“You three enter through the weak point.” She pointed toward the map again. “Given their previous operations, I suspect there’s something underground.”
Olivia leaned in closer, listening carefully.
“The hooded figure never stays near open space for long,” Riot explained. “My guess is he’s protecting something beneath the structure.”
“I’ll handle perimeter distraction and external surveillance, and you’ll handle whatever waits inside.”
Calix and I nodded while Olivia continued studying the map. When she looked up, Riot asked, “Does that work for you?”
It took Olivia a second to realize Riot was genuinely askingher, not simply tolerating her. Not brushing past her. This was her way of including her, making her an official part of the team. Giving her a voice in how the mission went.
Her mouth opened slightly before she looked around at all of us like she still couldn’t fully believe she belonged in conversations like this.
“Oh.” She straightened quickly. “Yeah. Yeah, I agree.”
Riot nodded once in acknowledgment and moved on.
Watching Olivia’s expression soften at that, I felt something shift quietly in the room.
Riot might be the awkward type. She was direct and short, wasting not a single breath or word of her time on, well, anyone, but she always put her family's happiness above everything. I had an odd hunch that she felt deeper, and more, than she ever let on. She simply showed it differently.
Riot smoothly slid from her chair. “Then we should prepare.” Her eyes flicked toward Calix. “Where’s the weapons cache?”
Calix’s grin spread instantly. “Now we’re talking.”
He practically bounced out of his chair before dramatically motioning for everyone to follow him downstairs.
We headed down to his lab where he stopped beside what looked like an ordinary wall panel. He tapped in a specific sequence. A hidden compartment slid open with a mechanical hiss.
Calix bit into his thumb and pressed the blood against the scanner. Green lights flashed, then the entire wall slowly descended.
Olivia stopped dead beside me, eyes wide in amazement.
Rows and rows of weapons gleamed beneath the lights. Guns. Blades. Explosives. Gadgets I probably couldn’t even recognize myself. There was enough equipment to start a war.
Calix turned around proudly and spread both arms wide like a game show host. “Take whatever you can carry.”
Riot moved before the sentence even finished. She flowed into the room like smoke, selecting weapons with terrifying efficiency. Knives disappeared into hidden sheaths. Guns were clipped into place along her thighs and waist. Every motion was precise. Familiar.
Olivia stepped forward slower, her eyes dragging over everything with visible disbelief.
“Okay…” She laughed quietly under her breath. “Even as someone who prefers engines over weapons…” Her gaze swept the arsenal again. “This is insane.” Calix absolutely preened beneath the compliment.
I gently took Olivia’s hand and guided her farther inside.
“This one.” I handed her a reinforced combat suit designed to absorb heavy impact. “Wear this beneath your clothes.”
Then I started selecting equipment for her. Compact firearms. Silver knives. Small explosives.
Her eyes widened with each item I added. “Do you really think I need all this?”
“Yes,” Calix and I answered simultaneously.
She accepted the gear with a dramatic sigh.
Across the room, Riot and Calix had somehow devolved into an argument over the splatter gun prototype.
“I need it for crowd disruption,” Riot stated flatly while holding the weapon away from Calix’s grabby hands.
