The hideout felt strangely quiet.
Too quiet.
Leo stood near the old crates, arms crossed, watching Jake, Lucy, and the newly arrived mercenaries discuss their departure plan.
Tosh cracked his knuckles loudly and stepped forward.
"Alright, kids… your big brother is here," he said with a lazy grin. "So go on, make a choice. Can you all come with us without resisting?"
Bonk.
Yash struck the back of Tosh's head with a flat hand. "You sound like a kidnapper, idiot."
Tosh glared. "I'm trying to sound professional."
"That's the problem," Yash said with a sigh.
They weren't brothers — but they acted like it. Constant bickering, constant noise, the kind of rhythm only people who survived together for years could have.
Jake stepped forward with a calmer aura. His cybernetic arms hummed softly as he adjusted his sleeves.
"Leo," Jake said, voice firm but not hostile. "You're a smart kid. You already know we mean no harm. Tosh may talk like a thug, but he's right. We need to finish the mission. And we want you all to come with us. In Echo Haven, you'll get proper shelter, real jobs… a better life than this slum."
Before Leo could answer, something warm touched his shoulder.
Lucy.
She rested her hand on him, and when Leo looked back, she winked playfully.
Instinctively, Leo stiffened.
The three girls — Anya, Rem, and Tessia — noticed instantly. Their expressions froze mid-smile. Tessia nearly dropped her snack. Anya's nostrils flared like a tiny dragon. Rem's eyes narrowed in slow-motion offense.
Meanwhile Vince, Levi, and Nick stared at Leo like he was a legendary protagonist who had just tamed a dragon queen.
Leo swallowed and gave Lucy a stiff nod.
"…Alright."
Jake exhaled in relief. "Good."
---
Leaving the Hideout
It was strange.
The moment Leo stepped outside, carrying the bag he always used to store scrap metal, he felt an unexpected heaviness. The hideout — dark, dusty, cramped — had been their haven for years.
They lined up at the doorway.
Seven kids staring at the crooked walls.
"Feels weird leaving," Levi whispered.
"Same," Nick muttered.
"It's alright... I can manage..." Vince said but he already has tears in his eyes.
Anya hugged Rem and Tessia. "This is like a home for us…"
Lucy gently rested a hand on the youngest girl's shoulder.
"Home is wherever we stay together as one." Leo said.
He simply looked at the walls one last time.
The place where they survived.
Then he turned and followed the mercs outside.
---
At the Vehicles
Parked outside were two vehicles:
A four-wheeled armored hauler and Lucy's sleek combat bike.
The four wheeler looked like a beast built for war — all sharp welded plates, reinforced corners, and narrow armored slits instead of windows. Dust coated its metal frame, but the engine hummed with strength.
Jake opened the front door.
"Kids, welcome to the Thunder Hauler V019," he announced proudly. "Good for wasteland travel, raider ambushes, rogue droids… you name it. It's bulletproof, shock-resistant, and quiet."
"Then why not bring hover vehicles?" Vince asked.
"Because we don't wanna attract attention from local mercs, rogue Rangers, black-market gangs, or the city's corporations," Jake said. "Hover tech screams money."
Leo nodded. That made sense.
Jake took the driver's seat. Yash sat beside him.
Tosh guided the kids inside.
The front cabin was comfortable.
The middle cabin… not so much. It had a three-seat bench, but somehow Levi ended up squashed along with three girls and Tosh.
Meanwhile, Vince and Nick got shoved into the tiny back alcove, where the seats were barely more than thin metal with a cushion glued on.
Then Leo heard a smooth engine purr.
Lucy revved her bike.
A highly tuned combat machine with mounted guns, reinforced armor, and a sleek design.
The girls moved towards the window and stared at Lucy's tight white jacket, then stared at how close Leo was forced to sit behind her.
Levi's muffled voice squeaked from between them. "I can't feel my ribs—!"
Tessia casually elbowed him. "Stop complaining."
It was the only seat left for Leo— behind Lucy, his arms were around her waist.
The girls' faces twitched in unison.
Lucy smirked noticing the girls and whispered loud enough for them to hear, "Hold on tightly."
Leo grabbed her waist securely — because if he didn't, he'd fall off.
Lucy let out a slow, smug breath.
Jake popped his head out of the window. "We'll take another route and head straight to the ship. You two move slower."
Lucy nodded, revved the engine, and started rolling forward.
The girls glared as if watching betrayal in real-time.
---
Through the Slums
They moved slowly — painfully slowly.
The slum streets were narrow, crowded, and full of eyes.
People watched the bike cautiously. The guns mounted on its sides made them keep their distance.
Leo glanced to the side and saw something familiar.
The Ranger Registration Office.
Closed.
The drunken staff guy was sitting outside, crying and muttering about "losing my job… my only job…"
Lucy felt Leo tighten his grip. She smirked.
"We're moving at snail speed. Are you taking advantage of me?" she teased.
Leo's ears turned red. "Big Sister Lucy… stop teasing. Why are we moving so slow?"
"I'm scouting."
A mechanical bug fluttered into view — a tiny drone with thin wings. It hovered before them, scanned the area, then shot upward.
Leo's enhanced eyesight caught more mechanical bugs in the sky, traveling between buildings.
Lucy's eyes receiving silent streams of data.
"I'm monitoring the area," Lucy explained. "Just in case. We came without official registration. Rangers and mercs entering a city need to declare it. We didn't."
Leo's grip tightened. "Are we expecting enemies…? The ones who attacked the orphanage?"
Lucy reached back and gently caressed his hand.
"Don't worry. These are just precautions."
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"Even so… yes, we're careful about those people."
"How did the attackers reach this city?"
Lucy frowned. "You ask too many questions."
Leo leaned forward, whispering softly into her ear. "Tell me, Big Sister. I want to join you… and work with you."
Lucy's ears turned pink.
"Stop—! It tickles…"
She coughed lightly. "From what we know… they hired a local gang from a city under Pentagon Corporation. Outsiders did the planning. Locals executed. But this time they won't use the locals because they already failed the mission.... "
---
Inside the Hauler
Unbeknownst to the kids, Jake, Tosh, and Yash were speaking through a call — faint floating tabs only visible to their eyes.
Tosh smirked. "Kid really fell for Lucy."
Yash snorted. "Pretty sure it's the other way around. She volunteered to take him on the bike. She never even gave me a ride."
Jake's face remained serious. "That kid is ... Dangerous."
The other two blinked.
Jake continued, "He didn't rush in like the other kids. He used an alternate route. He captured Lucy using that extinguisher in seconds. He's cunning , clever… maybe too clever."
Images replayed in Jake's mind — Leo pinning Lucy down, Lucy laughing when he complimented her, the blush on Leo's face.
"And now he's sitting behind her, acting all innocent, getting all informations, he needed. Lucy is so naive, fell for that Kid's trick." Jake muttered.
On the bike, Leo sat with a completely deadpan expression, while Lucy rode ahead smiling and chatting with him.
"That kid… don't underestimate him," Jake said.
Just then — a new call popped into their comms.
Lucy.
"Speak of the devil..." Jake accepted the call.
"This is Lucy. Something is— krzz— something is wron—"
BOOM!!!
A massive explosion struck the Thunder Hauler from the side.
The armored vehicle flipped sideways, metal screaming as it rolled over debris, slamming into ruined slum structures.
Kids screamed. Mercs cursed. Glass shattered. Walls collapsed.
The vehicle tumbled again—
And everything went white.