Location: The Bureau Cafeteria (Highway Shrine HQ)
Time: 12:30 PM
The Bureau cafeteria smelled like despair and burnt toast. It was a concrete room filled with wobbly tables and vending machines that only accepted exact change.
Squad 4 sat at their usual table in the corner, near the leaky pipe.
Dante was eating a cup of instant noodles. He looked miserable. His piercings were dull and cold.
GiGi was constructing a tower out of empty pudding cups. She was humming the Gorillaz song.
Benji was typing on his laptop, looking stressed.
Sora was absent (probably napping in the supply closet).
"I hate this place," Dante muttered, stirring his noodles. "The curry is watery. The lights buzz. And my chair is broken."
"Stop complaining," GiGi said, adding another cup to her tower. "At least the pudding is free."
Suddenly, the double doors at the entrance swung open.
A hush fell over the cafeteria. The other agents stopped eating.
Squad 1 walked in.
They didn't look like they belonged in a sewer shrine. They looked like they belonged in a magazine. Their uniforms were pristine white with gold trim. They walked in slow motion (not really, but it felt like it).
Leading them was Kai, the "Perfect Hero." His blonde hair shone under the fluorescent lights. He was smiling like he was running for office.
Behind him was Silas, the silent sniper, his face hidden by a high-tech visor.
Then came Jinx, the tiny gothic android girl, carrying a minigun case that was bigger than her.
And finally... Roxy.
She strutted in wearing her cropped jacket, plaid skirt, and massive platform boots. She was wearing oversized sunglasses indoors. She was live-streaming on her phone.
"Hey Star-Squad!" Roxy shouted at her screen. "Fit check! Boots are Prada, attitude is lethal! We just cleared a nest in Sector 7 without breaking a sweat! Zap Zap!"
She ended the stream and looked around the room, lowering her sunglasses.
Her starry eyes landed on Squad 4's table.
"Ugh," Roxy groaned loud enough for the whole room to hear. "It smells like wet dog in here. Oh wait. It's just the Garbage Squad."
Squad 1 walked over to Squad 4's table. Kai stopped in front of Dante.
"Hello, Dante," Kai said, his voice dripping with condescending pity. "Still eating instant noodles? You know, protein is essential for a growing boy."
Dante didn't look up. "I eat despair for breakfast. The noodles are just for texture."
"Cute," Roxy said. She hopped up and sat on the edge of Dante's table, kicking her legs. Her platform boots clunked loudly.
"Hey, Crow-Boy," Roxy said, leaning into Dante's personal space. "Nice piercings. Did you do them yourself with a stapler? Hæ?!"
Dante sighed. "Please get off the table. That represents a health code violation."
"Boring!" Roxy laughed. She grabbed Dante's hoodie strings and yanked his face down to her level. "Listen to me! You look like you haven't slept in a decade. It's kinda hot. Fix your posture!"
Dante blinked, terrified. "I... have work to do."
"Work?" Roxy scoffed. "You mean stocking shelves? We just killed a Level 4 Behemoth. What did you do today? Organize the gum?"
"Yes," Dante said. "Alphabetically."
GiGi threw a plastic spoon at Kai. It bounced off his shoulder pad.
"Your hair is too shiny!" GiGi yelled. "I hate it!"
Kai brushed his shoulder as if she had thrown dirt on him. "Feisty as always, Lady Gin. Perhaps one day you will learn manners. Or at least... aim."
Benji was hiding under the table, clutching his laptop. "Kai has 2 million followers on Insta-Grim," Benji whispered to himself. "If I talk to him, I might faint."
Jinx stared at GiGi with her glowing blue eyes. "Target locked. Initiating cuddle protocol. Just kidding. Initiating disintegration."
"Try it, dollface!" GiGi hissed, baring her fangs.
Before a fight could break out, the cafeteria doors opened again.
Commander Vane marched in. She looked like she ate nails for breakfast. Her uniform was pressed so sharp it could cut glass. Her cybernetic monocle scanned the room.
"Squad 1!" Vane barked. "Stop fraternizing with the help. We have a briefing in five minutes. Move."
"Yes, Ma'am!" Kai saluted perfectly.
Roxy hopped off the table. She winked at Dante.
"Later, Crow," she whispered. "Try not to die of boredom."
She strutted away, her platform boots clacking on the floor.
Squad 1 left the room as dramatically as they entered.
Dante let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He looked at his cold noodles.
"I hate them," Dante said.
"They have better snacks," GiGi grumbled, stealing a pudding cup from a nearby table. "I saw Roxy with imported chocolate."
"And Kai smells like expensive cologne," Benji added, crawling out from under the table. "Like... success."
"Success smells terrible," Dante muttered.
Just then, Sora strolled in, holding a half-eaten sandwich he had clearly stolen from the break room fridge.
"Oh, look," Sora yawned. "The Varsity Team left. Did they leave any leftovers?"
"No," Dante said. "Just insults."
Sora shrugged and sat down in Kai's empty chair. "Well, ignore them. You kids have work to do. Benji picked up a signal."
Sora's expression shifted. The lazy smile vanished.
"It's about the sinkhole," Sora said. "And something... hungry."
Dante looked at his noodles. He suddenly wasn't hungry anymore.
"Gluttony," Dante whispered.
"Bingo," Sora said. "Finish your lunch. We're going underground."