Dominance Evolution System: Sweat, Sex, and Streetball

In Jaz’s apartment, the suitcases were already lined up by the door, each one covered in stickers collected over the years, when the news appeared on her phone sitting on the counter.

"WAIT," Jaz shouted, rushing to the screen, her finger trembling as she scrolled the video once, twice. "NIA. NIA COME LOOK AT THIS."

Nia burst out of the bedroom, a bag still half-zipped in her arms.

"What, what’s—"

She stopped dead in front of the screen, her mouth slowly falling open.

"No way," Nia murmured. "No WAY. Baby-Boom is joining what?!"

"MIKO’S ON THE TEAM," Jaz screamed, jumping in place, her arms flying up and nearly hitting the ceiling with every bounce. "MIKO AND ME ARE ACTUALLY GONNA PLAY TOGETHER!"

Alicia came stumbling in next, topless, hair a mess.

"What the hell is—" She caught sight of the screen over Nia’s shoulder and froze completely. "Wait... WAIT! WHAT THE HECK?!"

"I KNOW!" Jaz yelled, unable to hold back her excitement any longer, before throwing herself at Nia and Alicia at once, an arm hooked around each of them, lifting them clean off the ground without the slightest visible effort, all that strength she usually channeled onto the court breaking loose in pure euphoria.

"JAZ," Alicia shrieked, legs kicking in midair, a helpless laugh escaping her despite the shock. "JAZ PUT ME DOWN!"

"CAN’T," Jaz answered, laughing just as hard herself, spinning them slightly. "I’VE LOST ALL CONTROL!"

Nia, dangling right along with her, was laughing so hard tears were starting to well up in her eyes.

A few days ago, they’d all figured the road to the playoffs was going to be a real uphill battle, with Nash left standing alone against the world, and the guys leaving had only made it worse. And now, out of nowhere, heaven.

The three of them stayed like that for a long moment, tangled in that chaotic hug in the middle of the living room, laughing without really being able to stop, the news too huge to fit into anything as small as silence.

In a black car cutting through the streets of the Underground, Hector sat in the back seat, phone glued to his ear, his advisor right beside him, her own phone in her other hand, typing furiously.

"I want immediate legal confirmation," Hector barked into the receiver. "Immediate. I don’t care what time it is, wake up the whole legal team if you have to."

"Sir," said his advisor, glancing up from her screen. "The lawyers are already verifying the documents that were shown during the press conference."

"And?" Hector spat. "What are they saying??"

She hesitated a fraction of a second before answering.

"The signatures appear authentic, sir. The termination contracts carry Apex’s official seal."

Hector went silent for a moment, his jaw clenched so tight a muscle visibly twitched in his cheek.

"That’s impossible," he said finally, voice low. "I never signed any termination. Any release of contract."

"That’s exactly the problem, sir," the advisor said, turning her screen toward him. "The documents are countersigned by... another administrative officer. Designated by you... as the team’s owner..."

Hector nearly tore the phone from her hands to read it himself, his eyes racing down the page, and then his face went slack.

"...Harlan."

Disaster.

He remembered his own decision, a few weeks back. He’d wanted to punish Victoria, to make her life as miserable as possible. He’d asked Harlan to take back the Midnight Rest, a promotion as a reward for his loyalty, handing him the Baby-Boom contracts in the same breath, until the sale to the Jade Gardens could be finalized.

Harlan had every file. The same Harlan who’d raped Monique. The same Harlan who’d betrayed them all. The same Harlan sitting in prison right now.

He was the one who’d put Harlan in a position to burn it all down.

"No," Hector muttered, slowly shaking his head, the realization sinking in layer by layer. "No, no no no no... NO!!! HARLAN!!!"

His scream carried all the way out to the street.

The next day, outside the manor, all ten Baby-Boom girls had already been waiting a while, scattered in small clusters across the gravel drive, heads tilted up at the pale stone façade rising at the end of the path.

"Seriously," Kai was saying as she pointed at the turrets, "how did he get something like this?"

"More interesting question," Miko replied, adjusting her glasses, "is since WHEN he’s had it. I thought the whole budget was on fire until, like, two days ago."

