Harem Streamer System: Every Crime I Broadcast Wins Me a Superheroine-Chapter 266: Drug Problems

The office was too bright.

The sun shone brightly as they stabbed into Nadia's skull every time she tried to focus.

She sat hunched at her glass desk, legs bouncing so hard her desk trembled.

Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!

The rhythm was involuntary, a frantic Morse code her body kept sending.

I'm still here, I'm still here, I'm still here…

It was insanity for Nadia.

She was slowly losing pieces of herself.

She opened her phone.

Chirper loaded in painful slow motion.

Someone's engagement shoot in Santorini.

Someone else's dog wearing reindeer antlers.

Christmas was a few days away and the whole internet was glowing.

She scrolled faster and panted as she thumb flicked like it could outrun her own thoughts.

"Hey, Nadia!"

"Huh—!?"

"Morning, gorgeous! You okay? You look… pale."

She glanced up.

Priya from accounting, holding two coffees with a very worried look on her face.

Nadia summoned the smile she'd been practicing in the elevator mirror.

"I'm good, just pulled an all-nighter. Don't worry."

Priya hesitated, then kept walking.

Back to the phone.

Scroll then "tap tap tap" went the foot.

"Nadia, babe, seriously. You sure you're not sick?"

This time it was Daniel from marketing, leaning on her desk like they were buddies.

They weren't.

"Totally fine."

She chirped, smiled, chirped.

"Deadline hell, you know?"

He left reluctantly.

She exhaled through her teeth, wiped sudden cold sweat off her upper lip, and tried to focus on a video of a cat wearing a Santa hat.

The cat suddenly went blurry.

The whole floor blurred.

The air felt thick, syrupy.

Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!

Another coworker, another wave, another…

"You sure you're okay?"

She lost count after the fifth.

Each question scraped her raw.

Her blouse clung to the sweat on her back.

The room tilted a few degrees left, then right, like the place had decided to go sailing.

She pushed up from her chair and stumbled toward the glass corridor that overlooked the atrium.

Her limbs were shaky.

The reflection that hit her was a stranger.

Hair flat and frizzy in patches, beautiful eyes sunken so deep the sockets looked bruised purple, lips bloodless and cracked like a piece of stale bread.

She looked like a before picture for some depression medication ad.

Nadia pressed her forehead to the cool glass.

"I'm always the one giving advice…"

She whispered to the hollow-eyed girl staring back.

"And now… now… now… I can't even open my mouth without lying. I hate this."

Her skull thunked softly against the desk when she got back to her desk. She stayed there, cheek against scattered papers as she feverishly breathed in the smell of toner and her own sour desperation.

『Em… Emma hasn't texted in weeks. I had those custom charm bracelets made, little silver coffee cups for the three of us. They're still in the box under my bed. It's almost Christmas and everything is ruined.』

The thought looped, tighter and tighter, until her chest felt like it was being crushed by invisible hands.

She shot upright, grabbed her bag, and speed-walked to the elevator before the rational part of her brain could stop her.

Pharmacy R&D was three floors down.

It was all laughter and clinking glassware and the sharp smell of ethanol. Everyone was here today, lab coats flapping like white flags at a parade.

Nadia rubbed her palms together.

"Where is he…?"

She rubbed them harder.

So hard the skin squeaked.

"Where is he…?"

Her eyes darted, paranoid, like security cameras were already zooming in.

She spotted Milton at the far bench.

He was hunched over a microscope.

She fished out a stolen keycard she'd stolen from them a few days back, swiped then shouldered the door open before it could beep too loud.

The head of department was mid-lecture about some new anxiolytic. Nobody looked up except Jorrel, who did a cartoon double-take from across the room.

Nadia bee-lined for Milton.

"Milton! Milton!"

She whispered loudly.

He adjusted the focus knob without looking up.

When he finally did, his face twisted like he'd smelled spoiled milk.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

He hissed furiously.

"Are you insane?"

He checked left and right, then shoved her shoulder.

"I'm at work."

"I know, I know, please. I have to go again. Today."

"Nadia—"

"I'm not asking for anything weird this time, I swear. It's not for sex this time. I just… I need to see them. Emma. Jenna. Even if it's fake, even if it's only twenty minutes. I'm so lonely I can't—"

Her voice splintered.

She probably looked like a crackhead.

Pupils blown, hands shaking, but those big brown eyes were still ridiculously adorable.

They looked like puppy dog eyes.

Impossible to say no to.

Milton dragged a hand down his face.

"Fine. But it's a million this time."

Just like that. No hesitation.

If he could keep pulling huge amounts of cash out of her every session, he'd be able to quit this job soon. He didn't actually know much about Nadia, but he'd overheard someone mention once that she comes from an insanely rich family somewhere in the Middle East.

Nadia swallowed so hard her throat clicked.

A million. Jesus.

But she nodded like she was accepting a plea deal.

"No problem."

He stared at her for a moment, then snorted, and went back to his microscope.

She floated out of the lab somehow.

Past Jorrel's open mouth and worried eyes and past the other pharmacists.

══════

Evening came too fast.

