May 1, 2021, 22:23. Rome. 6 days left till the gala.
"Hurry up."
I keep my voice low, eyes scanning the corridor as Shock crouches by a security panel, her fingers moving faster than I can track.
The faint glow from her deck reflects off the polished marble floor, just enough to make me uneasy.
Remi, on the other hand, looks like he's on a field trip.
"Yoooo, this place is insane," he mutters, leaning a little too close to a glass display. "You think this shit's real or—"
"Remi!" I hiss. "Stop."
He freezes mid-step, one foot already drifting too far forward.
"…Oh shit," he whispers, pulling back like he wasn't two seconds away from faceplanting into a centuries-old exhibit. "My bad."
At this point in the night, the museum is technically closed—restricted access, minimal staff, rotating security.
The halls themselves are quiet, save for Remi's occasional near-disasters—thankfully covered by Shock hacking security and me grabbing him before he runs into something or someone.
Each corridor we pass looks calm on the surface, but there are just enough systems in place to ruin your life if you trip the wrong thing. Cameras sweep in timed arcs. Motion sensors cover blind spots that aren't really blind. Guards patrol in irregular patterns, which is somehow worse than predictable routes.
And we're trying to slip through all of it… just to get into the Roman Forum.
Ugh. This better be worth it.
Shock lets out a quiet hum, like she's actually enjoying herself.
"Almost thereee…" she murmurs, more to herself than to us.
I glance down the hall again, then back at her.
There's no tension in her shoulders. No hesitation at all.
If anything… she looks relaxed.
Every now and then, she smirks to herself, casually dismantling whatever security camera or drone we come across.
A panel in front of her flickers, then clicks once before going still.
"Done," she says, standing up like she just finished a casual chore. "You're welcome."
I don't respond right away. I just pull out the keycard she gave me earlier, holding it up briefly before swiping it across the next access point.
Green light. Nice.
With no resistance at all, the lock disengages cleanly.
Okay… not bad.
"Told youuuu," Shock whispers behind me, already grinning. "It was gonna come in handy~!"
"Quiet," I mutter, pushing the door open just enough for us to slip through. "Save the victory speech."
We move on after that, staying close to the walls where the camera sweep barely grazes us.
The lighting shifts as we move deeper into the building—dimmer now, softer. The low, muted glow feels less like it's guiding people and more like it's preserving whatever lies within.
Stone statues line the hall, frozen in time, their worn features catching faint shadows as we pass. Fragments of history sit sealed behind glass, preserved with a care that borders on obsession. Broken columns and restored pieces are arranged like puzzles long since solved, each labeled with names I don't care enough to read right now.
Remi does, apparently.
"Yo, this one's kinda sick," he whispers, slowing down just enough to look at a carved figure. "Imagine being this guy back then—"
"Keep moving," I cut in.
He sighs but listens, falling back into step.
We round another corner, and I catch movement further down our path.
Guard.
I don't say it out loud. Thankfully, I don't have to.
When I stop, Shock bumps lightly into my shoulder, then stills immediately.
It's Remi that's the problem. He almost doesn't.
My hand shoots out, yanking him by the collar back a step before he drifts too far into the open.
The guard's footsteps echo faintly, approaching from the adjacent hall.
We press into the shadow of a pillar, holding still as he passes by the intersection. His radio crackles softly, voice low and distracted.
A few seconds pass as he lazily patrols the corridor.
Then he's gone.
I release my grip.
Remi exhales. "Choom… that was—"
"Shh."
We wait another beat before moving again.
The path opens up slightly after that, leading toward a restricted exit closer to the Forum—fewer exhibits, more infrastructure, and fewer distractions.
At the very end, another checkpoint waits, easily bypassed with a swipe of my keycard.
A green light flickers, granting us passage.
Shock leans in slightly. "See?" she whispers, smug. "Flawless execution."
"Later," I say under my breath.
Just as she's about to respond, I catch another set of footsteps coming toward us.
By now, I'm moving on instinct.
One hand grabs Remi. The other catches Shock by the sleeve.
I pull both of them hard to the side, slipping us behind a narrow wall partition just as another guard turns the corner.
Remi stumbles forward from the sudden movement, nearly losing his footing completely.
I catch him before he hits the ground.
Again.
"Yo—" he starts.
"Quiet," I whisper, tighter this time.
We stay like that for a second—too close, too still—listening as the guard pauses, glances around, then keeps walking.
When he's gone, I let go.
Remi straightens, rubbing the back of his neck. "…Okay, yeah, that one was on me."
"Dude, no shit."
Shock snorts softly. "You almost wiped out half the museum with that one."
"Relax," he mutters. "I didn't fall."
"You almost did! Twice!"
"Bro, I recovered!"
"That was because of Artie!"
