[ Three days later – Golden Sector – "Blood Orchid" Luxury Restaurant ]
A day off.
A word I never thought existed in the lexicon of magical intelligence—let alone for the elite "Alpha" squad that had nearly been wiped out just days ago.
But, by an official request from Commander Valisera, submitted directly to FBI Director Alexander Vance—who approved it immediately for reasons known only to me, Valisera, and her blackmail files—the entire squad was granted a two-day paid leave.
This gathering itself was a surreal joke.
The place: "Blood Orchid" restaurant.
The highest, most expensive, and most luxurious restaurant in the Golden Sector.
You don't enter it unless you possess wealth equal to a small nation's budget, or you carry a golden FBI badge.
The floors were made of enchanted glass beneath which genetically modified mermaids swam—unfortunately. The tables were carved from golden-etched ent wood, and the ceiling was a celestial dome displaying the real movement of planets.
