Several weeks later, early morning, Leon and Yuna stared each other down in the center of the Vyxora courtyard. While the area they stand in is cleared out, residents of the complex go about their morning routines unabated. A groggy Dante stumbled out from the basement steps. He winced, almost falling, then shielded himself from the sun while surveying the area. Val leaned against a nearby wall, sipping at coffee.

“So you managed to get up without help,” Val said.

“Val?” Dante turned and yawned. “Morning.”

“Here.” Val offered a cup. Dante graciously accepted, then noticed Leon and Yuna stretching as he took a sip.

“What’s going on?”

“Ah. Suppose you’ve yet to see one of these, huh? Usually sleepin’. Leon and Yuna are about to spar.”

“Uhh.”

“Don’t fret, it’s pretty common. Hence why everyone else is unbothered. It’s how they settle arguments or just how they start the day, even. We’re all pretty used to it by now. Half of the time it’s over who gets the last donut.”

“‘Donut’? Seriously? Did I actually wake up?”

“Heh. I’m not pulling your leg. Think about those two’s personalities. Fists are simply their best means of communication. Then, add in that they both have serious sweet tooths.”

“Right…”

“It’s not a bad way to wake up, getting to watch. Most pay attention once they start. Get’s the blood pumping vicariously, y’kno?”

“Sure.”

“They don’t hold back. You’ll see soon enough.”

Meanwhile, Yuna bounced on her toes in front of a stretching Leon.

“Why you gotta be so greedy, old man?” Yuna said. “You swiped the last one last week, and again yesterday!”

“Snooze,” Leon said dismissively.

“Har Har. Very funny.”

Leon shrugged with a slight smirk.

“Ooh. You know I hate that. You’re gonna regret that, you old bastard!”

In the blink of an eye, Yuna closed the distance to Leon. By the time the residents, now spectators, looked, he had deflected her jab. She stumbled forward slightly from a tug at her forearm. With a swift dodge, his fist missed her head within a hair’s breadth. They exchanged blows in rapid succession. With little wasted movement, Leon parried each attack, barely moving himself. Yuna’s agility displayed in full, issuing a reprisal after dodging each counter. Several minutes passed as they fought. Dante watched in awe while Val smirked at his countenance.

“Almost looks choreographed, doesn’t it?” Val asked.

“Yeah, the hell?” Dante said.

“They’re just that evenly matched, and know each other that well. And…it’s over.”

“Damnit!” Yuna shouted. She withdrew her fist from Leon’s chin, having dealt a jaw-shaking uppercut while Leon removed his fist from her side.

“Draw,” Leon said.

“I fucking know. We’ll split it.” Yuna cursed under her breath.

The residents chatted amongst each other casually while returning to their mornings. Leon followed Yuna into the elevator. Val clapped a hand on Dante’s shoulder, who looked bewildered.

“You’d be surprised how many of them end like that. Yuna’s gonna be a grouch.” Val sighed.

“So weird, it’s like it didn’t even happen,” Dante said.

“Told ya, we’re accustomed to it. It used to be pretty troublesome, though. They once fought so long that they caused collateral damage. So, Celeste stepped in, literally hosed them down, and made them agree to ‘First clean hit decides the winner’.”

“Wow, they agreed? They both seem pretty stubborn, or at least Yuna is.”

“Nope, both are. Like father, like daughter. However, Celeste’s word is law around here. If I recall, Reina also gave them a guilt trip, which was pretty funny, actually.”

“Is it weird that Celeste frightens me the most in that family?”

“Heh. Good instincts. She’ll legit kill you with kindness if you let her.”

“‘Kill with kindness?’ What?”

“Said that without thinking. But, since you’re sticking around, guess it wouldn’t hurt to warn you. Celeste accepts everyone and doesn’t offer unsolicited advice. However, if you go to her or she offers and you accept? Well, prepare for dramatic life changes.”

“Alright?”

“Anyway, you awake enough?”

“Yeah, I guess. To reiterate, though, I shouldn’t be relied on for hardware stuff.”

“Lawrence yammered on about ‘databases’ or something, so?”

“Fine, I know enough. Let’s get this over with.” Dante yawned. “Though, isn’t Reina probably more familiar?”

“Well.” Val walked away. Dante followed. “Lawrence kind of…worships Reina. Long story. Point is, he doesn’t like to bother her unless he feels there’s no other option. I agree Reina’s time is pretty valuable, plus the Nezins are tremendous pains in the ass to deal with. Fortunately, we now have a tech-savvy freeloader to exploit.” She nudged him with an elbow.

