Hugging her pillow closer, Stella groaned an argument to the soft words that graced her ears in a most annoying and upsetting way. She didn't process what was being said, but she knew that they were an assault on her deep sleep, unwelcome and unwanted. She could feel the presence of the trespasser next to her and she scrunched her face up to try to shield the light from pricking her eyes.

"Stella, please… I made sure you got a little extra sleep in, but you need to join us in the meeting." The voice spoke again, soft and sweet. Stella's body said no but her brain was considerate. Still, the warmth of her blanket tugged her back into a half conscious dose.

"Awh, come on, she ain't a toddler. This will do it." Another voice spoke, and by the time Stella processed it, her cherished source of warmth and comfort was snatched from her body, the chill of the air shocked her. Reaching out to search for her blanket, her hands met nothing and in a flash of primal disturbance, she jolted up to glare at the offender.

The offender smiled, blanket clutched in his hands as he cheekily shook his head.

"Now that's a look. Don't worry about it, sweetheart, you can drink some joe later." He chided, tossing the blanket on the foot of the bed. Stella groaned and rubbed her eyes. If anyone else had done that, she probably would have kicked them but she knew this wasn't the time to get kicky, even if she did feel like she was dead.

"Cid…" Tifa scolded, the source of the sweet voice trying to wake her. Stella knew from her voice, as she felt her eyes were glued shut. Reluctantly, she slid her legs over the side of the bunk, trying to find the willpower to get up. She wondered if she would need to shed her pajamas for the meeting, but cracking her eyes open showed that Tifa was in a baggy heather grey t-shirt and athletic shorts, her hair messy and loose. There was no dress code and for that Stella was relieved.

"Well, pumpkin, come on. We don't have all morning." Cid urged again and Tifa shook her head in disapproval. Stella took a deep breath and stood up, feeling a little stiff. She must have slept like a rock.

"I made some coffee for everyone and you have a cup with your name on it." Tifa informed her with a smile and Stella softened. Cranky as she could be from being snatched from her slumber, a little sugar made it okay.

"Thanks, that's really nice." Stella gave, her voice strained and she cleared her throat. Cid didn't wait up and was already heading out the door of the dormitory.

"It's nothing. I knew you'd be tired after what I heard last night." Tifa mused and then her eyes widened, "Not that I'm judging, I just wanted to help." She corrected and Stella gave her a sleepy smile and a nod, her brain still slow.

Stella looked around to see a bunch of unmade, slept-in beds. Clothes were draped across bedposts and a few familiar things were strewn about. Stella noticed Cloud's oversized sword propped against the wall next to the bunk across from her bed and Tifa's windbreaker draped over the bed just above Stella's. So Tifa was her bunk-mate? Stella felt a little relieved at the discovery. In her short-lived exploration of the now occupied space, Tifa had begun to lead the way out of the dorms and Stella hesitantly followed, feeling her joints ache as she stepped through the doorway.

On her way out, Stella noticed the showers had also been in use this morning, most likely while she was asleep, as the door was propped open and little traces of steam seeped out and dissipated into the air. In passing, she noticed the lights of the small gym were on for once as well. The place really felt alive when it wasn't just her. Would it be like this from now on?

She didn't linger too long and now with Tifa out of sight, Stella rushed along the hallway and into the lounge, ducking into her room and quickly hurrying to shove a few of her new devices into her backpack to bring along. She didn't know if she would be showing any of her devices yet, but she wanted to be prepared just in case. Of course, it was a shame that she couldn't make another detonator last night, but it wasn't like she had the supplies yet anyway. She'd have to tell Cloud that she needed to go to some kind of supply store soon or visit a scrap yard. She recalled that he said they were heading to Midgar, which would be perfect for finding choice things considering the mounds of scrap it held. Something to bring up in the meeting, she supposed.

With her backpack slung across her shoulder, she stifled a yawn and headed to the conference room, trying to recall where it was exactly. She hadn't been close to the engine room and flight deck since she first boarded, but again the sound of early morning liveliness beckoned her to the right place. The bright, fluorescent light of the meeting place poured into the dim hallway, the flight deck above doing little to shine sunlight into the space. The large windows above showed the purpled sky, only being warmed by a faint and distant glow. No wonder Stella felt so damn tired. It was dawn.

