The KTB members were still tense, having heard the distant gunfire and alarms from below, their expressions a mix of worry and readiness.

  One of them, a broad-shouldered agent with sharp eyes, kept glancing toward door now too, his grip tightening on rifle as he muttered under breath:

  "...That better not be what I think it is."

  Another agent nodded grimly in response while the third one remained silent…just watching hostages carefully for any sudden movements either way also.

  The Queen finally spoke up after a long pause herself, her voice low but steady when addressing them all again:

  "What exactly are you planning to do?"

  They didn’t answer.

  The Queen's eyes narrowed slightly at that, not liking their lack of response obviously.

  She tried again: "Well? Tell me."

  Still no answer. But the Queen didn't seem intimidated, though, her own gaze steely and unblinking as she demanded:

  "Answer me."

  The agents exchanged wary glances among themselves at that, clearly not comfortable with being ordered around like that by a white royal either.

  But there was something about her tone that made them hesitate, like they couldn't help but feel a faint stirring of uneasiness despite themselves.

  And then, after a long moment, the broad-shouldered agent finally spoke up, voice cool and formal as he replied:

  "...We have our orders, Ma'am. That's all you need to know."

  The Queen's jaw tensed at that, not liking being brushed off like that. But she kept her voice steady when she responded:

  "I see. And those 'orders' are to stand here and keep us locked up, like some sort of prisoners."

  She made air quotes with word 'orders,' her voice dripping with disdain.

  The agent just stared back at her calmly before quipping: "That's just what we do to white people, royalty or not.”

  The Queen's expression darkened at that, her eyes flashing with barely restrained fury.

  "Then I suppose it’s a good thing we’re not all white, isn't it?" she snapped back coolly.

  Her gaze flicked pointedly toward the Princess, whose own skin was noticeably darker than hers.

  The agents followed her line of sight…and for a brief moment? Their faces twisted into something almost uncertain before hardening again quickly enough also.

  ...They hadn’t considered that.

  One agent muttered under breath: "...Tch. Even half-white is fair game too."

  The trapped security guards stiffened at that as gazes swiveled back and forth between Dodeka and the Queen, unsure of what to do...

  Until suddenly, a broad-shouldered guard spoke up again, his voice stern:

  "You’re one of those Fennec terrorists, aren't you?"

  Her lip curled in disgust, hands clenching tightly at her sides.

  "Terrorists? I prefer the term 'vigilante justice', but I digress." Her voice was cold.

  The guard just sneered at that, taking a step forward now too.

  "Vigilante justice my ass. You're nothing more than a criminal who uses violence to push your own agenda." His eyes narrowed. "So don't go pretending like you're some kind of freedom fighter."

  "You didn't listen to us back when we were peaceful, so now we're bustin' heads. Literally.”

  The guard's face twisted into pure fury at that, his rifle jerking up to aim directly between Dodeka’s eyes now.

  "You smug little—!"

  But before he could pull the trigger? A blur of motion cut through the room like lightning itself , and the next thing anyone knew, the guard was choking on his own blood as a blade protruded from his throat from behind.

  Silence followed for a split second before all heads turned toward the source once more…only to see Courtney, standing there covered in gore with half her teeth missing and one eye swollen shut. Then she finally spoke after few a beats passed:

  "...Told ya I wasn't done yet."

  The guards turned their attention from Dodeka to Courtney now, watching their felled man fall limp to the floor.

  "The hell?! Where's the psycho assassin you were fighting?!”

  Courtney spat another glob of blood onto the floor, her grin widening despite her missing teeth.

  "Gone," she said flatly, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Got tired and left."

  The guards didn't look convinced, one even taking step forward now too while snarling:

  "...Bullshit! You're lying!"

  But Courtney just shrugged dismissively before adding casually: "...Or maybe I killed her already? Who knows." She tilted her head ever so slightly as if considering it herself for a moment.

  She suddenly lunged at the nearest guard without warning, fist crackling with aura as she swung straight at his jaw hard enough to send him stumbling backwards into other two guards.

  "What was that for?!" a guard shouted. "You're supposed to be helping us against these terrorists!"

  "Because," Courtney began, pausing to wipe more blood from her mouth. "I can't stand white trash like you."

