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Chapter Text

The seaside City of Fraudd was famous for it trade, the city itself housing various companies and corporations that imported and exported goods from its famous extravagant docks. During the day, it would be bustling with workers and their forklifts transferring crates from one warehouse to the other. Giant cranes lifting containers from enormous cargo ships, loading them up on massive trucks.

When the light shone upon the city, the docks were alight with people and noise.

But the night had fallen, and the docks were empty. No workers, no forklifts, the warehouses were empty. Not a soul dared to come to the docks that night, as the night is when the criminals came out to play. For the City of Fraudd was also the most corrupt city, where shady deals and other ne’er-do-well happenings were part of the nightly routine.

And tonight, the true power behind the City had declared the docks off-limit. The public was not allowed around the area, the streets blocked off for ‘roadwork’. Even the police were ordered not to venture too close.

Because standing in the way of the Third Eye Syndicate was something you didn’t do in this city. Everyone, from shopkeepers to police chiefs to politicians, had to obey their rule. In the last few years, the Syndicate had grown from a once small, but successful gang of manufacturers, suppliers and sellers of Psychic Drugs to a global criminal organization who had their hands in various levels of society and commerce.

And tonight, their leader had an important meeting. A single lit warehouse on the docks showed signs of life, where people of a criminal nature were busy either making the illicit produce, or packaging it for both export and internal distribution. A lavish limo was parked in front of it, with a rather large and muscular specimen, an eye tattooed on his forehead, was standing guard.

A pair of headlights suddenly lit up the darkened docks, and another limousine drove up. The giant brute knocked on the door. “He’s here, Baron Breaker, sir.”

As he stepped away, the passenger door opened and a man of short stature stepped out, dressed in a lavish tailored suit and a turban of expensive cloth adorned on his head. He looked like a man of noble heritage, with the only thing that seemed out of place being the tattoo of a sewn Glasgow Smile across his lips.

He ran a hand over his long black goatee and snapped his fingers. Immediately, the workers inside the warehouse stopped what they were doing and took place behind their boss. Most of them wore an eye somewhere on their clothes, showing their affiliation with the gang.

The giant man grunted. “Are you sure about this, sir?” He asked his boss. “These …people play by a whole different set of rules than us.”

The man known as Baron Breaker turned to the giant man, a light shimmering in his eyes. “Groups like them often do, Brock but these people have been very good to us the last years.” He said without moving his mouth, using telepathy to speak instead.

“Their money, perhaps.” Brock muttered, no fear of talking back against his boss.

Baron Breaker chuckled silently. If anyone else in his organization dared to speak to him in that tone, he’d flay their mind until there was nothing left but a whimpering shell of a person. Brock, however, had been part of his organization from the very beginning. He was not only a very reliable and effective second in command, but also one of the few people he’d consider a friend.

“Their influence as well. Without them pulling some strings, we’d wouldn’t have climbed up in power like we have.” Baron Breaker added, watching the limo park. “Besides, this one we can trust.”

Brock grunted, but dropped the issue. The two men watched as the driver stepped out and opened up the passenger door. Another men stepped out, wearing a expensive business suit, his greying hair neatly cut and combed. A third man opened the boot of the limo and took out a black briefcase. With his two associates in tow, the grey haired man walked over to Breaker and his group.

With a grunt, Breaker walked up to the new group, Brock and the others of his gang in his wake. The two groups met halfway, standing in front of each other in silence. The tense moment broke when the two men smiled at each other and embraced each other, like old friends meeting after a long time apart.

“It’s been too long, Wilhelm.” The first man greeted, patting Breaker on the back. “Good to see you, old friend.”

“You as well, Anton.” Breaker responded. He produced a smile, looking creepier because of the tattoo. He took a step back. “How’s business? ”

“Thriving.” The man known as Anton replied. “Before I forget, I’ve come bearing gifts.” He snapped his fingers a few times and stooge nr. 3 walked back to the boot of the car. Anton grinned. “You’re gonna like this.”

The stooge returned with a small crate in his hands. Breaker gestured with his hand, making the crate float out of the man’s hands. Once it was close enough, he made another movement with his hand. The crate disassembled itself, wooden panels and iron nails circling around it’s now exposed contents – a bottle of alcohol of some kind -, like satellites in a planet’s orbit.

Breaker inspected the bottle that was floating in front of him. “Hmmm, a bottle of Macallan 1926. Aged in sherry casks for six decades and a bottle with a hand—painted design by Irish artist Michael Dillon. Only 40 bottles were ever bottled. One even sold at auction for 1.9 million US dollars. The holy grail among whiskey. Very nice. A very expensive gift.”

He clasped his hand, and the crate assembled itself again around the whiskey with a slam. He made a throwing motion over his shoulder, tossing the crate to one of his goons, who grabbed using telekinesis.

“I’ll put it with the other one I have.” Breaker commented. He crossed his arms and grinned at Anton. “Presenting me with such a lavish gift means you got another high risk job for us, I take it.” He stroked his goatee. “What do you need? Another obscure part of machinery? More specialists? Need someone to disappear?”

“That last one, in a way.” Anton answered, gesturing to stooge nr.2, who opened the briefcase. Anton took out a folder and presented it to Breaker. “I need this person delivered to me, as soon as you are able.”

Breaker took the folder and opened it up, his face immediately changing from curious to infuriated the moment he looked inside. Even Brock growled. Breaker took out the photo and turned around to show it to his associates. Everyone suddenly seemed agitated, some even spitting on the ground or making obscene gestures at the picture. Breaker placed the photo back in the folder, handing it over to Brock. He turned to Anton, his face twisted in anger. “This …person has been a pain in my organization’s side for a few years now. And not only mine, but other ‘business associates’ have suffered under this rather zealous do-gooder. His annoying tendency to meddle in affairs has hurt our business several times.” He clenched his fist in anger, the ground under him cracking and trembling. Even the clouds above him seemed to darken the sky even more. “For the chance to remove him from the board …I’d happily do it for free.”

Anton grinned, not at the slightest intimidated by Baron Breaker’s show of power. “I figured you would react as much, but I wouldn’t expect you to do it without proper payment, of course.” He took the briefcase of his stooge’s hand and opened it, presenting the contents towards Breaker. The briefcase was filled to the brim with money. “Half a million of clean, untraceable bills.”

Breaker took the briefcase and handed it over to Brock, who walked with it inside the warehouse. “He’s going to inspect them for fakes. We had some smartass trying to pull that one on us – his last mistake he ever made-, and not that I don’t trust you, but …”

“Of course, can’t be too careful.” Anton agreed. “This is why I enjoy doing business with you, my dear Baron. You are a shrewd business man, and I can appreciate that.”

“While we wait, I have something for you. You’re not the only one bearing gifts tonight.” Breaker began, turning to one of his goons and snapping his fingers. The goon immediately ran up to the car and opened up the boot. He returned, holding a small box in his hands.

“Samples of you newest produce?” Anton asked curiously. “I’m not usually one for participating in that sort of recreation.”

“Oh, trust me. You’re going to absolutely love it.” Breaker said, taking the box out of his goon’s hands and presenting it to Anton.

Anton’s eyes went wide. It was a cigar box, still sealed and branded with -. “The Grulovian Royal Family’s Emblem?” Anton uttered as he traced a finger over the burned imprint on the box. “Are these Grulovian Royals?”

“The most expensive cigars in the whole of Grulovia.” Breaker commented. “Tailored by the Czar’s express wishes. Made with the finest of Tabacco leaves and rolled by the most beautiful of women, if you believe the myth.”

“Only 16 boxes of these cigars were ever produced, and held in the royal vaults. These were to only be smoked by the Czar himself.” Anton said with a certain amount of awe. “To have them touched by anyone but himself was a sure way for a life sentence in the dungeon, and that was if he was in a good mood.” He looked up at Breaker. “I thought these all perished during the flooding of Grulovia?”

Baron Breaker grinned. “Seemed the old Czar wasn’t above selling some of to choice collectors, for the right and very, very high price.” He tapped the box. “5 of these found their way out of Grulovia. They’ve become something of a premium collector’s item for Grulovia enthusiasts.”

“How on Earth did you come by one of these?” Anton asked curiously as he took the box out of Breaker’s hands.

“An …associate tried to hire me to go see a political rival of his and …persuade him to take a long, long vacation, far away. Something about votes or any of those political nonsense.” Breaker explained. “The adventurous kind where unfortunate accidents might happen, you know. Anyway, this associate was an avid collector of Grulovian memorabilia, the cigars included.”

“And?” Anton asked. “Were the cigars part the payment?”

“Not exactly.” Breaker answered with a sinister grin. “You see, the rival in question came to me first, after he had heard some very worrying rumors.”

“Oh? So what happened?”

“In the end, my former associate went on a long, long vacation with his family.” Breaker answered, and the aura around him seemed to darken. “Somewhere far. Something adventurous. But, you know …accidents happen. The entire family. Such a tragic turn of events. So, since he had no more use for them, I showed my charitable side and took hold of his possessions, to give them a good home.”

Anton chuckled. “Like I said, a shrewd business man.” He grinned at the box in his hands. “Well, it would be a shame to let these go to waste.” He broke the seal of the box and opened it. He turned the box to Breaker. “Have one as well.”

“Very kind of you.” Breaker took a cigar out of the box and clenched it between his teeth.

Anton gave the box to one his stooges and took out a cigar as well, before instructing the man to store the box inside the car. He was about to search his pockets for a lighter, when Breaker snapped his fingers and one of his goons stepped up, lighter in hand. The goon lit Anton’s cigar first, before doing the same with his Boss’.