Tifa looked out the door about the same time Stella got close enough to peer in, her long hair swayed behind her. Her warm smile made Stella feel a little better and she tried to return it, but didn't feel as successful. No, she was too slow this morning.

"There you are! I got your coffee on the table next to mine. I thought it might be nice to sit together." Tifa began, motioning Stella in. Perking up, she stepped into the conference room, spotting the two mugs immediately, the familiar tourism advertisement reflected on the mahogany wood.

"That does sound nice." Stella sleepily mumbled, hoping she sounded as sincere as Tifa. Looking around, it looked as if almost everyone was present. Vincent sat silently closest to the door, barely acknowledging the others as he stared into space. Barret, who sat at the opposite end of the table, had a towel laid over his shoulders and already seemed dressed for the day. He nodded at her, his conversation with Cid was cut short as he called out to her.

"Look who's finally here. How'd you sleep?" Barret asked, almost teasing but Stella had the feeling that it was all in fun by the way he smiled up at her.

"Like a dead fish." She answered, pulling her chair out and taking a seat on the cool surface of the pleather cushion. A chuckle escaped him and he shook his head.

"I heard that." He affirmed and Tifa pulled her chair out next to Stella, giving her a quick smile as she took her seat.

The room was quiet for a moment, as nobody really knew what else to say. Stella gingerly pulled the coffee close, inhaling the aroma and fighting the urge to rest her head on the table. She savored the warmth and zoned out as she tried to wake up. She took a sip and frowned a little at the lukewarm liquid. The chair next to her slid out and she looked over her shoulder to see that no one pulled it out. Her confusion was cleared when the new face hopped up in the chair beside her and rested on his hind legs. Stella felt a flush of embarrassment over what she did last night and hoped the furry team member didn't hold a grudge.

"Good morning." Stella mumbled, not really thinking about it. The creature looked at her with his one amber eye and he frowned, or at least it seemed like he did. She wasn't sure if she was imagining the expression on a non-human face, but she still held her breath anyway.

"Yeah. Thanks." Red gave, his voice flat. Stella was still not sure how she gripped the fact that he was speaking to her, but she had seen weirder things, right? No, she hadn't seen weirder things. This was it. Tifa leaned forward on the table, her elbows propped her up as she called out to Red.

"Hey, you met Stella last night, right? She's the one who made that thing that made the Kimara bug explode yesterday." Tifa said. Stella perked up, her eyes widened. One of her contraptions made something explode? She wished she could have seen it.

"Right, before that clunky detonator got lost." Red answered and sighed, "Yeah, I met her last night." He confirmed, his ears swiveled back.

Stella looked down and felt a twinge of regret. Why had she made that detonator so big? Safety, her lack of proper supplies? She couldn't recall but it really made sense that it was doomed to be lost, being "clunky". The combination of realizing how poorly designed her invention was or the very obvious dislike the furry team member had for her already had Stella wishing she could get up and leave the room. She tried to shake it off and instead took a grounding sip of the quickly cooling coffee.

Cid, who until then had just been listening, slapped his hand on the table, his eyes lit up. As if it couldn't get any worse, he had to give some commentary.

"You shoulda been there, Tifa. Stella treated ol Red like her fluffy puss-puss." Cid almost hollered and Barret visibly cringed, his face scrunched up. Stella felt her heart drop, but didn't get the chance to snap back, and it was probably for the best. She didn't want to soil the first impressions yet, as she still felt that no one in the room knew her that well.

"Don't say it like that! That sounds nasty." Barret objected, his hand slapping over his face.

"Awh, I'm just teasing. Red will get over it." Cid chuckled to himself, leaning back in his chair.

"I'll get over it as soon as you stop bringing it up." The animal grumbled in response, nearly too quiet to hear.

A new voice was added to the lot, yet it wasn't directed at anyone in the meeting room yet. With the inclusion of the voice, the conversation fell and everyone glanced up at the door of the meeting room.

"I'll try my best. I can't make anyone do what they're not up to."

From the hallway, her boss's voice drifted and not long after the messy blonde hair bobbed into the doorway. His back was turned to the room for a moment before he turned on his heel into the conference room. A silver phone was held to his ear as he stepped in, his gaze cast downwards. He wasn't like Tifa or Barret, who were both in more casual clothes, but instead, he had a pair of elaborate suspenders on and a dark brown leather coat over it. He was more prepared for the day.

