she swerved around the bullets and streaking sparks. She flipped over one last ammo, bringing her steel-tipped boots down the helmet of the first soldier in the line. As he went down, she whipped her special device, threw it into their midst, and switched it on.

Helmets creaked and rushed towards the center, desperate enough to drag the humans attached with them. Most opted to unbuckle theirs from their heads, letting it fly towards the whirring machine. That was all they needed. Kevan's ability swept over them, leashing their minds and causing them to turn against each other. Up on the rooftop, Kevan must be cackling to himself.

Jocasta launched into battle herself, containing her slashes in arcs. She didn't want to hit Alon should he find himself wandering somewhere near her. The sentries under Kevan's control lurched forward, hacking their teammates, screaming bloody murder or plain fear. How did it feel now, being forced to kill people who were once their allies?

Soon, the last of the sentries fell flat on their face on the asphalt. Jocasta sheathed her blades and rummaged around for a sign of Jaq's tablet request. She found one tucked in a back pocket. She touched the comms. "Target acquired," she said. "Heading to HQ now."

The only answer on Markel's line was a sniffle. Jocasta hoped a show was responsible for that.