Anton inhaled deeply, savoring the flavor, after which he blew out the smoke in a thin line. He chuckled as he watched the smoke evaporate in the air. “You know, the Grulovian Czar was a vile, dictatorial, entitled bastard, but he had good taste in cigars.”

“So, if you want us to get this jerk for you, I take it it’s going to happen soon?” Breaker asked as he inhaled from the cigar. He exhaled slowly, shrouding his face in a cloud of black smoke. “This master plan of you and your illustrious little group?”

Anton took another puff of his cigar. “Yes. Everything is ready.” He answered, blowing out the smoke. “We only need our final piece, and then …” He let the answer trail off, before turning to Breaker again. “You know, there is still place for you at our table. You can share in the spoils.”

Anton’s head filled with the dark chuckle of Breaker. “Thanks, but no. All those theatricals and such are not for me.”

Anton’s eyes darted towards the turban Breaker was wearing. “Could’ve fooled me, my friend.”

Breaker chuckled again, but suddenly cocked his head. “Seems Brock is done…”

Brock returned with the briefcase and placed it next to Breaker. “It’s all good, Boss.”

“Seems we finally can talk business.” Anton said, gesturing to one of his stooges, who returned to the car. “So, how are you going to do this and how long do you think it’s going to take?”

Breaker took a long drag of his cigar, his face scrunched up in contemplative thought. “I’ve got something in mind, but I’ll be frank with you, it’s not going to be an easy job. Nor Fast. Nor cheap.” He eventually admitted. “An operation to capture a target of this caliber will take a while to prepare, and with very specific details. We’re going to need to acquire the right bait. Set the whole thing up at the right location. There are rumors that need to be planted. People that need to be bribed. This is going to require a lot of prep work …and a lot of money. A lot more than you already provided.”

“I figured you would say that.” Anton exclaimed with a grin, as the stooge he had sent to the car returned with a second briefcase. He opened up the case and presented Breaker with another large amount of money. “First briefcase is to hire your services. This one is for the required expenses, and if it’s not enough, I’ll happily supply more.” He closed the briefcase and handed it over to Brock. “You need to check this one too?”

“No need.” Breaker answered. “I know you’re good for it. Consider us hired, Mr. Barnes”

“Very well, I-“ Suddenly a phone rang. He sighed and reached inside his jacket pocket, handing over the cigar to one of his stooges. “And that would be the legitimate business side of my life. Excuse me.”

Breaker just nodded and gestured Anton to go ahead.

“I am in the middle of an important meeting, this better be good.” Anton began curtly as he placed the phone against his ear. His expression turned to frustration as he listened to the person on the other side. “What? How much did we lose?”

Breaker took another drag of his cigar, wiping a bit of dirt of his shoulder.

Anton groaned. “Tell me at least that you fired that incompetent fool?” He smirked. “Well, that’s one thing. Listen, I am out of the country right now, but I’m coming back. I want this mess sorted by the time my plane hits US soil, you hear me!?” He ended the call without another word.

“Aah, the joys of business, am I right?”  Breaker asked with a grin.

“It never changes.” Anton said with a huff. He held out a hand, which Breaker shook. “Say, you free next week? It’s been ages since you’ve come over for dinner. The wife enjoyed your company so much last time. Why don’t we meet up in my place, and we’ll discuss the other details of our operation?”

“Very well.” Breaker agreed with a smile. “I’ll bring the whisky.”

Anton nodded, and he spun around to walk back to his car, his stooges in tow. He brought his phone to his ear. “It’s me. I need the plane ready by the time I arrive.” He waited for his driver to open up the door of the back seat . “No excuses! Get it done! If I arrive and the damn plane is not ready, I’ll-” the rest of the conversation was cut off as the door closed, the black tinted windows obscuring him from view. A few moments later the limo drove off, leaving Breaker and his crew alone on the docks.

“What now, boss?” Brock asked after a few moments of silence.

“What now?” Breaker repeated, taking a drag of his cigar. He snapped his fingers, and the first briefcase started to float, hovering it higher and higher until it was directly above his crew. “I believe you boys deserve some recreation.”

He snapped his fingers again and the briefcase broke in two, letting the bills money fall down in a rain of green. Immediately, the members of his crew frantically started grabbing at the floating money, cheering and hollering as they tried to grab as much as they could, climbing over each other, shoving each other out of the way.

“I want you boys to go out tonight and have some fun.” Breaker announced, his voice booming loudly in his crew’s minds. “Go dancing! Get drunk! Get high! Get in a fight! Go find a nice person to spend the night with! Tonight, I want you all to have the time of your lives! Tomorrow, we’ve got work to do!”

He noticed the picture that was in the folder floating around. He telekinetically brought it over to him, letting it hover in front of him. He scowled at the picture. It showed a young man, around 17 years of age. Green eyes. A scar on his forehead that stretched out into his burgundy hair. A pair of red tinted goggles around his neck and a brown leather jacket decorated with the insignia of the Psychonauts agency.

Breaker growled as he took his cigar out of his mouth. “Enjoy whatever time you have left, because we are coming for you.” He placed the lit tip on the picture and watched as it burned a hole in the young man’s face, which soon spread over the rest of the photo. “We’ll be seeing you soon, Agent Razputin Vodello.”

Chapter Text

The Quarry. Home to the Psychonauts, the international spy organization that had taken a vow to protect the world. To fight a never-ending battle against malicious forces that would seek to take advantage of powerless innocents. The Psyhconauts’ headquarters, the Motherlobe, overlooked the great lake, standing proud and tall as if waiting for the next crisis that would dare to challenge the Psychic Agents that stood sentinel between mayhem and peace.

Not that there was much fighting going on right now. It was night, and there was a peaceful silence. Crickets were singing their songs. Goats and other animals were sleeping soundly around the little patches of solid ground around the lake. The water of said lake making little sounds as it was disturbed by the wind.

Truly, a peaceful night.

Until the nightly peace was suddenly disturbed, as the sky lit up with a bright colorful lights, followed by loud bangs and fizzing sounds. A sleeping goat, startled by the sudden fireworks display, jumped up and ran; momentarily forgetting it’s sleeping spot was right by the lake and it ran right into the water. It bleated and splashed it legs around, trying to get back to the shore, without much success. Suddenly, an large hand made of orange light appeared and grabbed it by its fur, lifted it up and placed it back on short. After a final pat on the head, it vanished. The goat blinked a few times and plopped back down on the ground, where it soon fell asleep again.

High above, in a secret garden hidden in a corner in the shadow of the Motherlobe, sat a young man, 17 years of age with burgundy hair that partially hid a scar on his forehead and green eyes. A pair of red-tinted goggled hung around his neck. His legs dangled over the edge of the garden’s elevated location. At the moment, he was feeling very proud of himself.

Razputin Vodello grinned smugly as he dusted his hands off. “Another innocent soul rescued by drowning.” He exclaimed with a boastful tone. “And with excellent precision, if I might add.”

Next to him, his girlfriend Lili Zanotto chuckled. “Show-off.”

“I’m not showing off, I’m stating facts.” Raz contradicted. “I pulled a drowning victim away from watery clutches from a mile away.”

Lili barked out a laugh and she pointed over to the spot where she could clearly see the goat sleeping. “That’s hardly a mile away.”

“Still far enough.”

“Still showing off.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

The two young adults started laughing, their laughs drowned out by the fireworks above them. Raz peeked a glance at his girlfriend, noting how much she had changed physically over the last few years. Her growth spurt had kicked when she was 13 and soon she towered over Raz; something that never really went away as they got older and that the pyrokinetic Herbaphony Specialist never ceased to tease her boyfriend about. She had recently cut her hair, now sporting a messy short style with streaks of green in her red hair. A series of vine tattoos decorated her arms.

Lili giggled as another firework exploded in the sky, lighting it up with color and sound, the sparkles reflected in her eyes. “Man, your parents are pulling out all the stops, aren’t they?” she asked.

“They sure are.” Raz replied as he turned his gaze towards the horizon again. Even from this distance he could see the very top of the enormous circus tent known as the Grand Aquatodome, situated in what was formally known as the Questionable Area. To think that it used to be a tourist trap that had gone into disarray after it got bankrupt and afterwards fallen into custody of the Psychonauts, where it became a favorite hanging spot of the teenage Interns.

But since the Aquatos had bought the land, it was now home to the Aquato Grand Aquatic Circus and also the Aquato residence. The whole area was renovated. Worn down structures rebuild. The nearby playgrounds given a circus makeover. Where once were message boards filled with dubious information now told the story of the Aquato family, from humble beginnings in Grulovia to where they were now.

Of course, some details …embellished, in order to protect the public from certain truths, which suited both the Aquatos and the Psychonauts. Some things the public was just not ready to learn right now.

Gone were the days of the Aquato family being a traveling troupe of acrobatic performers who had often struggled to making ends meet. No more sleeping in tents held together by reparations, hope and love. Gone were the days of a barely filled seats within a worn Aquatodome.

These days the Aquatos had a real home, of bricks and mortar, and a room for every Aquato – even for Raz, when he visits. These days, the name Aquato was synonym for a grandiose spectacle, filled with daring stunts and aquatic performances the world hadn’t seen in a generation. The Aquato Family Circus had become a major success with several sold out shows every week, which brought the family out of poverty and into a well deserved life of comfort and plenty.

