Inside the solitary confinement cell...
A bare rectangular room lit with cold neon lights, painted entirely in metallic grey, devoid of any decorations. The only objects inside were a hard metal bed, a plain round table, and a lone television.
Syd Barrett sat cross-legged, slouched back in a reclining chair, his eyes closed as he slept. It had been a full day since he was locked up here for assaulting another officer.
In the far corner, a small stack of reading material—brought in by Roxxy—sat untouched.
Syd was beyond bored. His phone had been confiscated. He had no way to reach anyone.
Then—tok tok tok—the distinct sound of the guard's boots echoed in the corridor, stopping right outside his door.
CLANK—!
The door swung open to reveal a middle-aged man with features that resembled those from the Middle East—like Vega or Marie. He had the unmistakable air of an Arab gentleman.
But instead of treating Syd like a dangerous criminal, he looked at him with the casual familiarity of a neighbor dropping by.
He stepped into the room unafraid, his eyes saying: "You again? Really?"
"Been a while, Gift."
"...Ah—'sup, Bang."
The moment Syd recognized him, his demeanor softened. He spoke with this officer like an old friend.
"Where were you yesterday?"
Syd asked.
"They had me watching over some war criminals they just brought in."
The man replied casually.
"So, what'd you get thrown in for this time? It's been what, how many years?"
"Two and a half."
Syd answered.
"You could've asked one of the staff, y'know?"
"Rather hear it from you, Gift."
"Heh... you always knew me too well, Bang."
"I didn't want to know, you know. You just came and went so many times, it's like we became friends by default."
Syd smirked. He couldn't argue—it was true.
"What kind of person comes in and out of prison so often they get friendly with the guards?"
Syd: "A person like me."
"When I retire, who's gonna deal with you, huh, Gift?"
"Once you retire, I'll stop getting arrested. Deal?"
"Oh lord..."
"So what's this about?"
"Grandmaster Annie got in touch. She wants to speak with you."
"...Oh."
"Yup. You're screwed now, boy."
"Shut up, Bang. Stuff a pork chop in your mouth."
Syd stood up as the officer handed him a phone and then exited, locking the door behind him.
Syd swallowed hard and raised the phone to his ear.
"...Hello?"
On the other end of the line—Annie Barrett, powerful Grandmaster of the organization and Syd's mother. She was seated in her private jet, dressed in deep crimson business attire, currently en route to a meeting with corporate partners in Taiwan.
Annie gazed out the window while speaking directly into her phone.
"Gift... what is going on?"
"..."
Sweat gathered at Syd's brow. He wiped it away quickly and scrambled to find an explanation.
"......"
"Well, I... uh..."
"....."
"What is it?"
Syd winced like he'd just bitten into two sour lemons.
Might as well let her cut him off. It was better than fumbling through excuses.
"That bitch—"
"Her name is Marie. Not 'that bitch', Gift."
"Ugh! Whatever her name is, she hurt Jody! She's probably already told you what I did. But I'm telling you—she deserved it!"
"You threatened her, didn't you? Went to her room and tried to hurt her. Did you or did you not?"
"..."
Syd lowered the phone from his ear and muttered under his breath, staring up at the ceiling light.
"Shit..."
Then he brought the phone back to his ear.
"I talked to her. She didn't listen. So... yeah, she got what was coming."
"I honestly don't know what to say to you, Gift. But this time, I'm not on your side. First, you threatened her. And then you..."
Annie paused.
"..."
Syd said nothing.
Both mother and son knew what she was about to bring up.
Syd pressed his palm to his forehead and rubbed it slowly, before replying in a quieter tone.
"...It was the only way I thought she'd actually listen."
"She was already listening, Gift. You were the one who didn't give her a chance to speak. Three days is too light a sentence if you ask me. Lucky for you, Marie isn't a tattletale. You don't even get the right to justify yourself this time."
"......"
Syd fell completely silent.
Not a single word of defense.
On the other end, a long sigh.
"I'm not mad at you, Gift... I'm just disappointed."
Those words hit him harder than any punch.
His hands trembled. His lips quivered—something no one would ever expect from someone like him.
But Annie Barrett was the only one who could reduce him to this.
He feared no gun to the head—but this?
This broke him.
"I thought you'd changed... That you wouldn't need to keep running in and out of prison anymore... sigh... I'm sorry. I was wrong to trust you."
She was about to hang up. But those words were the final straw.
Syd panicked.
Sweat broke across his forehead. He couldn't let her end the call.
This—this—was his greatest fear.
Disappointing his mother.
"M-Mom! Please, listen! I only did it because she threw boiling water at Jody! She choked her until she couldn't breathe! I had a reason, Mom! Please!"
"So you flew into a rage and assaulted her for it?"
"..."
Syd fell silent again.
