Bio Weapon Dystopia

Sasha, aka the Cat Netrunner, hit a wall. She was deep in the SFPD databanks, digging up info on why exactly Carmine got locked up. She knew it couldn’t just be street racing. Racing alone doesn’t get three squads to roll up and slap you with over 20 years. Nah, there was more to this story.

And there it was. The guy wasn’t just racing; he was moving chrome and drugs out of the NUSA. Eddies were flowing his way, and if waterfalls still existed, his cash flow would’ve been one. The racing bit was just what got him caught, and when the cops scanned his ID, it was game over. He was nabbed on the spot.

Sasha frowned. The charges were all over the place: trafficking, murder, assault, cyber breaches—stuff she knew he didn’t do—and some sketchier stuff like running an illegal strip club. She laughed a little, wondering how something like that could even be “illegal” in 2076, but quickly moved on. At least it wasn’t a high-security joint, or the whole KanedaCorp heist plan would’ve gone up in flames.

But then she found something more interesting: Carmine was living inside this prison. The surveillance footage didn’t lie—gonk was thriving. He had good food, lots of company (Sasha didn’t care who he was hooking up with, as long as he was good), and was somehow raking in even more eddies. Prison life had basically turned into his personal playground. The cops? Useless. They couldn’t contain him.

Still, they needed him for the job. She started sketching out a plan to bust him out, but then paused. M-Tech was behind this gig—maybe she could leverage their influence to speed things up. After a quick check, she didn’t even need to jack into Cyberspace to see that the prison Carmine was in was, surprise surprise, funded by M-Tech. The government website was basically waving the info in everyone’s face. Classic corpo arrogance.

Carmine might not be in a rush to leave his little empire in there, but Sasha knew he wouldn’t turn down a solid gig, especially one that involves hitting a corpo convoy. And with M-Tech funding the prison? A one-time probation deal could definitely be arranged. Simple enough.

Sasha grinned to herself. “Alright, me. Good plan.”

And it really was. A few calls here, some proof there—thanks to corpos always needing contracts with their mercs—along with a small “compensation fee,” and the wheels were in motion. Now she just had to get Carmine on board. Luckily, prison phones still worked for calls.

Lying on her bed, legs swinging off the edge, Sasha tapped Carmine’s number into her agent. After a few rings, she heard his familiar, laid-back voice.

“Yo, who’s this?”

Sasha smirked. “Your way out, Carmine. You still wanna roll, or you too cozy in that prison suite?”

“Sasha?” His tone perked up instantly. “Choom! Long time, no see! How’s life treating you?”

“Eh, the usual. Met some corpos, dug up dirt here in San Fran…”

He laughed. “Same old Sasha. But I’m guessing this isn’t just a friendly catch-up, is it?”

Sasha snorted. “Well, couldn’t leave my favorite Canadian behind. You’re too good a driver to waste, even if you’re obsessed with that car of yours.”

“Hey, my Quadra Rowley’s a beast!”

“Trust me, I’ll never forget,” she teased.

“Alright, so what’s the gig? Sounds juicy.” He paused, then grumbled off the line, “Hey! Hands off my food! Sorry, some gonk thought he could snatch my plate.”

Sasha chuckled at the interruption. “Looks like you’re living large in there. You sure you even wanna leave?”

“Hell yeah, I wanna leave! Prison food ain’t that good,” Carmine said, still sounding a bit distracted. “So, what’s the plan? You busting me out or what?”

“Not exactly,” she said, stretching out on her bed, getting comfortable. “Turns out, you’ve got friends in high places—or at least, I do. M-Tech’s got some pull in that joint, and I’ve greased enough palms to get you out on probation. No messy jailbreak needed.”

Carmine whistled, impressed. “Probation, huh? The corpo types sure know how to work the system. What’s the catch?”

Sasha grinned, knowing she had him hooked. “We got a heist lined up. Big corpo convoy, KanedaCorp. Cyberdeck tech that’s worth more than your entire prison stay. You in?”

He laughed. “You’re offering me freedom and a payday? Thought you’d never ask. When do we delta?”

“Soon as you're out. I’ll ping you the deetes once you’re in the clear. Shouldn’t take long now, everything’s already set.”

“Damn, Sasha. You always come through,” Carmine said, his voice more serious now. “Just tell me where and when.”

Sasha smirked. “Welcome back to the real world, Carmine. We’ll talk soon. Keep your head down till I pull the strings, alright?”

