Unveiled Lies

"Hey, Sol," Judan said. "Pass me the chips."

"No. It's mine."

"What the... You're not even gonna finish it."

"Maybe not right now, but I will later."

"Come on."

"Still no. Go get your own."

"Tch..."

Judan swiftly reached over the couch and snatched the snack right out of Solas's hands. It happened so fast that he didn’t even realize it until he went to grab another piece. By the time he glanced at her, she was already munching away, as if the bag had been hers all along.

"What the...?" he mumbled. "Hey! How did you do that?"

"Hm? Do what?"

"The bag. How did you take it from me so quickly?"

"What do you mean? I had it the whole time."

"What?! No, you didn't!"

"Yeah, I did. Think you might be blind, bud."

"Give it back!"

Solas lunged across the couch, determined to reclaim the bag, but each attempt ended in failure. Judan simply stretched out her arm, keeping him at bay without breaking a sweat. All the while, she kept reaching in for another chip.

Eventually, he managed to retrieve the bag, but only because Judan allowed him to. With a smug grin of triumph, he reached inside, only for his smile to vanish instantly. His eyes widened in disbelief, and he let out a gasp. Just as he suspected, the bag was completely empty.

"Huh?! It's freaking empty!" he exclaimed. "How the hell did you eat it all?!"

"Whoa, there, watch your language," Judan replied, raising a brow. "I don't want Nelia coming back thinking I taught you all these nasty words."

"If she does, then good. Serves you right for stealing my chips, you fa—"

Before he could finish, Judan bonked him on the head. For some reason, it felt like he'd been hit by a metal bat.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, you brat," she muttered.

Solas clutched his head, his face reddening like he was on the verge of tears. Seeing him like that made Judan chuckle softly. She couldn’t help but find him adorable.

"Alright, alright," she sighed. "Let's go, Sol."

"Huh? W-where."

"To the store. I'll buy you another bag of chips, along with whatever else you want."

Just like that, his face lit up. "R-really?"

"Sure. But we need to be quick. If Nelia comes back and sees that we're not here, I'm gonna get into a lot of trouble."

"Oh! Okay, okay! Let's go!"

Solas eagerly tugged on Judan's jacket sleeve, leading her toward the door. Although his efforts were nowhere near enough to move her, she humored him, pretending to be dragged along. Her expression softened as she watched his excitement. There was something about his unrestrained joy that was contagious—a rare, delicate smile she took for granted, for she would never see such a smile again.

Holiday gently cradled the unconscious Solas in her lap, her breath shaky as she tried to steady herself. Her fingers brushed through his hair, sweeping it aside to see his face more clearly. So many times, she had imagined what she might say when they finally met, but now, all her thoughts crumbled. She wasn’t ready—not for this.

As she looked down at him, memories she had buried deep resurfaced. The weight of her failures and regrets were laid bare upon Solas, his body lifeless in her arms, just like Nelia had been when she breathed her last. The ache in Holiday's chest deepened, and along with it was the gnawing reminder that she was still alive while Nelia was gone forever.

"Sheesh, what are you all getting so worked up for?" Frankenstein muttered. "That's just Nemesis's kid brother, not Nemesis herself. Besides, don't you have more pressing matters to worry about?"

Dozens of soldiers suddenly flooded the streets, their boots pounding against the pavement as hundreds of guns were trained on Calypso. Yet, the squad remained still, maintaining their focus on Solas, who was now being treated by Astrid. Not a single one of them flinched, their stance unwavering even in the face of overwhelming firepower.

Meanwhile, citizens gathered at a safe distance, their eyes wide with awe and righteous curiosity as they bore witness to the presence of the legendary defect squad.

"Although, I guess he's chosen the wrong side, just like he did back then," Frankenstein grinned. "That makes him a certified defect. We can't have someone like that walking around without proper punishment, now can we?"

In that instant, the Calypsos twisted their heads in perfect unison, their hollow diamond eyes igniting with a fierce, blazing glow, each one burning brighter than the next. The sheer intensity of it was enough to make everyone around them recoil.

For the first time, Frankenstein hesitated. There was something different about them now—an overwhelming presence that hadn't been there before, something that warned her against making any sudden moves. The air around them had shifted, and even she, with all her strength, felt a flicker of unease creep into her core.

"Whoa~ Scary," she chuckled. "So what's it gonna be? The Calypso squad or their late captain's kid brother?"

Holiday took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, her head still bowed, hands gently threading through Solas’s hair.

"This child... is also my brother... Just as much as Nelia was my sister. We share many memories together—memories of times we were free to laugh and smile together. He is the last piece of Nelia that I have."

A subtle shift in the land could be felt by all, but only a few were able to notice the small cracks forming in the pavement beneath them.

"And If you want to take him from me... then be prepared to surrender your life."

At that moment, her eyes radiated the brightest it had ever been, illuminating along with the power of her code. Without even reciting the phrase, the entire area was subjugated to a violent gravity well.

Everyone dropped to their knees. The surrounding buildings groaned under the immense pressure, splitting from their foundations before crumbling in on themselves, collapsing like fragile towers of sand. And yet, there was one who stayed on her two feet, though she was struggling.

"Ugh... Gosh..." Frankenstein scoffed. "Even after all this time... your code is still as destructive as ever."

Holiday remained silent, her eyes locked onto Frankenstein as the crushing weight of the pressure bore down. Her legs buckled, forcing her onto both knees. The only thing stopping her from collapsing face-first was her trembling arms.

"Zephyr," Holiday said. "Take Solas and go first."

"Yes, Captain," Zephyr replied as she laid him on her back.

"Loki and Minerva, escort Astrid out. We are leaving."

"Understood, Cap'n," Minerva nodded her head.

Zephyr vanished in a sudden flash of white, leaving the remaining three to weave through the mass of fallen soldiers. Amidst the chaos, Holiday lingered, maintaining her code to buy them precious moments to escape. Her eyes darkened with malice as they locked onto Frankenstein, who had just managed to lift herself off the ground, her gaze meeting Holiday’s with grim intensity.

"This is your final warning, Alex." Holiday's voice cut through the air like a blade. "You have no idea the price Nelia paid to keep you breathing. I'm not going to waste my time waiting for you to come to that realization. Hate her all you want, scorn her until the day you die—it makes no difference to me. But if you so much as attempt to drag her little brother back into this... I will finish what she failed to do... and I won't hesitate either."