But then, he finally spoke.
"...If someone choked me like that... Wouldn't you be angry, Mom?"
"......"
That sentence caught Annie off guard. She had to replay it in her head.
"......"
"...Well well..."
It was the first sound she made.
"So now you talk back, huh, Gift?"
"......"
"Was it Jody who taught you that?"
"! ! ! !"
"...No! Hell no! Don't blame her!"
"......"
He replied in his usual style. But Annie... wasn't buying it.
She knew her son better than anyone. She raised him from the womb.
That wasn't something he would ever say—not unless someone had influenced him.
"......"
Gift... you did get that from Jody, didn't you?
"If you go near Marie again... if you so much as bother her... then the reason Jody and Sera get laid off will be you, Gift."
"What!?—Wait, what!?"
Beep.
The line went dead.
But Syd had heard enough.
If he so much as harassed Marie again... Jody and Sera could be fired?
"......"
Syd clenched his teeth.
"...Fuck..."
He cursed under his breath, frustration bubbling over.
He couldn't protect Jody anymore.
He couldn't even touch Marie now.
Not even yell at her.
Because the word "harass" covered far more than physical violence. His mother could easily use that loophole to remove Jody from the team—even if Syd just stood in front of Marie's door and shouted.
Back on Annie Barrett's private jet...
After the call ended.
"..."
She set her phone down on the leather sofa, leaned back in her seat, and stared blankly at the air in front of her.
Thinking...
Tok tok tok.
Skyler, her trusted secretary, approached from the side.
"Ma'am... I think this time's different from all the other times he's acted out."
Even Skyler felt sympathy for the young man.
"How so?"
"This time, he didn't do it for himself."
"..."
"..."
"You're right..."
Annie adjusted her position and crossed her legs.
"This wasn't like all the other times."
"..."
Her gaze drifted out the window toward the clouds.
"And that's what worries me the most."
"Forgive me, ma'am... but don't you think you're too worried about Gift?"
"You might be right... but I'll disagree."
"...Ma'am?"
"If it were anyone else—man or woman—I wouldn't worry. Because I believe my kids know what they're doing."
Annie sighed softly and turned to face Skyler.
"But not with Jody Johansson... Skyler. Not with someone who's too much like me."
"..."
Skyler fell silent.
"You admit it, then..."
"Yes."
Annie nodded.
"That's why I told you before—Jody Johansson is the one person I can deal with the easiest."
"..."
Skyler didn't argue. She'd sensed it too.
But no one felt it as intensely as Annie Barrett herself.
There wasn't much more Skyler could say.
"By the way, about that data you mentioned earlier from the lab... what is it?"
"Oh—yes, ma'am."
Skyler handed her an iPad containing a confidential report.
"It's a blood test analysis from Seraphina Gilmour."
"Sera's blood? Why?"
"Well... One of the lab staff ran a DNA scan. Apparently, there were rumors about her ancestry—"
"Gilmour?"
"Yes. From what we dug up, one of her distant ancestors might have been a British soldier stationed in the US during the colonial era."
"...Whoa. That's centuries ago. They traced it back that far?"
"Yes. They started the dig around the same time as Jody's blood scan."
"And why did they pursue it?"
"Because... Sera's DNA pattern showed a match. With someone significant. I thought you should see it."
Annie put on her red-rimmed reading glasses and scanned the report.
"..."
"Hm..."
On the screen was a family tree tracing the Gilmour bloodline. At the very bottom were Sera and her three siblings.
Tracing upward—Idris (father), Olivia Seagull (mother)...
And further...
And further...
Until finally... at the very root of it all...
One name appeared.
Jack Mustang
1860–1899
United States of America – Outlaw
"!"
Annie Barrett adjusted her glasses to be sure.
No one on that plane understood the impact of that name more than Annie and Skyler.
"..."
"That's the result... It's shocking. But Sera's DNA matched Jack Mustang by 64.67%."
"..."
"And her relation to him?"
"...Um..."
Even Skyler needed time to calculate.
"You don't know."
"Sorry, ma'am..."
"No need. I can't figure it out either."
Annie zoomed out from the complex tree and returned the tablet.
She folded her hands in her lap.
"This feels like fiction... Why does fate pull tricks like this...?"
"..."
"..."
"Ma'am... about the martial technique Sera requested. Have you made a decision yet?"
"...So you brought this info... Are you trying to help Sera, Skyler?"
"..."
"..."
"But the data's real, ma'am."
"..."
"You're right. Can't argue with facts..."
"..."
"..."
"You know... I still don't know if I should teach her."
Annie said, surprising Skyler.
"It's a hard decision."
"..."
"But I think I've made up my mind."
"!?"
Skyler's eyes widened slightly.
Annie said one thing—
"Send me Sera's contact information."
"Yes, ma'am!"