“Got it. And Sasha? Thanks.”

She hung up, feeling pretty satisfied with herself. This gig was shaping up nicely.

“Alright, that's settled. Now, does our good ol' Carmine still have access to his Rowley?”, She wondered, checking the traffic files.

Indeed, the car was impounded, but still in his name. Should be easy to solve this issue. Some alterations here, a little evidence erased there and the car is almost clean, just some speeding tickets and fines due to pay. Nothing too major, after all, Vomi paid a lot to her for the first gig. All she needed to do is go, pick up the car, pick up Carmine and meet at whatever location the scientist told them to.

Better make a call though.

After dialing Vomi through the Agent, Sasha just waited for a taxi to pick her up. No deed to rush just to pick up a car.

As she waited for the call to connect, Sasha glanced out the window at the chaotic streets of San Fran. The place never stopped moving. At least things were looking up for once. The plan was solid, Carmine was ready, and she even managed to fix the issue with his car in record time.

Vomi picked up. “What’s up, Sasha? You good?”

“All good, Corpo Kitty,” Sasha replied casually, “Carmine’s on board. I’ve already worked my magic to get him out on probation. Oh, and his Quadra? It’s almost clean. Just gotta pick it up.”

Vomi let out a relieved breath on the other end. “Nice. I've already set up with the boys too, so we will have the firepower. Anything else we need to worry about?”

“Not unless KanedaCorp's hired a full team of mercs to protect their shiny new toys. You got the location we’re meeting at yet?”

“Yeah, got it from our lovely scientist contact. I’ll send it over.” Vomi paused before adding, “Oh, and make sure Carmine doesn’t get too excited once he’s out. I don’t want him drawing attention to us right off the bat.”

Sasha laughed. “No promises. But yeah, I’ll keep him in check.”

The call ended, and Sasha's timing was perfect—her taxi pulled up right on cue. She tossed her bag into the back and hopped in. Time to snag Carmine’s car and handle this part of the job. After that, it was straight to the real action.

Vomi was cruising in her Colby after a quick stop at her place to grab some guns she’d swiped from smaller gigs. Figured she'd hand them out to the crew, but her mind wasn’t just on gear—it was on Vanguard. Sasha knew about Vanguard being a symbiote, but Blaze and Heitor? Not a clue, and Vomi wanted to keep it that way. Less they knew, the better. Plus, whenever she and Vanguard merged, The red symbiote was easier to control, more chill. Or maybe just cautious.

“Vang, I think it’s time we team up again. Your cat form’s cute and all, but I need things to go smoothly. I don’t want a repeat of the Ascendant Innovations mess,” Vomi said, her tone firm but calm—more of a heads-up than anything.

“Agreed. I’d rather not risk it either. Playing it safe this time,” Vanguard replied from the dashboard.

He leapt toward her, shifting into his usual black goo form and merging back with her, tendrils weaving into her skin.

Vomi glanced at her arms, watching them shift from pure black back to her usual gray. “We’re stronger together anyway, so it’s a win.”

“And yet, you still adore my cat form,” Vanguard teased, his voice sounding a bit more mature now.

“Hard not to, especially in a world where real animals are practically extinct,” she said with a shake of her head, focusing back on the road. “I still can’t believe Graves set the meet-up in a corpo building.”

“Of course he did. He wants to see the team’s reaction.”

“Yeah, but he could’ve done that anywhere. So why here?”

Vanguard let out a low hum, deep in thought. “Maybe he thinks it’ll intimidate you. A way to remind you who’s in charge.”

Vomi rolled her eyes. “As if I need that reminder. We know the stakes. Still, it feels like a power move. I just hope it doesn’t mess with our focus.”

“Stay sharp, and we’ll be fine,” Vanguard replied, reassuringly. “Just stick to the plan.”

Vomi turned the corner, spotting Sasha outside the corpo building, waving with a grin on her face.

“Alright, stick to the plan,” she muttered to herself, taking a deep breath.

“Exactly,” Vanguard chimed in. “No distractions, no improvising—unless absolutely necessary.”

She parked beside the Sasha, stepping out of her Colby and giving her a nod. “Looks like you handled the car situation.”

“Yeah, smooth as synth butter,” Sasha replied with a wink. “Carmine’s gonna be happy to see his car. You ready for this?”

Vomi glanced up at the towering corpo building, her expression hardening. “As ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s get this done.”

