Arch's impatience grew as the minutes dragged on; hours had already slipped by since the call. With nothing to occupy her mind, she turned her attention to the control panel, attempting to remove the stubborn ice that clung to it like a stubborn parasite. After many failed attempts, she huffed in frustration. “These freaking ice won’t come off!”

“Just wait for Sparky. You don’t have to do that, you know?” Konstantine replied, his tone a blend of calm and authority.

“Fine… I give up…” Arch sighed, surrendering to the cold floor, her patience wearing thin.

The two of them sat in silence, the tension in the air thick enough to cut. They waited… and waited… until finally, the elevator doors slid open with a soft hiss. A cheeky, familiar voice broke the stillness.

“Where’s the ice you told me about? I could break it in a matter of seconds~!”

Konstantine scowled, shooting her a warning glare. “Finally! What took you so long?”

“Oh, uh… I forgot where I put the ID…” Sparky admitted sheepishly, her eyes darting away

Arch took a moment to assess Sparky. With an average build and shoulder-length black hair, her brown eyes sparkled with determination, and a mischievous smirk played on her lips. Clad in teal tactical gear, she wore a snug plate carrier, a cutting torch at her waist, and an old wooden pump-action shotgun slung over her shoulder. Strangely, she lacked a sidearm, instead sporting a peculiar glove with glinting circuits under the dim light.

“Is that the ice you were talking about?” Sparky grinned, stepping closer to the control panel. Without hesitation, she grabbed the cutting torch and aimed it menacingly.

She pulled the trigger, and it didn’t take long for the ice to shatter. Quickly, she removed the remnants to prevent any melting water from damaging the panel.

“Done~!” she beamed, turning to give Arch and Kosta a thumbs-up.

“Well, I guess that’ll do,” Kosta said, exhaling a long breath that wasn’t quite a sigh.

“Sparky always gets the job done!” she replied, puffing out her chest playfully.

Sparky noticed Arch standing off to the side and rushed over, placing both hands on Arch’s shoulders as she inspected her from head to toe. “Are you the new employee Kosta told me about?”

“Y-Yes?” Arch replied, a bit taken aback.

Sparky released her grip and scratched the back of her head, a sheepish smile on her face. “Sorry for throwing you into the deep end on your first day.”

“It’s alright. I’ll just take it as a lesson learned, though I doubt such chaos will be a regular occurrence” Arch chuckled softly.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your name?”

“I’m Archynne Martin, but you can call me Arch for short.”

“You can call me Sparky!”

Kosta interjected “Hey, hey, save the introductions for later, Sparky. Did you secure the entire sector?”

“Yeah, we did, but we couldn’t find the intruders”.

“Damn it. If those people are still in the facility, we could have some serious problems. We need to find them as quickly as possible.”

The trio made their way back to the ground level, the building now empty thanks to Sparky and her team's efforts to evacuate the employees.

“The problem is we have no clue where they went—no footprints, no camera footage” Sparky gestured toward the many entrances and doors of the building.

“There’s nowhere left for them to go. The only area that hasn’t been blocked is the air vent, but it’s too small for even someone like me to crawl through”

As they walked down the hallway, a voice suddenly echoed behind them.

“Do you at least notice me? Dude… that is pretty rude.”

“Who?” Kosta called out, turning to the source of the voice.

A man stood a few meters away, who is definitely not a Commix citizen. His attire was bizarre: athletic shorts paired with a white t-shirt, a torn gray jacket draped over his shoulders, and a striking blue scarf wrapped around his neck. He looked like he had come out of a different world entirely.

“Erm… who the hell are you?” Arch’s gaze locked onto the man, her brow furrowed.

“Seriously? I’m disappointed… How could you miss out on such a talented and amazing individual like me?” He feigned a dramatic sigh, a smirk playing on his lips.

Arch glanced at Kosta, noticing the tension on his face. He looked almost fearful, his body was shaking a little.

“Why are you here?” Kosta’s voice was steady, but the underlying tension was unmistakable.

“Can’t I just come here for fun?” he replied, grinning wider.

“Also, I might have… accidentally touched your electronic toys on my way here. Sorry about that, I guess.” He shot them a mocking apologetic look, his eyes glinting with mischief.

Kosta removed the plastic gloves, slipping on the same circuit-laden glove that Sparky wore. “Just spit it out already.”

“No need to get heated,” the man said, his smirk widening. “Chill out buddy.”

Both Sparky and Kosta shifted into fighting stances, muscles tense and ready for action if he dared to approach.

The man just turned away, his demeanor casual. “Fighting is totally useless. Trust me, if I wanted to, you wouldn’t last a minute.”

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“I’ll be back. Don’t ask me when, because I don’t even know myself.” He laughed, the sound echoing ominously as he vanished.

“W-Where did he go?” Arch’s voice trembled as she looked around frantically.

Her gaze dropped to the floor, and her heart raced as she realized her foot was locked in a thick layer of ice.

“Huh??”

She quickly turned back to Sparky and Kosta, relief washing over her as she saw their expressions soften now that the man is gone. But that relief was short-lived; they all soon realized their feet were also encased in the thick layer of ice.

“Great” Kosta muttered, frustration creeping into his voice.