Raz leaned backwards on his hands, grinning at the fireworks display for a few moments. The Aquatos weren’t the only ones who’s life has improved drastically the last few years. Razputin had officially become a full-fledged Agents about two years ago, only a few years after being named Junior Psychonauts, the youngest to be named ever. IN the last two years, he had quickly climbed up the ranks of fame and – if you’d ask the criminals he’d encountered – infamy. He had halted assassinations, uncovered conspiracies against mankind and fought against his fair share of criminal organizations, the most frequent one being the Third Eye Syndicate. So frequent even, he liked to think they were his personal nemesis.

But since becoming a full Agent, he had come to understand the dangers that the job brought with it. Being the adopted son of two famous Psychonauts, he had always known this job had its perils, but his parents always returned after every mission and things would be alright. But once he stood in the field himself, he had quickly realized that skill, discipline and a handsome sprinkling of luck made a lot of difference between bringing a mission to a close and the amount of injuries you’d bring back with you afterwards. And Raz had managed to collect a few new scars over the last few years, ranging from bullet wounds to psi blast burns.

But like his parents before him, he always managed to succeed in his missions and bring himself home again. He experienced the joy of returning after a hard mission and getting greeted by the warm embrace of a family member; or the kiss of a certain girlfriend. It always made the hardships he endured all the more worthwhile.

He  turned his gaze back to Lili, who was transfixed on the show in the sky. Man, she was beautiful. Raz sometimes couldn’t believe his luck, to have a girlfriend and occasional fellow Psychonaut partner like Lili by his side.

“I can feel you watching.” Lili said suddenly, a smile forming on her lips before she turned to Raz. “What are you thinking about, Raz.”

A sly grin formed on Raz’s lips. “You really wanna know?”

“You bet your goggles I wanna know.” Lili responded, her eyes sparkling with both playful determination and the reflection of fireworks.

“Hmmm, nah, don’t feel like sharing, so I’m not gonna say.” Raz declared with a shrug.

Lili grinned and crossed her arms. “Oh, is that how you wanna play it?”

Raz mimicked the stance. “That’s certainly how I wanna – WHOAH!”

Suddenly, Raz got yanked back, landing on his back. A pair of vines had a firm grip around his wrists and try as he might, he wasn’t able to wrestle himself loose from them. He yelped when the vines dragged him backwards, towards the picnic blanket they had started their date on. He tried to wriggle himself free, but another pair of vines tied themselves around both his ankles, effectively making him unable to move. He felt his head being lifted up and a pillow placed beneath it. Well, at least she was making sure he was comfortable.

Raz chuckled. “Is this supposed to intimidate me, Minha flor?” He asked with a grin as he watched Lili approach him leisurely, swaying her hips suggestively with every step.

Lili knelt down next to his head and started to gently play with his hair, humming thoughtfully. “Less intimidate and more …encourage.”

“Oh?”

“Yes.”

A moment later, she was sitting on top of him, one hand planted on the ground to steady herself and her face hovering right above his’. She smiled nervously at him, giggling as her other hand trailed down slowly from his head to his chest. She locked eyes with him, her cheeks slightly flushed. “You know what they say, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”

“That’s what they say, indeed.” Raz exclaimed, a warm feeling traveling down his body. His earlier cocky confidence was draining with every second. Only Lili seemed to bring him in that state as quickly as that. He swallowed down a lump and managed to produce a grin. “You care to demonstrate?”

A hot breath escaped Lili’s mouth. “With pleasure.” Lili exclaimed as she immediately closed the distance between them.

She cupped his cheeks as she hungrily planted a firm kiss on Razputin’s lips, which Raz happily reciprocated. After a few chaste kisses, Lili bit softly on his lower lip, eliciting a soft moan from him. Raz parted his lips a bit, giving Lili an opening she immediately took advantage off. Their tongues found each other and embraced one another in a swirling tango.

All Raz wanted to do was wrap his arms around Lili and pull her close against his chest, but the vines were still holding him in a relentless grip, pinning him on the ground and completely at his girlfriend’s mercy. He grunted as he tried to pull his arms free, but the vines kept pulling them back.

Lili eventually broke away from the kiss, cheeks red and slightly out of breath. “So …you ready to talk?” She breathed out, running her hands through her hair.

God, she’s hot. “I am.”

Lili grinned victoriously. “So, out with it.”

Raz took a deep breath, locking eyes with Lili. He smiled warmly at her. “I think I am the luckiest man in the world. I have an amazing life and an amazing family, but all of that is nothing compared to the wonderful, talented, unbelievingly hot girlfriend I am blessed to have.” Raz began. “I mean, that this perfect beauty gave her heart to a idiot like me …it’s a dream come true.”

A blush spread on Lili’s cheeks, seemingly really surprised by the earnestness in Razputin’s voice. She giggled and patted Raz’s cheeks. “You really got a way with words, you know that?”

“Depends.” Raz stated with a grin. “Did they work?”

Lili placed her hand on her chin in thought, humming like she was trying to think it over. She looked down at him with a suggestive smile. “Maybe.” The next moment, she had pulled of her shirt, handing it over to vine, who placed it gently on the ground. She planted her hands on Razputin’s chest, grinning seductively at him as she dug her nails into his skin. “What do you think?”

Raz nearly gasped at the beauty before him. All over Lili’s chest and arms were a series of tattoos, all designs of vines and plants, courtesy of Lizzie – who had also applied the tattoos. Vines ran over her arms, flowers budding along the them. Her chest was decorated with a radiant garden of flowers and flames. She had gotten all her tattoos in a short time – without asking Truman first – and when she first showed them to her father, he almost went crazy. For Raz, they turned him crazy too, but in a good way.

Raz let out a breath. “Oh bom Deus, e um anjo apareceu diante de mim….”

Lili giggled. “Oh, você não viu nada ainda, meu lindo amor.” Raz loved that Lili had learned to speak Portuguese. She snapped her fingers, and more vines erupted from the ground, dancing around his head like snakes ready to pounce.

Raz gulped. “Uh …Lili?”

Lili giggled as she caressed Razputin’s cheek. “Don’t be afraid, just let them do the work.” She snapped her fingers again, making the vines that held Raz’s wrist release their grip. But before Raz had time to make a move, the other vines lunged at him – or rather, his shirt – and pulled it off him. Raz chuckled as he raised his arms to help the vines a bit. “Oh, I like where this is going.”

Lili grabbed Raz’s goggles and gently pulled them off, setting them aside. She bit her lower lip nervously, an apprehensive look in her eyes. “Me too …but Raz…”

Raz’s hand flew to her cheek, cupping it softly. “I know, ‘not too far’.” He assured her with a nod, smiling softly at her. “We’ll start slow and see where we end up, okay?”

Lili smiled and threw her arms around him, snuggling close against him. Raz pulled her tightly against her, kissing her cheeks and slowly trailing down to her neck. He whispered sweet nothings in her ear, before he gently bit down on her earlobe. The little giggles that escaped Lili’s lips made Raz tingle. The way she ran her fingers through his hair drove him crazy. Their lips met again for another extended making out session.

A few minutes passed where they kept doing this, before they eventually parted, both out of breath and flustered.

“Wow …that was …” Raz began, lovingly stroking Lili’s cheek. “…wow.”

Lili leaned against his hand, smiling softly. “Yes, it was.” Her eyes instantly filled with fire and mischief. “And it’s getting even better.”

Raz suddenly felt himself getting yanked to the ground again. It seemed that the vines had found their way to his wrists again. Before Raz had time to comment on his situation, Lili had begun kissing him again, soon moving from his lips to his neck and ending up biting hard on his earlobe.

Raz let out a grunt. His body was feeling all the right sensations. “Lili …you’re gonna drive me crazy.”

Lili stroked a lock of hair behind her ear, grinning suggestively at her boyfriend. “If this is already driving you, than you’re really going to enjoy this.” She planted a long kiss on his lips and slowly started trailing down his chest, one kiss at a time. When she reached his navel, she looked up at Raz. “You ready?”

Raz grinned and winked at Lili, who grinned and continued trailing down her kisses. Raz rested his head on the pillow and closed his eyes, eagerly awaiting for his girlfriend to start. Above them, the fireworks still lit the sky ablaze, their noise drowning out the noise of the two young adults.

The two lovers – weary but extremely content – were laying down on their backs on the blanket, staring up at the sky. With the firework show died down, the view of the night sky was perfect, greeting the two adults with a sea of stars decorated on a dark canvas. Raz held a cigarette between his fingers – not unlike his father used to do – and ignited with PK it with the tip of his fingers. He didn’t smoke that often, but the occasion felt right for one. brought his cigarette to his mouth and took a drag, blowing it out a thin line of smoke.

“Those things will kill you, ya know?” Lili commented.

Raz looked to his side at Lili, who was wearing his shirt …and besides her panties not much else. He took another drag and blew out a ring in her direction. “You want to say something with that?”

Lili reached for the cigarette in his hand and grabbed it. “Nah, just FYI.” She brought it to her lips and took a drag herself. She blew out the smoke and watched it dance in the night sky …and let out a cough, making Raz Chuckle. Her cheeks flushed as she tried to keep herself from coughing another time. She threw Raz a dirty look. “S-shut up, jerk.” She took another drag and handed the cigarette back to her boyfriend.

Raz placed the cig between his lips and took a final drag, before he telekinetically threw it over the edge of the garden and laid back, staring at the stars, whom always seemed to shine so more brightly during summer for some reason. Lili shuffled closer to him, resting her head on his bare chest, fingers lazily tracing the lines of one of his scars.

“I love you, Raz.”

“I love you too, Lili.”

Lili sighed happily and snuggled a bit closer, letting Raz wrap and arm around her waist An comfortable silence fell between them.

Lili eventually broke the silence. “So …you think Hollis is gonna choose you for the mission?”

