The helicopter landed on the roof of the auto shop, the barge shifting as it touched down on the helipad. The waters were particularly violent that noon.

  "Never understood this whole barge thing. Why not just put the trading sector on the island?" Varryance muttered.

  "Honestly, no idea either. It's pretty dumb," Jax answered.

  Everyone put on their headsets as they climbed out of the helicopter. Vanesa led the small group down a set of stairs to the ground floor, where the entrance to the auto shop was located.

  "Clothes, gear—we've got everything here. Put the blueprints on the workbench over there, Jax," Vanesa ordered. He did as instructed while the others followed her to the gear section.

  "Holy shit... you're allowed to have a room like this!?" Isabel yelped, staring wide-eyed at the vast arsenal hidden behind a set of curtains. The space concealed an entire room stocked with everything from nuclear launchers to scuba gear and specialized clothing for operations.

  "Well, since you're not on the barge that often, I'll fill you in—almost every single op we run is planned right here in my auto shop."

  "Every op?" Varryance questioned.

  Vanesa simply nodded, with a little hesitation.

  "Ey! Come over here!" Jax shouted from the other side of the building, standing among the workbenches and vehicles, ready to explain the Fort's layout and their plan.

  "Alright, here's the deal. The entire place is built on a giant rocky cliff, so besides the main entrance, we've got no other way in. The checkpoint sits at the bottom of the hill, connecting to the base up top."

  The group listened intently as Jax continued.

  "There's another checkpoint along the road near the nuclear silos—that's where the convoys park to resupply the base. However, our target is on the lower level."

  He pointed at the blueprints.

  "To get there, we need to head inside the main building and take the elevator shaft right beside the... reception? What kind of military fortress has a reception?" he scoffed.

  "Probably some other building that got repurposed?" Varryance suggested, though he sounded unsure.

  "If that were the case, the map wouldn't match the base. They just... have a reception," Vanesa added.

  Jax shook his head. "As I was saying... we need to take that elevator down to the lower level, where the manufacturing and storage areas are. The problem is—how do we get in?"

  "I see two options," Isabel spoke up.

  The room went silent as everyone's eyes landed on her, making her gulp.

  "We can either drill our way in from the bottom of the hill—since it's on the lower level, it might align with the ground below the cliff. Or... we play con artists!"

  "Con artists? Seriously?" Vanesa raised a brow, clearly unimpressed, while Varryance and Jax seemed more open to the idea.

  "Why not?" Isabel defended.

  "They know their soldiers—it wouldn't work."

  "But... do they know their resuppliers?" Isabel countered. "We slip in through the back where they restock and sneak our way inside."

  Varryance and Jax exchanged glances, raising their brows in thought. She had a point.

  "Then what?" Vanesa asked, arms crossed.

  The two girls argued, Vanesa trying to poke holes in Isabel's idea.

  "I... I don't know."

  "And even if we couldn't do the con artist idea, how the hell are we gonna drill a hole inside a cliff?"

  "Everyone, calm down. Let's hear what Varryance has to say," Jax interjected in a firm tone, silencing the discussion.

  All eyes turned to Varryance.

  "Well, Merc—I mean, Isabel—has a point about the con artist idea. They might know their soldiers, but resuppliers? Those can be anyone, right?"

  The group considered this, brows furrowing, he continued.

  "Con artists seem like the best bet. We hijack a convoy, grab their schedule, papers, whatever we need. We show up on time, sneak in through the back door, and then..."

  He let the thought linger, making sure everyone was following.

  "We either get help from the capital or The Barge. We tear the place apart from the inside, cause confusion, and while they're distracted, someone else flanks from the outside. Boom—crossfire."

  "No wonder you could infiltrate countries..." Isabel muttered, impressed with his planning even though Isabel's idea was the base.

  "But who can help us?" Jax asked.

  "I can ask around The Barge or the capital," Vanesa replied. "But the capital will probably want a huge chunk of the base in return."

