"Hey, guys, having a party? Why didn't you invite us?"

"Hey, guys, having a party? Why didn't you invite us?"

After a brief rest, it was time to move.

The three of them packed their gear methodically.

They folded their high-tech Optical Camouflage cloaks. Once folded, the cloaks automatically hardened into panels that were easy to store, then went into small, inconspicuous pouches behind their belts. From the outside, the pouches looked like ordinary tool bags.

Next, they carefully adjusted their tattered clothes, chosen to match the style of the local people.

Leon turned up the collar of his work jacket to conceal his jawline;

Mike pulled his hood lower, hiding part of his face;

Maggie let her dark red hair fall more loosely, then wrapped it in a filthy headscarf to make herself less recognizable.

Their primary weapons were hidden beneath loose jackets, while their pistols sat in concealed holsters under their arms or at the small of their backs. They could draw quickly if needed, but otherwise attracted no attention.

"All right, now we look like three poor bastards who've just finished digging through the rubble for trash."

Mike adjusted a deliberate tear in his pant leg as he joked, trying to dispel some of the heaviness that had hung over them since the previous night.

Leon checked the stains on his jacket to make sure they looked "natural" enough. "The look is right. Remember, we're civilians struggling to survive. Dull eyes, sluggish movements. Don't carry yourselves like soldiers."

"Acting notes received."

Maggie's dry remark came as she finished settling into character. The sharpness in her eyes had given way to just the right measure of exhaustion and confusion.

Once ready, they slipped out of the abandoned apartment building like true drifters and blended into the streets as the city slowly woke.

With daylight came the end of