ã€ŠPrism and The Red Wolvesã€‹


 Chapter 1 - Landfall

    ¡°Once we land on the island, we¡¯ll be in and out of the facility. No dawdling. We are simply locating the target and taking it back with us,¡± said Ursun, a tall, bald, red-bearded man, to the mercenaries before him.

    He had the look of a typical veteran; muscular and quietly confident. There were several prominent scars across his face. He held onto a leatherine-covered hook that hanged down from the ceiling with his right hand, making him appear taller and even more commanding. The large tiltjet that he was aboard, named the Titian, offered a spacious bay for the mercenaries to work and rest within.

    ¡°We can expect the Queen¡¯s forces to show up around an hour after we infiltrate the lab. Even though it appears to have been abandoned for quite some time, we can be sure that she¡¯s still monitoring the lab and the island it¡¯s on.¡± Leanna explained.

    She was a stylishly-bespectacled woman who stood near Ursun, her bearded superior. Her elegant, dignified face looked upon the three teammates who were in front of her. Her lengthy, naturally-green hair was tied up into a bun, and she held a small stack of papers in her arms.

    ¡°We don¡¯t even know what this target even is, do we?¡± Srell yelled.

    He was a rather wild-looking man who sat before Leanna and Ursun. His eyes always had a look of alertness about them, and his wiry brown hair was perpetually unkempt.

    ¡°Yeah, the dang thing might be too big to bring back to the ship¡­¡± Lorias shook his head indignantly.

    He tended to be the neigh-sayer of the group, despite his angelic appearance. He had a habit of frequently sweeping his long, golden-blonde hair out of his face, which annoyed Leanna to no end.

    ¡°These files Gnapp was able to obtain say that it¡¯s contained within a standard-sized Rejuv Pod, so we should be able to handle it. You guys really should completely read over mission files.¡± Leanna waved up the stack of papers she¡¯d been holding, then threw them before Lorias and Srell onto the metallic floor of the tiltjet bay that they stood in.

    ¡°That¡¯s our Data Girl! Always prepared so we don¡¯t have to be!¡± Srell shouted before he and Lorias started to fight over the papers.

    They greedily scooped them up and began quickly scanning over them for the details Leanna mentioned. Ursun chuckled while he watched the two of them, but his attention soon wandered over to a young man quietly sitting by the window beside Lorias.

    ¡°Jaik, are you ready for this mission? We¡¯ll be landing any minute now.¡± Ursun asked with the tone of a caring but concerned father.

    Jaik, the youngest of the mercenaries, was a handsome man with curly black hair and green eyes. He was also a licensed medical doctor, though he¡¯d made it clear that he didn¡¯t want his teammates using that title. He¡¯d been staring out the window at the seemingly endless waves that the Titian flew over at high speed. The sight put him in a light trance, causing his thoughts to wander just as endlessly as the waves beneath him. Hearing Ursun¡¯s voice brought Jaik back to reality.

    ¡°I¡¯m ready, boss.¡± was all that Jaik replied with his smooth, low voice. He had a determined smirk on his lips, which reassured Ursun that his junior merc was alright.

    ¡°You boneheads done reading yet?¡± Ursun then asked Lorias and Srell.

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The two men yelled before bunching up the papers between them and handing them back to Leanna. She simply rolled her eyes and placed the papers on a planning table nearby.

    ¡°Final approach. ETA is in five minutes.¡± A slightly distorted voice came over the ship¡¯s intercom after a moment of loud feedback, followed by an abrupt click.

    ¡°Okay kids, get your stuff!¡± Ursun ordered.

    The mercs retrieved their weapons from lockers that lined the bay¡¯s walls in quick succession. They all wore dark red, lightweight combat armor and dark red ear cuffs that worked as radios. The insignia of their company was featured on their armor¡¯s chestplate; a golden medallion engraved with the head of a red wolf howling at ?ba¡¯s two moons.

    They were known as The Red Wolves; the most effective mercenary company on the planet of ?ba.

    Within the lockers, each of them possessed a sidearm pistol with specialized rounds, as well as automatic carbine-like firearms called PAWs, Personal Automatic Weapons, which acted as their primary weapons. Each of them also had a unique third weapon that ordinarily could fit on their extensive gear belt, a testament to how different they were from each other. Their gear belts had several compartments that carried all manner of practical tools that were both modal and miniaturized as much as possible without reducing the tools'' practicality.

    In addition to his pistol and rifle, Ursun grabbed a glossy, black-colored heavy weapon from his locker. It was easily half his body length, and looked more like a computer than a firearm, with its wiring and display screen. It had a trigger at least.

    ¡°Is that thing really necessary?¡± Leanna asked Ursun with a shake of her head while pointing at the heavy weapon. ¡°It looks like traditional tech¡­¡±

    She put on a sleek backpack that was made of the same material as their armor. It made a strange, short hissing sound once she connected it to a port on her back.

    ¡°Gnapp wants me to try it out, so I¡¯m humoring him.¡± Ursun replied with a smile. ¡°He assured me that there¡¯s nothing to hack on it. The trad-tech on it is very minimal.¡±

    ¡°Gah, it¡¯s not fair! I want a portable coilgun too!¡± Srell yelled as he pulled a small shotgun out of his locker and placed it on his belt.

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    ¡°You¡¯d have to gain at least thirty pounds of muscle before you could even pick that thing up, Toothpick.¡± Lorias joked while he fastened a sword scabbard onto his belt, eliciting an angry snarl from Srell.

    They all felt the ship slow down and begin its vertical descent only moments after they¡¯d finished arming themselves. The hum of the ship¡¯s fusion pulse engine began to intensify as its two jet engines rotated to face the ground.

    They all braced themselves for the unknown; none of them had been to the mission¡¯s location before. It was a remote island in the middle of the Eizic Ocean, ?ba¡¯s eastern ocean.

    When their aircraft descended far enough, the rear wall of the tiltjet¡¯s bay began to open up, becoming a ramp. The ramp opened onto a pristine sandy beach as the ship came to rest on its retracted landing gear.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, RED-1! In and out!¡± Ursun yelled to his team. Together, they were the Red Wolves¡¯ best mercenaries.

    The five members of RED-1 ran down the ramp with their PAWs readied. Ursun had his bulky coilgun swung around his back, with its strap across his chest. After a quick visual scan of the area around the Titian, the group paused while Leanna touched the rim of her wrap-around glasses.

    The once-clear glasses had transitioned to a black tint since they were out in the bright, hot sun. Colorful pixels danced across their black surface while various bits of information were shown to Leanna. After slowly turning completely around, Leanna touched her glasses again and gave a thumbs-up to the other mercs.

    ¡°Nothing unusual in any of the non-visible spectra. We¡¯re good,¡± she told the group around her.

    ¡°Then we proceed. Stay close, and keep radios silent. We don¡¯t want to wake up any sleeping constructs.¡± Ursun said before signaling towards the tree line.

    They all proceeded to the research facility several kilometers inland. Its location was simply a dot on a map that had been uploaded to their OLED displays, which were on the right forearm section of their armor. Once they made it to the trees, it didn¡¯t take long for the sparse forest to become a dense jungle. They could make out the sounds of various animals and insects, but the animal wildlife kept out of their sight.

    ¡°Hard to believe that the Queen¡¯s forces were ever here.¡± Jaik said after they¡¯d all been walking for a while through the jungle.

    ¡°She¡¯s over a thousand years old. This place could¡¯ve been left abandoned for centuries.¡± Leanna said while Lorias cut through an especially large bundle of vines that barred their path with his sword. Any trace of a road or footpath to the facility had been completely concealed with overgrowth.

    The sword had no trouble slicing through the thick vegetation, leaving charred remnants behind with each fiery slash. Its edge glowed red, though the heat¡¯s area of effect was precise enough to avoid setting the surroundings ablaze.

    ¡°Here¡¯s hoping whatever we find here will finally be enough to kill the wench.¡± Srell said with a sinister snicker.

    Jaik looked up at the fragmented sky while they walked through the jungle, examining the various openings to the blue and white above the treetops. He stepped over the wet and uneven ground beneath his boots as though he were on auto-pilot. The words he¡¯d been told just a day prior kept echoing in his head;

    ¡°Protect whatever or whoever is in that rejuv-pod. Keep it sedated, and keep it alive,¡± his former superior from the Science Division had said to him.

    Jaik put his right hand into a medical pouch on his belt, and felt vials containing various sedatives clink around his fingers. He¡¯d helped design some of those sedatives, and knew how deadly they could be if used by the wrong person. He was the team¡¯s medic, and yet his patient was potentially the enemy.

    ¡°Keep up, kid.¡± Ursun turned around to tell Jaik, who was several feet behind the others. Jaik nodded guiltily, and put his focus back on the present.

    It took the mercenaries an hour to make it to their first objective, which was the entrance to the Queen¡¯s facility. It was a small domed stone structure that was nearly completely overgrown by flowering vines. A ray of sunshine cut through the canopy above, dramatically illuminating the mossy building.

    ¡°Not much to look at.¡± Lorias said with his variable sword at the ready, once again set to cauterize mode. He approached the structure, eager to clear the vines obscuring rusty metal entryway doors.

    ¡°Wait.¡± Ursun said to Lorias. ¡°Screens off, everyone,¡± ordered Ursun.

    Each of the mercenaries tapped their OLED armguard screens that showed a map of the island. The screens went black and inactive. Before Ursun even needed to tell her, Leanna began scanning the area with her data-gathering glasses. It didn¡¯t take her long to discover a faint web of electromagnetic activity scattered around the entrance.

    ¡°The security system is still functioning.¡± She stated plainly. Srell and Lorias groaned.

    ¡°Recommendations?¡± Ursun asked, knowing the danger of triggering such a system recklessly.

    ¡°The system is old. I¡¯ll run a hack, but I¡¯ll need to be hardwired. Port¡¯s on the door, though¡­¡± Leanna explained. Her glasses were glowing as she analyzed the data from her earlier scans.

    ¡°So the surrounding area¡­¡± Lorias began to say.

    ¡°Is riddled with traps, yeah. Weight sensors on the ground. Laser optics on that ring around the domed roof. Scans anything within a hundred feet of the entrance. If it isn¡¯t an animal or an authorized person, it arms the entire facility¡¯s security.¡± Leanna said right before she began to tap on a virtual keyboard that only she could see via her glasses.

    ¡°Seems like overkill¡­¡± Jaik said softly.

    ¡°Yeah, looks like¡­yup, looks like the place was put in ¡°Extended Away¡± mode about a century ago. They must have abandoned this place with the intention of locking down whatever¡¯s here until¡­whenever.¡± Leanna further explained while still engrossed in her work.

    ¡°Are you sure you can¡¯t hack it from here? You¡¯re obviously able to access its datastores remotely.¡± Ursun asked with a hint of annoyance.

    ¡°Door security is a separate, non-networked system. The datastores are connected to an inactive wireless communication system¡­¡± Leanna said before pointing to an overgrown speaker mounted high up on a nearby tree.

    ¡°Could we trick the lasers by crawling like animals?¡± Jaik also asked.

    Leanna glanced back at him and smiled.

    ¡°You guys couldn¡¯t, but I¡¯m probably light enough to trick the weight sensors, even with my dronepack.¡± Leanna said with a determined glint in her eye.

    ¡°Proceed, and be careful.¡± Ursun ordered.

    With a nod and a smirk, Leanna got down on all fours and crawled through the jungle underbrush with cat-like grace. Her teammates knew she was agile, but each of them marveled at how naturally her body moved in such an animalistic fashion. It took her mere minutes to reach the door, completely tricking the security system in the process.

    Leanna plugged into the door¡¯s computing port using a wire she pulled from her backpack computer after affixing a small adapter to her wire¡¯s connector. She was surprised by the complexity of the century-old door¡¯s cybersecurity. Her dronepack¡¯s organic computer acted like a second brain for her, giving her the extra edge she needed.

    After a few minutes of rigorous code-cracking, she managed to gain full-access to the small, domed, entrance building. The first thing that she did was to completely disable the external security system so that her teammates could approach the door.

    Leanna gave a thumbs-up to her teammates a few meters away just when she triggered the heavy metal doors in front of her to open. A few of the vines were torn away by the opening doors, but the entryway was still largely covered by thicker, hardier vegetation. It didn¡¯t take long for Lorias to slice away at the remaining plants to completely clear their path into the facility.

    ¡°Well done.¡± Ursun said proudly to Leanna. Leanna nodded quietly and stayed where she was, crouched by the door¡¯s computing port. Her glasses flashed various shades of green and blue, signifying to the others that she was still accessing the facility¡¯s systems.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Data Girl?¡± Srell asked impatiently while the team stood around her.

    ¡°I¡¯m locked out of the internal security systems. There is no way for me to access them from here. I was able to get a map of the upper levels, but that¡¯s it.¡± Leanna replied with irritation in her voice.

    ¡°Disengage and share the map data with us.¡± Ursun ordered.

    ¡°Got it.¡± Leanna said before standing up and unplugging her backpack¡¯s wire from the door¡¯s control panel in one fluid motion.

    She tapped the side of her glasses a few times, which caused them to glow and project a three-dimensional layout above the ground between her teammates.

    ¡°Looks like the Queen¡¯s typical underground base layout, even though it¡¯s so old.¡± Lorias noted.

    ¡°Must have been one of the first of its kind. I don¡¯t remember the older bases being this sophisticated.¡± Jaik said, having studied such things not that long ago during his expert-level mercenary training.

    ¡°We¡¯ll find our target in the lower levels, which aren¡¯t on this map. Fortunately for us, it looks like we¡¯ll have a clear path down to it.¡± Ursun said while he traced the fastest path through the tunnels with his finger.

    A blue line appeared where his finger moved, recording his movements.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t able to find any sentry constructs in the data I accessed, but that is probably a part of the two-tiered security system. We should expect to run into them once we enter the facility, since I¡¯m not able to deactivate the internal systems.¡± Leanna explained.

    ¡°As expected. I¡¯m authorizing radios for everyone. Screens back on, too. Share the map data and directions with the rest of us, Leanna. We proceed once all of us have it.¡± Ursun ordered.

    Leanna nodded silently before tapping her glasses again. The inactive black OLED screens on their armguards lit up and revealed comprehensive displays showing the map of the underground facility and their locations above it. Ursun was then the first to tap his ear cuff, turning on his communication radio. His teammates quickly did the same.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. And as always, be careful.¡± Ursun ordered. The team readied their PAWs as they entered the darkened opening to the research facility. Each of them was ready for combat.

 Chapter 2 - Delve

    When the Red Wolves made their way into the facility, the hallways came to life with motion-detecting lights and the whirring sounds of air filtration systems that hadn¡¯t been turned on in decades. The air within was stale and dry. The copper-colored walls and floors of the tubular hallways were strangely pristine, and it was easy for the group to forget that they were in a century-old structure. It had the opulent yet menacing design that the hated Queen was known for, and her Hawthorn emblem was featured prominently on the doors and floor segments.

    ¡°This place was hermetically-sealed. Not a trace of mold or dust. Strange, since the air filters haven¡¯t been on for decades.¡± Leanna commented.

    They all walked in a formation that provided a complete view of their surroundings.

    ¡°They must¡¯ve cleaned the place before they locked it up tight. Sounds like something Her Royal Highness would¡¯ve ordered.¡± Srell replied with a hint of sarcasm.

    Their collective anxiety grew each minute that they didn¡¯t encounter any resistance. There were no robotic security guards or automated turrets in sight. If they didn¡¯t know better, they would have assumed that the place was simply a civilian research station. The few rooms that they passed by were full of old computers, medical devices, and other tools that they didn¡¯t recognize. They didn¡¯t have time to do more than a simple threat assessment of the areas that they moved through.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know why the internal security system hasn¡¯t been activated.¡± She whispered.

    ¡°It¡¯s like we¡¯re being welcomed with open arms¡­¡± Jaik also whispered.

    ¡°Don¡¯t count on it. We¡¯re coming up on what Data Girl believes is the central security room.¡± Srell said more loudly than the others.

    When they rounded the corner of the hallway that they were in, they entered into a massive room that featured two open freight elevators that both led down to two separate wings of the facility. At the center of the room was a smaller room with a panoramic window that provided an unobstructed view of both of the freight elevators to either side of it. Leanna paused before the others and scanned the room. Before she could initiate any sort of wireless connection with its door systems, a loud sound began to blast through the area.

    ¡°And there it is¡­¡± Lorias said with a loud sigh and a flip of his long hair.

    ¡°Tandem operation of dual protection rooms was not performed. Extended Away interrupted.¡± A masculine, robotic voice blared from the ceilings, along with the cacophonous alarm.

    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Jaik cursed quietly.

    ¡°The Queen will not be disrespected. Destruction of trespassers begins now.¡± The voice continued before falling silent.

    Several sections of the hallway¡¯s walls opened up, revealing dozens of sentry constructs lined up in the hidden accessways. The constructs were seven-foot tall metallic humanoids with various weapons affixed to their bodies. Mirror-like orbs were attached to various parts of their bodies and acted as sensors to scan their surroundings. The mercenaries immediately began firing their weapons, aiming at the constructs¡¯ sensor orbs first.

    ¡°Leanna, get one of these lifts online now!¡± Ursun yelled while he fired his PAW at the nearest slow-starting construct. He knew that his team wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against the dozens of constructs in the room once they were fully activated.

    ¡°Yes sir!¡± Leanna yelled. The security lockdown had severed her wireless connection to the facility. She quickly leapt over onto the nearest platform and plugged into its control panel. Jaik jumped in behind her to cover her hacking attempt.

    ¡°These sentries¡­I¡¯ve never seen so many this freakin¡¯ big and well equipped in one place before!¡± Srell yelled as he shot at their sensors.

    ¡°We¡¯re lucky that they¡¯re so old. Looks like they can barely function.¡± Lorias said coolly. His shots caused one of the constructs to explode, causing the accessway it had been in to collapse.

    ¡°Get in! This elevator¡¯s about to start moving!¡± Leanna yelled to the others after removing her cord from the control panel.

    Lorias, Srell and Ursun rushed to the lift platform while continuing to fire on the constructs. When they were all aboard, the large platform began to descend diagonally along a large, angled shaft. The room they¡¯d been in disappeared above them when a massive hatch quickly closed overhead. Each of them breathed a sigh of relief at the temporary reprieve. The alarm, however, still blared through the elevator shaft.

    ¡°If the sentry constructs have all been activated on the lower levels¡­¡± Leanna began to say.

    ¡°Then they are probably going to be fully-functioning by the time we get down there.¡± Lorias finished her statement.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got it handled.¡± Ursun said vaguely.

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    Before their commander could explain himself, the mercenaries felt the platform they were on shake violently. Large cracks suddenly began to form on the gears that were controlling its motion, until the largest gear exploded into a shower of sparks and shrapnel. A silver liquid began to pour out of what was left of the gears. Each of the mercenaries grabbed onto whatever handholds they could find as the platform descended faster and faster.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be dead when this thing hits the ground!¡± Srell screamed.

    Without missing a beat, Lorias pulled out his variable sword. With a fancy flick of his wrist, he switched its operating mode to refrigerate. He ran over to the broken gear assembly and shoved his sword in between what was left of the mechanism. He then began to twist the sword¡¯s hilt, causing the blade to unleash a frigid mist that caused the silver liquid to freeze. The lubricant soon changed into an especially durable ice. The ice quickly spread across the mechanism and created enough friction between the platform and the elevator shaft¡¯s walls to slow their descent.

    In a matter of seconds, the platform had slowed down, but not enough to avoid striking the malfunctioning hatch leading to the lower levels. The force of the collision threw the mercenaries slightly into the air before they fell back down hard onto the platform. A hole leading to the lower level¡¯s elevator platform room was ripped into the middle of the platform. Luckily, no one had been standing there.

    Jaik was the first to recover from the crash. He got up slowly and checked himself for injuries. He was surprised when he didn¡¯t find any, save for a scrape on his arm. He was relieved when the rest of his team began to get up on their own. After checking on each of them, he found nothing worse than a few scrapes and bruises.

    ¡°Damn¡­we almost died¡­¡± Srell said in disbelief.

    ¡°Lorias¡­you saved us all.¡± Ursun stated with gratitude.

    ¡°Yeah, at the cost of my blade¡­¡± Lorias lamented while glancing over at its shattered remains near the still icy mechanism. Wisps of cold mist still wafted from its blade-less hilt.

    ¡°We¡¯re even luckier that the lubricant that leaked from those old gears was some sort of bismuth grease. It¡¯s about one of the only things that could¡¯ve expanded like that to slow us down.¡± Leanna noted while sliding her then crooked glasses back up the bridge of her nose.

    ¡°Lucky guess.¡± Lorias shrugged. He retrieved the hilt of his former sword, disengaged its refrigerate mode, and placed it on his belt. Even as a simple handle, it could be useful.

    ¡°The alarm isn¡¯t blaring down here¡­¡± Jaik noted. They could make out the echoes of the alarm from the room above them, but it had stopped blaring within the shaft they were all in.

    ¡°Let¡¯s report what¡¯s happened to the ship.¡± Ursun said.

    He looked over at Leanna, who was in charge of mission communication.

    ¡°Sorry sir, but our radio communication with the surface has been cut off since the alarm went on. Active jamming system, I¡¯m sure.¡± Leanna said with a shrug.

    Ursun looked at her intensely, but knew that she must¡¯ve tried her best already to re-establish mission comms.

    ¡°Since everyone seems alright, let¡¯s keep moving. Leanna, let¡¯s see what¡¯s down that hole.¡± Ursun ordered after making sure his coilgun was in one piece.

    Leanna nodded curtly and tapped the sides of her glasses once again. A section of her backpack began to shift, revealing a small, flying insectoid drone. It had a spherical shape and featured two sets of buzzing wings that shimmered with a myriad of colors. Leanna directed the drone to descend down the hole that had been ripped into the middle of the platform.

    The drone¡¯s eye-cameras streamed images to each of the mercenaries¡¯ arm displays. They saw the bent and ripped metal that surrounded their eventual exit, and were surprised by how wide the chasm actually was. It only took the drone a few minutes to exit the hole and enter the large elevator room below them.

    The room was dark save for a few eerie green linear lights that framed the room¡¯s general shape. The diagonal shaft that the team stood in would have opened into the large room, and would have traveled straight down along a rail track that rested on its wall. The living drone¡¯s small, yellow bioluminescent orbs, which sat just above its eye-cameras, shined bright lights on the solid ground several meters directly beneath them. There was a recessed divot where the platform elevator would have come to rest. The divot was two meters deep, which would be manageable for them to get out of.

    ¡°Looks like the lower levels are in a low-power state¡­¡± Lorias reasoned.

    As the drone continued to descend, its sensor organs picked up movement within the room below them. Just when its eye-cameras were beginning to focus on the moving object, the drone was shot out of the sky. Its arthropodal body burst in the air into a mess of organs and vital fluids that splattered across the area. The sudden loss of the drone¡¯s radio signal sent a painful shock of biofeedback up through Leanna¡¯s spine, where her dronepack was actually connected. She grunted, but was otherwise fine.

    ¡°Something¡¯s down there. Something big.¡± Leanna said while rubbing her neck.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have much time left before the Queen¡¯s forces storm our location. Let¡¯s neutralize the threat and proceed to the target.¡± Ursun commanded.

    He was the first to unfurl a bundle of thin rope from his gear belt, along with a small foldable grappling hook. He quickly connected the rope to the hook and secured the line on one of the lift¡¯s guardrails. After tossing the rope down the hole and shining a light to check the depth, he realized that his fifteen-meter rope didn¡¯t cut it.

    Ursun then motioned with his right hand for Jaik to hand him his rope. Jaik fumbled for a moment with his belt before handing Ursun what he wanted. It only took their commander a minute or so to tie the two ropes together at their ends, making it long enough to rappel down to the floor of the lower level.

    ¡°We¡¯ll need another one, so that we can cover each other¡¯s descent.¡± Ursun said. It was an indirect order, but his team understood immediately.

    Lorias and Srell got to work doing the same thing that he had done. In a few minutes, there were two ropes securely attached and dangling down a safe person-sized gap in the torn metal hole. Despite their thin appearance, the ropes could support more than three hundred kilograms at any given time.

    ¡°Lorias, you¡¯re with me. You¡¯ll cover my descent. There¡¯s no telling what¡¯s down there, so scan your surroundings at all times. Once we¡¯re halfway down, Leanna and Srell will rappel down too, followed by Jaik once all of us have touched down safely.¡± Ursun said.

    ¡°Yes sir!¡± The others replied.

    Once Ursun and Lorias were clipped into the rope and ready to begin their descent, Ursun withdrew a small transparent orb from his gear belt, squeezed it, and then threw it down the hole. With a quick nod to Lorias, the two men jumped down into the hole and began sliding down their ropes at a moderate speed. Seconds after they jumped, a bright light began to glow from the illuminator grenade that Ursun had used. The two of them immediately saw two large, spider-like robots on the ground twenty meters below them. The machines reacted to the sudden light by affixing gun turrets on their backs at the grenade and firing. Their shots failed to hit the small object, as it was being obscured by the depression that it had fallen into.

    ¡°I have to use it now.¡± Ursun said quietly to Lorias while the two locked their rope clips and stopped their descent.

    ¡°Right,¡± was all Lorias could say.

    Ursun quickly grabbed the bulky coilgun that was on his back with both hands and slid its safety mechanism off. The device came to life instantly, with a blue light shining from its small display screen. Ursun aimed at the two spider-like machines and pulled the trigger. The coilgun began to vibrate, and then began to make a low humming noise. Just as the spider machines began to focus their guns on Ursun, the coilgun beeped and released an invisible pulse of high-intensity microwaves at the machines.

    Sparks began to fly from the robots, and soon they collapsed motionless on the ground. Ursun and Lorias waited for a few seconds before continuing their descent and making it down to the ground beneath them.

    ¡°Looks like it works.¡± Ursun said with a satisfied smile before slinging the coilgun back onto his back.

    ¡°So that¡¯s the special feature that Gnapp added to it.¡± Lorias said with a scratch of his head. He wasn¡¯t sure how the weapon had stopped the machines, but he was glad that it did.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the rest of the mercenaries to make it down to join Ursun and Lorias in the six-foot-deep elevator depression.

    ¡°Glad you were able to neutralize those spider-tanks so quickly. They would have killed us coming down those ropes, otherwise.¡± Srell said to Ursun with a smile.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s not rest easy yet. These spider-tanks may be old, but they might have some auto-repair functionality built in. The Queen¡¯s technology has always been advanced, after all.¡± Leanna reminded the group.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get to that security console.¡± Ursun ordered.

 Chapter 3 - Emerge

    After each of them climbed out of the elevator recess and onto the floor of the security room, they were surprised that none of the wall or floor lights came on automatically. The illuminator grenade¡¯s light was not as bright since it was within the recessed divot, so each of them had to rely on their shoulder-mounted flashlights. They walked past the incapacitated spider-tanks as carefully as they could, not wanting to trigger any sort of self-destruct or auto-repair system.

    After a few more meters of walking, they made it to the center of the room, which contained a smaller security room with a large wrap-around window. The security room, like the one in the room above them, offered a panoptic view of the platform elevators. On either side of the security room were two large gates, each leading to a separate wing of the lower levels.

    After Leanna unlocked its door with a magnetic tool, Ursun entered the security room first to check for threats. The room was dark, but empty. He beckoned Leanna inside, and she quickly plugged her dronepack into the command console and got to work.

    Ursun watched as a variety of information flashed across her glasses in quick succession while her fingers tapped away at her virtual keyboard. It didn¡¯t take long for her to look over at Ursun and let him know that she was ready to brief everyone on what she¡¯d discovered. The two of them left the security room and joined the others in front of it.

    ¡°Good news?¡± Lorias asked cheekily.

    ¡°Sort of. I found out why the lights aren¡¯t coming on; well, the bright ones, in any case. The entire lower levels are funneling over 90% of their power to one location a couple of floors beneath us. I wasn¡¯t able to find out anything about that room except for its name; A-Lab.¡± Leanna spoke quickly, knowing that they were short on time.

    ¡°Explains why it¡¯s practically freezing down here.¡± Jaik commented with an uncontrollable shiver of his body.

    ¡°Any more spider-tanks on our way there?¡± Srell asked while gripping the handle of his holstered shotgun.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t able to find out much about the security situation down here because of the whole ¡°tandem operation¡± system they¡¯ve got. Basically, two authorized users have to be present in both the upper and lower security stations for anyone to get full access to the security system. What I was able to find out is that the power systems for the lower level suffered some sort of critical issue a few decades ago, so a lot of the security features that are still active upstairs don¡¯t work down here anymore.¡± Leanna explained in great detail.

    ¡°So¡­is that a yes or a no to the spider-tanks?¡± Srell said after scratching his head.

    ¡°I doubt it. These are specialized units, and a bit too big to prowl the halls. They were only still active because they have their own power supplies.¡± Leanna didn¡¯t sound too confident in her answer.

    Ursun realized that they might have another fight on their hands, and planned accordingly.

    ¡°Send us the lower level map data with the shortest route to our target. If we meet any resistance, then my coilgun¡¯s microwave pulse emitter should handle it.¡± Ursun ordered.

    His words comforted his teammates, but they all knew that the situation was still largely too unknown to make any guarantees.

    Once they all knew where they were going, Ursun walked over to the rightmost gate and pulled its manual operation handle on the wall beside it. The ten-foot tall metal doors slowly slid open as steam began to be released from either side of its frame. Green linear lights along the length of the newly revealed hallway provided a soft glow that barely illuminated their path forward.

    ¡°Let¡¯s move it. The clock is ticking.¡± Ursun commanded. His words were strong and urgent.

    The mercenaries nearly ran the entire way to A-Lab. Their path was completely unhindered, with not a single guard robot, trap, or turret to stop them. They¡¯d seen high-energy laser emitters on the walls of the hallways they went through, but Leanna¡¯s scans showed that none of them were active.

    Due to the sudden increase in the temperature of the hallway, it became clear to all of them when they¡¯d made it near the lab. A few lights began to turn on once they were in the lab¡¯s hallway, literally lighting their way to their target. Jaik¡¯s breathing became slightly labored as anxiety crept into his mind. The others paid him no mind as they were coolly focused on completing their mission as quickly as possible.

    The door to A-Lab was wider than the other room doors that they¡¯d seen. A large red ¡°A¡± was painted on the door, and a security console sat beside the entryway. A series of gun turrets were attached to the ceiling in front of the door, arranged in a circular formation. There were also indications of closed gas tubes on the floor, and laser emitters on the walls.

    ¡°It¡¯s safe to say that these security measures are all active and tied to that security console at the door.¡± Leanna stated while she pointed at each weapon system before them.

    ¡°Can you hack it?¡± Ursun asked Leanna.

    ¡°If it¡¯s a solitary unit, then yes. If it is tied into the tandem security system, then we¡¯re probably dead once I connect to it.¡± Leanna explained.

    ¡°Shift your dronepack to drone mode. We¡¯ll all head back upstairs to the hallway above and you can run the hack remotely. That way, we¡¯ll avoid these traps either way.¡± Ursun ordered.

    Leanna nodded in affirmation, happy with his plan. She took off her backpack and set it on the ground near the A-Lab door. With a tap of her glasses and a few motions of her hands, six insect-like legs unfurled from the backpack. A thick, shiny, chitinous rod retracted from its back. A series of shiny black and yellow orbs appeared on its surface, which were its eye-cameras and other sensory organs. In a few seconds, the dronepack had turned into an insectoid drone with full freedom-of-movement.

    With a nod to Ursun and the others, the mercenaries ran back to the stairway room at the end of the hall. They all stopped once they¡¯d made it to the end of the above hallway, just outside of the stairway room. Once the door to the room was closed, Ursun gave Leanna a thumbs-up to start her hack attempt.

    Leanna¡¯s glasses flashed a myriad of colors while she leaned against a nearby wall and began controlling her dronepack remotely. She had the living drone climb up onto the security console they¡¯d just left and jack into it with a prehensile cable. Within seconds, Leanna was able to fully access the A-Lab¡¯s door security system, which surprised her.

    ¡°Looks good so far. Too good.¡± Leanna said to her teammates standing nearby.

    Srell sighed worriedly. He had a penchant for skepticism, even of his teammates¡¯ abilities sometimes.

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    ¡°You¡¯ve got this.¡± Jaik said hopefully. He didn¡¯t sound as confident as he wanted to be.

    Leanna continued her hack for a few more moments. She was glad to see that the door ran on a completely independent system. She was able to disable the door¡¯s surrounding weapons systems and open the door in under a minute.

    ¡°We¡¯re in. Not a problem.¡± Leanna said with a thumbs-up of her own to Ursun.

    Ursun calmly nodded his approval. She hadn¡¯t let him down in the year that she¡¯d been a member of his team, at least not in any significant way.

    ¡°Use the drone to scan the room. If it looks safe, we¡¯ll head down immediately. We¡¯ve got about fifteen minutes until we expect the Queen¡¯s forces to arrive. Keep that in mind, folks.¡± Ursun said with a seriousness that told everyone that they were down to the wire.

    ¡°On it,¡± was all that Leanna said while viewing the room¡¯s interior through her dronepack¡¯s visual sensors. The room was filled with an obscuring mist that crept along its copper flooring. The dronepack¡¯s sensors told her that the mist was just simple water vapor. ¡°Looks strange, but otherwise safe.¡± She stated before sharing her feed with the others on their arm displays.

    Several large tubes came up from the floor and the ceiling, all leading to the center of the room. There stood a large modified rejuv-pod, devices normally meant to heal serious injuries in a closed environment while immersing its inhabitant in a mixture of biological and synthetic medical compounds. There were several old computer consoles surrounding the pod, all of which were alight and functioning.

    ¡°By the way, I discovered a secret VIP staff elevator not far from A-Lab that leads straight above-ground. I was able to activate it from this security console. It¡¯ll be waiting for us.¡± Leanna said, eliciting smiles from her teammates and an impressed head nod from Ursun.

    ¡°With me.¡± Ursun said before storming through the door near to them and rushing down the stairs to their target. The other Red Wolves followed quickly on his heels. A few seconds later, they were all standing in front of the large rejuv-pod, which towered over them. Its liquid contents were glowing with a dull pink color from an ovular window on the front of its door, which completely obscured the pod¡¯s occupant. The luminescent pink liquid looked familiar to Jaik.

    Leanna retrieved her dronepack and deactivated its drone mode. The living drone quickly changed itself back into a seemingly-lifeless hard-cased red backpack. Leanna reconnected it to her back, which once again made a short hissing sound.