“Damn.”

“Word of warning. Lawrence is serious to a fault, and can be pretty god damn insufferable. Don’t even bother trying to crack a joke, for example. But, he willingly handles the logistics for just about everything so this’ probably relatively important. He’s going to watch you like a hawk.”

“Great.”

Val slapped him on the back. “Just do a good job, and I’ll reward you. My lackeys eat well when they do good.”

“Your what?”

“In you go. He’s here Lawrence! Gotta go!” Val pushed Dante into a room.

Later that morning, a freshly showered Yuna, with a towel around her neck, walked into Reina’s basement room. Reina-cat sat in her usual chair as the screens flashed with changes. Alongside her sat Dante, who rubbed his temples.

“What’s with you?” Yuna rubbed the towel in her ears.

“Headache,” Dante said.

“He claims to have gotten it from Lawrence. I don’t get how?” Reina asked.

“I do.” Yuna nodded. “There’s no bigger pain in the ass.”

“Lawrence is always so helpful, though?”

“You know the saying ‘breathing down my neck’? Well, he literally was.” Dante sighed. “Thankfully, it was only a short fix this time. I shudder to think…”

“You wouldn’t understand, Reina.” Yuna lamented. “Even the smallest requests are such a fucking hassle with that guy.”

“But he’s always so quick to—,” Reina said.

“Like I’ve tried to tell you before, he’s only that helpful to you. Well, maybe Mom, too? Think he’s scared of her. Anyway. Another day, another nothin’?”

“No, actually. You were busy last night, but remember the rumors of Argonix being behind the arena attack?”

“Uh, sure. Pretend I do.”

Reina sighed. “Yes, well, as you complain about every day, there’s been nothing else since. Of course, supposedly the gun was found but they’ve kept a tight lid on it. Still only rumors.”

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

“I still think the railgun theory seems solid,” Dante said. “Especially with that hole I noticed before Yuna—”

“Saved you,” Yuna said.

“Technically, yeah, in hindsight. Heh.”

“Mhm. Now I remember, an Argonix wet works team, right? Something about their suits?”

“Yes. The suit, or suits, that were seen are known to be Argonix, not that they’d ever admit it. Since then, however, there’s been mounting pressure for Argonix to comment on the situation. The rumor of someone being killed with a bullet and worst, in an Aegis suit, has started to pick up in the public consciousness, despite most having no clue where it all happened. I suspect it’s manufactured to some degree, sure, but this kicked into overdrive after that blatantly false story pushed out last night. Now Argonix has no choice, they have to give some kind of comment. No way remaining quiet is an option anymore. And so, they’ve announced a press conference soon.”

“I think I followed that, kinda. How soon?”

“Today, soon.”

“They’re probably just going to condemn the fake story, though, right?” Dante asked.

“Yes, but I suspect how they deny it is what Aegis is after. And maybe other things they’ll be watching, that I’m unaware of.”

“I’m lost,” Yuna said.

“Ah, to be honest with you, Yuna, none of this is likely to affect your, uh, goal,” Dante said.

“Of tearing the fucker who took my prey limb from limb?” Yuna held her towel aloft, tearing at it.

“Yeah, that.”

“Grr.” Yuna growled. The sound of the towel ripping resulted in Reina’s chair turning.

“Calm down, Yuna. Sorry, I didn’t mean to get your hopes up,” Reina said.

Yuna stopped and exhaled deeply. “Oops.” She looked at the tear. “Aaahh. Seriously, how hasn’t more happened since then? And why’d you bring up Aegis?”

“Forgot to mention that, sorry. Our working theory is Aegis is behind the pressure on Argonix. Since it was their suit that was involved.”

“Makes sense, I guess.”

Reina turned back around. “It really is kind of unfathomable, though. How little has happened this last month. If you told me the day after that it’d play out like this, I’d never believe you. Sure, an Excalium bullet being used is ultra rare because of the cost involved, but not unheard of. A bullet being effective on an Aegis suit, though? I still have a hard time believing it happened.”

“It’s a strange feeling being in the know of something so big when the populace remains mostly oblivious,” Dante said.

“Gah!” Yuna grumbled. “I feel my blood boiling thinking of how that bastard hasn’t made any more moves.”

“Well, decent chance they were just a trigger puller, y’know. Someone else’s surely behind it all.”

“Whatever! I’ll pry that from them. Then I’ll…” Yuna cursed under her breath as she paced.

“Would you please stop riling her up?” Reina whispered.