  "The Barge might be the better option since this benefits them, too. IARO-grade weaponry?" Varryance pointed out.

  Vanesa grinned. "You got a point."

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  "Alright, so first, we hijack a convoy, get a schedule, papers, hostages—whatever we need. We go in the first time just to scout, play the part of actual suppliers. Then, next time, we do the real job—the 'heist,' or whatever you guys wanna call it," Varryance explained.

  The trio exchanged looks, their expressions shifting from consideration to approval. Isabel smirked. Vanesa giggled.

  "What?" Varryance asked, narrowing his eyes at them.

  "Nothing, nothing... you just sound like a total nerd when it comes to planning," Vanesa teased.

  Varryance groaned, rolling his eyes. "Yeah yeah..."

  Jax, however, had caught onto something.

  "But now the real question is... how do we hijack something when we have no idea where it's coming from?"

  "We go a day earlier before the scout or send someone else to do it for us. We handle the actual infiltration ourselves. How we get the schedule or the convoy's location doesn't matter, in my opinion," Vanesa said confidently.

  Varryance and Isabel nodded in agreement.

  "I'll go and send someone with me. Gotta have some reliable eyes, at least. You three... do your thing, I guess," Jax huffed, pushing off the workbench as he walked away.

  "I want to show you two around anyway! I promised to show you the city, Varryance!" Vanesa said with excitement. Isabel looked at them—there was clear chemistry between the two, yet she felt... jealous?

  "Alright, well, see you three around," Jax said, waving behind him as he walked off, exiting the auto shop.

  "Actually, now that I think about it, I need permission from the founder for this operation. Without his word, we can't do much without his permission." Vanesa admitted.

  Varryance and Isabel both let out an annoyed sigh.

  "Couldn't you have told us that before we spent all this time planning...?" Isabel asked, clearly irritated but not outright mad.

  "Trust me, the moment he sees Varryance, he's gonna go full cheerleader on us," Vanesa giggled.

  Varryance wasn't even surprised at this point.

  The trio left the auto shop, Vanesa locking up behind her before heading back to the helipad on the roof. Their destination—the mainland, where the founder resided. Varryance sat in the co-pilot seat, gazing out at the vast blue sea surrounding the island. The water was shockingly clean, almost unnatural.

  As they approached the island, security intercepted the helicopter over the radio for routine safety checks. Once cleared, they arrived at a massive skyscraper with a bold, illuminated sign covering the front—"BARGE." The whole thing looked like corporate headquarters.

  The helipad on the roof was empty for now, allowing them to land smoothly.

  The trio removed their headsets and followed Vanesa down a few flights of stairs before stepping into a lavish hallway. A set of red double doors loomed at the end. Something about the atmosphere sent a chill down Varryance's spine—same for Isabel.

  Inside, they were greeted by the scent of expensive cigars and the distant hum of early 1990s music playing on a record. Behind a grand desk, standing tall, was the founder—Luciano. He exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, staring out over the city he built.

  Varryance took him in—curly, shoulder-length hair, a thick, muscular build, and an obvious overload of testosterone. The guy was hairy as hell. He wasn't dressed like a businessman, though. His cargo pants and oversized shirt made it look like he had just finished some hands-on work.

  "Luci!" Vanesa greeted cheerfully.

  Luciano flinched at the sound of his name, turning around. He went to respond, but his expression froze the moment his eyes landed on Varryance.

  "Is... is that Varryance?!"

  The cigar slipped from his lips, hitting the floor as he strode toward him, disbelief written all over his face.

  "In the flesh," Varryance confirmed.

  Isabel took a step back, arms crossed, while Vanesa stood beside her, hands held behind her back, murmuring at Isabel "Told you..."

  "It's so damn good to see you! We all thought you were dead but... that never sounded like something you'd let happen," Luci laughed, clapping Varryance on the shoulder.

  It was a compliment to his resilience—Varryance simply nodded at him before responding.

