The bed rocked with such a force that it woke Irina in an instant. She tossed the covers from her body and sat up, bouncing her eyes around the room in horror. What in the hell was going on? She noticed Heisenberg near the door, staring at her in humor. Irina narrowed her eyes in anger.

"W-what? Have you lost your fucking mind?"

That power of his was sometimes a nuisance.

Heisenberg grinned. "Rise and shine, princess. We've got guests."

Guests? Who would visit him?

Irina pinched the bridge of her nose. She had a headache; this time, she wasn't so lucky to wake up without a mild hangover.

"Do you need me?"

Heisenberg snorted. "Are you not feeling well? That's what happens when you drink almost an entire bottle of Tuica as a lightweight."

"I hate you," she groaned.

Why did he let her get drunk?

No, she argued with herself.

She was the one to blame. Heisenberg didn't force her to drink the alcohol; he enabled her. Irina didn't hate him; she hated herself.

"Get dressed," Heisenberg ordered.

Irina shot him the bird and got out of bed, tottering towards a work desk against the wall that Heisenberg was using to build the headgear of some creature he called Panzer. Her bag was on the table.

She took out her clothes for the day, wanting to bathe; however, she doubted that she'd have time with guests outside the door. The least she could do was change her underclothes. She turned and glanced at Heisenberg over her shoulder.

"Can you leave or turn around?"

He grunted. "Why the hell are you acting so timid? I've already seen you naked."

"Because it's different," Irina argued back.

Stripping down felt like she was revealing her soul to him; it was too personal.

When she didn't move, Heisenberg snorted and turned his back to her.

Irina grinned and removed her panties, changing them into a fresh pair. Shoving the previous set in the bag, she put on a white blouse and dark pants, then slid on her wool cloak and mask; she draped the hood over her head to cover her messy hair.

"Who are the guests?"

Heisenberg hummed. "Some kids from the village."

Irina puckered a brow and retrieved her shoes. What kids? Were they playing a game? The one to venture closest to the factory was the bravest. They were fools.

"I'm ready," she declared.

Heisenberg snorted. "It's about fucking time."

He stepped to the side, and as she walked past, Heisenberg placed his hand on her back and led her towards the elevator. Once inside the cabin, he pressed a button to take them to the upper floors.

The way he held her was awkward. Irina was confused but ignored the strange yet soothing feeling in her gut.

The top floor was eerily quiet, but Irina could hear faint voices coming from the yard at the entrance to the factory.

"Go out there and greet them," Heisenberg ordered.

Irina shot him a glare of annoyance and pulled open the front door, venturing out into the cold morning air; her eyes were sensitive to the sunlight.

Three young men stared at her from the junkyard, to-go bags in tow.

"Can I help you?"

The sturdiest in appearance fell into a bow. "My name is Luca Moraru. We apologize for trespassing. We heard from Mr. Fieraru that the factory is opening back up."

He must have told them about Petre accepting the offer.

"He spoke the truth," Irina clarified. "But how did you get here?"

A short young man took a folded map from his pocket and showed it to her. The factory had a red circle around it, and the boys had plotted out the trek. But how did they know?

"The Duke gave this to us," he answered back.

Of course. Irina should have known.

"He also asked us to send along a message to Capră," Luca added.

Irina hummed. "And the message?"

"He asks that you return tomorrow to the reservoir to relocate," Luca answered back.

Her eyes widened. They were relocating sooner than she thought. Where to?

Irina cleared her throat. It mattered not. She'd cross that bridge later.

"Are your affairs in order?"

The third member shook his head in agreement.

"Yes, ma'am. We're ready to work," he said quietly.

Irina instructed them to grab their bags and follow her. She led them inside and to the cargo bay, where she thought Heisenberg would be; however, he wasn't. Perhaps he was downstairs.

"This way," she ordered.

Leading them to the elevator, she motioned for them to get inside the cabin. The lift moved before she was able to push a button.

As the elevator descended, Irina took a glance at the three.

"Besides Luca, what are your names? I need to know who to compensate for your work."

The shorter young man smiled at her.

"My name is David Vidraru, ma'am."

Irina hummed and glanced at the other member.

"Mihai Popa," he spoke.

Not a man of many words, she thought.

It was not like it mattered.

Once the cabin came to a rest on B3, Irina stepped out first. She had never been on this floor before. It made her wonder why Heisenberg brought them to B3 in the first place.

She saw a yellow ladder leading onto a platform and took it, hearing the party whisper amongst themselves as they followed her up. At the top, she noticed Heisenberg at the end of the platform, staring out at the near-empty assembly line.

"M-my lord," she announced.

Damn, I hate calling him that.

He turned and tossed out his arms. "Isn't it fucking marvelous?"

"Marvelous, sir? It needs a bit of work. I mean, isn't that why we're here?"

Irina tensed up at David's response. She hoped Heisenberg wouldn't take his curiosity as a sign of rudeness.

"You're not wrong," he mentioned with a grin. "It's not perfect, but it serves its purpose. And I have you all to thank for that."

What did he mean?

"Be a dear and come over here, Irina."

Why did he use her real name? Her eyes widened upon realizing what he was about to do. She hurried to his side.

"I feel like playing a game. What do you say, boys?"

What the hell was it about him and games?

Luca puckered a brow. "I-i suppose, sir."

"I'm sorry," David stated. "I don't understand what's going on here."

The hair on her arms stood as a familiar sensation crossed over her.

Before she knew what to expect, a knife whisked through the air and pierced David in the throat.

Heisenberg tore it from his throat using his power and grinned as blood gushed from the puncture wound.

Seeing the damage done, Irina leaned over the railing and vomited. Her stomach couldn't take the stress right now. What in the fuck was he thinking doing this in front of her? The gargling noise he made brought chills down her spine. How disgusting.

Luca tried to help David as he dropped to his knees, trying desperately to breathe, but Heisenberg tutted at him.

"He's dead," he taunted. "Leave him and run."

Luca glared at him through the tears gathering in his eyes.

"H-how could you do this to him?"

Heisenberg grunted. "For fuck's sake."

Irina had more spirit than they did.

He tossed the knife into Luca's hand and snorted as he cried out in pain.

"Last chance," Heisenberg threatened. "I won't repeat it."

They fled for their lives.

Leaning on the railing, Heisenberg checked on Irina. Her skin was pale and covered in a thin coat of sweat.

"You look like shit," he said with a grin.

She spat the unpleasant taste from her mouth and snorted. "I feel better, though."

"Go back to the bedroom and rest," he ordered.

Irina shook her head. "I can stomach it. Let's get this game started."

Heisenberg rubbed her back.

"Atta girl!"

He knew what he liked about her now. It was her resolve, her determination to be free.

They were compatible.