Preparations II

… clak! CLAK!!

Footsteps rang out in the dim hallway and the sound bounced off the cold steel walls.

Ceral Fitzgerald walked calmly with his hands folded behind his back as he exuded his usual quiet confidence.

Beside him, Dr. Greaves kept pace, clutching a stack of papers he'd just given her. Her white lab coat fluttered with each step as she skimmed through the documents with eyes that darted from page to page.

… Hnnn

Her brows furrowed as she scanned the pages as her cherry lips pursed in confusion.

"Uhh, Ceral…"

She glanced sideways at him.

"What is this? It's labeled as the United Nations Global Security Initiative, but the contents—this list—"

He didn't slow down, nor did he glance at her.

"That…"

He paused to let his satisfaction simmer.

"…is a printout of the UNSGI's Project Silence Breaker. A little something I thought you'd find interesting."

Greaves frowned deeper as her eyes darted back to the documents.

"Project Silence Breaker… it holds the names of the twenty-five most wanted assassins globally."

Some shock spawned in her usually calm voice.

"This was updated two days ago… September 26, 2045. It evaluates these individuals based on their lethality, operational history, and global threat level."

She paused and flipped to another page.

Her eyes widened.

"The top five are marked Flee on Sight. High probability of fatality upon engagement."

Her hands trembled slightly as she scanned the neatly typed names, each accompanied by a threat level ranging from Level 1 to Level 5.

"This kind of information… this is Level 7 access. It would take millions—millions—to even acquire it."

She stopped walking for a moment and stared at him with wide eyes.

"Ceral, how the hell did you──?!"

Ceral slowed his steps and pulled a sleek remote from his coat pocket. He waved it lazily in front of her as he grinned a little smugly.

"Oh, I just called in a favor from some good friends of mine in Russia. Let's just say their cyber boys owe me a thing or two."

For a moment, Greaves simply stared at him, incredulous.

Then, she let out a dry chuckle and shook her head.

"Of course. As expected of you."

She sighed, still clutching the documents.

"I don't even want to know how you pulled this off."

Ceral kept walking at a steady and unhurried pace.

They were nearing a massive, reinforced metal door now and the flickering bulbs above made it appear oddly ominous.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"You didn't answer my question earlier, Doctor."

She blinked, startled. "What question?"

Ceral's face hardened.

"About Elena Vargas."

He stopped in front of the door then turned to face her fully.

"Are you really fine with having her killed? We could always take a more creative route. Capture her, implant a chip in her brain—an override for neural control. She'd become a soldier. An obedient one."

His voice was so calm and detached, as if he were discussing the weather.

"I don't care either way. All I need to know… is that you're on board."

"I…"

Dr. Greaves froze and clutched the papers tighter.

Her jaw tightened, and for a moment, her eyes dropped to the floor. When she finally looked up, there was a storm behind her eyes.

"No."

She said firmly.

"I developed the LPV-7 for a reason. If there's a time to use it, it's now. I love Elena. I always will. But that love doesn't erase the fact that she's my greatest failure."

Her voice wavered, but her intent was clear.

"And failures need to be dealt with."

She gripped the documents as though they were the only thing keeping her grounded.

"I'll be the one to take responsibility, no ma… no matter how much it hurts."

Ceral studied her for a moment.

Then, he replied with a slow, approving nod.

"Excellent. I've already got people on the job."

Before she could respond, the massive door groaned and parted open to reveal a darkened room bathed in the cold glow of dozens of monitors. Each screen displayed looping footage of Nightwatch in action—fighting, running, scheming.

The vigilante's every move dissected, studied, replayed endlessly.

At the center of the room stood a figure clad in pitch-black tactical gear, his silhouette sharp and menacing under the dim light. His high-tech helmet gleamed faintly, and a dark hood obscured the rest of his features. The air around him felt suffocating, an oppressive aura that made Greaves instinctively take a step back.

In the middle of the room stood a figure dressed in all-black tactical gear.

His silhouette was sharp and menacing under the dim light.

The visor of his high-tech helmet glowed a deadly red, and a dark hood obscured the rest of his features.

The air around him felt so suffocating, an aura so oppressive that it made Dr. Greaves instinctively take a step back as cold sweat crawled down the back of her neck.

Ceral gestured toward him with a smirk. "Recognize him?"

Greaves didn't respond.

She was too captivated by the terrifying figure.

She swallowed hard.

