Great Detective Soo: Serena Moretti
Serena Moretti. Sitting here as Lena, she was suspicious of both Soo and Salvador. How could she forget the humiliation she'd suffered just the other day at Nightfall? Since then, she'd dug up every scrap of info on Soo, Enoch, and Salvador. But nothing in their records gave her reason to suspect her specifically. If they'd been onto her, they'd have been watching her moves. The three of them showed no sign of it. If anything, Salvador was playing right into her hands, just as she'd hoped.
Still, she suspected them. She didn't drop her guard even while chatting privately with Salvador here, or when Soo walked in and laid out the case details. Only after hearing the full story did Lena finally ease up, forced to postpone her suspicions.
"Hmm, indeed... This is solid evidence of a new faction at play."
"Right? I'm Great Detective Soo."
"Great Detective...? Yes. That title fits."
The talk of a new faction. It wasn't some wild fantasy. If anything, her own suspicions felt too obvious, almost like they were baiting her into them. Whether to buy it or not was Lena's call, but ignoring something this blatant would be idiotic. She had to believe it. Dismissing it would make her a fool. Even if Soo and Salvador were dangling bait, she had to bite.
"This is a heavy matter, after all."
Eden, the megacity, had the Big Three corps—and now, apparently, a fourth power on their level. Operating in the shadows beyond corporate eyes, maybe even manipulating the Big Three to achieve their own ends. Lena accepted it.
Maybe hitching my wagon to them wouldn't be so bad...
Lena had lived as a merc. Before getting leashed by Luthien's taboos, she'd been just like Eden's foolhardy mercs, chasing legends. But Lena broke the unspoken rule—don't tangle with corps—and became Luthien's dog. Even as a dog, she'd clawed her way up, biting and sometimes killing rivals to reach her current spot. Yet she still felt it wasn't enough, couldn't shake the paranoia that she wasn't safe. A research director at Luthien? Headquarters could axe her anytime.
So why not jump ship? Score one big haul before leaving Luthien and join them?
Still not possible.
Lena knew how those factions ended. She'd heard and seen countless idiots who dared flip off the Big Three get crushed without a breath. If HQ moved in person, they'd be dust. Hell, HQ might already be watching them. As a research director—no matter how minor—she knew the truth. The Big Three were beyond omnipotent, omniscient. Easier to count what they couldn't do. God is dead? Not in Eden. Eden's gods lived on, eternally all-knowing and all-powerful.
Unless a sturdier fence went up, jumping now was suicide. Lena—Serena—didn't want to die yet.
So for now, rack up results to stay alive...
Leak this intel lightly to Luthien and the other megacorps, shake them up. If they stood firm under the pressure, even counterattacked...
Then I can think deeper.
It ended in contemplation. No firm commitment to defect.
To Lena, the Big Three loomed that massively.
"So, Lena. What do you want to do? You've agreed to help this old man—surely you'll share your thoughts? You wouldn't treat me like some backroom geezer, would you?"
Salvador asked leisurely, having predicted her thought process. He'd watched Serena Moretti for years, back to her merc days—no further explanation needed. Even when she'd reemerged as connector Lena Marietti after becoming Luthien's dog, he had put her name out there. A totally different face from her merc days, yet Salvador hadn't forgotten her. He could easily guess her moves.
"As if I would. If my humble plans are needed, I'll share. But since I'm not in charge here, I'm not sure I should speak freely."
Lena's gaze shifted to Soo.
"Soo. What were you planning for this?"
"Sell the info to the Big Three."
"...That's not simple. Info like this needs at least a subsidiary director to reach HQ. Do you know someone like that?"
"Yeah."
Lena sucked in a shocked breath. Selling to the Big Three? She'd barely kept her face straight. But this answer? Impossible.
Her pulse, her steady pupils, her calm voice—all screamed truth.
"Which... corp, exactly...?"
"Zailek."
Soo answered without hesitation. This time, Angela flinched.
Soo's words seemed to point right at her sister in Zailek.
Looks innocent as a lamb, but what a sly fox.
Only Salvador watched the scene unfold with delight. True or not, that one word had rattled Lena hard—and that was what mattered, what amused him. Who else would dare so boldly against a Luthien director? Among non-corpers, probably just Soo, Salvador was sure.
"Zailek..."
Lena steadied her trembling voice.
"Not a bad... choice. Zailek would move fast—they're pretty aggressive."
"That's why."
"But..."
But? What next? Lena's lips twitched. That firm answer meant her mind was made up. But she couldn't let it go to Zailek. Leaking to Luthien was an option, but then Lena Marietti could never operate again...
So how to steer it? Any hook to pull to Luthien? Lena sipped her tea and opened her mouth.
"Uh, wait—"
"But now I'm rethinking it a bit."
"...What? No, pardon?"
"Got people to help now. Grandpa and Lena."
Soo's eyes crinkled softly. Such a pretty smile. She whispered with it.
"So I'll hear Lena's take too."
"I see... Thank you for trusting me..."
A sigh of relief escaped Lena. Angela swallowed a bitter smile. Bluff on Zailek or not, it still worried her.
Lena had stonewalled her background dig. That firewall meant Big Three manager level at least. Yet Soo had casually spilled to her. Angela knew Soo wasn't clueless, but her boldness still worried.
Really, what a girl—lifting you up, dropping you down.
"First... this'll be long, so why not sit?"
"Yeah."
Soo nodded, started toward a seat—but stepped back to let Angela pass.
"New team member."
"Hi, Angela Meyer."
First time hearing the name. Lena tried ignoring her, just a greeting—but couldn't.
What the hell. Those tits...
She had gravitational pull.
"...Ahem, hello. Lena Marietti."
"This old man's Salvador Ortega. Seems awfully meek for their colleague."
"Ahaha, thanks."
Angela smiled softly, sat without much reaction to Salvador. She wasn't the star here—dragging words out would just hinder Soo.
"...Uh, what about me?"
Miki, left alone by the door, sweated bullets, stuck.
Forgot her.
Soo hurried to Miki's side.
"Miki Ebner. Friend's little sis."
"Bringing a friend's sister to work? In front of this old man?"
"Eek..."
Miki paled.
"She gave us the lead on this."
"Ah, then it makes sense."
"Phew..."
Miki's color returned a bit.
"But looks like Martin died because of Miki."
"What?! Drag her to me now!!"
"Gulk..."
Salvador's roar made Miki faint dead away.
"Oops."
"Went too far, eh."
Only then did Soo and Salvador burst out laughing. They really clicked, in every way.
"Shortest three months, longest a year."
"What...?"
"Go north, snag a specific shard."
Enoch gaped at Soo's short, blunt explanation.
"Weren't we just talking about Lena—er, Luthien's exec—and this third faction?"
"Yeah."
"How'd we skip to me getting exiled—or dispatched—to a warzone?"
"Girls shouldn't go to warzones. And I'm a dragon."
"...That's not what I—"
Enoch looked to Angela in confusion. No help there. She had Soo on her lap.
Seemed even cozier now. Was he imagining it? Two days since Enoch woke from treatment. What the hell happened in those two days?
"Come back safe, Enoch."
"Safe travels, Enoch. I'll keep Soo company."
Angela smiled normal-like, but with Soo lapped? Felt off...
"When... so when do I go?"
"October 6th."
"...Fuck."
About half a month till Enoch's exile.