8. Preparation

Zara traversed the room meticulously, her movements sharp and precise, but no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't find her watch, a gadget most agents relied on for their Void Cache. Without it, she couldn't access the dress she had stored there or any weapon.

Her hands instinctively moved to check for other gadgets: the invisible bracelet, her utility belt, anything. But nothing was left. Not a single trace of her tools remained.

"Shit, that damn guy," she muttered under her breath, cursing Finn aloud before unleashing a torrent of silent invective in her mind.

She clenched her fists, seething as she replayed the scene in her head. How thoroughly must he have searched her to uncover every one of her carefully hidden gadgets? Even the invisible ones hadn't escaped his notice. The thought sent a chill down her spine—not out of fear, but sheer indignation at being so thoroughly disarmed.

She heard a thunderous sound that shook the entire room with violent force, rattling the walls and sending vibrations through her body. 

She panicked, her heart pounding like a drum in her chest, and sprang up from the bed.

Without thinking, she rushed to the door and yanked at the handle, desperation fueling her movements. But it was no use—the door was locked tight, refusing to budge even an inch.

Her mind raced with frantic thoughts. Had someone attacked again? Were they here for her or someone else? And what about the guy who had saved her last time? Had he abandoned her, or was he still out there somewhere?

She cautiously approached the window, peering out into the distance. From afar, it appeared to be an ordinary neighborhood—rows of houses, neatly trimmed lawns, and quiet streets bathed in soft daylight. But as she drew closer, her breath caught in her throat. The scene wasn't real. It was an advanced holographic screen, projecting a flawless illusion that masked whatever truly lay beyond.

Abruptly, the door opened slowly while she was near the fake window. There were no footsteps or any sound, she froze on the spot in anticipation, wondering who it might be. But to her surprise, it was Finn!

"Oh, it's you!" she asked in relief, "what was that sound?"

"Don't talk too much," Finn said flatly as he tossed a blue shirt, pink panties adorned with a cute panda design, pink innerwear, and black jeans onto the bed.

Zara's eyes widened in disbelief. She recognized them instantly and reflexively screamed, "What the hell? How did you get my clothes?" Her index finger shot out, pointing accusingly at Finn.

"It's impossible for anyone to access my Void Cache without its password!" she spat, her voice trembling with anger and confusion.

And she was right—at least under normal circumstances. A Void Cache disconnected from its owner's Vitalis Core required a password to unlock. Even when connected, the owner had to be conscious for the Core to function properly.

What Zara didn't know—was that Nexus had spent three hours hacking into her cache. The AI's precision and speed were unmatched. Its capabilities surprised even Finn, maybe a little.

Without answering her questions, Finn looked coldly into her eyes, and said; 

"Get dressed, or I will drag you down without your clothes," he continued; "we need to prepare."

With that, he slammed the door violently and went out without giving her any chance to speak.

**

With intense anger and helplessness, Zara cursed Finn internally while wearing the dress.

All of a sudden, her vision seemed blurry, blurry enough, that she couldn't even see anything! She pressed her soft hand against her brown, bright eyes, and it was wet. Then she realized, it was her tears.

Tears came out without her even realizing it. Tears of uncertainty, stuck in a room, with someone, she does not have a clue about! A total stranger who saved her, just for credits. Being targeted by powerful companies. What will happen after Sunday? 

Many dark thoughts engulfed her like a shadow, she felt lost, lost in the abyss. As if she lost all her life energy.

Very weakly, she wore her remaining attire with whatever strength she had left. Then she came closer to the door and touched the doorknob, this time it was open. So she simply opened the door, 

To her surprise, Finn was waiting right outside the door, Zara was startled. Her eyes were bright red, obviously, Finn noticed that. "Follow me," he said, and Zara followed.

**

It's been 10 minutes, and both Finn and Zara sat on two different sofas like a statue. Finn's majestic hair and blue eyes are still like a painting. On the other side, Zara looked depressed. 

Another 5 minutes later, Finn finally moved from his spot, Zara was observing him quietly.

He slowly walked towards the fridge, very slowly, it looked like he was counting his every step, observed Zara. He grabbed two cold coffees and returned to his seat. Without warning, he tossed one toward Zara. She caught it instinctively, having been watching him closely, though she was momentarily startled by the unexpected gesture.

For a moment, she hesitated, debating whether to drink something given by him. While part of her felt a flicker of gratitude for saving her life earlier, that sentiment was overshadowed by his consistent rudeness and aloof demeanor.

She was exhausted, starving, and running on fumes. With only a brief moment of hesitation, she brought the cup to her lips and took a cautious sip.

A few seconds later the doorbell rang, Finn followed the same procedure and opened the door virtually. 

