CTS TIME RE250.09.05 – 12:35 PM
Vault Void Club, Sector 9
The roar of cheering had faded. The ring lights dimmed, the scoreboard flickered to standby, and the last bits of neon smoke still hung in the air like echoes of the fight. Everyone was catching their breath when Oliver suddenly stood up in the center of the room, reactor glowing proud and steady.
"Sab suno!" he shouted, voice booming across the hall. "From now—Vault Void Club officially closed. Re-open at night, ten o'clock sharp!"
A collective gasp rippled through the squad. Raider dropped the servo joint he was juggling. Nathan blinked in disbelief.
"Bhai, kya?" Lucas said, his voice bouncing off the walls. "You? Closing shop? Din ke beech mein? Waah!"
("Bro, what?" Lucas stared at him, his voice echoing off the metal walls. "You? Closing the shop? In the middle of the day? Damn.")
Oliver grinned and pointed straight at Luna, who was sitting quietly with her hands folded. "Because… Miss Luna didn't get her joining party! Humne usko family mein liya, aur uske liye abhi tak kuch nahi kiya. Toh aaj party karenge. Sector 7 Market… aur Sector 4 Supermarket. Maza ayega!"
("Because… Miss Luna never got a joining party," Oliver said simply. "We brought her into the family, but we never actually did anything for her. So today, we fix that. Sector Seven Market, then Sector Four Supermarket. It's going to be fun.")
Luna froze, her cheeks heating instantly. For me? All this… for me? She looked down quickly, but her reactor betrayed her, glowing bright pink.
"Arre wah!" Falcon whistled. "Joining party, haan? Kya baat hai, bhai."
("Now that's something," Falcon whistled. "A joining party, huh? Respect.")
Raider smirked, elbowing Alex. "Oliver bhai kaafi serious lag rahe hain Miss Luna ke case mein."
("Oliver bhai looks pretty serious when it comes to Miss Luna.")
Luna pressed her lips together, flustered. "Why… why is everyone doing this for me? You already treat me so kindly…"
Oliver turned back to her, his voice warm. "Because it's my work. Tum ho light in darkness. So everything for you, Miss Luna."
His words struck her chest like an arrow. She could only smile faintly, too shy to answer.
Meanwhile, Julian nearly tripped over his own feet as Oliver called out:
"Julian! I'm sending you fifty thousand credits. Book a traveling vehicle for twelve people."
Julian's eyes widened like saucers. "Kya bol raha hai tu?! Oliver bhai, tum? Paise kharch karne ke liye? Aur woh bhi enjoyment ke liye? Waah, miracle ho gaya! Ok ok, main ja raha hoon booking karne." He bolted for the door, reactor glowing excited yellow at the thought of handling such a sum.
("What are you saying?! Oliver bhai—spending money? And for fun? That's a miracle. Alright, alright, I'm going to make the bookings.")
Nathan muttered to Lucas as they slowly walked out, still whispering about the earlier fight.
"Arre, did you see? Miss Luna bas khadi thi. Aur woh teen gir gaye jaise koi invisible cannon fire kar diya ho."
"Did you see that? Miss Luna was just standing there… and those three dropped like they'd been hit by an invisible cannon."
Lucas nodded, practically bouncing. "Full OP hai yaar. Matlab hum toh training karte rahte hai din raat… aur yeh bas ek blink aur phatttt. Finish!"
"She's completely broken.We train day and night, and she just blinks—boom. Finished."
Leo added, scratching his chin. "Mujhe lagta hai… she's not Mk 1, bro. Kuch aur hai. Kuch bada."
("I'm telling you,she's not a Mk-1. She's something else. Something bigger."}
Adam, calmer than the others, rumbled in his deep voice. "Don't overthink. Sirf observe. Hum seekh sakte hain usse."
The four of them drifted toward the exit, their conversation a mix of awe and disbelief.
Back inside, Raider, Falcon, and Alex were tidying up. Falcon flicked switches along the wall, dimming the lights until only the neon banner buzzed faintly. Raider dragged the heavy iron gate halfway down with a groan. Alex, more practical, carefully stashed the chips and parts in a locked cabinet.
"Bhai," Alex muttered while stacking boxes, "Oliver serious ho gaya hai. Miss Luna ke liye party… first time dekh raha hoon usko aisa."
("Bro,Oliver's changed. Throwing a party for Miss Luna… I've never seen him like this.")
Raider smirked. "Aur kya. Bhai ko thoda crush hai shayad."
("Obviously," someone smirked. "Pretty sure he's got a bit of a crush.")
Falcon snorted. "Crush? Woh toh full shaadi ke mood mein lag raha hai."
("A crush? Nah. Looks more like he's already thinking marriage.")
Clara, still leaning against the railing, heard every word. Her pink reactor dimmed just slightly, her gaze flickering toward Oliver. He never did these things for me, she thought, her chest tightening with something unfamiliar. Not once. And now… for her…
She folded her arms, smiling faintly to mask the heaviness in her core. Out loud, she only said softly, "Oliver… you've changed."
Oliver didn't hear her. He was too busy watching Luna's smile, as if it was the only light left in the room.
Luna, meanwhile, sat frozen in the warmth of their chatter. Their Hinglish banter spun around her like an electric storm, words she didn't always understand, but laughter she felt in her bones. She just smiled, polite and bright, even as her cheeks burned.
Inside, her thoughts whispered
Valerian… if you were here, you'd call this a waste of time. But… maybe this warmth, this chaos… it's something even you can't deny.