  The guard just stared at Courtney, expression twisting into something almost incredulous as he asked in disbelief:

  "...What did you call me?"

  Courtney just chuckled breathlessly, the sound dripping with mockery as she repeated:

  "You heard me."

  "But YOU'RE white like us," another guard pointed out angrily. "So you should fight these damn KTB terrorists, not US, dammit!”

  Courtney rolled her eyes, as if it were obvious.

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  "Yeah? And?" Her tone was sarcastic as she added: "I've met my fair share of shitty whites, which is why I refuse to call myself one."

  The guard just stared at her, flabbergasted, while the other two shifted uncomfortably.

  Then, another guard broke the silence with an incredulous statement: "So you're one of those who think ‘reverse racism’ is real?"

  Courtney snorted at that, as if the very idea was laughable.

  "Racism is racism," she retorted coolly, "Doesn’t matter if it's white or black, or anything in between. What matters is being decent toward each other regardless of race or where you come from." She tilted head slightly as she added dryly: "...You know, something you people suck at."

  Courtney then raised her bloody shirt to reveal a Black Star tattoo on her side. This made the KTB agents surround her.

  "She's one of us!" a KTB agent shouted.

  Courtney scuffed, pulling the shirt back down while rolling her eyes again.

  "Please," she said sarcastically, "As if some shitty little government-funded 'secret police' can compare to the Gaia Disciples. We have class."

  The Queen's eyes burned with anger at the sight of the Black Star tattoo, the symbol bringing back tragic memories of her kingdom at the hand of the Gaia Disciples.

  The KTB agents bristled at the insult, one of them stepping forward with his rifle raised and finger twitching on trigger.

  "Shut your damn mouth," he snarled, voice trembling with barely contained rage. "We don't need some edgy mercenary running her mouth like she's better than us!"

  Courtney just smirked wider despite missing teeth now too, crimson eyes gleaming as if daring him to pull it already.

  ...He did.

  BANG!

  A deafening gunshot echoed through the room, but Courtney was already moving before the bullet even left the barrel, twisting aside so fast that the round merely grazed shoulder instead while spraying blood across the wall behind where stood moments prior.

  She lunged straight at the shooter without hesitation, but was stopped by being put in a sudden headlock from behind by none other than the Xerosi assassin.

  Courtney hissed through clenched teeth, glaring daggers at Xerosi woman as she struggled against the hold now too:

  "Get the hell off me!" she snarled furiously, trying to break free without much luck.

  "This isn't good…" the Queen murmured quietly to herself, eyes narrowed in concern as she watched the exchange unfold before her.

  "You shut up," a KTB agent shouted at the Queen.

  The agent's shout startled the Queen, her head snapping toward him briefly as she snapped:

  "Did you just tell me to shut up?!"

  The agent flinched slightly under her steely gaze, and then seemed to recover himself enough to reply with forced bravado:

  "Yes, I did. And I’ll do it again if I have to. You're in no place to give orders here, Lady. We are going to clear this museum of whites, including you if you say something stupid."

  The agent laughed, a sharp, mocking sound as he gestured toward the bloodstained floor with his rifle.

  "Oh? So what’s your brilliant plan then?" His voice was laced with sarcasm. "You gonna negotiate with the people who enslaved and murdered millions of Fennec people?"

  He leaned in slightly, eyes glinting coldly: "...Or are you just another white hypocrite hiding behind pretty words while your kind keeps stomping on ours? Since peaceful methods failed miserably, we now focus on making the likes of you afraid."

  The Queen shook her head again, her adamant stance on the topic strengthening further:

  "It's not about making people afraid, it's about making people feel a sense of unity. We have to break the barriers and work together. We can't just go on feeling fear, that's how we keep these things happening. You have to reach out and say, "you hurt me, but I won't hurt back. We have to be better. We can't solve our problems with hate and violence." Because then you become worse than the people who started this hate.”

  The agent glared at her, his expression growing increasingly hostile as she spoke.

  "And what do you expect us to do, just forgive the people who have oppressed my race time and time again? No, I refuse to be the better person for once. I am tired of being on the receiving end of hate and discrimination. You can keep your peaceful ways while you continue to reap the benefits of white supremacy...I'll finish this once and for all." He growled.