Sasha tapped her agent, syncing up with Vomi. “Good. We’re on a tight schedule. Carmine’s out, the car’s prepped, and now all we need is to plan the heist, take it and leave.”

Vomi gave a slight smirk. “Sounds simple enough.”

Sasha laughed, shaking her head. “You and I both know it’s never simple. But hey, that’s what makes it fun, right?”

“Fun’s one word for it,” Vomi muttered, then glanced at the Rowley again. “Think this thing can handle what’s coming next?”

Sasha grinned, her eyes glinting with mischief. “Oh, trust me, the car can handle anything we throw at it.”

“Let’s hope you’re right.” Vomi slid back into her Colby, inclining the seat so she could lay down, “Just gotta wait for the boys then.”

“Heitor, Blaze and Carmine.”, She nodded, laying at the driver's door of the Colby, “I know how much of a gonk Carmine is, but what about your chooms? Are they good?”

“Solid enough to not shit their own pants?”, Vomi asked, looking at the car’s ceiling, “Yeah, they can handle it.”

“Preem.”, She said, popping up a soda can.

They hung around for a bit, mostly just killing time while waiting for Heitor and Blaze to show up. Vomi fiddled with the radio, trying to find something worth listening to, while Sasha was deep into her mobile game—some fantasy RPG with magic and silver swords. Eventually, the radio landed on “I Really Want To Stay At Your House,” and Vomi froze. Instantly, her mood dropped, and a wave of sadness hit her.

Sasha glanced over, noticing the shift in Vomi’s expression. “Hey, what’s up? You good?”

Vomi stared off into space, not really focused on anything. “Just... bad memories.”

Sasha paused her game, offering a sympathetic nod. “You know you can talk to me if you want.”

But Vomi just shook her head. Nah, she wasn’t about to open that box. Instead, she made a mental note: the Edgerunners story? Yeah, she’d make sure it ended differently this time.

Fuck canon.

A few minutes later, Blaze and Heitor pulled up on an Arch motorcycle—nothing fancy, just your standard low-cost ride that still managed to look cool. They weren’t exactly dressed to impress, either, but it wasn’t like anyone expected them to. Comparing Sasha’s leotard to their hoodies was like night and day, but no one said anything. Vomi shut off the radio and climbed out of her Colby.

“Hey, guys,” she greeted, forcing a smile to replace her earlier sulky mood.

Heitor just gave a nod in return.

“Nice threads,” Sasha teased, grinning. “For a couple of rockerboys, that is.”

Blaze shrugged, not fazed by the jab. “Kinda hard to look corpo when you’ve never even been in the same room as one.”

“So, where’s this Carmine guy?” Blaze asked, glancing around.

“He’ll be here soon,” Sasha replied, going back to her game. “Probably tied up with some probation paperwork.”

Heitor raised an eyebrow. “Wait, what? Probation?”

“Oh yeah,” Vomi chuckled. “Sasha’s bringing in a guy fresh out of prison.”

Blaze ran a hand over his chrome arm, looking mildly amused. “Great. The crew just keeps getting weirder. Corpo contracts are always sketchy.”

“You’ve got no idea,” Sasha chimed in without looking up from her game, the sound of combat filling the silence.

Vomi tried to defend the situation, “Honestly, it’s not that bad. As long as you—”

Blaze cut her off, hand up in her face. “You’re a corpo, Vomi. Everything you say is biased. The only reason I’m here is because you wrote Devil Trigger. That’s the most rebellious thing The Refused will ever play.”

Vomi resisted the urge to tell him the song wasn’t even hers originally, but the awkwardness still hung in the air. “Fine, I’ll shut up about corpos.”

“Good call,” Heitor said, digging into his backpack and pulling out some snacks. He tossed one to Sasha, who happily accepted.

They stood around for a bit, just shooting the breeze while waiting for Carmine to show up. Vomi leaned against her car, arms crossed. Blaze sat on the edge of his Arch, tapping out a rhythm on his chrome arm, while Heitor casually munched on his snacks.

“So, how’s the shop been lately?” Vomi asked, trying to keep things light.

Blaze shrugged. “Same old, same old. We had some corpo suit try to stiff us on a custom job last week. Guy thought he could negotiate a discount after we already did the work.”

Heitor scoffed. “Yeah, like we’re some pushovers. I told him straight up: pay or we rip the damn thing out. He changed his tune real quick.”