    Ursun stood still except for his slowly swiveling head, which looked around the room like a security camera. He looked out for threats, but didn¡¯t find any obvious ones. Srell and Jaik shivered uncontrollably. They both crossed their arms and rubbed their sides in a desperate attempt to warm themselves up. Lorias seemed completely unfazed by the cold, which made Srell look at him angrily.

    ¡°It¡¯s got to be below freezing in here!¡± Srell yelled. A visible cloud of vapor shot from his mouth when he spoke.

    Jaik looked over at Ursun, who motioned with his large right hand for the junior merc to get to work on the medical devices.

    ¡°Right, on it, sir.¡± Jaik said nervously while rushing over to the most intricate computer console beside the rejuv-pod.

    Jaik began tapping away at its outdated keys, becoming familiar with its system and displays. It only took him a minute to access the controls and information that they all needed.

    ¡°Just like I thought. This pod is actually filled with a powerful soporific solution normally used to keep large animals unconscious during surgery. Its one of the strongest anesthetic compounds known to science. Anything that¡¯s put in a vat of the stuff should be dead¡­but the ¡°patient¡¯s¡± vitals are all¡­well, from what I can tell...it¡¯s still alive in there, just asleep.¡± Jaik¡¯s words were a mixture of certainty and uncertainty.

    Jaik was a prodigy, having been a marvel to the Red Wolves¡¯ research institute, the Lyceum. He¡¯d finished first in his class in medical school, and had invented several devices before he¡¯d reached the age of 16. But despite all that he knew about chemistry, biology, and technology, Jaik was at a loss to explain the anatomical data that he read on the computer¡¯s displays.

    ¡°Is it safe to open and retrieve the target?¡± Ursun said with a hint of impatience in his voice.

    ¡°I¡­I think so.¡± Jaik nodded awkwardly.

    ¡°Then pop it open.¡± Ursun ordered.

    With a few keystrokes, Jaik sent the command to open the rejuv-pod. Several circular door locks along its surface began to spin, followed by a loud ¡°CLANK¡±. Shortly after, the pod began to make a hissing sound, and then a gurgling sound. Its glowing pink contents began to quickly drain out of the pod, traveling to an unknown place through some of the pod¡¯s connected thick opaque tubing.

    After nearly a minute, the doorway to the pod slowly slid upwards at an angle, revealing a humanoid figure that was obscured by the room¡¯s mist. The grayish vapor had quickly drifted into the pod once it had opened. The Red Wolves stood motionless, not sure of what danger awaited them from the still body before them.

    To the surprise of the rest of them, Jaik was the first to approach the pod. In almost one fluid motion, he stepped up a small platform into the recessed interior of the pod. He swatted away the mist so that he could get a better view of the figure within. Jaik was surprised to find a petite young man resting on a series of padded strips that lined the pod¡¯s occupant area. Jaik looked over the man meticulously, checking for any oddities that his body might possess.

    The man had light-brown skin and no hair on his head, save for black eyebrows and eyelashes. He looked as if he could be either in his late teens or early twenties, and he was completely nude. He slumbered peacefully, looking almost cherubic while his head rested at an angle on a strip of glossy red padding within the pod. He had a lean-muscled build, and looked to be no taller than 170 centimeters. In Jaik¡¯s estimation, the young man looked perfectly fine, with not even a blemish on his skin.

    Jaik was entranced by him; his very existence there was a mystery that Jaik wanted to solve.

    ¡°What is the target¡¯s condition?¡± Ursun yelled over to Jaik, whose armored body was completely obscuring the unknown young man from the others.

    Jaik clumsily withdrew his medscanner from off of his utility belt. He nearly dropped it after being suddenly called out of his focused visual examination. The device was small enough to fit in his hand, but powerful enough to scan for and relay intricate details about living organisms. It, too, was alive; much of the sophisticated technology that the Red Wolves used was biological.

    Jaik held the device a short distance away from the sleeping man and began to slowly wave it over the length of his body. Jaik looked curiously at the device¡¯s display screen and saw similar information to what the medical console had showed him. The medscanner throbbed in Jaik¡¯s hand as it tried to make sense of the more irregular information that it was receiving from its sensory organs.

    The young man was alive and breathing, but unconscious. His brain and other organ activity, however, were harder to ascertain. Jaik wasn¡¯t sure if he should further sedate the mystery man, as Jaik couldn¡¯t even be sure if the man¡¯s physiology would be affected by the drugs that Jaik had brought. More of the pink soporific that had been in the rejuv-pod was nowhere to be seen. Its use had gone out of style a century ago, so Jaik hadn¡¯t even thought of bringing it to use on their target.

    In the interest of time, Jaik decided to give his commander a simple answer.

    ¡°He¡¯s good. Asleep and awaiting transport.¡± Jaik informed the others without taking his eyes off of their target.

    ¡°Well, grab him and don¡¯t let go. We¡¯ve got five minutes before the Queen¡¯s cronies are on our ass,¡± said Ursun to Jaik before looking sternly at the rest of his team. ¡°Double-time, people. Let¡¯s get out of here.¡± He ordered.

    Ursun took off running out of the room and headed for the VIP staff elevator at the end of the hallway that they were on. The others quickly followed him. Jaik slung the young man¡¯s body over his shoulder and did his best to keep up.

    Jaik worried about how roughly he would need to handle the mysterious man on their escape from the island, and if the man would be injured in the process. In any case, Jaik did his best to focus on his teammates in front of him as they ran, not wanting to let them down.

    ¡°Here.¡± Leanna pointed to a section of wall that Ursun almost ran past.

    With a few taps of Leanna¡¯s fingers on the wall, the section of wall slid away, revealing a simple elevator that could barely house ten people.

    ¡°Looks like it was here so that the A-Lab scientists could make a hasty escape if things went to crap down here.¡± Srell said while they stepped into the elevator.

    During their three minute ride to the surface, the mercenaries kept looking at the unconscious man hanging on Jaik¡¯s armored shoulder. Jaik felt bad for the young man, as his nude behind was on full display to the others.

    ¡°I wish that I¡¯d brought something for him to wear.¡± Jaik said meekly, which made Srell and Lorias laugh.

    Jaik, irritated by the two, turned his back to the others so that only the man¡¯s arms, back, and head were visible to them.

    ¡°Looks pretty young. I don¡¯t know how that¡¯s possible for a guy who¡¯s been asleep for a hundred years.¡± Leanna said with an inquisitive look on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t know of a rejuv-pod that can keep someone in stasis like that.¡± She added, running through the possibilities in her mind.

    ¡°Certainly not ones made a century ago. That¡¯s around the time they were first created.¡± Jaik turned his head towards Leanna to say.

    ¡°Leave the speculation to the nerds at the Lyceum.¡± Ursun said dismissively.

    The irony of his words wasn¡¯t lost on Jaik and Leanna, since they both had been invited to join the premier research institute of the Red Wolves after they¡¯d graduated from the mercenary company¡¯s military and medical school, respectively.

    ¡°Once we¡¯re on the surface, we¡¯ll need to contact the ship. They should be able to locate us using our transponders and direct us to a pickup point nearby.¡± Ursun explained.

    Leanna nodded to her commander, certain that she could make it happen.

    When the doors to the elevator opened, there were vines completely blocking their exit. Lorias approached the front of the elevator booth, smiled back at the others, and pulled out a variable knife that he always carried in addition to his former sword. He set it to cauterize mode, and got to work efficiently cutting the thick vines out of their way in under a minute. Once the way was clear, the five mercenaries and their sleeping target made their way into the unknown area of jungle around them. The elevator¡¯s structure was small, overgrown, and effectively invisible from the air.

    ¡°I¡¯ve reestablished mission comms. I¡¯m relaying everything that¡¯s happened to us to the ship, and they¡¯re sending us directions to the nearest suitable beach for pickup. And head¡¯s up; there are hostile on the island, looking for us.¡± Leanna¡¯s good news was mixed with bad, but it provided a relief to her teammates.

    They knew that they¡¯d probably encounter the Queen¡¯s forces on the island, and they were prepared for it.

    They all looked at the new tactical data that had been uploaded to their arm displays by their ship a few moments later. They had several meters of dense jungle to traverse through, but were confident that they could make it out. Jaik held onto the body of their target tightly. He was determined to keep the mysterious man safe.

    ¡°Jaik, stay behind me and Srell. Leanna and Lorias will be the eyes in the back of our head, taking up the rear. Let¡¯s get to that beach!¡± Ursun commanded with gusto.

    In their inviolable formation, the Red Wolves pushed forward.

 Chapter 4 - Clash

    ¡°I can see the beach up ahead!¡± Srell said loud enough for his teammates to hear him.

    ¡°Finally.¡± Lorias said while he gripped his PAW tight.

    They¡¯d made it through the musty jungle, having skulked about to avoid any enemy patrols. Though their armor rendered them invisible to most forms of thermal imaging, they still had to move in a careful and coordinated manner to prevent their motion from being detected. They stuck to the most overgrown areas they could find, so that their bodies were as occluded as possible. They¡¯d simply followed Ursun, who in turn was being led by the map displayed on the screen on his arm.

    The air was hot and humid, and they¡¯d been walking through the jungle for over twenty minutes. Each of them was beginning to feel the strain of their mission wearing them down. Jaik was the most tired of them all, as he¡¯d carried the mysterious young man on his shoulder for what felt like a kilometer with little rest. The thought of finally being able to rest aboard the ship spurred them on, but they knew that it wouldn¡¯t come easily.

    ¡°Enemy contact! They¡¯re on the beach directly ahead of us, and they¡¯ve set up anti-air artillery. The ship can¡¯t scoop us up until we get rid of these guys.¡± Leanna explained their situation as it was told to her by their ship¡¯s co-pilot.

    The pilot had the ship hovering in the air high above them to provide tactical support and to avoid detection. The co-pilot maintained the line of communication between RED-1 and the Titian. To avoid their radio communication from being intercepted and decoded, Leanna and the Titian utilized a form of bio-encryption that kept their messages undecipherable to their enemy''s electronic equipment. By using protein chains as encryption keys, it essentially became mathematically impossible to decrypt them without knowing the protein chains ahead of time.

    Ursun and the rest of his group were still under the cover of trees, several yards away from the occupied beach where the Queen¡¯s military force was waiting in ambush. They¡¯d wasted no time setting up a small mobile position exactly where the Red Wolves were headed. Ursun was sure that they¡¯d tracked their movements through the jungle. But the mercenaries had planned for that possibility.

    ¡°Are there any more of the queenies nearby?¡± Ursun asked Leanna, who began scanning all visible and non-visible wavelengths around them with her powerful glasses.

    ¡°Nope, just the soldiers on the beach, sir. And they don¡¯t appear to be headed this way.¡° Leanna said confidently.

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s howling time.¡± Ursun said with a wild smile on his face. ¡°Jaik, lay the target down and wait here until we¡¯re done. I¡¯ll signal to you when it¡¯s safe to bring him to the retrieval point.¡±

    Jaik nodded silently to his commander, and did as he ordered. Jaik gently laid the slumbering man onto a soft patch of grass, and sat beside him to watch over their target. The man¡¯s nude body had been sweating for some time, and his skin glistened in the sunlight while he remained motionless on his back. Jaik¡¯s eyes danced across the man¡¯s body, checking for any cuts or scrapes from their trek through the jungle. Jaik was astonished when he didn¡¯t find any signs of even a minor injury.

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    With a waving motion of his hand, Ursun signaled for the rest of his team to duck down and begin crawling along the underbrush of the wooded area they were still in. They were on slightly higher ground than the beach, so they could make out their enemy even while they crawled covertly towards them. After making it to a rocky outcrop at the edge of the tree line, they took a moment to analyze their enemy¡¯s formation and numbers. The mercenaries were only about forty meters from the soldiers.

    ¡°Looks like twenty of them down there, with plenty of firepower already set up.¡± Srell said.

    ¡°Two automated turrets, an anti-air gun, and a hover-drone. They¡¯re serious.¡± Leanna added.

    ¡°Get the howlers out. Lorias, shoot yours at the mobile turret on the left. Srell, shoot yours at the mobile turret on the right. Leanna, shoot yours at the largest group of soldiers at your one o¡¯clock. I¡¯ll shoot at the other group with mine, the group at your ten o¡¯clock, Leanna.¡± Ursun ordered.

    Each of the four of them withdrew a small tube attachment for their PAWs, as well as a silver, egg-shaped projectile, from their gear belts. They connected the tubes to their PAWs, and then inserted the silver ammo into the tubes. Each of them aimed and then fired their weapons immediately after Ursun fired his. When the projectiles made contact, they each created a powerful spherical shockwave that essentially pulverized anything within their blast radius. Ten of the soldiers were caught in the blasts, and were killed by the high energy noise that ripped through their bodies. The overpressure from the sound waves was so potent that it even damaged the metallic construction of the turrets, rendering them inoperable.

    A howling sound could be heard at the time of each detonation, leading to the weapon¡¯s unique name. The mercenaries each only carried one of the potent weapons each mission, as the howlers were very difficult to mass-produce.

    ¡°With me!¡± Ursun yelled before getting up from the ground and wielding his coilgun.

    He was soon firing high-speed metal balls at the remaining soldiers, with Leanna, Srell and Lorias close behind him. Leanna shot at the hover-drone, knocking it out of the air before it could begin firing at them from its aerial position. Lorias and Srell rushed towards the car-sized anti-air artillery, shooting at whatever soldiers tried to stop them. The Red Wolves¡¯ blitz attack caught the Queen¡¯s forces completely off-guard, and the mercenaries dispatched the small contingent quickly. Before long, Srell and Lorias had deactivated the anti-air weapon, severing its power supply and destroying its onboard computer.

    ¡°That should do it!¡± Srell yelled to Ursun and Leanna once he and Lorias left the broken machine.

    ¡°Clear!¡± Leanna yelled after shooting the last surviving soldier before Ursun could aim his unwieldy coilgun at them.

    Ursun gave each of his three teammates a congratulatory nod before making his way back to the wooded area to begin escorting Jaik and their target.

    ¡°Jaik, the coast is clear.¡± Ursun radioed his youngest teammate.

    ¡°Roger. On our way.¡± Jaik replied with a wave of his hand, barely in eye shot of Ursun.

    Just when Jaik was pulling the sleeping man up onto his shoulder again, a shot rang out from a shaded area deeper within the forest. A hot pain seared through Jaik¡¯s right thigh, and he fell hard onto his side. He tried to look down at his leg, to see the extent of the damage, but another shot loudly echoed through the forest before he could tilt his head downwards. The second shot was fired closer to him, and just nearly missed his ear. Jaik frantically began to twist his body around to face the young man he¡¯d been charged to protect, ready to pull him out of the line of fire. But to Jaik¡¯s further shock, the young man was gone.

    Right when Jaik started to look around the area for the man, he felt a strong arm yank him across the leafy ground with impressive speed. Jaik looked up and expected to see Ursun rescuing him. But Jaik¡¯s mouth dropped open when he instead saw his previously-asleep ward dragging him along. The arm that the mystery man was pulling Jaik with had become extremely muscular, and bulged with every step he took. Jaik also saw that the man¡¯s eyes glowed with a bright green color. The man stared ahead towards the beach with fearless focus, even with more shots firing off behind him.

    In a matter of seconds, Jaik had been dragged out of the forest and onto the beach. The strange man left Jaik at Ursun¡¯s feet, and then stared at the mercenary team¡¯s leader. Ursun, who was pointing his coilgun directly at the man, didn¡¯t know how to respond, especially when he realized that the man was looking at him with eyes of gratitude. Before either of them could speak, several gunshots began to be fired their way.

    The mystery man reflexively turned around and raised his hands in front of himself. His eyes flashed a bright white, and his right arm returned to its normal shape. A wall of light appeared in front of his hands and stopped the barrage of bullets that threatened to kill him, Ursun, and Jaik. Ursun stood dumbfounded at the new development that unfolded before him.

    ¡°What the¡­¡± Ursun started to say.

    But before Ursun could finish, the man in front of him turned his head around enough to make eye contact with Ursun, and then said, ¡°My name is Prism, and I won¡¯t let them hurt any of you again.¡±

 Chapter 5 - Flying

    Leanna, Srell, and Lorias took cover behind the anti-air guns as shots continued to ring out from the nearby forest. The trio could see Ursun standing behind the mysterious young man several meters away. They could also see that Jaik was injured on the ground near Ursun as a trail of blood led out of the forest.

    Leanna radioed their ship to tell their pilots that they were in a firefight, and that the mercenaries would need a bit more time to secure their extraction point.

    ¡°Do what you do best, RED-1. We¡¯ll be overhead.¡± The Titian¡¯s co-pilot radioed back over Leanna¡¯s bio-encrypted channel.

    Meanwhile, Lorias and Srell kept their PAWs at the ready, prepared to shoot at the first soldier that appeared from the wooded area.

    Prism continued to hold up his barrier of white light, which caused each bullet hitting it to burst harmlessly into a small bright flash of light. Ursun didn¡¯t know if he should begin firing his gun through the light barrier, or if he should check on the injured Jaik who still laid at his feet.

    When Prism began to walk forward his barrier moved with him. Ursun stooped down and checked on Jaik¡¯s bleeding leg once Prism had moved out of Ursun¡¯s way. It was clear that the junior merc was losing a lot of blood, and that he was fading in and out of consciousness. When Ursun realized how dire Jaik¡¯s situation truly was, his decision was a no-brainer.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but I¡¯m not gonna let you die on us, kid.¡± Ursun said gruffly while he withdrew a tourniquet-kit from Jaik¡¯s gear belt.

    Ursun removed Jaik¡¯s thigh plate from his armored leggings and began to apply the tourniquet above the gunshot wound that was just above his knee. Ursun saw Jaik wince and groan during the treatment, which reassured the commander that Jaik would be okay.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be such a baby. It¡¯s just a gunsh-¡° Ursun began to joke.

    Ursun was once again cut off by another strange development from Prism, who was only a few meters in front of him.

    Prism had bathed himself in the same sort of white light that had served as a shield against the bullets. He then made a run straight for the tree line and charged at the soldiers hidden within. Their bullets had no effect on him while he ran, and he quickly discovered where they were hiding.

    Prism aimed his hands at a shrub to his right and then shot a ball of white light at it. The soldier that had been crouched within the shrub was blasted a short distance into the air. Prism wasted no time in firing the same sort of blast of energy into several other nearby shrubs.

    When Leanna, Srell and Lorias made their way over to Ursun, they saw several of the Queen¡¯s soldiers fly into the air and land on the beach near to them. The mercenaries instinctively fired at the incapacitated soldiers, not wanting to risk any further fighting on their end. Leanna looked up at the forest and saw the still-nude Prism continue to shoot light from his hands at the remaining unit of soldiers. She too had never seen anyone able to shoot energy from their bodies before. She could barely believe her eyes.

    ¡°How¡¯s the kid?¡± Lorias asked Ursun, who was still crouched down near Jaik.

    Ursun continued wrapping Jaik¡¯s gunshot wound with a bandage to further stop the bleeding from Jaik¡¯s injured right thigh.

    ¡°A lot of blood loss, but he¡¯s going to make it, thanks to¡­whatever ¡°he¡± is.¡± Ursun said with a nod of his head towards the forest. ¡°He calls himself ¡°Prism¡±. Says he¡¯s going to protect us from the queenies.¡±

    ¡°Prism¡­¡± Leanna almost whispered.

    She¡¯d lowered her PAW, and was simply watching Prism leap around the forest and blast the last few soldiers within. His body shined brightly, illuminating all that was around him in the previously darkened wood.

    ¡°Call the ship, tell them it¡¯s safe to land.¡± Ursun ordered Leanna, snapping her mind back to their mission.

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± She said before tapping her ear clasp and hailing the ship, which was still hovering far above them.

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    By the time she¡¯d completed her call, Leanna noticed that the fighting within the forest had ended. Prism walked calmly towards the five mercenaries; his youthful face was an enigma. His eyes were no longer glowing white, and the aura of light that had surrounded him was also gone. He was simply a naked, bald-headed man again, albeit fully-awake.

    Ursun stood up and held his coilgun firmly in hand, signaling for the others to ready their own weapons. Their aggressive stance seemed to startle Prism, who stopped in his tracks a few meters before them. They all stood silently on the sandy white beach. The area around them looked like a battered war-zone.

    ¡°¡±Prism¡±, was it?¡± Ursun asked coldly.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, Ursun.¡± Prism said, shocking Srell and Lorias.

    ¡°You weren¡¯t asleep at all, were you?¡± Leanna asked. Her curiosity was in full bloom.

    ¡°I had to be sure that you weren¡¯t¡­them.¡± Prism said, bobbing his head towards the body of a dead soldier only a meter away.

    ¡°You¡¯re coming with us.¡± Ursun said firmly, as if ordering the mysterious man.

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s fine. I sort of need your help anyway, because¡­¡±

    Prism¡¯s words began to fade, and he collapsed before he could finish them. Leanna quickly ran to his aid, and nearly caught him before he hit the ground. She was sure that he was their ally. He looked up weakly at her and tried his best to communicate his gratitude to her.

    ¡°I just need¡­some rest¡­that¡­took a lot out of me.¡± Prism said softly and quietly to Leanna.

    She held his torso in her gloved hands. His body felt so light and fragile to her. She couldn¡¯t help but feel partly-responsible for his plight.

    ¡°Thank you. We¡¯ll take care of you. Just sleep now.¡± Leanna said kindly to him.

    Her words were only heard by Prism as the sound of their ship began to sweep through the area while it descended from above them.

    ¡°Grab him and let¡¯s go!¡± Ursun yelled to Leanna while he lifted Jaik up with ease and carried him towards their hovering tiltjet.

    The ramp to the ship¡¯s cargo bay opened and quickly made contact with the ground. Leanna lifted the then-sleeping Prism into her arms and ran him over to ramp. In the span of a couple of minutes, they were all aboard the Titian. Its ramp quickly closed behind them while the tiltjet hovered a few meters above the sand.

    ¡°Get us out of here!¡± Ursun yelled at the cockpit once he and Leanna strapped Jaik and Prism in to makeshift beds.

    The pilot wasted no time flying the tiltjet up at an angle until they were clear of the beach and back into the high skies. But it didn¡¯t take long for alarms to start blaring within the ship, once again putting the Red Wolves on high alert.

    ¡°Contact. Queen ship is on our tail. I repeat, Queen ship is on our tail.¡± The pilot¡¯s voice blared over the crackly intercom, interrupting the alert alarm.

    ¡°Strap in everyone.¡± Ursun ordered. He rushed to the door of the cockpit and let himself inside. ¡°Fight or flight?¡± Ursun asked the pilot and co-pilot.

    ¡°Definitely fight. We can¡¯t shake them in our current flight mode. They¡¯re faster than us.¡± The co-pilot replied. He was looking over data that the Red Wolves had on that particular enemy ship.

    ¡°We¡¯ll evade them the best we can. Say the word, and we¡¯ll fire up our afterburners and give those queenies a real chase.¡± The main pilot said with a cheeky smirk.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see if we can¡¯t knock them out of the sky first. No need to overwork Titian. I¡¯ll get on the guns. You guys keep the ship steady for me.¡± Ursun told the pilots.

    The pilots quietly nodded at Ursun before he rushed out of the cockpit and back towards the transport bay. There he sat down at a console that had several large displays above it. After flicking on a few switches, the displays lit up, showing a panoramic view around the tiltjet. Leanna made her way over and stood behind the console chair to watch Ursun get to work.

    ¡°One of the Queen¡¯s Hurriers. Must be the ship that brought her soldiers to the island. But why hasn¡¯t it fired on us? We¡¯re within range of its guns.¡± Leanna asked openly.

    ¡°They probably want our target¡¯s body back in one piece. That¡¯s why.¡± Ursun reasoned while his fingers swept across the weapons console, pressing various buttons to open gun ports and release safeties.

    ¡°Be careful, the newest Hurriers have an EMP cannon. They¡¯ll have to get a bit closer for it to be effective against us, but it would bring us down in one piece for them to retrieve.¡± Leanna said worriedly.

    ¡°I¡¯d hate for them to get Prism and our new plasma tech.¡± Lorias said while glancing at the bay¡¯s ceiling.

    ¡°I know, and the pilots know. Now leave me be.¡± Ursun said calmly before beginning to fire the ship¡¯s rear 40mm chain gun.

    Leanna watched the screens in front of her and Ursun as the ship¡¯s weapons began to shoot at the large but fast ship behind them. The fusion-powered Titian¡¯s bio-computers assisted in the aiming of the guns, but the weapons still needed to be manually-fired. The Hurrier began to bob and weave through the air behind them, avoiding their powerful long-range autocannon. Ursun cursed under his breath at how easily the pursuing aircraft dodged their firepower.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be in range of their weapons at this rate. And if I use our missiles, they¡¯ll just intercept them.¡± Ursun said aloud, half-heartedly wanting Leanna to put her mind on the problem.

    ¡°We should use our plasma cannon! Gnapp wanted a live combat test, anyway.¡± Srell yelled from across the bay.

    He and Lorias were tending to Jaik, who was unconscious. They elevated his right leg and made him more comfortable.

    ¡°If we miss, or hit them and don¡¯t destroy their ship, then we¡¯ll be giving them far too much intel about our new secret weapon.¡± Leanna rebuffed.

    Ursun tapped on a few keys on the console in front of him and pulled up the access system for the experimental plasma weapon that they spoke of. It was stored in the top section of the Titian, and required the opening of a door that would give the enemy Hurrier a clear shot to their fusion engine.

    ¡°Here¡¯s hoping that I was right about them wanting us in one piece.¡± Ursun said with a shake of his head.

    He pressed a series of buttons that authorized the use of the plasma cannon. They all heard and felt the fusion-deck door slide open above them, and then the cannon start to retract outwards. Lorias, Srell and Leanna looked anxiously up at the metallic ceiling above them, as if they could see the cannon.

    One of the displays in front of Ursun changed to a first-person view from the cannon¡¯s own targeting system. Ursun took in a deep breath and aimed the cannon¡¯s reticule over the Hurrier with the computer¡¯s help until it was locked onto the enemy ship. He then squeezed his joystick¡¯s firing trigger. A loud but short boom reverberated throughout the ship, followed by an explosion over a kilometer behind them. In under a second, the cannon had destroyed the Hurrier with a flash of plasma.

    Lorias, Srell, and Leanna leapt for joy and noisily began to cheer for their commander. Ursun let out a deep sigh of relief. He then slid down into his seat so that he could relax for a moment.

    ¡°Congratulations, sir. We are flying clear.¡± The pilot¡¯s voice crackled over the unreliable intercom.

    Ursun stayed put at the weapons console for the rest of their ride, just in case they ran into any more enemy ships.

 Chapter 6 - Fear

    After sleeping for a few hours, Prism awoke aboard the Titian as the ship continued to fly over the vast ocean. The ship was only three kilometers above the water¡¯s surface, making for a smooth ride. Prism had beautiful view out of the window that was beside the makeshift gurney that he laid on. But it didn¡¯t take Prism long before he realized that his wrists and ankles were cuffed to the bunk. He let out an irritated sigh at his predicament.

    ¡°The humans of this world are always so quick to lock me up¡­¡± Prism thought silently to himself. ¡°At least they put some clothing on me¡­¡± He thought while he looked down at the grey briefs that he was wearing.

    He lifted his head as discreetly as he could and began to scope out the open-floor transport bay. It''s metallic, industrial interior reminded Prism of the lab that he''d been tortured within for so long. His body shivered at the traumatic remembrance, but he was able to quickly let the feeling go.

    Looking straight between his feet, Prism saw Ursun a couple of meters away. RED-1¡¯s leader was sitting in a black leather chair in front of a rather complicated-looking computer. It had numerous buttons and other strange controls that Prism didn''t recognize. Ursun was staring up at numerous large screens. The intimidating hulk of a man appeared strangely alert.

    Prism then saw Leanna sitting in one of the transport seats alongside the opposite wall to his left. She was very intently reading something on a tan-colored, book-sized computer tablet. Prism thought that she was quite pretty, with her graceful facial features. She¡¯d let down her long, voluminous green hair while Prism was asleep.

    Srell and Lorias were standing around a table with a glowing surface at the center of the room, arguing about something while they played some sort of card game. Prism didn''t think much of Srell, seeing him as a loud-mouthed jerk with a weaselly-appearance. Lorias, on the other hand, interested Prism mainly because of how refined the blonde man appeared and oftentimes acted.

    When Prism looked directly to his left, he saw Jaik lying on a bunk like his. Jaik was fast asleep with his right leg being held up within a black medical sling that was attached to the ceiling above. Unlike the other mercenaries, Jaik was no longer wearing his armor, and had instead been stripped down to his black tank-top and grey briefs. Jaik''s black hair was tousled and obscured his attractive face. His body was lean but incredibly toned, with his intricately-defined muscles on full display. There didn''t seem to be a part of his body that wasn''t well-muscled, from what Prism could see.

    As Prism¡¯s eyes scanned over Jaik¡¯s unconscious body, guilt washed over him like a flash flood. Prism had felt the kindness and genuine desire to help that Jaik possessed when he took Prism out of the Queen¡¯s facility. Prism knew that Jaik had seen him not just as a simple mission objective, but as a person in need of rescue. But after he¡¯d covertly scanned the minds of the other Red Wolves shortly after he¡¯d been taken from the modified rejuv-pod, Prism knew that not all of them cared about his wellbeing.

    Prism only had deceived the mercenaries with his sleeping act to protect himself. But after Jaik was shot, Prism couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he¡¯d been able to prevent the young man¡¯s injury if he¡¯d simply explained himself to RED-1 back in A-Lab.

    ¡°Look who¡¯s awake, and not even hiding it.¡± Leanna said playfully.

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    Prism¡¯s whole body jerked uncontrollably, alarmed by her sudden appearance at the foot of his bunk. He was especially surprised that he hadn¡¯t sensed her presence. He was far more debilitated than he had realized, which made him begin to worry for his safety.

    ¡°My apologies, I didn¡¯t mean to scare you. I know that you¡¯ve been through a lot, so I¡¯m also sorry that we¡¯ve restrained you.¡± Leanna said softly while pointing to the cuffs that held him down.

    Prism knew that Leanna, like Jaik, meant him well. But he also knew that she was beholden to a man who saw him as a threat to his team.

    ¡°Come on, Data Girl! He can probably break free and kill all of us right now.¡± Srell yelled while he and Lorias approached Prism¡¯s cot as well.

    ¡°I think he¡¯s some sort of bio-engineered soldier that was too much for the Queen to handle.¡± Lorias said with his usual air of confidence.

    He and Srell stood at opposite sides of Leanna, with the three of them looking down at their sad-faced captive.

    ¡°All of you need to shut your mouths. I ordered you kids not to talk to the target.¡± Ursun yelled from his seat at the weapons console.

    Srell threw up his arms and groaned angrily as he turned around and walked back to the planning table. Lorias smirked at Leanna before following behind Srell. Leanna, however, didn¡¯t budge. She simply looked down at Prism, staring compassionately into his brown eyes.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to hurt us, are you?¡± Leanna leaned down and whispered to Prism.

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t.¡± Prism said with a gleam in his eyes.

    His spirits quickly began to lift. It didn¡¯t take much to make him happy, or to give him hope. Leanna made a few taps and swipes at the foot of the bunk, which released the cuffs that had bridled him. When Prism raised his torso from the cot and sat upright, he heard a terrifying bang come from the weapons console.

    ¡°LEANNA!¡± Ursun¡¯s deep voice thundered across the bay after he¡¯d slammed his fist on the controls in front of him.

    ¡°If he¡¯d wanted to do us harm, then we¡¯d all be dead, SIR! You saw what he can do, SIR! Continuing to insist on treating him so harshly will do us more harm than good, SIR!¡± Leanna turned about face, stood at attention, and explained herself to her commanding officer in a tone of voice that was both angry and staccato.

    Srell looked over at Leanna with a completely stunned expression. Lorias, on the other hand, looked amused by her outburst. Though their mercenary company was not as strict as actual militaries were known to be, the Red Wolves were still taught to respect their chain of command. Ursun, though tough and demanding, had always been fair and reasonable with all of them. Though Leanna had only been a member of RED-1 for a year, she hadn¡¯t had any major disagreements with Ursun. But she couldn¡¯t stomach the mistreatment of a potential ally, even if it put her own position and freedom at risk.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know ANYTHING about him. We don¡¯t even know what he truly is. You are putting us all at risk. The only reason that the target is conscious right now is because Jaik isn¡¯t. Jaik would¡¯ve administered an advanced sedative to prevent this EXACT situation from happening.¡± Ursun said.

    It was clear that he was still angry, but he¡¯d managed to rein it in to make his case. He didn¡¯t want to relieve Leanna of duty and have her kicked out of the Red Wolves, but he couldn¡¯t let her endanger the rest of their team.

    ¡°I know just as much about him as you do, sir. I was given all of the advanced intel by the rest of Pack Command, and I am telling you that we are creating an even more dangerous situation for ourselves by continuing to treat Prism, our target, as a threat to us.¡± Leanna retorted.

    ¡°It¡¯s my decision to make! I am the one in charge of this mission, and I am the one in charge of making sure that we all get home safely! You are a top-notch analyst, but that doesn¡¯t entitle you to take a unilateral action without consulting me first!¡± Ursun yelled while he gripped the edge of the weapon¡¯s console until veins began to bulge on his forehead. He was infuriated by Leanna¡¯s continued brazenness.

    ¡°Please! I¡¯m not a threat to you or your people. I¡¯m here to help! Your enemy is my enemy!¡± Prism yelled and gestured desperately as he stood beside Leanna.

    He¡¯d gotten out of the bunk without Leanna or Ursun noticing, though he¡¯d noticed Lorias and Srell¡¯s panicked faces when he began walking around the bunk. Leanna turned to look at Prism, and Ursun did the same. Ursun shook his head in frustration, and once again slammed his fist on the console in front of him.

    ¡°We are ten minutes out from Pack HQ. Should we hold our position, or proceed onwards?¡± The co-pilot¡¯s voice crackled over the intercom.

    The cockpit could always hear what was going on within the ship¡¯s bay, due to the microphones installed within the bay as a security feature. The pilots knew what was going on, and erred on the side of caution. Ursun glanced over at Lorias and Srell, then at Leanna, and then at Prism. Ursun rubbed his sweaty bald head and then ran his hand through his red beard. After a moment of thought, he nodded to himself and sat at attention.

    ¡°Proceed,¡± was all that Ursun said.

 Chapter 7 - Detained

    ¡°You¡¯ve got ten minutes to convince me that you aren¡¯t a lying queenie science experiment that¡¯s trying to sneak its way into our HQ.¡± Ursun said to Prism while the Titian began its final approach to the Red Wolves¡¯ base.