"Who… who is he?"

"Look at number six…"

Ceral said casually then nodded toward the papers in her hands.

Her fingers scrambled to flip through the pages.

Soon, she found it.

[Name: Grave. Threat Level: 5. Bounty: $30 million…]

Her head snapped up.

"That's… Grave?"

"The one and only…"

Ceral confirmed, sounding very smug.

"He's going to be the one to exterminate the little rat problem we've been dealing with."

Greaves's mouth opened, but no words came out. She could only stare at Grave, who remained eerily still as his focus remained on the monitors.

Ceral chuckled at her reaction.

Then, he pointed toward a shadowy corner of the room.

"And over there… is Trickshot."

Greaves squinted, barely making out a scruffy figure slumped in a chair, dressed in a stained and rumpled trench coat.

The man snored loudly as a nearly empty bottle of whiskey dangled precariously from his hand.

"Twenty-third deadliest assassin in the world. Threat Level: 3. Bounty: $7 million. Charming, isn't he?"

Ceral spoke very dryly.

The stench of alcohol wafted toward them, and Dr. Greaves quickly wrinkled her nose.

"Charming…"

She said flatly.

Her unimpressed tone earned a quiet laugh from Ceral.

Turning back to Grave, Ceral's expression went serious.

"Ready?"

Grave didn't respond immediately.

He lifted a long, sharp bullet in his gloved hand and examined it under the light. The words Nightwatch 2045 were engraved along its surface… a chilling epitaph.

Without looking at Ceral, Grave's voice rumbled, low and cold.

"Just say the word… and the boy is dead."

━ ━ ━ ━

Jenna and Nadia stood in Emma's changing room, their mouths slightly open as they took in the sheer size of it.

The room was huge, with wardrobes lining one wall, shining softly in the light. Small, automated vacuum cleaners moved quietly across the rich carpet, working tirelessly.

The space was so large, it almost felt like they were in a luxury hotel suite, not just a place to change clothes.

"Wow…"

Nadia muttered as her eyes scanned the room.

"This place is huge. How does she even—?"

Jenna broke in with a nostalgic sigh.

"I know, right? It's been a while since I've been up here. I almost forgot just how big this place is. It's definitely twice the size of an average classroom, maybe?"

Nadia rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

"Three times, just to be sure. I mean, look at all these wardrobes. It's like a boutique in here."

Jenna let out a low whistle then leaned against one of the cabinets.

"I mean, it's not like we didn't know Emma racks in about $120 million a year."

Nadia blinked and turned to her friend with a curious expression.

"Yeah, but she's not exactly the flaunting type. Well… most of the time at least. Still blows my mind."

Jenna raised an eyebrow, a sly grin forming.

"Pssssh, oh please… you act like you haven't heard of that kind of money before."

Nadia threw her hands up defensively as she laughed

"Okay, okay, you got me. But really, we're lucky if we pull in a fraction of what she makes! We're established pharmacists, not high-rolling moguls."

Jenna slapped her palm against her face with a dramatic sigh.

"Not that, Nadia. I'm talking about your dad. Doesn't he have an $800 million house in Miami? You know, the one with the whole private beach? The mansion?"

Nadia winced, her cheeks tinged with embarrassment.

"Ugh, don't remind me. My Baba can be very extravagant when it comes to spending. Honestly, I'm still ashamed to use my surname when I'm out shopping for high-end stuff. Makes me feel like the price of everything goes up just because they know who I am."

Jenna snickered and crossed her arms.

"I remember that time you forgot to use your alias. They found out who you were, and suddenly, the prices shot up by 30%! It was so ridiculous, they even threw in a special charge for 'exclusive customer treatment.' Friggin' hilarious."

Nadia groaned as she hid her face behind her hands.

"Please, don't bring it up. I'm still recovering from that."

The sound of footsteps broke their conversation, and they both turned to see Emma entering the changing room.

Her shapely body was wrapped in a towel while her hair wet clung to her smooth, slender shoulders.

She gave them an awkward smile, clearly a little flustered.

"Sorry I took so long…"

Emma apologized as she stepped closer.

"I don't want to smell funny when I'm around him, but I'm wondering if I used enough shampoo… you know how it is."

Jenna sighed then rolled her eyes playfully.

"Emma, all that's unnecessary. We're here to work, not scrub you down for some fancy date. Come on, sit. We've got a lot to do."