I glance between them, then shake my head.
"Both of you," I say quietly. "Shut up."
They do—for about five seconds.
Then Shock nudges me lightly. "You gotta admit though… this is kinda fun."
I don't answer, refusing to give her the satisfaction.
Yeah… it kind of is.
The tension. The movement. The coordination.
It's fun in a teamwork sense—but there's something else too. Something about moving through foreign ground like this, slipping past systems that weren't built for you… it's thrilling.
"…Don't get used to it," I mutter.
She grins anyway.
We keep going, slower now, more deliberate as the final checkpoint comes into view.
I swipe the keycard one last time.
Beyond us, the night waits. The door unlocks with a soft click.
I push it open just enough to slip through, stepping out into the cool darkness.
The others follow right behind me.
Holy shit.
Ancient stone stretches out before us, broken columns and worn pathways glowing faintly under low lighting. The ruins sprawl into the night, layered with centuries of history—something that's survived collapse, war, and time itself, now sitting quietly beneath modern surveillance and distant city noise.
The Roman Forum.
I scan once more.
No guards in immediate sight.
For a second, none of us say anything.
Remi looks around, eyes wide. "Yo…"
Shock steps forward, taking it in with a quiet, satisfied smile.
And me?
I just exhale.
We made it. No alarms. No mistakes that mattered.
"…Wow," I say quietly, glancing back at them. "We're actually here."
Remi grins. "Worth it."
Shock crosses her arms, smug as ever. "Told you."
I shake my head slightly.
"Still a pretty bad idea," I mutter. "But… for now? Fine. I'll give you guys the point."
For a second, I almost forget about the security we just slipped past.
Almost anyway.
Behind us, somewhere deeper inside the museum, something gives off a faint electric pop. Then another.
A soft mechanical whine starts looping over itself, followed by the distant stutter of a drone trying and failing to recalibrate.
Shock's smile widens.
"Ohhh, that felt good."
I glance back at her. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing permanent," she says, way too pleased with herself. "I just made a few drones forget how to do their jobs."
Remi lets out a low whistle as he wanders through the Forum. "Okayyy, that's kinda nova."
Shock wiggles her fingers smugly. "Mhm~. New deck, new implants, new toys. Honestly? This upgrade's been amazing."
"Great," I mutter. "Glad your surgery helped us commit tourism crimes."
"Alternative tourism," she corrects.
"Crime."
"Experiential history."
"Crime."
She grins. "Agree to disagree."
I should be more annoyed. I really should.
But I'm not.
When I look forward, the thought kind of dies in my throat.
Ancient stone stretches beneath the night sky, the Forum glowing softly under scattered lights while the distant sounds of Rome echo around us.
For a moment, I stop thinking about security systems, cameras, and getting caught, and just take it all in.
Remi lifts his phone immediately.
"Aight, time for my pics."
My head snaps toward him. "Remi—"
Then his flash goes off.
"…Dude." I stare at him flatly. "Might as well scream that three people are here."
Shock leans over his shoulder. "Hmmm… lower the angle. You're making the ruins look short."
"Oh, shit, you right." Remi takes another shot.
"Both of you," I hiss, glancing around. "What the fuck. Can we maybe not act like tourists who broke into a historic site?"
Remi lowers his phone slightly. "But we are tourists who broke into a historic site."
"That isn't helping."
Shock waves me off. "Relax, Artie. The cameras are looped, drones are sleepy, and any guard who sees us is gonna question their own life choices before catching us."
"Okay… fair… but weirdly specific."
"I'm a professional."
"You're a menace."
"Both can be true."
I hold her stare for a second longer, then sigh through my nose.
"Fine. But no flash… please."
Remi's grin comes back immediately. "Preem."
We move deeper into the Forum after that. Way slower than intended, actually.
Not because we have to, but because none of us really wants to rush it.
Remi keeps snapping pictures, occasionally crouching or leaning at ridiculous angles while Shock critiques him like she's directing a photoshoot. I pretend not to care, but every now and then I catch myself looking too.
The place is beautiful.
By the time midnight rolls around, we're still there, wandering between ancient stone and quiet shadows. The air cools more, brushing against my neck as I adjust my cap and keep one eye on the paths around us.
Remi hops onto a low stone edge, arms spread slightly for balance. "Man… Italy's got a whole different kind of aura."
"Don't fall," I say automatically.
"I'm not gonna fall."
"You've almost fallen, like, four times tonight."
"Because y'all keep grabbing me."
"Because you keep almost falling."
Shock laughs, but it's softer this time—quieter, less exaggerated, without the usual over-the-top energy she throws into everything.
Huh.
I don't think I've heard her laugh like this before.
She sits on a nearby step, looking out over the ruins, elbows resting on her knees. For once, she doesn't immediately fill the silence with some insane comment.