Sasha chuckled, still focused on her game. “I love how corpos always act like they’re doing you a favor by underpaying you.”

“Right?” Blaze laughed. “Like, we’re the ones fixing their overpriced tech so it doesn’t fry their brains. A little appreciation wouldn’t hurt.”

“Speaking of tech,” Vomi said, looking at Blaze, “you think that Cyberdeck we’re after is gonna be a tough ICE to melt?”

Blaze tilted his head thoughtfully. “Depends on what kind of security KanedaCorp’s slapped on it. If it’s military-grade, it might take a bit. But nothing we haven’t handled before, right?”

Heitor chimed in, “We’ve cracked worse. Just gotta have the right tools.”

“Good thing we’ve got you two, then,” Vomi grinned.

Sasha paused her game to join in. “So what’s the plan once Carmine’s in? Is he just gonna drive, or are we putting him on backup in case things get messy?”

“He’s definitely driving,” Vomi said, thinking it through. “But I wouldn’t mind having him as backup muscle. If we’re getting shot at, more hands won’t hurt.”

Blaze raised an eyebrow. “The guy just got out of prison, and you’re throwing him right back into the fire?”

Vomi shrugged. “He knows what he signed up for.”

“Fair point.” Blaze smirked, then looked around. “Where the hell is he anyway?”

As if on cue, the roar of Carmine’s Quadra Rowley echoed down the street, turning heads as it screeched to a stop in front of them. The car gleamed under the city lights, freshly liberated from impound. Vomi had to admit that the car just had that vibe, even if she wasn't a car enthusiast. The thing just screamed I am Speed.

“Speak of the devil,” Sasha muttered, stuffing her mobile into her pocket.

Carmine stepped out, grinning like he’d just walked out of a day spa instead of prison. “Miss me, choombas?”

Carmine hopped out of his Quadra, stretching his arms like a man fresh off vacation, not prison. His grin was wide, and his demeanor screamed cocky confidence.

Blaze crossed his arms, eyeing the car. “You sure you didn’t have this thing stashed in the prison garage, Carmine?”

“Please, choom,” Carmine replied with a wave, “I wouldn’t let the badgeheads touch my baby. Besides, Sasha worked her magic. She’s the reason I’m cruising around again.” He shot her a wink.

Sasha gave a half-smirk, flipping her hair out of her face. “You’re welcome. Just make sure you don’t get caught again. I’m not doing this twice.”

“Duly noted,” Carmine chuckled, then looked over at the rest of the crew. “So, who’s who? I know Sasha, obviously, but you guys?”

Blaze stepped forward first, giving Carmine a once-over. “Blaze. I do tech and, on occasion, set things on fire when needed.”

Carmine raised an eyebrow, impressed. “Pyro, huh? I like it. You in charge of rigging stuff up for this gig?”

“Something like that,” Blaze replied, smirking. “And this is Heitor. Our resident military man.”

Heitor nodded, still munching on a snack. “Ex-military, but yeah. I handle the heavy lifting.”

Carmine’s eyes flicked to the man’s ganic arms, comparing them to Blaze's. “Bet you’re fun at parties.”

Heitor just shrugged. “More fun when things blow up.”

Vomi stepped forward then, giving Carmine a nod. “And I’m Vomi. Scientist, tech expert, and, well… let’s just say I’ve got connections.”

Carmine studied her for a moment, his grin widening. “Ah, so you’re the brains behind this op. Nice to meet you, boss.”

Vomi gave him a dry smile. “Not the boss, just coordinating things. We’re all in this together.”

“Oh, the fixer then.”, Carmine cracked his knuckles, clearly eager to get going. “So, what’s the gig? Sasha mentioned a corpo heist, and I’m all ears.”

Sasha cut in before anyone else could speak. “Yeah, we’re hitting a KanedaCorp convoy for a Cyberdeck. You’ll be driving, and if things go sideways, we might need your muscle, too.”

Carmine’s grin widened even more, if that was possible. “Sounds like my kind of party. You know me—give me a fast car and a bit of chaos, and I’m set.”

Blaze chuckled, clearly warming up to the guy. “Alright, adrenaline junkie. Let’s just hope you don’t burn too much rubber before we get there.”

Vomi shook her head, amused. “Before we get ahead of ourselves, we need to meet at the corpo office for the gig brief. Graves wants to ‘assess the team’ or whatever.”

Carmine raised an eyebrow, his laid-back attitude not fading. “Graves? Corpo type, I’m guessing?”

