CHAPTER TWO

...Sereia's POV...

...----------------...

There are worse things than being assigned to a death mission.

Like being assigned to a death mission... with Caius Kieran Thorne.

We’re all crammed into the docking bay now, waiting for final clearance. Caius stands across the room, running through data files like the war effort depends on his concentration alone. His entire squad mirrors him—stoic, still, unnervingly synchronized. I hate how efficient they look.

"Should we salute them or throw a wrench and see who flinches first?" Tov mutters beside me, balancing a canister of compressed med-gel on one shoulder.

"I vote wrench," Elira deadpans.

"You're all children," Liri sighs, but she’s smiling as she tightens the strap on my gear. “Sereia, you good?”

I nod, distracted—because Caius is walking over. Great.

“Need something, Thorne?” I ask as calmly as possible.

He holds out a holo-slate. “You missed a line on your inventory check.”

I scowl. “I didn’t.”

“You did.”

I snatch the slate, double-check—damn it, he’s right.

Liri leans in, stage-whispering, “Ooh. Flirting via logistical corrections. Bold move.”

Caius doesn’t even blink. “If I flirted, you’d know.”

My mouth opens. Nothing comes out. Tov chokes on his water. Elira flat-out laughs.

“That’s illegal,” Nael coughs.

Even Thalen raises an eyebrow.

Keira glances up, brushing hair from her face. “He means he doesn’t flirt.”

Caius ignores them all. “Briefing starts in five. Don’t be late.”

He turns and walks off again.

“Are you okay?” Liri asks, eyes wide.

“No,” I mutter. “I think I just got mansplained and emotionally threatened in one sentence.”

“Hot,” Elira says.

We gather near the holo-map where Commander Drax and Lorenzo Venn are already projecting the recon routes.

Drax gestures at the display. “You’ll be split in mixed pairs. The Veil’s trail is cold, but traces of their tech were detected in these three quadrants.”

Of course.

Caius and I are paired. Again.

“You’ve gotta be kidding,” I whisper to no one.

“Plot twist: it’s fate,” Tov grins.

“Plot twist: it’s punishment,” I reply.

Meanwhile, I catch Trav—yes, our chaos-brained mech pilot—sneaking glances at Keira.

He elbows Nael. “Bro. Do you think she likes quantum engines?”

“She probably likes functioning sentences first,” Nael mutters.

Trav straightens. “I can do that. I can be normal.”

He promptly trips over a cable.

Keira looks up, concerned. “Are you—?”

“I’m good!” Trav calls too loudly. “That was just… gravity. Classic gravity.”

Keira offers a small smile. Elira whispers to me, “He’s a goner.”

Pair assignments flash across the holo-slate.

“Tov Strade. Keira Noelle Strade.”

Silence.

Tov blinks. “Wait. We’re—”

“—Not related,” Keira finishes with practiced grace, already stepping toward him.

Tov looks like he’s been hit by a stun pulse. “Right. Obviously. Of course. That’d be weird. Hah. Like, what are the odds? Strade’s a common name. Very common. Super common.”

Keira arches a brow. “Are you always this... energetic?”

“I’m calm,” Tov insists. “I’m serenity incarnate.”

“You tripped over a cable five minutes ago.”

“That was gravity. It’s after me.”

Keira presses her lips together, fighting a smile. “Well, Serenity Incarnate, I hope you don’t trip when I hand you a plasma charge.”

Tov salutes dramatically. “I would never betray your trust like that, Lieutenant Not-My-Sister.”

She walks past him with a half-shake of her head. “We’ll see.”

Behind them, Elira mutters to Nael, “If he survives this mission, it’ll be purely out of her mercy.”

Meanwhile, another name pairing echoes in the space:

“Lirae Kenze. Thalen Vox.”

Both parties freeze. Then turn. Then glare.

“Great,” Liri says, deadpan.

Thalen doesn’t even blink. “Likewise.”

They approach each other like two diplomats forced into a handshake during war-time.

Liri crosses her arms. “So. I assume you’re gonna treat me like I’m incompetent just because I don’t move like a programmed droid?”

Thalen tilts his head. “No. I’ll treat you like you’re incompetent if you prove it in the field.”

“Oh wow,” she says with a dangerous smile. “You’re exactly as charming as your reputation promised.”

“I aim to exceed expectations.”

Nael whispers to me, “Are they gonna kill each other or make out?”

“Probably both,” I whisper back.

As our teams head toward the drop ships, there's an uneasy blend of tension, mockery, and something almost like camaraderie. Almost.

Caius steps beside me again. “Try not to get distracted.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Try not to explode from all that personality.”

He doesn’t smile. But he looks close to it.

The rest of the squad breaks into their assigned pairs. Thalen stalks past us like he’s allergic to socialization. Tov salutes mockingly. “Sir Doomface.”

Caius lands beside me again, reading the mission data aloud like we didn’t all receive the same file.

“We move through Zone A, secure data nodes, and check for biometric residue. You cover left. I cover right.”

I raise a brow. “Wow. Such thrilling teamwork.”

He glances at me. “Don’t get sentimental.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Liri passes behind us and sings under her breath, “Two enemies, sitting in a tree…”

Nael picks it up. “K-I-L-L-I-N-G—”

“Enough,” I snap, cheeks warm.

Caius, of course, doesn’t react at all.

And I don’t know what’s worse—that we’re all about to risk our lives in enemy territory…

Or that I might actually be getting used to him.

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