Sparky, still gripping the cutting torch, wasted no time. With a steady hand, she ignited the torch. The heat radiated around them as she carefully pointed the flame toward the ice, melting it away in a matter of moments. The ice cracked and hissed, releasing them from its grip.

“Phew! That was close” Arch said, shaking her foot free and glancing at her friends.

“But who even is that guy, anyway?” Arch asked, her brow still furrowed in confusion.

Kosta’s frown deepened. “He used to be a member of the Crux Special Forces. People call him Gelid.”

“Crux Special Forces? What’s a member of the Crux doing here?” Arch’s voice was laced with concern.

“I don’t know what his intentions are, but it can’t be good.” Kosta shook his head, frustration evident in his tone.

“Those Crux people can’t stop fighting, can they? They’ve attacked our territories in Divitas three times this month… and now they want Yonex too?”

“You should report this to the administrator,” he urged, urgency creeping into his voice.

“Got it.” Sparky turned on her heel and dashed away.

Kosta turned to Arch, his gaze softening. “You should go home, Arch. I’ll take care of the rest. You’ve already done a great job today.”

“Okay,” she nodded, feeling a mix of gratitude and lingering anxiety. She headed toward the elevator once again.

As she waited for the elevator, Arch took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. The encounter with Gelid had rattled her more than she wanted to admit. She glanced back at Kosta, who was now pacing, his brow furrowed in thought.

“Hey” she called out, breaking the silence. “We’ll figure this out, right? Together?”

Kosta paused, meeting her gaze. “Yeah, we will. We always do. Just… stay alert, okay? This isn’t over.”

The elevator doors opened with a soft ding, and Arch stepped inside, feeling a sense of resolve wash over her. As the doors closed, she took one last look at Kosta, who stood there, a determined look on his face.

Heading back to the eighth floor, Arch quickly changed into her casual clothing before making her way down to the ground level to leave the facility. Kosta led her outside, where she was met with a stark sight: the troops from Sector C had completely surrounded the building, preventing anyone from entering or leaving without permission.

Due to the recent events, the Yonex Transport System had been halted, leaving no vehicles to travel around. With no other options, Arch decided to go on foot. As she walked away from the research facility, her mind raced with thoughts about the implications of the day’s events.

—C.S.F, huh? What do they want?

—How strong is that Frost Warth guy, anyway? He made Kosta and Sparky tremble like that…

“Hey, Arch! You want a ride?” a voice called out, pulling her from her thoughts.

She turned to see the security guard from the morning, driving an old car. It looked like he had just finished his shift.

“Oh, uh… thanks!” she replied, smiling as she opened the door and settled into the passenger seat.

The guard set the wheels rolling. “Man, it’s been a rough day, hasn’t it?”

“Yeah, I didn’t think my first day at the main facilities would be like this,” Arch said, shaking her head with a half-smile.

He laughed. “I could see that. If I were you, I’d probably just quit right now.”

“By the way, what’s your name?”

“Sergei. Where do you live, Arch?”

She leaned back in the seat, taking a rest from the long day. “ I live in Maryina”

“Maryina, huh? That’s a bit of a trek” he said, glancing at her.

“Yeah, you could just drop me off at the Yeka subway if that works for you.”

“Eh… It is alright, I will drop you off at your door.” he chuckled, keeping his eyes on the road.

Arch gazed out the window, watching the building drift away as her mind swirled with the events of the day. She sat in silence for a long while before turning back to Sergei. “Do you know anything about Gelid?”

Sergei raised his eyebrows but replied anyway. “That guy? Yeah, he’s quite the enigma.”

“He used to be a member of the C.S.F or Crux Special Forces.”

“Rebellious, I’d say. He often ignores orders from his superiors” Sergei continued, shaking his head. “He just does whatever he pleases, not giving a damn about who he’s talking to.”

“Interesting” Arch said, taking a mental note. “This isn’t the first time he’s caused trouble at the Yonex Research Facilities, though?”

“Yeah, it was about a year ago, if I remember correctly. He was just there messing with our equipment.”

“Even if he means no harm, I still advise you to steer clear of him. If he wanted to, he could erase you from existence in seconds.”

“I see” Arch replied, a shiver running down her spine at the thought.

Sergei squinted his eyes, glancing at the road ahead. “Hey, we’re already at the Maryina roundabout.”

“Oh, my apartment should be on the left” she said, sitting up a little straighter.

“Alright.”

Sergei took the turn, and the car continued to roll for a few more minutes before stopping in front of an apartment building.

“Is this the right one?” he asked, looking at her for confirmation.

“Yeah, that’s it. Thanks for the ride!” she smiled, stepping out of the old car. She gave him a wave before heading toward her apartment.

As she stepped up the stairs to the fourth floor, Arch took a moment to look around. The quietness of the area was a stark contrast to the chaos of the day’s events. She couldn’t shake the worry that Gelid might return and could be targeting her.

Still, she scolded herself for being overly paranoid.

— It’s just my imagination. He’s not here. I’m safe.

She looked through her handbag for her key, finally finding it and pushing it into the lock. As she twisted the doorknob, the door swung open to reveal a tidy, minimalistic apartment that felt just right for her.

Without bothering to shower or change, she locked the door and plopped down onto the bed, exhaustion washing over her. Within moments, she drifted off into a much-needed nap, the worries of the day slowly fading from her mind.