Raz knew what she was referring to. Lately, there had been rumors going around the Motherlobe that the Third Eye Syndicate was making major moves, shuffling around a lot of cash. Something big was going to happen. Raz didn’t know much about it, since the initial investigations were still going.

“I think so.” Raz answered. He turned to Lili with a soft smile. “Why else would they have asked you to be here tomorrow?”

“Well, someone needs to take care of you, considering you don’t seem to.” Lili replied with a grin, letting out a laugh as Raz pulled her unto him for another series of kisses.

Unlike Razputin, Lili wasn’t a fulltime Agent, preferring to focus on her Herbaphony. She had plans to set up a shop that focused on plants with healing properties – both physically and psychically. But every now and then, she was called in to help Raz in missions. She even was officially recognized as Razputin’s official Mission Partner; both by the Psychonauts and by True Psychic Tales.

She wasn’t the only one Raz had grown up with that had ended up as parttime Agents. A lot of his Intern brothers and sisters had taken an occupation outside the Psychonauts, with only Norma and Adam becoming full Agents and Gisu taking over from Otto as the Head Engineer of the Agency after he had retired. Lizzie ran a tattoo shop in New York with her wife Millie. Morris moved back to Spain, where he ran his own radio station. Sam was a renowned veterinarian, and a her own line of baking products on the side as well. It was a bummer that he didn’t see some of them as much anymore, but Raz was happy for them nonetheless. At least he saw Norma and Gisu frequently, considering they were married with his eldest biological siblings.

Raz released his girlfriend and let out a sigh.

Lili noticed that. “You okay, Raz?”

“Yeah, yeah, just …a feeling, you know?”

“Feeling?”

“Yeah, like …I don’t know, like something big is going to happen.”

“Like what?” Lili asked, resting her head against his shoulder.

Raz sighed again, and let out a chuckle. “I’m probably just overthinking things…” He turned to Lili and planted a kiss on her forehead. He stood up with a groan, pulling Lili on her feet as well. “We better get going.” He suggested, pulling in Lili for a gentle embrace. He grinned as he tugged on her – his – shirt. “I’m gonna need this back.”

Lili grinned playfully. “Well …take it.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Razputin replied softly, as he began to slowly pull the shirt up.

Yes, Raz’s life was amazing.

Amazing life.

Amazing family.

Amazing girlfriend.

Amazing.

No doubt about it.

Chapter Text

The only sound that could be heard in Razputin’s office was him typing away an urgent better-late-than-never report about a mission he successfully took care of the week before. Yet another break-in by the Third Eye Syndicate in a pharmaceutical company which specialized in Psychic-specific medicines and other such products. The Syndicate had been on a roll lately; hitting various targets like the devil himself was on their heels. They were up to something big, that was certain; but what exactly was another question. One that the coming mission hopefully would shed some light on.

Raz leaned back in his chair and rubbed his hand over his face, noting that he’d forgotten to shave that morning. It has been a few days since the last time and it really showed. If he kept forgetting it, he’d have start of a beard within a week or two. Seemed to be a gift of the Aquato gene, if he had to believe Papa Augustus, who claimed he had his full beard at the age of 15. Or was that about Nona?

He typed in the final details of his report, going over it one final time for any lingering spelling errors – God knows he didn’t want that lecture again. Content with the finalized product, he quickly imported it to the correct server, where it would be someone else’s problem from there on out. Raz let out a sigh and stretched, groaning as he heard his shoulders pop. He rolled his head, his neck making little popping sounds as well. He heard the door of his office opening.

“Well, why doesn’t it surprise me that you’re hardly working, instead of working hard, Vodello?” A voice called out.

The side of Raz’s lip pulled up into a small grin and he swiveled his chair around to face his visitor. In the doorway, leaning against the frame with a smug grin on her lips, stood his fellow Agent Norma Natividad.

“Agent Natividad.” Raz stated coldly. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I just finished submitting my report about last week’s successful mission I was on.”

“Only just now?” Norma mocked, letting out an exaggerated gasp. “Really, Razputin, someone should teach you the value of doing these things on time. This tardiness is …really unbecoming of you. Maybe your promotion to fulltime Agent was too soon.”

Raz rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah.” His lips pulled up to a sneering grin. “Nice haircut. Did you choose that undercut to try and emphasize on your sexuality even more?”

“Nice stubble.” Norma countered. “You trying to imitate Augustus to deal with your daddy issues?”

“Just admit you are intimidated by how fast I’m rising up the ranks, Natividad.”

“That’s a funny way of saying ‘I got promoted because I’m dating the boss’s daughter’, Vodello.”

“Nosey know-it-all.”

“Overrated Little punk.”

They glared each other down for a few moments, a silence hanging between them. Then they both bursted out in laughter.

“’Daddy issues’, Norma? Really?” Raz asked between giggles.

“Hey, improv was never my strong suit.” Norma stated with a grin. She held open her arms. “Am I getting a hug or what?”

Raz jumped out his chair and ran up to Norma, embracing her in a tight hug. “Welcome back, irmã.”

Norma ruffled Raz’s hair. “Glad to be back, maninho.” She replied softly, her eyes twinkling a bit.

Raz pulled away from the hug, giving his surrogate sister a look. “This is a surprise, though. Weren’t you and Frazie on a long overdue honeymoon together? I thought you’d be gone for at least another week?”

“We were, and normally it was, but …” Norma began. “I got called back, and when the boss tells me I need to cut my vacation short, I have to comply.”

“How did Frazie take it?” Raz asked.

Norma shrugged. “She wasn’t happy, but she took it better than I feared she would.” She smiled, almost proudly. “Frazie knows they wouldn’t call me back if it wasn’t serious. Besides, I think all the loving I gave her in those initial few weeks left her pretty satisfied for the time being.”

Raz pulled a face. “Ew, that’s my sister you’re talking about.”

“Who happens to be my wife, Razputin.” Norma countered, patting the younger Agent on the head. “Grow up, Vodello, you’re almost 18 now. The time of feeling icky when other people show affection to each other is over.”

Raz pushed away Norma’s hand with a chuckle, but his face turned cautiously serious. “But …honestly, how are things between you and Frazie? I mean …you two had that big fight and Frazie even stayed with our parents for a while…”

Norma sighed, levitating over a chair to slide under her as she sat down. “Well …things are a lot better, even if we’re still working on some things, but …” She smiled warmly. “That vacation together really helped, that’s for certain. We’re better than before, back working together towards our goal.”

Razputin took a seat on his own chair. “Can …can I ask what happened?” he folded his hand on his lap – something his mother Milla would do whenever she had a serious talk with him in his younger years. “I mean, I kinda know what happened, but …”

Norma chewed on her lip for a moment, before letting out a sigh. “What happened, Raz, was that plans were made, conditions were set and agreements were agreed upon.” She began. “I thought that I had foreseen every possible problem and made the proper decisions for this to work, but I never considered the fact that …” She sighed, looking down as she – almost hesitantly – touched her stomach. “-that I would have the same problem my mother had when she tried to have children. A worse problem, actually.” She closed her eyes, her expression showing sadness and regret.

“Norma …” Raz began, but other words of comfort never seemed to come up.

Norma looked up, smiling softly before continuing. “So, that news threw a wrench in our carefully formulated plans. I mean, it was the most logical choice for me to bare our child, since I can easily switch over from active field work to a safer desk duty for the majority of the pregnancy. Frazie loves being an acrobat and performing for an audience, and I didn’t want her to give that up. I also figured I would be the …safer option, since even professional acrobats stumble and fall from time to time. But when my test results came back and they said the chances of success were too slim, we …” She sighed, wiping away a tear that was forming.

“Let me guess: Frazie offered to take your place instead?”

Norma let out a heavy sigh. “She did, and I …didn’t agree with that, mostly because of the things I mentioned. Long story short: we disagreed on how to proceed, things got heated, we started arguing, that argument turned into a fight, we both said some …real bad things to each other that we didn’t actually mean and …well, you know what happened. Frazie packed her bags and went back to her parents for a while.”

Raz nodded solemnly. He had been out of the country on undercover assignment during that time, but he managed to get some news here and there while he was there. Luckily, by the time he had returned home, the two of them had started talking again and they had left for a long honeymoon vacation. From what he heard whenever he had to chance to talk with them during that time, it seemed that they were happy with each other again. Almost sickeningly so, like during the time they first started dating.

“So …what’s going to happen next?” Raz asked.

“Me and Frazie had a long talk, and I agreed that she could be the one to carry our future child, …with some conditions we both agreed upon, such as ‘no possibly neck-breaking acrobatics after the first trimester’, things like that.” Norma explained. She smiled happily. “We’re having our first appointment in a couple of weeks.”

“That’s great!” Raz leaned forward to grab Norma’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “I’m so happy for you two.” He leaned back. “Still, starting a family…not an easy decision.”

“I’ll admit that there are moments where …doubts are creeping in.” Norma confessed cautiously, nervously wringing her hands together.

“About having a baby?”

“About me being a good mom. I mean, both me and Frazie didn’t have that typical ‘normal childhood’, but I ….” Norma took a deep breath, as if she was gathering her thoughts. “I don’t want to put my child through the same things I went through growing up. I don’t want to be …how my dad used to be; before he …”

“Did you tell Frazie this?”

“Yes, of course.” Norma replied. She chuckled sheepishly. “Kinda part of the conditions we both agreed upon.”

“And what did she say to that?”

Norma smiled softly. “That that never is going to happen, she assured me. That I’ll never repeat the same mistakes my grandfather put my dad through, and he in turn put me through. And I am going to be the best mother our child will ever have, because I have true love in my heart.”