    Prism looked a bit relieved at Ursun¡¯s words, realizing that the gruff man had decided to open his mind a bit to Leanna¡¯s point of view. Prism glanced over at her, and saw that she was leaning expectantly towards him, hoping that he could plead his case. Prism looked down at the floor for a moment, thought about what he was going to say, and then nervously cleared his throat.

    ¡°I am an Elementeitan, and I come from another world. My people are able to manipulate various forms of magical energy by slightly changing our bodies to suit the energy that we are channeling. I ended up on this world by accident. I was in a battle with a powerful adversary, and he struck me quite badly while he was in his death throes. At that moment, I tried to teleport to my homeworld so that I could recuperate, but I was too weak. I ended up here, confused and almost dead. That¡¯s when the Queen¡¯s forces found me.¡± Prism explained as speedily and as earnestly as he could.

    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re an alien!?¡± Srell yelled in astonishment.

    Lorias simply shook his head and let out a chuckle. Leanna¡¯s eyes grew wide before she almost fell forward while listening intently to Prism¡¯s story.

    ¡°It would be easier to believe that you were created by the Queen¡¯s scientists.¡± Ursun said. His voice was hesitant and uncertain.

    ¡°But if the Queen had been able to make something like Prism a hundred years ago, then she surely would¡¯ve made more like him by now.¡± Leanna intuited aloud.

    ¡°Yes, that is my thinking as well. Bio-engineering has only created smarter and physically-stronger humans. It hasn¡¯t made people that can harness pure energy, or even change their physical appearance at will.¡± Ursun stated. He rubbed his beard pensively as he sat back in his chair.

    ¡°So where¡¯s your spaceship? Did it malfunction or something when you got teleported here?¡± Srell asked.

    The other mercenaries¡¯ eyes lit up at the question. A spacecraft would definitely prove Prism¡¯s claims.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a spacecraft. I teleport to other worlds with my own powers.¡± Prism said.

    He looked around at the looks of confusion and disappointment on the faces of the mercenaries. He immediately knew that he¡¯d said something wrong to them.

    ¡°How is that even remotely possible? It takes absurd amounts of energy to travel across the expanse of space to a whole different star system. Not even the Queen and her Kingdom have been able to achieve that.¡± Lorias rebuffed with a loud guffaw. It was as if he¡¯d had enough of the entire conversation.

    ¡°I¡¯m special, in that way. I mean, traveling to different worlds isn¡¯t something that many people in all of existence can do. But, it isn¡¯t exactly space travel. It¡¯s interdimensional travel, which doesn¡¯t need to obey such energy requirements¡­¡± Prism explained, surprising Leanna with his grasp of such things.

    ¡°We¡¯re getting bogged down by details. Tell me, Elementeitan, how did the Queen capture you and keep you for so long?¡± Ursun asked calmly.

    ¡°Well, after teleporting to this world accidentally, I was completely exhausted. I

    pretty much collapsed on the beach of that island only a few seconds after I¡¯d appeared on it. I definitely didn¡¯t think I¡¯d wake up in a laboratory being poked and prodded for hours each day.¡± Prism paused, crossed his arms, and looked uncomfortably at the metal grating on the floor of the bay. After taking a moment to calm himself down and refocus his thoughts, he continued. ¡°And because I never got the chance to commune with this world, I didn¡¯t have access to its magical energies, or mana, as we call it back home. So all I could do was bide my time, and slowly wait for my own body¡¯s mana to replenish enough for me to escape.¡± Prism explained as quickly as he could.

    ¡°Mana? Sounds like something from a virtual game.¡± Srell said with a snigger.

    ¡°Why were you in that rejuv-pod?¡± Leanna asked.

    ¡°The scientists got angrier and angrier when they realized that they couldn¡¯t understand my body and how it works. You see, Elementeitans are very unique. We have both a physical body and a mana body that isn¡¯t perceivable by most others. And that mana body can protect, change, and even obscure our physical body.¡± Prism started to explain to Leanna.

    ¡°Intriguing.¡± Leanna said with a curious tilt of her head.

    ¡°I used what little mana I was generating each day to mess with my body so that the samples they took were ¡°blank.¡± After a year, I think, they decided to store me away until their science could better understand me. So after running a lot of experiments on ways to keep me sedated, they made that ¡°rejuv-pod¡± you keep referring to, and locked me away inside¡­¡± Prism finished retelling the events of his capture. His face was sullen and tired after he recalled what were perhaps some of the most difficult days of his life.

    Ursun sat quietly in his seat and rested his chin on his clasped hands. He thought over everything that Prism had told him and his team. It was a lot to take in, and even more to believe. But Ursun didn¡¯t feel like Prism was being dishonest. In fact, Ursun could feel how open and forthcoming the seemingly-young alien was being. Over his many years of combat, Ursun had learned to trust his gut. And his gut was telling him to trust Prism.

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    ¡°Alright. That¡¯s enough. You¡¯ll need to tell Pack Command everything that you¡¯ve told us, but I¡¯ll make sure that they don¡¯t lock you up and treat you like a potential hostile.¡± Ursun said with a tinge of regret. He could barely believe his own words.

    ¡°Ah! Thank you so much! I¡­I didn¡¯t think¡­wow, thanks!¡± Prism was ecstatic, and began to bow repeatedly to Ursun, who waved off Prism¡¯s silly display of gratitude.

    ¡°You risked your butt for us, kid. Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t appreciate that. I just have to be pragmatic.¡± Ursun told Prism in no uncertain terms.

    Prism nodded in understanding, and then looked over at Leanna. She gave him a friendly wink.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t off the hook, Leanna.¡± Ursun turned around in his seat and said sternly to her. She stood at attention for a moment, until he turned back around.

    ¡°Entering Pack HQ¡¯s Mountain Hangar #4.¡± The pilot¡¯s voice blared over the intercom system within the transport bay. The sudden spike in the intercom¡¯s volume caused everyone to wince, and a few of them to cover their ears.

    ¡°We really need to get that dang thing fixed!¡± Ursun yelled.

    Prism walked over to the nearest window and watched the Titian approach the white rocky face of an especially dramatic mountain that sat on the coast. Its snowy surface contrasted with the green wooded landscape that surrounded it and the other mountains nearby. Prism could just make out the small, sheltered opening in the side of the mountain as they flew towards it.

    In only a few seconds, the tiltjet had flown into the hangar¡¯s entrance and down its expansive, well-lit corridor. The Titian¡¯s jets rotated quite quickly to bring them to a slow hover as they exited the corridor, entered the large open hangar room, and flew over one of the hangar¡¯s landing pads. The aircraft then descended until it rested smoothly on its three landing wheels.

    While still looking out of the window, Prism could make out the presence of nearly a dozen people around the landing pad. Most of them wore armor similar to Ursun¡¯s team, except it was a darker shade of red, being nearly black. They also wore black berets that had a droopy fold to the left, and a modified Red Wolves insignia design on a patch that sat prominently on the band at the front of the hat. Three of the people at the middle of that group wore white lab coats, and appeared to be scientists of some kind. The scene reminded Prism of his previous imprisonment, and he became worried once again.

    ¡°Ah look, Security is here to welcome us home.¡± Srell said snidely while the rear hatch of the Titian slowly rotated open, becoming a ramp at the end of the cargo bay that led down to the landing pad.

    The officers from the Red Wolves¡¯ Security Division quickly ran in pairs of two up the ramp and into the transport bay. They encircled Prism with their PAWs drawn. Prism reflexively raised his hands and assumed a fighting pose. He was still pretty weak, but he believed that he could muster enough magic to knock them all back and make his escape.

    ¡°Easy, wolves. He saved our lives; no need to point your guns at him.¡± Ursun finally got up from the weapons console and pushed two of the security personnel out of the way so that he could address all of them.

    Some of the security officers began to relax their firearms, but most of them kept them raised and pointed at Prism. Ursun sighed and began to order them to desist until he saw the white-coated scientists walk up the ramp.

    ¡°My, my. So the target really is completely conscious and unrestrained,¡± said the tallest of the three scientists. He was a man who looked to be in his early thirties, with swept-back light brown hair and frameless, silver-armed glasses. ¡°And look at poor Dr. Jaik, my former prot¨¦g¨¦. Take him to Treatment Room 1 immediately.¡± The tall scientist said to the other two.

    The two smaller scientists had two of the security personnel carry the makeshift gurney that the still unconscious Jaik laid on off of the ship. The two security officers and the two scientists rushed through the large empty hangar room to a nearby hallway until they¡¯d taken Jaik out of sight. Ursun and his team breathed a collective sigh of relief that their youngest member was being taken care of. Prism looked on worriedly as he watched Jaik disappear into the base¡¯s interior.

    ¡°He isn¡¯t a threat to us.¡± Ursun spoke loudly to the scientist. Prism was learning that Ursun was a man of his word, and that Ursun would be Prism¡¯s advocate like Leanna had been.

    ¡°Is that your expert opinion or just your ¡°gut¡± feeling?¡± The scientist asked with as much condescension as he could muster.

    Ursun groaned.

    ¡°Cut the crap, Liam.¡± Leanna shouted from across the room.

    Liam¡¯s conceited expression quickly turned to one of excitement when he looked over at Leanna.

    ¡°Imagine my surprise when I read that you¡¯d been insubordinate, and that Ursun actually came around to your point of view afterwards. Today is full of firsts.¡± Liam smiled and shook his head playfully at Leanna.

    Liam motioned to some of the security personnel to arrest Leanna, and then motioned to the others to lower the weapons they''d drawn on Prism. Leanna shook her head as well and then shrugged as Security cuffed her hands behind her back. She was content that they were no longer pointing guns at what was potentially the first form of alien life they''d ever seen.

    ¡°A few nights in the brig should suffice, according to Pack Command.¡± Liam said with a facetious bow.

    ¡°So you¡¯ve already read over the transcript of our mission?¡± Ursun asked while still standing between Prism and the armed security personnel.

    ¡°Oh, I read it as soon as it was sent to the base by laser the moment your ship came within a kilometer of the mountain. Kudos to Titian¡¯s bio-computer for that.¡± Liam said with a fancy wave of his hand towards the cockpit.

    Titian¡¯s bio-computer was the literal brain of RED-1¡¯s personal tiltjet. It was constantly compiling information that it gathered from its various sensory organs and other devices, such as the Titian¡¯s microphones and internal/external cameras. It then used that information to create a variety of observations and suggestions to the pilots of the ship. It even created a final report at the end of its missions using its sensory data and input from the pilots. The bio-computer then automatically sent its report to Pack Command upon coming in range of Pack HQ¡¯s secure laser transceivers.

    ¡°So can we go, or what?¡± Lorias asked angrily.

    He hated the way that Liam tended to drag things out due to a twisted sense of humor. The doctor was well known for being a pain in the ass.

    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Liam said with a quick nod. ¡°Escort him to Exam Room 6. I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡± Liam then nearly whispered to the security officer closest to him.

    ¡°Yes, doctor.¡± The officer said.

    Prism looked worriedly at Ursun and Leanna when the security force that surrounded him began to move him off the ship. But before Ursun could say anything, Liam raised his right index finger and spoke first.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; he¡¯ll be treated like a very important person. He¡¯s treated us with respect, so we will treat him with respect. That¡¯s the Red Wolf Way.¡± Liam sounded a bit sarcastic, but he tended to sound that way even when he was speaking from the heart.

    Ursun rubbed his bald head and nodded silently to Liam, while Leanna sighed and gave a weak smile to Prism. Neither of them had expected Liam to apply their company¡¯s creed to Prism, but they could both rest easy knowing that he¡¯d been given a privileged status. At least, they would if they believed Liam.

    ¡°I¡¯ll accompany you, either way.¡± Ursun said to the security officer leading the force escorting Prism.

    ¡°You need to go get debriefed by your fellow higher-ups. You know, explain the ins-and-outs of your very special mission to them?¡± Liam said sassily to Ursun, eliciting another groan from the commander.

    ¡°That can wait.¡± Ursun said simply to Liam while walking by him to join the security force.

    Liam simply rolled his eyes and said ¡°Suit yourself,¡± knowing that Ursun¡¯s rank gave him the freedom to mostly do what he wanted. Ursun was, after all, not just the commander of RED-1 but of a quarter of all mercenaries within the Red Wolves Company.

    ¡°And I¡¯ll accompany you to the brig. I want to ask you a few questions before our guest¡¯s examination.¡± Liam said to Leanna while she was still handcuffed between two security personnel.

    ¡°His name is Prism.¡± Leanna said.

    The irritation in her voice was clear to everyone still within the ship¡¯s transport bay.

    ¡°Yes, of course, Prism. Let¡¯s go.¡± Liam said dismissively before he and the security personnel took Leanna off the ship and through the cavernous hangar towards a series of hallways that led to the mountain base¡¯s assorted facilities.

    ¡°Keep your chin up.¡± Lorias said to Leanna while she was walked down the ship¡¯s ramp.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be free in no time!¡± Srell yelled with a smile.

    Leanna shook her head, but didn¡¯t turn around to look at the two of them. She simply smirked to herself, undaunted by the events that unfolded around her.

 Chapter 8 â€“ Detained (Part II)

    Prism sat within the cold, well-lit exam room atop a blue medical bed. The room was strangely spacious for a place for mere examinations, with an assortment of tables and equipment lining the walls that could allow for almost any sort of experiment to be run. Energetic pop music played from a small radio that sat on a nearby table. The melodious voice and bombastic beat contrasted with the otherwise sterile environment. Prism glanced at the two beefy security personnel that stood near the door that they¡¯d led him through. He was unsure how long he¡¯d been sitting in the room, but he knew that he was sick of waiting for Dr. Liam.

    ¡°Excuse me, but do you know when the doctor will-¡° Prism began to ask.

    He was interrupted by the sound of arguing outside of the door. He could make out Ursun and Dr. Liam¡¯s yelling voices. Before he could decipher what they were arguing about, the exam room door swung open. The doctor rushed in with Ursun following close behind.

    ¡°I told you that you were needed elsewhere!¡± Dr. Liam yelled behind him.

    ¡°If I knew that you¡¯d be wasting all of our time, I would have called in another doctor to do the damn exam!¡± Ursun barked.

    ¡°Well lucky for me, that doesn¡¯t exactly fall under your purview.¡± Dr. Liam said coolly. His tone suddenly became calm and dismissive, which seemed to further infuriate Ursun.

    ¡°Well go on, get to it!¡± Ursun said with an angry wave of his arms. Prism thought that Ursun might strike the doctor.

    Dr. Liam rolled his eyes as he approached Prism. Ursun leaned against a table near the door, crossed his arms, and didn¡¯t take his eyes off of the doctor.

    ¡°So, Prism, was it? I¡¯m sorry, but it looks like you and I won¡¯t be getting any privacy.¡± Dr. Liam leaned in close and said to Prism. Prism couldn¡¯t tell if he was truly being apologetic or simply sarcastic.

    ¡°That¡¯s okay¡­¡± Prism said with an awkward tilt of his head downwards. He¡¯d gotten used to walking around in only the grey briefs that¡¯d been put on him; he¡¯d never been modest about his body, anyway.

    Prism spent the next hour having a range of scans and tests run on him. He did not let Liam take his blood or any other physical samples, but Prism allowed nearly everything else to be done to him. Ursun watched Dr. Liam¡¯s extensive and sometimes odd probes of Prism¡¯s anatomy with a hesitant curiosity.

    Ursun would tell the doctor to back off when he saw Prism in obvious pain, and Liam would reluctantly move on to the next task on his list. Prism could scarce believe how protective the commander had become of him in such a short amount of time. The bald alien worried that the others would think that Ursun was under a mind control spell, despite the Red Wolves not being aware that such magic even existed.

    ¡°And with that, we¡¯re done. I hope you enjoyed it all as much as I did.¡± Dr. Liam said after wiping the sweat from his brow and placing a small medical device on the table beside the bed that Prism laid on.

    ¡°Err¡­I hope that this isn¡¯t a regular thing that you do here¡­¡± Prism said tiredly while sitting upright on the medical bed.

    ¡°Oh, I wish! But no, I¡¯ve gotten plenty of data from you for the time being.¡± Liam said with a big smile. ¡°I will report my findings in the coming days.¡± He then turned to say to Ursun much less enthusiastically.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll show you where you¡¯ll be staying.¡± Ursun said while walking over to help Prism back onto his feet. Prism simply nodded to the much larger man.

    ¡°Oh, and before you go¡­¡± Dr. Liam yelled to Prism while he and Ursun headed to the door.

    Prism turned around and saw the doctor presenting him with a pair of blue slippers with bumpy grips on their bottoms. Prism tilted his head apprehensively before accepting the footwear and then putting them on. The slippers felt soft and warm on Prism¡¯s feet, which he didn¡¯t expect.

    ¡°For some reason, your feet appear to have suffered no ill effects from walking and running around barefoot. But I¡¯m sure that you could still benefit from wearing shoes of some kind.¡± Dr. Liam said in a kind way.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Prism said with a faint smile. He wanted nothing more than to get out of the cold room that reminded him of A-Lab.

    Ursun motioned to the two security officers standing guard at each side of the door to let him and Prism out.

    ¡°Dill and Dy, with me.¡± Ursun said to the same two security officers.

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The two men yelled in unison before walking alongside Ursun and Prism.

    As Prism followed behind Ursun down the long, quiet hallway of stone, he was reminded of how empty the base seemed. It was just as uninhabited as it had been when they¡¯d taken him to the exam room. From his quick mind-reading of Jaik and his team when they freed him, Prism was sure that the Red Wolves had hundreds of mercenaries and even more civilian wards in their organization.

    ¡°Where is everyone? This place seems too huge to be this deserted.¡± Prism asked Ursun. Ursun looked back at him and nodded.

    ¡°You¡¯re still too much of an unknown to reveal to the general population just yet. You¡¯ll stay here in this auxiliary base until we figure out our next moves¡± Ursun said bluntly.

    Prism nodded slowly to himself. Ursun¡¯s words made him uneasy again.

    ¡°I¡¯m grateful to them for freeing me, but am I actually free?¡± Prism thought. ¡°I guess it doesn¡¯t matter too much for now. I just want to make sure that Jaik is okay, and then regain some of my strength. Then I can leave.¡± Prism silently reasoned while he walked.

    It didn¡¯t take long before Prism was shown the room that he¡¯d be staying in. It was rather spacious, and followed the same brown stone construction that he¡¯d seen throughout the base so far. He had a bed, a desk, a couple of other pieces of useful furniture, and a bathroom. There was also a large map of ?ba that took up a large portion of the wall across from the door. Other than those items, the room was just as barebones as he¡¯d expect from a military facility.

    ¡°You can relax and get yourself cleaned up. For everyone¡¯s safety, Dill and Dy will be outside your door for now. If you need anything else before I come back for you, just let them know.¡± Ursun said kindly.

    ¡°I appreciate that¡­¡± Prism said meekly. ¡°Can I see how Jaik is doing?¡± He raised his voice and asked.

    ¡°In time. I¡¯m sure that he¡¯s resting from whatever procedure our doctors used to treat his wound.¡± Ursun said with a strangely blank expression.

    Prism could tell that he was hiding something, but Prism didn¡¯t have the strength to peek into Ursun¡¯s mind undetected.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Prism nodded slowly as he looked at the ground between the two of them.

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    ¡°Get some rest.¡± Ursun said to Prism before turning around and leaving the room.

    Prism was left alone in the windowless room, but he was sure that he was still being monitored. He looked at the stone walls and simplistic furniture around him, searching for cameras and listening devices. He knew that the world and people that he found himself among had more sophisticated technology than he was used to, but he was not completely naive to how it functioned.

    After completing his search of the room, Prism¡¯s eyes went back to the world map that he¡¯d noticed upon entering the room. It was the first time that he¡¯d seen ?ba and its lands depicted with labels of each of its countries. He walked up to the map and ran his fingers along its textured surface. He traced what he believed to be RED-1¡¯s path from the island he¡¯d been on to where they currently were. He then became acquainted with the names of ?ba¡¯s nations.

    Ruskeda, a mountainous nation in the northwest hemisphere, looked to be the biggest nation on ?ba. It was also where Prism believed he was currently being held. From the texture and coloring of the map, it looked to be a largely frozen nation with many impassable mountain ranges running through it. The far-more-verdant United Republic of Etrysia was south of Ruskeda, seemingly cut-off from Ruskeda by an extensive mountain range. Etrysia looked heavily wooded, with a large island territory to its east.

    South of Etrysia was a nation called Disd¨¹t. It was largely a desert, with a mountain range that ran down its western coast. A fertile crescent wrapped around its eastern coast, where Prism guessed most of its population lived. And to the west of Disd¨¹t, a smaller island nation called Esdegon was quite close to its coast. Esdegon looked like a dry, harsh place, with small swathes of grassland. It had a few mountains in its northern region, including a symbol on the map that indicated that there was a large volcano there.

    A vast ocean rested to the east of those four nations. It was called the Eizic Ocean, one of the only two oceans that Prism could see labeled on the map. In the middle of the Eizic Ocean was the nation of Vadam, which consisted of several smaller islands that surrounded a larger island. Vadam¡¯s islands were right on the equator, providing a tropical climate with plenty of greenery. Prism thought that it was interesting that such a nation existed at the center of ?ba, and figured that it had been a place of extensive trade and cultural exchange.

    ?ba¡¯s second-largest nation was east of Vadam, and was labeled The Holy State of Sguvi. Just the name of the northeastern nation was enough to impress Prism. Like Ruskeda, it had extensive mountain ranges and a frozen northern region. But unlike Ruskeda, Sguvi was full of forests and jungles. Its southeastern coastline marked the border between the Vobic Ocean to the east of Sguvi and the Eizic Ocean to its west.

    Three smaller continents sat below Sguvi, in ?ba¡¯s southeastern hemisphere. They were all labeled as one nation, The Kingdom. Prism felt uneasy as he ran his fingers over the trio of continents, especially when he read out the name of the nation¡¯s capital, Castle.

    ¡°How surprising¡­the Queen is a minimalist¡­¡± Prism said aloud in an attempt to lighten his mood with sarcasm.

    And beneath The Kingdom was ?ba¡¯s final nation, Rvljse. It existed on a peninsula that extended up from a southern continent of ice that rested at ?ba¡¯s southern pole. A shiver ran up Prism¡¯s spine when he imagined how cold such a place must be. There was a small segment of tundra along the coast of Rvljse, which was especially close to The Kingdom¡¯s southern shores. Prism wondered how such a small area of habitability could support the populace of an entire nation, though he didn¡¯t know how big or small Rvljse¡¯s population was.

    After finishing perusing the nations on the map of ?ba, Prism looked over the map in detail on last time. It was a normal planet to him, lacking any strange or remarkable features from what he could see. Prism was sure that there were many details that the map lacked, details which could reveal greater insights into why the people of ?ba seemed to lack any magical ability.

    Prism walked over to the large bed in the sleeping area of the room. He saw that a set of clothing had been neatly folded in a stack on the edge of the bed. There was a thick, black, cotton tank top with red leatherine pants, along with a pair of black woolen socks and new grey briefs like the ones he was wearing. When he looked down at the floor near the clothes, he saw a pair of black leatherine boots that looked to be just his size.

    ¡°The doctor must¡¯ve sent for these after he got my measurements.¡± Prism thought to himself. He was impressed that the Red Wolves had been considerate enough to do so.

    Prism looked over at the nearby partitioned area of the room that contained the shower and sink. He smiled when he realized that it was a good idea to bathe after his naked fighting in the forest. He let himself enjoy the warm water for quite a while, indulging himself for the first time in a long time. And when he put on the clothing that had been left for him, he felt a renewed sense of dignity as well.

    With nothing more to do, Prism laid in bed on his back with his hands behind his head. He closed his eyes and focused on his surroundings.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see what they¡¯re all up to.¡± Prism thought silently to himself.

    His eyes turned blue behind his eyelids as he directed what little mana he still had within his body to expand his perception. The room he was in became visible to him, despite having his eyes closed. He then moved his perception outside of the room, seeing the two men standing guard outside his door. His sight moved down the hallway, peeking into each room along the way.

    When he saw how empty the facility actually was, he expanded his vision down the other hallway within the hangar that he hadn¡¯t been taken down, where he¡¯d seen Jaik taken instead. It was along that hallway that Prism began to see others. He saw Jaik lying in a medical bed with his leg in what appeared to be a heavy metal cast. Jaik peacefully slumbered, with no sign of pain or worry on his face. Prism couldn¡¯t help but smile at the sight.

    After lingering on the sight of Jaik for a little while, Prism then directed his expanded vision further down the opposite hallway. He saw several security officers standing guard at junctures to other hallways that led to several elevators. Prism figured that those secured places led out of the facility, to other locations that Prism¡¯s projected perception couldn¡¯t reach.

    He could see a small prison-like area that was just within his perceptive range. The area was down a short elevator that led to a lower floor. There he saw a perturbed Leanna, who was pacing about within a small caged room. Prism frowned when he saw her locked up. He blamed himself for her punishment. He wished that he was strong enough to unlock her cell and let her go free, though he knew that such an act would be foolish.

    After a further probe of the area within his vicinity, Prism couldn¡¯t find Lorias, Srell, or Ursun. Prism figured that they must have gone to the main Red Wolves base, which was too far away for him to extend his weakened magical sight. Just the act of exploring the auxiliary base was enough to wear Prism out again. He let out a tired yawn before drifting off to sleep for the second time that day, just when the sun had begun to set on the mountain that he found himself within.

    ****

    Prism was awakened a few hours later by a knock on his door. He wiped his face, rolled out of bed, and walked briskly to answer the knocks. When he opened the door, Prism was surprised to see Lorias holding a tray, with Srell standing right behind him. Upon the tray sat a white plate with a simple meal of steak, peas, and mashed potatoes. There was also a glass of water beside the plate. Prism smiled; he was glad that such food was so common across all of the worlds he had been to.

    ¡°Dinner¡¯s here.¡± Lorias said plainly before brushing past Prism to enter the room.

    When Srell also walked into the room, Prism noticed that the two security officers that had been at his door were gone. Srell closed the door behind him and gave Prism a menacing look.

    ¡°We got assigned to guard you since Dill and Dy¡¯s shift is over. It¡¯s really irritating. I wanted some private time¡­¡± Srell complained loudly before plopping down in a chair in the room¡¯s living area.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know if you even eat, but Liam says that you have a stomach, so¡­¡± Lorias began to say while he placed the tray on a wooden table at the center of the room.

    ¡°I eat! Thank you the food!¡± Prism said excitedly before rushing to the table. It took him no time at all to begin wolfing down his first meal in a century.

    ¡°And I thought that you ate like a wild animal¡­¡± Lorias said to Srell, who laughed heartily at the sight.

    Prism looked up embarrassedly after devouring the meal. When Srell and Lorias both burst out laughing, Prism couldn¡¯t help but laugh too.

    ¡°We¡¯re surprised that you¡¯re still here,¡± said Lorias after the three of them had calmed down. ¡°Considering that you can teleport.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t do that now. I¡¯m too weak.¡± Prism said softly, not wanting to reveal too much to two men that he knew didn¡¯t care about his wellbeing.

    ¡°So you¡¯re just here for the free place to stay, then? Can¡¯t blame you. We¡¯ve got a pretty sweet setup. I mean, once you¡¯re free to see the rest of the place.¡± Srell over-shared, earning him a nasty stare from Lorias.

    When Srell finally noticed how Lorias was looking at him, Srell let out a nervous cough and stopped talking.

    ¡°Wh-when will that be? When will I be able to explore this place and meet more of your people?¡± Prism asked earnestly.

    ¡°When Pack Command finishes its assessment of you. They make decisions pretty quickly, so I¡¯d say in about two or three days. That¡¯s what Ursun told us to tell you, anyway.¡± Lorias shrugged, seeming nonplussed.

    ¡°They didn¡¯t expect you to be a friendly alien, that¡¯s for sure. If you¡¯d been a gene freak, they¡¯d have just vivisected you before dissecting your dead body.¡± Srell said with a creepy smile that made Prism shudder.

    ¡°Gene freak?¡± Prism managed to ask squeakily.

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a creature that¡¯s bioengineered to be a weapon. Tough bastards, but hard to control. The Queen¡¯s been known to make ¡®em, but nowadays she relies more on her metal-tech than her bio-tech. Lucky for us, since our bio-tech gives us an edge.¡± Srell explained. He seemed to take pride in the fact that someone was asking him about something for a change.

    Prism looked fearfully into the empty glass of water that he¡¯d drank from. He knew how much more dangerous it was being on a high-tech world in such a weakened state. He hoped that his new captors weren¡¯t ruthless enough to cut him open.

    ¡°With Ursun in your corner, you¡¯ll be fine.¡± Lorias said reassuringly. Prism was surprised by his shift in tone.

    ¡°Not sure I believe it. You don¡¯t look like an alien¡­¡± Srell said with a raised eyebrow.

    Prism tilted his head curiously while he looked up at Srell. ¡°Do I even care what he thinks?¡± Prism thought to himself.

    ¡°Without his DNA, we won¡¯t know for sure. But Liam said that he only looks human. His internal anatomy only vaguely resembles our own.¡± Lorias said to Srell while gesturing scientifically. He pointed to various parts of Prism¡¯s torso as if he was speaking of a diorama.

    ¡°The doctor said that it would take days for him to prepare a report about me¡­¡± Prism said with a smidge of confusion and irritation.

    ¡°He briefed us on the gist of his early findings, since we¡¯re in charge of you for the time being.¡± Lorias explained with a light shrug.

    ¡°He looks kind of like a cousin of mine.¡± Srell said while leaning down close to get a better look at Prism¡¯s face.

    ¡°Idiot.¡± Lorias sighed while running his long, slender fingers through his thick blonde hair. ¡°The only thing the two of you have in common is brown skin.¡±

    Prism let out a light chuckle, which was followed by an involuntary yawn. He realized that he was still tired despite all of the sleep he¡¯d gotten. He was concerned by his slow recovery speed, and chose to listen to his body instead of fighting the urge.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to go back to bed now.¡± Prism said while raising his hand.

    Srell furrowed his brow while Lorias smiled.

    ¡°You¡¯re like a child. No need to raise your hand; this isn¡¯t a school. We¡¯ll let you get back to sleep.¡± Lorias said in a brotherly way.

    Lorias looked at Srell and nodded towards the door. Srell huffed in irritation and walked over to it. Lorias then picked up the tray and carried it out. Shortly after Srell opened the door to leave the room, Lorias turned around while in the doorframe to look at Prism. Prism looked as if he would fall asleep in the chair at any moment. Lorias¡¯ ordinarily hawkish eyes softened at the sight. He closed the door behind him without saying another word.

 Chapter 9 - Fading

    *KNOCK, KNOCK*

    Prism flinched in his chair at the sudden interruption. He placed the ?ban history book that he¡¯d been reading down on the table before slowly getting up to answer the door. Despite all the sleep that he¡¯d gotten over the past few days, his body felt heavy and lethargic. Prism felt especially vulnerable at that moment. Despite the precarious situations he¡¯d been in since arriving on ?ba, he still hadn¡¯t gotten used to feeling so helpless.

    He was pleasantly surprised when he saw Leanna standing between his two daytime security officers, Dill and Dy, after he opened the door. Her lush, back-length hair was as striking as ever, especially with its emerald-green color. Her glasses weren¡¯t the futuristic, wraparound-framed ones that she¡¯d worn days earlier, but were instead simple frameless glasses with large, circular lenses.

    She wore a uniform that consisted of loose-fitting red leatherine pants and a tight black shirt, similar to what Prism wore, except that she also wore a red leatherine jacket that featured sleek black trim on its collar, back, and sleeves. The jacket was emblazoned with the Red Wolves insignia on its right shoulder. She was a few centimeters taller than Prism, which only heightened her protective feelings towards him.

    ¡°Prism, how have you been? Not much better than me, I bet.¡± Leanna said before adjusting her glasses.

    Prism smiled goofily and shyly nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad they didn¡¯t get rid of you.¡± Prism said sweetly.

    Leanna let out a girlish laugh and waved her right hand in the air between them.

    ¡°My ¡°insubordination¡± didn¡¯t get anyone killed, so all I got was three days in the cage. No big deal.¡± Leanna said flippantly.

    Prism doubted that she¡¯d gotten off so easily, but he couldn¡¯t be sure. He didn¡¯t know how strict their organization was, after all. None of the books that had been left in his room contained information about the Red Wolves. After getting around to reading the last book available to him, Prism realized that he was being shown only what the mercenary company wanted him to know.

    ¡°In any case, I have been given the honor of escorting you to your meeting with Pack Command. They¡¯ve finally made a decision about you, or so it seems.¡± Leanna¡¯s voice quavered slightly, which only made Prism more nervous.

    ¡°Did my conversations with your people not go well?¡± Prism asked.

    For the past four days that he¡¯d been within the base, he¡¯d been taken into a small nearby room to be questioned for several hours each day about his life and imprisonment within A-Lab. He¡¯d been forthcoming about his experiences with the Queen¡¯s scientists, but he hadn¡¯t shared much about what he¡¯d done before he came to ?ba. The conservations, as Prism called them, were more like interrogations, and Leanna knew it.

    ¡°I¡¯m not privy to that information. It¡¯s going to take time before I¡¯m back within Command¡¯s good graces.¡± Leanna said with a shake of her head.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s my fault that-¡° Prism said with teary eyes while looking at the floor.

    ¡°Oh no, don¡¯t you dare. You¡¯re the victim in all of this. I don¡¯t regret anything I¡¯ve done to help you.¡±

    Leanna grabbed Prism¡¯s shoulders and lifted his chin so that the two could make eye contact while she spoke. Prism nodded slowly and averted his eyes from her once again. The beefy security officers beside Leanna looked confused by their closeness, but kept quiet.

    ¡°Have you not been sleeping well? You actually look really tired.¡± Leanna frowned and asked after their brief exchange. The more Prism spoke, the more Leanna noticed his lack of energy.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s nothing a walk outside won¡¯t cure.¡± Prism said cryptically.

    Leanna looked up at Dill and Dy, trying to decipher what they knew about Command¡¯s decision regarding Prism¡¯s fate. The two remained stone-faced, and avoided making eye contact with her. Leanna stroked her pointy chin as she thought on Prism¡¯s words. For all she knew, he needed sunlight to live in addition to food.

    She hoped that he would¡¯ve been more forthcoming about his living essentials. She wasn¡¯t sure if her superiors would let him waste away if they knew that he needed time outside. She shrugged and committed herself to pressing him on his comment only if his condition seemed to get worse.

    ¡°We should go. I don¡¯t want Command to give me another earful.¡± Leanna said cheekily.