"Mhm, yeah, I'll call back and let you know." Cloud concluded, not hesitating to pull the phone away and flip it shut instead of giving a proper goodbye.

"Must have been important for you to answer, who was it?" Barret chided and the blonde made his way around the table to the head, lingering there instead of taking a seat.

"Shut up." Cloud groaned under his breath, rocking his weight on his feet. He sighed and closed his eyes before answering the question anyway, "It was just Reeve. I was filling him in on everything and he agreed to help us out. He knows what the key is useful for."

Key? Stella looked around to see if anyone else seemed intrigued but every face matched the other's boredom.

"It better be something good after all that trouble." Cid grumbled, still leaning so far back his seat threatened to spill him to the floor. So it must be whatever was gained from the mission. Stella didn't want to ask and pry but she was curious and still didn't have an inkling of an idea what the others had done in their absence of why they had to go all the way back to Midgar. Especially since there was hardly anything there to go back to.

"A new Shinra facility in Edge has been built and the name attached to the card was a tech manager in the storage unit. It should get us access to the loading bay and into the building. That's what Reeve said anyway." Cloud answered and shifted to pull a grey and red card from a pocket hidden within his brown jacket. He held it up pointedly before setting it on the table.

The Shinra logo glinted on the coated surface of the card, no doubt important. Stella knew that the company was slowly trying to rebuild and expand their resources, but she didn't think she'd ever see an employee card again. Not with how desperate the corporation was just a year ago.

"And that's where we'll take names and kick ass, right spikey head?" Barret piped up, his wide grin lit his brown eyes up. Cloud let his eyes widen for a moment and he shook his head.

"Not this time. This new facility comes with new security features." Cloud began before a small touch of humor graced his voice, "Kicking ass will have to wait 'till next time." His answer made the tattooed man grumble to himself for a moment.

Stella looked between them for any other clue. She felt herself getting left behind already. Swallowing her urge to listen and learn, she spoke up in spite of herself.

"Hey, um… really quick." Her interjection had several eyes turn in her direction. Too late to back down now. "What's going on? I'm getting lost here. Keys and buildings and security and loading bays? I know it's not up to me to ask but I think it would help." Her words fell on silence for a moment as everyone looked to the other to begin an explanation. Tifa was the first to say anything.

"You mean you didn't tell her anything last night, Cloud?" she asked and the blonde let his mouth hang for a moment as he thought of an interjection.

"Er, no, I thought that's what the meeting was for.'' His defense was short and sweet. It did make sense to Stella, anyway, with how ragged everyone looked after whatever happened on their mission. Even still, Tifa, proving once again to be the most compassionate one in the room shook her head to herself.

"Gosh, you're a mess as always." She muttered with a teasing smile. Cloud took a deep breath and mulled over an explanation.

"The locals in Gongaga had it much worse than we thought. Not only are new Shinra troops trying to scare the locals and quarter there, but they are taking unoccupied forests. The local hunters claim the forests are sacred and important to their food supply, but Shinra has made it clear that anything unowned by a land title is theirs to take." Cloud began, painting a picture of what was taking place. Stella imagined if Kalm was the same, perhaps the uprising Shinra interests would be placed in her hometown.

"Not to mention that they aren't doing anything the old fashion way. I don't know if they're using old models or what, and I can't imagine how'd they'd build these new mechs so quickly after hell broke loose. There are too many of them and when one gets wrecked, another one takes its place while the wrecked one gets repaired. It's a damn frustrating cycle, I tell ya!" Cid added and Cloud nodded.

"So when the locals shared this with us, we tried to just destroy as many mechs as we could but as Cid says, it's a cycle. We got our hands on that," Cloud motioned to the keycard on the table, "And had to make a mess to get out of trouble with it." This time it was Red that piped up, his ears swiveling forward.

"Those mechs are definitely new technology. Shinra has a manufacturing facility close to the canyon. Best for discretion and for testing range, I imagine." His addition confused Stella even more.

"So somehow Shinra is making a big comeback? I knew they were trying to gain bigger ground but no one has really taken the company seriously in years. I mean, last year they were trying to hire the everyday guy to build that stupid monument, not to mention it's a company built on a dead name." Stella mused aloud. "They're trying to rebuild the upper plates, I know that much, but I didn't think they'd be growing this fast."

"Yeah it's shit, isn't it? I wouldn't put it past them to have more under their sleeve to screw up the world right now!" Barret added, sharing the sentiment that Stella wasn't the only one who was shocked.

