Smells Like Teen Spirit (4)

Cut to Sera's side.

After she submitted her leave letter and finished her business at school, Sera exited the building.

Now, she was walking through the townhouse neighborhood where Syd Barrett lived—almost at her destination.

Tap, tap, tap...

The sharp sound of her expensive heeled school shoes echoed more clearly with each step as fewer and fewer pedestrians passed her by. It should've made her feel at ease.

Except for…

"..."

The green-haired boy with pink glasses walking right behind her.

This guy… so damn uncomfortable to be around.

Sera glanced back at Mickey, then turned her eyes forward again.

The way he walked was the complete opposite of Syd Barrett's. Syd walked with his feet turned out, like some cocky delinquent, hands stuffed in his pockets, half the time forgetting to tuck his sky-blue undershirt in, broadcasting to the world that people should stay the hell out of his way.

But Mickey Mannix walked more like Jody—neatly dressed, straight posture, feet aligned. The problem was, he looked completely lifeless. Too still. So much so that Sera was starting to feel suffocated.

"...Hey. Be honest with me, Mannix. Why exactly are you walking me to and from school?"

"…Protection."

"…Protection? For me?"

He nodded.

"…It's protocol. When a civilian gets involved, they must be protected."

"…Is that so? 'Cause what I'm seeing feels more like emotional damage than protection."

The bratty side of Miss Gilmore started to flare up—probably still simmering from this morning.

"If it were really emotional damage, you'd already be broken."

"…What did you just say?!"

Sera spun around and snapped at Mickey.

"…"

He closed his eyes and looked away.

"You threatening me, huh?!"

"..."

"…Sounds like what Syd said might be true after all…"

"…Syd? What'd he say?"

"He said there were two people he pulled into his team. One's a blond American who looks like she needs a flying kick to the head. The other's a loud, obnoxious Brit Twitter's great warior."

Mickey smirked, looking down at her from above.

"I've known Syd a long time. If he says someone deserves a flying kick, that usually means they're doing something right. But when he called you annoying… I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt. Maybe his definition of 'annoying' was different from mine."

He turned to face her fully.

"But I think I was wrong."

"..."

"…Excuse me?!"

Once it clicked what he was implying, Sera's voice jumped up an octave.

"Did you just say I'm annoying, Mannix?! Huh?!"

"…Aren't you supposed to be smart? Figure it out."

Mickey gave her a look that said, "Keep walking."

"You called me annoying AND a Twitter's great warior?! Seriously?! That's going too far!"

"Your hair kinda gives it away. Not my fault."

"Who judges people like that?!"

Ding-dong…

Next thing they knew, they were standing at Syd's doorstep.

Click.

The one who answered was a short-haired Asian guy with blue hair. And the moment she saw him…

Ooh, hello... Oppa?!

"Aha! Sera's here!"

Toshi's eyes lit up with excitement, and he turned to call into the house.

Sera stepped inside first, with Mickey closing the door behind them.

She stopped to greet Toshi while Mickey strolled past.

"...Hey, Sera. I've heard all about you. Your ability sounds fascinating. I'm Toshi."

"Nice to meet you... and I hope you didn't hear any weird, twisted, or totally made-up crap about me from Syd."

They shook hands.

As Sera entered the main living room, she spotted another girl and instantly recognized her as Roxxy Barrett, Syd's younger sister.

She hesitated. Would she be as insane as her brother?

From a quick read of her personality, Sera could already sense what Jody had felt too.

This tomboyish girl gave off a vibe that was both intimidating and quietly angry.

"You're Roxxy, right?"

She approached her. Roxxy turned.

"Yeah. Roxxy Barrett. I'll be working with you and my brother from today on."

They shook hands.

Just then, Jody saw Mickey approaching her.

The first thing she felt when looking at the beautiful-faced green-haired boy was that... he was probably a lot like her.

The quiet, stoic type.

"...Jody Johansson. Heard about you. Your ability will be useful for our mission. Looks like we'll be working together for a while."

He reached out his hand.

"Mickey Mannix. I control electricity. My ability takes the form of wires."

And just like that, he conjured a wire from his arm, with a green aura and glowing circuit patterns—just like he had done for Sera.

Aura, symbol, and all—checked and presented.

"…You're not the small talk type, huh, Mickey?"

Jody shook his hand.

"Didn't think you liked pleasantries either."

"True enough. So what exactly do you guys know about me?"

"…About as much as Syd knows. Sorry about your leg, by the way."

"…Eh. Don't worry about it."

After they exchanged names, powers, and a quick intro to each of their abilities, they got straight to business.

Everyone stood around a black laptop placed on the center table. Roxxy pulled up an image of their next target location.

"…According to Palmer's statement, this is where we expect to find the woman named Betty Moretz."

"...The Nightlife district, huh?"

"Yes," Roxxy replied to Sera.

"The location we extracted from Palmer is The Nightlife Society—a popular club in that part of town. The place is spacious, two floors. Each level is organized into distinct zones. If things go south, it'll be chaos."

She pulled up an internal map of the club.

"The layout is different from your typical club. The bar features a long table facing the bartender, taking up more space than any other section. Behind the bartender, they stack bottles horizontally, labels inward—unlike the usual vertical showcase. The dancing areas are all around the bar, always packed. The back lot of the club shows up as empty space on the blueprint, but we suspect it was renovated later to include a secret passage. We'll probably need someone to go in and verify."

