Episode 13

The silence that followed Maya's question was nearly deafening. Everyone's eyes in the room began to slowly move behind her, confirming what she had already suspected. She swallowed, her expression suddenly tense as she slowly turned her head to look over her shoulder.And there he was, Phoenix, with his arms crossed and one eyebrow raised, clearly less than impressed by her impersonation.

"Very funny, Maya," he said, his tone dry but with a hint of exasperation that suggested he was more used to these pranks than he cared to admit.

Maya attempted an innocent smile. "Oh, Phoenix… I was just, you know, keeping the team morale up!" She gave a nervous laugh, but no one in the room dared join in.

Phoenix sighed, shaking his head. "Keeping the team morale up is one thing, but I'd rather you did it without drinking a bottle of whiskey before you start being the getaway driver."

He stepped forward, coming face to face with Maya, who was now trying to look as serious as possible, but her eyes still shone with a hint of defiance.

"I told you, Phoenix, it was just a shot to calm the nerves! And technically, it wasn't a whole bottle..." Maya tried to argue, but her voice trailed off as she realized she wasn't helping her case.

"It wasn't a whole bottle?" Phoenix repeated, clearly not convinced, but before he could continue, Maya held up her hands in surrender.

"Right, right. No whiskey next time, I promise. I'll behave." She tried to smooth the situation over with a smile. "After all, who else is going to keep the team's morale up if not me?"Phoenix stared at her for a long moment, before finally giving in with a small sigh. "Just... remember we have serious work to do. Save the joking around for after the mission."

Maya smiled, pleased that she had managed to calm the situation. "Got it, boss."

She then turned to the others, who had been watching the scene with expressions that varied between relief and suppressed laughter. "See? Everything is under control," Maya said, winking at them.

But when Phoenix finally pulled away, she took a deep breath and muttered, still audible to the others, "Next time, I have to be more careful with the timing of these imitations..."

As soon as Maya finished trying to smooth things over, the others began to appear in the lab one by one, as if summoned by an invisible signal.

Lena was the first, slipping through the door with a smile on her face."Looks like I arrived just in time to get my things," she said, looking around Tom's organized chaos with an amused expression.

Then Marcus walked in, holding a sheaf of papers in his hands."Tom, I need to adjust that modification you made to my visor. It's got an annoying delay," he commented, completely ignoring the desperate look Tom gave him.

Maya looked at them, still with an amused smile on her face.

Tom, who was trying to put back the spheres Violet had knocked over earlier, looked at the growing crowd with an exasperated look.

"Are you kidding me? This is a lab, not a convenience store where anyone can come in and take whatever they want!"

Jade stepped forward, raising an eyebrow. "Tom, I think you're going to have to get used to the idea that your lab has become the team's official distribution center."

Tom looked at her, his desperation growing. "If everyone starts messing with things at the same time, we'll end up causing more chaos than progress! This is my place, and I don't want to see it messed up!"

Marcus, ever the pragmatist, patted Tom on the shoulder. "Relax, Tom. Let's just grab what we need and get out of here. I promise no one will mess with your glowing orbs."

Tom sighed, still not entirely convinced. "Fine, but be quick and, for the love of all that is holy, don't touch anything you don't know exactly what it does!"

As the others began to gather their weapons and equipment, Maya approached a shelf in the back of the lab, where an assortment of custom weapons were displayed.

"Hey, Tom, how about I borrow that beauty over there?" She pointed to a weapon that looked like it was straight out of a sci-fi movie.

Tom glanced at the weapon, then back at Maya, clearly nervous. "That one hasn't been fully tested yet. It might be... unstable."

Maya frowned, her shoulders slumping slightly as she looked at the weapon that had caught her attention. She ran a hand through her hair, somewhat dismayed, and let out a heavy sigh."Oh, really? I was really excited about this one…" Maya said, her voice thick with disappointment. She took a step back, as if giving up on the idea. "But if it's unstable, I guess I'll have to go with something else."

Before Tom could protest further, Lena was adjusting her own weapon. Tom shook his head, resigned to the fate of his lab on this chaotic morning.

"Next time," he muttered to himself, "I'll make sure to lock this door before anyone comes in..."Phoenix was the first to approach one of the workbenches, his gaze focused on an array of sharp blades and precision firearms. 

"This should do the job," he muttered, testing the weight of one of the blades. He glanced at Tom and raised an eyebrow. "Is this the best you've got, Tom?"

"If you want something more lethal, go get it somewhere else," Tom replied, trying to remain calm. "But these blades have a titanium core coated with a cobalt alloy, designed to cut through just about anything."

Phoenix shrugged, satisfied. "Good enough."

Meanwhile, Jade approached Violet with a small smile. "I have something special for you, Violet," she said, handing him a sleekly designed compact pistol. "This is one of my favorites. Light, yet powerful. Perfect for someone with your skills."

I accepted the gun with a slight tremor in my hands, feeling the unexpected weight against my palm. "I hope I can use this properly," I muttered, trying to hide my anxiety while avoiding looking directly at Jade.

Jade then turned to Tom, who was starting to look even more nervous at the growing number of people in his space.

"Tom, are you going to let us take these weapons or are you going to have a nervous breakdown first?"

"Please, grab what you need and leave," Tom grumbled, trying to hide his irritation as he frantically tidied up the scattered equipment. "Just… don't make it any messier than it already is."

Marcus and Lena appeared soon after, each picking up their respective weapons without much of a word. Marcus, with his serious look, picked up a long-range rifle, while Lena opted for a pair of automatic pistols.

Maya, still smiling from her Phoenix impression, leaned over to pick up a pair of sharp daggers that Tom had prepared for her. "These will do, Tom," she said, her tone light. "I just hope you have a few more of these in stock."

Tom shot Maya an exasperated look, but before he could respond, she winked at him. "Relax, I'm just kidding. You know I take good care of your creations."

The lab was now full of people, each ready for the mission, but also contributing to the chaos in Tom's organized space. He let out a long, resigned sigh, realizing that no matter how hard he tried, his lab would never look exactly how he wanted it when the whole team was together."You're going to destroy this place," he muttered to himself, as Violet and Jade braced themselves, exchanging knowing glances at Tom's reaction.

Once everyone had their weapons, the team began to move toward the lab exit. The room was charged with a silent tension, each lost in their own thoughts about the mission ahead.Tom, who was still busy with his equipment, raised his head for a moment. 

"I'll stay here a bit longer," he said, going back to adjusting some of the devices on the workbench. "I need to fix a few things before I leave. You guys go ahead, I'll catch up with you shortly."

I hesitated for a moment, still holding the gun uncertainly, but followed the others, feeling Tom's gaze on my back for a brief second before he went back to his work.

The sound of the metal doors closing behind them signaled the beginning of the mission that unfolded before us.