Lisbon
Judd touched down in Lisbon just in time to unwind—or at least that was the plan. Cindy and Ava had arrived ahead of him, fresh from their successful mission in Marrakech, and this trip to the Iberian Peninsula was meant to be a much-needed break. A chance to switch off, soak in the sights, and indulge in the kind of creature comforts that had been in short supply during their time in the desert.
For Judd, still nursing the bruises from his brutal run-in with Crowder and a near miss in Dallas, the idea of downtime sounded almost foreign. But he wasn’t about to pass it up.
As night fell, he and Cindy took in a film at a small theater—*Nação Valente*, a tale of love and survival set in the aftermath of war. Outside, the haunting strains of Fado music drifted from nearby tavernas, weaving into the warm evening air like a forgotten memory. Their walk back to the hotel felt easy, almost normal. But nothing ever stayed that way for long.
In less than two weeks, the calm would shatter. The respite would end. And The Order would find itself thrown into the kind of storm no one saw coming.
For now, though, they made the most of it. The next morning, they crammed into a too-small European rental car and headed up the coast to Nazaré, where the world’s largest waves crashed against the cliffs like nature’s own battle cry. They let the sun work its magic, the salt air washing away the weight of their last mission.
It wouldn’t last. It never did..
They took the tram into the heart of the city, the air thick with the intoxicating scent of pastéis de nata, those legendary Portuguese custard tarts. Ava, never one to resist temptation, made it her mission to try every single variation she could find. After two weeks surviving on sand-scorched rations, who could blame her?
Judd peeled off from the group, setting out in search of a proper barber. He had a meeting with the incoming head of Squid Squad later that week, and first impressions mattered. The agency was full of cautionary tales about those who had failed to impress her—and he had no intention of becoming one of them.
Cindy and Ava briefly met with the Lisbon Station agent, Avó, defiantly proving to Father Time that she still had plenty of to do, and she made it clear to Judd that he still had plenty to learn if he ever wanted to leave the field.