Rei, a little off to the side, studied the façade with a smile, arms crossed. Why even ask? It was the kind of thing where the answer already wrote itself.

"It’s Nash. Why is anyone surprised?" she said simply.

Hina nearly tripped over her own bag trying to get a closer look, catching herself on Kai’s shoulder just in time.

"Ow— sorry, sorry," she giggled, straightening up and pushing a strand of hair back, her chest bouncing slightly with the motion. "It’s huge. Like, he could get lost in there."

"You could get lost in a straight hallway anyway," Kai shot back, an eyebrow raised.

A little farther off, the five subs had formed their own cluster, louder, more restless.

Yuna was pacing back and forth, her pink pigtails bouncing with every anxious step.

"Is he coming out soon or what," she grumbled, then froze the second she heard herself say it. "I mean— the minibus. The minibus is coming soon."

"Of course," Mai said, not looking up from the nails she was inspecting with studied calm, even as her fingers trembled slightly. "We were all talking about the minibus."

Hana, silent as ever, gave a short, sharp gesture toward the driveway, the universal look of watch, don’t talk, while Rumi, leaning against one of the stone pillars, threw an ironic peace sign at nothing in particular, like she needed something to do with her hands.

The hum of a minibus carried in from the distance, climbing slowly up the paved driveway under the artificial light of the Underground’s endless twilight.

Every head turned at once.

Chio actually bounced on the spot, grabbing Yuna’s arm.

"That’s them, that’s them, that’s—"

"Calm down," Yuna hissed, even though she herself had straightened up instantly.

Kai stayed perfectly still, a smile drifting across her lips, arms crossed, eyes locked on the approaching vehicle. Rei adjusted her posture, standing even straighter. Miko started bouncing lightly in place, her glasses sliding down her nose with every movement, no longer able to contain her impatience. Hina grabbed Aiko’s arm without even noticing she’d done it, eyes wide with excitement, while Aiko, arms firmly crossed, wore a perfectly unbothered expression, betrayed only by the foot tapping nervously against the gravel.

The minibus finally rolled to a stop in front of the steps with one last squeal of brakes. A brief silence settled over the group, then the doors slid open.

Jaz stepped out first. Her eyes swept over everyone gathered in front of the manor, the Main 5, the subs, and a huge smile swallowed her whole face.

"YOU’RE ALL HERE!" she yelled, arms already thrown wide, like she wanted to hug the entire group at once. "I can’t believe it, I can’t believe it!"

Nia and Alicia climbed out right behind her, Nia letting out an admiring whistle at the manor, Alicia practically up on her toes trying to take everyone in at once.

Rei was the first of the Baby-Boom girls to move, walking calmly toward the minibus while the others were still a little frozen with excitement.

"Welcome home," she said, addressing Jaz, though her gaze already took in Nia and Alicia standing right beside her. She held out her hand to Jaz first. "Sorry we waited until the last minute to fill you in, but we’re all in the same boat now. Can’t wait to see what this turns into, all of us together."

"A massacre," Jaz answered, shaking the offered hand with enthusiasm. "For the rest of the league, I mean."

Rei turned to Nia next.

"Nia. Glad you’re here too."

"Glad to see you hate me a little less than you used to," Nia replied, teasing, shaking her hand in turn.

"I never hated you," Rei corrected. "I just found you insufferable."

"That’s a good start," Nia laughed.

Rei turned to Alicia last, who narrowed her eyes warily, and held out her hand with the same sincerity.

"Princess..."

"Please no," Alicia said.

Rei couldn’t help bursting out laughing, patting Alicia’s shoulder to reassure her.

"Relax, you got lucky, you’re off my menu. For now, anyway," Rei said, composing herself again.

Behind her, the rest of the group hadn’t waited for the formal greetings to wrap up. Miko had already slipped in to grab Jaz’s hands, eyes bright behind her glasses.

"We’re finally gonna get to play together," she said. "For real this time."

"I swear, I can barely believe it! I already got play ideas," Jaz answered, pulling her into a hug that nearly crushed her. "You’re gonna love it."