    The four of them made their way down the hallways of the auxiliary base to an elevator that led down to the main base. Prism walked slowly and seemed out of breath after only a few minutes. But when Leanna saw Dill and Dy essentially hurry him along, she figured that they¡¯d expected his lethargy. Leanna did her best to keep calm, not wanting to rush to being insubordinate by helping Prism again. She knew that she couldn¡¯t help him if she was behind bars again.

    ¡°Within the heart of Kyero Mountain lies Pack Command HQ, the impenetrable central base of the Red Wolves Company.¡± Leanna said in a dramatic and theatrical manner while they rode the elevator down.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Prism said to Leanna with a smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s from a recruitment video that used to air when I was a kid, back in Etrysia.¡± Leanna said with a hint of nostalgia.

    Dill, the taller and paler-skinned of their two security escorts, glanced over at his dark-skinned partner Dy and raised his eyebrows. Dy shrugged and patted the PAW he was carrying. Since the two security officers stood behind Prism and Leanna, neither of them could see what Dill and Dy were doing.

    ¡°Please avoid divulging any specific information about Pack Command to Prism, Analyst Leanna.¡± Dill said in a deep, stern voice.

    Leanna turned around and shot a look of sheer ridicule at him. Dill nervously averted his eyes from her once again, while Dy looked askance at her. Prism picked up on the tension, but didn¡¯t know how to diffuse the situation.

    ¡°Fine. But don¡¯t act like that isn¡¯t widely-known public information.¡± Leanna said defiantly before turning back around.

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    She simply put her hands on her hips and silently watched the elevator descend down the rocky tunnel. It didn¡¯t take much longer for it to stop and open at the Command Level. Leanna was the first to step off of the elevator. Each of her loud, heavy steps was an angry condemnation of her tight-lipped superiors. Prism mustered enough moxie to follow closely behind her, not wanting to further alert the others to his poor state. Dill and Dy silently marched at their rear, both of them keeping a close eye on Leanna and Prism.

    The style of the hallways within the base proper were drastically different than they¡¯d been in the auxiliary base. Prism¡¯s eyes looked over the silvery-metal texture of the circular hallways, well-lit by rectangular lights that ran for meters along the ceilings and between the ridges of the ringed-walls. The marble-like floor had painted color lines on them that indicated the various paths throughout the base, while the various rectangular doors along the corridors varied from large to small heavyweight sliding entryways. There was a smell of pine and lavender that wafted through the area they were in, which served to put Prism¡¯s weary heart at ease.

    ¡°This way.¡± Leanna looked back and said to Prism while she navigated the wide corridors.

    Prism saw a few base personnel walking hurriedly to and fro. Some wore the same outfit as Leanna, while others dressed like Dill and Dy. There were also a few who wore lab coats with pink trim, and even more that wore orange jumpsuits. Prism expected to see someone not wearing some sort of uniform, but none appeared.

    Only a few people looked at him while he walked by, all with a playful curiosity. Most of them happened to be scientists of some sort or another.

    ¡°The scientists must be where the information is truly concentrated here.¡± Prism thought to himself while he looked back at the gawking people in white lab coats. ¡°Same as most worlds.¡±

    When Leanna turned a certain corner, their group came into a large open rectangular area with a higher ceiling and a large sealed entrance several meters in front of them. A smaller door stood beside the large entryway, which featured numerous complicated locking mechanisms from its top to its bottom. The room was filled with seemingly-relaxed security personnel, each of whom held PAWs in both hands. Prism half-sighed when he saw that the security group wasn¡¯t pointing their weapons at him. He knew that they easily could at any time, however.

    ¡°D & D reporting. We¡¯ve brought the Alien along with Analyst Leanna, as ordered.¡± Dy nearly shouted at the larger group of security officers while saluting their leader.

    ¡°Good work. Command is expecting them.¡± The leader of the security group yelled back.

    With a wave of his hand, the security leader ordered one of his men to open the smaller door behind them. Leanna, who¡¯d scoffed at Prism¡¯s official designation as ¡°the Alien¡±, began to impatiently tap her foot as they all watched the door¡¯s complex mechanisms begin to move before the door finally slid open. Prism immediately began to hear various beeping and whirring sounds from the room, as well as numerous people talking.

    ¡°Go on in.¡± The security leader said to Dill, Dy, Leanna, and Prism. The four of them proceeded onwards into the room. It quickly became clear to Prism that it was the base¡¯s Command Center once he stepped inside. He was stunned by the room¡¯s vastness and technical complexity. He was even more stunned that he¡¯d been allowed there.

    The Command Center featured a series of tiered balconies that had dozens of analysts working on computers on the lowest tiers. The tier higher, which Prism stood upon, had several tactical officers standing around computerized tables discussing the data fed to them by the analysts. When Prism looked up at the tiered balcony above them, he could see Ursun sitting in a throne-like seat accompanied by three other individuals who also sat in similar big chairs. They all wore what could only be commander uniforms, each being a different color and slightly different design to indicate their specific area of command.

    The most impressive part of the room to Prism was the panoramic display that wrapped around the entire room. The light that radiated from the massive display made the room seem like it was being sunlit. The area surrounding the mountain was displayed in beautiful clarity; showing the ocean behind them, the other mountains at their flank, and a near-aerial view of the verdant forest ahead of them. It was a complete 360-degree view of the peninsular region that the Red Wolves called home.

    ¡°You can lift your jaw off the floor now.¡± Leanna said to Prism.

    He hadn¡¯t even been aware that his mouth was open while he marveled at the design of the large command center.

    ¡°This is very impressive¡­¡± Prism nearly whispered. Leanna smirked and patted his shoulder before leading him around to the front of the Commander Deck.

    ¡°Analyst Leanna. It¡¯s good to see that you are a free woman once again.¡± A sarcastic voice familiar to Prism said from behind one of the tall seat-backs.

    Dr. Liam soon came into view after he walked forward. He stood indignantly beside his chair, placing his left hand on its armrest. Prism was stunned to discover that he was one of the commanders of the Red Wolves.

    ¡°Dr. Liam Constanzer, Commander of the Science Division.¡± He said as if sensing Prism¡¯s thoughts.

    Liam gave a quick bow, and then pushed his tottering glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

    ¡°Okay, enough with the silliness. Let¡¯s get to business.¡± Said a bulky, strikingly-handsome man sitting in the leftmost chair. The man had short wavy red hair and a clean-shaven face. His jaw seemed impossibly square, with a prominent dimple on his chin. He looked no older than forty.

    "Here, here!" A thin man with shiny black skin, sunken cheeks, and a strange tonsure hairstyle said in agreement. His graying hair looked like a ring sitting atop his otherwise bald head. He tinkered with a small golden mechanism, holding it in his right hand while he applied a brass tool to it with his left hand. Despite his statement, he barely seemed to pay attention to what was going on around him.

    "Welcome to Pack Command, Prism." Ursun said proudly after raising his arms high while leaning back in his seat. "The redhead is my brother, Commander Finisome of the Security Division. The skinny one is Commander Gnapp of the Engineering Division." Ursun added while pointing to the two men that he spoke of.

    Ursun was dressed in a stately uniform with a scarlet-red coat and black dress pants that had a scarlet-colored line running down its outer-facing portions. The stylish outfit made Ursun look even more authoritative, something that Prism didn''t think was possible.

    "And you''re the commander of the Mercenary Division?" Prism guessed as much as he asked.

    "Indeed he is!" Gnapp shouted joyfully, nearly dropping his handheld machine. The engineering commander''s uniform coat was orange.

    "We''ve brought you here today to personally express our thanks for your help during Commander Ursun''s last mission, as well as to propose a mutually-beneficial deal between you and our company." Finisome said with a smooth baritone voice while his large hands held onto the ends of his chair''s armrests. He wore a dark-red uniform coat that bordered on being black.

    Leanna quickly turned her head to face Prism. He saw her out of the corner of his eye, and looked to his side to meet her gaze. Leanna communicated her surprise and apprehension through the look she gave Prism. Prism simply nodded his understanding to her before returning his attention to the commanders before them.

    "Thank you. I''d still be unconscious in that pod if the Red Wolves hadn''t rescued me. I was just returning the favor." Prism said sincerely, trying not to show his budding excitement at the prospect of some sort of official partnership.

    "After reviewing that mission, Dr. Liam''s findings, and the information you''ve shared with us over the last few days, we''ve concluded that you are what you say that you are, and that you deserve a modicum of our trust." Finisome continued. Each of the other commanders nodded in agreement.  "But that trust needs to be tested further, so that we can be sure that it can be a foundation upon which a fruitful relationship can be built." The security commander added.

    "What sort of test?" Prism quickly asked.

    He felt his knees begin to weaken, but he fought back the feelings of exhaustion.

    "Oh, you know, just a simple mission that''ll show us more of your combat capabilities." Liam said while tauntingly waving his left hand in the air towards Prism. The science commander wore a pink uniform coat.

    Leanna began to notice the physical strain that Prism was experiencing. She moved closer to try and steady him, but he shook his head disapprovingly at her.

    "I can do that." Prism said.

    Despite his efforts, Prism¡¯s voice suddenly sounded shaky and raspy.

    "What''s wrong, Prism?" Ursun rose from his seat and walked towards the deck''s railing. He''d been observing Prism''s diminishing condition since he''d entered the room.

    "I just need to-"

    Prism tried to finish speaking, but his knees gave out and he fell to the ground before Leanna could catch him. He remained conscious, but began to take labored breaths. He felt mortified in front of the Red Wolves'' command officials.

    "Prism!" Leanna yelled as she stooped down to help him, though she didn''t know how.

    "Just as I suspected. He has needs beyond what he has told us." Liam said to the other commanders. His brow furrowed and his lips curled into a look of disappointment while he patted his swept-back light-brown hair.

    Ursun glanced back at the capricious doctor with hateful eyes. Ursun then leapt down from the Commander Deck and ran over to the still-downed Prism, who was being held up by Leanna. Finisome, eager to get a better look at the unfolding event, got up from his seat to watch what his older brother would do. Gnapp looked up from his small machine for just a moment before returning to his tinkering.

    "What do you need!?" Ursun worriedly yelled at Prism, frustrated by his dire omission.

    "I need...to commune with nature..." Prism barely managed to say.

    "What!?" Leanna also yelled. Neither she nor Ursun knew what Prism meant.

    "Take me outside..." Prism softly replied. He was barely able to keep his eyes open.

    "He needs to be taken outside, probably to the forest!" Ursun yelled up to the other three commanders.

    Finisome rubbed his forehead for a moment, and then looked back at Gnapp and Liam. Both of them looked at each other before nodding curtly at Finisome. Finisome groaned before making his decision. He hoped that the risk they were taking was worth it.

    "Priority 1, I repeat, Priority 1. We need an emergency escort to accompany Commander Ursun and the Alien to Green Trail 4." Finisome ordered after pressing his ear-clasp radio.

    Finisome repeated the order several times until an elite group of four of his best security officers entered the room armed and ready to move. Ursun took Prism''s limp, barely-conscious body from Leanna''s arms and lifted him off the ground until Ursun was standing. Leanna gave her commander a curt nod, and Ursun returned her nod with a look of sheer determination.

    Ursun turned to the emergency security escort and pointed his head towards the door. In no time at all, Ursun followed the group out of the room towards the quickest route to the mountain''s exterior. Ursun gripped Prism tightly, fearing that the alien man might die before they made it to the ¡°nature¡± that he so desperately needed.

 Chapter 10 - Channel

    ¡°¡­Ursun?¡± Prism murmured as the red-bearded mercenary commander¡¯s scarred face came into focus.

    Prism slowly began to open his eyes when his senses became flooded with the sounds and smells of the forest all around him. The warm sun shimmered through the tree branches that Prism saw passing by overhead. The wind felt kind as it blew pleasantly across his face. He became aware that they were moving quickly along a bumpy surface, and that he was lying in Ursun¡¯s arms.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to need you to stop passing out, kid.¡± Ursun said in his gruff way.

    Prism managed to smile, which only caused Ursun to smirk back at him.

    ¡°Sorry, sir.¡± Prism said with a quirky salute.

    Prism lifted himself up out of Ursun¡¯s lap and into a sitting position in the backseat beside the much larger man. The hoodless solar-electric vehicle that he found himself in was surprisingly comfortable. Prism could feel his energy levels rising, and began to feel healthy for the first time in a long time. He could sense the abundance of magical energy flowing all around him. He could practically taste it.

    "What''s our ETA?" Ursun leaned forward to ask the man driving the reddish-brown off-road vehicle that they rode in.

    "We should be there in ten minutes, sir." The security officer said curtly.

    Two security officers sat in the front seats, while the other two sat in the raised row behind Ursun and Prism. Prism looked behind himself and saw the two guards with their guns at the ready, watching the road vigilantly for any danger.

    "So are you part-plant, or what?" Ursun asked after giving Prism an attention-grabbing shove.

    "I''m more reliant on the world''s latent essence than most living things are." Prism explained.

    "You need "mana", right?" Ursun said.

    Prism could tell that Ursun was still skeptical of him.

    "That''s right. Normally, I can get it from practically anything; eating, drinking, even breathing. But I haven''t made a connection with this world yet, so my body hasn''t been able to keep up with the amount of mana that I''ve been using lately." Prism further explained. Ursun had won enough of Prism''s trust for the alien to be more forthcoming with him than he''d been during his impersonal interrogations with strangers.

    "Why couldn''t you establish this "connection" back in the mountain? That''s just as much a part of nature as anything else." Ursun reasoned.

    "I need to be someplace where most of the natural elements converge; light or heat, water, wind, and life itself, to name a few. There wasn''t enough of that elemental convergence within the mountain for me to commune with this world. At least, not in that room that I was put in." Prism clarified, trying not to sound spiteful.

    He felt good sharing such information for the first time in a century. It made him nostalgic for all of the other times he''d done so on much friendlier worlds.

    "I see. And I''m assuming you''ve already begun to commune with ?ba? It''s faint, but you''re starting to glow." Ursun said while examining the strange phenomenon that unfolded beside him.

    "Yes. I''m getting ready. We''re getting close to somewhere perfect." Prism practically cooed while lying back in his seat. A mixture of euphoria and relaxation washed over him. ¡°You must have correctly guessed exactly what I needed.¡± Prism beamed at Ursun, who simply scoffed and turned away.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t give me much to work with. It was foolish of you not to tell us any of this stuff. You could¡¯ve died just now. Then you would¡¯ve made a fool out of everyone who worked to get you off of that island.¡± Ursun¡¯s voice was a strange mix of anger and concern.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­sorry¡­this world hasn¡¯t been too kind to me since I got here¡­¡± Prism said dejectedly, sobering up just enough to understand the gravity of Ursun¡¯s words.

    Ursun stared at Prism long and hard before looking away from the youthful alien. Ursun¡¯s mind was an uncertain maelstrom of emotions, though Prism¡¯s words had quieted his anger. There was still a war waging beyond his peninsula¡¯s shores, and Ursun didn¡¯t have the luxury of feeling too sorry for the innocent multitudes that were dragged into that war each day.

    Ursun sat back in his seat, closed his eyes for a moment, and then crossed his burly arms. He tried not to let Prism¡¯s plight take priority in his mind over the many other things that he needed to get done for the Red Wolves. Ursun simply cleared his mind of the distraction and refocused on the task at hand.

    After a few minutes of silence, Prism looked out at the horizon above the trees and saw several large, black, tower-like structures far away in the distance. Each of them had pyramidal spires that gave them a solemn appearance. He counted five that he could see. He¡¯d noticed the tall buildings on the panoramic display of the surrounding forest within the command center. They had to be several hundreds of meters tall, and were equidistant from each other as well.

    ¡°What are those?¡± Prism asked Ursun while pointing to the structures.

    ¡°Laserliths. They defend our peninsula from missiles, aircraft, and other such threats.¡± Ursun seemed disinterested in saying anymore on the subject, so Prism let him be.

    It only took a few more minutes before their vehicle pulled off onto a hidden path where the trees were a bit denser. Their bulky vehicle rocked back and forth on the dark unpaved road for a few moments before entering a well-lit area with a beautiful view of the mountains on the horizon in front of them. The dirt road that they rode onto ran parallel to a wide river, which led to a secluded waterfall. Prism gasped when he saw the majestic view of the ice-capped mountain range just above the top of the waterfall.

    The view faded away as the vehicle went down a small slope, soon parking in an open area near the foot of the waterfall. The area was well-covered by sprawling conifers that shaded the ground. The sun peeked through just enough to keep the area relatively warm, despite the water hanging in the air from the neighboring falls. Prism looked excitedly over at Ursun, who intuited what he wanted.

    "Stay close to me." Ursun said before opening his door and stepping out.

    Prism leapt from the vehicle like a small child and landed beside Ursun. The two guards that sat at the back of the vehicle remained as sentries, while the other two also left the vehicle to accompany Ursun and Prism. Despite Ursun''s words, Prism ran out in front of their group and made his way to the basin of the waterfall. Its thunderous sound echoed all around them.

    "What did I say!?" Ursun yelled from several meters behind Prism.

    "I''m sorry, but you might want to give me some space!" Prism yelled back.

    Ursun and the two nearby security officers stopped in their tracks when they saw a sphere of light begin to emanate from Prism''s small body. They couldn''t help but cover their eyes as the light became more and more brilliant and chromatic. Prism stood tall at the water''s edge with his arms outstretched, smiling widely while his body became wracked with warmth and pleasure. He began to hear the heartbeat of ?ba deep within his own chest.

    He breathed deeply, synchronizing his heart to the rhythm laid out by the world he stood upon. He started to wonder why the torrents of mana that began to swirl all around him seemed untouched by the people of ?ba, but it was not the time for inquisitiveness. He focused on the energies that entered his body, pushing all distractions from his mind. If Prism was not careful, ?ba''s pure, unfiltered essence could rip him asunder.

    And it was pure; it was some of the purest mana that he''d ever felt. It was intoxicating. And at the moment of connection, the only thing that Prism could feel was pure exaltation.

    He could feel himself falling through the planet, plunging into its core and back out through the other side of ?ba¡¯s surface. He felt the fast-moving streams of wind high in the atmosphere, felt the powerful ocean currents circulating tremendous amounts of water, and he felt the calescent flows of magma moving crystals and liquefied rock up from the depths of ?ba. And in an instant, his consciousness was back in his own body near the waterfall, slowly un-meshing itself from ?ba¡¯s powerful embrace.

    Ursun and his cohorts, on the other hand, were blown back nearly a meter by the resulting burst of colorful energy that erupted from Prism''s body. When Ursun got back onto his feet, he saw Prism, or what he believed to be Prism. The alien looked translucent and seemed to float instead of stand. Several long phantasmal strands of multi-colored light ran from his head and danced in the air around him. His elongated, ethereal hands were raised into the air towards the waterfall. It looked to Ursun as if he was praying.

    "What on...?ba..." Ursun said too quietly to be heard.

    Prism turned his luminous head, appearing to look in Ursun''s direction. Ursun couldn''t be sure, however, because Prism''s eyes had become glowing orbs of rainbow energy. Nothing on his body seemed to be solid anymore.

    Ursun saw one of the nearby security officers begin to shakily raise his firearm. It was clear to Ursun that the officer was disturbed and terrified by what they were witnessing. Ursun quickly raised his fist and gestured for the guard to stand down. The guard slowly lowered his PAW and gathered his nerves enough to stop shaking. Ursun wasn''t sure what Prism had become, but the commander figured that bullets would do nothing to save them if Prism wanted to do them harm.

    "It is alright. Give me a moment to...deluminate."

    Prism''s voice echoed in Ursun''s mind. Ursun looked around, and saw that the other men had heard the voice in their heads, too. They were all rattled by the experience, but did nothing but wait like Prism asked. After a few moments, Ursun saw Prism lower his intangible arms. The strands of energy that flowed from his head began to retract, and his body began to coalesce and darken once more.

    In only a matter of seconds, Prism reverted back to his human appearance. Perplexed, Ursun tilted his head when he saw that Prism¡¯s clothing reappeared as well. Ursun immediately shook his head and smiled queerly when he realized that such a thing baffled him more than all of the other things that had just happened.

    "Sorry about that. You don''t have to worry about seeing me like that again. Well, probably." Prism spoke with a cat-eyed smile after putting his arms behind his head. He slowly began to walk towards Ursun and the others like nothing strange had happened. They simply stared at Prism in disbelief. "Come on everyone! We can go back to the base now!" Prism said joyfully, still on a high from his communing experience.

    "Is that your true form?" Ursun managed to ask when Prism walked by him on his way back to their vehicle.

    "I wouldn''t call any of my forms "true". That''s just what I look like when I commune with a world. The form you see now just isn''t very good at handling all those different types of energy at once." Prism said with a shrug.

    "¡­Well, if that''s all you needed, then let''s head back." Ursun said after he nervously cleared his throat.

    It took a lot to fluster Ursun, but Prism had managed to.

 Chapter 11 - Regenerate

    When Prism returned to Pack Command HQ with Ursun and his security escorts, Ursun wasted no time retelling what he¡¯d seen by the waterfall to the other commanders. Despite it having been over two hours since they¡¯d left, the three commanders and Leanna had waited anxiously for Ursun and Prism to return.

    Prism, who was told to wait by a glowing tactics table with Leanna, wasn¡¯t sure what the other commanders would think about his transformation. But after seeing how they¡¯d collectively decided to take a risk and help him when he collapsed, Prism knew that they were decent people at their core.

    ¡°What happened out there?¡± Leanna asked in a hushed tone.

    It was clear to Prism that she revered the commanders, despite her previous indiscretion. She acted respectfully in their presence, and made sure that she kept her opinions out of their collective earshot.

    ¡°Ursun got to see a whole ¡®nother side of me.¡± Prism said with a boyish smile.

    Leanna was not amused.

    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean!?¡± She whispered angrily.

    ¡°Prism, come here.¡± Finisome¡¯s voice boomed behind them.

    Prism wasted no time turning around and approaching the Command Deck. He felt like a traveler approaching a king¡¯s throne, especially with how menacingly Finisome and Ursun stared down at him. Liam looked at Prism contemptuously, while Gnapp was still preoccupied with his small golden contraption.

    ¡°You seem much better.¡± Liam said mockingly.

    Prism looked at him with confusion at Liam¡¯s change in demeanor. Liam rolled his eyes at Prism and adjusted his glasses as he seemed to do every few minutes.

    ¡°I assume that your display in the forest has resulted in some sort of empowerment?¡± Gnapp asked stoically without looking up from his mechanical sphere.

    ¡°Yes, and yes.¡± Prism said while flippantly pointing at each individual he was answering.

    Prism then gave a thumbs-up to the commanders. They did not appear amused.

    ¡°We assume that you can teleport now, as you mentioned to Ursun on the Titian.¡± Finisome said.

    After a pregnant pause, Prism realized that the statement had in fact been a question.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Prism replied smugly.

    The abundance of mana still flowing through Prism¡¯s body continued to make him feel euphoric. Everything around him seemed like a fun, silly game.

    ¡°You¡¯re obviously high.¡± Liam said with a reproachful shake of his head.

    ¡°High on life!¡± Prism blurted out.

    Stifled giggles could be heard from a few of the other people within the room.

    ¡°If you can leave our planet now and go back to wherever you came from, why are you still here in the company of strangers who are skeptical of you?¡± Finisome asked loudly, immediately quieting the room again.

    Prism stared up into the proud, stunning man¡¯s eyes. Prism did his best to calm the pleasurable frenzy in his own mind. He took in a deep breath and proceeded to answer the question that seemed to be on all of the commanders¡¯ minds.

    ¡°I¡¯m indebted to you guys for getting me out of the Queen¡¯s clutches. You may have been a bit harsh to me over the past few days, but ultimately you guys chose to save me when I needed it most; not once, but twice. I want to return your kindness. I want to help you fight this queen that seems to have plunged your world into a pointless forever war, from what I¡¯ve read. I¡¯ve¡­got the time.¡±

    Prism spoke from the heart. He hoped to dispel all doubt and be understood by all who listened. He succeeded, for the most part.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then we¡¯ll move ahead with testing your abilities. As my brother mentioned before, if you pass our tests then we¡¯ll make a deal with you.¡± Ursun spoke with a renewed confidence in Prism as he looked stalwartly down at the bald-headed alien.

    ¡°What sort of deal?¡± Prism asked with a perplexed tilt of his head.

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    ¡°Your service for our support.¡± Gnapp lowered his occupied hands and made eye contact with Prism. Prism could see a whimsical glint in the old man¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Alright, sounds like a plan.¡± Prism spoke and nodded affirmatively to the commanders.

    ¡°I will preside over your tests, and Leanna will assist me. As an analyst, she should also be able to answer any questions you may have about our world and our organization.¡± Liam said with another dismissive eye roll.

    Liam looked completely blas¨¦ about the whole ordeal. Prism sensed that Liam wasn¡¯t buying what Prism had said. A scientist by nature, Dr. Liam knew better than to take anyone simply on their word.

    The doctor looked over at Leanna and snapped his fingers at her while waving his hands towards Prism. Leanna glowered at her superior and did as he ordered. She quickly walked to Prism¡¯s side. Prism smiled at her, glad that he¡¯d probably continue to see her in the days ahead.

    ¡°You''re both dismissed. I simply ask that you remain within the Auxiliary during the next few days of testing, Prism. We will keep guards with you for your continued protection." Finisome rose from his seat and said. Prism assumed that the Auxiliary was the official name of the auxiliary base above the main base.

    Leanna nodded to Finisome obediently, but Prism raised his finger to indicate that he had a question. Finisome raised his hand towards Prism to communicate that it was Prism''s turn to speak.

    "May I visit Jaik? I want to thank him and see how he is doing." Prism asked in earnest.

    Finisome covered his mouth with his large right hand, and then looked worriedly at Liam. The doctor returned Finisome¡¯s gaze and then looked sadly at Prism. Prism immediately became concerned when he witnessed the exchange.

    "Jaik''s condition worsened the day after we completed his surgery. The bullet that struck him had an unknown delayed toxin that took effect during the night of your arrival. We were able to stabilize him, but only after amputating his leg. He''s still in a coma. I worry that the toxin may have traveled up his spine and done damage to his brain..." Dr. Liam''s words were pained and slow.

    Prism could barely believe what he was hearing. He was nearly completely overcome with shock. The mood in the room quickly turned somber as everyone in their area became quiet. Leanna looked at Prism with guilty eyes, ashamed that she hadn''t told him about Jaik before they''d made their way to the Pack Command Center. She hadn''t known that Prism still cared about Jaik''s wellbeing, but that didn''t stop her from feeling as if she¡¯d wronged him.

    It didn''t take long for Prism to break the room''s silence.

    "Please, get me to him right now! I can help him!" Prism shouted while clenching his fists.

    After another brief moment of silence, the commanders agreed to Prism''s request. For the second time that day, a security escort rushed Prism out of the command center. He was joined by Leanna, along with Dr. Liam, Finisome, and Ursun. Only Gnapp remained on the Command Deck, content with viewing the events that would unfold on a display in front of his chair. It only took about ten minutes for them to ride the elevator back up to the Auxiliary and get to the medical room that Jaik laid in.

    Jaik was unconscious in a hospital bed with bandages covering the stump where his right leg had been. He had a plastic oxygen mask covering his mouth and nose, and he wore a blue hospital gown. He had a white blanket that only covered his stomach, crotch area, and left leg. Various machines with displays on either side of his bed showed a variety of information gathered from remote medical sensors that were placed on Jaik''s body.

    When Prism saw the condition that Jaik was in, a sense of overwhelming sympathy nearly caused Prism to begin crying. Tears came to his eyes, but Prism fought them back. He walked around to the other side of the bed, so that he was facing the eight others that had taken him to the room. Ursun, Finisome, Liam, and Leanna stood in a row a few meters from Jaik¡¯s bed, while two security officers stood to either side of the four of them.

    Most of the others in the room couldn''t understand why the alien they saw before them seemed to feel so strongly about someone that he barely knew. However, Leanna and Ursun remembered how Jaik had carried Prism out of the Queen''s underground laboratory. They remembered how considerate he''d been to Prism, even though he''d known little about the alien. And they remembered how Prism had pulled Jaik from a shower of bullets before swearing to keep him safe. It was clear to Leanna and Ursun that Prism and Jaik had quickly formed a bond of safety and security on the battlefield.

    Prism raised his arms and placed his hands palms-down in the air over Jaik''s body. A white light flashed from Prism''s eyes as his hands began to glow an incandescent white. Warm white light radiated from Prism''s hands and started to envelop Jaik''s body. A melodious hum could be heard coming from the mystical brightness. Finisome, who was normally stoic, looked on at the sight with wide eyes and a slightly-open mouth.

    "What do you think you''re doing!?" Dr. Liam yelled before taking a step forward to try and stop Prism.

    Ursun raised his bulky arm across Liam''s chest and quickly stopped the doctor in his tracks. Liam looked up at Ursun and cursed him under his breath before relenting and staying put. Liam crossed his arms and watched Prism''s magic continue to bathe Jaik. The white light undulated from Jaik''s head to his left toe, becoming brighter and more concentrated at the bandaged stump at Jaik''s upper right thigh.

    The long white strip of bandage unraveled and flew off the wound, floating through the air and landing on the ground in front of the group amassed in front of Prism. Dr. Liam bent down and picked up the bandage. To his surprise, it was pristine, without a speck of blood on it. The gauze and other assorted things that had packed the wound also fell away and off of the bed.

    The others watched as the light that was concentrated on Jaik''s right thigh began to travel down the length of what was once Jaik''s right leg. The white light remained in the general shape of a leg as it inched its way along, eventually leaving a glowing white mass of pure energy. Prism closed his open palms into fists, which caused the light that still surrounded Jaik''s body to seemingly become absorbed into Jaik. The luminous limb of pure energy that Prism had formed began to lose its radiance. It coalesced into a healthy, hairy leg that was an unblemished duplicate of Jaik''s original leg. After glowing for a moment, Jaik''s body soon returned to its normal healthy appearance.

    Prism breathed deeply and lowered his arms back to his sides as his own eyes returned to their previous brown color. Everyone then noticed Jaik open his eyes. He did not look groggy nor ill, but instead alert and energetic.

    "My god..." Finisome said almost breathlessly while most of the others in his group gasped at what they''d witnessed. The skeptical security commander became a true believer in Prism''s magic after seeing it make Jaik whole.

    "This shouldn''t be possible!" Dr. Liam said in complete disbelief.

    He pushed Ursun aside and rushed over to Jaik''s bedside to check on the young man''s condition. Liam began running his fingers up the length of Jaik''s new leg, confirming that it was real. Liam saw that the leg had sensation in it when Jaik began to move it in response to the doctor''s unprovoked molestation. Liam frantically began to check the medical devices beside Jaik''s bed in an attempt to understand what Prism had just accomplished.

    Jaik tore the oxygen mask from his face and looked around at the room full of commanders and security personnel. He was bewildered, and could barely remember how he''d gotten there. He''d come in and out of consciousness for a few minutes at a time over the past few days, but didn''t have time to piece things together at that point. Ursun and Leanna saw the confusion on Jaik''s face, and walked over to help him get his bearings.

    When Jaik looked up at Prism, who was still standing close by on the other side of the bed, the two of them stared into each other''s eyes. Prism smiled down at Jaik, who wordlessly came to understand what Prism had just done for him. Jaik''s confused expression softened into one of grace and gratitude.

    "Thank you." Jaik simply said.

    "You are very welcome!" Prism replied joyously with a big, toothy smile.

    None of them knew what Prism had sacrificed to make Jaik whole again. When the abundance of raw mana that Prism had gained just hours earlier was used to heal Jaik, it could no longer be used to restore Prism to his full power. He could only commune with a planet in that way once, or risk dangerously destabilizing the planet¡¯s natural flow of mana. It would be a long, slow process for Prism to regain the magical strength and ability he¡¯d had before arriving on ?ba. And it would be an equally long time before he had the power to leave ?ba as a result.

    But Prism didn¡¯t regret his decision whatsoever. He would do his best to fit in with the Red Wolves, and make himself useful to them. He¡¯d made them a promise, after all.

 Chapter 12 - Spectacle

    Prism spent the first few days of the week doing a series of psychological and intelligence tests for the Red Wolves, all administered in Dr. Liam¡¯s presence. It was a mentally rigorous process for Prism, but he endured it.

    ¡°Your mind seems as fit as a fiddle. And yet, you still have so many attributes that are a complete mystery to us.¡± Liam had said to Prism after his second day of psych evaluations.

    ¡°Such as?¡± Prism asked while they walked down a hallway of the Auxiliary.

    ¡°You speak, read, and write the ?ban common language as if you were a native speaker. How could that be? From what you¡¯ve told us about your stay with the Queen¡¯s scientists, they had no incentive to teach you language at all since you refused to speak to them.¡± Liam reasoned.

    Prism did not want to share the real reason why his ?ban language skills were so good; that he could ¡°gain¡± languages by magically scanning the minds of those who already knew them, and then essentially copy that understanding into his own mind. Prism knew that whatever trust he¡¯d built with the Red Wolves would probably be damaged if they knew that he could read their minds. It wouldn¡¯t matter to them that he only read minds when consent was given, Prism thought. The only time he broke that rule was when he felt like his life was in serious danger. Reading more than the surface thoughts of a mind could be deadly, especially if the target¡¯s mind was strong and willful.

    ¡°As I said before, I had plenty of time to learn the language through observation. I was kept out of that rejuv-pod for at least five years until they exhausted their attempts to learn my secrets.¡± Prism said confidently.

    ¡°Your tests have proven that you have a wealth of intelligence, but that story still seems silly to me.¡± Liam said with an annoyed sigh. ¡°When you transformed in front of Commander Ursun, he told us that he heard your voice directly in his mind. I have an inkling that your ability to gain language is telepathic in nature, though even telepathy seems just as farfetched as your ¡°magic¡± powers.¡± Liam surmised.

    ¡°Perhaps magic is exactly the reason I can speak whatever language I want¡­¡± Prism said flippantly to hide the panic he felt from Liam¡¯s spot-on reasoning. Liam scoffed loudly before the two parted ways for the evening.

    The next day began Prism¡¯s skills testing, which had Prism run through an outdoor obstacle course. The course winded partway around Kyero Mountain, which contained the Red Wolves¡¯ main base. Normally a test of endurance, the twenty-kilometer course through the sloped boreal forest had twenty difficult and complicated obstacles that truly tested the mettle and physical prowess of all who attempted it. The sub-arctic climate made the area treacherous much of the year, but the summer season kept the temperature comfortable and the course manageable.

    The "Terrible Twenty", as it was dubbed by the Red Wolves, was usually reserved for mercenaries and security guards who sought leadership and elite positions. But after witnessing Prism''s magical powers firsthand, Dr. Liam knew that he''d need to make the alien''s skills tests as hard as possible.