  "Yeah, well... they kidnapped me. Threw me in some lab."

  "Cryogenic?"

  "Something like that. Liquid suspension of some sorts."

  "Terrible business..." Luci muttered before exhaling sharply. "Well, I see you're here, and usually, this one only comes in when she needs permission for something," he said, motioning toward Vanesa.

  "We need permission to raid Fort Marrow," she confirmed.

  Luci scoffed. "About damn time, huh? Sit. Tell me the plan."

  He gestured toward a leather couch beside a coffee table overlooking the entire city. The three sat down, Vanesa and Isabel flanking Varryance.

  Luci extended a handshake. "Where are my manners? I'm Luciano, founder of The Barge."

  His green eyes and easy smile made him seem... genuine. And from what they'd seen so far, The Barge itself felt different from most settlements.

  "Varryance. But I guess you already knew that." he said, shaking his hand.

  Luci pulled out another cigar, offering one to Varryance. He refused without hesitation.

  "Ahh... always took your body as a sacred temple, huh? No smoking, no drinking... love it." Luci chuckled, lighting up for himself.

  Varryance just stayed quiet.

  Vanesa took over. "So, the plan is— we're playing con artists apparently. Acting like a supply convoy of... well, we don't know what exactly."

  Luci nodded, exhaling smoke through his nose. "I can help with that easily. I already have men inside the fort."

  "Really?" Isabel blinked, clearly impressed.

  Luci smirked. "This op has been years in the making. I've been paying insiders—good, honest men, expensive too."

  Vanesa continued. "We plan to hijack a convoy, act as suppliers, and get inside the lower levels. Some of the parts we need are for repairing Varry's AR—the one you heard about."

  Luci chuckled. "Ahh, yes. The Capital. I heard about what those siblings did. I'm against it, but honestly... the capital deserved it."

  Everyone else seemed to agree—except Varryance, who didn't know the full story yet.

  Luci leaned forward. "Well, I've already got your plan in mind. You have my help. But first—you're scouting the place, right?"

  Vanesa nodded. "Yeah, we need to act as suppliers for the scouting mission, same as the heist. We need to see the layout, figure out what we need, and get a feel for security."

  "I can arrange a convoy for you. I need the full picture before I make any major moves."

  "Perfect. When can this be arranged?"

  "Tomorrow morning. You will move with my team tomorrow morning at their outpost." Luci said with a grin.

  The group exchanged hopeful glances.

  Then, Luci leaned back, tapping his cigar against the ashtray. "However... can I have a word with Varryance alone? You girls go enjoy yourselves—I'm sure you've got your own plans."

  Vanesa hesitated, skeptical. "Sure..."

  Isabel, on the other hand, stood up without complaint. "Come on, Vanesa, I'm starving."

  "Yeah, same..." Vanesa muttered, standing up with a small giggle.

  Before leaving, Isabel threw a glance over her shoulder. "See you later, Varry."

  Varryance smirked as he watched them go.

  Luci followed his gaze, smirking. "Two pretties, huh?" He nodded toward the door with a chuckle.

  Varryance snorted. "Uh huh..."

  Luci sighed, shifting gears. "Normally, I'd ask for payment for an operation on this scale, but..."

  Before he could finish, the sound of the girls starting up the helicopter rumbled from above. Both men chuckled.

  "It just doesn't feel right charging you."

  Varryance frowned. "What do you mean?"

  "You did so much for us back then. Risking our necks is the least we can do in return."

  Varryance sat back, stunned for a moment. This was the first community that didn't seem like they were trying to use him.

  "Really?"

  "Yes, really. Besides, that fort is payment enough. IARO-grade tech, a full base, and wiping the Stormers off the map? That's more than enough."

  Varryance exhaled, letting it sink in.

  Then, something clicked in his mind. "I do have a question, though. About this whole feud between you and... well, everyone."

  Luci's eyes sharpened, intrigued. "Go ahead."