The Volkner Mansion was all dark marble and low amber lighting. The fancy stuff.

He came down the spiral glass stairs whistling.

His eyes were on the phone in his hand.

"Heh, nice…"

It was a cute pic of him and Jenna in Russia glowing on the screen.

He stopped at the console table.

"Oh, it's here…"

Flipped through the envelope, tech schematics, new armor plating, boring but necessary.

CRASH.

Glass shattering somewhere deeper in the foyer.

Isaac froze.

The whistling stopped.

His right hand drifted to the band on his left wrist.

One tap made nanites ripple out and morph into a sleek pulse cannon glove.

He moved without sound.

A flashlight beam jittered across his study.

Small figure, hoodie up, frantic hands yanking drawers.

"Don't move."

The flashlight clicked off. Footsteps bolted.

Isaac lunged, caught a hoodie sleeve and yanked the intruder back so hard they slammed into his chest.

His cannon muzzle kissed their temple.

In one charge he could blast their head to red mist.

Then the hood slipped.

Nadia's terrified eyes stared up at him.

Her pupils at the irises as her chest heaved.

Isaac exhaled like someone had punched him.

"Nadia…?"

The plasma glove powered down.

He plucked the velvet box from her trembling fingers.

It was a Bugatti fob and watch inside.

He tossed it onto the desk like it was nothing.

"For God's sake, are you insane? I almost painted the walls with your head."

He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"If you need money, ask."

She couldn't meet his eyes, just shuffled to the sofa by the fireplace and curled into the smallest ball possible, knees to chest, arms wrapped tight.

Isaac sat opposite, elbows on knees as he studied her like a crime scene.

"Talk to me."

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to lie to you…"

Her voice was raspy.

"So you stole instead?"

The second it left his mouth he saw her flinch like he'd slapped her.

"Shit, never mind. Forget I said that. Just… what the hell is going on with you?"

Nadia let out a laugh that was mostly air.

"Nothing. Why does everyone keep asking that?"

She tried the smile again. It wobbled and died.

Isaac tilted his head, eyes narrowing the way they did when he was reverse-engineering alien tech.

"Let's see. You've lost at least twelve pounds since last month, all of it muscle. Skin's gone sallow, classic vasodilatory rebound. Capillaries in your eyes are blown, track marks negative, so not IV. Tremor's too fine for meth, too coarse for coke. You're sweating but the thermostat's at twenty-one. Pupils reactive but sluggish, been that way for weeks according to Jenna. You're stealing car keys for quick cash, which screams junkie behavior, but…"

He leaned closer, gentle now.

"This isn't any street drug I know. So it's custom."

Nadia hugged herself tighter and started shaking her head frantically.

"It's not drugs, it's not, I swear—"

"Deep dream-state induction…"

He saw the fear in her eyes.

That was definitely it.

"Lucid VR on steroids. Chemically forced REM. I've heard about black-market labs cooking this shit. You can script the dream, right? Everything feels real. People get stuck chasing the version of life they actually want."

Her breath hitched. Tears welled but wouldn't fall.

"In there…"

Her voice cracked.

"Emma forgave me. Jenna teases me about my terrible taste in men and we laugh until we cry. My parents call just to say they're proud. And Scott…"

She painfully pressed her fist against her mouth until the skin turned white.

"Scott looks at me like I'm still worth something."

Isaac moved to sit beside her, hesitant, then rested a careful hand on her back.

"I don't know the half of what you're carrying."

He made sure to sound soft.

"But look at yourself, Nad. This isn't you. Your parents wouldn't be proud of this. Scott wouldn't. Emma and Jenna… it may be hard between you guys, yeah, but they love you. The real you. Not the dream version who never fucked anything up."

A broken sound escaped her throat.

She turned and buried her face between her knees as her whole body shook with sobs.

She'd been holding this in for weeks.

"I just want it fixed…"

She whispered against her knees.

"I just want everything to be normal again…"

Isaac wrapped his arms around her like she was made of cracked glass.

"Then stop with the drugs…"

"I… I will…"

She cried harder, fists curled into her hoodie.

Nadia's teeth chattered theatrically.

"I'm… I'm still freezing, brrr, freezing. Could I maybe get a blanket?"

Isaac's face softened instantly.

He gave her two quick pats on the back like she was a kid who'd scraped her knee.

"Stay right there. I'll grab the big fluffy one, make some popcorn, and I'm calling Jenna. Movie night, yeah? My cinema room's got the recliners that massage your ass. You pick whatever you want, even if it's one of those sad Christmas Hallmark things."

He flashed a grin and bolted upstairs, taking the steps two at a time as he whistled again.

The second he left, Nadia's shivering stopped like someone flipped a switch.

Her face went blank.

She shot off the couch, snatched the velvet box with the Bugatti fob and watch, and sprinted barefoot across the expensive marble floors.

The front door clicked shut behind her.

It was a quiet escape.

══════

Meanwhile, at a salon.

The place smelled like eucalyptus and peppermint.

Scott and Beca were side-by-side in plush massage chairs as their feet soaked in rose-petal water while two ladies painted their toes a matching gunmetal gray.