    "On the count of three, I''ll start the clock. You''ll have four hours to complete the course. We''ll monitor your progress using cameras installed throughout the area." Liam explained to Prism, who was readying himself to take off running a few meters in front of the doctor.

    "Like we''ve already told you, you''re free to use whatever methods at your disposal, but you must actually complete the obstacles. Do not skip over any of them." Leanna added.

    "I understand, and I''m ready." Prism said after looking back at both of them and giving a thumbs-up.

    His daytime security guards, Dill and Dy, stood beside Liam and Leanna. Healing Jaik had improved the commanders'' treatment of Prism, but he was still always under armed guard. Dill and Dy had at least begun to converse with him that morning while they escorted him through the base. Prism had learned that the two had been friends since childhood, and had come up in the company¡¯s security division together as well.

    "Three, two, one..." Dr. Liam said before pressing a button on the arm display that he wore.

    Prism''s eyes shined with red light while his body began to glow with a scarlet hue. When he took his first step, the people behind him felt a sudden shockwave that nearly pushed them back. Liam frantically began to tap away at the screen on his arm when Prism quickly disappeared from view. Leanna calmly pulled up the camera feeds that tracked Prism''s movements on her own arm display. She marveled at his superhuman ability, and how his red aura danced through the air around him while he moved.

    "Our equipment says that he is running at over 90 kilometers an hour! That''s double the speed of our top talent!" Dr. Liam yelled while quickly inputting notes on his arm display. "And he''s completed two obstacles already, each taking him about 30 seconds!"

    "At this rate, he''ll be done with the course in less than thirty minutes." Leanna said with a big smile on her face.

    She could barely believe the words that came out of her mouth. It had taken her three hours to complete the course just over a year prior to her meeting Prism.

    "Well, let''s get to the other end of the course before he beats us to it." Liam said. Leanna could see that he was clearly annoyed by the entire situation.

    As the four Red Wolves drove along a narrow mountain pass that bordered the Terrible Twenty course, they could catch glimpses of red light through the trees once they¡¯d gotten halfway to the course¡¯s other end. Dr. Liam, who¡¯d decided to drive their off-road vehicle, floored the throttle at the perceived slight of Prism being faster than a motor vehicle. Leanna shook her head at how angry the doctor had become. He surely knew that the mountain road that they were on was a whole five kilometers shorter than the obstacle course, making it highly unlikely that Prism would outrun them. Leanna looked back at Dill and Dy, who were sitting in the backseat. Dill shrugged while Dy smiled.

    ¡°Made it with ten minutes to spare.¡± Liam said once he¡¯d parked the red solar-electric vehicle within a large, busy garage at the other end of the obstacle course atop a hill that overlooked the last leg of the Terrible Twenty.

    ¡°Of course we did¡­¡± Leanna said sarcastically as the doctor hurriedly got out of the vehicle and quickly made his way out of the garage.

    The garage was full of different kinds of vehicles that were being worked on by a large group of mechanics. There were both the standard solar-electric vehicles that most people on ?ba used, and old-style gas-powered vehicles that were still commonplace in the neighboring nation of Ruskeda. The Kyeran Environmental Research building that the vehicle garage was connected to had several scientists within working on a variety of projects. The facility was usually called "The Kerb" by most Red Wolves.

    When Leanna walked through its lobby towards an exit to the Terrible Twenty course, she recalled working there for a short time while she was still in school. The three-story building of glass and steel was under a kilometer from one of the few large entrances to Kyero Mountain''s interior, making it serve as a transportation hub on that side of the mountain.

    Liam spent twenty minutes complaining when Prism didn''t come running out of the course at the thirty minute mark. The doctor had made his way over to the course area several meters from The Kerb. While monitoring the course¡¯s cameras in the meantime, Leanna had noticed that Prism had stopped using his speed magic at certain intervals to stop and rest for a few minutes at a time. When Prism finally appeared to Leanna a few meters from the course¡¯s finish line, he was no longer glowing red and looked a bit tired. Liam smirked smugly at the sight and vigorously tapped his arm display to stop its timer.

    "Good, even he has his limits." Liam said spiritedly as he approached a very sweaty Prism.

    Prism, whose black tank-top and red athletic sweatpants were completely sweat-drenched, bent over and placed his hands on his knees for a moment to catch his breath. He looked up to see the steep slope that he''d need to traverse to get to the others. He soon stood tall and stretched his arms to the sky, smiling wide and bright to himself. He''d run long enough on his own natural ability to get a rush of endorphins. He swiped the sweat from his forehead and flung it on the ground before continuing forward to join Dr. Liam and the others.

    "How did I do?" Prism asked Liam with a friendly smile when the two came face-to-face.

    "55 minutes, thanks to your "magic"." Liam said with a scoff, barely looking up from the screen on his forearm.

    "You finished it in a third of the time that our best mercs have achieved. Pretty incredible." Leanna quickly added from a short distance away. She was further up on the hill that their vehicle rested atop.

    "I''m still slowly getting back to 100% of my normal mana capacity, so I had to pace myself." Prism said. He tried to laugh off Liam''s skepticism, but the doctor''s attitude still managed to annoy him.

    "Is that why you kept stopping to "recharge"?" Leanna asked. She, like many of the Red Wolves, was very curious as to how Prism''s powers worked.

    "Yup. I just needed to gather more mana when I''d run out. It''ll be a while before I won''t need to do that so often. My body''s a lot weaker than I thought from being mana-starved for so long." Prism explained. He could see from the corner of his eye that Liam was taking notes while he spoke. "In case you were wondering why I''m so sweaty, doctor." Prism said a bit more loudly.

    "Yes, yes, I figured as much, my fantastical friend. You can go get cleaned up and rest now. We will come get you for the next test tomorrow." Liam said while shooing Prism away with a repetitive hand gesture.

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    "Will do!" Prism said happily with a smirk before running up the hill.

    He joined Leanna, Dill, and Dy, and then the four of them walked to The Kerb''s garage. It didn''t take them long to get into a smaller vehicle that was parked next to the one they''d ridden out to the course earlier.

    "So we''re going straight back to the Auxiliary?" Prism asked Leanna a bit disappointedly.

    "That''s right. We''d let you get a quick shower here, but this place isn''t very secure." Dill answered as he got into the driver''s seat.

    "Of course. Gotta keep me safe, and all..." Prism said sarcastically while Leanna got into the backseat. "This''ll only take a moment, then."

    Prism clasped his hands together as if he was praying, closed his eyes, and then slightly bowed his head. His body surged with white light as all traces of sweat and dirt disappeared from his skin and clothes. With a final flash of light, all visual traces of magic faded from his body. He unclasped his hands and began to step into the car until he noticed everyone scattered throughout the expansive garage looking over at him.

    When Prism looked into the vehicle before him, he saw Dill, Dy, and Leanna glowering at him. Dill began angrily motioning for Prism to get into the vehicle, and Prism finally obediently obliged.

    "Did you not hear a word that I just said!?" Dill yelled while looking at Prism in the rearview mirror. The young security officer''s freckled face was bright red.

    "Sorry...I didn''t think it was a big deal." Prism said half-heartedly.

    In the years that she¡¯d known him, Leanna had never seen Dill blow up like that. To her, he was a quiet person who diligently followed the orders he was given. He also had a reputation for being a gentle giant, despite being an elite security officer.

    "You don''t get it. We''re the ones that''ll get in trouble for word getting out about you." Dy said calmly.

    Dy brushed his curly black bangs out of his eyes and rubbed Dill''s shoulder in an attempt to calm his security partner down. The dark-skinned young man hated to see his blonde, pale-skinned best friend lose his cool. After taking a moment to regain his composure, Dill started the slimmed-down SUV and proceeded back to Pack HQ within the mountain.

    Prism remained quiet for the duration of the trip, instead watching the forest view turn into rugged industrial construction as they entered the interior of the mountain. He didn''t understand why he needed to remain a secret to the larger Red Wolves population, despite Leanna attempting to explain it to him that morning.

    "You''ve got the locals talking up a storm about you down there." Srell said to Prism later that evening, when guard duty changed over to Lorias and Srell.

    "Don''t be disingenuous. They are speculating, nothing more." Lorias said to Srell while Prism ate the meal that had been brought to his room. "You have been asked to limit your displays of "magic" to zero when you are not within designated testing areas." Lorias said to Prism.

    "Let me guess...Dr. Liam told you to tell me that?" Prism said before taking a sip of water.

    "The one and only." Lorias replied with a playful smirk.

    "You really should be more careful, kid. We''re in the middle of a war. There are spies outside of these walls. The last thing we need is an attempt on your life before we can even get any real use out of you." Srell said in a fit of irritation.

    "Idiot." Lorias said plainly to Srell.

    Srell looked a bit hurt by Lorias¡¯ insult, but then quickly laughed it off.

    "It''s alright, I appreciate his bluntness." Prism leaned back in his chair and said with a raised hand. Prism didn''t want to argue with Srell, but he also didn''t want Lorias to argue with Srell. "How is Jaik?" Prism asked, hoping to change the subject as quickly as possible.

    "He''s doing very well. He wanted to come and see you, but Dr. Liam isn''t allowing that until after he''s done testing you two." Lorias said.

    "That guy...he isn''t going to find evidence of magic using his machines. I''ve told him that it''s beyond his science, but he just...doesn''t believe in anything that he can''t measure." Prism lamented.

    Srell laughed and shook his head before grabbing what was left of Prism''s water and drinking it. Srell then slammed the glass back on the table in front of Prism, making the bald alien flinch.

    "To a caveman, our machines would seem like magic. Don''t dismiss our skepticism like you''re some unknowable god or something. We''ve seen how weak you really are. Your tricks can''t be too complicated for us to understand."

    Srell seemed to bark more than speak. His words were full of malice and contempt for Prism. Prism was flabbergasted.

    "That''s it for you. Too much drinking already this evening. We''re going outside so that this unknowable god can get some sleep, caveman." Lorias said to Srell while practically dragging Srell out of the room. Prism nodded gratefully to Lorias, who gave him a knowing wink before leaving the room.

    Sleep came easily to Prism that night, and would for the rest of the week. With each new test, he reached the limits of his stamina.

    The day after the Terrible Twenty course was a target-hitting test within a large gun range within the lower levels of the mountain base. The room was easily over a hundred meters in length, and around half that in width. There were several Red Wolves within the vast, cavernous room to watch Prism''s magic powers at work including Gnapp, the engineering commander.

    "Good morning, young man." The tall gray-haired man said to Prism.

    "Good morning." Prism said with a boyish smile.

    He may have looked young, but Prism was far older than any of the Red Wolves seemed to think that he was.

    "From what I read about you, you have the ability to shoot projectiles of pure energy from your hands. Is that correct?" Gnapp asked while leaning down a bit closer to Prism''s right ear.

    "That''s right." Prism said with a nod.

    "Well, I don''t think our conventional shooting targets will work very well in this situation. So, I am using this opportunity to test my newest inventions." Gnapp said to Prism before standing up straight and making a few swipes on his arm display.

    Twenty grapefruit-sized golden machines flew out of a metal crate that sat beside several engineers in orange jumpsuits a few meters away from Gnapp and Prism. Each of the machines had a series of holes on their surfaces that contained small fans that kept them afloat. The machines hummed through the air, and became stationary at various points within shooting range portion of the room. They hovered in the air like stars in the sky, reflecting the light from the covered rectangular lamps that ran across the ceiling of the large room in several long, continuous lines.

    "I call them roundrones, because they are round drones. Miniaturizing the existing ball drone technology was a challenge, but I managed. And no, these are not like those insect drones that Leanna carries around in her dronepack. Those bugs are purely organic technology, and of Etrysian-design. And though these roundrones look purely mechanical, they each have bio-computers. I am doing my best to marry the traditional with the organic, despite my colleagues¡¯ doubts as to the safety of such hybridization." Gnapp said with a long, slow stroke of his short-bearded chin. "They will serve as your targets for today''s test, if that wasn¡¯t clear." Gnapp added.

    "Is it really okay for me to destroy these things?" Prism asked. He was hesitant to harm what was probably a useful new invention.

    "I agree with your sentiment. It is absolutely ridiculous that he would use our resources in such a wasteful way." Dr. Liam said loudly.

    Liam and Leanna were only a few meters away from Gnapp and Prism, behind a transparent protective partition that ordinarily separated the range from the shooters. Liam had asked Gnapp to stay behind the partition, but Gnapp had flat our refused his request.

    "My roundrones need to be stress-tested before I can finalize their design. This is as good a chance as any." Gnapp said loudly as well.

    He spoke out into the open area, as if he was addressing everyone within the room in general.

    "Old fool..." Liam cursed under his breath.

    "In any case, let''s get started with this first batch. I would like you to take them out one at a time, if you wouldn''t mind." Gnapp said politely to Prism, who nodded energetically. Prism was grateful to be spoken to so kindly by one of the commanders.

    Prism took a few steps forward and stopped at a red line that had been marked for him on the stone floor. The nearest roundrone was at least ten meters from him, and the farthest was eighty meters away. Prism was excited by the challenge that lay before him. He''d always been fond of shooting things out of the sky.

    Prism raised his right arm in the air at an angle, and pointed his fingers at the nearest roundrone. His eyes flashed bright red before an arc of electricity shot from his fingers and struck the roundrone. Sparks flew from the floating roundrone before it exploded in an instant. Small golden fragments shot towards Prism and Gnapp within the blink of an eye.  Prism reflexively held his other hand up in front of his face, and caused the shrapnel to burst harmlessly into flames as he created a barrier of intense heat in front of him and Gnapp. The event got many gasps and excited shouts from the dozens of people behind the shooting partition.

    "My goodness, perhaps I should go behind the barrier." Gnapp said when he saw how close he''d gotten to being struck by dangerous shrapnel.

    "That would be wise!" Prism said with glowing red eyes.

    "Yes, well, good work in protecting me. I will be right over there from now on." Gnapp said before quickly walking over to join Liam and Leanna behind the protective barricade.

    Prism quickly returned to shooting the rest of the roundrones with increasingly faster bolts of small lightning from his fingers. Each roundrone created a small explosion when struck, which thrilled the audience of Red Wolves that watched Prism at work. It only took him less than five minutes to destroy all of the roundrones that had glittered so beautifully in the air in front of him. His eyes then lost their red glow, and he lowered his right arm back to his side.

    "Astounding!" Gnapp yelled.

    Gnapp began to clap for Prism''s achievement, which spurred on the others to applaud as well. Liam rolled his eyes and quietly made notes on his arm display.

    "Release the second batch of roundrones, gentlemen. It is time for round two of this examination." Gnapp said to his engineers.

    Fifteen roundrones flew out of the same large metal crate that the previous drones had come from. The roundrones flew into similar positions that the others had, except they spaced themselves further apart. Prism looked curiously at the formation, and then back at Gnapp.

    "This time, you will need to destroy as many of these as you can simultaneously. Show us if you can get them all at the same time, Mr. Prism." Gnapp said jovially. He''d already been impressed by Prism, and he hoped that he hadn''t raised his expectations too high.

    Prism smiled and waved to the engineering commander before setting his eyes back on his objective overhead. Prism paused to think for just a second. His eyes glowed light blue as he started to raise both of his hands in the air in front of him. Two blue circles began to appear from his palms and expand slightly until the edges of the flat glowing shapes stopped at his fingertips. Cool wind started to whip around his feet and travel up his body.

    Wind also started to twist around Prism''s hands, focused on the blue circles of light that he seemed to hold. The wind became strong enough to be felt beyond the shooting partition. The personnel that were amassed on that side of the room once again became abuzz with excitement and a bit of fear while they felt the gusts emanating from Prism pick up speed and intensity.

    "Command over the elements..." Liam said quietly while he intently observed Prism.

    After a minute or so of funneling more wind around his hands, Prism stretched out his raised arms widely as if he was about to give someone a big hug. The glowing blue circles that hovered over his palms started to fly away from his body, taking the swirling gusts of wind from Prism''s hands with them. The circles flew into the aerial center of the range, and pulsed intensely with cerulean light. The circles quickly began to move in a spherical pattern around each other while Prism slowly clenched his fists until a surge of wind began to suck in all of the floating roundrones into one area.

    In a single bright flash of blue light, the circles burst, releasing a sphere-shaped fulmination of wind that destroyed all of the gathered roundrones at once. The explosion of air was so powerful that it released a shockwave that cracked the shooting barrier in several places before knocking the air out of several people''s lungs. Coughing and wheezing could then be heard throughout the room. Prism looked over at the people he''d accidentally hurt and rushed over to see if he could help.

    "I''m sorry, everyone! I didn''t mean to..." Prism yelled when he approached the shooting barrier.

    "It''s fine! You only winded them. No one is seriously injured." Liam yelled back to Prism.

    He held up his hand to tell Prism to stay where he was. Prism was shocked, but also relieved. The blue light faded from his eyes.

    "If that is all, then we''ll continue with the last part of the test." Gnapp shouted after coughing a bit himself.

    He smiled, and motioned for his engineers to release the last fifteen roundrones into the shooting range area. The roundrones began moving quickly and erratically through the air above Prism. Prism couldn''t discern any pattern to their movements.

    "This time, I''ve given you some moving targets. Take them out individually, if you''d please. I was going to let you take them out in whatever way you choose, but I''ve changed my mind." Gnapp said with a smirk.

    Prism chuckled and gave Gnapp a thumbs-up before returning to the red line that he was supposed to stand at. Prism appeared to point his right forefinger straight up before having his eyes glow green. Prism then began to quickly whip his finger back and forth towards the flying roundrones, creating a pulse of green light from the end of his finger each time. With each whip of his finger, a roundrone fell to the ground and crumbled into an unworkable piece of junk. It didn''t take long before all fifteen of the last roundrones were lying motionless and corroded on the ground amidst the debris of the earlier roundrones.

    "Top marks! Excellent work, Mr. Prism!" Gnapp yelled before once again applauding Prism.

    Much of the other Red Wolves joined in the applause like they''d done earlier. Liam started to clap, but quickly stopped himself before many could notice. Leanna giggled at the sight, but did not speak of it for fear of souring Liam''s mood further.

    Prism turned around to see the people celebrating his victory. He pumped his fist into the air and smiled widely at the room as he walked over to make his way past the shooting barricade. While his eyes still glowed with a verdant green light, Prism tapped the surface of the barricade, imbuing it with his magical energy. The cracks that had been in the composite material began to fade away as the magic repaired the damage. Gnapp took note of the magical occurrence, certain that he could make use of it in the future.

    "It''s been a pleasure working with you. Let''s do it again sometime." Gnapp said to Prism while offering his hand to the alien.

    "Certainly!" Prism smiled up at the tall commander and shook his hand firmly as the green light left his brown eyes.

    "Well, if there''s nothing else, let''s get you back to the Auxiliary before these wolves deafen you with their entranced howling." Liam came over to say to Prism. Leanna was close behind.

    "I''m surprised you let so many people in here today." Prism replied with a smirk.

    "Most of them are here to make sure that your destructive powers didn''t kill us all, though I am starting to realize that we are probably not capable of stopping that from happening at all..." Liam said snidely.

    Prism stared into Liam¡¯s eyes and shuddered a bit. To Prism, Liam¡¯s spiteful words seemed strangely ominous. Prism would need to be more careful during the next day¡¯s final test; the live combat test that would show Pack Command how he truly handled himself on the battlefield.

 Chapter 13 - Fight

    Bullets flew past Prism¡¯s head as he ran through the forest. He''d momentarily hid behind trees for cover, but found that trees provided no safety from his attackers'' powerful rounds. The brown pine needles at his feet at least provided a bit of comfort for his hurried steps. He¡¯d been avoiding the special-class mercenary group that was assigned to neutralize him for several hours while he made his way to retrieve his mission''s target higher up on a mountain that neighbored Kyero Mountain.

    The air started to become cold as he approached the snowy mountaintop where his objective awaited him. He''d been sparse with his magic for fear that his pursuers would use the opportunity to shoot him while he cast spells or actively gathered mana.

    "Damn!" Prism shouted when he realized that the mercenaries had him surrounded.

    Though they wore masks, Prism had sensed the presence of Lorias and Srell within the group. The others within the group were a mystery to Prism, but he knew that they were all skilled and dauntless. And as they closed in on him, Prism knew that he would need to do something that they''d never expect. And it would require a great deal of magic.

    Prism took off running down into a nearby creek that was obscured by a tangle of roots and brush. The sound of his steps across the wet rocky surface was silenced by magic, but that hadn''t seemed to stop the mercenaries from tracking him. His eyes began to glow blue as he started to rhythmically move his hands and arms in various gestures and shapes. With each motion of his hands, he felt himself become lighter, and his running become easier. A bluish circle of light began to appear on the side of his bald head involuntarily. Prism hoped that the display wouldn''t get him shot.

    He ran faster and faster, leaping over downed trees and rocky outcrops that were in his path. He started to hear and feel the bullets once again streak by him, but the wind magic he was conjuring caused the projectiles to be deflected away from him. With one last graceful movement of his arms, blue light streamed from the glowing ring on the side of Prism''s head and from his eyes. He stretched his arms out wide to his sides and began running with all his might. It only took a few strides for Prism''s feet to leave the ground, and for him to take flight into the air below the treetops.

    "Is he..." One of the mercenaries said while dropping his weapon''s sight away from his eye.

    "Just keep firing!" Srell yelled to his astonished teammate.

    Their attempts to hit Prism were in vain as he disappeared above the trees and up into the sky above the mountain forest. Prism felt the wind carrying him higher and higher as he guided the currents that surged around him. The air around him quickly became colder when he flew towards the summit, leaving the mercenaries far behind him.

    "Crap!" Srell cursed while he shoved his teammate away from him.

    "We should get to the nearest supply depot. There should be at least two jetpacks there." Lorias said calmly over the radio ear clasps that the mercenaries wore. Lorias rested his arms on the stock of his rifle. "Him being able to fly isn''t completely unexpected." Lorias added.

    "Everything''s going according to Bighead''s projections yet again." Srell said into his radio with an irritated shake of his head.

    "Let''s get going, then. I''d hate for us to divert too much from our battle plans." Lorias said with a nod of his head towards the supply depot a kilometer away. Srell and the other scattered mercenaries nodded in agreement, and the group as a whole made their way further up the mountain.

    ****

    It didn''t take long before Prism could no longer bear the strain of flying through the arctic conditions atop the mountain. Strong, frigid winds that he couldn''t gain control of began to buffet him about the air, eventually throwing him down onto the snowy ground just as he conjured a cushion of air to break his fall. Prism used what little mana he had left to surround himself with an aura of warmth so that he wouldn''t freeze to death upon the glacier that he found himself upon.

    He sat down cross-legged on the hard snow patch that surrounded him, and raised his arms so that his palms were facing the sky. He controlled his breathing until it became deep and rhythmic. Soon the icy wind began to spin around him, glowing with magical power that he teased out of the glacial environment. The power that he drew from the wind and ice quickly restored the mana that he''d spent flying up to the mountaintop. The wind died down, revealing a mostly white landscape that sloped upwards toward a rocky peak.

    "Phew..."

    Prism exhaled before he got up from the snow and stood tall, ready to make his final trek to his target. He sprinted up the incline with ease, his body still lightened by the wind magic that had allowed him to fly. He started to leap from one rocky outcrop to another, easily clearing a dozen meters with each step. In a matter of minutes, Prism found himself at the blackish peak of the mountain, standing at the previously-hidden entrance to a cave.

    Prism peered into the cave''s entrance, and was taken aback by the beauty of what he''d discovered. The cave''s roof and walls was completely covered in ice that glittered with a variety of colors as Prism walked within it. The red light from his warming aura danced across the surface of the ice walls, illuminating Prism''s path as he began to make his way deeper into the ice cave.

    "It shouldn''t be too much farther in..." Prism said to himself after he''d walked for ten minutes down into an increasingly narrow stairway-like corridor.

    After Prism squeezed through a tight opening of jagged ice and rock, he found himself in a massive room that reminded him of the shooting range he''d been in the previous day. The ice on the room''s ceiling and far-off walls was patterned like a carton of eggs. The pattern of the ice seemed too uniform to be natural, but Prism had seen naturally-occurring sights even more geometrically-stunning in his travels. As he walked around, Prism began to see various pieces of Red Wolves equipment throughout the room.

    Extensive lighting, generators, and an assortment of other machinery were scattered about the cathedral-like cavern. Prism magically expanded his perception to check if there were any Red Wolves hiding in the room, but he couldn¡¯t sense anyone else. He did, however, find his mission target on the opposite side of the cavern, sitting on a steel work table amongst other knick-knacks and tools. He walked carefully over to retrieve the object that Dr. Liam had tasked him with finding that morning; a data-storage device in the shape of a golden Red Wolves medallion. The shiny medallion was no larger than Prism''s palm.

    When Prism picked up the medallion, he heard an oddly-familiar sound of whirring at his back. He reflexively turned around to see a dozen roundrones flying towards him. Prism clutched the medallion in his right hand while raising his left hand up at the approaching spherical drones. Prism channeled lightning magic into his left hand, causing it to glow bright red with increasing intensity. But when he shot off a bolt of lightning that would have chained between the machines to destroy them, the roundrones scattered and began to fly wildly around Prism instead.

    "Tricky old man..." Prism said to himself once he realized that Gnapp must''ve updated his inventions after seeing how easily Prism had destroyed them the day prior.

    Prism''s eyes tried to follow the roundrones that buzzed around him, but they moved too quickly and chaotically. Prism brought his glowing left hand close to his head and closed his eyes. A red circle of light appeared on the back of his shining left hand. When the circle''s light matched the brightness of his left hand, Prism caused the circle to expand until it was large enough to encircle him. He overlaid the circle atop the general flight-path of the roundrones that flew in a circle around him. When Prism saw that the machines did not move away when he caused his magical circle to hover amongst them, he closed his shining red left hand into a fist. Tendrils of red electricity erupted from the shining red circle, destroying the roundrones in the process.

    Prism wasted no time and began running out of the room to escape the ice caves before more roundrones could appear. He sent forth a wave of intense heat from his left hand when he came to the room''s narrow entry point. Enough of the entrance''s icy wall melted away to give Prism easy access to the step-like corridor that he''d used to get to the ice cave''s large room.

    He moved as quickly as he could up through the ice cave to return to the glacial mountain summit. But when he came to the sun-lit mouth of ice cave, Prism was met by a dozen more roundrones at his rear that flew up from the room that he''d escaped.

    When Prism raised his left hand to begin casting another complex spell to destroy all of them, the roundrones fired sharp projectiles at him before he could even make a spell circle. A few of the projectiles struck Prism''s arms and shoulders, passing cleanly through his clothing and flesh. Prism screamed in pain as he began to bleed.

    He could barely believe that the roundrones had actually injured him. Faced with the reality that he didn''t know what the roundrones were fully capable of anymore, Prism knew that he couldn''t stand back and patiently deal with them like he''d done previously.

    As the tricky machines whirred towards him at alarming speed, Prism leapt back several meters to keep away from them while magically-heightening his senses. His right eye continued to glow red while his left eye suddenly flashed with blue light. When his feet touched the cave floor again, Prism saw the golden filigree roundrones open small holes on their complex surfaces.

    Before they could fire their sharpened bullets, Prism flicked his left hand towards them, sending forth a pulse of bluish-red energy that caused the roundrones to shake violently in the air. The spherical drones soon fell to the ground and began slowly rolling around due to the sudden malfunction. Unsure if the machines could repair themselves, Prism sent a bolt of chain lightning at the roundrones to destroy them, just to be sure.

    His wounds ached as he continued to bleed onto the rocks at his feet. Prism didn''t have time to gather a large enough amount of mana to completely heal himself, so he instead conjured small bursts of intense heat to cauterize his wounds. He then willed his body to close the internal injuries he''d suffered to prevent internal bleeding, going so far as to magically numb himself to the pain. Prism''s eyes continued to glow two different colors; red and blue. He figured that he''d need a wider variety of tools to face whatever he''d find once he left the cave.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    After breathing a sigh of relief, Prism ran out of the ice cave and back onto the blindingly-white glacier. The midday sun shined on the snowy ground, causing a glare that would hurt the eyes of most creatures. Prism wished that he could admire the stunning view from the mouth of the ice cave, atop the tall mountain that was surrounded by billowy white clouds that obscured a view of the summer taiga below. But he trudged on; sure that his live combat test had entered its most dangerous phase.

    Prism leapt down from the ledge of the rocky summit and began to slide down the hard mix of glacial ice and old snow. He imbued his black leatherine boots with ice magic to make the sliding smooth and controllable. The boots glowed light blue, sending out bluish-sliver sparks as Prism made his way down the glacier like a seasoned skier. But he suddenly dug his boots into the snow to stop himself when he sensed a fast-approaching presence.

    "They''re in the air!?" Prism said aloud, confused by what he was sensing on the wind a few dozen meters away.

    Prism didn''t have to wait long before he heard and saw Lorias and Srell flying through the air using jetpacks that they''d retrieved from the supply depot much further down on the mountain. The jetpacks and their attached harnesses were sleek in their design, allowing Srell and Lorias to simply wear pilot helmets and red flight suits. Prism couldn''t see the two mercenaries using any sort of hand controls for their jetpacks. He figured that they must have some sort of brain-computer interface to control their jetpacks, an advanced technology that Prism had very rarely seen during his extraplanetary travels.

    But to his further dismay, Prism saw that they were both accompanied by over twenty roundrones. Prism couldn''t fathom how Gnapp could produce so many of the highly-complex machines, but he pushed that question from his mind so that he could figure out how to evade the oncoming assault.

    Prism tucked the medallion into his pocket and then pointed out his left forefinger to his side a short distance from his body. A glowing blue circle appeared and hovered in front of his finger. He then did the same with his right forefinger, but instead conjured a red circle of light from it. As projectiles began to rain from the sky, Prism started to slide down the icy sloped glacier again. He raised his left hand in front of him and caused the blue spell circle to conjure a sphere of wind that surrounded his body.

    The sharp bullets that made contact with the sphere were harmlessly pulled away from his body and shot away from Prism instead. The sphere moved with him, whipping up a cloud of mist and snow that obscured him from his aerial attackers. Prism could still see clearly, giving him a distinct advantage. He was also careful to control the flow of snow and wind around him so that he wouldn¡¯t trigger an avalanche that would likely destroy the Red Wolves facilities lower on the mountainside.

    ¡°Damn, he¡¯s making a blizzard or something! I can¡¯t tell where he even is!¡± Srell yelled over his radio.

    ¡°Stay calm. We¡¯ll just have to use our howlers.¡± Lorias said coolly.

    ¡°You¡¯re crazy! That¡¯ll trigger a freakin¡¯ avalanche, or worse!¡± Srell continued to yell.

    ¡°We¡¯re supposed to test his limits. We wouldn¡¯t have been given the howlers if we weren¡¯t meant to use them. Just another thing for magical boy to fix¡­¡± Lorias explained in his typical matter-of-fact way while Srell hovered in the air several meters away.

    ¡°Whatever, then.¡± Srell said while loading his howler round into his highly-modified aerial rifle. He didn¡¯t need much convincing, and he didn¡¯t hear any of his superiors voice any dissent over what they also heard over the radio.

    Srell took a deep breath and then held it in while he aimed at what he believed was the center of the cone of blizzard that trailed Prism. After a few intense seconds, Srell pulled the trigger of his rifle and watched the silvery round fly along the path he predicted would strike Prism. When he believed that the round had come close enough to its target, Srell pulled his rifle trigger again. The howler exploded before it could be deflected by Prism¡¯s wind barrier, sending a tremendous amount of kinetic energy out in all directions. The familiar howling sound of the weapon echoed throughout the mountains and valleys that surrounded them.

    Prism was thrown off of his feet and sent flying down the glacier. He was knocked unconscious by the blast, and his red spell circle dissipated as a result. He soon awoke when his body began to quickly and violently roll down the glacier towards the rockier area of the mountain. Prism used what remained of his mana to stop himself in midair before his exposed skin was torn away by the rough ground that he¡¯d rolled along.

    After a second of being suspended in the air, he returned his feet to solid ground. His black shirt and red jacket were torn to shreds, but his pants had somehow been largely unharmed. He was bleeding from various cuts and scrapes that he¡¯d racked up, but he didn¡¯t have the time or energy to care.

    After checking his pocket to confirm that he still had the medallion, Prism looked up and saw that Srell and Lorias hadn¡¯t missed a beat. They were still hot on his trail, flying several meters above the glacier and maintaining their sight of him. Prism was nearly clear of the glacier, but worried that the howler had caused enough damage to it to lead to its collapse. As if sensing his concern, Prism felt the earth beneath him rumble and shake.

    ¡°What were those guys thinking!?!?¡± Prism said angrily while looking up at them hovering menacingly above.

    Liam had told Prism that the Red Wolves would be doing their best to kill him during the combat test, but Prism hadn¡¯t thought they¡¯d go so far as they had.

    Prism waved his hand up at Srell and Lorias and then began pointing vigorously at the ground, hoping that they would understand that he needed to be left alone to stop the impending avalanche that they¡¯d caused. Lorias started to load his own howler into his aerial rifle when he saw Prism¡¯s panicked response.

    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious!¡± Srell yelled over the radio when he saw what Lorias was about to do.

    Lorias laughed and simply pointed his rifle at the sky. He then switched on an intercom feature that his jetpack had so that Prism could hear him.

    ¡°You have ten minutes. After that, we¡¯re resuming hostilities.¡± Lorias¡¯ voice blared throughout the glacier. He showed no concern that his booming voice could only make matters worse.

    ¡°Jerks¡± Prism cursed to himself as he began gathering as much mana as he could from his surroundings without making the quakes beneath his feet more terrifying.

    Prism¡¯s right eye stopped glowing red and flashed with a green light instead. His aura of heat dissipated, and he began to shiver from the cold. He stretched out his arms in front of him at an angle with his palms pointed at the ground. He saw cracks begin to form on the areas of exposed ice around him. He knew that he¡¯d need to act even faster.

    Green and blue light swirled around his hands as Prism weaved a series of naturalistic spells to heal the damage to both the earth and ice beneath him. A shining blue circle appeared in front of his left hand and a shining green circle appeared in front of his right hand. He began imbuing the magic circles with the spells he¡¯d woven, making them the vaunted ¡°spell circles¡± that he had been known for across many worlds.

    When his spell circles were fully charged, Prism hurled them into the cracks that widened around him as the earth shook more and more viciously. Immediately afterwards, Prism could see a torrent of ice and snow begin to roll down the mountain dozens of kilometers further up the slope.

