4:00 PM – Syd Barrett's Apartment
{"You've completely lost it, haven't you?"}
"It's not insane to involve a civilian in a mission."
{"She has no idea what's going on. You're pulling someone into a world you don't come back from—and she didn't even sign up for it."}
"That's why I gave her an offer she couldn't refuse."
{"Which was?"}
"You read the file, didn't you? She has brittle bone disease."
{"Yeah. So?"}
"Think it through."
{...}
{...}
{...}
{"Wait. You're teaching her martial arts?"}
"Correct."
There was a long silence on the line.
{"You've known her for like, a day. How can you trust her?"}
"Because someone like Jody wouldn't pass up a chance like this. Trust me."
{sighs}
Syd heard a drawn-out exhale.
"Come on, Roxy. Don't act like this is the first time the org's roped in civilians."
{"…If you say so... fine."}
"Love you, sis. Sending a LAN cable kiss—muah."
{"Save it for your Boys "}
DING DONG
"What the hell…"
{"She's at your door."}
"Got it."
Syd ended the call and went to the front door.
Creak…
Standing there was none other than Jody Johansson, dressed in a blue top with a navy jacket, a plastic bag in one hand—looked like she'd just been shopping.
He'd asked her to come by to discuss the mission.
What he didn't remember asking her to bring were the two large rolling suitcases by her feet.
"What's all that?" he asked.
"Oh, just everything from my condo."
"You brought it here?"
"Yep."
"Why?"
"Seriously? I'm moving in."
"...What."
"..."
"I never said you could move in."
"You didn't. But I figured if I'm going to be shuttling back and forth between here and my condo, I'll probably break a leg before long. Plus, training will be easier with my instructor close by, and any mission briefings will go smoother too."
Okay, she had a point...
But still—just showing up with luggage like this?
Do Americans even know what consideration means?
"You're just gonna move in without telling me? Planning to mooch off me or what?"
"Why not? Aren't we friends now?"
She dragged that last word out like it was a punchline.
"...You little—"
Syd stepped aside with a sigh of defeat.
Jody rolled her bags into the house. He slammed the door behind her with theatrical annoyance.
His house was standard—mostly white, modest, and barely furnished. It felt like he was just renting it as a temporary base. It wasn't spacious (obviously, this was London), but it was still impressive he'd secured a two-story home in a city like this. The staircase was visible right from the entryway, with a chandelier above and hallways branching off in either direction.
"To be honest, your place is pretty clean."
"I'm not a slob."
"I'm impressed."
Jody turned back and held up a brown paper bag, tilting it toward him.
"Here."
Inside were three bottles of milk, each about 400 milliliters.
"Milk?"
"Yep. But if you don't like that, I also grabbed strawberry and chocolate. I'll go pop them in your fridge. Which way's the kitchen?"
"Try not to be such a damn troll, light bulb."
" What'd I do to get called "Light bulb" tho???"
"Shut up. Thankfully, there's a spare room upstairs. Go put your stuff in there, get settled, then come back down for the briefing. And bring the milk."
After finishing unpacking, Jody sat down at the central table of Syd's house, where a sleek black notebook lay open in front of her.
Something odd had caught her eye—no, in truth, she had noticed it long ago.
Whether it was Syd's cell phone or this notebook, she couldn't identify their brands or models at all. Syd's phone, jet-black and distinctly unconventional, matched no commercially available devices. She suspected they were custom-built.
Syd emerged from the kitchen, a glass of strawberry milk in hand, and placed it down firmly.
"Alright," he began, "since your current job is basically to assist me, that means we watch each other's backs. If I'm getting my ass kicked, you jump in. If your legs are about to snap, I'll save them. This is your first mission, so I'll only tell you what you absolutely need to know—understand?"
"Is that to prevent me from betraying you or something?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Try telling anyone at school about this," he snorted. "I bet twenty euros from my wallet nobody would believe someone as obnoxious as me could have a secret life like this. They'd just assume I'm burning through my mom's money, partying every night."
Jody stayed silent.
He had a point—even she found it hard to believe that Syd Barrett was involved in something far beyond the scope of a typical high-schooler.
"I'm part of an organization," he continued. "We're investigating a mysterious object. Recently, intel came in that various mafia groups, powerful businessmen, and politicians worldwide are secretly pursuing it. We call this thing the 'Disk.'"
Syd turned the notebook toward her, showing a grainy image captured by a surveillance camera. The object resembled a CD.
"Why is the image quality so bad?"
"It's the only clue we have," he replied calmly.
"So, what exactly is it?"
"It looks like a CD, but it's definitely not one. It was just made to resemble one. Our intel guesses it contains information about a discovery that could change the world."
"Something as big as Newton's theories?"
"Or Tesla's discoveries," Syd confirmed.
They exchanged glances, their minds racing in unison. Jody's quick thinking made their conversation flow effortlessly.
"Sounds pretty vague… But basically, we're tracking down this thing, right?"