“Shit,” Dante said. The sound of the towel ripping in half reached them. Dante and Reina exchanged glances. “Is it weird that I pity my brother’s killer a bit?”

Reina paused. “Yes.” She looked at Yuna. “Although…”

Meanwhile, atop the Aegis Industries headquarters, Artemis sat in her office. Aelfric stood at attention in front of her desk.

“Do you foresee any complications?” Artemis asked.

“No, Lady Artemis. All has been accounted for with our preparations,” Aelfric said.

“Very well. Things proceed apace. You have my leave.”

Aelfric shifted to one knee, accompanied by a head bow. “It is all thank—.”

“Unnecessary.” Artemis snapped. “Your praise serves no purpose. I don’t enjoy repeating myself. We’ve barely left the starting line.”

“Of course. My sincerest apologies, Lady Artemis. I will excuse myself.” Aelfric stood, bowed, and then exited the room. Artemis turned in her chair, gazing into the sky out a grand window.

My ego needs no boosting, Aelfric. Twenty long years to finally reach this point. It’s almost surreal I’ll get to see the true beginning of Viktor’s despair in a few short hours, Artemis thought. She closed her eyes. What would you think of me now, I wonder, Xandr?

“I’d wonder how you’ve wasted so much time and effort when you could be doing so much more,” said a voice in Artemis’ head. She didn’t flinch.

“Ah, hello, you. It’s been so long, I’d almost forgotten your sound.”

“The fact I’m here shows you still have doubts. You can still change course before it’s too late.”

“Come on, you can impersonate him better, can’t you? Or, perhaps, have we forgotten?”

“Well, duh. How many years do you think it’s been?”

“I don’t like to think about that.”

“I suppose you’ve already done countless things I would’ve been disgusted by, anyway.”

“An understatement, Xandr. No matter your brilliance, you wouldn’t have been able to comprehend my depths.”

“What was that about ‘ego needs no boosting’?”

“Touche. Still, even I could have never conceived those depths.”

“Insert revenge cliche.”

“Now you’re just being young me. Xandr was never snarky.”

“Artemis, my office!” Viktor shouted, his voice echoed around her.

“Lost track of time.” Artemis opened her eyes and stood. “On my way, Viktor. Just finishing up.”

A short time later, Artemis entered Viktor’s office. The office appeared around one and a half times bigger than her own. Aesthetically, it looked quite similar, albeit with some additional extravagance to it. It would be clear to any who entered that it belonged to the CEO of Aegis Industries. Countless accolades, pictures, and more adorned the walls. A corner of the room had several dozens of sports memorabilia across many leagues. Each of which had an Aegis-owned team and the accompanying paraphernalia. A display case held numerous championship rings of the ‘Aegis Sentinels’. Viktor sat in a luxurious chair in another corner, swirling a glass of liquor in his hand. He faced a television screen projected onto the wall with crystal-clear picture. A news outlet discussed the upcoming press conference for Argonix and relevant market speculation. Artemis dismissed a secretary offering to retrieve any desired refreshments as she sat nearby in a chair.

“I’ve said it countless times before, Artemis, I’m so fortunate you’re at Aegis.” Viktor laughed. “This is your doing, isn’t it?” He pointed at the news banner.

“Yes, Viktor,” Artemis said.

“I knew it. You’d be a fearsome thorn in my side if you were elsewhere. Finally, we’ll see that tedious fucker at Argonix speak up. Any guesses as to what they’ll say?”

“I’ve prepared various responses contingent on their own. Of course, we’re already monitoring under the surface. We will discover a trail.”

“It’s hard to believe a month has passed with so little.” Viktor leaned forward and shook his head. “I thought for sure after we recovered the ‘railgun’ that another incident was around the corner. My time’s too precious to be playing damage control this long, Artemis.”

“I understand your frustration, Viktor.”

“Those god-damned sniveling insects of the board need constant reassurance. It’s tiring. Prosperity has made them weak. And then they have the audacity to speak to—,” Viktor stopped himself. “ahem. How’s the research into that weapon progressing?”

“It’s proven quite similar to our own prototypes. Which has unfortunately only baffled our engineers. They theorize the true answers reside in the projectile.”

“I see.” Viktor paused. “Perhaps it comprises an even rarer material than Excalium, synthetic or naturally occurring. That would explain the sparse information, lack of further incidents, and retrieval operation.”

“That is well reasoned, Viktor. Trace elements of the residue on the fatal wound have indeed alluded to an unknown.”

