CHAPTER I - MISSION: VACATION

[Madison’s POV]

We were back at the base.

The metallic scent of oil and steel hung thick in the air, mixed with the faint trail of gunpowder that still clung to our clothes. I was sprawled on the couch in the far corner of the room, half-covered in a dark red blanket. The fabric scratched against the fresh wound on my side, but I didn’t move. The others were busy inspecting weapons and fixing damaged equipment—doing anything to distract themselves from yet another failure.

Me? I was just trying to breathe.

My side ached, but I’d had worse. It wasn’t the pain that bothered me. It was what came with it.

This wasn’t the first wound I’d taken from Aegis—but for some reason, it felt like the most humiliating. Not because she overpowered me. No. We were evenly matched… and that was the problem.

Every time we crossed paths, it ended the same way: both of us bloodied, exhausted, and alive.

I was supposed to be stronger. I trained harder, shot faster, struck deeper. My alias wasn’t Vengeance for nothing. I was the sharp edge of our team—the storm that never missed. But Aegis? She was always just out of reach. Every bullet I fired, she dodged. Every sword I swung, she countered. It was maddening.

Why couldn’t I kill her?

And more than that—who was she really?

She fought like someone with purpose. Like someone who had lost something and refused to let it go. Her movements were precise, too clean to be improvised. There was something about her... something that didn’t add up. I had my suspicions, but no real answers. Only theories. And theories weren’t enough.

As I stared at the ceiling, letting the hum of machines fill the silence in my head, I barely noticed the others starting to argue. But the sharp snap of Veridian’s voice pulled me back.

“Boss, this is all your useless pet’s fault.”

Her tone dripped with venom, and I didn’t need to look to know she was glaring straight at me.

Boss Azure, our commander, didn’t even flinch. She folded her arms and stared at all of us with the disappointment of someone who’d seen far too many failures.

“Stop blaming each other,” she said coldly. “All of you failed. Equally.”

“Veridian, don’t put it all on Vengeance,” Tangelo snapped, wiping grease from her hands as she stood up. Her voice was firm, unshaken. “If anyone was useless today, it was you.”

Azure narrowed her eyes.

“Explain, Tangelo.”

Veridian scoffed. “Don’t listen to her, Boss. She’s twisting the story.”

But Tangelo wasn’t having it. She stepped forward, clenched her fist, and—crack—punched Veridian right across the jaw. Veridian stumbled backward, gasping.

“Shut your mouth,” Tangelo growled. “You couldn’t even pull the trigger on Amber. You froze. Like something was holding you back.”

“That’s a lie!” Veridian snapped, touching her bruised cheek.

“Is it?” Tangelo stepped closer. “You’re hiding something. I saw the way you looked at her. Admit it—you like her, don’t you?”

The room went still.

Veridian’s eyes dropped to the floor for a second. And that second was all Azure needed.

“Is that true, Veridian?” she asked, her voice quiet but sharp. “Can I still trust you?”

“Of course you can,” Veridian said quickly. “You can always count on me. I swear.”

Azure’s stare lingered on her for a long moment, then she finally nodded.

“Good.”

I forced myself to sit up, pushing against the couch with a wince.

“What’s the next move, Boss?” I asked. My voice was hoarse, but steady.

Azure turned to me, and for a moment, something softened in her gaze. Then she straightened her shoulders.

“Your next mission,” she said, “is called Mission: Vacation.”

The room went silent.

“You’re all taking a break. Especially you, Vengeance. Six months. No assignments. No contact with the enemy. Lay low.”

“I’m fine, Boss,” I said quickly. “I don’t need rest.”

“You do,” Azure said firmly. “You're bleeding pride more than blood right now. You’ve all been running on fumes. Go cool off. That’s an order.”

“Six months?” Veridian blurted out.

“Are you sure about that, Boss?” Tangelo asked, blinking in disbelief.

“Why not?” Azure replied, lifting an eyebrow. “You don’t want it? Then don’t take it. I’m easy to talk to.”

“No, no, we want it!” Tangelo grinned, raising both hands. “Thank you, Boss! I finally get a real break!”

“Then go,” Azure said, walking away. “Get some air. You’ve all earned it… barely.”

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

The three of us left the base without another word.

Once we were in the car—an old but powerful matte black cruiser—we sat in silence for a while. The hum of the engine filled the quiet, but it was Tangelo who finally spoke.

“You know,” she said with a sly grin, “we could go home and do nothing for six months… or…”

Veridian groaned. “Here we go.”

“Or,” Tangelo continued, ignoring her, “we go out tonight. One drink. One night. Let loose.”

I turned my face to the window, watching the lights of the city blur past.

“Where?” I asked.

“There’s a bar downtown,” she said. “Nothing fancy, but I heard it’s got live music and decent whiskey.”

Veridian sighed but didn’t say no.

Me? I didn’t protest either. For some reason, the idea of disappearing into a dark room filled with strangers sounded... easy. Comforting, even.

(What they didn’t know was that they were walking into more than just a bar.)

(They were walking toward something they didn’t expect—something that would stir emotions they thought they buried long ago. Something dangerous.)

(And for the first time in a long time…)

(…They were about to feel their hearts beat again.)