Code Nexus

When he was walking to the office, the path was eerily quiet as he walked through the polished white marble corridors of AU's central building. He passed through the final set of doors, opening into Magnus's office.

The room was cold but still elegant, marked by silver furnishings and walls covered with maps of Ekoris and diagrams of AU's covert operations. The office itself was the same every time he visited, other than the plans and notions being built and progressed.

Magnus sat at the end of a long desk, hands folded, a steely expression on his face that only hardened as Cassian entered.

"Cassian," Magnus said in a sharp tone, like always.

"Yes, father," Cassian replied in an even tone.

Magnus leaned forward slightly and said, "Report…"

Cassian recounted everything, detailing Karl Millard's trial, the lives he had destroyed, and the gravity of the crimes. But he made sure to omit any mention of Karl's Band, the one he had pocketed.

For now, at least, it seemed wise to keep that piece of information to himself. After all, with this, he could create a conflict between Libra and AU.

His father listened in silence, his eyes deep and almost unreadable, until Cassian concluded with the sentence passed down by the court: "Execution."

Magnus nodded; he was past being completely suspicious to slightly being doubtful of Cassian.

"And you're certain there's nothing left unaccounted for in this mission?"

"Yes, everything was handled as required," Cassian replied, holding his father's gaze, his mask never slipping.

After what felt like a while, Magnus leaned back, his expression still hard but softened by the smallest fraction, and finally said, "You performed your duty, as expected. And the aftermath with SolTech Industries—"

"Containment protocols are already in place. With Karl's fall, their business has taken a severe hit, and most of the board members have decided to disband."

The answers were clipped, laying everything in place so his father could not even have a chance to doubt him or his actions.

Magnus nodded, satisfied with how everything went. He then gestured to the door, ending the conversation as abruptly as it began, saying, "Then you are dismissed."

Cassian gave a respectful bow and turned to leave, feeling an undeniable sense of relief as he walked back into the corridor. His chest felt lighter, though he knew that he'd have to keep the truth about the Band hidden for as long as he could.

"Wait," he suddenly heard.

Magnus's voice had halted him in his tracks. Cassian froze as he turned slowly to face his father, whose figure loomed closer, scrutinizing him with a gaze that seemed to pierce through every layer of his resolve.

"Yes?" he wondered while keeping his mask on and looking up.

His father, with the thinnest smile, grabbed his jacket. Cassian's heart sank; he had hidden the Band in the right inner pocket of his jacket. He stood still, his eyes on his father's hands, as Magnus took the collar of the jacket in his palms and attached a pin to it.

"There," he said as he smoothed the collar and the pin with it. "You have deserved this much after this mission. Also, Cassian, you can keep that motorcycle; it will help you in later missions I have planned for you."

Cassian looked at the pin—a platinum circular design with an angular "A" intersecting a curved "U," symbolizing ambition and resilience. Faint blue accents embodied the organization's guiding authority—AU's signature logo.

This meant Cassian had just been accepted into AU as a member. He saluted Magnus and said, "Thank you, father. I will do my best to help contribute as much as I can."

"See that you do," Magnus said as he retook his place.

Cassian did another bow and walked out the door, feeling more confident in achieving his goal.

Some time later.

The city of Ekoris stretched as Cassian rode through its streets, heading toward a location far removed from the world of AU headquarters. His destination this time was the Ethereal Covenant—the ever-dark tunnels under the city and a place where he'd find Kingston and Nia.

He had played his role in securing their convoy heist, and now they wanted a debrief of their own.

This time, he would use a different route to enter the hideout since he was not too sure if his trackers had lessened since before.

Once inside, he found Kingston and Nia already waiting, their expressions filled with relief and excitement. Even though he had contacted them using a dummy phone, meeting in person was always better.

Kingston, with his roguish smile and cunning eyes, greeted Cassian with a firm handshake.

"Cassian, it's so great to see you back in one piece," the man chuckled, clapping him on the shoulder. "Heard things got a bit heated with Karl."

'His information network is strong if he knows this detail.'

Well word traveled fast in all of Ekoris when things pertained to Bandits. News like that often spread like wildfire, both entertaining and sending fear among many of the citizens.

For Kingston to have gotten that much detail about the matter was still impressive.

"It wasn't exactly a walk in the park," Cassian replied, lowering his head. "But I managed. As did you with the recent heist, I take it."

Nia folded her arms and said, "You wouldn't believe how smooth things went, all thanks to the intel you managed to send our way. Plus, the distraction helped a ton."

"So," he replied, ignoring the praise, "did you get everything you needed from that convoy?"

Kingston grinned, answering, "Not only did we get what we needed, but a bit extra."

Cassian could tell by the gleam in his eyes that he was holding back more than what he had said. But Cassian chose only to take a mental note of it.

Nia added, "With the convoy out of their hands, it'll be a while before AU gets another deal. Your timing and planning were perfect."

Cassian felt a strange satisfaction hearing this, knowing that, for once, his efforts had served to destabilize AU's grip. Even if indirectly, and with SolTech's disbandment, it was a feast for Cassian.

"And you're sure it won't come back to bite us?" he asked, trying to appear a little weak.

Kingston shrugged and answered, "By the time they trace it back, we'll have everything secured. But I have to say, Cassian, I didn't expect you to be so involved. You've always been AU through and through, considering you are his son."

Cassian straightened, choosing his words carefully as he said, "Sometimes, you need to bend the rules to get results. And besides, that convoy wasn't doing anyone any good in AU's hands."

Kingston's smile widened. "That's the spirit. We could use someone like you with us full-time, you know."

Cassian returned the smile but didn't answer, his mind turning to the hidden Band in Kingston's possession. That single device, powerful and unpredictable, wasn't something to overlook.

One wrong move, and he could fall prey to it.

Then there was Cassian's Band he took from Karl. It was a secret he'd keep even from the Ethereal Covenant. At least until he could explore it further. He had to check it out sometime later, and he could definitely use that to his advantage if things went astray.

Nia looked at him, curiosity in her gaze, as she pointed at the pin on Cassian's collar.

"So what's next for you?" she wondered. "Going back to AU, or do you have something more… rebellious in mind?"

He shrugged, saying, "Let's just say I'll be keeping my options open…"

Kingston laughed, clapping him on the back again. "That's what I like to hear! You know where to find us when you're ready to really shake things up."

As they left the room, Cassian felt something ominous about Kingston's words. Nonetheless, he wasn't going to question the loyalty he'd created.

What he needed was just a few more troublesome and maybe a little destructive situations to really get things stirred up.