As the tour of the floor wrapped up, the group circled back—only to find Syd Barrett, aka Phaitoon Wongphudi, aka "that jerk Syd," aka "Mr. Prejudice," hanging from a pull-up bar in a sleek black jacket.
Apparently, he'd made it down here a while ago, but had been too lazy to follow them around. So he parked himself here and waited.
Jody couldn't help but notice: not a single agent dared to walk within ten feet of him.
When Syd saw them coming, he dropped from the bar, brushed his palms off on his pants, and spoke up.
"Done with this floor?"
Mickey nodded.
"You're built better than I thought," Jody said, clapping her hands as she approached.
She'd seen him swinging from the bar from at least ten meters away, and yeah—his arms were seriously strong.
"You wanna give it a shot?" Syd tapped the bar.
"Five reps. That's all you get, amateur."
He smirked.
Jody grinned back sweetly.
Without another word, she tucked in her shirt, gripped the bar with her palms facing out, and hoisted herself up—full extension up, full extension down, perfect form. Not five, not ten, but twenty solid pull-ups. Then she dropped down lightly, wiped a bit of sweat off her brow, and turned to face him.
"What was that you said, little man?"
Syd's expression cracked.
The defeat (which he imagined entirely by himself) was written all over his face.
"…Huh. Not bad…"
He tried to save face.
"Well, she does rely on her arms more than her legs. It makes sense they'd be strong."
Mickey added, "But that was more than I expected. I'm impressed."
"Thanks, Mickey."
Jody gave Syd a playful pat on the back.
"Feeling a little insecure?"
"No."
"Oh, really?"
"…No."
"Aww, someone's in denial~"
Syd raised a fist, which got Jody to stop—but it was clear to everyone he'd been thoroughly outclassed.
While the two were trading jabs, Sera quietly stepped up to the bar.
"…Is it really that hard?"
She gave it a try.
Normally, Sera wasn't one for intense workouts. She figured it couldn't be much tougher than swimming or surfing.
Hup…!
Heeeaaahhh!!!
1…
Huh. Not bad at all.
But as she let herself hang again and tried to go for rep two—
Reality hit her hard.
Supporting her full weight by her arms? A lot harder than she thought. Her hands felt like they were tearing off.
Nope. Nope nope nope. Abort mission.
And then—
Grab.
An arm wrapped around her waist.
Mickey Mannix.
He wasn't behind her—he was in front, face-level with her stomach, hands firm around her waist.
"…."
She glanced down at him.
"..."
Since she was wearing a sleeveless top—
"Nice armpits."
He said it flatly, without an ounce of shame.
"..."
"Thanks. Now let go."
"..."
"What are you doing, Mannix? Let go."
"Give me five. That's all."
His grip tightened. He even gave a little squeeze.
She realized what he was doing.
He was squishing her sides?! Her fat?!
"You jerk!! 😡"
"Not five, no release."
"No!"
Sera's hands began to tremble. Her grip was weakening—she couldn't hold on much longer.
"Come on. Just one more. Push through it."
"…!"
"Tch—FINE!! Hrrrrghhh!!!"
Why the hell am I even listening to this idiot?!
She pulled with all her strength.
2…
"Haaahhh!!!"
She let go the moment her chin cleared the bar, completely done.
Sera dropped—straight into Mickey Mannix's arms. He caught her easily, having expected this outcome.
Her hands pressed against his chest. The impact had her sliding down against him, and for the briefest moment, her fingers glided across his torso and shoulders—through the soft fabric of his shirt, she could feel it:
Holy crap… this guy is ripped.
He looked wiry, but under the surface?
Yeah. She wasn't surprised anymore that he could pin her in two seconds flat.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Her heart pounded from the flood of hormones.
Feet finally touching the ground, she quickly shook the lewd thoughts from her brain.
She stood there, locking eyes with him for a beat, then looked down—and realized he was still holding her waist.
"….."
"..."
"Hey! Hands! You creep!"
Smack! She slapped both his hands away.
"Think we're in a club or something?! I get that I'm hot, but maybe dial it down, perv!"
Mickey finally let go.
"Jeez. I could report you for harassment, you know."
"…Then I'll release the clip of you buying that statue."
"Ah—"
"..."
"Fine! Go ahead. I'd rather that than be assaulted!"
"…Wasn't sexual harassment. I just liked the squish."
He said it so deadpan, Sera reeled back.
WHACK! Her hand smacked his back.
"Ow."
"Squish this, you freak!"
As he turned, a sliver of space opened behind him—and Sera noticed.
A wicked grin crept across her face.
She raised her hand, locked onto her target, and smack!
Right on the butt.
Mickey Mannix flinched like he'd been electrocuted.
He stared at her in total disbelief.
"..."
Which only made her grin wider.
"Heh heh… hehehehe…"
"You've got a pretty firm ass, Mannix."
Finally, she'd struck back.
"Sera…"
Mickey narrowed his eyes.
"I could report you for sexual harass—"
Sera lunged at him again to shut him up with another slap, but this time he dodged with so much effort it looked like the two of them were just playfully chasing each other.
"Hey, quit screwing around!"
Syd's voice called out from the elevator. Jody stood beside him, arms crossed.
"..."
The stares from everyone nearby sobered Sera up, and she stopped her pursuit. Both she and Mickey made their way to the elevator.
"…Fighting back now, huh?"
"Hah~ You're not that special after all, Mannix."
SMAK!
She smacked his butt again.
Kinda starting to enjoy this.
"Better watch yourself."
"Aww, worried about me? You can just say so."
"You'll find out soon enough."
His eyes glinted. The smile that followed was something else.
Sera felt a chill down her spine.
Okay… maybe that wasn't just a tease.
"So bring it on."
They both stepped into the elevator.
Ding…
This time, the elevator ascended.
When the doors slid open, they weren't back on their previous floor—but on a new one.
This one felt like a public recreation space, designed for relaxation. Brighter, more spacious than anything they'd seen so far—like a miniature utopia. Bushes and indoor gardens created park-like zones, and even a fountain burbled softly in the distance.
Hard to believe this was all underground.
The first thing they encountered was a massive stone sculpture: a swirling triangle engraved with a quote.
"Religion is foolishness. Logic is the torch, brings about enlightenment."
"…Guess Thrak's not too fond of religion, huh?" Jody said, raising an eyebrow.
Mickey: "…Let's say they 'politely abstain.'"
"…That's a poetic way to put it," Jody chuckled.
The four of them walked past the sculpture and arrived at a crossroad, where several pathways branched off toward various domes.
Syd explained, "These domes are all for blowing off steam. Each one's labeled by activity. We'll do a full tour later when we've got time. For now, just a peek."
And there were a lot of them.
"Recreation… like what?" Jody asked.
"That dome's for ping-pong. That one's a movie theater. That one…"
The list went on.
"But we'll stop here for now. Meeting starts in ten."
He turned, leading the group toward the central briefing hall.