    ¡°Crap¡± Srell said to himself when he saw the avalanche make its way toward Prism. Srell and Lorias flew several meters higher to avoid the impending natural disaster.

    Prism appeared unfazed by the quickly approaching avalanche. He brought his hands up into a prayer pose and closed his eyes while he remotely controlled the spell circles¡¯ movement through the glacier. When they¡¯d gone deep enough into the land, Prism closed his hands into fists and yelled loudly upon releasing his magical medicine to the wounded terrain.

    Srell and Lorias watched Prism¡¯s strange ritual from their lofty position. They were soon once again amazed when they saw blue and green light begin to stream from the cracks that had formed upon the surface of the glacier. It looked like an aurora was streaming beneath the mercenaries¡¯ hovering feet.

    The cracks began to close as the land¡¯s quakes died down all around the area. Once the healing bluish-green light was trapped beneath the ice, it caused the glacier itself to glow once its cracks were sealed. A massive meters-long wall of glowing ice shot out of the ground several kilometers up the glacier from where Prism stood. The wall held back the avalanche as it slid into a narrow area of rock that marked the entrance to the mountain''s summit.

    Prism fell to one knee and began to hyperventilate. He had completely exhausted himself, and had done more than he thought was possible considering his still-reduced magical capacity.

    ¡°He actually stopped an avalanche¡­¡± Srell said over the radio, dumbfounded.

    ¡°And our time-out is nearly over.¡± Lorias said with a smile.

    ¡°Oh come on, we aren¡¯t seriously going to kill him after he did all that, are we?¡± Srell asked pleadingly.

    ¡°Look at you, having a change of heart. I thought you wanted him dead? I¡¯m sure Dr. Liam would love the opportunity to perform an autopsy. Maybe then Prism¡¯s secrets will be revealed.¡± Lorias said. He spoke so playfully that he gave Srell the creeps.

    ¡°No, it wouldn¡¯t be right. He¡¯s done more than anyone could possibly do during a live combat exercise. He¡¯s passed, in my book.¡± Srell said resolutely.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t the one in charge of this test, Srell Abodot. Resume your assignment at the conclusion of Lorias¡¯ temporary ceasefire or face the consequences.¡± Dr. Liam¡¯s voice blared over the radio for Lorias and Srell to hear.

    ¡°Gah! I can¡¯t believe Ursun is okay with this¡­¡± Srell said spitefully before relenting to Liam¡¯s authority.

    Srell had been a loyal member of the Red Wolves for over ten years. The thirty-year-old mercenary had no intention of disobeying his leadership, who¡¯d almost never steered him wrong before. It was a strange time for all within his organization, but Srell did his best to keep the faith, even in the face of the absurdity he¡¯d been witnessing. He¡¯d never played too well with others, but even Srell was on his best behavior around his longtime friend Lorias, and while under the leadership of the well-respected Ursun.

    ¡°One more minute¡­¡± Lorias said ominously while aiming his howler-loaded rifle at Prism.

    Prism had managed to calm himself down while the mercenaries above him argued. He was tired and injured, but he knew that he¡¯d need to prove himself even further to eliminate any doubt as to his power.

    Prism drank deep on the mana that flowed densely atop the glacier. He¡¯d realized during his fight against the avalanche that he was atop a great convergence of mana, one of many that crisscrossed across the planet. The mass of mystical energy allowed him to temporarily use powerful magic freely while he was connected to it, and Prism took full advantage of that fact. He wouldn¡¯t make a habit of using it, however, since doing so could destabilize the planet¡¯s overall mana flow.

    He healed his body in mere seconds, even going so far as to mend his clothing too. After causing his right eye to flash with a white light, he then imbued himself with a protective aura of golden light that would make him invulnerable to whatever the Red Wolves could throw at him. He made his body as light as a feather with an aura of wind, whipped up a gale around him, and then shot himself forward at the speed of sound. Fortunately, his residual magic safeguarded the glowing glacier from having another avalanche occur from the resulting sonic boom that Prism caused.

    ¡°Hah, no way!¡± Srell said excitedly over his radio when he saw a golden Prism fly down the mountain like a jet plane.

    "His body shouldn''t even survive breaking the sound barrier! And if he intends on landing down here...we''ll all be killed by the impact! You must stop him!" Liam yelled hysterically into the radio.

    ¡°After him.¡± Lorias said firmly before putting his jetpack at full-speed to pursue Prism.

    ¡°If I have to.¡± Srell said lightheartedly as he and his accompanying roundrones followed after Lorias.

    Prism flew over the treetops in an arc that would have him land at the foot of the mountain near his mission completion point. His final destination would be a small Red Wolves base. He¡¯d done a few calculations before he launched himself, but he couldn¡¯t be sure about what variables Srell and Lorias would introduce.

    Prism knew that he¡¯d run out of mana to sustain his powerful auras before long, so he at least planned his flight around that time constraint. His aura of invulnerability protected his body from the speeds he flew at. He would be cutting it close for it to last long enough to allow him to survive his landing.

    Lorias and Srell tried their hardest to catch up with Prism, but he¡¯d had too much of a head-start and was traveling too fast for their jetpacks. Lorias pushed his jetpack to its absolute limit until it began to leave a trail of white smoke a few seconds later. The smoke trail behind him had Srell flying blind until Srell flew above the plume. Lorias'' jetpack began to shake so badly that he had to stop and resume a normal speed.

    "We can''t catch him, and we''re too far away for our weapons to make contact. I recommend that you all evacuate and get as far away as you can." Lorias radioed the base camp. He was deathly serious, though he was unsure of how damaging Prism''s landing would actually be.

    "There''s no time! He''ll be here in 30 seconds!" Liam screamed over the radio. Srell couldn''t help but snicker to himself.

    "You''ll all be fine." Srell said confidently over the radio.

    The days events had turned Srell into a true believer in Prism''s abilities, whether he understood them or not. Srell and Lorias could only watch as Prism zipped down the 4000-km tall mountain in only a minute. It would have taken the two mercenaries at least twenty minutes to make the trip down to their base.

    "We''re fine, somehow. He mitigated the force of the impact with his spooky-di-doo magic." Liam said over the radio in exasperation. It was as if he''d preferred to die in whatever blast he imagined Prism would cause. "He''s walking towards our building now. All of you can report back to Pack Command HQ for debriefing." Liam said over the radio before cutting out of the broadcast channel entirely.

    "Looks like its over." Lorias said over his radio to Srell on a private, direct channel.

    "I''m flying back for as far as this thing can take me. Screw the fuel conservation rules. We''ve been running enough today." Srell said directly to Lorias through the radio.

    "Sounds good to me. I''ll take it easy. Don''t want this thing blowing up on me." Lorias said to Srell.

    Srell gave Lorias a nod and a wave before taking off towards Kyero Mountain with his complement of roundrones, which he controlled with his helmet''s brain-computer interface. Lorias ran a quick diagnostic on his own jetpack before following Srell''s flight-path at a leisurely speed.

    When Srell and Lorias arrived at Pack Command HQ, they learned that Prism had passed his live combat test, and that he''d be officially recognized as a Red Wolves Contractor. And later that day, they would also learn that he''d be assigned to their Mercenary Special Forces team, RED-1, under the direct command of Ursun.

    The Red Wolves would finally have the tool they needed to turn the tide of war.

 Chapter 14 - Foretell

    ¡°The Queen is the only monarch left on ?ba. She made sure of that long ago. She leads The Kingdom, a nation that spans much of the southeastern hemisphere.¡± Ursun said to Prism, who sat in a mission prep room with Leanna, Jaik, Lorias, and Srell. "There are three nations that have allied themselves with the Queen; Sguvi, Vadam, and Rvljse." Ursun added.

    ¡°They¡¯re Monarchists. That¡¯s the official term for anything or anyone that supports the Queen.¡± Jaik leaned over and whispered to Prism while the two of them sat in neighboring chair desks.

    It had been a few days since Prism¡¯s live combat test, and he¡¯d been eager to leave the Auxiliary again. When he¡¯d been told that he was going on a mission with RED-1, Prism became ecstatic. As he listened to Ursun¡¯s lesson, Prism absorbed every bit of information that was shared with him. Prism was still quite ignorant to the world and peoples of ?ba, and Ursun knew that ignorance could be a liability for him and his team.

    ¡°The Queen keeps her ¡°allies¡± at arms-length and rarely leaves the Kingdom to visit the leaders of those nations. They regularly send her tributes and have completely submitted to her out of a mixture of fear, faith, and respect. That is why she allows them to maintain some semblance of sovereignty.¡± Ursun said.

    Ursun stood in front of a large monitor that spanned the length of the wall at the front of the small classroom. The smart monitor displayed information as Ursun spoke about it. A 3D-model of the Queen was shown next to a 3D-model of ?ba that slowly zoomed in to the section of three continents that composed her Kingdom.

    The Queen was shown as a light-blonde, long-haired, pale-skinned woman with a youthful, unblemished face of distinguished beauty. She wore a sleek silver and gold bodysuit with various metallic filigree accents. The bodysuit had an ornate chestplate that featured a crystalline sculpture of her hawthorn insignia at its center. Small jets of plasma came from the back of her chestplate and from the back of the golden high heels that were attached to her bodysuit.

    ¡°That model is a bit outdated.¡± Jaik whispered when he noticed Prism staring at the smart display. ¡°She just wears a skintight suit now without a chestplate. She doesn¡¯t even use those miniature plasma jets to fly anymore, either.¡±

    Prism nodded to Jaik before returning his attention to Ursun¡¯s presentation. The introductory lecture was being held for Prism¡¯s benefit and served to fill in some of the gaps in his understanding of ?ba¡¯s current conflict.

    ¡°From the few unedited records of the Old World that we have access to, the Red Wolves know quite a bit about the Queen¡¯s origins. Before she took over the world, the Queen was a wealthy industrialist whose companies produced robots and early fusion energy technologies.¡± Ursun continued.

    ¡°She used to be a guy back then, too!¡± Srell shouted from the row of desks at the back of the mostly-beige room.

    Leanna looked askance at him while Lorias smirked and shook his head.

    ¡°Yes, our Old World records do indicate that the Queen was originally a man, but that is neither here nor there. She has been a woman for a thousand years, even before she started this war.¡± Ursun said after he shook his head at Srell¡¯s comment.

    ¡°Srell was born and raised in a backwards country that still views things like gender as objective and immutable. Most of our world disagrees with that assertion.¡± Leanna looked back and said to Prism from her seat in the row in front of his.

    Prism had been raised experiencing the mutability of gender firsthand. Elementeitans were all hermaphroditic, and chose to express their gender in whatever way that they felt like. Prism always found it refreshing when he saw other races display that same fluidity. Srell¡¯s response showed Prism that not everyone on ?ba viewed such things positively.

    ¡°Esdegon is the last bastion of good old-fashioned values. We aren¡¯t out there changing our biology on a whim like you Etrysians do.¡± Srell said after scoffing at Leanna.

    During Prism¡¯s first medical examination, Dr. Liam had promised to keep his discovery of Prism¡¯s dual-sex a secret. Prism had thought the discretion to be unnecessary at the time, but he understood at that moment why it wasn¡¯t in his best interest to speak openly about his hermaphroditism. Prism appeared outwardly male and identified as such to simplify his dealings with others.

    ¡°How has the Queen managed to live for so long? From everything that I¡¯d read and heard, she¡¯s human like the rest of you.¡± Prism asked in an attempt to change the subject.

    ¡°We believe that she¡¯s discovered some sort of cellular immortality that she¡¯s bioengineered into her own body. She¡¯s been the only person to successfully do so, that we know of.¡± Jaik leaned over again and said from the seat beside Prism.

    Prism nodded thoughtfully to Jaik, not at all surprised by such a possibility. Prism had seen people live for thousands of years through both magical and scientific means. Most humans who¡¯d unlocked such long-life had become cruel villains, at least in Prism¡¯s experience.

    ¡°That, combined with her cybernetic battle-suit has made her the most powerful person on ?ba. She has created a sprawling technological empire that supplies her with whatever she needs. She uses those resources to improve herself and keep the rest of us out of her Kingdom.¡± Ursun further explained to Prism.

    ¡°Why hasn¡¯t she just taken over your entire planet?¡± Prism asked with a scratch of his head.

    ¡°Because every other nation banded against her, even after it seemed like she¡¯d won.¡± Leanna said. ¡°Some of those nations have fallen under her sway over the centuries, but half the world is still fighting her.¡±

    ¡°No single person is powerful enough to suppress the unified might of half of the entire world.¡± Lorias added with an exaggerated flip of his hair with his right hand.

    Lorias sat a short distance from Srell, on the same back row.

    ¡°That brings us to the stated mission of the Red Wolves; to fight against the Queen¡¯s quest for absolute power.¡± Ursun said after he hunched forward and placed his massive hands on the cold beige surfaces of two desk chairs at the front of the room.

    ¡°The Conjunction pays us to fight as smartly and as efficiently as we can against the Queen and the Monarchists that serve her.¡± Leanna said.

    Prism had learned earlier from Jaik that the Red Wolves were more of a nonprofit that ran on the donations of the nations allied against The Kingdom. Those nations were dubbed the Conjunction, after the wide-ranging trade and mutual defense agreement that they¡¯d entered into over a century ago.

    ¡°And how¡¯s that been going? The fighting, I mean.¡± Prism asked with a raised eyebrow.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve managed to piss off the Monarchists several times, especially the Vadamites. They¡¯re the boldest of the bunch, though the Sguvans make up the bulk of the Monarchists¡¯ fighting force.¡± Srell shouted from the back row.

    ¡°We haven¡¯t had a decisive victory over the Monarchists in over ten years.¡± Lorias said plainly.

    ¡°We¡¯re locked in a stalemate. Neither side has committed to a major offensive in a long time. The most we have to deal with is an isolated coastal raid here or there.¡± Leanna said just as plainly.

    ¡°The Centuries-Long War continues.¡± Jaik said, causing the room to grow silent for several seconds.

    Jaik¡¯s statement was one that many said to express the seeming-futility of the conflict. Decades of relative inactivity would be interrupted by continent-spanning battles that destroyed millions of lives. One could never get too comfortable because everything around them could suddenly be razed to the ground.

    ¡°But you can end the stalemate. Your powers are probably the one thing that the Queen can¡¯t handle.¡± Ursun said while staring into Prism¡¯s eyes, repeating a line that Prism had heard too many times already.

    Prism shifted in his seat and stared at the smart display behind Ursun. Prism knew that the Red Wolves saw him as a decisive answer to their problems, but he was still unsure of how they wanted him to deal with their enemies. Prism was hesitant to simply kill wide swathes of people who¡¯d been compelled to fight in such a prolonged, multigenerational conflict.

    He felt the weight of the golden Red Wolves medallion that was stitched into the shoulder of his uniform¡¯s red jacket, the same medallion that he¡¯d retrieved from an ice cave several days earlier. Ursun had returned it to him when they¡¯d all met in the mission prep room that morning.

    ¡°And you¡¯re sure that she can¡¯t use magic?¡± Prism asked with a voice oozing with skepticism.

    It was not uncommon for entire civilizations to turn their backs on magic and eventually forget how to use it completely. But there was usually some small sect that preserved the art; usually some group where the practice endured in spite of whatever calamities or social upheavals befell the world around them. At least, that was what Prism had observed in his many years of life across dozens of worlds.

    ¡°Pretty sure. There are a lot of people who¡¯d probably disagree, though¡± Lorias said.

    ¡°There¡¯s no record of anyone during the Centuries-Long War with powers like yours. Believe me, I¡¯ve checked.¡± Leanna added with a tap of her glasses.

    ¡°Queeny-weeny¡¯s Absolute Control is the closest thing to magic she¡¯s got, but that¡¯s probably just her crazy advanced tech at work.¡± Srell said with a snap of his fingers.

    ¡°Absolute Control?¡± Prism asked, intrigued.

    ¡°The Queen is able to somehow bypass any digital encryption, allowing her to take control of any technology that she can interface with.¡± Leanna explained.

    Prism sensed the mood in the room quickly become somber.

    ¡°The Conjunction had to take great strides to change the way it made and used technology because of the Queen¡¯s ability. It put us technologically-behind the Monarchists for centuries. It is a miracle that we¡¯ve held our own for so long.¡± Lorias said while he mindlessly ran his fingers through his hair.

    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s why you guys developed your organic technology¡­¡± Prism mused aloud to himself.

    ¡°In any case, Magic, as you call it, seems to only exist in our fiction.¡± Ursun said to Prism after the room fell into a reflective silence for a few moments.

    Prism nodded slowly and affirmatively to everyone in the room. A world with an abundance of untapped mana like ?ba wasn¡¯t uncommon, but the fact that no one had access to it but him was strange. Prism¡¯s experience with their world was still very limited, however. He figured that he would encounter other magic-users on ?ba eventually.

    ¡°Is no one going to talk about the ¡°new developments¡± concerning the Queen and what she can do?¡± Jaik suddenly asked the room with a raised voice.

    ¡°We aren¡¯t here to talk about unconfirmed rumors and superstition, Jaik. We¡¯re here to fill Prism in on the facts of our situation before we take him on a mission.¡± Ursun said with a furrowed brow.

    Jaik shook his head, rolled his eyes and looked away from Ursun. Prism felt Jaik¡¯s frustration, though it didn¡¯t make a great deal of sense at the time.

    ¡°Even if she has upgraded herself, it¡¯s not like she gets involved in the fighting anymore. She only leaves her Kingdom these days to schmooze with those religious nuts in Sguvi, and she barely even does that.¡± Srell said as though the Queen¡¯s absence from public view disappointed him.

    ¡°Thank you for the primer. I think I understand the basics of our enemy and your world¡¯s conflict now. So, what¡¯s my first mission with you guys?¡± Prism said in a chipper, upbeat tone in an attempt to make the room livelier.

    Ursun tapped the screen behind him until a detailed mission report was displayed. Various data appeared on the smart monitor next to an image of a middle-aged, dark-haired man. The man depicted on the screen wore an ill-fitting black-and-white suit. Prism immediately noticed that the location of their mission was labeled as ¡°Wolf City¡±.

    ¡°This man is Goran Tinit. He¡¯s an arms dealer with strong ties to the nation of Rvljse¡¯s Dictor, or leader, Gryver.¡± Ursun said, wasting no time in beginning Prism¡¯s mission prep.

    ¡°Gryver is one of the few people on ?ba that has the Queen¡¯s trust, supposedly. He meets with her in her closed-off Kingdom form time to time.¡± Jaik said quietly to Prism.

    ¡°Goran is Gryver¡¯s cousin, isn¡¯t he?¡± Leanna asked.

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    ¡°That¡¯s what he tells people. The guy¡¯s got a big mouth. What the heck is he doing in our neck of the woods?¡± Srell asked.

    ¡°According to Security¡¯s surveillance, Goran¡¯s here to buy detailed schematics of laserliths from a Red Wolves engineer. That traitor is looking to strike it rich and defect to Rvljse.¡± Ursun said with a slam of his fist on the wall that he leaned against.

    ¡°Why would anyone want to move to such a miserable place like Rvljse? It¡¯s below freezing there 90% of the year! Not only that, but I read that its sadistic government is obsessed with torturing its own population.¡± Jaik said with a sickened look on his face.

    ¡°Because it¡¯s probably the only place that we wouldn¡¯t pursue his traitorous ass.¡± Lorias replied, which got a laugh out of everyone.

    Lorias¡¯ comment was extra poignant to everyone but Prism. The others knew that Lorias was born in Rvljse, and that he¡¯d been brought to Etrysia by his parents while he was still a baby. His light-blue eyes, very-pale skin, and light-yellow blonde hair were traits that most native-born Rvljsans possessed. Those features had garnered Lorias a fair bit of hate and discrimination during his life within the Conjunction. It helped that he¡¯d been adopted by a wealthy family not long after arriving on Etrysia¡¯s shore.

    ¡°Each engineer only has access to a specific portion of the laserliths¡¯ design. Only Gnapp knows the complete schematic.¡± Leanna said with a tilt of her head.

    ¡°Exactly, but Goran doesn¡¯t know that.¡± Ursun said with a glint in his eye.

    ¡°So this entire mission is a bait and switch?¡± Prism asked.

    Ursun gave Prism a point and a nod.

    ¡°Goran might be a loudmouth, but he isn¡¯t an idiot. He¡¯ll need some sort of verification that the schematic is legit. Leanna will fill the role of our traitorous engineer. The real traitor has already been dealt with, so we have a wealth of intel that¡¯ll help us fool Goran.¡± Ursun said with a rub of his red beard.

    "So the laserliths...they aren''t just protective weapons, are they?" Prism asked.

    Leanna looked at Ursun for approval to share the sensitive information that Prism wanted to know about. The commander closed his eyes and nodded to her curtly.

    "The laserliths are multi-purpose technology platforms that give us near-perfect information about our Peninsula, in addition to being very effective weapons systems. They can use non-visible light to scan and monitor all-manner of things, and they provide a completely-secure light-based communication network. Laserliths can even use light to modify atmospheric conditions throughout the Peninsula in order to change the weather." Leanna said almost without taking a single breath.

    "I see. So if something can be done with light, then the laserliths can probably do it. Does anyone else on your world have this technology?" Prism asked the room.

    "Not that we know of. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if the Kingdom had something similar.¡± Ursun said.

    ¡°Commander Gnapp sees the laserlith tech as his magnum opus. He¡¯s been downright pathological in protecting it.¡± Srell laughed and then said.

    ¡°The laserliths have saved us from many attacks over the decades. Everyone within our borders rests easier because of them." Leanna said to Prism.

    "Heck, I¡¯m just happy that it¡¯s given us our own stable, secure lasernet. Most countries don¡¯t have reliable digital networks since the boneheaded Etrysians set up their anti-satellite system." Srell spoke about the event as if it had caused him a great deal of personal irritation when it happened.

    ¡°Those anti-sat weapons were set up centuries ago. You¡¯re talking about it like you were alive to see them deployed or something.¡± Jaik twisted around in his seat and said to Srell.

    Prism had read about the weaponization of space that had occurred over two hundred years ago amongst the warring nations of ?ba. It had resulted in the planet''s orbit becoming a no-man''s-zone, where no technology could exist without being destroyed by a sophisticated worldwide network of land-based anti-satellite weapons.

    ¡°It¡®s sad that such a technologically-advanced world has turned its back on the stars.¡± Prism said so quietly that only Jaik could hear him.

    "Alright, back to the mission, everyone."

    Ursun clapped loudly to get the room''s attention back solely on him.

    "Leanna will perform the exchange of the schematics after showing that she has some measure of control over the laserliths. She will then leave with Goran aboard his personal aircraft to what he claims is a new life in Rvljse for her." Ursun said

    "But Goran isn''t actually going to take her to Rvljse, is he?" Jaik asked.

    "Correct. Our intel suggests that he is planning on taking our "defector" to a small island on the outskirts of Vadam territory. We just aren''t sure which island, exactly." Ursun explained.

    "Oh great; our nearest enemy and their farthest friend." Lorias said with a smirk.

    Lorias was referring to the nation of Vadam, whose capital city was about 3000 kilometers away from the Red Wolves'' HQ. However, that same city was over 10,000 kilometers away from the Rvljse mainland.

    "We believe that Goran has been given a mission by Dictor Gryver to capture the defector and forcefully extract whatever useful information Goran and his thugs can from them. The offer of relocation is just a ruse to get the defector off our Peninsula." Ursun said.

    "So where do the rest of us come in, boss?" Srell said while scratching his mangy-looking head.

    "We will covertly follow Goran''s aircraft to the Vadamite island using the Titian and perform a "rescue operation" of our defector to avoid too much political blowback. We can¡¯t risk them detecting one of our tracking devices on Leanna or their ship. The last thing we need is the Vadamite Air Fleet showing up on our doorstep while we''re in the process of upgrading the laserliths." Ursun explained.

    "The Titian isn''t exactly a stealth aircraft, sir." Leanna stated.

    ¡°That¡¯s what Prism is probably for¡­¡± Lorias said after pointing slyly to their resident alien.

    Everyone suddenly turned to look at Prism. Prism looked down at the ground as he felt his cheeks grow warm.

    The day after he¡¯d been made a Red Wolves contractor, Prism had been asked by Pack Command for an extensive list of what he could realistically accomplish with his magic during a mission. Prism worried that he¡¯d been too thorough and too honest about his capabilities.

    ¡°Prism will cloak our ship during the mission, allowing us to avoid detection to and from the island." Ursun stated, eliciting a loud whistle from Srell.

    "The whole ship, during the entire flight there? And how''s he going to do that, sir? We''ve all seen how tired out he gets from using his powers too much." Srell said as apprehensively as he could.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d hate for us to wear him out on his first mission. We shouldn¡¯t be setting him up for failure¡­¡± Jaik said to his commander while looking at Prism.

    Jaik placed his hand atop Prism¡¯s sleek head and gave it a few squeezes. Prism laughed at the sudden contact and pushed Jaik¡¯s arm away. Ursun then looked at Prism and opened his large palm in the alien''s direction, giving Prism the go-ahead to explain himself. Prism cleared his throat and pursed his lips together as strongly as he could. The silly expression on Prism¡¯s face made Leanna and Jaik giggle.

    "I can use my magic to put myself and other things just a bit out of sync with the rest of reality. When things are unsynced, they are invisible and intangible to almost everything else." Prism began to explain to Srell.

    "How interesting. Are you able to..." Leanna started to interrupt before a loud cough from Ursun signaled for her to be quiet while Prism spoke.

    "Unsynced things float slightly in the air, so no need to worry about falling endlessly through the ground or anything scary like that. It''s like being a ghost that can pass through walls. That is, if you guys even have ghosts on your world¡­" Prism said while turning to look at Leanna.

    She nodded as if he answered one of the many questions she was going to ask.

    "Fortunately, this sort of magic is very easy to use and maintain, so I shouldn''t have any problems with sustaining enough mana to either unsync or resync things on the fly." Prism said, finishing his prepared explanation.

    "So you''re going to turn us all into ghosts..." Lorias said while placing his forefinger on his chin and looking at the floor near Prism.

    "Errr...it''ll only be temporary! I can easily put anything back in sync with the rest of reality!" Prism replied frantically when he saw the worried looks on most of his teammates'' faces.

    "Give us a demonstration, contractor. ¡±Unsync" and "resync" that empty desk." Ursun said while pointing to a desk near the door of the room.

    Prism nodded at Ursun before standing up from his own desk chair and opening up his right palm before him. His eyes flashed with blue light as he coalesced the required magics into his hand, forming a spell circle to contain the syncing magics he''d be using. The circle hovered above the fingers of his right hand like a shining blue disc of energy, giving off blue sparks as it spun. Prism then tossed the spell circle at the desk with a deft flick of his wrist. The spell circle became attached to the desk''s table section, and continued to emit a bluish glow.

    "Now watch as I make it disappear..." Prism said animatedly.

    With a snap of his fingers, Prism''s spell circle released a blue flash of light before it and the desk chair it was attached to quickly became more and more transparent until the desk was completely gone. Prism leapt from his row of desks and ran to the exact spot where the desk he''d made disappear had been. He walked back and forth around the area, showing that there seemed to be nothing impeding his movement. He then walked over to an open area in front of the room''s door.

    "...and make it reappear." Prism said with a smile.

    With a second snap of his fingers, the chair began to quickly fade back into view, revealing that it had been levitating a few centimeters off the ground. As it became more and more opaque, the chair lowered to the ground until it was back at its original location. Prism then walked over to the desk and sat down within its chair portion. He placed his arm on the desk¡¯s table-section and tapped his finger on its hard surface, showing the others that the desk was completely back to normal. Leanna noticed that Prism''s blue spell circle was no longer visible on the desk.

    "Hmph, got it. Seems...doable." Srell said with a shrug.

    Prism smiled again and bowed his head to Srell and at Ursun like a magician done with a show. Prism then made his way back to his seat beside Jaik, but was interrupted before he could sit back down.

    "That glowing circle you used...what is it, exactly?" Leanna asked.

    "It''s a spell circle. It''s...basically a way for me to maintain and store complex magics that I weave. If you were to zoom in on them, you''d see that they were made of hundreds of lines of complicated runes, or magical text."  Prism explained to Leanna again, trying not to divulge too much extraneous information since he knew that it would lead to more of her questions.

    "He''ll use his spell circles to imbue the Titian and its contents with the same magic that he just used on that desk." Ursun said to his team. "He''ll also use it on himself, since he''ll be the one keeping watch over Leanna during her dealings with Goran while he''s in Wolf City." Ursun said quickly before Leanna could form the words on her open lips.

    "Gnapp''s been trying to make lightweight active camo for years. Now we''re friends with someone who can do something even better than just render us invisible. Very cool." Jaik said with a pat on Prism''s shoulder.

    Prism beamed at Jaik with a toothy smile that made Srell cringe in his seat.

    ¡°The ¡°runes¡± you mentioned¡­¡± Leanna said slowly as she rubbed her chin. ¡°Can we inscribe them on objects to use the same sort of powers you do?¡±

    ¡°Uhh¡­it¡¯s not that simple. My runes are¡­how to put this¡­they¡¯re transcendent.¡± Prism said as slowly as Leanna had spoken to him.

    ¡°Transcendent?¡± Jaik tilted his head and said.

    ¡°Currently, my magic is of a higher-order than anything in this universe. My runes and my spell circles are in a language that no one can draw power from except me. That¡¯s what makes them ¡°transcendent¡±.¡± Prism explained further.

    ¡°You make it sound like you¡¯re a god or something.¡± Lorias said before Srell experienced a sudden fit of loud, painful coughing.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a god. It¡¯s just that¡­Elementeitans can use magic regardless of limitations placed on it by the world we draw mana from. At least, until we become incorporated into that world through a successful communion with it. Then we¡¯re subject to all sorts of natural laws and restrictions. We could choose to use our higher-order magic again, but that would force otherworldly mana to clash with natural, raw mana. The result of that is¡­very bad.¡±

    Prism¡¯s explanation only confused everyone else, as it usually did. There was a moment of silence in the room while the mercenaries tried to make sense of his words. When no one said anything, Prism placed his hand on his head and laughed.

    ¡°If I ever get the chance to absorb and digest a great deal of your world¡¯s mana again, then I will have successfully ¡°communed¡± with ?ba. I¡¯ll then slowly learn ?ba¡¯s magical language, which will let me imbue items with runes that you all might be able to make use of. Honestly, I¡¯m not sure if humans on this world can even use magic at all¡­¡± Prism said softly with a shake of his head.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not get bogged down by this.¡± Ursun said loudly after Prism stopped talking. ¡°Do any of you have any questions about the unsyncing?¡±

    "Shouldn''t Prism unsync Srell and me in addition to himself? Leanna would be safer with the three of us keeping watch." Lorias asked Ursun.

    "Prism is still regaining his strength after being locked up for a century without access to his "mana". The rest of Command isn''t comfortable with immediately putting that much strain on his abilities.¡± Ursun said.

    ¡°Then why the rush!? Shouldn¡¯t our priority be to get Prism back to 100%, so that he can be a greater asset to us?¡± Jaik said with so much exuberance that Ursun furrowed his brow at the young man.

    ¡°Goran is only in Wolf City for one more day, so we have to take the risk of using Prism, even in his weakened state. We aren''t going full-in on Prism until he''s at least shown that he can carry his own weight during the first part of this simple mission." Ursun said gruffly to Jaik, who nodded in agreement with his commander''s clear reasoning.

    "And if Prism fails to stay hidden from Goran and his goons...?" Srell asked.

    "Then we''ll have no choice but to arrest Goran with the evidence we have, and risk Rvljse moving against the Peninsula. We''ll also have to re-assess Prism''s utility to the Red Wolves." Ursun said before locking eyes with Prism.

    Prism felt everyone''s expectations fall onto him once again. He was the crucial piece to their first mission together, and he didn''t want to let any of them down. He felt Jaik''s hand on his clothed shoulder. The heat from the young man''s hand comforted Prism more than he thought possible. Prism looked at Jaik and gave his hand a grateful pat.

    "I''ve got this. The Red Wolves can rely on me." Prism said assuredly.

    "We''ll see." Ursun said after crossing his arms. "You''ll be departing for Wolf City this afternoon with Jaik and Leanna. Srell, Lorias and I will get into town later tonight after we make some final arrangements here at Command HQ." Ursun informed Prism.

    After discussing the largely uncertain second half of their mission to the island in Vadam, Ursun dismissed his team from the mission prep room. Prism kept close to Jaik and Leanna when they all left the room. He had many questions about the new city he would be traveling to in only a few hours.

    "So...what can you two tell me about Wolf City?" Prism asked while the three of them walked down the well-lit circular hallway.

    "It''s one of the few free trade cities left on ?ba, as crazy as that sounds." Jaik said with a shrug.

    "It''s located on the outskirts of Red Wolves territory, around 200 kilometers west of us nearer to the other end of the Peninsula. It''s a seaside city that''s separated by a river that cuts through the entire region." Leanna explained in greater detail.

    Prism had learned through books that the Peninsula, as the Red Wolves called it, was a peninsular landmass that was directly under their control. It had been bought by the creators of the Red Wolves over fifty years ago from the nation that the peninsula was attached to, Ruskeda.

    "It''s called Wolf City...does that mean that the Red Wolves control it?" Prism asked.

    "We protect it, but we don''t actually run the city. We use it as a source of trade and information, so we have to maintain a pretty hands-off approach to it." Leanna said with a few hand gestures to help describe what she meant.

    "But everyone knows that it¡¯s our town. Most of us either live there or are from there." Jaik said with a flex of his meaty arm.

    "Yes, but we let Monarchists come and go from the city as well. It really is a careful balance that we have to maintain." Leanna said, rebutting Jaik. ¡°You¡¯re na?ve when it comes to politics.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. Politics just annoy me. It¡¯s mostly just people yelling at each other.¡± Jaik said with a mock punch in the empty air in front of him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. Politics is simply group decision-making. It doesn¡¯t need to involve yelling or fighting. It just requires compromise.¡± Leanna said as she held her head up high.

    "Are we taking one of those off-road cars there?" Prism said, his mind thinking of the near future. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be in one of those things for hours. They¡¯re really uncomfortable.¡±

    "Actually, we''re taking a train." Leanna said with a smile before she picked up her pace down the hallway towards the elevators at the end of it.

    Prism breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the news, but he then began wondering where the train could be. He hadn''t seen any sign of railroad tracks during his forays outside of Kyero Mountain. Jaik saw the pensive look on Prism''s face and chuckled.

    "The train''s below us. You''re going to love it. It''s another one of Gnapp''s creations." Jaik''s words only served to excite Prism, just like Jaik had hoped.

