The Return

The suburbs were no longer as Leo remembered. The streets, once alive with makeshift markets and flickering neon signs, now seemed suffocated by an oppressive emptiness. Crooked buildings that had once teetered like stubborn, trembling blocks of a haphazard machine now stood as purposeless ruins. Silence filled the streets, broken only by the crackle of loose wires swaying in the wind.

The stalls that had once sold secondhand chips and android parts were gone. In their place were piles of debris and the remnants of a market that hadn’t survived whatever had happened. Even the cracked ground, which had once reflected the intermittent glow of the signs above, now seemed to absorb the darkness enveloping everything. A bittersweet smell of rust and mildew lingered in the air, seeping into every ruin.

Leo and Rubi walked silently through the deserted streets. The weight of memories pressed against Leo’s chest as he recognized once familiar places that were now unrecognizable. He pointed toward a damaged facade with a faded, rusted sign.

“That used to be the busiest spot on the street. Kids would play soccer out front while merchants shouted impossible deals.”

Rubi didn’t respond, her eyes scanning the scene as though analyzing the remnants of a lost civilization.

“It all feels... dead,” she commented.

Leo nodded, the word sticking in his throat. The name Krynn echoed in his mind, a lead pulled from stolen files only hours ago. He’d hoped the site might offer clarity, but now the thought of what they might find made his stomach churn.

Turning the last corner, Krynn Delivery Services loomed ahead. The sight froze Leo in place. If the rest of the suburb felt abandoned, Krynn looked like the victim of direct violence. Shattered windows, bullet holes in the walls, and a broken sign told a story Leo wasn’t ready to hear.

“This...” Leo murmured, the unease crawling over him. “This isn’t normal.”

“No, it’s not,” Rubi replied, adjusting a scanner on her device. “This was a calculated attack.”

The name from the files—the one that had tied Lucy to Krynn—hung heavy in the air. Whatever the Vanguard had done here, it had been done to erase.

Before they could approach further, a voice called out.

“Leo!”

He turned and saw Alice accompanied by Diego and other agents emerging from the shadows. Alice, always commanding, wore a hard expression, her eyes fixed on the building as though she could unravel its secrets by sheer will. Behind her, two companions scanned the area, weapons in hand.

“You’ve arrived at an interesting time,” Alice said, crossing her arms. “We’re here because there’s been a murder. It seems the Vanguard decided to send a message.”

Leo frowned. “Murder?”

Alice nodded, gesturing toward the building’s interior. “Come. You need to see this for yourselves.”

The group entered the building. The inside was an even darker portrait of chaos: destroyed products, scattered papers, and bloodstains on the floor. Leo’s heart raced as his eyes landed on two bodies lying in a corner.

Julia, the receptionist who always smiled and dreamed of a better future, was there. Her lifeless eyes held a cruelly preserved sweetness.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze for Leo. He stared at Julia’s face, her empty expression like an unfinished painting. She was a reminder of what could have been. Leo remembered her talking about university, about how she’d one day leave the suburb and build a life downtown. She wasn’t supposed to be here, on the floor, just another nameless victim. Her future had been erased.

Beside her lay the body of Leo’s former boss, contorted grotesquely. A man Leo had never respected, yet his death stirred an unexpected unease. Something about the scene made him question the complexity of the choices that had led to this moment.

Leo swallowed hard, almost unconsciously touching the pendant around his neck—Lucy’s gift. He felt the cold metal against his fingers, and for a moment, grief gave way to determination. The Vanguard had taken his sister’s life, and now they’d claimed another innocent.

“Julia...” Leo murmured, his voice trembling. He stepped forward, but Alice stopped him with a firm hand on his shoulder.

“She didn’t deserve this,” Alice said. “But this is what happens when you cross the Vanguard.”

Diego, who had remained silent until now, crossed his arms. “This wasn’t just about sending a message. They were cleaning up—erasing any evidence of what they were doing here. The question is: what were they trying to hide?”

As Leo processed Diego’s words, Rubi was already at work. Her symbiont morphed into a thin tool, which she used to access the only functional terminal.

“If there’s anything left to find, I’ll uncover it,” she said, connecting her device.

Her fingers flew over the keys, her eyes locked on the screen. “At the Electronics District, we found records tied to Krynn. They even mentioned Lucy,” Rubi explained. “And now the data here shows more suspicious destinations. This wasn’t just a regular logistics company. It seems the Vanguard was using Krynn as a waypoint.”

Leo frowned, his voice tense. “A waypoint for what?”

Rubi paused, adjusting the data on the screen. “Here it is... recent delivery records. Many of them lead to the Historic District. That’s not a typical commercial route.”

Alice stepped closer, her gaze fixed on the display. “The Historic District?” She crossed her arms, thoughtful. “There’s an old research facility there. My family used to mention it as being important in the past.”

Diego narrowed his eyes. “If the Vanguard is using this place as a hub, they’re likely protecting—or hiding—something in the Historic District.”

Rubi nodded. “These records prove Krynn wasn’t just a logistics company. It was a hidden node in the Vanguard’s network—connected to something far more significant. If we want answers, we have to follow these leads.”

Leo looked once more at the bodies, the weight on his shoulders heavier than before. Something as mundane as a delivery company was now pointing them in a new direction.

“If this points to the Historic District, that’s where we go,” Leo said firmly.

“That’s our next move,” Alice said, already striding for the exit, her resolve unshakable. “I want everyone prepared. We don’t know what we’ll find there.”

The group left in silence. The shadows of the suburb seemed longer now, reflecting the weight of their discoveries. The path ahead was clear, but the answers they sought could uncover more than they were ready to face.