Raz chuckled. “Always been a bit cheesy with her words, our Frazie, huh?”

“It’s why I love her so much, Pooter.” Norma said with a loving grin.

“But she’s right, though.” Raz stated. “Listen, if you’re showing your future child the same love, care and dedication you showed me when you acted as my sister, I have no doubt that you’re going to be the best mother in the world.”

Norma’s eyes turned watery. “Raz, I …thank you.” She said softly, wiping away a tear. “It means a lot to me, hearing you say that.”

Raz grinned. “Of course, I’m going to be the fun uncle, so I’ll be their favorite relative, but I’ll make sure that- “He suddenly felt a familiar scratch at the back of his mind, and he put his fingers on his temple. He noticed Norma doing the same motion. A voice sounded in his mind.

‘Agents, please report to the Nerve Center for mission briefing.’

‘Roger that, Agent Forsythe.’ Raz mentally replied.

“We had better get going then.” Norma said as she stood up.

“Wait, you’re gonna be part of the mission?” Raz asked as he jumped up and followed her out the room.

“Why do you think they called me back?” Norma asked with a sly grin. “It’s gonna be a big operation, from what I heard, so they needed someone to bring it to a successful end.”

“Hm, must be more serious than I thought …” Raz mused, opting to let the little jest go by him.

“With the way the Syndicate has been making moves lately, it’s certain they’re building up to something big, which could potentially be dangerous.” Norma huffed. “Wait, scratch ‘potentially’.”

“Well, whatever it is, with you, me and Lili on the case they’ll be toast for sure.” Raz stated confidently as they made their way through the bustling Atrium, trying not to bump into other Agents.

Norma folded her hands behind her back – giving off an ominous ‘Agent Forsythe’ energy, somehow -, her lips tugging up in a knowing grin.  “Well, not just the three of us, Agent Dingus. I do know there’s going to be some outside help coming with us.”

Raz raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Who?”

“You’ll see.” Norma replied with a mischievous tug of her lips.

“Okay, keep your secrets.” The younger Agent rolled his eyes. He has known Norma long enough to know that she’d keep her lips tight until the big reveal. He shot her a sideways grin. “I do like the new haircut, you know. It’s …daring.”

Norma chuckled. “Thanks. You should’ve seen Frazie swoon when I surprised her with it.”

Raz let out a short laugh. “Yeah, I can imagine that.” He’d never forget how Frazie’s eyes nearly popped out her skull when she saw Norma in her suit at their wedding.

As they walked through the hallway with the security doors of the Never Center, they were greeted by another familiar face. His posture perfectly straight, hands folded behind his back and wearing a forest-green suit, with the Psychonauts badge pinned on the breast pocket, stood fellow Agent and current Second Head of the Psychonauts Adam Joseph Gette.

Raz grinned widely as he walked up to his old friend. “Hey, Adam.” He greeted as she shook Adam’s hand, who pulled him in for a quick brotherly hug. “It’s been a while.”

Adam ran his hand through his slicked back dark green dreads and chuckled. “Yeah, I flew in from London. Some nutter was trying to mass-hypnotize the British population and make them believe he was the new King, but I put a quick stop to that. The Royal Family can breathe easy again.” He turned to Norma and shook her hand. “I heard they called you back in, Norma. How’s things with you and Frazie?”

“On their way to be even better than ever.” Norma replied, smiling softly. She shot Raz a sideways glance, a grin tugging on her lips. “Has our …surprise guest arrived yet?”

Adam grinned as well, shooting Raz that same mischievous look. “Not yet, seems traffic is quite rowdy today. But they are in psychic range, so I’ll be filling them in as the briefing goes on.

Raz let out an annoyed groan. “Okay, am I the only one who’s out of the loop or what?”

Adam and Norma shot each other a grin before they turned to Raz and both responded with a teasing “Yes”.

Raz sighed, but let out a chuckle. “Jeez, this is starting to give me déjà vu, guys.” He spoke. “I’m not gonna walk through those doors and there’s a surprise party waiting for me, right?”

“I wish it was, big little man. Things are …serious.” Adam responded, and he gestured for Norma and Raz to go through the doors. “Way serious.”

The final security door opened, showing the Nerve Center in all its glory. Raz immediately got a tense sense of the gravity of the situation. There was an energy in the air, like a heavy storm that was brewing. Agents were strewn around the many computers, passing out notes to each other, running around the room to get everything ready. And in the middle of this storm stood current Head of the Psychonauts – and honorary aunt of Razputin – Agent Hollis Forsythe. She had taken over leading the Psychonauts a couple of years ago, after Truman had decided to retire and help his daughter with her ‘growing botanical empire’ – which is what she called her botanical garden and flower show she ran with her father and two great-uncles.

Forsythe was currently eying the holographical map in front of her, which she shut down with a snap of her fingers when she saw the newly arrived Agents.

“Raz, Adam, great you finally could join us.” She said, and Raz noticed the tenseness in her voice.

Raz presented Hollis with a quick smile and greeted with a nod of his head.

Hollis turned to Norma. “Thank you that you could resume active duty so promptly, Norma. I know you and your wife had your eyes set on this vacation for a long, overdue time.

“Greeting, Grand Head Forsythe, and no problem.” Norma replied. “She and I both know you wouldn’t have asked me if the situation didn’t require it.”

“Aren’t my parents here?” Razputin asked.

“They’re still on their way back from their mission in Belgium, so they’ll be briefed later.” A hint of a smile appeared on her lips. “They sent you their love, Agent Vodello.”

Raz blushed slightly and muttered a soft ‘thank you for telling me, Grand Head…”.

Adam took a stand next to Agent Forsythe and stapled his fingers together. “Well, that only leaves- “

The doors of the Nerve Center opened and Lili quickly ran in. “I’m here, sorry for the wait.” She let out a huff, her cheeks flushed with effort and embarrassment. She quickly ran up to Raz, grabbing his hand as she took a place next to him. “Harold Junior the 2nd had ran off with my Thinkerprint badge …again. Hi, Raz.” She planted a quick kiss on his cheek, making him sputter something about ‘trying to keep things professional for now’, much to the amusement of his two older friends around him.

Hollis shook her head with an amused roll of her eyes and cleared her throat as everyone took a seat at the tables around the projector. “With everyone present, minus our surprise guest specialist- “

Raz quietly let out an annoyed groan, making Lili giggle softly at his reaction.

“-we can get started.” Hollis snapped her fingers. The shutters of the giant eye-shaped window closed down and even the window looking into the Grand Head’s office lowered their blinds, showering the room in darkness. Only the lights of the computer screens and holographic projector in the middle of the room providing a dim light.

“As most of you know, we’ve been tracking the movements of the Third Eye Syndicate, whom have been making some seriously daring moves these last few weeks.” Hollis pressed a button on her desk, and the symbol of the Syndicate – three eyes placed in a triangular formation – got projected, with several stills of camera footage taken from various capers they pulled recently.

“I’m aware their reputation and history are quite known in our organization, but for the record I will state who we are dealing with.” Hollis snapped her fingers, and a new photo appeared on screen, showing a newspaper clipping from a two decades ago, showing the headline ‘Psychic Power Broker brought to justice’. “Around two decades ago, the then patriarch of the Viennese Brechen Family – Edmund Brechen - was arrested when it was discovered that he and others in his family had been using their psychic powers of persuasion over the years to ‘influence business in their favor and amass power and wealth’, as it is written here. It was believed they had collected millions in ill-gained fortune, leaving hundreds of people robbed from their employment and income. With the help of the Psychonauts, he was brought into the light and justice was served.”

Raz nodded solemnly. He had read about that in the archives. It was one of the first big missions of the newly formed Psychonauts, after the whole Deluge of Grulovia event.

Hollis continued. “It never went to court, as Edmund took his own life while awaiting trial, and his wife Isabelle and son Wilhelm fled the country.” She pushed another button and the newspaper clipping changed into a photo of a young man, wearing simple robes akin to what monks would wear. “Details after that are sketchy at best, but some years after the incident, it’s believed that Wilhelm traveled to Tibet and joined a Monastery of monks, who sought to achieve ‘universal enlightenment through the understanding of psychic powers. We don’t know what transpired, but we do know that after a few years, he suddenly went on a rampage and destroyed everyone and everything in the monastery, after which he fled in the night.”

Adam leaned forward, his elbows propped on the table, head resting on his folded hands. “The next thing we heard of Brechen, was the also the Psychonauts’ first run-in with the criminal organization known as the ‘Third Eye Syndicate’, who by then he went by the moniker Baron Breaker. In those days, they were a gang of drug dealers, specializing in ‘Psycho-reactive drugs’, often derived of Psitanium and other material with Psychic properties.”

Raz nodded. His assignments often involved the Syndicate and their drug trade. They dealt in the regular illicit substances as well, but they were infamous for their psychic drugs; such as J0lt, which could temporary awaken latent psychic abilities in non-psychic people, or give a psychic boost to psychics. Or VS10N – also known under the name Vision – which could create a Clairvoyance-like effect in people.