"Right, so we have a destination and this keycard." Cloud acknowledged again before continuing, "I made sure to call Reeve and see if he had anything and of course, he found that the card belongs to the new facility in Edge. Said facility holds an underground computer that controls the mechs and the auto-repair protocol on them. That's why there is no facility in Gongaga and no target for us yet. So, we have to do something about that computer to buy us some time."

"It's not that easy, is it?" Tifa chimed in, "New building, new security you said?"

"Exactly." Cloud confirmed, leading to his next point. "The new security has footage that is backed up and saved every thirty minutes and a guard watching every thirty seconds. If the guard sees anything suspicious, every exit will be shut with thick metal pressure locked doors. There are blind spots, most of them being in the warehouses around the back half of the building. Lucky for us, that's the area that our keycard is useful." He explained.

"We have to find a way to avoid the watch of the guard and infiltrate where the computer is and then what?" Vincent spoke for the first time.

Cloud paused, his index finger curled around his own chin in thought.

"Well first, we gotta find the best way to destroy the computer. It's no secret that Shinra has been slowly restoring satellites and networks after the meteor disintegrated most of them. I imagine it's not just the computer but the whole network too. Destroying the computer itself would only buy us time, which is our best bet for now. Though eventually…" He trailed off and Cid finished the thought.

"New computer, old system and same algorithm. I don't think it would buy us that much time if Shinra is aching to forge on." The pilot added. Stella mused the situation over, feeling like she was following along much better now.

Shinra had rebooted, or maybe even reconstructed their information network, and are using it to control and repair machines that are actively stealing and tearing up sacred forests. The mechs were more than likely controlled by either an algorithm or maybe an artificial intelligence driven algorithm. In that case, it most definitely wouldn't buy much time to destroy the computer but instead to locate where the server was hosted and take that down. Something like that would be behind a lot of security and hard to crack, but it would be the only thing to buy any time. And the act of doing that in itself would take time, trial and error, and a bit of finesse. She wondered if she herself could do it, given her only experience was pirating Shinra-owned movies that she didn't want to pay for.

"Right, but maybe it's enough to drive out the guys in Gongaga until we come up with something better." Cloud thought aloud, "But that's only possible if we can get down there. I was hoping Reeve knew someone on the inside, but not this time. There's no one to distract the guard watching the tapes and there's no one to erase or loop the footage. Normally doors wouldn't be an issue with how maybe we've knocked down before but… Reeve has heard that they are thick titanium, too hard to slice through."

His words floated around the room and with it an air of hopelessness. No one seemed to have any suggestions to offer. Stella certainly didn't, hardly thinking any of this was possible. Who were they kidding? She knew she herself wasn't capable of any of this. AVALANCHE maybe, Stella? No. This was the same AVALANCHE that destroyed a reactor, dropped a plate in Midgar, and then as some people say, killed Sephiroth. That was only a rumor, however, and some people around her hometown swear that it was Rufus and others claim that Sephiroth even being around during that time was a complete farce. Of course she didn't know, and didn't want to look dumb by spouting some public gossip that was miles from the truth.

Besides, Sephiroth was a name that no one had really talked about in the past eight years, so he seemed entirely irrelevant. A SOLDIER that got too much credit perhaps, hype all built from trading cards and propaganda. Bringing up a name like that now was absurd, like bringing up an old celebrity whose fame was long gone and tied in the past.

"So what are we going to do? We don't really have anyone to help out if Reeve doesn't know anyone. Reno and Rude… well, they haven't been around in a while, not that they would help." Tifa speculated. More names that Stella didn't know, but what could she do?

"The only way is to sneak in." Cloud observed and Barret scoffed.

"How the hell are we gonna do that? You gonna wear a wig, spikey?" the tattooed man jested and the blonde had a knee jerk reaction.

"Ugh, no!" Cloud defended as Barret laughed to himself. Before he was done laughing, Cloud shook his head and continued on. "No, disguises aren't going to work, and sneaking won't help with the cameras. We would all be spotted and recognized in an instant." the blonde stated, again closing the door on another option.