Emma nodded eagerly, like a child excited for an afternoon of pampering, and took a seat in front of the wide mirror that stretched across the changing room. Nadia moved to grab the facial masks, while Jenna rummaged through the small cabinet for hair products.

As Nadia applied a soothing, light facial treatment to Emma's skin, Jenna began to work on her hair, massaging a leave-in conditioner with gentle strokes.

"So…"

Nadia started with a more than casual tone.

"Emma, you do know what you're doing, right? This isn't just about looking good. We're also trying to keep you from saying something weird when you finally meet Nightwatch."

Emma blinked at her, a little thrown off. "Weird?"

Jenna nodded firmly as her hands skillfully worked through Emma's damp hair.

"Yeah, you've done this before. Gotten nervous around a guy and started spitting out the weirdest things. Remember that one time you tried to talk about your 'online shopping habits' and—"

"Jenna!"

Emma's face turned a shade of pink that rivaled her towel.

"Don't remind me!"

Nadia couldn't help but laugh, giving Emma's cheek a playful pinch.

"We're just saying, avoid talking about anything that could make him cringe, like… you know… certain types of videos."

Emma's eyes widened in realization, and she immediately covered her face with her hands.

"I swear, I'm not doing that again! I've learned my lesson. No more awkward conversations."

Jenna gave her a pointed look, still dressing Emma's hair with an iron comb.

"Listen, we've seen Nightwatch's physique enough to know that when he's up close, he's going to be hot—like, scalding hot. So, don't lose your focus, alright? Stay cool. Don't start tripping over your words."

Emma groaned and flopped back in the chair dramatically.

"I know, I know! But what if I start sweating? What if I panic? He's a vigilante, Jenna! An actual hero! He's gorgeous!"

Nadia smirked as she finished the facial treatment, gently tapping Emma's cheek.

"Well, good thing you're getting this facial then. It's going to highlight your face in that gloomy Meteor City atmosphere. We're going for a soft, youthful glow. Nothing too flashy, just… you."

Jenna turned back to Emma with a raised eyebrow.

"And seriously, don't start rambling about your obsession with the Nightwatch. He'll definitely notice. Just talk about normal things—your favorite pizza place, or I don't know, your favorite movie."

Nadia shot her a teasing glance.

"Just… no 'intense' superhero fandom stuff, alright? Don't start quoting random lines from his streams or whatever."

"I'm not that bad!"

Emma puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms.

"Please…"

Jenna said then laughed a bit before she continued.

"Remember when you met that guy at the bar and went off on a twenty-minute tangent about how Nightwatch's suit probably had tech upgrades no one knew about?"

Emma groaned again. "That was one time, and I was just trying to make conversation!"

Nadia and Jenna shared a knowing look before breaking into giggles, leaving Emma to mutter under her breath as she sat back in the chair.

Jenna was still laughing.

"Well… just don't embarrass yourself when you finally see him. Keep it cool. You're going to be fine."

"Alright, alright. I'll keep it together."

Emma rolled her eyes, but a smile tugged at her lips.

The trio settled into a comfortable silence as Nadia and Jenna got to work as the gentle hum of the vacuum cleaners blended with their quiet conversation.

"DONE! BEAT YOU TO IT, NADIA!"

"It's not a competition, Jenna…"

"Kahaha, that's what losers say!"

"Tch, always so competitive."

Emma's hair was finally styled, and her skin had a healthy glow that radiated a youthful charm, the perfect balance between simple beauty and confidence.

"Ready for your big night, Em?" Nadia asked with a grin.

"Mhm!"

Emma looked at herself in the mirror as her heart raced with excitement. She straightened her posture and looked a bit taller, but she still felt quite nervous.

『I hope he'll like this version of me…』

She pressed her tender, cherry lips together.

---

Emma adjusted her towel with a quick flick of her wrist, feeling the soft fabric slide across her skin.

『Okay, I got this. Just… don't freak out.』

She glanced over her shoulder and caught Nadia's eyes before turning towards the far corner of the room.

She had a particular spot in mind.

As she walked toward it, she couldn't help but notice Nadia's eyes subtly shift lower.

"Hey, Emma…" Nadia said, almost too casually.

"Yeah?"

"You might want to cut back on the cupcakes a bit, yeah?"

Nadia's words hit the air with a bite, though her expression remained innocently sweet.

Emma froze.

