<Dismissed/>

I returned to my base fifteen minutes later.

Cason had offered to let me stay the night in his barracks, but I turned him down without hesitation. I didn't trust him. 

Friendly or not, I wasn't about to get comfortable around someone I barely knew. One thing life had drilled into me—never trust anyone who seemed too eager to get close.

The reinforced door slid shut behind me with a soft hiss, sensors locking into place. The lights flickered on automatically, casting a cool blue glow over the metallic interior of my quarters.

10:30 PM.

I had barely tossed my jacket onto the chair when my private comms buzzed.

I glanced at the caller ID.

Brixley.

My stomach clenched. Why was she calling this late? Did something happen to Damian? I didn't waste a second. I answered immediately.

The screen lit up, and a mess of pink and blonde filled the feed. Brixley's hair, covering half the screen.

"Brix," I said, keeping my voice even. "Is everything okay?"

She startled at my voice, and only then did I see her face.

"Oh, Noah," she said, shifting uncomfortably. "Erm… yes. I just—I need a favor."

A favor? I narrowed my eyes. There was hesitation in her voice.

"What is it?" I asked. "Is Damian okay?"

She nodded quickly. "Brother Damian's fine."

But the slight tension in her voice told me otherwise.

Something was off.

"Brixley," I said slowly, "is Damian with you?"

She shook her head. Then, suddenly, she burst into tears.

A cold unease crawled down my spine.

I barely hesitated before stepping in. "Hey, calm down," I said, keeping my voice steady. "Brix, take a breath. Tell me what happened."

She hiccupped, rubbing at her eyes.

A few seconds passed before she finally spoke, voice unsteady.

"The GE officers came by a few hours ago," she said. "They… dismissed Brother Damian from the force. They made him retire."

What?

I stiffened. "They dismissed him? Why?"

Damian had worked his ass off for GAIA. He bled for them. And now they were tossing him aside?

Brixley sniffled. "Because he made a private comms call during a mission. It was against protocol."

That was it? That was their excuse?

She swallowed hard. "But… that's not why I'm crying."

I braced myself. "Then why?"

"The hospital bill," she whispered. "We have to pay it."

I frowned. "What? I thought GAIA covered all medical expenses. It's included in the insurance."

Her lips trembled. "The insurance expired a week ago."

I froze.

She continued, voice shaking. "They dismissed Damian a week ago. His insurance was canceled along with it. We only found out today when the dismissal message arrived. And…" She took a shaky breath. "They made him sign the papers today, but the date was backdated—to a week ago."

My blood turned to ice. A week ago.

That was the day Damian was hospitalized.

GAIA wouldn't pull something like this. Not unless… someone wanted this to happen.

And then it clicked. The MODs.

It didn't take a genius to figure out who.

Gaius. That bastard.

"We have to move out, Noah."

Brixley's voice was barely above a whisper, but her words hit me like a bullet to the skull.

"The landlord says we haven't paid rent… it's overdue by a week now."

A sharp, suffocating silence filled the space between us.

No. That—That wasn't possible.

Damian always paid on time. Even when we were barely scraping by, even when he had to take on dangerous, low-paying missions, he made sure we had a roof over our heads.

Unless…

Because he got dismissed. 

No job. No pension. No severance. No insurance.

GAIA had wiped him out like he never existed.

Brixley sniffled, her voice trembling. "What should we do, Noah?"

My jaw clenched so tightly it hurt. I forced my voice to stay steady. "Where's Damian?"

She hesitated.

A terrible feeling slithered into my gut.

"Brixley." My voice was razor-sharp now. "Where is Damian?"

She flinched. Then, almost too quietly—

"He… went to beg the landlord."

Everything stopped. The air left my lungs. My mind went blank.

Beg?

My brother—begging?

Damian, who had fought tooth and nail to keep us alive after our parents died. Damian, who never asked for help, who never backed down, who took every beating life threw at him with gritted teeth and a damn smile—

They reduced him to this?

I exhaled slowly, rage coiling inside me like a storm ready to break.

He was still recovering. He wasn't supposed to be moving around, let alone pleading for mercy from some greedy bastard who thought he could kick us out like garbage.

I pressed my fingers against my temple, forcing myself to think instead of acting on the first violent impulse clawing at my chest.

"I'm coming over."

Brixley wiped her tears and nodded. "Okay."

The call ended.

I stood there, fists clenched so tightly my nails dug into my palms.

GAIA did this. The MODs did this. Gaius did this.

And they were about to learn why that was a mistake.

The moment I stepped out of the transport, the cold rain slammed into me like a wall. Heavy. Unforgiving. Soaking through my clothes in seconds.

I didn't care.

I barely noticed.

My mind was already racing, my pulse hammering as I made my way to our apartment.

I found Brixley sitting on the sofa, motionless, as if she'd shut down completely. Tissues lay scattered around her like remnants of a battle lost. Her hands clutched another, fingers trembling. Her eyes—red, swollen, empty—lifted to meet mine.

The moment she saw me, her face crumpled.

She didn't say a word.

She just launched herself at me.

I caught her, wrapping my arms around her small, shaking frame. She was hiccupping softly, trying to hold back more sobs.

I felt my jaw tighten.

I ran a hand over her back, grounding her. "Where is he?"

Her voice came out in a whisper, barely audible. "The landlord's place… top floor."

I pulled away, looking her dead in the eyes.

"Come on."

Something must've shown in my face because Brixley didn't hesitate.

She just nodded.

We entered the elevator in silence, but inside me, a storm was building.

Then we reached the top floor.