"Exactly."
"So, how does our school fit into this?"
"The school itself isn't the issue. It's the administration. On the surface, it looks like a prestigious school, almost like a palace to outsiders, but—"
Syd clicked to the next slide on his screen, revealing shocking details.
It listed drug trades, money laundering, and corruption schemes—all meticulously detailed and undeniably authentic.
Jody felt a chill run down her spine. This data was more than enough to trigger an investigation or even get the school shut down.
"The school's administration is using the institution as a front for shady dealings with black-market contacts all over England," Syd explained. "They meet here secretly, exchange information, and, worst of all, trade drugs before distributing them elsewhere."
"They think because it's a prestigious school, nobody would suspect them?"
"That's not even the worst part," Syd interrupted. "This is."
He opened another image—Saint Paul's Cathedral.
"That's… Saint Paul's Cathedral, just five stations away…"
"Right," Syd confirmed. "The current head priest is Peterson Morley, known as Father Peter. He's met secretly with the school's administration before—more covertly than any mafia exchange. He's our point of entry."
"And how do we approach him?"
"Tomorrow at 8 PM, we're sneaking into the cathedral to have a 'chat' with him."
"And… what about the school? I thought you'd use the drug info to shut it down."
"Closing the school is just a punishment," Syd explained. "I believe both the school administration and Father Peter are linked to this 'Disk.' The blurred image you saw is from your own school."
"Then why not target the administration first?"
"No. We start from afar and box them in slowly. No one escapes."
"Alright," she nodded. "So, if we complete this mission, you'll finally start teaching me martial arts?"
"That's the deal. Surprised your school's such a mess, huh?"
"Yeah… never imagined. Both students and faculty…"
"You just didn't care enough," Syd pointed out bluntly. "You're here because you want your dad to see you've changed, right?"
"True," she admitted quietly. "But the school's reputation mattered too."
"Ambitious. I like that," he smiled faintly.
"By the way, you guys use strange terms. 'Organization,' 'punishment'—wouldn't 'agency' or 'law enforcement' make more sense?"
"Sorry?"
Syd's sudden irritation surprised Jody.
"FBI, CIA—they're just government dogs. Don't lump me in with those sniffing hounds."
"But you seem just like them—secret agent stuff, right?"
"I'm not FBI or any of those stupid organizations. I can't say more until you finish your first mission."
Jody fell silent, watching him sip the strawberry milk.
"Damn, Jody," he remarked, genuinely impressed. "This some serious gourmet shit. Where'd you get it?"
The next evening at 7:00 PM, at the subway station, the pair stood quietly awaiting their train. Their destination was Saint Paul's Cathedral. Both wore dark jackets and gloves.
Noticing Jody's trembling hand, Syd asked gently, "Nervous?"
"Yeah…"
"Why? You've already killed someone."
"It's not that. I'm just afraid we'll get caught."
"If we're careful, nobody will know. Life isn't a Hollywood action movie, Jody."
"Right…"
"I was nervous my first time too. But… not this nervous."
The train arrived. They stepped aboard, unaware someone familiar was watching from a distance.
"Those two…" murmured Sera. She didn't dwell on it, as her phone buzzed urgently.
"Hello… Yes, Father. I'm on my way. I'm never late," she said curtly, stepping aboard the train.
They reached the cathedral at precisely 7:20 PM. Jody suggested using the rear entrance to save time.
"Good call bringing a local," Syd smiled approvingly.
Behind the cathedral, Syd handed her a discreet wireless earpiece.
"You'll get updates through this," he instructed. "Try not to panic. Girls tend to freak out under pressure."
"I hope you don't see me that way," she replied coldly.
Syd ignored the remark, carefully swapping properties between her legs and a nearby iron rod. "Let's go."
Both donned masks that completely hid their identities.
At exactly 8:00 PM, they slipped unnoticed into the cathedral's second floor. From their vantage point, they saw priests, nuns, and security personnel awaiting Father Peter's entrance.
"That's our target," Syd whispered.
A group of nuns in black cloaks approached Peter, who ushered them into a hidden passage behind a large black door.
"Now," Syd instructed. "When I signal, take out the guards."
"Take out meaning...?"
"Kill," he said bluntly. "Relax, it's legal now."
She nodded firmly.
They swiftly descended. Syd incapacitated the nearest guard silently. Before the others reacted, Jody fired precise blasts of air, downing three guards instantly.
"Clear," she reported breathlessly.
Syd swiftly hacked the electronic lock. "We've got seconds before surveillance resumes."
He pushed her inside, shutting the door behind them.
"Impressed yet?" he smirked.
Jody, astonished by his efficiency, finally grasped the true difference between Syd Barrett and everyone she'd known.
Ahead lay a lavish room where Father Peter welcomed a nun, who removed her veil, revealing herself as Sera.
Jody gasped in shock. "Sera?"
"What a twist," Syd muttered, genuinely intrigued.