Roxxy took a sip of water and continued,

"We can interfere with their CCTV feed for about twenty minutes. The system's old."

After explaining the plan, she paused with a look that said, Any questions?

No one spoke.

So they moved to the next stage.

"We need to extract this bitch Betty. Toshi, go find us a van—something that won't attract too much attention."

"Got it," Toshi replied to Syd.

"How about this?" Mickey chimed in.

"We park the van behind the club. Roxxy can hijack the surveillance from inside. I'll be in the driver's seat ready for extraction. Toshi, Syd, and Jody go in to grab the target."

"No," Syd interjected, "Mickey, you should come with us. You need to control the electrical systems in there. Do you know where the breaker panel is?"

He turned to his sister.

"Probably in the basement," she answered.

"There may be a scuffle with the guards. The security there's tight. The clientele's all high-end."

"This mission needs to avoid combat. But if it comes to that, I'll need you managing the power."

"I don't agree with cutting power," Mickey replied.

"If we mess with the electrical system, we'll trigger a riot. Plus, it leaves a big clue. If she's got allies, they'll know exactly when Betty disappeared."

"...True," Syd said, stroking his chin.

"So what do you suggest?"

"Swap me out with Toshi. He can disguise himself as one of the guards. Then you guys jump her and pull her out. Anyone watching will just think she's a drunk friend getting dragged home."

"That's a solid plan, Gayboy."

"Once you've got her, I'll be waiting at the exit. I'll open the door for you."

"Okay."

"Jody, you good with this?" Mickey asked,

"A club like that—blaring music and all—won't kill your ears?"

"It's not like we're staying all night. I'll be fine."

"Crip girl's only issue is her matchstick leg," Syd added.

"Which is why I need you to cover for me, Syd," Jody smiled at him.

"Yeah, yeah. Since I'm already going in, I'll swap out your limp with a steel bar. Great. Wonderful life."

"Thanks, Master Syd the Great. I'll never forget your kindness."

She pressed her palms together like a Thai prayer and gave him a stiff bow. Toshi snickered, and Mickey gave a small smirk.

"Hah!"

"What's so funny, you damn Jap? You want a piece of this?"

"Woah now, Racist much?"

Despite the usual back-and-forth bickering like a pair of apes, Jody had to admit—watching them flow through tactical dialogue with this much ease… it was clear they were the real deal.

Even Syd Barrett, arrogant as he seemed, was willing to listen and adapt when counterpoints made sense.

This was what professionals looked like.

It made her respect them more… and strengthened her resolve to play whatever role they needed her for.

"Alright. So, me, Syd, and Jody go in. I'll split off to find a host and disguise myself. Syd and Jody will secure the target. Mickey will be on standby in the driver's seat. Roxxy hacks the electronics inside."

Toshi recapped.

Roxxy added,

"We move tonight—midnight. That's when the club hits peak activity. Lots of people coming and going. We'll be like grains of sand in the tide. No one will trace it."

"Midnight? Can we bump it back to around eleven-forty? Too many people might cause chaos if the lights cut."

Toshi raised the point. Roxxy shot him a terrifying glare that screamed don't push it.

Toshi shrank again.

But then she considered his logic… and realized he had a point.

"Eleven-forty, then."

"...Alright."

"Okay."

Everyone nodded in agreement—until a new voice spoke up.

"Hey, what about me?"

It was Seraphina Gilmore.

"...Oh, right."

"What the hell?!"

She turned to glare at the guys. They'd focused so much on Jody… and completely forgotten her.

"Sorry. Just not used to thinking of you as part of the action," Mickey admitted.

"Didn't mean to overlook you."

"And what image do you usually associate me with, then?"

"Spa day on a 30th-floor condo, face mask on, Louis Vuitton bag in hand?"

Sera had had enough. She hurled her Chanel mini bag at them.

"Joking, Sera. Joking," Mickey said, catching it smoothly and handing it back.

"How about she waits in the van?" Jody suggested.

"She'll be important post-extraction. If things go south, she can patch you guys up."

"Yeah, that's probably best," Syd agreed.

"It's only 2 PM now. We move at 10 PM. Get ready," Roxxy concluded.

.

.

.

Mickey Mannix

Codename: Electrix

Nationality: Polish

Ethnicity: Jewish/Polish

Place of Birth: Europe

Psychological Profile: Access Restricted

Ability: Electrokinesis – control of electric charge, can transform into pure electrical current

Ability Manifestation: Appears as wires growing from his body; when plugged into any device, allows him to control its electric charge

Toshi (Tosh) Ishii

Codename: X

Nationality: Japanese

Ethnicity: Japanese

Place of Birth: Asia

Psychological Profile: Calm, reliable, adaptable

Ability: Shapeshifting

Ability Manifestation: Appears as a mask – enables him to replicate another person's appearance, including fingerprints and eye patterns

Roxxy Barrett

Codename: Ice Cube

Nationality: Australian/Thai

Ethnicity: Australian/Thai

Place of Birth: Asia

Psychological Profile: Access Restricted

Ability: Cryokinesis – control of cold and the ability to freeze

Ability Manifestation: No physical form – her powers do not manifest through any physical object