Lucien had just finished categorizing three medium (B) returns that came from ’empowering’ Mikky, and having his care, as a parent, shed through some layers of the boy’s timidity to stand up to a Prowler, when Lector walked into the uncompleted building.

Lucien, who’d been pacing to and fro around the room, stealing glances at the sleeping Mikky, waved off the system screen that still displayed the returns—[Resolve] [Wrath of Berserk] [Visage of Power], and he looked toward the Prowler.

Lector was dressed in an all-black outfit. A tight, long-sleeve shirt that hugged his frame, and an equally tight pair of pants.

He had camouflaged bag, undoubtedly filled with weapons, flung on one shoulder, and the grin on his lips had a rather different quality from the one Lucien was used to.

This grin of Lector’s made Lucien sweat.

"Are you ready?" The blond man asked.

Lucien tapped the pocket of his black pants, feeling the knife patiently waiting in it. He adjusted his black t-shirt, and his emerald eyes took on a different quality as he attuned himself to the nature of resolve.

Lucien hardened himself, nodding.

"Is the boy well-fed?" Lector asked.

"Yes."

"Good. Leave him here. My partner is on her way, she’ll stay with him."

Lucien frowned.

"Why don’t we wait for her to get here?"

Lector shook his head.

"No time, Lucien. We have to get going."

Lucien raised his wrist, staring at the time on his camo-watch.

[5:20 pm]

He winced.

"Sultra Suzie. Do you know who owned that watch, Lucien?"

To shit with that question, there was no time for this.

"Now’s not the time," Lucien said. "And if I’m going to leave Mikky, I’ll rather tell him first, inform him that someone is coming and that I’ll be here soon, or else he might get scared when he wakes up."

Lector said nothing. He only nodded.

Lucien nodded back, and walked to the boy.

Reaching the kid sleeping on a pile of clothes, Lucien kneeled, whispering in his ears:

"I know you aren’t sleeping, Mikky," he said, kissing the boy’s cheek. "Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon. Lector’s friend is coming over to stay with you. I have to go now. You remember what I said, right?"

"Mn," Mikky said softly.

"Yes. When I come back, I’ll be back with a new sibling."

Mikky nodded.

Lucien kissed the boy’s forehead, then stood up, taking in a deep breath.

Breathe out.

It pained Lucien’s heart to leave the boy alone again. But this was necessary.

He looked up at the tall blond.

"Let’s go."

Lector nodded.

"Keep up."

And they sauntered off.

***

The streets around the building of the Cerulean Orphanage was less crowded and bustling than the streets they’d passed on their way here. Fewer people walked this line of shoddy buildings and shops, and the air around this place felt stale and crisp.

At the spot where Lucien stood with Lector, he spotted The Cerulean Orphanage.

It was an unassuming building. Larger than most, yes, but it still had that rotten quality and near-zero presence that all the other buildings around it had. The only thing that separated this building from the others was the glowing Cerulean light mounted high above that spelled out the words: "Cerulean Orphanage."

"Pretty neat, huh?" A female voice called out.

Lucien raised a brow, glancing at the woman who stood next to him and Lector.

With long, flowing black hair and dark but equally radiant eyes, she was dressed in the same outfit as Lector. All black pants and shirt.

She winked at Lucien as she caught his gaze.

It made him incline his head.

"Neat?"

"Yeah," she said, looking at the building once more. "Neat. They did a good job disguising the place as a normal orphanage."

Right now, they stood in the middle of two buildings, a bit far from the orphanage. But it was a perfect watch-point.

Lucien smiled.

"Evelyn, right?"

"I believe I introduced myself a while ago." She adjusted the white camo-watch strapped to her wrist, which blinked twice and let out a soft beep sound. Whatever that was. "But yes..." she unzipped that large back that Lector had dropped on the ground. "I’m Evelyn."

Lucien nodded, facing forward.

"Right."

Lector grunted.

"You still remember your role, right?"

Lucien nodded.

"I walk into the place, walk right down to the counter, and tell them I want to adopt a child."

It was the ultimate tomfoolery. Adoption almost never occurred in zerozone orphanages. Funded by the Sector Elentors — governors of sorts, people who weren’t zeros but assigned by The Union to lead a sector. They didn’t do much leading anyway — they just raised children until they grew to an age when they could suffer out there on their own.

For a zero, raising themselves was hard enough, imagine adding a child to that burden? It was just nonsensical. Uneconomical.

But Lucien found himself eliminating thoughts of his to-be actions being nonsensical as he strolled toward the building of the Cerulean Orphanage, feigning a naive expression, but inwardly tempering his heart with resolve.

’Let’s do this.’

If Lucien played his card right, he would get to ’select’ a child to adopt. And, following his map, he would find Amira while Lector and Evelyn burst into the place, laser guns ablazing as they head underground. They knew the layout and everything.

Reaching the front of the building, Lucien knocked on the large, wooden door. Once. Twice.

No answer.

Hinges creaked as he pushed open the two-way door.

"Hello."

No reply. His voice just echoed ominously in the empty space of the building.

The interior was a sparsely furnished place. Unpainted.

A large desk lay at one corner. Six-seater chairs by the side, a reception of sorts.

As Lucien gazed forward, he noted a flight of stairs at the end of the room.

The place smelled faintly of ginger and another subtle lingering iron smell that he couldn’t identify.

He looked toward the large desk, frowning.

"Anyone here?"

"Ahem—Ahem–!"

A cough echoed in the building, coming from his left hand side.

Lucien flinched a bit, but composed himself, donning that mask of naivety as he stared at the direction of the cough.