— Do they wear trench coats? — Gabriel asked, excited, lying next to his companion on the bed.
— Yes, — Naomi replied, holding back a laugh. She knew about his strange obsession with long coats.
They had arrived at Pit Thirty a day ago and were given rooms in the Nest to rest and clean up, because, according to Nahara, they stank, and none of them could argue. The Nest was entirely different—it was more underground. The construction resembled a bunker. Upstairs, there was a house with stairs leading downward, and aside from that, the rest was strikingly similar.
From what Naomi had noticed in the rest of the city, the concept was the same: unlike Pit Thirty-four, the streets were packed with colorful houses, but here, the small buildings led to homes hidden beneath the ground.
— You're messing with me, — Gabriel concluded, his eyes half-open.
— Of course, who would wear a trench coat in a fight? It's easy to grab and puts us at a clear disadvantage.
— Naomi, Naomi, — he replied, sounding tired, as they had had this conversation dozens of times already. — I don't understand how no one sees that we would look amazing in them—they fit our look perfectly.
— So far, you're the only one defending that idea.
— I'm sure the Ancients would agree.
— Where did you get that from? Ah, never mind, just forget it.
Gabriel was about to argue when someone knocked on the door, and then Ana's voice came from behind it.
— I'm leaving the new clothes here.
— Thanks! — Naomi called out loudly. There was no response.
Since he had already sat up during the conversation, Gabriel got up, naked, to grab the clothes that had been neatly folded on the floor. He glanced both ways down the hallway and, not seeing the Crow anywhere, assumed she had gone into Livya's room.
He returned with the clothes in hand and placed them on the bed. Naomi was the first to move, grabbing pants and one of the long-sleeved shirts. He did the same and got dressed.
He felt a little uncomfortable in the long-sleeved shirt at first, but didn't pay much attention to it. Once again, there was a knock on the door, but this time it was Livya.
— Are you guys ready?
— Just a moment, — Naomi said, still struggling to pull up her pants.
Her companion simply watched her wrestle with the tight-fitting pants until she finally won.
— You've got quite the butt, — he commented.
Naomi completely ignored him as she opened the door. Livya and Ana were waiting on the other side. Like the pair, the newcomer had also received new clothes, and the hours of sleep had helped reduce the deep circles under her eyes to mere remnants of what they had been.
Gabriel's entire body ached, and the cut on his ribs still burned with fever. Naomi, on the other hand, seemed perfectly fine.
— You're all set, — Ana said cheerfully. — That's great. Sandy wants to speak with you as soon as possible.
The trio had heard about Sandy while being brought to the Nest the day before. The woman was the new leader of the Crows in the city, and Nahara had mentioned that she was the youngest commander in a long time across all forty-eight cities, at only twenty-three. She was younger than Gabriel.
— Yeah, — Naomi responded, already at the door. — We'd better go speak with her, then.
Gabriel was the last to leave, closing the door behind him. They followed the corridor, which, unlike their Nest with its wooden floor, was made of concrete to ensure more security underground. The major difference was the stairs that always led upward, and at the end of the straight path, the steps ascended.
They stopped at the first door before the stairs. Ana knocked and waited a few moments before opening it.
— I brought them, — she said to the person inside.
— Thank you, Ana, — Sandy replied.
Livya, who was standing next to Ana, caught the first glimpse of the room before the others. It was much larger than Jonas' room, with a bed and wardrobe. LED lights illuminated the room with its white walls, and a nearly two-meter-long table was pressed against the right-hand wall next to the door that led to the bathroom. Despite being a bigger piece of furniture, it was still cluttered with stacks of papers, almost systematically arranged.
The woman, the leader of the Crows, sat at the desk in a black-cushioned iron chair. She turned slightly in her seat to face the group. Gabriel scanned the room until his gaze landed on its owner—a woman about the same height as Naomi, but unlike his companion's shoulder-length black hair, Sandy had blonde hair tied back in a braid that swayed behind her chair. Her green eyes bore into him, but something about her gave her a gentle appearance.
— You can go, Ana, — Sandy said without standing up.
— Sure, — Ana replied, leaving and closing the door, leaving only the trio with the leader.
