Morning in Zaun. Vi pushed herself up from the mat, cupped her hands in front of her face, and blew into them. Warm breath hit her palms—and mixed with the Grey—making her shiver.
Wearing a sports bra, she started loosening up her arms and shoulders, then walked over to the mirror. First, she swept her hair up, exposing a delicate, almost perfect face… and then she used her hands to mess with it again.
She let the red hair fall back down, hiding those sharp features, dulling the pretty out of her look. Last, she carefully put her nose ring back in. Only after finishing all that did she glance toward the bed.
Little Isha was sprawled on Logan's chest, face buried against him, sleeping like a rock. And Powder had curled up beside Logan with her knees tucked in, sleeping like a cat.
Vi's bitterness almost turned solid in her eyes.
"Fuck…" she muttered under her breath.
She slipped out on tiptoe so she wouldn't wake Powder.
Of course, if it were only Logan in there, she'd probably make sure to "accidentally" make enough noise to ruin his sleep.
That asshole even lied to her—sleeping in the same bed every day, then swearing he hadn't done anything.
Yeah, sure. Like anyone would believe that.
"Vi!"
"Boss, sleep alright?"
"Boss, who are we wrecking today?"
The moment she stepped outside, Vi saw the group waiting for her. The petty resentment vanished instantly. She lifted a hand, full of swagger, and called out loud, "First stop, Hope Community. Same routine—patrol. After that, we hit the other streets."
"Yes!" the crew answered in unison—Vi's little band of "community enforcers."
Manzu was with them too, gear neat and tidy, a grin plastered on his face.
Lately, Manzu had this feeling like he was finally living for real.
The locals in Hope Community were warming up to them more and more.
Turns out being loved and respected really did feel better than being feared.
These days, Hope Community residents even called them "community enforcers." In Zaun, "enforcer" was usually an insult—here, it was praise.
Manzu could see it in their expressions, hear it in their voices, read it in their eyes.
He took a deep breath and checked his weapons. A compact pistol made by Jinx that fired terrifyingly powerful rounds—and a baton.
And yeah, it looked simple, but the baton was anything but.
It could extend, and if you hit a special switch in an emergency, it could release a smoke-like poison gas. You could also flick it and launch needle darts.
How the hell did Jinx's brain come up with weapons that sneaky? She could just casually whip this stuff up.
Was she actually a genius?
"Zeri, I'm telling you one more time—if you keep going around telling the neighbors you want to 'join some gang' and 'team up with some community' to fight the chem-barons, I'm grounding you for real!"
Inside a small house, an older woman's scolding filled the room.
"You've got time for that, but you can't go to the market and buy some chicken from Maria's stall? Her braised chicken is the best. Instead you're in here acting crazy! Do you have to act crazy every day?"
"I'm not acting crazy!" the girl snapped back, cheeks puffed out. She clenched her fists and pounded the couch under her. "I saw it with my own eyes, Grandma! Shark Street is totally different now! I've been hanging out over there for days!"
"Different?" her grandmother barked. "Idiot! Do you think I don't know what Zaun is like better than you do? That's just some temporary trick the people on top are pulling. Once they fully lock down Shark District, it'll end up the same as over here!"
"You—ah, I seriously can't talk to you!" Zeri shouted, furious. "I'm done talking to you! You're the worst!"
She grabbed a coat from the side, then slipped out the door so fast a normal person wouldn't even see it.
Under the crackle of electricity came her grandmother's yelling from inside: "Zeri! If you walk out that door, don't come back!"
At the market, Zeri pulled her cap down and stomped along the street, then kicked a rock with her little boot.
"Seriously… I told her I saw it myself. Why won't she believe me?"
"The chem-barons are all assholes—why shouldn't we fight back? We're all victims!"
She kept muttering as she walked.
But then Zeri noticed a few guys trailing behind her.
Her eyes shifted. Without changing her pace, she turned and slipped into a narrow alley.
The moment she vanished, three figures on the street—masked, wearing long coats—hurried after her.
They'd barely gone ten meters and turned a corner when a voice came from behind them.
"Hey. Why are you following me?"
"I'll ask again—are you chem-baron goons or what?"
They turned.
Zeri had taken off her cap. Her hair shimmered like sparks, electricity snapping and crackling through it.
"Easy," the one in front said. "Calm down, friend."
"Stop talking and answer me," Zeri shot back. "Why are you following me?"
"Hey—no hostility," the leader said, lifting both hands. He wasn't tall, but he was solid, bundled in thick clothing. His voice was low and rough. "We heard you've been pushing back against the chem-barons. And you've been stirring this neighborhood up, trying to get them to stand up to the chem-barons too. True?"
"Yeah, it's true. So what? What does that have to do with you?"
The man's voice stayed steady. "We come to this neighborhood a lot to buy supplies. My partners heard what you've been saying, so we looked into you for a while. We've got a decent idea of who you are now. You want to join us and fight the chem-barons, don't you? I'm here to invite you."
"Listen, Zeri. We need people like you. Anyone who wants to push back against the chem-barons—anyone who wants Zaun to get better—is one of ours."
Zeri's eyes lit up so hard it looked like someone struck a match in her skull. She got instantly excited. "You—you guys?! You came for me on purpose?! Oh my god! I've wanted to join you forever, you know that? A few days ago I saw you helping the shopkeepers—I was losing my mind!"
"I—I want to help too!"
The leader froze, glanced at his partners.
They looked back and shook their heads.
They… didn't understand what Zeri meant.
But Zeri didn't notice at all—she just kept squealing.
"Ahhh! This is the best!"
"But I couldn't convince my family and the neighbors. Is that still okay?"
"Of course. We need you," the leader said, eyes narrowed with interest. "And you… you're different, aren't you?"
He'd seen it—she hadn't used any device or tool, and electricity still surged out of her.
That wasn't normal.
Zeri nodded eagerly. "Yeah! My mom said I'm different from other kids too. I was born with electricity. Look."
She pointed a finger at the wall.
Her brown eyes flashed into a bright orange-yellow glow as electricity rolled over her body.
Crack!
A thick bolt of current slammed into the wall, leaving a scorched black mark.
"That's incredible," the man breathed.
"Right?" Zeri beamed. "So I'm in now? I'm one of you?"
"Yeah," he said.
"YES!" Zeri clenched her fists and bounced in place. "This is awesome!"
So she actually had an organization now.
Finally—someone willing to fight the chem-barons with her!
And she'd seen that community with her own eyes. Zeri had been running over there every day. Every day she watched it change.
People's smiles didn't lie.
Seeing how happy she was, the leader smiled too. His voice softened—no longer rough—like he'd dropped the disguise entirely.
"Then, officially—welcome to the Fire—"
"I just joined the Spirit Blossom Gang, so does that mean I can patrol with you too?" Zeri blurted, cutting him off. "Do I need to paint your symbol on my clothes? I can do it!"
"Huh?" the leader said.
His brain visibly stalled as he stared at her, completely lost.