“Baron Breaker is one of most dangerous Psychic currently alive.” Hollis said, taking over from Adam again. “Not many encounter the man himself, and survive. Those lucky to live and tell the tale often speak about the same experience. He’d tear into their mind and make them ‘see things’ and ‘hear things’, driving them to the brink of madness, or worse …”

Raz squeezed his eyes shut, the image of one of those survivors he once questioned - or tried to question - still burned into his mind. Their incoherent babbling, together with the nervous demeaner and a near absence of awareness of self, didn’t make for a pretty picture. And those were the ones who were lucky …

“Over the years, their influence and reach have been taken leaps in growth, to the point we consider them the biggest threat to the Psychonauts since the Deluge of Grulovia. And with the intel that we received yesterday, they might have become an even bigger threat, not just to us but the general public as well.” Hollis folded her hands on the table, letting her gaze go over everyone in the room. “We have received intel that the Syndicate has gotten their hands on a large amount of Psilirium …and they’re planning on using it to make a new bath of the Insomnia drug.”

Raz pursed his lips together. The drug NSM01A – going by the street name Insomnia – was dangerous. It brought whoever took it into a deep trance that could last for days. It was extremely addictive, but worse: it was poisonous, with an especially quick reaction to Psychics. The last time that drug hit the streets was almost 20 years ago, and it caused a lot of causalities, both among psychics and non-psychics alike. It was the reason why there were so many rules and regulations around the dangerous mineral and why agencies like the Psychonauts were the only ones who were allowed to deal with the substance.

“I don’t need to remind you all what would happen if this drug gets distributed to the general populace.” Hollis said.

“Did any leads came with that intel?” Razputin asked.

“An informant, who had a hand in delivering the Psilirium to them, informed us their base of operations is an abandoned oil rig in International Waters...” She turned her gaze to Razputin. “…situated along the coastline of Brazil.”

“Aqueles filhos-da-p-!” Raz sniffed sharply and forced back the rest of the insult, clenching his fists on the table, feeling a rage build inside him. Since Milla adopted him, he both had the American and Brazilian citizenship and despite not being born there, he felt a great connection to the country. If the Syndicate had their sights on his adopted motherland … He felt Lili place a hand land on his shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze. He turned to her and nodded with a reassuring smile.

“What’s the plan, Agent Forsythe?” Norma asked.

Hollis pushed a button on her desk; the shutters opened up again and the projector switched off. “We are going to put a stop to the Syndicate, once and for all.” Hollis announced. “Our informant revealed none other than Baron Breaker is on site at all times.”

“How does he know that?” Lili asked incredulously.

“Apparently he dealt with the man himself.” Adam replied.

“And he survived?”

“Guess so.”

“Agent Vodello, Agent Natividad, I’m sending you and a small team to Brazil, with miss Zanotto acting as extra muscle.” Hollis instructed her two Agents, giving Lili a small nod, who cracked her knuckles with a delighted, yet menacing grin.

“Why a small team?” Razputin asked. “Why not go all in, psi-blasts blazing?”

“Because our aim is to capture and detain Baron Breaker. From what we know about the Syndicate, he is the only one who seems to be holding them together – either through fear or loyalty.” Hollis explained. “Without his leadership, influence and Psychic powers, the group will be weakened, their morale shattered and we’ll be able to pick them off more easily.”

“We can also assume that the base will be guarded, so a small infiltration team will be able to move a bit more stealthily.” Adam added.

 “Razputin, you will take Miss Zanotto and infiltrate the base, where you locate and capture Baron Breaker. Norma, you will be taking the lead on this.” Adam instructed. “You’ll be on comms, guiding Razputin and Lili on their way to the Baron.”

“When are we gonna strike?” Lili asked, a fire in her eyes and Raz couldn’t help but to feel really attracted to her right now.

“Our informant informed us he is required to deliver another shipment in 10 days, so that’ll be our window of opportunity.” Hollis informed. “Your team will act as part of the crew making the delivery.”

“Are we sneaking in during the delivery, or do we hide in the crates?” Raz asked, seeing a chance to pull an old-school spy trope.

“No can do, Raz.” Adam said. “The guards on site inspect the cargo before our informant can unload them, and an escort guides him from and away from the rig. There no way you could sneak off the ship during any of those times.”

“Then how are we gonna do it?” Norma asked.

Adam smirked. “Well, once the guards have done their sweeps and escorted the boat away from the rig, there no reason for them to keep their guard up all the way, right?”

“You suggest we sneak into the base after we’re far enough again?” Lili questioned. “They’ll see us coming from a nautical mile away.”

“Not if you sneak in from underneath the base.” Hollis explained. “They might have eyes on the sea and sky, but even the Syndicate doesn’t have the resources to detect a few persons traveling underwater.”

“So, we’ll get in under their very noses. Shouldn’t be much of a problem. Using my Hydrokinesis I will certainly get us there, however …” Raz began, stroking his cheek in thought. “I may be specialized in HK, but even I won’t be able to keep it up long enough for us to find a way through the bottom.”

“And that’s where you’ll need to come up with a plan with the specialist we have called in.” Adam explained. “I’m certain you’ll come up with something.”

Hollis stood up from her seat. “Norma, you and your team will all be sent copies of the intel we have.” She said to Norma, who stood up as well, with Raz and Lili following her lead. “Study them. Use them to formulate your infiltration plans, back-up plans, emergency back-up plans, evac strategies, everything. If there any others Agents you think could benefit the mission, they’ll be yours. Gisu is already getting a boat modified and mission ready for you. Everyone else: prepare for this as best as you can. We won’t get a shot like this anytime soon again. Dismissed.”

With that said, Raz, Lili and Norma stood up and started to make their way out of the Nerve Center.

“So …now what?” Raz asked.

“You heard the Grand Head, Razputin.” Norma said. “Now we come up with the best course of action to bring this mission to a successful end and-.” She cocked an eyebrow and brought her fingers to her temple. She smirked. “Seems our …guest has arrived.”

“Oh?” Raz’s curiosity had been burning a hole in his brain.” Who is it?”

Unbeknownst to Raz, Norma slowed down her pace and inconspicuously held out an arm in front of Lili, so she’d slow down as well. She gave the younger pyrokinetic a sly grin, who seemed to pick up on Norma’s intention. “You’ll see soon enough.”

Raz – oblivious to the actions of his girlfriend and surrogate sister – took a step forward as the last security door opened itself. “What’s that suppose- “

“HEAD’S UP, POOTER!”

Something white and blurry flew in his direction and something cold and soft hit him right between the eyes. Taken off guard by the sudden impact, Ras slipped and fell backwards on his back. Behind him, he heard Lili and Norma laughing. He groaned and wiped the substance of his face. He rubbed the stuff between his fingers. “Snow?”

A blurry person danced into his view. He heard an all too familiar cackle. “Dang, Raz, I’m so happy to see that surprise attacks are still your greatest weakness.”

Whatever confusion and anger Raz initially felt after the impact, suddenly melted away – pun intended – and he sat up with a wide grin, his vision clearing up enough to make out who this. “Lizzie?”

His other surrogate sister Lizzie Natividad knelt in front om him, a big teasing grin on her lips. “Surprise, little brother. It’s been a while”

A grin started to form on Razputin’s face, as the pieces started to fall together. “You are the surprise specialist?”

“Yup.” Lizzie confirmed. “Seems ol’ Hollis thought this mission could benefit of my cryonic touch.” She held out a hand to the floor-ridden Razputin.

Raz grabbed Lizzie’s hand and pulled himself up, immediately embracing her the moment he got to his feet. He let out a laugh as he held her close. “I’m getting you back for that snowball, you that, right?”

“Yeah, I like to see you try, Poots.” Lizzie chuckled, ruffling his hair. She nodded towards Lili. “S’up, Flower Queen?”

Lili giggled. “Hi, Lizzie. Great throw.”

“I’d say you are way too old for those childish acts, but …it was funny seeing Raz got knocked down like that.” Norma said as she approached her sister. The two Natividad sisters embraced one another. “It’s so good to see you, though. How’s Millie?”

“Likewise, sis.” Lizzie replied. “Millie’s doing great. She holding down the fort back in NYC.” Lizzie replied.

“You look great, by the way.” Raz mentioned.

“Which means you look more like a walking advertisement for your tattoo shop.” Norma quipped with a mischievous smirk. “Going through airport security must be a nightmare for you, with all that metal attached to your face.”

“Hey, no hate on the style.” Lizzie grinned, took a step backwards and held out her arms, showing them the total picture. She was covered head to toe with tattoos of various designs and she’d gotten a few more piercings since the last time Raz had seen her. He counted at least 4 new ones – and knowing Lizzie, those were just the ones who were visible. The sides of her head were completely shaven short, save for the middle top of her head, where she kept her hair in a long-braided ponytail that reached halfway down her back.

“No-one will suspect you being a spy, that’s for sure.” Lili said, chuckling as Lizzie stuck out her tongue at her.

“Speaking of which, why did you agree on this?” Raz asked. “I mean, I’m glad you’re here, but it seems a bit …out of character for you.”

Lizzie crossed her arms, her face scrunching up into a scowl. “I’ll admit, I have something of a personal stake in this.” She began. “The neighborhood where me and Millie live is a favorite of Syndicate dealers. Just some punks they hired to deal out their drugs, not even actual members.” She rubbed her arms, and Raz could feel a wave of sadness wash over her. “I know people who have lost friends or family due to those drugs. And those dealers have been getting bolder, getting way to close, also. Last week, one of those punks tried to deal in front of my shop, but I showed him the errors of his ways, so to speak. I don’t want them anywhere near Millie. I want them done and gone.”

Raz nodded, planting a hand on Lizzie’s shoulder. “And we will.” He assured. A grin formed on his lips. “And since you are here …I think I got a plan in mind to get us into that base.”

An identical mischievous grin formed on Lizzie’s face. “I’m all ears, little brother.”

Lili chuckled, as Norma let out a soft groan, as she buried her face in her hand. “I’m gonna regret this, aren’t I?”