She looked back over her shoulder and her face flushed as she grabbed her butt protectively.

"R-, Really──?!"

"Yeah, just a little…" Nadia giggled.

Emma blinked as her brow furrowed slightly.

『If it was Jenna saying this, I'd be on high alert. But Nadia… she wouldn't joke about something like that. Whatever, I'll just run it off on my way to Meteor City…』

A slight chuckle escaped her lips.

But, she was still concerned.

"Okay, I get it. No more cupcakes for me."

Nadia raised an eyebrow but didn't push the matter further, and her lips curled into a subtle smile as she let the moment hang.

But before Emma could make another move, Jenna suddenly spoke.

"Hey, Emma… you still have that serious contract with MegaCorp, right?"

"Yeah, I just renewed it for another four years."

Emma didn't have to think twice.

"Although, I did get another offer from a bigger company, but… I'm okay where I am for now."

It's not like she'd been doing it for the money.

Jenna suddenly gave her a look as she folded her arms.

"That's not exactly what I was getting at, Em. As a hero of MegaCorp, stationed in Metro City by the Hero Agency—don't you think it'd be a bit of a problem if you were off doing a stream with Nightwatch? You know, the unregistered vigilante that's basically hated in the market right now?"

Nadia nodded in agreement.

"Jenna's right. If MegaCorp found out about that, and the Hero Agency—it might make them look pretty incompetent."

Emma gave them both a sly grin.

"Don't worry about that…"

Not even a single hint of worry crossed her pretty face.

She pulled open the panel to reveal a hidden compartment in the wall with a sleek, red button in the center. As she pressed it, a soft mechanical whir sounded, and a form-fitting suit began to materialize inside a protective glass casing.

"What you're forgetting is that I'm prepared for situations like this."

She confidently pressed a finger to her cherry lips.

Jenna raised an eyebrow, curious now. "Oh yeah? How?"

Emma's fingers tapped the surface of the casing lightly and a soft hiss escaped as the glass slid open to reveal a sleek, dark and ash suit that gleamed under the changing room lights.

"This…"

Emma dramatically motioned to the suit.

"…is a custom design. My main suit costs somewhere between $15 to $20 million. But this one…"

She paused for effect.

"This one only set me back around $8 million. Got some guys in MegaCorp's tech department to make it for me. They've got a huge crush on me, so… I might've, uh, used that to my advantage."

Jenna's mouth dropped open in fake disbelief.

If only she could hide the smirk on her face.

"You're cruel, Emma. You really know how to work them."

Emma just shrugged.

"What can I say? A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do."

━ ━ ━ ━

Scott studied the holographic display of his completed devices projected from his wristwatch.

"Shock Gloves and Taser Knuckles completed…"

He sounded very tired.

If someone touched him, he'd probably collapse.

[The Electroshock Arsenal has been upgraded. I have taken the liberty of incorporating a Stage-2 Nano-Shift Transformer to enhance integration with your combat suit. You now possess over ten features within your Electroshock Arsenal, including the Shock Gloves and Taser Knuckles.]

Scott's lips curled into a smirk as he flicked his wrist again and swiped through the expanded feature list. His eyes glided over the holographic representations of the devices.

Each one was displayed as a perfectly calibrated piece of technology, seamlessly linked together in a deadly arsenal.

The Taser Knuckles were joined by upgrades Scott had only dreamed of—things like the Arc Blades, Electroshock Chakrams, and even a handful of subversive microtech electro-mines for surprise ambushes.

He couldn't help but admire the sheer complexity.

"Holy shit, that's awesome!"

[Appreciated, Master Scott. I've also started the integration of an Arc System into your suit. It will allow you to control much higher levels of electricity, making your Electroshock Arsenal even more effective.]

The System's tone was almost proud, as if it were a partner in the work.

Scott raised an eyebrow and leaned in closer to the screen, watching as it flickered for a moment to reveal the blueprints for the Arc System. Sparks of energy crackled through the design, and Scott could almost feel the rush of power ready to flow through him.

It was exciting, but at the same time… a little terrifying.

"Perfect timing…"

Scott said as he rubbed his hands together.

[Integration will be completed in approximately fifteen minutes.]

Scott didn't flinch at the wait.

"I can wait. I've got a little time."

He glanced at the wall-mounted clock.

"About five minutes before I go live, huh?"

He leaned back against a wall and exhaled with relief.

"I should head out before Gwen sees me…"