Kai stepped up next, a competitive smile already in place.

"Nice, guess we’ll finally settle who the real beast of the paint is between us."

"You serious?" Jaz shot back, amusement flashing in her eyes. "You really want to get owned again?"

"You never owned me, you just got lucky I wasn’t in my prime," Kai retorted.

"Keep telling yourself that," Jaz smiled. "Can’t wait to do it again at practice."

Kai burst out laughing.

"Deal. Get ready to cry, giant."

Alicia stayed a little behind Jaz and Nia, arms crossed, casting wary glances at Rei. She felt almost relieved to see the captain’s attention was nowhere near her anymore, not the way it had been that one night.

"...She seems way more into someone else now, you think Nash fucked the lesbian out of her?" Alicia whispered to Nia, not taking her eyes off Rei.

"Girl, seriously," Nia answered, amused. "Just don’t end up in a threesome with her."

Alicia let out a small laugh, her shoulders loosening a bit. Nia had already turned to Aiko, a teasing smile in place.

"So," she said, no preamble. "How’s the torn hymen?"

Aiko flushed instantly.

"?!?— What the fuck is wrong with you???"

A little off to the side, Rei watched the scene, an eyebrow raised.

"They’re more tolerable than I thought," she said, mostly to herself.

"Who?" Kai asked, having overheard.

"No one," Rei answered.

Farther off, the subs took it all in without a word, until Mai finally murmured, "They barely know each other and they’re already ripping on everyone like they’ve known them for years."

"This is gonna be something," Hana replied.

A little way off, Victoria watched the scene from the entrance steps, arms crossed, a satisfied smile on her lips.

Saya stood even farther back, nearly pressed against the manor wall, arms wrapped around herself. She watched the warm reunion unfold in front of her without daring to step closer.

She was the one who, along with Jinzo and Mac, had nearly gotten all these girls sent to the Jade Gardens because of the leak. She couldn’t quite feel like she belonged in the middle of all this shared joy.

"Vance," Victoria called, without fully turning around. "My bag. In the car."

Saya jumped slightly, then nodded with an almost excessive eagerness.

"Yes, right away, Ma’am!"

She hurried to the vehicle, returning moments later with the bag, which she held out to Victoria with both hands.

Victoria took it without a word, pulling her phone from the outer pocket, examining it for a moment before switching it back to ringer mode.

"I’m going to leave this on," she said, handing the phone to Saya this time. "If it rings, vibrates, or stays silent for more than five minutes straight, you check whether there’s a notification I might have missed."

"Understood," Saya said, taking the phone with an almost too-eager readiness, clutching it to her chest like it was a mission of the utmost importance.

Dahlia approached Victoria, a notebook clutched to her chest, an eager smile already in place.

"It’s official, then," she said. "We can really start working for real now. I have so many ideas for the whole organization, the schedules, meal logistics for fourteen players, coordinating practices—"

"Dahlia," Victoria cut in gently, a light laugh in her voice.

"Sorry," Dahlia said, catching herself. "I’m just— this is really happening."

"It is," Victoria confirmed, her gaze sweeping over the small group gathered in front of the manor, this unlikely family they’d built piece by piece. "All that’s missing now is the cherry on top."

That’s when the distinctive purr of the Porsche echoed from the end of the driveway.

Every head turned at once.

"The king has finally arrived," Kai said, a huge smile spreading across her face.

The car pulled to a stop in front of the steps. Several doors opened almost simultaneously.

Zayela stepped out first, stretching her arms with a yawn. Then Lina, adjusting her jacket with an already mischievous smile. Then Sarra, a little shy, her eyes widening instantly at the sheer scale of the manor. And finally Amara, stepping out with practiced nonchalance, an eyebrow raised at all the commotion.

Nash got out last, closing the door behind him, his gaze slowly sweeping over the whole scene: Blacklist and Baby-Boom mingling in front of the entrance, Victoria and Dahlia on the steps, Saya standing apart, and now Zayela, Lina, Sarra, and Amara joining him.

A satisfied smile spread across his lips.

"Well," he said, "everyone’s here."

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