Chapter Text

‘So far, so good.’ Raz thought to himself – and to the others - as he and the rest of his team waited in the hidden compartment bay at the bottom of the cargo ship Gisu had prepared for them. With him were Lili, Lizzie – with the two of them in a tactical get-up – and Norma, who was busy with the final setup of her communication equipment. While Raz and his team would rely mostly on radio-silence unless in the direst circumstance, it also provided a link with the rest of the team that had remained on the mainland with emergency response units. If anything would go wrong, they could relay a message to HQ.

Lili looked over to him, giving him a nervous smile. ‘No signs that they’re on to us?’

‘I’ll check.’ Raz closed his eyes and used clairvoyance to connect to the mind of the one of the Agents that were posing as crewmen on the upper deck. He soon saw blue skies and calm seas, and a burly pair of hands holding on to a mop as they were scrubbing the deck. A scratch in the back of his mind told him the Agent acknowledged his presence. ‘Agent Sanchez, how is the situation?’

The Agent didn’t answer, but instead directed his gaze towards the starboard – or was it port side? – of the ship. Raz saw a big crane unloading cargo containers – probably some other supplies were stashed with the Psilirium. He suppressed the urge to whistle when Agent Sanchez looked up at the giant oil rig the Syndicate was using as a base.

‘That’s a big rig.’ Lizzie commented, who had joined in the clairvoyance session. ‘You guys are gonna have a heck of a time navigating that, even with the plans Forsythe managed to dig up.’

‘Hollis’ intel has never failed us in the past, so why start now?’ Lili added. ‘I’m a bit more concerned about the oodles of bad guys on every corner.’

Raz had to agree – with both statements. As far as he – or rather, Agent Sanchez – could see, there were a lot of armed men all around the rig. Raz recognized some of the men looking over the unloading process. He had thrown several of them in jail personally. He wasn’t surprised they were out again, though, considering the Syndicate seemed to have gained a lot of pull these days.

The rig itself was massive, even for oil rig standards. Raz had looked into the facility’s history as to prepare himself. Seemed it was a rather ambitious oil drilling project of the Brazilian government, with less-than-satisfactory results. Afterwards, it got repurposed and retrofitted with the intention for it to act as a maritime observatory and deep-sea research facility, but after that didn’t bare any fruition as well, it got abandoned. After that, it seems that the Syndicate managed to get their hands on it, and they’ve been shipping out their ‘produce’ from their out ever since.  

Feeling he wasn’t gonna get any more intel this way then they currently had, Raz ended the clairvoyance and let out a silent sigh.

‘No sign of the big man himself.’ Lizzie commented.

‘No surprise there.’ Norma answered, finally breaking her silence. She swiveled around her chair – which she had Gisu bolt to the floor, so the waves wouldn’t throw her around while she was working – and folded her hands on her lap. ‘The Baron is notoriously known to be very much absent with most of his operations, preferring to lead from the background. Probably to do with the fact he is wanted in most parts of the civilized world.’

To the untrained eye, Norma was a beacon of calmness and serenity; an exemplary attitude of an Agent ready to undergo a mission. She had trained herself to always present herself with an air of professionalism, but Raz – and he figured that Lizzie had noticed it too – saw that Norma was nervous and anxious. It was the little things: the way she had pursed her lips together in a thin line – something she might have picked up from Agent Forsyth -, the way her fingers were digging into the back of her hand or how she hadn’t taken her eyes of Raz since she had turned around.

‘Something wrong, Norma?’ Raz asked. Lili turned around at this question, throwing a concerned look at the older Agent. Lizzie cocked her head, her expression seemingly asking that same question.

Norma sighed, leaning back into her chair. Her frow burrowed and she rubbed her chin in thought. ‘It’s my first time taking the lead in a mission like this….’

‘Uh, no it’s not.” Raz commented. ‘I’ve seen you take charge a lot of time’

‘Yes, but those were either in the field or I was backed up by another Agent.’ Norma grimaced. ‘This is my first true solo op.’

‘What are we, Swish cheese?’ Lizzie asked with a grin.

‘You know what I meant.’ Norma replied, a ghost of a grin tugging at the corner of her lips. She folded on leg over the other and placed her elbows on them, letting her chin rest on her folded hands. ‘I meant that I am in charge and the outcome of this mission largely depends on how I manage the Agents, your infiltration, exfil, things like that. It’s … daunting.’

‘Well, if someone can do it, it’s you.’ Lili commented with a smile. She walked over to Raz and tapped his head. ‘After all, you managed to keep this one and all those other ragtag collection of rambunctious interns in line back when.’

‘Hey!’

‘Ahem, weren’t you part of that rambunctious collection as well?’ Lizzie asked with a sly grin.

‘Exactly my point.’

Norma giggled silently. ‘Thank, Lili.’

‘No prob.’

Norma’s expression, however, turned concerned again, her brow furrowing even deeper. ‘It’s not just that, though. It’s also …’

Raz noticed how her tone faltered and looked up from his gear checkup. ‘Norma?’

Norma took a deep breath. ‘There is this …nagging feeling that’s been bothering me ever since we’ve arrived here.’ She explained. ‘Something feels …off.’

‘As in…?’ Lizzie asked.

‘Don’t know… I can’t explain it.’

‘You know, it’s a shame that Elka went into the fashion industry instead of getting her Psychonauts Specialist Certificate like so many other we knew at camp. She’s a master in using Precognition …even if she only uses it to get a feeling what the next year’s trends are gonna be.’  Lili chimed in, letting out a sigh. ‘We could have used a Precog Specialist on the roster so we could be warned if something wasn’t right.’

‘Even if so, it wouldn’t do us much good anyway Precognition only gives a ‘vision with the most likely outcome of events that is greatly influenced by choice and circumstance’ and never a precise picture. It’s still guesswork, even with the most talented of precogs.’ He turned to Norma. ‘Are you thinking that we should postpone the mission?’

Norma shook her head. ‘No, no, we aren’t going to get a second chance on this. We do this here and now. It’s probably just my nerves anyway and I’m not going to risk messing up an op just because I’m feeling a little queasy.’

Raz wanted to say something, but a sudden rumble that went through the ship stopped him. Norma spun her chair around and looked at her screens. Raz dropped whatever questions that were lingering in his mind and went back to giving his gear a final inspection. He didn’t need to ask what was going on. The ship had started moving, which most likely meant that the business up top had been concluded. The ship was probably being escorted away from the rig.

The job of those on deck was done …now it was him and his team’s turn.

‘We are moving away from the rig, so I officially declare this mission started.’ Norma announced, swiveling around to face the three others in the bay. ‘From here on out, we’ll be using code names. My call sign is – and I would like to point out that Gisu has suggested these and I didn’t have any say in them – Ice Cream Parlor.’ She rolled her eyes at the snickering of her colleagues. ‘Yeah, real professional. Laugh it up; you’re next and your code names are...”

She pointed at Lizzie. ‘Gelato.’

‘Exotic. Nice.’

Norma moved over to Lili. ‘Soft Serve.’

‘It’s sarcastic, I like it.’

She turned finally to Razputin and the grin that was forming on her face was making his one drop. ‘Slush puppy.’

Lizzie let out a sound that sounded like a mixture of a snort and choking while she forced back a laugh. Lili’s shoulder shook as she held her hand firmly against her mouth to keep herself from laughing.

Raz projected the image of a middle finger into his dear friends’ minds, pulling his goggles over his eyes with a silent groan. ‘Next time, I’ll come up with codenames.’

‘You’ll have to take that up with Forsythe, Slush Puppy.’ Norma commented nonchalantly as she spun back to her screens. She stayed silent for a moment while Lizzie playfully ruffled Raz’s hair.

“The Syndicate escort has broken off and are returning to the rig” Norma spoke up suddenly, making Raz and the others jump as her voice suddenly echoed through the empty bay. She presumably felt secure enough to forgo the telepathic conversation for the moment.

Raz cleared his throat, having been silent for so long it had started to feel a little dry. “Okay, let’s get ready, team.”

“What makes you team leader, Poots?” Lizzie asked, grinning mischievously. “I’m the oldest of us three.”

“Yeah, and I am the only official Agent of our little trio, which makes me more qualified.”

“Can you guys please act like it’s an official mission and be professional about it?” Norma asked loudly, but Raz had noticed the amused hint in her voice. She looked over her shoulder, a glint of mischief in her eyes. “Don’t make me turn this boat around.”

“We’ll behave.” Raz promised with a chuckle. Teasing or not, Norma was right. A bit of playful pre-mission banter wasn’t a big deal, but they were on an important mission and they needed to have all their wits about them. This wasn’t going to be easy. “Okay, we’re ready.”

“Good to go.” Lili added.

“Yeah, I need to go take a leak, can we wait for a bit?” Lizzie joked. Judging by the way the temperature in the room slightly increased for a moment, Norma had reached her limit for jokes. Something her sister luckily picked up on. “Okay, okay, I apologize. I’m ready for assignment, Agent sister Natividad.”

“Better…” Norma sighed. “If only a little…Okay, we are reaching our drop point. Get ready to jump, squad.”

The trio made their way towards a hatch in the floor, which Norma opened for them with a push of a button. The hatch, which was one of the modifications that Gisu had installed for the mission, opened with a metallic screech. The sea rushed under them, a mist of cold water splashing on them.

“Okay, I’m ready to engage the diversion in 3 …2 ….1 …now!” Norma pulled a lever on her console. Immediately, Razputin heard a groan echoing through the ship, like a beast letting out a dying roar. Red warning light started flashing in the bay, and probably the rest of the ship. Judging by the current, the ship was steadily slowing down until it come to a full stop.