“Yeah,” Vomi replied, “don’t let him rattle you. Just nod, smile, and we’ll be out of there soon enough.”

“Corporate spiel. Got it.” Carmine tapped the roof of his car. “So, we rolling out now?”

Heitor tossed the rest of his snack into the trash. “Might as well. No point waiting around.”

As they walked, Sasha set up a quick local chat, the conversation on the comms kept things light.

“So,” Blaze said through the link, “any bets on how long it’ll take for the corpo to get under Carmine’s skin?”

Carmine laughed. “Please. I’ve dealt with worse. This corpo’s got nothing on prison guards.”

Sasha snickered. “Let’s just see how long that attitude holds up. These suits have a way of getting under your chrome.”

Vomi shook her head as they neared the towering glass building that was their destination. “Just remember—stick to the plan, and we’ll be fine.”

Carmine’s voice came through the comms again, sounding more serious this time. “Yeah, yeah. I got your back. Let’s get this show on the road.”

As they stepped out, the vibe shifted slightly, the casual banter giving way to a more focused energy. It was game time now.

“Let’s make this quick,” Vomi said, adjusting her jacket. “In and out. No unnecessary drama.”

Blaze cracked his knuckles. “Drama’s my middle name.”

“Please don’t make that literal,” Sasha muttered, leading the way toward the entrance.

They stepped into the elevator, and sure enough, the classic elevator music kicked in. Jazz, of all things. Maybe corpos still thought it was classy in 2077, or it was just a tradition that somehow hadn’t died yet. Either way, it was just background noise as they rode up. Vomi looked like she belonged, but the rest of the crew? Yeah, they stuck out. Still, no one bothered them, probably because they were with someone who had a legit reason to be there—courtesy of Vomi’s M-Tech connection.

The elevator dinged, opening to the 34th floor—a long hallway lined with meeting rooms. The room reserved for them was a small, tucked-away space, perfect for the kind of conversation they were about to have. Not flashy, but private enough for discussing the heist of the Ouroboros Cyberdeck. Sasha’s intel was solid, and with the team they’d pulled together, things should run smoothly—well, in theory. Vomi knew better than to assume anything would go according to plan.

Graves was already there, scrolling through files on his agent, his eyes glowing with that familiar yellow tint from the implant. He snapped out of it when they entered, closing the file and standing to greet them.

“Good afternoon. I trust everything went smoothly on your way up?” Graves gestured to the seats around the sleek, very corpo-looking table, taking the far end for himself, of course.

“Thanks to my M-Tech position, no one gave us more than a passing glance,” Vomi said, nodding politely as she sat next to him.

The rest of the crew exchanged looks. All they heard was “corpo talk.”

“Great.”, Graves said, giving a judgeful yet silent glance at the group as he took his seat, “I assume you told the necessary details?”

“Yes. They are informed of the basics.”, Vomi said, readjusting her glasses, “But since everyone is here, it won't hurt to recap what we know and what we are going to do.”

“I mean, yeah, I only know the target. I have no idea of what the plan is.”, Carmine nodded, glad that he was going to catch up with what's happening.

Sasha coughed, trying to sound professional, “So, this weekend, KanedaCorp will relocate one of their brand new Cyberdeck to a vault located in their main building. That in itself isn't anything to go by, but the Cyberdeck was developed using… unorthodox means, such as the Blackwall study to develop it.”

“Blackwall tech, huh?” Blaze raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair. “That’s some deep, dark shit right there.”

Heitor nodded, crossing his arms. “And let me guess, we’re supposed to jack it before it gets locked down?”

“Exactly,” Sasha continued, her tone sharp. “This thing’s been built with some serious firepower behind it. We don’t know exactly what it can do, but we know it’s bad news in the wrong hands. M-Tech hired us to steal it before KanedaCorp can use it.”

“And when you say ‘unorthodox,’” Carmine added, “you mean dangerous as fuck?”

“Pretty much,” Vomi confirmed.

“Preem.”

Vomi continued, “This isn’t just a standard heist. We’re talking military-grade tech, Blackwall-level encryption, and god knows what kind of defensive measures they’ve got in place. But we’ve got an inside man who can help. His info should give us the edge we need.”

Graves, who had been silent up until now, finally spoke up. “This is not your typical smash-and-grab. You’ll need precision, timing, and a lot of coordination. Once that Cyberdeck is in KanedaCorp’s vault, it’s over. You need to hit them on the road, while it’s in transit. That’s the only window of opportunity we have.”