"This is is the hard part, and it's something Reeve suggested. There's a way that we can destroy the computer and have an easy time getting in and out before thirty minutes in enough time for the footage to be destroyed. There's someone here that Shinra doesn't know is a part of AVALANCHE." Cloud finished and looked right at her for the first time this morning

It took a moment, but surely everyone at the table cast their eyes in her direction. Slowly she registered what was being said and she blanched. Stiffening, she looked from face to face, everyone looking at her expectantly for a comment. Screw coffee, that was the quickest she had ever felt a jolt of energy so soon after being groggy.

The tension was a little too much and Stella gave a nervous laugh, half expecting the others to join in and laugh it all off as if what Cloud just proposed was a joke. Instead, she was met with a few different silent reactions. Tifa's face fell as if she accepted Stella's reluctance to answer as a no. Barret, looking from her to Cloud, still looked hopeful but that hope fell with each second, Cid grinned at her, and she wasn't sure what was meant but it looked like a combination of confidence and interest. She didn't dare look at Vincent or Red, not wanting to turn her head to gaze at them. Cloud's eyes were the only ones that didn't portray his thoughts.

"Are you serious? You're talking about me right?" Stella nearly choked out, her emotions getting the better of her tone. What was it she was feeling, astonishment? Panic?

"Oh come on, all ya gotta do is just walk your ass to the elevator non-suspicious like and blow that computer to hell before you leave the way you came like Cloud said. It's easy if you don't get caught!" Cid encouraged, the same smirk on his face. "One of those thingies will do the trick, you have a remote detonator dontcha?"

She stared back at him, almost offended. Maybe it made a tiny bit of sense, but she wasn't cut out for that! She can't even stand the sound of a gunshot without feeling squeamish right now. What if something went wrong? With pressure locked doors she would be trapped, and then at best, arrested, at worst, killed on sight. If it came out that she was caught sneaking into a Shinra facility, she was doomed for life if not dead on the spot. How would that pan out? Her family would be in danger, her mother would lose her job. Treating this as if it were easy peasy with no consequence… it was absurd and she wasn't buying it.

"I was going to say the same thing, but not like that." Cloud began, but Stella interjected

"How could that ever be easy for me? I'm- I can't do that! I'll get caught, killed even! And then what?" Her point came out strained. Cloud looked around for help and Tifa met his eyes briefly before she gave Stella a reassuring look.

"Stella, you're not going to get caught and even if you did, we'd find a way to get you out." Tifa gave and was met with a look of disbelief.

"How? You can't get through those doors, that's already been established." Stella argued and shook her head. There was a short break in their voices as the other members looked from her to Cloud, trying to follow along in the tense atmosphere. Stella wasn't trying to make an ass of herself but her life and safety are a cause for complaint.

"Look, Reeve has a plan already. He can make a phone call right now so you're not going to go in by yourself blind." Cloud tried to soothe but Stella crossed her arms over her chest.

"So you and your buddy had already counted on me just going along with this? You started making plans before you asked me?" Her voice wavered and began to heat up, just like her face. She couldn't help but glare at the blonde.

"I'm asking you now! Nothing's been planned yet, he's waiting for a call back." Cloud corrected, a twinge of irritation at her accusation shown in his voice, his eyebrows pinched together as he looked off to the side. "You can do this. It's a lot to ask, I know, but if I thought it was too much I wouldn't have considered it." the sincerity in his voice cooled his tone and he looked back up at her.

"That wasn't the plan. I can't… I'm not like you." Her eyes squeezed shut as she pushed her palms over her face. "What makes you think I can do something like this?" she muttered her question under her covered face.

"What makes you think you can't?"

His words shocked her. What did he mean? Surely he didn't think she was hiding some incredible talent or ability from him? She wasn't a spy, she wasn't a soldier, she was hardly whatever she was. Her hands dropped from her face in disbelief as she gauged his gaze. He didn't waver and no one else dared to interrupt.

"Huh?" was all she managed.

"You already have everything you need for this. You're already prepared." He stated, in boldness she hadn't seen yet.

"What do you mean?" She asked dumbly, just wanting him to get to the point.

"Right there, in your bag. Come on, let's see." Cloud stated plainly as day, waving his hand to gesture at her backpack.

Dumbfounded, she reached under the table and pulled the grey bag up. Did he mean whatever she showed last night? Reluctantly she looked up at her boss and he gave her a nod. Taking that, she dumped everything onto the table. It was nothing new, just all the things she had worked on and already shown beside thee one new addition.

Leaning down from where he stood, Cloud reached across the table and pushed one of her contraptions to the side.