That catches my attention more than anything.
Remi notices too, because even he gets a little quieter.
"You good?" he asks, less joking this time.
Shock hums. "Mhm."
That's a lie.
Not a bad one, but still.
She tilts her head back, staring up at the sky. "It's just weird being back, y'know?"
I don't say anything.
Remi lowers himself off the stone ledge and sits nearby. "Back home?"
"Yeah… something like that." Shock's smile flickers. "Home, but not home. Family, but not really family. Work, but also literally my life exploding in slow motion."
"That's… a lot," Remi says.
"Wow, thank you, Professor Remi."
"Hey, I'm being sincere and shit."
"I know." She glances at him, and for a second, the grin she gives him is real. Tired, but real nonetheless. "That's why it's weird."
While listening, I lean against part of a broken wall, arms loosely crossed. Nothing leaves my mouth. Instead, I just focus on listening to whatever she's willing to share.
A beat of silence passes. Neither me nor Remi says anything, and eventually Shock looks away again.
I stare at her, conflict building in my chest.
Again, I can't help but think about Azure. A sharp pang of guilt twists in my chest.
Why the fuck am I even here?
I hate to admit it, but part of me already knows Azure was braver than I was for actually talking about what she was going through, even if it came from necessity and survival.
Is that what's happening to Shock right now?
Her walls are still there. Lower than before, maybe, but definitely still there.
For tonight, though, it feels like I'm seeing a different person in front of me and Remi.
Not fully, but just enough.
"I'm not scared," Shock says suddenly.
I raise a brow.
She points at me without looking. "Don't."
"I didn't say anything."
"You thought it loudly."
Remi nods. "She kinda did."
"Okay, traitor," I mutter. "Fine."
Shock exhales a quiet laugh, then rubs at her face. "I'm not scared. I just… don't like not knowing which direction everything's gonna explode from."
Yeah… I get it.
"Welcome to the club," I say, glancing down briefly.
She looks at me. "You too?"
I shrug. "I'm always waiting for something to go wrong."
Remi looks between us. "Not gonna lie. That sounds like ass."
"It is."
"Then why do you do it?"
I almost give him a smartass answer.
The real answer sits heavier than that anyway. Part of it is protecting myself. Part of it is protecting the life I built outside of all this—the tiny pieces of normality I still have left. But another part of me knows that if I stop paying attention, people around me will get hurt, especially my mom.
But I stop myself from going down that train of thought.
Nah. Not tonight.
Instead, I look out over the Forum and let the silence sit for a second.
"Because when I don't," I say eventually, "things still go wrong."
Shock's expression softens a little, but she doesn't push. I appreciate that more than I want to admit.
Remi scratches the back of his head. "Yeah… I dunno. That's fair. Personally, I act like I'm chill, but I'm kinda thinking about the gala too."
I glance over. "You? Thinking?"
"Don't even start, choom."
Shock gasps faintly. "Character development?"
"Both of you can fuck off." He sighs, but there's no bite in it. "I just mean… everyone there's gonna be dressed up, rich, dangerous, connected. I'm good when things get loud. I'm not always good when everyone's smiling like they don't wanna kill each other."
"That's fair," I admit. "Understandable, actually."
He looks mildly surprised. "Wait, for real?"
"Yeah. Fake polite rooms are worse than gunfights sometimes."
Shock nods slowly. "At least in a gunfight, everyone's being honest."
That earns a quiet laugh from me before I can stop it.
"Exactly."
The three of us stay like that for a while.
No mission talk. Not really.
Just the three of us standing in the middle of old ruins, pretending we aren't all carrying something heavier than we want to admit.
Eventually, Remi lifts his phone again. "Group pic?"
"No." I shoot him a dirty look.
"Bro, c'mon."
"No."
Shock pops up instantly. "Yes."
I stare at her, deadpan. "Shock."
"Artie, we literally broke into history. We need documentation."
"That is the worst possible argument."
"It's also the truest."
"Aight, chooms." Remi already has the camera up. "Say 'crime.'"
"I hate both of you." I roll my eyes, unable to stop myself from laughing. "Go ahead."
The picture snaps anyway.
Why do I even try?
Shock immediately checks it. "Wait, we look cute."
"Word?" Remi leans in. "Lemme see."
I don't move for a second.
But I do anyway, just a little, shifting myself to sneak a glance.
The photo is blurry, badly angled, and Remi looks way too excited. Shock is grinning like she won something. I'm half turned away, looking annoyed.
But I'm still in it.
And for some reason, that makes my chest feel weird.
I clear my throat. "Delete it if we get arrested."
"No promises," Shock says.
"Nah, frame that shit," Remi adds.
I roll my eyes, but the smile slips through anyway.