“Ha.” Viktor laughed. “Is that surprise I detect, Artemis? Give me some credit. Just because it’s been years since I’ve been involved in our ‘guts’, doesn’t mean I’ve let my faculties degrade. I trust you enough to handle them without supervision, but I’ve kept an eye on our most promising projects.”

“My apologies.”

“Think nothing of it. I feel a tinge of excitement, strangely enough. Perhaps I, too, will benefit from this crisis. I’ve gotten this far by always embracing evolution, not being content with stagnation and the status quo. That’s the driving force behind Project Avalon, after all.”

“That is Aegis.”

“Exactly! We’ll bend this situation to our advantage.”

A brief time passed before the conference started. A media area with hundreds of people faced a podium setup outside Argonix headquarters. Drones fluttered about while guards in Argonix-branded suits surrounded the area. A thunderous sound rang out from the broadcast. Viktor jumped to his feet, spilling his liquor.

“What?” Viktor roared in a panicked fury. Artemis remained seated. She glanced at him. In stark contrast, she appeared tranquil.

Meanwhile, in Reina’s basement room, Yuna moved to the nearby wall. She backed into the Aegis equipment station. A few moments passed and nothing happened.

“Reina!” Yuna yelled.

“No!” Reina said.

“God damn, I bet they even had an Argonix suit under their clothes,” Dante said.

“Fine! I’ll go without the shitty thing.” Yuna moved to the door.

“It’s on the other side of the city, Yuna, don’t be ridiculous!” Reina-cat leapt off the chair toward Yuna. “Even if it wasn’t, this just happened live. They already cut the feed. The place is going to be swarming with law enforcement. Think!”

“That sound was crazy, was that the same?” Dante asked.

“Open it, Reina, now.” Yuna punched the door, denting it.

“Straight through the heart, looked like. Wonder where the shooter could be?”

“Shut up, Dante!” Reina said.

“Oops.”

“Rainbows!”

Yuna clawed at the door in vain, attempting to grip it. “Come on, really, Reina? You’re gonna pull that? Now? When there’s a chance, finally?”

“Rainbows!” Her voice from the cat sounded so loud that both Dante and Yuna recoiled in pain, covering their ears.

“Grr.” Yuna stormed off into the other room.

Reina meandered back to her chair with a sigh. “Sorry for that, Dante.”

“Didn’t know you could be that loud,” Dante said.

“Mm.” Reina leapt into her chair.

“It’s alright, my ears aren’t bleeding. I think.” Dante checked his ears. “Wew.”

“I might’ve overdone the voice amplification.”

“Nah, Yuna even talked back during your lil’ codeword thing. Not that I’ve been around long, but hadn’t seen that. I wasn’t helping either with my jabbering. My bad.”

“Sorry for telling you to shut up.” Reina spoke in a solemn tone.

“It’s cool, really.” Dante sighed. “We’re in for a long night, aren’t we?”

“‘We’?” The screens filled with news sites, social media, forums, and more in rapid succession.

“Remember? All my ALTR accounts are locked to my chair in my room. To think security would bite me in the ass so thoroughly.” Dante shook his head. “I’ve got a vested interest here.”

“Oh. Right. Have you even tried, though? Your Mom might’ve—”

“Ha. Let me stop you there. I’ve tried to tell you but, trust me, not all, well, any, really, families are like yours. Ain’t no way in hell I’m getting even a foot in the door. More likely to be thrown to the curb. Actually, did I ever tell you that? They literally threw me out the door like you see in old cartoons.”

Reina giggled, then her sound ceased.

Dante laughed. “No need to cut your audio. The bruises have healed. I can recognize it’s pretty funny.”

“Did they… lift you by the pants?”

“Yep. Wedgie and all.”

Reina laughed. “Sorry, it’s not that funny.”

“You know, you say ‘sorry’ way too often for a leader of a criminal syndicate.” Dante chuckled. “Anyway, tell me what to do, Princess Reina.”

“Please don’t.”

“I tell her that all the time,” Yuna appeared behind them, arm hanging on Reina’s chair, startling Dante.

“Yuna? How’re your ears? I’m so sorry I—”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re, er, chill, already?” Dante asked.

“Yep. Vented my frustration out on your toy. S’all good.” Yuna, with a devilish grin, clapped a hand on Dante’s shoulder, whose expression morphed into abject horror. “Kidding, kidding.”

Reina giggled. “How many times are you going to fall for that, Dante?”

“Too many.” Dante breathed a sigh of relief.

Yuna chuckled. “Moving on. Find me something, Lady Reina.”

“I’m not okay with that, either.”