A man came inside wearing sunglasses and a small suitcase in hand. The sunglasses had a sleek, angular frame, crafted from matte black alloy, that seemed to drink in the light. Thin, glowing lines traced along the edges — a faint cyan pulse that shifted with each subtle movement. The lenses were a seamless sheet of dark glass, devoid of visible seams or hinges, like twin voids set within the frame.

His arm was a canvas of shifting ink, a chaotic web of symbols, lines, and geometric patterns that seemed to writhe beneath his skin. The tattoo stretched from his fingertips to his shoulder, a mess of circuitry-like veins glowing faintly in shades of electric blue and crimson.

Tiny data streams pulsed along the lines, flickering in rhythm with his heartbeat. At his wrist, a jagged spiral coiled tightly, its edges etched with glowing runes that seemed to crawl when he flexed his fingers. The ink itself looked almost metallic, liquid chrome woven into his flesh, and when light struck it just right, it shimmered like polished steel.

It wasn't just for the show. The tattoo reacted to his thoughts, activating hidden tech embedded in his skin. With a flick of his fingers, the glowing patterns shifted, unlocking encrypted data, summoning holographic displays, or even triggering defensive mechanisms.

His arm wasn't marked, it was weaponized. A living circuit board, dangerous and volatile, worn like a second skin.

"Who is this princess?" the man spoke with a wide smile on his face. He placed the suitcase on the table and sat beside Finn. Took a sip from Finn's coffee.

"I'm Zara." she continued, "and I'm not a princess."

"I can make you my princess if I want to." Zara was taken aback!

"Just kidding." he said smirking, "I'm Noah" he was about to extend his hand towards Zara to shake her hand but at that moment, Finn said cutting the moment;

"Show me." 

"Dude, you destroyed the moment," Noah said.

"There was no moment," Zara replied flatly. Noah's lips twitched slightly.

"You guys are no fun!" Noah barked disappointingly.

"She needs energy, and fix this," by saying that, Finn threw a watch towards Noah. Zara recognized it too, it was hers! Her watch.

She was about to say something but stopped herself, and didn't say a word.

"How much does she need?" Noah asked.

Zara was momentarily stunned, she never expected a guy like Finn to be considerate like this! She debated inwardly whether she judged him wrongly.

"Give her full, and the highest quality" Finn declared.

Noah looked at Finn, "Are you sure? The highest quality? It's not cheap you know that right?"

"Very much". Finn replied without hesitation.

Noah stood up, went near Zara, and asked her to put her hand on the table. Zara seemed anxious. She looked at Finn as if trying to say something, but the word never came out! 

"What class are you, princess?" Noah said, "I have to be sure because the last time a class -C guy took it and died like a bitch." he laughed menacingly.

"My rank is- B," Zara continued, trembling a little, "I have never taken the highest quality before, are you sure there's no risk?" Noah asked genuinely. "Why not?" 

"I can't advance to class- A, due to incompatibility, so my father advised me not to use the highest quality as it takes a more powerful Vitalise core."

Noah and Finn looked at each other, Noah said, "Wise father, eh? But don't worry, there's no risk here." To reassure her, Noah repeated, "You can take my word, I'm an expert. Even Finn can vouch for me, right?"

"No," Finn replied without hesitation. Zara burst out laughing, while a lot of thoughts were brewing in her head. 

Noah felt betrayed, but anyway, he opened his suitcase and there were a lot of items, mostly blue liquid in vials. 

Noah picked a glowing vial filled with shimmering liquid—a deep blue hue that pulsed faintly like it contained a heartbeat of its own. The light from the vial cast eerie shadows across his face, highlighting the wildness dancing in his eyes.

Even though Noah said it was safe, still Zara felt uneasy. She needed the energy, otherwise she would be useless. But couldn't really trust either Finn or Noah. The more quality the energy, the better it will be to use gadgets longer! But there was no certainty here.

While Noah was busy, Zara kept on glancing at Finn who seemed to notice everything, and eventually noticed Zara's unease too. Zara couldn't say anything but her eyes weren't lying. It was shaking, with stress and fear. 

"Don't worry, its safe" said Finn, "and if something happens to you I will kill Noah for the loss." 

"That certainly didn't help me calm down in any way." Zara expressed.

Noah screamed, "What the hell? Why would you kill me and what loss?"

"Don't waste time, Noah" Finn said without any emotion.

Noah placed the vial against Zara's forearm and pressed it firmly. The blue liquid surged into her bloodstream smoothly, leaving a faint coolness in its wake. They waited 10 seconds, nothing happened! Whatever fear Zara felt was gone! With a faint smile on her face, she bowed to Finn and said "Thank you."

"You will pay the price for the energy," Finn said mercilessly. 

Whatever conflicting thoughts Zara was having the whole time shattered like a mirror!

"Ehh?" Zara was devastated.