— I'm Naomi, — the young woman introduced herself, followed by her companions. — Thanks for lending us a room and clothes.
— No problem. I was curious about what Nahara told me about you.
Gabriel paid more attention to her and changed his mind about her gentle appearance. She was almost like a predator eyeing its prey; her eyes seemed to glint. It was no wonder the Nest leader was so young.
— What exactly did she tell you? — Livya asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible.
— How you met on the caravan, — Sandy began, still sitting in the same position as when they had arrived. — The stories you told her on the way, and about how you found some of my Crows recently.
— I can't say they were Crows from this Nest, — Gabriel responded. — But we ran into three of them at the Oasis. Here's the proof, if you don't believe me.
He walked over to her desk and placed the rings there. Sandy stared at the objects for a long time, as if lost in thought, then she slowly spread them out with a finger and said:
— Weren't there more?
"Fortunately, no," Naomi commented, but then she understood.
Gabriel and his partner understood. If the Ravens usually worked in pairs, then six of them had disappeared, meaning half of them were missing.
"I want to know why they were found and why they were in the state they were in."
Naomi was about to respond angrily, but she remembered that the woman was the leader of that Nest. She had obligations to the members, so she swallowed her protests and explained why they were there.
Sandy just listened, saying nothing, while hearing about the mission they had received, that the S.L. was a problem in another Nest, about the members who had died, the subway, and she showed some reaction when she heard about the Big Brother.
"That's everything," Naomi concluded.
"The problem really went further than I expected," the blonde muttered, standing up and pacing back and forth. "He made them drug addicts," she continued speaking to herself.
"Sandy," Gabriel called. "Is the state of the city really bad because of the drug?"
"Quite bad," she answered, stopping and staring at him. "We have two entire warehouses just to keep the users, and I won't even comment on the state of the Pit."
"Shit," Gabriel muttered under his breath.
"Hylari must have told you about us."
"How do you know?" Naomi began, but stopped when she saw Sandy's reaction. Nest leaders should have all kinds of information, so she rephrased: "Not everything, just that they were suffering and maybe they got the location of Big Brother's base."
"Maybe not," Sandy corrected her. "I got it."
"Where?" Livya asked, without realizing.
"Why would I tell you?" Sandy shot back. "This is a problem for my Nest."
"We were given this mission," Gabriel said curtly. "We've been through a lot of shit and lost comrades, just like you. I'm not saying do everything alone, just participate."
The woman looked at him, seeming shocked that someone was going against her, but then a smile spread across her lips. She sat on her bed and spoke.
"I'm glad you still want to see this through to the end."
The three of them realized they had just been tested. She was truly a sharp woman.
"One of the groups I sent came back with information. Unfortunately, the other three weren't so lucky," she said bitterly. "Their location is in the old Nest 50."
"But..." Livya cut in, blushing when she became the center of attention. "There are only forty-eight Nests, right?"
"Currently, yes," Naomi answered. "There used to be many more. Unfortunately, several collapsed, and only these are left."
"A survivor," Gabriel whispered. "I need to know, Sandy. Does he have any Lost Knowledge?"
"Gabriel, right?" she asked, and continued when he gave a confirming nod. "I thought about that too, Gabriel, but from what you told me about the factory, I really doubt it. There's no point in having the knowledge without the equipment to build the machines."
"And Little Sister?" Livya asked.
"This is the first time I've heard of her, but if she defeated several Ravens, then she's a danger, no doubt."
"How is this going to happen?" Naomi inquired. "This attack."
"In two days, we're sending almost the entire Nest to exterminate them."
Gabriel was surprised. The woman was planning to attack head-on and wipe everything out. Before he could speak, Naomi did:
"What's the strategy?"
"We don't need any of that. We are Ravens; we will crush them, or rather, we will bring a massacre to them." Before anyone could protest, she continued: "I'm glad you're coming with us. Now I'd recommend some rest and a visit to Luís, our armorer and medic. If you'll excuse me."
Without waiting for a response, Sandy ignored them and returned to sit with the papers. Realizing the conversation was over, the trio left. Livya felt the same as when she spoke with Jonas. It was strange and quick.
Ana was waiting for them outside.
"So? How was it?"
"She's, at the very least, intense," Naomi answered.