Beca had her fluffy brown fox ears poking out from under a hooded dryer as she flipped through the newest [Cape & Cowl Monthly] like it was scripture.

"Babe, did you see this? Priority Solutions is doing a whole collab with the Hero Agency. New mentorship program for baby supers. Vincent Lakewood's already signed on as ambassador, Pulsar too, and some mystery chick nobody's named yet."

She yawned with her small pink tongue.

"Boring."

Flip.

"Ahh, more gossip no one cares about. The Peak bought a whole island compound in the Bahamas. Christmas rager incoming. Invite-only, obviously."

Flip.

"Heyyy, this is a good one. Jessica Nocturne's coming to Metro City to wrap Blue Thunder. Isn't she, like, your ultimate celebrity crush?"

Silence answered her each time.

"Scott?"

Silence.

Beca lowered the magazine.

"Scott. Scott. Earth to Scott."

He was staring at his sweaty hands like they belonged to someone else.

The fingers were limp on his thighs.

She leaned over the armrest as her ears twitched.

"Hey… you okay?"

No answer.

Beca dropped the magazine, waved the pedicure ladies away with an apologetic smile.

They scurried off.

She scooted closer to wrap her arms around his neck.

Next she pressed a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"Talk to me, idiot."

Another kiss, slower.

Scott swallowed.

"I've been having…"

He shook his head. No, it's too weird.

But transparency is always good.

"See, the thing is… I've been having a lot of really weird sex dreams. About Nadia."

He braced for impact.

That look of disgust Beca never hid.

Beca blinked once. Twice.

Then, in the most hypnotically calm voice.

A deep voice of interest a gambler would use when they asked their bookie for bets.

"Is it chicks with dicks?"

Scott turned his head so slowly it creaked.

"What did you just say?"

Beca's ears shot straight up.

Her tiny mouth folded into the most fake-innocent pout known to man.

"Nothing."

Scott stood up as the water on his water sloshed.

"I need a bathroom break."

Beca's eyes lit up.

"Aww, wait for me!"

"It's a guy thing!"

"But… but… BUT BATHROOM-STALL SEX!"

She whined like a baby, half-standing, toes still wet.

The old couple two chairs down perked up.

The wife giggled.

"I love when we used to be this lively."

The husband waggled his brows. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"Wanna try it again, Gladys?"

Gladys gasped, slapped his shoulder with her book.

"My back would snap in half, Harold!"

══════

Nadia & Jenna's Penthouse.

The apartment looked like a panda express exploded.

Chinese takeout boxes everywhere, rice grains glittering on the rug like snow.

She sighed, chopsticks dangling from her mouth.

"I should call housekeeping before Nadia gets home and judges my life choices."

That's when her phone buzzed.

Isaac's called ID was on the screen.

She answered with a grin.

"Hey, handsome—"

"Jenna, do you know where Nadia is? She stole my friggin' Bugatti. I've got people pinging the GPS but the signal keeps dropping. She okay?"

Jenna's chopsticks clattered to the floor.

"She what? No, I haven't seen her since this morning. I'll find her. I'll call you."

She was already grabbing keys and a leather jacket before the call ended.

Less than an hour later.

She stormed into Safeguard Pharmacy's R&D floor like a hurricane in Louboutins.

Some self-absorbed IT dude with a pot belly and too much cologne tried to flirt.

"Not the time, Romeo. Raincheck. Where's Jorrel?"

He kept his pot-belly sucked in his gut.

"Think he said he needed privacy, but he didn't look too good though."

Then he tried to flex his chest muscles.

"Men don't take breaks, y'know—"

Jenna patted his chest once, flat and sarcastic.

"Later, bro."

She found the custodial break room.

It was always abandoned so coworkers would usually have sex here during breaks.

It had a cramped shower and bunk beds after all.

Jenna knocked twice and the door cracked open.

Jorrel's face appeared, sweaty, eyes glassy.

"You look like death, dude…"

Jenna said as she stepped inside.

Jorrel hacked something wet into a trashcan.

"Nadia warned me you're nosey."

He shuffled to the lower bunk, wrapped himself in a blanket like a burrito, and turned away.

Jenna folded her arms.

"She's spiraling. Whatever you two are taking, stop. Or I swear to God I'll march straight to HR and tell them you're cooking something illegal in here."

He coughed again, harder.

"Mind your own damn business."

He rolled over so his back would face her.

Jenna rolled her eyes.

"This idiot…"

She poked his shoulder. No reaction.

"Don't fall asleep you son of a bitch!"

Poke again. Harder.

"Jorrel?"

She slapped him on the shoulder.

"Uhm… wake up already…"

She grabbed his wrist, no pulse.

She yanked him over.

His body flopped like a lifeless puppet.

His dark skin was gray and wrinkled, like all the moisture had been vacuumed out overnight.

Black tar-like blood leaked from his eyes, ears, nostrils.

It was thick and horrifying.

Jenna stumbled backward as her hand flew to her mouth to trap the scream.

The fluorescent light above flickered once.

She backed out slowly with her phone already to her ear as she breathed heavily.

"Issac… we have a big… BIG problem."