A sleek, black hover-limousine pulled up to the curb outside the most exclusive, corporate-sponsored safehouse on the Aegis Academy campus.

Cash Patterson rushed forward, his face stretched into a wide, sycophantic smile. He pulled the heavy car door open and bowed his head slightly.

Briar Thorne stepped out. She wore a custom-tailored, high-fashion combat suit that cost more than most students made in a year. Her stiletto boots clicked sharply against the pavement. She looked at the safehouse with an expression of mild boredom.

Cash punched a new override code into the keypad. The heavy alloy doors slid apart with a soft hiss.

The squad filed inside. Dallin immediately let out a loud whistle, his eyes wide as he stared at the massive, genuine leather sectional sofa and the state-of-the-art holographic entertainment system.

Briar, however, wrinkled her nose. She reached out with a white-gloved finger and swiped it along the edge of the doorframe. She inspected her fingertip, her lips curling in disgust.

"The air circulation system in here smells like poverty," Briar complained, her voice sharp and nasal.

Cash's smile faltered for a second before he recovered. "I apologize, Briar. The previous occupant was a commoner. She had no class. I'll have the cleaning drones run a full chemical scrub immediately."

Briar ignored him and walked straight into the master bedroom. It was the largest room, with floor-to-ceiling windows and a private training pod. This used to be Alana's room back in her old dormitory — now converted as part of the new corporate suite.

Briar opened the closet. A few of Alana's cheap, faded cotton t-shirts were still hanging there. Briar let out a loud scoff of pure revulsion.

Dallin saw his chance to impress. He pushed past Cash, grabbed the t-shirts off the hangers, and marched over to the wall-mounted incinerator chute. He shoved the clothes inside and hit the button.

A flash of bright orange fire illuminated the room, reducing Alana's belongings to ash in seconds. Dallin puffed out his chest, looking at Briar for approval.

He swirled the amber liquid in his glass, a nasty grin spreading across his face. "You know, I almost feel bad for the bitch. Almost. Because her first summoning ritual freshman year? It wasn't a failure. I made it fail."

Charmaine gasped, her hand flying to the silver cross at her neck. "Dallin! You tampered with a resonance circle? The backlash could have destroyed her mind!"

Dallin rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut up, Charmaine. I just sprinkled a little anti-magic dust on the outer rune line. If she actually summoned a strong Eidolon, she would have left us. Who would have done our tactical analysis for free?"

Cash didn't look shocked. He walked over and clapped a heavy hand onto Dallin's shoulder, squeezing approvingly. "Smart move. A Conduit with a brain like hers is dangerous. You have to pull their teeth so they have no choice but to rely on you."

Jered leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed. "If Alana had just signed Chet's contract, we could have squeezed two platinum-grade armor sets out of him before kicking her out. Brilliant sabotage or not, she was stubborn till the end."

Charmaine waved her hand, casting a minor holy purification spell that smelled like artificial lavender. "Let us pray she finds a warm bridge to sleep under tonight."

At the mention of Chet Wolfe, a dark, calculating gleam appeared in Cash's eyes.

"Don't worry," Cash said, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "I'm not done squeezing value out of her."

Dallin leaned in, his eyes hungry for gossip.

"Chet has a specific... appetite," Cash explained, a nasty smirk on his face. "He loves breaking arrogant women. Seeing them dragged through the mud. I'm going to sell him the details of Alana's current pathetic situation."

The squad listened intently.

"I'll tell Chet exactly which slum she's hiding in," Cash continued. "He can send his thugs to rough her up, and then step in to play the hero. Once she's desperate enough, she'll crawl into his bed."

Dallin barked out a laugh. "And when she does, we ask Chet for VIP black cards to his club."

The room filled with the sound of their shared, cruel laughter.

Briar emerged from the bathroom, having changed into a sheer silk robe, holding a glass of expensive red wine. She looked down her nose at them.

"I want all of you in the advanced simulation room at zero-six-hundred tomorrow," she ordered, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Cash, Dallin, Jered, and Charmaine instantly stopped laughing. They nodded eagerly, their spines bending like obedient dogs.

Briar turned and slammed the bedroom door shut.

Outside the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, the storm raged on, lightning flashing across the sky. Inside, the squad poured more champagne, completely blind to the absolute destruction heading their way.

The heavy thud of the bedroom door closing echoed in the living room. With Briar gone, the atmosphere among the remaining four shifted, becoming loose and ugly.

Dallin threw his boots up onto the pristine crystal coffee table, right next to the crack Alana had made. He poured himself another generous measure of expensive bourbon, relishing the perks of their new corporate sponsor.

"So," Dallin said, taking a slow sip, "how long do we let her freeze out there before we make the call?"

Jered resumed polishing his combat dagger, the metallic scrape loud in the quiet room. "Give her a few hours. Let the cold and the reality of the slums really sink into her bones. She needs to feel totally abandoned."

Charmaine hummed in agreement, elegantly crossing her legs. "Despair is a fantastic tenderizer. By the time Chet's men find her, she'll be begging for a warm bed, no matter whose it is."

Cash poured himself a drink, swirling the amber liquid as a sadistic smile stretched across his face. For three years, they had watched her struggle. They had watched her cry in frustration after every failed summoning, secretly knowing Dallin had rigged the game from the start. And they had used the "Dud" label to break her confidence, keeping her chained to their squad as a free labor machine. Now, discarding her like trash felt like the ultimate victory. They had used her up, and now they would sell the scraps.

Cash pulled up his comm-link interface. "Let's see how our little stray dog is doing. I want to see her cry before I call Chet."

He tapped Alana's name on his contact list, switching the call to holographic video mode so everyone could watch. He cleared his throat, practicing a look of fake, mocking pity.

The screen pulsed blue as it attempted to connect. Dallin leaned in, grinning.

Three seconds passed.

Suddenly, a massive, glaring red 'X' filled the projection. A cold, synthetic female voice echoed through the luxurious living room.

"We are sorry. The user you are trying to reach has placed you on their blacklist."

The room went dead silent. Dallin's laugh caught in his throat, making him choke.

Cash's fake smile froze. The muscles in his jaw twitched. He jammed his finger against the redial button, pressing it so hard the screen warped.

"We are sorry. The user-"

Cash canceled the prompt. The veins on his forehead bulged against his skin. His authority had been challenged. The idea that Alana-the useless Dud they had manipulated for years-dared to preemptively block him was an insult he couldn't stomach. He was the one who discarded her. She didn't get to walk away.

"Dallin. Call her," Cash barked.

Dallin fumbled with his wrist, pulling up his own contacts. He hit dial.

Red X. Blocked.

Jered tried. Blocked. Charmaine tried. Blocked.

She had cut them all off. Completely.

Cash's face turned a violent shade of purple. He grabbed his heavy crystal whiskey glass and hurled it across the room. It smashed against the pristine white wall, shattering into a hundred pieces and leaving a dark, ugly stain.

"That ungrateful bitch!" Cash roared, his chest heaving. "She thinks she can just shut us out? After everything we gave her?"

He paced the room like a caged animal, his boots crunching on the broken glass. His breathing was ragged, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles popped. The audacity of it burned him from the inside out.

"Tomorrow," Cash snarled, his eyes burning with toxic rage. "When she comes to campus to beg for a transfer, I am going to humiliate her in front of the entire academy. I will tear her pride to shreds."