Lex and Lois approached warily, their eyes darting between Valerius's face and the priceless holographic timepiece ticking on his wrist."Val... you actually got it," Lois stammered, his jaw practically hitting the pavement. "The Chronos-0?"Valerius let out a loud, conceited chuckle and tossed his head back, his chest puffing out beneath his crisp Academy blazer. "See? I told you my father handles things," he bragged. He thrust his wrist directly into Lex’s face, demanding his lackey admire the pulsing blue gears. "I got the watch and the car. Honestly? The beating was completely worth it."Lex forced a weak, uncomfortable laugh, swapping a tense look with Lois. His own hands were still heavily bandaged beneath his cuffs from where Elara had slammed the brass rod, and his expensive, military-grade comms pad was currently sitting in a Mid-Sector trash heap. He couldn't exactly share Valerius's twisted enthusiasm about getting pulverized by the Blackwoods, but he knew better than to

Valerius’s tight, plastic smile fractured instantly, sheer disgust wiping away any trace of his forced politeness. He took a sharp step back, staring at Tinny as if the boy had just suggested they forage from a deep-sector dumpster."Eat in the main cafeteria?" Valerius hissed, his voice rising as he gestured wildly toward the grand glass hallway. "With the common scholarship trash and the low-tier grunts?”He looked deeply irritated. “Absolutely not! I am a Vance, Blackwood. I don't sit on cheap plastic chairs and breathe the same recycled air as people who can't even afford their own data glasses."Tinny raised an eyebrow, entirely unbothered by the outburst. He crossed his arms, leaning back against the locker row with a flat, unimpressed look. "It's just food, Valerius. A steak tastes the same whether you're sitting on leather or molded plastic.""Like hell it does!" Valerius snapped, adjusting his heavy cuff to aggressively flash his Chronos-0. "I am above that. I don't rub s

Valerius sat frozen, his breath hitching as a wave of suffocating shame rushed over him. His ears burned a violent crimson, matching the heavy bruising around his nose. Sitting under the cheap cafeteria halogens while Tinny casually wore a piece of the future made him feel utterly small, completely stripped of his armor.Suddenly, his left wrist felt hot, heavy, and toxic.He looked down at the sparkling Chronos-0, the watch he had literally cried for, the watch his father promised would put him back on top, and felt a sickening knot of embarrassment tighten in his stomach. Fury flared in its place, his fingers subconsciously clamping around the strap. He wanted to yank the useless piece of metal off, hurl it into the trash heap, and storm out of the building. But the phantom sting of his father’s open-handed slap flashed across his face, anchoring him to the plastic composite seat.Valerius slumped back, locking his jaw and staring at the table in absolute, seething silence.Bre

Zarek let out a low, booming laugh, navigating the transport smoothly into the high-altitude transit lanes."Patience, little brother. Let Director Vance think his leash is working. The longer the boy plays the prince, the easier it is for us to sign away their borders."Tinny groaned, rubbing his temples as the sheer exhaustion of dealing with Valerius’s drama caught up to him. He slumped forward, completely drained of his usual composure."I'm telling you, Zarek, the guy is a ticking time bomb. I had to sit there and watch his lackeys feed him like he’s a toddler. It's disgusting."Seeking a bit of brotherly validation, Tinny unbuckled his safety harness and leaned over the center console, invading the front seat. His voice dropped into a rare, whining complaint. "And his father… Director Vance is clearly a psychopath. He gave him an unrestricted Black Card just to buy a hover-coupe.”“I refuse to keep playing babysitter for a spoiled brat who can't even eat in a regular cafeteria

Tinny, standing near the doorway, let out a soft, low whistle, his earlier exhaustion entirely forgotten."Well, look at that. The Phantom of the North actually made the commander hesitate. I didn't think any operative had the encryption keys to trigger that specific terminal alert.""She didn't have them," Zarek finally spoke. His voice was unusually strained, stripped of its typical booming authority. He took a slow breath, eyes narrowing as he stared at the digital signature flashing on the screen. "She built them. She cracked the terminal."Shaw chuckled, shaking his head. "So, what's the move, boss? Do I sever the trace line, or are you actually going to accept the packet transmission?"Zarek stared at the glowing screen for three agonizing seconds before slamming his palm down on the primary kill-switch. The crimson digital signature vanished instantly, and the standby comm-line went dead."Sever the trace line," Zarek commanded. His voice was cold, flat, and entirely too