“Oh dear, we are now dead in the water.” Norma allowed herself to joke.

It was little thing that Gisu had installed that would simulate a critical engine failure, complete with smoke and – she had assured them – mild, totally containable fires. If all was well, the rig would have…

Norma’s console crackled and a voice sounded. “Hey, what’s with the smoke?”

Raz didn’t recognize the voice, which meant that someone on the rig had noticed their little trick. All part of the plan.

A new, kinda rough voice sounded, which Raz did recognize as the captain of their vessel. He sounded annoyed, to the edge of total rage, it seemed. “That damn engine finally broke down. I told them fancy mechanics at the docks it sounded weird, but nooooo…. We’ll need to make some repairs before we can move on.”

“How long?”

“Couple of hours and we’ll be out of your hair.”

silence fell on the other end of the line for a long while, before the first voice spoke up again. “Fine. Make it happen. You got two hours. If yer not gone by then, …”

“Aye, aye,…”

Norma let out a sigh of relief, turning to Raz and the others. “They took the ruse, which means: you’re up.“

“Okay, here I go…” Raz took a deep breath, gathered all the concentration he could muster and extended his hands towards the water. After a few moments where nothing happened, the water slowly started to bubble and slosh around, before eventually it started to slowly part away. Slowly but surely, Raz was essentially making a tunnel they could down in. He had made it wider than the hatch, to make sure that enough oxygen would find its way down there.

Lili was looking down the hatch as the tunnel was forming. “Okay, I think you’re deep enough, Slush Puppy.” She eventually commented, a small smirk on her lips as she said Raz’s code name.

If it weren’t for the fact that Raz had to use all his concentration to keep the liquid tunnel from collapsing, he would have replied with something sarcastic. Instead, he just rolled his eyes. “Thank you, Soft Serve. Gelato, you’re up.”

Lizzie rubbed her hands together, white smoke flowing through her fingers like they were made of dry ice. “Time to work my magic.”

Lizzie knelt down next to the hatch and placed her hands on the edge. First, the area around her hands started to form a thin layer of ice, which slowly started to spread around the hatch. Lizzie let out a soft groan as the ice started to make its way down the hatch, freezing the tunnel that Razputin was making.

“It’s working.” Lili announced. “Keep it up, you two.”

“Lizzie, I think the tunnel isn’t dealing well with the pressure.” Raz commented. “Can you make the ice thicker?”

“In a moment…” Lizzie took a deep breath. “Once I get the first layer done, I’ll work on reinforcing.”

“Roger that.”

Norma looked over her shoulder, allowing herself a soft smile – and a sense of pride - as she watched her sister and surrogate brother work together. It was Razputin who had come up with the idea of combining their powers to do this. It was a favorite pastime of them when they were still interns. Raz would use his Hydrokinesis to make all sorts of structures and Lizzie would freeze them solid. More than often, they made them for Gisu who would use it to perform her next ‘most epic stunt’. Who would’ve thought that a silly game like that would have real world applications?

Only Razputin’s imagination could concoct something like this.

“How’s it going?” She asked eventually.

“Just about done!” Lizzie replied. “Just putting the final touches on the bottom. We don’t wanna crash through it, don’t we?”

“Aaand …done!” Razputin announced, letting his arms fall to his sides with a heavy sigh. He grinned as he looked down the tunnel, feeling the cold rise of from its frosty depth. “Phase 1, complete.”

“Still no sign the Syndicate suspects something.” Norma commented from her chair. She turned around. “Okay, you know the plan, Razputin. Get to the rig, get inside, find the Baron, use whatever means to incapacitate him and exfiltrate as fast as possible.”

“Got it.”

”Good luck and be careful, all of you.”

“Always.” Raz commented with a wink. “See you in a bit, sis. You ready, Lizzie?”

“Ready, Slush Puppy.”

“Ugh …Lili?”

“Yup!”

“Let’s go.” Raz levitated down with Lizzie and Lili following behind him. Immediately, he felt the temperature drop down farther and farther the more he went down. He exhaled, watching wisps of breath disperse into the air. Maybe he should’ve worn a sweater. Razputin looked up as they hovered down, watching the opening of the hatch grow smaller and smaller. He had no idea how deep they were going, but he could feel the pressure building up in her ears. It was getting darker too, so they ignited their flashlights just before they hit ‘floor’ of their tunnel.

“Okay, we’re at the bottom.” Razputin said as he activated his earpiece.

“How’s the view?” Norma’s voice asked.

“It’s ice, Norms.” Lizzie answered. “Not much too see through it.”

“I’m sorry, Gelato, could you repeat your statement?” Norma sounded neutral, but Raz could pick up the tinniest hint of amusement in her voice.

Lizzie rolled her eyes. “Ice Cream Parlor, visual is minimal and a bit frozen.”

“Roger that, Gelato. Ice Cream Parlor, out.”

“She’s having fun.” Lili commented with a giggle.

“Yeah, but we better get serious.” Raz said. “This won’t be a walk in the park. Soft Serve, which way to the rig?”

Lili fished a small device out of her pockets and checked it. “Gisu’s doodad says ‘thataway’. “

Raz smirked and extended his arms again. “Ready, Gelato?”

“Yeah, I’m not using code names anymore, Raz.” Lizzie commented as she extended her arms too. “But yeah, I’m ready.”

“And …go.”

Lizzie made a an opening in the ice at the same moment that Raz used his HK to form a new tunnel, which the former quickly started to freeze as well. And so they gradually made their way forward, forming a tunnel and instantly freezing it around them. The process was slow, since Raz had to make sure the ‘hallways’ he was making connected with each other as Lizzie was making them solid.

Even though oxygen flowed from the above them through the tunnel, it was till sparse enough for Raz to feel its effect. The fact that he had to concentrate so hard didn’t help at all. Lizzie was silent throughout it all. She probably had the hardest job so far. Not only did she need to freeze the tunnel around them; she also needed to make it thick and dense enough so it would break under the pressure. Combined with the fact that she also was making ‘support beams’ under the tunnel so it wouldn’t collapse under its own weight, Raz was more than amazed at his adopted sister’s abilities.

“Doodad says we’re approaching the rig’s entry point.” Lili announced at one point. “Just a bit more, aaaaand ….we right below where we need to be.”

Raz nodded and started to work on forming a bigger area for them to get started in. After that, he directed his HK upwards and started making a tunnel up to the rig. When the tunnel was completed, Raz dropped his arms. “Okay, we’re done, Gelato.”

Lizzie dropped on one knee with a heavy sigh. Her face was glistening in sweat and she looked fatigued. “That …was a lot.”

Raz walked up to her and knelt down. “Hey, you did amazing, Liz.”

Lizzie grinned and waved the comment away. “Yeah, I know …Slushy.”

Raz grinned as well. “That’s ‘Slush Puppy’.” He stood up, holding out his hand to pull Lizzie to her feet. “Lili and I can take it from here. You return to the ship.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that.” Lizzie agreed. “After I fortify this tunnel a bit more. We don’t want your exit collapse before you can use it, don’t we?”

“That would be preferable.” Lili joked.

Lizzie slapped a hand on Raz’s shoulder. “Good luck, you two. Go raise some hell up there.” With that, she knelt down again, placing her hands on the floor. Judging by the cracking sounds, she had started with making the wall thicker. Raz nodded at Lili and both of them levitated upwards towards the rig.

As they reached the top of the tunnel, Raz dug into his bag and fished out a stethoscope.

“Really, Raz? A stethoscope?”

“What? It’s one of Gisu’s. Especially made for situations like this.”

“It’s a bit …cliché, isn’t it?”

“Hey, it’s pronounced ‘classic’ and if it works, it works.” Raz placed the bell against the ceiling – rig‘s floor – and listened. He couldn’t detect any footsteps or voices in the room above them. He put the listening device away and nodded at Lili. “Your turn.”

Lili nodded, placed her fingers against her temple and concentrated her focus on the metal plates. A spot on the metal started slowly heating up, becoming redder and redder until it started sparking. Lili, using a finger to guide the way, slowly started to cut out a hole for them to enter.

“You’re amazing, you know that?” Raz complimented.

“Shut up and let me focus.” Lili growled softly, despite the little smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Once Lili had managed to cut out the hole, Raz used TK to carefully push it out. They waited for a few moments, listening if someone potentially had noticed them. When it looked like they were in the clear, he radioed Norma.

“Ice Cream Parlor, we’re about to infiltrate the rig, over.”

“Roger that, Slush Puppy.” Norma replied. “Radio silence until further notice.”

“Understood.” He gestured to Lili that he was going to enter first. He took a deep breath and levitated himself up the hole. The room was dark, probably not even used by the Syndicate, judging by the junk that was sprawled around. He landed gently on the floor, looking around if no-one had heard him. When he was sure they were safe, he signaled Lili to come up.

“So, we are here…” Raz said, pulling out a map out of his bag as Lili landed next to him. He folded it out and pointed at a spot on the schematics. “We can use the elevator shaft to climb up and make our way further down the compound.”

“Where do you think Baron Breaker will be hiding out?”

“He’ll probably be in the control room, to keep an eye on his operations” Raz said, pointing at a structure at the top of the schematic. He folded up the map again and put it in his bag. “Okay, we are deep in enemy territory, so we better be careful. We’re trying to get this guy off guard. If we’re quiet and sneaky enough, this shouldn’t be a problem.”

“And if we do get caught…” Lili grinned and slammed a fist in her open palm.

Raz chuckled. “That’s why I love you, Soft Serve.”

“Shut up, Raz.”