  The Queen didn't seem intimidated, her gaze still fixed solidly on the agent as she spoke firmly: "Bullshit! Listen to me. Being an ally isn't about who directly benefits from who. It's about standing up for what's right. It's about fighting against the system in place, no matter where we come from. Just because I have privilege doesn't make me your damn enemy. It makes me a potential ally, if you'd stop being so damn stubborn and short-sighted!”

  The agent's face twisted in pure fury at that, his grip tightening on the rifle as if he was seconds away from pulling the trigger.

  "SHUT YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH!" he roared, voice cracking with rage. "You don't get to talk about my race like you know anything! You think just because you're some rich white royal, suddenly your opinion matters?! Fuck off!"

  He raised his gun again, this time aiming straight between her eyes as spittle flew from his lips:

  "...I should put a bullet in your skull right now and be done with this bullshit."

  The Queen didn't flinch, staring back at the agent with steely resolve.

  "You're lashing out right now because you are hurting inside. You are angry, and rightfully so. But I know that you know that deep down, this isn't the way. You would have already shot me in the head since the very beginning, but you haven't yet because something inside is yearning for you to consider that I, a powerful ally, am not worth killing.”

  The agent scowled at that, his eyes flickering between anger and doubt for a brief second as he tried to dismiss her words.

  "Bullshit! You don't understand what it's like to be persecuted for simply existing! Don't preach to me!"

  The Queen's expression softened slightly, a flicker of sympathy flickering across her face.

  "You're right. I may never comprehend your struggles. But that doesn't mean I can't empathize with them. I am listening," she said firmly. She then leaned forward, not taking her gaze off of his for even a split second.

  "Listen to me. It's simple. I might have privilege and a powerful position, I can't deny that. But just because I have that doesn't mean I can't stand with you, side by side. I care about your cause, and the Fennec race. I want to be on your side despite the advantages I have. My nation is the only white-majority land that isn't closing doors to the entire Fennec race due to the spike in KTB terrorist attacks, because I know that ALL Fennec people aren't like the KTB, just like you should know that all white people aren't like the ones that made the Fennec people suffer for all those centuries up to the present day. So please, stop pushing me away because of some arbitrary crap about 'benefiting from the enemy.' Allies aren't always equal, but we're on the same damn team.”

  The agent's finger twitched on the trigger, his entire body tense with conflict.

  For a long moment, he just stared at her, breath ragged as if wrestling with something deep inside himself, his Fennec ears flattening down against his head.

  Then? His grip loosened slightly...but his voice was still sharp when he finally spoke:

  "...You're really fucking annoying...tch. 'Allies' my ass."

  But there was less venom in those words than before. That was when the Queen knew she was getting through.

  The Queen's heart fluttered in her chest, a spark of hope igniting inside of her.

  She leaned forward another inch, her gaze unwavering.

  "I might be annoying right now in your eyes. I might not be perfect. But I am determined. I know you're angry and frustrated. I know you're hurting. But there's no reason it has to lead to violence, and bloodshed. Put your gun down and listen to me. For a second. That's all I ask." Her voice was quiet but steady, her eyes never once wavering from his.

  The agent's breath hitched, his knuckles whitening around the rifle for another tense second...before, with a sharp exhale, he lowered it just slightly.

  "Tch. Fine." His voice was gruff but no longer dripping with outright malice. "...You get one minute."

  The Queen didn't waste that time, her words coming out fast and deliberate:

  "Then listen. The KTB isn’t your only option here today. You want justice? Fine! But slaughtering innocent white people won't bring you peace or fairness, it'll just make more enemies who will retaliate against your race harder than ever before! Instead? Use me as leverage against them!"

  The agent blinked, his grip on the rifle loosening slightly as he processed her words.

  "...Leverage?" His voice was laced with skepticism, but there was a flicker of something else now too—curiosity? Hope?

  The Queen seized the moment:

  "Yes. I can help you expose them for what they really are, not just terrorists, but traitors to your cause. If we work together instead of against each other…" She gestured subtly toward Courtney still fighting off the Xerosi assassin nearby. "...Then maybe we don't have to be enemies today."

  A beat passed where silence hung thick between them before, finally, the agent let out a sharp breath and muttered:

  "...Fuck it."

  He lowered his gun fully, jaw clenched like he regretted giving in already.

  One down.