    The two of them walked a bit faster to keep up with Leanna until the three of them made it to a large elevator. They took it down to the lowest level Prism had been on within the base. When the elevator doors opened, Prism was amazed by the sleek silver-colored train that he saw peeking out of a large sectioned-off tube dozens of meters in front of him.

    There were over a hundred people busying about throughout the large station area. Many were transporting assorted supplies from crates that had been taken off of the train using a large crane-like mechanism that looked as though it automated the loading and unloading from the train itself. Simple seating was scattered throughout the area, though few were using them. Most people seemed to be getting onto the train, which Prism could see was scheduled to leave in only ten minutes. Prism could also see that there was a second tube that ran parallel to the one he saw, but its train wasn¡¯t at the underground station.

    Jaik ran up onto the loading platform before Prism and Leanna and stretched his arms wide above him.

    ¡°Welcome to the TubeTrain! Getting us to Wolf City in 30 minutes or less!¡± Jaik shouted loudly.

    Several of the station workers and passersby looked at him with mocking irritation, but all Prism and Leanna could do was laugh.

    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t act like this if you weren¡¯t here.¡± Leanna said to Prism with a dismissive wave of her hand.

    ¡°I guess he sees us as being around the same age or something.¡± Prism said while he smiled and rubbed his bald head.

    ¡°That explains it.¡± Leanna said before walking forward to meet Jaik on the platform.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t the two of you need to pack or something? We¡¯ve got several hours before we¡¯re supposed to leave.¡± Prism said after running up to meet Leanna and Jaik atop the train platform.

    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re already prepped to leave, basically. The only thing we need to do is get our disguises put on.¡± Jaik said with a vacant expression.

    ¡°We got our orders last night. The mission prep was more to explain things in greater detail to you, and to hear any questions or input we might have for the commander.¡± Leanna said.

    ¡°But I¡­didn¡¯t know about the mission until this morning¡­¡± Prism complained.

    ¡°That¡¯s weird. But then again, having a ¡°contractor¡± on our team is also something new for all of us.¡± Leanna said.

    She looked curiously at the medallion on Prism¡¯s shoulder for a moment and then shrugged as if she was shaking off an intrusive thought. Jaik¡¯s eyes quickly darted from Leanna and Prism several times before he decided to get their minds on something else.

    ¡°We¡¯ve got some time to kill. Let¡¯s get Prism trained on the use of our weapons.¡± Jaik said.

    Jaik suddenly grabbed the back of Prism¡¯s neck with the crook of his right arm and pulled the much-smaller alien close to him.

    ¡°Hmmm, I guess that is on the list of things to do, isn¡¯t it¡­¡± Leanna said before biting the nail of her thumb.

    ¡°I uhh think I¡¯ll pass on that¡­¡± Prism said quietly. ¡°I need to keep my hands free so that I can use my magic effectively.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what Dr. Liam thought. But Ursun argued that you could probably use your magic without your hands.¡± Jaik said loudly and directly into Prism¡¯s ear, which tickled Prism.

    Jaik had taken to all manner of horseplay with Prism since the two reunited after Prism¡¯s live combat test. Prism couldn¡¯t help but wonder if his magic had linked the two in some deep way that hadn¡¯t been intended. Leanna¡¯s earlier comment made Prism worry that he could¡¯ve possibly even have altered Jaik¡¯s personality.

    The magics that Prism had used to heal Jaik contained the raw mana that Prism had just absorbed from the planet itself. Prism couldn¡¯t be sure what lasting effects that could have on his new friend.

    ¡°Ursun was right, but it¡¯s harder for me to do anything sophisticated without my hands.¡± Prism explained to Jaik.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, little buddy. You should still know how to fire a weapon, in case you aren¡¯t able to use your magic or something.¡± Jaik said with a pat of his free hand on Prism¡¯s chest.

    For the next two hours, Leanna and Jaik taught Prism the basics of using PAWs, pistols, and rifles. Neither of the mercenaries were surprised by how quickly he learned, or how accurate his shooting became after the first hour of their instruction. Prism, on the other hand, loathed using the weapons; he only saw them as instruments of death. But he cheerily went along with the lessons, hoping that it would at least bring the three of them closer.

    Prism would need all the trust he could get for the mission that soon awaited him.

 Chapter 15 - Phasing

    ¡°Just confirming our meet.¡± Leanna said into the red phone receiver.

    She stood on a street corner in an upscale part of Wolf City, wearing a skinny black dress and equally black high heels. She clutched a small green purse close to her prominent bosom as she ran her slender fingers through her lengthy temporarily-dyed blonde hair. The shape of her face had been changed with a cosmetic putty to further avoid her being recognized as a member of RED-1.

    ¡°We¡¯re still on. Same place, same time.¡± A distorted masculine voice said over the phone.

    Soon after, the line clicked and went dead.

    ¡°How abrupt¡­in any case, it¡¯s a go.¡± Leanna said quietly to her nearby invisible friend Prism, who she wasn¡¯t even sure was really there.

    Prism floated a few meters away from her, imperceptible. He¡¯d become quite bored with his phantasmal monitoring of Leanna after their first uneventful hour in town, and looked forward to the dinner meeting she had with Goran only an hour away. Jaik was in a building nearby, keeping watch on Leanna in a more traditional way.

    Leanna made her way to a nearby park, where she took pictures using a mini-camera that she carried within her purse. She walked about for the next hour doing nothing that would bring much attention to herself. She knew that Goran¡¯s hired thugs were following her discretely, making sure that she wasn¡¯t being watched by the Red Wolves.

    Leanna took in the fragrant summer air that blew over the mountains to the east, and through the streets of Wolf City. The rich smell of pine reached her nose and made her smile to herself despite the tense situation she found herself in. The clean and orderly road that she walked along reminded her of the place of her birth and upbringing, an Etrysian city on the western coast of its neighboring island, Athea. It wasn¡¯t surprising, since her hometown of Douri had been an inspiration for Wolf City during its construction fifty years earlier.

    Leanna had grown tired of Etrysia¡¯s stifling society and had moved to the Peninsula in her late teens to study under the Red Wolves. As she sat on a transit bench along the street, she reminisced on her time as a young woman living in Wolf City years ago. She¡¯d thrived at the Red Wolves Academy, much preferring its dialectic style of education to the numerous memorization tests that she¡¯d been subjected to as a child in Douri. She had changed a great deal from even those days, and yet she often wondered if she¡¯d truly escaped the prison of her birth culture.

    Many Etrysian expatriates called Wolf City their home, and it had even been founded by an Etrysian. Leanna had always found the city welcoming to her, even while she¡¯d avoided associating primarily with other Etrysian-born people. But her naturally green hair always clued people in to where she came from, and gave them expectations on how she should act. Green hair was a trait of Etrysia¡¯s Xypno gene class, known for their increased intellect and memory.

    She couldn¡¯t deny that her life had followed a path that aligned with her mental prowess, having been an analyst and then ¡°Data Girl¡± to her team. But as she sat on the bench with her dyed blonde hair, she couldn¡¯t help but imagine how differently she¡¯d lived her life if it had always been that color.

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s time.¡± Leanna said aloud after checking her silver watch, which rested delicately on her right wrist.

    She took a quick taxi ride to a rather generic cafe with outdoor wooden tables and chairs. The cafe only had a few patrons, as if the place knew what sort of seedy business was about to occur there. After sitting outside, it didn¡¯t take long for Leanna to see Goran approaching her table with two of his men. It was clear to Leanna that she wasn¡¯t the only one with dyed hair when she saw Goran¡¯s glossy black hair reflect the sunlight a bit too unnaturally. Leanna rose from her seat, smiled, and offered her hand as he walked up to her.

    ¡°You must be Reesa. I never expected you to be so stunning.¡± Goran said while he shook her hand.

    Leanna smiled at how easily her deception seemed to be playing out. Fortunately for her, the real traitor had never disclosed any details about their physical appearance to Goran, and had even used a false name.

    ¡°Thank you, that¡¯s sweet. I¡¯m happy that we are finally able to meet in person.¡± Leanna said, turning up the girlishness of her voice and mannerisms.

    ¡°Indeed, indeed!¡± Goran said emphatically. ¡°It¡¯s odd to me, that a city known for taking in human detritus from all over ?ba can manage to have such a wonderful district reserved for higher class people like ourselves. I suppose the Red Wolves know something about the order of things.¡± Goran said with a contemptuous chuckle.

    ¡°It certainly is something, isn¡¯t it?¡± Leanna said agreeably. She fought back the urge to roll her eyes at Goran¡¯s conceit.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s order and then get to business.¡± Goran said before everyone sat down at the table.

    The meeting consisted of a mixture of coded language and flirtation. The four of them barely touched the food and drink that they ordered. Goran flirted with Leanna so shamelessly that Prism almost became sick to his stomach.

    Leanna flashed her small datastore containing the fake laserlith schematics to Goran and his men halfway into their meeting. Goran practically salivated over the pearl-sized black sphere that rested in a silver brooch when Leanna withdrew it from her green purse.

    ¡°Your methods are quite ingenious, my dear.¡± Goran said after she put the brooch away, and would not relent in complimenting her on it for several minutes.

    When they¡¯d finally ended their discussion about the schematics, Goran and Leanna left their seats. Goran then threw a sizeable Conjunction dollar bill on the table. They walked down the nearby sidewalk with Goran¡¯s bodyguards close behind. The sun was starting to set on the horizon.

    ¡°It¡¯s time for that show you promised me, sweetheart.¡± Goran said while motioning his right hand towards the laserlith nearest to town.

    The bluish-black structure towered over every skyscraper within Wolf City as it stood near the Peninsula¡¯s western border. The sunset sky revealed thin red striations on the surface of the laserlith. The striations ran across its surface like circuits on a microchip.

    ¡°But of course.¡± Leanna said sweetly before slowly withdrawing a small bluish-black remote control from her purse.

    She outstretched her arm and pointed the remote directly at the pyramidal top of the laserlith. With a wink to Goran, Leanna pressed the largest button on her remote. In the distance, the laserlith suddenly began to emit a red light from its pointed top. A concentrated beam of entangled photons was fired from the laserlith only a second later at a seemingly uninhabited section of rocky mountainside visible on the eastern horizon. The laser blast created a sizeable explosion that showed rock and soil shooting up dozens of meters into the air.

    The display captivated Goran and the nearby Prism, though it didn''t seem to alarm any of the people within Wolf City. They''d grown used to the sudden and unannounced discharging of the laserliths. To the city''s citizens, the laser blasts just meant that any potential threat to their safety was being eliminated.

    "Very good. I''m satisfied." Goran said with a nod to Leanna. He was confident in the authenticity of the laserlith schematics that she carried.

    Leanna smiled and did a little curtsy before throwing the remote she''d used onto the ground and stomping on it with her right heel, destroying it. She''d told Goran during their meeting that she''d need to immediately destroy the remote to prevent the laserliths from tracking its relative position before they escaped. Remembering her words and taking them very seriously, Goran and his bodyguards motioned to Leanna to quickly make her way to their nearby black sedan. The electric car was at the end of the city block, only a dozen meters away.

    Leanna confidently nodded to Goran before leading the way to his vehicle. It only took a minute for the four of them to get into the car and make their way towards Wolf City''s executive airport where Goran''s private jet awaited. Prism continued to hover close to Leanna, even while the car sped through the maze of city streets and eventually onto the highway. The second phase of their mission was coming about a lot quicker than he''d expected.

    Prism worried that Ursun, Srell, and Lorias weren''t even in the city yet. Prism hoped that Jaik was aware of what was going on, and could figure out a way to delay Goran for an hour or so. Leanna wasn''t worried, as she knew that the firing of the laserlith served to communicate to the Red Wolves exactly what kind of time-table they were working with.

    "I hear that your nation is quite lovely during this time of year." Leanna said charmingly to Goran while the two of them sat in the backseat.

    "An absolute delight, my dear." Goran lied so blatantly that Leanna had to fight back a chortle.

    When they arrived at the executive airport and made their way to its small, fancy boarding building, Leanna and Prism were glad to see that it was under some sort of lockdown. Four wealthy-looking people stood around the service desk that barred the way to the tarmac, where their private aircraft awaited them. Leanna could hear the people arguing with a young man and a young lady who stood behind the service desk.

    "This is an outrage! I have an important meeting to attend in a matter of hours in Etrysia!" A rotund man in a gaudy, gold-colored suit shouted to the young female attendant.

    "We apologize again for the ongoing inconvenience, sir. The security alert that was issued is to protect your wellbeing. No planes can take flight until it has been lifted." The young lady said politely.

    "Yes, you dunce, we get that! But when will this damned security alert be lifted!?" A skinny older lady who was decked out in pearls and an excessive amount of hair adornments yelled.

    "We don''t have access to that information, I''m afraid. But we will let you know as soon as we get any updates." The young male attendant said brightly and loudly in an attempt to draw their ire away from his coworker.

    Leanna saw Goran look quite aghast as they overheard the arguments occurring at the service counter. She knew that he was at the mercy of the system, like the other well-to-do people in the boarding terminal. But she couldn''t be sure of what he would do if he truly felt backed into a corner. He was a highly well-connected man, after all. But even he wouldn''t risk his plane getting blown out of the sky by a laserlith, Leanna reasoned.

    "I''ll see if I can get this handled for us." Leanna said to Goran, who immediately looked a bit relieved.

    "Accompany the lady. There''s no telling what these panicked heathens might do." Goran said to his largest security guard. Leanna winced internally at his continued caution with her.

    Goran sat on a leather couch in the center of the room while Leanna and Goran¡¯s bodyguard walked over to the calamitous service desk. When two of the angry travelers saw her, they turned around to speak to her.

    "These idiotic workers are keeping us all grounded here for some undetermined amount of time. It¡¯s ridiculous and unacceptable." The older lady with extensive pearl jewelry said to Leanna. The lady seemed to identify Leanna as a fellow woman of means, which tickled Leanna.

    "Is that so? I certainly have something to say about that." Leanna said to the lady before approaching the attendants.

    "We''ve had no luck with them, no luck at all!" A middle-aged man in a very expensive black suit lamented to Leanna when she placed her fingers on the edge of the service desk.

    "Hello there. I''m Reesa Ritter, here with Goran Tinit. We should have a security exemption. Please confirm it against my employee ID." Leanna said while she took out her specially-made Red Wolves engineer card to show to the attendants.

    After inputting her employee ID number into their computer terminal, the attendants looked at each other and promptly exchanged impressed looks. The female attendant smiled brightly and handed Leanna''s engineer ID back to her.

    "Thank you, Ms. Ritter. You and Mr. Tinit can exit through there. We will have a cart ready to take you to his plane." The attendant said kindly to Leanna while pointing to an area behind and around the service desk.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    "Thank you very much." Leanna said while putting her ID card back into her green purse.

    The other four people who were waiting to board their planes erupted with angry shouts once again after remaining silent during Leanna''s exchange with the attendants. They couldn''t believe that someone else was getting special treatment. The bodyguard that accompanied Leanna had to push the pearled lady out of Leanna''s way after the older lady seemed to lunge at her in an attempt to ask Leanna how she''d gotten flight privileges during the lockdown.

    "Well done. You might be just as well-connected as I am." Goran said with a smile when Leanna returned to the center of the room to retrieve him.

    "Not for much longer. Let''s get out of here." Leanna said softly.

    Goran, Leanna, and the two bodyguards walked through the exit behind the service desk to the tarmac, past the two security officers that guarded it. Prism simply passed through the door, still staying close to Leanna and monitoring the events that unfolded around her. A large electric cart that sat eight was only a few meters from the door. The four of them were beckoned into it by a jovial, middle-aged male driver who Leanna and Prism recognized as Jaik in disguise. It took them five minutes to get to Goran''s plane. Its shiny gilded exterior beautifully reflected the various lights of the airfield, even in the dark of the early night.

    A cool breeze blew in from over the eastern glaciers, suddenly chilling the lightly-dressed Leanna. When he saw Leanna suddenly shiver a bit, Prism feared that it was an omen of looming danger.

    "Come, let''s get inside my jet. You''ll be warm in there." Goran said after placing his meaty fingers on Leanna''s exposed right shoulder and pushing her slightly forward in the direction of the jet''s retracted stairs.

    "Th-thank you." Leanna said. Her strong facade slipped slightly as she too began to recognize how vulnerable she would be once she stepped onto that plane.

    As Goran helped Leanna onto the plane, Prism did something that he hoped he wouldn''t need to do; he scanned the surface of Goran''s mind. Despite being unsynced from the physical world, Prism was still able to access and communicate with the minds of others. He needed to be especially cautious though, as too deep an intrusion could not just alert Goran to his presence, but also immediately resync Prism with the rest of reality.

    When Prism read the immediate periphery of Goran''s mind, Prism was shocked and disgusted by what he saw. Images of brutality and perversion swirled within Goran''s head. Prism couldn''t allow Goran to do the things that he intended to do to Leanna.

    But Prism also needed to continue to be careful. Any plan to stop Goran would need to keep Prism hidden and able to rejoin Ursun and the others before Goran''s plane left the Peninsula. Within seconds, Prism knew what to do.

    "Do you like it? Just as nice as the exterior, I hope." Goran said smoothly to Leanna once he got her onto his plane with his two bodyguards. There were two more security guards already on the plane, which the Red Wolves already had knowledge of.

    "Yes, it''s quite nice." Leanna said quietly while looking around.

    Golden, puffy padding was extensive throughout the interior of the plane. Even the seats had the gaudy yellowish padding. Several transparent cabinets full of expensive liquors hung on the walls throughout the cabin. The plane comfortably sat ten people, though it didn''t look like it could from the outside.

    "Have a seat and relax. My pilot is getting the engines started. We''ll be out of here in a few minutes." Goran said to Leanna while he went over to retrieve a bottle of blue liquor from one of his cabinets.

    "I can''t wait to see Rvljse." Leanna said brightly before sitting down in one of the soft, comfortable seats.

    When she sat down, three of the bodyguards took seats around her own. She mustered up as much optimism as she could, despite feeling a nearly overwhelming sense of dread. The fourth bodyguard did a quick sweep of the plane, checking the rear cabin, cockpit, and bathroom. Prism, still intangible and close to Leanna, took note of everyone''s position on the plane.

    "Yes, yes of course. You will love it, my dear." Goran said while pouring a glass of the blue liquor. "Now, drink this. It is an Rvljsan specialty." Goran said imploringly to Leanna.

    Leanna took the glass from Goran and rocked the liquid around with a few tilts of her wrist for a moment. She watched how the liquid swirled around the glass, noting its uncharacteristic thickness and strange smell. She figured that it was a sedative. She also knew that Goran would force her to drink it if she refused. A small mercy that he was keeping up the pretense, she thought to herself.

    Leanna tasted the liquid and noted its strange floral flavor. It was not at all what she expected, but she liked it. She picked up on hints of lavender and even honeysuckle. It was a strange drink, made even stranger by the medicinal notes that Leanna was sure was the sedative contained within it.

    "How do you like it?" Goran said while creepily rubbing his hands together.

    "It is...nice. Refreshing, even." Leanna said honestly.

    "Then there''s no reason not to drink the rest of it, then. In celebration of our soon-to-be completed business." Goran said while he poured himself a glass of an amber liquor.

    "Cheers!" Leanna said after raising her glass to Goran.

    "Cheers!" Goran said happily before knocking his glass against Leanna''s. He downed his drink in one go while he watched her do the same.

    Leanna quickly started to feel dizzy. The room seemed to spin around her. Her eyes became heavy, and her breathing slowed. She hoped that Prism could help her as she felt herself falling into her seat. She struggled to speak a few last words while she fought desperately to remain conscious.

    "I''m falling...asleep..." She managed to say before her body became limp.

    The glass she''d been holding dropped from her right hand and rolled a short distance on the carpeted floor of the cabin before it was picked up by Goran''s roaming bodyguard.

    "She''s out. Wonderful! Pilot, take us out of here and to the coordinates you''ve been given." Goran said after he placed his ear on Leanna''s chest to confirm that his sedative was working. "And please, don''t disturb us until we get to our destination." Goran added in a sinister tone.

    "Yes, sir. We''re authorized to proceed to the runway. We should be off the ground in ten minutes." The pilot replied over the plane''s intercom.

    Prism knew that he needed to act fast, so he quickly floated into the bathroom. After checking that there were no motion sensors or cameras within the small room, Prism resynced himself back to his normal, solid self. He carefully squatted onto the floor of the bathroom, making no sound whatsoever. He also closed his eyes to hide their light from shining beneath the bathroom door. Prism slowly began to move his hands as he cast a spell to counteract the drink''s effect on Leanna. He included a mental message within the spell for her, which also connected his mind to her own.

    "Pretend to be asleep for the rest of the flight. I will keep you safe from Goran and his men."

    The spell had its intended effect in a matter of seconds, and Leanna did as the voice that rang in her head suggested. A feeling of warmth radiated through her mind, which served to soothe and relax her despite her still being in a dangerous situation.

    Prism knew that he''d eventually need to be frank about his telepathic magic with his team. There was no better time than during that mission. But his work on the plane wasn''t over.

    He closed his eyes and expanded his vision to include the cabin where the others sat. He saw Goran begin to reach for Leanna''s chest. Wanting to avoid the worst outcome, Prism quickly cast a spell to make Goran increasingly sleepy. Prism hoped that the selfish, lecherous mind that he had peeked in on earlier would ironically safeguard Leanna during their flight. Fortunately for Prism, he was right.

    "Phew, I guess the events of the day wore me out more than I expected." Goran said when he became overcome by a feeling of exhaustion. "I''m taking a nap. None of you touch her before I have her." Goran said sternly to his bodyguards, who simply nodded their understanding of his depraved order.

    Goran plopped down in the seat directly beside Leanna''s and fell fast asleep. Prism sighed quietly at his handiwork, but knew that he couldn''t rest on his laurels. He waved his left hand over his face, triggering his unsyncing magics once again. He became invisible and floated slightly above the floor, just as he''d been most of that afternoon. He floated through the walls into the cabin to check on Leanna one last time before he floated through the floor of the plane and onto the tarmac.

    Prism could make out Jaik riding in the electric cart towards an indistinctive hangar over fifty meters away. Prism floated hurriedly to catch up with the cart, and waited for it to enter the hangar before resyncing himself in front of Jaik. The hangar was half-lit, but Prism could see that the Titian was contained within. The tilt-jet''s rear-hatch was open, but Prism couldn''t see anyone within the ship''s darkened cargo bay. The Titian simply sat silently on its three landing tires as Jaik got out of his cart.

    "Ah!" Jaik jumped back and yelled when Prism suddenly appeared in front of him.

    Before Prism could say anything, he sensed three people behind him. As he slowly turned his head around to look, he saw several PAWs being raised and aimed at him. Lorias, Srell, and Ursun slowly approached from the shadows of the aircraft hangar, each of them wearing plainclothes like Jaik. When Ursun made eye contact with Prism, Ursun shook his head in irritation and lowered his weapon.

    "At ease, it''s just Prism." Ursun said just loud enough for everyone in his immediate vicinity to hear.

    "Sorry! I should''ve warned you guys before I resynced." Prism shouted.

    Jaik gave Prism a light punch on the shoulder before smiling wide at him. Prism was yet again surprised at how convincing Jaik''s disguise was as he looked at him face-to-face. Jaik looked much older, and the shape of his face and lips were different. Fortunately, the cosmetic effect was temporary and dissolvable in soap and water.

    "It''s fine, buddy. It''s not like you could''ve communicated with us while you were unsynced." Jaik said matter-of-factly.

    "Well, err, I should probably tell you guys something that I''ve been keeping to myself. Sorry, I just didn''t want you Red Wolves to have another reason to distrust me..." Prism started to say, being as coy as he could.

    "Out with it." Ursun said angrily.

    Prism cleared his throat and turned around to address Ursun, Lorias, and Srell, who all stared at him apprehensively. Prism looked at them all guiltily, knowing that it was the worst time to be giving them controversial yet mission-relevant information.

    "I can communicate by connecting my mind with others, even while unsynced." Prism said while his eyes darted nervously between his teammates.

    "Telepathy?" Jaik said with a ponderous expression.

    "Yes...that''s what many I''ve encountered call it." Prism said meekly.

    "What you''re really admitting to is that you can read minds, including our own." Lorias said after rolling his eyes and flipping his hair back dramatically. Srell cursed under his breath and crossed his arms, as well.

    ¡°I don¡¯t read people¡¯s minds without their permission, unless they¡¯re enemies who are a threat to my life and the lives of my friends. I know that it¡¯s an intrusion on people¡¯s privacy, plus it¡¯s dangerous to me too if I peer too deeply, so¡­¡± Prism frantically began to explain himself.

    Ursun bowed his head and smirked. He and the other commanders had discussed the possibility, but had no proof that Prism could read their minds. It became even clearer to Ursun that Prism was still hiding a great deal from the Red Wolves.

    "We''ll discuss that later. For now, let''s add that tool to Prism''s known arsenal." Ursun said to the other Red Wolves while looking at Jaik, Lorias, and Srell. "I''m assuming that you can link all of our minds together so that we can communicate non-verbally?" Ursun asked Prism.

    "Yes, across vast distances." Prism said. He began to perk up when he saw how pragmatic Ursun was being in response to his admission.

    "Good, very good. Then let''s do that now. We need to get the hang of it before we continue with the second part of the mission." Ursun said to Prism.

    "Sir, I''m back because Goran''s plane is leaving in a matter of minutes." Jaik said abruptly, not wanting his commander to get too sidetracked.

    "That plane can''t leave until I give the go ahead to Security. We have a few minutes." Ursun said to Jaik. "Now, show us how to use your "telepathy," Prism." Ursun said sternly to his team¡¯s contractor.

    "Right, of course." Prism nodded energetically.

    Prism brought both of his hand up to his head and laid the tips of his fingers on his forehead. He slowly closed his eyes as they began to glow with blue light. His fingertips and the center of his forehead glowed blue as well. Prism then brought his head back until his chin was pointing towards the ceiling.

    With a burst of bluish light from his head, Lorias, Srell, Ursun, and Jaik began to feel an odd tingling in their heads. Each of their eyes began to glow blue for a few seconds as the tingling sensation dulled into a comforting warmth that radiated from the center of their brains to the surface of their scalps. Each of the men brought their hands up to their temples and scalps to feel if their heads were actually warmer while the sensation faded.

    "It''s done." Prism''s voice echoed in the minds of the other teammates of RED-1, including Leanna''s.

    Prism privately urged her to remain calm and to keep her eyes closed while the plane she was on continued to roll onto the runway. He also relayed what had happened to her to the others through a series of images. It was disorienting to the mercenaries, but they understood what Prism was communicating to them. They were both alarmed by what had almost happened to Leanna, but also grateful that Prism had been there to protect her.

    "Weird, I can hear you in my head! And these pictures! So much information!" Jaik yelled excitedly while Ursun, Lorias, and Srell looked confusedly at each other. The experience nearly overwhelmed their senses.

    "Try to limit your communication to our telepathic link. Don''t speak aloud right now." Prism''s voice echoed in the minds of his team, communicating the urgency of their mission by relaying his feelings of worry and concern for Leanna''s situation.

    "So, we can share not only words, but feelings and visual information too. This is powerful." Ursun''s voice traveled to the minds of his team. His voice sounded distant and distorted, a consequence of his inexperience using telepathy.

    "I feel like I''m going to throw up..." Srell''s voice and sense of nausea was relayed to his team. Prism did his best to mitigate the sickened feelings, not wanting it to overpower the team and cause everyone to vomit.

    "The magic you used...I assume that it is now a part of us?" Lorias said, always quick to understand.

    "That''s right. This link between us will persist for as long as any of you want it to." Prism calmly communicated across the telepathic link. "It will take time for you all to learn not to share feelings in addition to words and images, so I will do my best to manage such things for now." Prism added.

    "This will be our primary communication for the duration of the mission. It is private and versatile." Ursun''s voice blared over the shared link. He was getting the hang of it quite quickly, Prism thought privately to himself.

    "Just stay out of our private thoughts." Srell''s voice echoed insecurely to his team, but came especially loudly to Prism.

    "Don''t worry; we can only hear what you intentionally send over the link. Your private thoughts are still your own." Prism''s telepathic voice was warm and sincere.

    "I can confirm that." Lorias'' voice was confident over the link.

    "Alright, let''s get both of our birds into the sky." Ursun''s voice blared over the link.

    Ursun walked around to the back of the Titian up its lowered ramp and into its transport bay. Srell, Lorias, Jaik, and Prism followed him aboard the ship. Once aboard, Ursun told the pilot to authorize Goran''s ship to take-off via laser messaging to Red Wolves Security. After confirming that Goran''s plane was airborne, Ursun then ordered the Titian''s pilot to start the engines and get them near the runway. From there, the tiltjet could lift off vertically without the need of the actual runway.

    Prism had explained to Ursun before their mission prep that he could only safely unsync an aircraft that was already flying. Prism wasn''t sure if lift could be achieved by an aircraft that was unsynced, since it technically wasn''t a physical, solid object anymore. Prism was sure that an unsynced aircraft''s controls would still work once the aircraft was in flight, as that was a scenario that he had experienced during his travels. Ursun had factored in those knowns and unknowns into their mission, and had planned accordingly.

    Once the Titian''s jet engines had gotten them into the air above Wolf City, Prism got to work. He''d already placed a few spell circles on the hull of the ship that morning, so all that was necessary was for him to activate them. Prism stretched his arms out to his sides and began to wave them rhythmically around himself, gathering mana from the sky surrounding the tiltjet.

    "Look at him go." Jaik said aloud with a smile.

    Prism funneled that mana into the spell circles, which would ordinarily cause them to glow with bluish light. But Prism knew that those lights could be seen from Goran''s plane, and that could alert Goran''s people to RED-1''s presence. Instead, Prism caused a cover of clouds to slowly gather around the Titian before the magical energy flowed into his spell circles. The circles did not need much mana to be activated, so their light never grew bright enough to pierce the clouds around them.

    Once he knew that his circles were ready, Prism stopped moving his arms. With his hands still outstretched to both sides of himself, Prism brought them together with a loud CLAP. The Titian began to fade away, as did everything contained within it. Soon, everyone aboard the tiltjet was unsynced and invisible. But to each other, the jet and its other inhabitants were merely translucent.

    "This is crazy!" Srell shouted as he and his teammates looked down at the floor of the ship''s bay that he stood within.

    The lights of Wolf City could barely be seen beneath their feet. It was as though they were looking through bluish, frosted glass. The Titian''s windows were still transparent however, though they also had an eerie blue tint to them. Even stranger to the mercenaries was how they looked to each other. Each of them looked like blue ghosts, having the same bluish-tint as the rest of the ship. Their feet touched the bay''s floor, which seemed to conflict with what Prism had told them.

    "Unsynced things can touch each other just like normal matter can. That''s why we aren''t floating around within the bay." Prism''s voice echoed through their telepathic link. He felt his nearby teammates'' confusion begin to fade away.

    "Tell the pilots to begin pursuing Goran''s ship." Ursun ordered to Prism over their link.

    "They can hear you when you talk, sir. We are all unsynced, even the air in here, so sound will carry within the ship." Prism said aloud to Ursun, reminding him of a fact that Prism had shared earlier that morning.

    Ursun nodded to Prism, remembering their earlier conversation once Prism started speaking. Ursun walked to the other end of the bay to the door that led to the cockpit. He touched the door''s metal handle, half-expecting for his hand to pass right through it.

    He ran his hand along the metallic handle, and a few of the locking mechanisms along the door''s frame. His hand felt slightly numb, as if it was barely registering the sensations on his fingertips. And the sounds that would normally be made by rubbing the metallic surfaces were dampened, too.

    Ursun shook his head, dismissed the oddity of it all, and proceeded into the cockpit after opening the door before him. He saw that his pilot and co-pilot were both marveling at their gauges, discussing how impossible their situation seemed.

    "Begin pursuit of Goran''s ship. Let me know if you have any trouble with the Titian." Ursun ordered aloud to them.

    "Yes, sir. Beginning pursuit," the pilot said.

    After a few minutes of acclimatizing to the strange new way that the Titian handled in flight, the pilot was able to reach Goran''s ship without any issue. The Titian stayed within seventy meters of the other ship for the duration of their flight. There was no turbulence or drag for their ethereal tiltjet, making it the smoothest flight possible.

    Prism sat silently on the floor of the cargo bay with his eyes closed, peering into the cabin of Goran''s ship with his expanded magical perception. He kept his eyes on Goran, who slept peacefully, and Goran''s guards, who sat silently. The bodyguards obediently left the seemingly-sleeping Leanna alone during their flight to the unknown island within Vadam''s territory, much to RED-1''s relief.

 Chapter 16 - Exert

    Goran¡¯s jet landed on a small airstrip situated on a remote Vadamite island in the Eizic Ocean, just as the Red Wolves¡¯ intel had indicated. RED-1¡¯s ghostly male members hovered out of the unsynced Titian and quickly made their way aboard the jet. During their flight, Prism had connected the tiltjet¡¯s pilots to RED-1¡¯s telepathic link since their conventional radio comms wouldn¡¯t work in their unsynced state. The invisible Titian returned to the skies, awaiting Ursun¡¯s telepathic order to pick up his team once they retrieved Leanna, captured Goran, and investigated the secret island base.

    As Ursun and his men passed through the door of Goran¡¯s gilded jet, they were overcome with a strange sense of dread. Prism, on the other hand, felt nothing out of the ordinary. The team had no time to discuss the feeling once they saw the scene unfolding within the cabin of the grounded aircraft.

    ¡°After that much needed rest, it¡¯s time for my fun to begin!¡± Goran said while he began to unbuckle his pants.

    He stood slovenly before Leanna, who was still pretending to be asleep in her puffy seat. Goran seemed to pay no mind to the four bodyguards who sat around her. His disgusting mind could only focus on one thing.

    ¡°Resync us right now!¡±

    Ursun¡¯s overwhelming authority blared at the same intensity as his telepathic words through the minds of his teammates. Prism immediately felt compelled to obey his order without doubt or hesitation, despite being the controller of the psychic link. In seconds, Prism had caused the male members of RED-1 to become visible and corporeal once more.

    And to Prism¡¯s dismay, each of his male teammates fell to the ground and began to convulse wildly. They were overcome with a simultaneous wave of agonizing pain, gut-wrenching nausea, and mind-body disassociation. The feelings were so significant that they ripped apart Prism¡¯s telepathy magic, dispelling it completely.

    ¡°No! I¡­¡± Prism shouted, realizing his huge error in judgment.