Carmine smirked. “I assume that’s where I come in. You need someone fast and crazy enough to pull this off.”

“Exactly,” Vomi replied. “Your driving will be key. We intercept the convoy, grab the Cyberdeck, and get out before anyone knows what hit them.”

“Sounds simple enough,” Heitor said with a shrug. “But what’s the catch? There’s always a catch.”

“There’s always a catch,” Sasha echoed. “KanedaCorp’s got a convoy of heavily armed vehicles escorting this thing. We’re talking drones, armored trucks, the works. It’s going to be like cracking a safe while getting shot at.”

“Ah, sounds like a party,” Blaze chuckled, clearly unfazed, “I already have an idea.”

“Care to share?”, Sasha pointed at Blaze, who was looking a bit mischievous.

“A EMP. Heitor knows how to make one powerful enough that can even overcharge Cyberware.”, He explained, his eyes glinting with excitement.

“And the fact I am the only fully ganic here means I am the only person who can use it safely.”, Heitor added with a groan, “It will do harm even for vehicles.”

“I'm glad my Rowley is still just metal parts.”, Carmine sighed in relief.

Vomi nodded, adjusting her glasses again. “We need everyone at the top of their game. Blaze, Heitor, you’ll handle the tech, the EMP and security systems. Carmine, you’ll be our driver. Sasha and I will handle the breach and if necessary, gunfire. Once we’ve got the Cyberdeck, we rendezvous at the extraction point.”

“Sounds like we’ve got our work cut out for us,” Blaze said, cracking his knuckles. “But I’m in.”

Heitor grinned. “Let’s get this done.”

Carmine leaned back, his arms crossed. “Guess I’ll have to dust off the Rowley, then.”

Vomi smirked. “Glad to have you all on board. But it's time for us to get some gear.”

As soon as she said that, the room was filled with some employees putting a lot, and I mean a lot of guns on the table, so much that even Graves was appalled by the quantity.

“Jesus fucking Christ! Where did all this iron come from?”, Carmine was the first to react, watching the countless Revolvers, Pistola, SMGs, AR, Battle Rifles, Sniper Rifles and the such just fall on the table.

“Got them on my gigs before joining M-Tech. Feel free to choose, chooms.”, Vomi gave a corporate grin, but one that was all the sassy too.

Vanguard, who was quiet for a while, snickered on their minds, “No foreplay?”

“None.” She replied back.

Carmine whistled, still eyeing the pile of weapons. "Looks like Christmas came early."

Blaze picked up a sleek-looking SMG, checking the weight. "Damn, Vomi, you weren’t kidding about being prepared."

Heitor grabbed a battle rifle, inspecting the sights. "Yeah, well, we’re going to need every piece of this iron if things go sideways. KanedaCorp isn’t going to make this easy."

Sasha was already loading a pistol, her face set with determination. "No doubt. They’ll have the big guns too. We’ve got to be faster, smarter."

Carmine walked over, picking out a revolver. "Good ol’ six-shooter. Never goes out of style."

Vomi watched them all gear up, her mind running through the details. “We’ll need to make sure everyone’s synced up for this. Timing’s everything. Blaze, Heitor, you prep the EMP and make sure it’s ready to go when we hit the convoy. Carmine, I’ll need you on standby, ready to bolt as soon as we grab the Cyberdeck.”

“Got it,” Carmine said with a grin. “I’ll be ready to burn rubber.”

Blaze nodded, strapping the SMG to his side. “We’ll handle the tech. The EMP will fry their systems long enough for us to make our move.”

Heitor gave a mock salute. “We’re in business.”

“Good,” Vomi said, adjusting her glasses once more. “No mistakes. No hesitation. We move fast and hit hard.”

Graves, who had been silently observing the team gear up, stepped forward. “I’ll be monitoring the operation. If anything goes wrong, don't come back. This can't be traced back to us.”

Vomi gave him a sharp nod. “We’ll get it done.”

As the team finished grabbing their gear, the atmosphere in the room grew tense. The mission was set, and now it was just a matter of execution. One wrong move, and they could all end up dead—or worse, in the hands of KanedaCorp.

But if they pulled it off? The pay would set them for life. Well, for the next few months at least.

Vomi stepped towards the door, ready to lead the charge. “Let’s make this count.”