CHAPTER 9 — “Not Clean”

The mission should have been simple.

It wasn’t.

Target: Corporate Occult Broker

High-level.

Well-protected.

Arrogant.

Perfect.

Execution

Everything started smoothly.

Gage neutralized external surveillance.

Tara disrupted internal systems.

Kari handled entry.

Stephanie led.

Diego supported.

Jenny… observed.

The Problem

“He’s not alone,” Gage said.

Stephanie frowned. “Define.”

“Not physically.”

Tara’s voice followed.

“…Oh, that’s interesting.”

“What?” Kari snapped.

Tara’s tone sharpened slightly.

“He’s anchored.”

Reality Shift

The room… bent.

Subtly.

Wrong.

The target smiled.

“You’re not the only ones who erase things,” he said.

Stephanie’s eyes darkened.

“Noted.”

Complication

The kill wasn’t instant.

For the first time—

they had to work for it.

Kari moved faster.

Gage adjusted angles mid-shot.

Tara adapted her constructs.

Jenny stepped in—

not as backup.

As Dizzypixel.

Fully.

Openly.

Stephanie saw it.

Didn’t stop it.

Diego (Again)

The anchor—

that was the key.

Diego felt it.

That same instinct.

That same pull.

“Got it,” he muttered.

“No,” Stephanie said sharply. “Wait—”

Too late.

Break

Diego didn’t attack the target.

He attacked the connection.

Ripped it.

Messy.

Violent.

Effective.

The room snapped back.

The target—

was just a man now.

Stephanie finished it instantly.

Aftermath

Silence.

Breathing.

Stability returning.

Kari exhaled. “Okay. That was not routine.”

Tara smiled slightly. “That was fun.”

Gage reloaded. “That was inefficient.”

Stephanie turned to Diego.

“You disobeyed.”

“…Yeah.”

A beat.

Then—

“…But it worked.”

Another pause.

Then Stephanie nodded once.

“Don’t make it a habit.”

Kari grinned. “Make it a useful habit.”

Final Beat

As they left—

Jenny walked beside Stephanie.

No mask now.

No separation.

“You’re not stopping me,” Jenny said.

“No.”

“And him?” she nodded toward Diego.

Stephanie glanced at him.

Then forward.

“…He’s learning.”