"A laser gun that can melt titanium doors," He started the inventory before sliding the next thing to the side from the hoard, "A magnetic coil that can fry a computer," he again stated, selecting the next thing, "...And a ball that will cook a grown man."

She stared at the table, feeling like a toddler who finally understood a basic math equation. No, he wasn't serious, Stella thought but her doubt faded as she considered it. He was right. Although these were messy prototypes, they could definitely do exactly what was needed. She didn't have to worry about the doors, that laser works best with denser materials so the door would be melted in seconds. A computer would be easily destroyed with a voltage that exceeds its own limits, which her pancake could do easily. And now she had two weapons, one lethal and one only disruptive, to use.

She must have been staring at the table for longer than she realized as Cloud cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck, his hair being displaced and bouncing back into its messy glory once he pulled his hand away.

"So um… If you don't want to, I can't make you. It would be a lot easier with your help. We always manage and finding another way can be done but there's no need if you're on board." Cloud explained, giving her the option. Stella squeezed her eyes shut again and this time battled her own decisions.

"I won't be going in blind, what did you mean?" She asked, not quite believing that she was considering going along with this.

"Reeve knows someone at the University of Upper Junon. Shinra always used to allow students to job shadow. All the Edge facility needs is a student ID number, supposedly." Cloud gave, Stella didn't bother to look up from her hand cocoon over her face.

"Okay." Stella sighed out. "Call your friend and get the details." She muttered, giving in but not excitedly or with enthusiasm.

The enthusiasm in the room was already too much as Barret whooped and Cid belly laughed. Stella pulled her eyes from her hands to peek at the room. Cloud had already pulled his phone out.

"Alright, will do." Cloud gave, beeping the buttons through his contacts.

"Oh good, I'm so glad. Of course, we mean it when we say we have your back in this, you know that right?" Tifa gave, leaning into Stella's shoulder, a warm smile plastered on her face.

No sooner she said that than Cid plucked something from the pile of things Stella had dumped on the table. It was the new, miniature model of the pancake. He turned it over between his glover fingers.

"Ay, what's this? You made it smaller like I suggested huh?" Cid stated, "Whatcha calling this one?" His question brought back the unfortunate name that the contraption had.

Cloud looked up from his phone and to the miniature that Cid was asking about. Stella bit her cheek, not wanting to say it.

"Hey, what is it called, Cloud?" Stella piped up and the blonde flushed and tried to look confused, his action on his phone was halted.

"Huh, what are you talking about?" he feigned ignorance. Stella fought a smile, maybe from the slight relief she felt having made a difficult decision or because her boss had an issue with telling the others what he called her work. Good, he should suffer for it.

"Oh you know, you named it after all." Stella played coy. A little revenge for making her feel so stirred up this morning over a mission. Not as if she was feeling too much better now, that pit of dread still hung in her stomach.

"I um…" He halted his argument as Barret gave him a betrayed look

"Come on, what's it called? What did you name it?" Stella pushed and Cloud fell silent, his face tinged red.

"What did you name it dude? I wanted to name it something cool but you said it was already named." Barret pressed.

"He called it a robot's butthole so now that's what it's called. A butthole." Stella finally admitted, done with dancing around the point.

"Awh damn, you dumbass! It could have been something cool and scary to make those Shinra pricks scared stiff by its name." Barret half teased, half fussed, waving his hand in his frustration. Cloud gave him a sharp look, not liking the berating he faced.

"Awh, Cloud, you didn't…" Tifa gave disbelievingly. Cloud looked at her, almost betrayed at her critique.

"Whatever, I'm stepping out to make this call. You guys are too noisy."

Cloud pushed his way around the table, punching buttons on his phone as he left the room. The murmur of the others filled the absence, but Stella was zoned out. She hoped that whatever details that phone call provided would be a comfort to her.

Her moment of relief was over and even with what Cloud pointed out, she wasn't assured completely. She let her eyes drift over to the hard work that laid on the table along with the left employee card. It was all in its early stages, all just ideas, first models, prototypes. While they worked now, she couldn't be sure she would be able to rely on these. No matter how much work she put in, she didn't know if any of it was good enough to hold up. It was all a leap of faith, everything. Leaving home, her inventions, trusting AVALANCHE, thinking she could compare. It was all something she was uncertain of.

Like her, she didn't want her inventions to fail in the one moment that they mattered.