Chapter 6_ Scars and Protocols

The return to Café LycoReco was a somber affair. The cheerful bell above the door sounded like a mockery of the heavy silence that had settled over the team. Mizuki took one look at their faces as they filed in and wordlessly went to the fridge, retrieving beers for herself and Mika, and a can of juice for Chisato.
"No celebratory cake tonight, I take it?" she asked, his voice softer than usual.
"We got spanked," Chisato stated bluntly, collapsing into a chair with a uncharacteristic slump in her shoulders. She popped open her juice can with a sharp hiss. "He knew my name. He knew about my heart. It was... creepy."
Takina stood rigidly by the door, her arms crossed. "They were prepared for us. The EMP weapon, the automated data-burst... this was not a simple outpost. It was a calibrated test of our capabilities."
"And we walked right into it," Raze finished, his voice low with self-recrimination. He leaned against the counter, feeling the weight of every eye in the room. "I led you into it. Stalker... he's their top field operative. This is my fault."
A sudden, sharp thwack broke the silence. Mika had placed his unopened beer bottle on the counter with enough force to make everyone jump. His calm, fatherly demeanor was gone, replaced by the stern authority of a former DA instructor.
"Enough," he said, his voice leaving no room for argument. "The self-pity is inefficient and unproductive. You engaged a superior force on their chosen ground and still managed to extract valuable intelligence and retreat without casualties. That is not a failure. It is a tactical draw with a high learning value."
He looked directly at Raze. "You are not a lone operative anymore, Raze. Your mistakes are our mistakes. Your victories are our victories. The moment you accepted our help, the burden became shared. So, from now on, you will stop carrying it alone. Understood?"
Raze could only nod, the words striking a chord so deep it felt physical.
"Good." Mika turned to Kurumi. "What did we get from the download?"
Kurumi was already wired into her systems, the stolen data flowing across her screens. "It's fragmented, but it's a goldmine. They've been mapping DA safe houses and communication relays. But there's more... a lot of it is biomedical data. Schematics for... well, for Raze." She pulled up a complex diagram of a human nervous system, overlaid with luminous nano-machine pathways. "It's the Aegis research. Theories on pushing the prototype beyond its designed limits."
A cold dread trickled down Raze's spine. "The Omega Contingencies..."
"Omega what now?" Mizuki asked, leaning in.
"The chip in my head... it has locked protocols. Emergency measures that override my conscious control. Dr. Kiri called them the 'Last Resort.' I've never activated them. I was warned never to." Raze explained, his throat dry. "The data they're missing... it might be the key to forcing them active. Turning me into the perfect weapon they always wanted."
The room digested this horrifying concept.
"So they don't just want the data back," Takina summarized, her analytical mind cutting to the core. "They want to complete it. And you are the final component."
"Alright, enough doom and gloom for one night," Mizuki declared, clapping her hands together. "We're all tired, we're freaked out, and we're thinking in circles. We need a reset." She walked over to Raze and poked him hard in the chest. "You. You've been a black cloud of lab-grown angst since you got here. That ends now."
"What are you suggesting, Mizuki?" Mika asked, a knowing look in his eyes.
"Team bonding!" she announced. "We're going out. All of us. No talk of Syndicates, or chips, or scary EMP guns. We're going to get food that isn't from our own kitchen, and we're going to act like semi-normal people for one hour. My treat."
Chisato immediately perked up. "Really? Yakisoba? Takoyaki? Can we get crepes?!"
"See? She gets it!" Mizuki said, pointing at Chisato. "It's either that, or we all sit here staring at the walls until we go crazy. What's it gonna be?"
Takina looked skeptical. "Is that... strategically wise?"
"Right now, morale is a strategic resource, Takina," Mika said, a faint smile returning to his lips. "Mizuki is correct. We go. Together."
Twenty minutes later, they were seated in a bustling, brightly-lit yakisoba stall tucked away in a narrow alley, the air thick with the savory smell of frying noodles and okonomiyaki. The change of scenery was jarring, but effective. The noise of the city, the chatter of other customers, it all served to dilute the intensity of their own crisis.
Mizuki was in her element, loudly ordering far too much food and flagging down beers for herself and Mika. Chisato was happily debating the merits of different toppings with the cook. Even Takina seemed to relax a fraction, meticulously arranging her chopsticks.
Raze sat slightly apart, watching the scene unfold. It was so... normal. So human.
"You're doing it again," a voice said beside him. It was Mizuki, sliding a plate of sizzling yakisoba in front of him. "The whole 'brooding in the corner' thing. It's bad for the digestion. Eat."
"Thank you," Raze said, picking up the chopsticks. He took a bite. The flavors were explosive, a stark contrast to the nutrient bars and simple meals he usually consumed.
"So," Mizuki said, leaning closer and lowering her voice. "The whole 'born in a lab' thing. No parents at all? No birthday?"
Raze shook his head, swallowing the food. "No. My 'activation date' is listed as March 15th. That's the closest thing I have."
Mizuki's face did something complicated, a mix of pity and fierce resolution. "Well, that's no good. Everyone needs a birthday. We'll just have to pick one for you. How about today? Seems like a rebirth of sorts."
Before he could process that, Chisato swooped in, stealing a prawn from his plate. "So, Ren, what do you do for fun? You know, when you're not being hunted or beating up bad guys?"
Raze blinked. "Fun? I... maintain my equipment. Run system diagnostics. Meditate to keep the neural interface stable."
A collective, dramatic groan went around the table.
"That's the saddest thing I've ever heard!" Chisato wailed. "We have to fix this! We need to find you a hobby! Maybe you like games! Or shopping! Ooh, we should go to an arcade!"
"The probability of him enjoying a public arcade is low," K-1's voice came from a small earpiece Raze wore. "The noise-to-stimulus ratio would be highly inefficient."
"Quiet, you," Mizuki scolded, though the drone couldn't hear her. "He's trying to have a personality."
Takina, who had been listening quietly, spoke up. "Your combat style is very direct. Efficient. But it lacks... flair. You could learn something from Chisato's footwork."
"Hey! My style has flair!" Raze protested, a flicker of genuine indignation rising in him.
"It has the flair of a sledgehammer," K-1 deadpanned.
Raze found himself, to his own astonishment, laughing. It was a short, surprised sound, but it was real. He was sitting in a noisy food stall, being teased by a cynical former intelligence officer, a invincible Lycoris, her perfectionist partner, and a sarcastic drone in his ear. And for the first time in his life, it didn't feel like he was on the outside looking in. He was in the middle of it.
He was part of the noise.
As they walked back to the café, the mood was lighter, the silence between them now comfortable. When they reached the door, Chisato turned to him.
"See? Fun! We'll make a human being out of you yet, Ren."
Later, in his room, Raze stared at his reflection in the dark window. The fear was still there, the ever-present threat of the Syndicate a cold stone in his gut. But something else was there too, something warm and stubborn.
"They're... relentless," he murmured.
"In their affection? Agreed," K-1 replied, his lights pulsing softly. "It is a far more potent weapon than any EMP. I am recalculating our survival odds upward."
"Not just that," Raze said, a new determination hardening his features. "Mika was right. This is my fight, but it's not my burden alone. And I won't let Stalker use them against me." He turned to the drone. "K-1, unlock the Omega Contingency files. Read-only mode. I need to know what they're after. What I'm really capable of."
"Raze, Dr. Kiri's warnings were explicit—"
"I know. But ignorance got us ambushed tonight. I won't let that happen again. We need every advantage." His golden eyes met his own reflection, no longer filled with dread, but with a grim purpose. "It's time I learned what this prototype was truly built for."
End of Chapter 6