    But before he could finish his exclamation, Prism was quickly jolted back to his wider surroundings when he heard the cocking of guns. Goran¡¯s well-trained bodyguards had been shocked by the sudden appearance of five men in their cabin, but that hadn¡¯t stopped them from reflexively drawing their pistols. Goran still stood in front of Leanna¡¯s seat, but he was shuddering with his pants around his ankles. He was both terrified and confused by what he¡¯d just seen.

    ¡°Sh-shoot them!¡± He soon shouted to his bodyguards.

    Prism¡¯s eyes flashed white before he erected a barrier of light to stop the barrage of bullets that came from the bodyguards¡¯ guns. At the same time, he created an aura of silence around the plane¡¯s interior to prevent the gunshots from being heard by anyone on the tarmac, just as he¡¯d been told to do during their mission prep. Prism figured that he could at least salvage that much of their mission¡¯s stealth. With another white flash of his eyes, Prism shifted the defensive attributes of his barrier. It began to reflect bullets back at the bodyguards, quickly killing all of them.

    Prism glanced worriedly down at his unconscious teammates, whose convulsions began to stop. After witnessing so many unbelievable things, Goran started to relieve himself where he stood. Prism knew then that the only remaining threats aboard the plane were the pilots.

    ¡°Leanna, see to the cockpit! I need to heal the rest of our team!¡± Prism yelled to the fake-sleeping Leanna, who¡¯d been completely aghast at what she¡¯d heard take place around her.

    Leanna opened her eyes and quickly looked around the room. When she saw Goran whimpering in front of her, she kicked him out of her way, grabbed a pistol from one of the dead bodyguards, and dashed to the cockpit door. She shot the lock off the door and kicked it open. In under a minute, she''d shot both the armed pilot and co-pilot dead.

    Prism got to work restoring his other teammates to some semblance of health. His eyes flashed green as he channeled healing magics through his hands and into the bodies of the incapacitated men around him. He felt how bad their conditions were, and he knew that healing them completely would leave him barely functional. But in his mental calculus, he knew that four healthy, living mercs were better than an already-limited magic-user.

    Prism gathered as much mana as his body could contain and then unleashed a burst of healing magic to Jaik, Ursun, Lorias, and Srell. As Prism fell weakly to his knees, he saw the four men open their eyes and slowly begin to stand.

    ¡°Damn, it feels like I¡¯ve been shot in the head¡­¡± Srell said with a wince while gripping his forehead.

    Ursun¡¯s first instinct was to grab Prism and scream at him for almost getting them killed. But when he saw the small Elementeitan exhausted and kneeling before him, Ursun reined back his anger. Ursun then saw the dead bodyguards nearby, and the shuddering Goran standing pants-less. Ursun gave the arms dealer a look of utter disgust.

    ¡°You screwed up, but looks like you¡¯ve mitigated the consequences of your mistake. Can you keep going?¡± Ursun asked Prism.

    ¡°He has to. If our ship is visible again, then we¡¯ve probably got a fleet of Vadamite ships headed this way.¡± Lorias interrupted and said matter-of-factly.

    Lorias softly massaged his right eye in an attempt to minimize the pain from his sudden headache. Ursun took a step forward and got into Lorias¡¯ face. Lorias avoided making eye contact with his commander. Lorias quickly got the message that he shouldn¡¯t be putting anymore unneeded pressure on their magical contractor.

    ¡°The Titian is fine. It¡¯s still unsynced, and the pilots were unaffected by the resync shock that you all experienced.¡± Prism said guiltily as he casually put words to the trauma that the men around him had just went through. ¡°I also silenced the plane¡¯s hull so that anyone near it wouldn¡¯t hear the gunshots.¡± Prism added with a shrug.

    ¡°We almost died! On top of all that pain, it felt like my soul was leaving my body!¡± Srell shouted angrily at Prism.  ¡°I knew we couldn¡¯t trust that ¡°unsyncing¡± garbage!¡± He added spitefully.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t like Command gave him enough time to test it out on anyone.¡± Leanna said calmly while she walked back into the cabin. ¡°Area secured, by the way.¡± She said with a hint of irritation after she saw Goran shuddering on the ground.

    Jaik squatted down in front of Prism and looked him in his big, brown eyes. Prism¡¯s eyes grew wide when he realized that he could still sense Jaik¡¯s feelings and fleeting thoughts, even without the telepathic magic flowing between them. It was a strange realization, made stranger when Prism soon noticed that Jaik didn¡¯t seem aware of their connection.

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    ¡°Will this ¡°resync shock¡± happen to our pilots? And will it happen to us again after we unsync to get back on the Titian?¡± Jaik asked softly, not wanting to make his friend even more insecure about the issue.

    ¡°Yes, it probably will. It seems that the humans of ?ba aren¡¯t suited for resyncing back into physical reality.¡± Prism said worriedly.

    His shame forced him to turn his head away from Jaik. But Jaik wasn¡¯t going to let Prism feel sorry for himself. Jaik grabbed him by the waist and helped him to his feet. Prism leaned against Jaik for support, as he was still too weak to stand on his own.

    ¡°We¡¯ll deal with that later. Leanna, get that asshole up and on his feet so that he can tell us about this Vadamite base.¡± Ursun ordered while pointing to Goran.

    Leanna nodded before kicking Goran and pointing her pistol at him.

    ¡°You heard the man. Stop your disgusting sniveling and get up!¡± Leanna yelled.

    Goran slowly and pitifully got up and raised his arms in the air when he saw Leanna¡¯s gun. Lorias and Srell laughed when they saw his wet underwear on full-display, with his pants still around his ankles. Leanna motioned with her gun for him to pull his pants up, and he carefully obliged.

    ¡°They¡¯ll know something¡¯s up if they see his stained pants.¡± Lorias said.

    Prism¡¯s eyes flashed white before he reached out his right hand in the direction of Goran¡¯s soiled pants. With a few white sparkles, the pants were clean and dry. The cleaning magic was very easy to use, even in Prism¡¯s weakened state. Goran, whose arms were raised, looked down at his crotch with a look of complete shock.

    ¡°Well that solves that problem!¡± Srell said with a chuckle.

    Srell''s anger with Prism had waned as his headache quickly diminished. In fact, all of the men soon felt completely healthy again, as if their bodies hadn''t been wracked by violent seizures just minutes earlier.

    "Mr. Tinit, tell us everything you know about the facilities on this island." Ursun ordered.

    "I-i-it''s a forward operating base. The V-V-Vadamites use it as an early warning station to d-d-detect Conjunction attacks against their more remote n-n-northern islands." Goran struggled to say.

    "Crap!" Srell cursed upon realizing the folly of their mission''s secondary objective.

    They couldn''t risk investigating such a base, as it would surely lead to an escalation of conflict between Vadam and the Conjunction. It could lead to turning their isolated skirmishes with the island nation into large-scale war. If anything went wrong during their mission, it would be easy to spin the Red Wolves'' infiltration of a small monitoring base into a surprise terrorist attack on Vadamite soil.

    It became clear to Ursun that they simply needed to leave the island without attracting any attention from the Vadamites stationed there. The plane full of dead bodyguards could simply remain a mystery until the Red Wolves decided what to do with Goran.

    "If we¡¯d known you¡¯d break so easily, we could¡¯ve been spared the trip out here.¡± Ursun said to Goran, who Pack Command wrongly believed had undergone rigorous Rvljsan discipline training. ¡°Prism, can you unsync all of us and contact the ship to retrieve us?" Ursun asked.

    "I can. I¡¯ll be forced to rest on the way back and regain what little mana I can while unsynced to heal everyone once I resync all of you. But..." Prism''s voice faltered as he was once again faced with the magnitude of his misjudgment.

    "Just tell us the issues. We''ll figure out a way to deal with them. That''s what our team does." Jaik said in a motivational tone to Prism.

    "Goran is...not in the best shape, mentally or physically. He might not survive the resync shock." Prism said with his eyes locked on Jaik. Prism was not brave enough at that moment to look at Ursun.

    "So be it. We don''t have any other choice." Ursun said gravely. "Get to it, Prism."

    Prism, still holding on to Jaik for support, began to weave the simple magics to unsync every living person aboard the plane. It only took a few seconds for him to make each of them intangible and for him to send a telepathic message to the Titian above them to fly down low enough for them to enter its transport bay. After restraining a panicking Goran, they hovered through the hull of the jet plane and boarded the Titian just a few minutes later.

    And just as he''d said he would, Prism practically collapsed on the floor of the ship and fell into a deep, restorative slumber.

    ****

    ''Wake up! We''re back on our own soil." Srell said while slapping Prism''s cheek.

    Prism was quick to rouse from his sleep. He stood up, looked around the bay, and saw that everyone looked uneasy. They knew what Prism needed to do, and that it may very well kill them. Goran laid restrained on one of the makeshift gurneys that Prism had been in not even a month earlier.

    "The pilots have lowered our landing gear, and have placed the ship about a meter or so above the landing area in the Auxiliary hangar. When they become unconscious, the ship should drop safely onto the ground." Leanna explained to Prism, who simply nodded his understanding.

    "You can resync us now. Do whatever you can to keep the target alive." Ursun said. His normally commanding tone seemed a bit muted.

    Prism nodded silently to Ursun before following his order. Prism then began stringing together a series of spells that he hoped would mitigate the most harmful aspects of resync shock. His eyes glowed blue, and the light from them slowly grew brighter. Prism traced several ornate patterns into the air around him, causing several small blue spell circles to appear and float nearby. The circles drifted along the air, each making contact with someone aboard the Titian.

    Each of the Red Wolves touched the spell circle that glowed warmly on their skin or clothing. The final spell circle that Prism created shined more brightly than the others. It flew delicately like a snowflake onto Goran''s chest and lingered there for the duration of Prism''s ritual. Goran could do nothing but whimper helplessly.

    Once the spell circles were attached to each person, Prism breathed deeply as he slowly and cautiously resynced everything around him. He knew that making the process more gradual would make their bodies better able to handle the strain. He slowly brought his hands closer together, making himself feel the delicate nature of the process as an ever-harder ball of energy between his hands. If he clasped his hands together too soon, that ball would burst and signify that full resync shock had overcome the others. The other members of RED-1 looked at him with curious and anxious eyes. They had no real idea what he was doing, and they could only put their trust in him.

    As the Titian slowly faded back into tangibility, security guards stationed within the Auxiliary quickly reported the phenomenon to Pack Command. The guards were ordered to surround the ship and to be ready to stop a possible infiltration. Each of them looked wearily at the strange sight unfolding before them. Many of the guards thought that it was some new cloaking technology that Gnapp had invented. Even many high-ranking guards and mercenaries within the Red Wolves had still not been briefed about Prism''s abilities.

    Prism began to feel the strain of progressively bringing so many things fully back into reality. He hadn¡¯t been able to attain much mana since he was unconscious during their trip back, having to instead rely on his body¡¯s passive mana-gathering ability as he slept. And since he was unsynced, it had been much more difficult to gather mana from his ethereal surroundings.

    It took a great deal of effort to slowly resync things versus instantaneously doing so. Sweat beaded down his bald scalp and forehead as the process took its toll. He kept telling himself that he could do it; a voice inside of him kept yelling for him to save his teammates and safeguard their mission.

    With a final labored push, Prism clasped his hands together as everything around him became fully corporeal again. He felt a great relief wash over him when he saw that his stabilization magic had kept everyone from falling over unconscious. Prism, however, soon hit the ground hard after he doubled over from his efforts.

    "Get Medical up here! Jaik, do what you can for him until they get here!" Ursun yelled into his radio, and then across the bay at Jaik.

    Jaik rushed over to Prism''s side to check his vitals. Jaik used his fingers to check Prism''s pulse and rate of breathing, which he knew from Dr. Liam''s tests should have the same baselines as an average human. Jaik quickly realized that Prism''s efforts had put too much strain on his alien heart. It was a serious issue, and Jaik feared that Prism might stop breathing at any time. Jaik quickly retrieved a removable cushion from one of the bay''s retractable wall seats and used it to prop Prism up slightly to improve his breathing ability. It was then that the ramp at the back of the transport bay began to lower.

    To Jaik''s further dismay, Prism stopped breathing entirely after being propped up. Jaik responded reflexively by ripping open Prism''s black shirt. Jaik started to alternate between performing chest compressions on Prism and breathing into his mouth to provide emergency oxygen. When the others within the bay saw Jaik begin to perform what they knew to be CPR on Prism, they walked over to see if anything could be done to save their newest team member.

    They silently watched as Jaik alternated between breathing air into Prism''s mouth and pushing on his small chest. All of them were soon joined in the bay by a group of security guards and three medical doctors with a gurney. The other doctors quickly grew impatient with Jaik¡¯s determined efforts.

    "Come on, let us have him. We''ll use the defibrillator." One of the doctors said to Jaik, who was still desperately trying to save Prism''s life.

    "We don''t know what that will do to him! He looks like us, but he''s..." Jaik yelled with tears in his eyes before continuing CPR on Prism.

    "We need to use more advanced techniques before time runs out." Another doctor said impatiently.

    Ursun worried that Jaik was being too emotional about the situation. It was true that they had no idea what medicines to use on Prism, or what advanced technologies would be effective. But as Ursun watched Jaik struggle to bring Prism back to life, Ursun knew that CPR wasn''t enough.

    Ursun walked over to Jaik and pulled the young man off of Prism. Just as Jaik was beginning to struggle against the larger man''s grip, Prism began coughing and gripping his chest. Jaik loudly gasped and smiled wider than he ever had.

    "Oh thank goodness..." Leanna said while nearly everyone else in the room let out sighs of relief.

    "Get him up on the gurney. He''s still going to need our help." One of the three doctors said.

    When two of the security officers lifted the still-weak Prism up onto the white gurney, Jaik looked pleadingly up at Ursun, who was still gripping the sleeve of the disguised combat medic. Ursun grunted before relenting to Jaik''s puppy-dog eyes. Jaik rushed off the Titian with the other doctors as they wheeled Prism to a nearby medical room.

    "Alright guys, let''s get Goran a nice cell to rest in so that we can finish this mess of a mission." Ursun ordered to those still in the transport bay.

 Chapter 17 - Training

    After Prism and the rest of RED-1 narrowly survived their first official mission together, Pack Command realized that they overestimated his abilities. During Prism¡¯s week-long recovery from his heart failure, Finisome, Liam, Gnapp, and Ursun created a 4-week bootcamp for Prism to learn not just how to be a professional mercenary, but how to use his powers more effectively on a team of professionals without exhausting himself. They presented the bootcamp in the form of an ultimatum; Prism would either complete the training camp or work alone on Command-assigned missions. The Red Wolves couldn¡¯t afford for Prism¡¯s haphazard magic to get their premier team killed.

    The bootcamp would require RED-1 to be sidelined for a month so that they could participate in it. But Pack Command saw the benefits of having a well-trained Prism worth the team¡¯s additional downtime.

    The Pack Commanders were surprised by Prism¡¯s quick recovery, which was a result of his innate ability to heal much faster than humans. He wasted no time enrolling in their bootcamp the moment they presented him with their ultimatum. Prism¡¯s guilt over his almost-disastrous first mission motivated him to grow stronger. Prism wasn¡¯t sure how long his weakened magical ability would last, but he knew that he needed to learn to work with his new limitations.

    And Prism, who¡¯d been working on his own for a very long time before he arrived on ?ba, knew that he needed to relearn how to work effectively on a team.

    ¡°It may seem peaceful here, but we are still in the middle of a bitter war against half of our world. Time not spent undermining our enemies is time that we are giving to our enemies to undermine us. That¡¯s why we rushed you out on a mission.¡± Ursun had explained to Prism during his initial explanation of the bootcamp, while Prism stood before the rest of Pack Command within their command center.

    ¡°We knew that, pass or fail, we¡¯d only learn how you functioned on RED-1 if we put you out there with them. It was a messy mission, but you fulfilled our objectives. Now we know that you simply need some finesse; finesse that only rigorous training can provide.¡± Finisome had said to Prism in earnest during that same meeting.

    ¡°You have given me all sorts of ideas for new inventions, so I thank you for that, Mr. Prism. And this bootcamp is an excellent opportunity for me to try out some new robotic behavioral algorithms. I¡¯m sure that we will all learn a great deal from your efforts!¡± Gnapp had said giddily, which drew judgmental looks from his colleagues.

    ¡°This bootcamp is for our mutual benefit. Make the most of it,¡± were the words that Liam had concluded their meeting with.

    Prism was glad that the Red Wolves had shown a sort of wisdom in throwing him into the field immediately. And they didn¡¯t harangue him over his mistakes; they simply offered him a way to make things right.

    His bootcamp was just as grueling as it would be for any Red Wolves who¡¯d proven strong enough to join RED-1 or any of the other RED mercenary teams. His first week was spent having ¡°Pack¡± operations and procedures drilled into him while marching and camping through the glacial mountains that lined the Peninsula¡¯s eastern coastline. Prism wasn¡¯t allowed to use magic during that week, which proved more difficult than Prism had imagined.

    ¡°Internally, we refer to the Red Wolves Company as our ¡°Pack,¡± hence the name of our command.¡± Ursun had explained to Prism. ¡°Even though you¡¯re officially listed as a contractor, you¡¯re still a member of our Pack, kid. That¡¯s why we¡¯re training you to be your best.¡±

    Ursun was his drill sergeant and only company during the first week. Ursun proved to be a merciless taskmaster, never giving Prism an inch of leniency. At many times during that week, Prism came close to hating him. But Ursun pushed Prism further than he¡¯d pushed his other recruits because he soon learned that Prism¡¯s natural physical strength and endurance were greater than even genetically-modified people that Ursun had seen. From what Ursun saw during that first week, Prism was perhaps the fastest and hardiest member of RED-1, even without magic.

    The second week of bootcamp saw the arrival of three familiar faces; Lorias, Srell, and Jaik. They all remained in the alpine wilderness with Ursun and Prism and continued to hunt and forage for their food with minimal gear. Prism was still not permitted to use his magic, though he¡¯d begun to get used to the limitation. It was during that week that Prism would learn what made each of his male teammates a special part of RED-1, and how he could compliment their strengths. Each day the four of them were given a series of challenges by Ursun that they needed to overcome as a team.

    Prism learned that Srell was perhaps the most adaptable member of the team. Srell specialized in leading assaults, but he was also an amazing long-distance marksman and hand-to-hand combatant. Srell shot down several birds mid-flight seconds after Lorias spotted them. Those birds became meals for the team that night.

    Srell also beat Prism numerous times, both in fighting exercises that Ursun arranged and during impromptu attempts. Prism¡¯s near-superhuman strength seemed to be of no benefit in his bouts with the lean-muscled Srell, who seemed capable of deflecting any strike that Prism sent his way. Prism made every effort to beat Srell in martial combat, and was finally successful on his fifth day of trying. Prism came to learn that Srell¡¯s impressive martial arts were drilled into him at a young age by his native peoples in the nation of Esdegon, who had a rich history of both armed and unarmed disciplines.

    ¡°In Esdegon, we learn how to throw a punch before we learn how to walk.¡± Srell had explained half-jokingly to Prism over a campfire on the second evening of Prism¡¯s second week of bootcamp.

    Lorias proved to have many talents as well, but most revolved around hunting. Prism quickly realized that Lorias was the quintessential ranger, having skills centered on tracking, survivalism, and the use of more traditional weapons like swords and traps. Prism imagined that Lorias would be right at home in the low-tech worlds that he primarily visited.

    Lorias seemed to know everything about the mountainous woods that they hiked along. He could identify the extensive wildlife from their sounds and various tracks. He knew what plants they could eat and use to create traps. His mind seemed to have a penchant for recognizing patterns and details in even the most chaotic or barren areas. He allowed his team to track and capture a series of marked animals over a 50 kilometer radius to complete one of their challenges.

    ¡°It is important to be still, so that you can hear what is going on around you.¡± Lorias had told Prism during their hunt. Lorias¡¯ wise words reminded Prism of something that his Elementeitan elders would say when he was a child.

    Jaik surprised Prism in numerous ways during his bootcamp. Jaik never seemed to tire or even complain during their various challenges and hikes through the taiga. He seemed completely focused on helping Prism make it through the training. Jaik¡¯s natural ingenuity helped the team in a number of their challenges that week. He enabled them to traverse a large lake together by quickly designing a boat that they constructed out of surrounding materials. He also put his combat medic tools to use when Srell slipped into a glacial crevasse and got a nasty cut on his arm.

    ¡°Take plenty of time to rest. Don¡¯t let Ursun push you past what you can safely deal with.¡± Jaik had said fervidly to Prism while they traversed the stretch of hazardous glaciers. ¡°You¡¯ve only just recovered. Tell me if you feel any chest pain or sudden shortness of breath, alright?¡± Jaik had reiterated to Prism from time to time.

    Prism could still sense the strange connection that he shared with Jaik, sometimes hearing an errant thought or a flash of strong emotion. What Prism felt the most from Jaik was his worry and concern for him. A prevailing thought that kept coming to Jaik was how Prism shouldn¡¯t have been pressured into such a rough bootcamp after suffering a heart attack. Hearing such thoughts and sensing such feelings exhausted Prism at times, but it also warmed his heart.

    Prism didn¡¯t attempt to sever the connection, as he feared that doing so might harm Jaik or even himself in some way. Prism knew that their link was born of the raw, wild mana that he¡¯d gotten from ?ba¡¯s very soul. Such magic was dangerous to tamper with.

    After a week of team-building exercises in the wilderness, Prism and the others made their way to a seemingly abandoned city in the northwestern corner of the Peninsula. There they were joined by Leanna on a hill that overlooked the city, who specialized in urban warfare, cyber warfare, and intelligence gathering. She wore her combat armor, wraparound smart glasses, and her drone pack, just like on the day that Prism met her. It was within that mock city that Prism¡¯s third week of training began. And during that week, he was finally allowed to use magic.

    Ursun made sure that the third week of Prism¡¯s bootcamp would be especially difficult, with a scenario that required him to rely on all RED-1 to achieve victory. Ursun had included himself in the scenario, despite still being Prism''s drill sergeant. Ursun would be joining the rest of RED-1 for its dangerous journey that week.

    The training city that they''d made it to was outfitted with various automated weapons systems, and even had numerous combat constructs that were reproductions of Monarchist robot technology. The city provided an excellent arena to teach and train urban combat.

    ¡°You guys built all of this just to train your people?¡± Prism had said as he¡¯d marveled at the scale of the mid-sized city from the edge of the hillside. Even the outskirts of the city had several remnants of gunfire and damage from larger ordinance.

    ¡°We take our training very seriously. Or have you not noticed?¡± Leanna had said with a smile.

    ¡°Welcome to Battle City, where you will know the meaning of true terror!¡± Jaik had said loudly while raising his arms like a wrestling announcer.

    ¡°This city was actually inhabited once, over 50 years ago.¡± Ursun had explained while they stood on a cliff overlooking the city¡¯s skyline. ¡°It was the site of a terrible biological attack that wiped out its population, an attack that made those who lived in other parts of the Peninsula flee in terror back to Inner Ruskeda.¡± He¡¯d said ominously, sending a shiver down Prism¡¯s spine.

    Leanna and Jaik had looked guiltily down at the city after hearing Ursun¡¯s words. They¡¯re jokes about Battle City, which had been constructed using the ruins of the previous city, hadn¡¯t meant to disrespect its history, but had come off as facetious to Ursun nonetheless. The mercenaries all knew the story of the exodus from the Peninsula that had taken place before any of them had been born. But that exodus had paved the way for the Red Wolves to have a place to call their own, and for human life and safety to be returned to the verdant, resource-rich region.

    ¡°Who launched that attack?¡± Prism had asked despite the tension in the air.

    ¡°The Queen herself,¡± was all that Ursun had said.

    Prism¡¯s first day within Battle City revolved around him getting familiar with its layout. He and the other members of RED-1 first convened in a small building on the eastern edge of the city, which sat on the same hill that they¡¯d met Leanna on. Leanna went over a detailed map of the city with Prism for over an hour, making sure that he was familiar with the general area. She stressed the importance of always knowing the battlefield and one¡¯s location on it.

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    ¡°Your last two weeks of bootcamp will depend on how well you can get through this city.¡± Leanna said soberly to Prism.

    The mission that Ursun gave Prism and his team seemed simple enough; they all needed to make it to the top of Battle City¡¯s central skyscraper alive and stop a mock fusion bomb from detonating there. They only had five days before the fake bomb would explode, and they would need to navigate through the city on foot to get to it.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t you just fly all of us up there?¡± Srell asked Prism after Ursun had explained their mission.

    ¡°It¡¯s too far away, and there are too many of us. I can barely fly myself, and maybe for only a few dozen kilometers.¡± Prism explained to the others with a shrug of his shoulders. He was embarrassed by his magical inadequacy, to say the least.

    ¡°You¡¯ll just support us while we navigate through the city.¡± Lorias reasoned.

    Jaik and Leanna nodded their agreement.

    ¡°Be aware that this is a live fire exercise. No paint rounds here, kids.¡± Ursun said gruffly, which quickly turned the mood of the room grim and contemplative.

    During their elite-training days in Battle City, Lorias, Srell, Jaik, Leanna, as well as Ursun had all participated in scenarios that had their robotic opponents use real ammunition against them. The training was notorious for being dangerous and difficult. It had resulted in the deaths of several skilled Red Wolves over the years, including a close friend of Leanna¡¯s who¡¯d come up through the organization with her. But Pack Command believed that the peril of their elite-training was an important part of their Special Forces selection process, and simply saw the deaths as acceptable.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep all of you safe. I promise that I can do that much, at least.¡± Prism said sincerely when he saw the dread on his teammates¡¯ faces.

    ¡°If you can make us all bulletproof like you were back on that island, then we¡¯ll all be fine.¡± Lorias immediately said what many of them were thinking.

    Prism smiled weakly after hearing Lorias¡¯ words. He knew that Lorias was right, but Prism couldn¡¯t promise to do that. It was far easier for him to use protective magics of that caliber on himself than it was for him to use it on others, not to mention shielding multiple people at the same time. His lack of confidence was strange to him, and he began to wonder if he was downplaying what he was actually capable of because of his recent blunders.

    It yet again made Prism think that he was perhaps better-suited to be a one-man army. But he wasn¡¯t ready to work on his own just yet, not after he¡¯d begun to bond with RED-1.

    "Our trek through the city won''t be simple. There are various choke points that''ll be too full of enemies and automated turrets for us to proceed. We need to find the areas of least resistance so that we can make a proper path to our target." Leanna explained a short time later.

    Leanna would utilize her small aerial drones from her dronepack to gather intel about their immediate area while they traversed the city. They would then analyze enemy density and patrolling routes, so that RED-1 could figure out the safest route. Prism was sure that he would need to protect the drones, since he''d heard how they had a habit of getting shot out of the sky at times by the Monarchists'' more sophisticated machines.

    "Remember, the city is divided into three ring-shaped sections; the outer city, the middle city, and the inner city. Each city section has 12 zones arranged starting from the north like hours on a clock. For example, Outer-12 is the northernmost section of the city. The building at the middle of the city is known simply as "The Center Building". That''s where we are headed." Leanna reiterated for Prism''s benefit. The rest of them had already completed the same mission before.

    "Let''s get suited up and then be on our way. We''ll definitely need combat armor while we''re in Battle City." Ursun said loudly.

    RED-1''s male members had been wearing the typical Red Wolves uniform during their time in the wilderness. It consisted of red leatherine pants, a thick black shirt, a red leatherine jacket, and black leatherine boots. It didn''t take them long before they found the equipment lockers in a smaller room within the briefing building.

    Each of the men quickly changed into their combat armor and retrieved their PAWs and specialized weapons. Lorias even had a new variable sword to use during their mission. Ursun brought an updated version of the coilgun he''d used during their mission to retrieve Prism. The newer coilgun was slightly smaller and featured bio-components that prevented its microwave pulse from damaging itself.

    Prism took more time than the others since he hadn''t yet donned the sleek red armor. With Jaik''s help, he was able to figure out how to properly wear the full-body equipment, including its lightweight red combat helmet. The combat helmet protected the head and back of the neck without covering the face. Prism was surprised by how comfortable the armor felt, despite the seemingly-rigid plates of reinforced polymer that covered various sections of his body. It didn''t take Prism long to realize that the plates were a lot more flexible than they appeared. Their glossy red surface even seemed to slightly change colors and luminosity depending on the sort of light that it was exposed to.

    Prism was also given a PAW to use during the week''s mission. He''d thought the word ¡°Paw¡± had been an interesting thing to call a firearm, though "Personal Automatic Weapon" was a bit of a mouthful. Prism had been given a simple pistol to use during his first two weeks of bootcamp, but the PAW felt far stronger despite weighing only a bit more than his handgun. Prism took a few moments to become familiar with clipping it onto a discrete hook on the side of his chestplate, and then holding the PAW in a firing position.

    Prism figured that he could try imbuing the weapon with magic to strengthen its firepower during that week. He simply hoped that his magic didn''t destroy his PAW in the process.

    Once everyone was outside of the briefing building, they began the trek down from the hill and into the city proper. Prism could make out large and small flying quadcopter robots performing sentry duty around various sections of Battle City. It was then that he realized how extensive their challenge was going to be.

    "This is it, kids. Battle City is fully armed and ready to kill each and every one of us. Be careful out there, and stick together." Ursun warned before they proceeded into their first dense area of urban jungle.

    The outer section of the city had buildings that were four floors on average. The building density varied, but the team could see down and around the city''s wide streets relatively well. There was a wide variety of robotic activity going on in the outer city, though most of the machines were simpler non-humanoid models that had limited sensory capabilities.

    Though simplistic, their designs focused on maximizing a specific form of attack. There were small, rolling, rubbery ball robots that could bounce into targets and explode. There were meter-long skittering robots made of blades that could rip flesh to shreds. The danger of them lied in their connectivity; alerting one of the machines could alert all of the surrounding machines simultaneously.

    "They may seem harmless, but we still need to be cautious. Let''s avoid disturbing them and just move past this area." Leanna communicated with her team verbally to avoid alerting the machines using radio signals. RED-1 stayed close together so that their communication with each other could remain quiet and understandable.

    After a few hours of avoiding the enemy patrols, the six teammates took refuge in a resupply building on the edge of the Outer-5 zone. They were at the border between the outer city and the middle city. The middle city was denser and had taller buildings. Leanna had sent up two of her flying insectoid drones before RED-1 quietly entered the building. The drones moved silently through the air despite the beating of their wings.

    While looking out of the north-facing windows, Prism could see that the machines in the middle city were far more sophisticated. There seemed to be a lot more of them and their behavior seemed erratic compared to the slow, rhythmic movements that he''d seen from the outer city robots. While he was peering further out of the window to get a better look at a large treaded robot, he felt a strong hand suddenly jerk him back away from it.

    "If those machines detect you looking out like that, they''ll blow your head off. If you''re gonna look out of a window, make it quick. Don''t linger in front of them." Lorias calmly explained.

    Prism simply nodded before joining the others, who were standing around a circle in the middle of a nearly-empty room. Leanna''s glasses were lit up with data while her flying drones performed reconnaissance. After a few minutes, she tapped the brim of her sleek glasses and motioned to everyone that she was ready to present her findings. Everyone in the circle leaned in closer to her with anticipation. Soon, her glasses displayed a 3D holographic depiction of a five block radius around them, complete with models of the robots that her drones had seen.

    "It looks like the inner city out there!" Srell whispered loudly. He was trying to mask his angry yelling, but he did a poor job.

    "The complexity of these formations and enemy behaviors is bothersome. It seems like you significantly increased the difficulty of Battle City for our new friend here." Lorias said collectedly to Ursun, who simply shrugged his large shoulders while he had his arms crossed.

    "This mission is supposed to teach us how to best utilize Prism''s abilities. We couldn''t do that if Battle City was the same as it was when each of us completed elite-training here." Ursun said matter-of-factly.

    "We''re almost certain to run into combat once we enter the middle city. My drones can barely even avoid the aerial patrol units that are nearby. Those quadcopters will spot us before the heavy units on the ground will." Leanna lamented.

    "So if I get rid of the aerial units, will that help us proceed undetected?" Prism asked.

    Leanna turned to him and shook her head before crossing her arms obstinately.

    "Destroying the aerial units will put the entire zone into an alert-status. All of the robots in this surrounding area will swarm us, leaving us no way to escape." Leanna said with certainty.

    "Can''t you hack them remotely?" Jaik asked.

    "Not without alerting the other machines to our presence. The moment they detect my radio signals is the moment they''ll also go into alert-status. My drones and I are communicating using terpenoids, which is why there is a lag in the data feed." Leanna said.

    "Chemical communication...that''s very cool. Now I know what those trails are that I kept seeing around you." Prism said softly to Leanna, eliciting irritated looks from both Srell and Ursun. After a nervous clearing of his throat, Prism continued with a more useful thought. "By the way, if I downed a quadcopter robot, could you plug into it and hack into their network that way?" Prism asked Leanna.

    "You''d have to knock it out without destroying it or alerting the other machines, but yes, yes I could." Leanna said with an excited look on her face. The others looked at Prism with interested eyes, though half of them didn''t think that he could pull it off.

    "I''ll have to go up to the ceiling and locate one of the aerial units. Could you come help me, Leanna?" Prism asked politely.

    "Of course. I''ll get a clearer terpenoid stream outside of this building, anyway." Leanna said with a smile. "Oh, let me get all of you connected to my dronepack before I go, so that we can all see the feed from my drones." Leanna said before tapping her glasses.

    A cloud of aromatic chemicals that were invisible to the humans of the group was released from Leanna''s dronepack. Soon, each of the organic LED arm displays on RED-1''s armor came to life, showing video and other information that the aerial drones were sending to Leanna''s dronepack. Unlike the others, Prism could see the trail of chemicals flowing from Leanna''s dronepack, and he could even see the trail flowing from outside, to-and-from the aerial drones. His eyes could see much of nature that normal humans couldn''t.

    "I''ll need to see a schematic of the drones, if you have it. It will help a lot." Prism asked.

    "Uhh..sure. I''ll bring them up right now." Leanna said, a bit flabbergasted that Prism had an understanding of technical things like robotics. She still saw him as a fairy out of tales from the ancient world, before silicone and electricity dominated their world.

    Prism thanked her after she showed him what he needed to see.

    "Be safe up there. If anything goes wrong, give us the danger signal." Ursun said before Leanna and Prism went up the nearby stairs. Jaik followed close behind to guard the stairs and possibly treat any injuries that their attempt might cause them.

    It didn''t take long for Prism and Leanna to make their way to the rooftop. They both crawled along their bellies to avoid being detected by a smaller quadcopter unit that was making its sentry rounds above them a few buildings away. Prism pointed at it, and Leanna silently nodded her agreement.

    Prism''s right eye flashed green while his left eye flashed blue. He gestured with his left hand towards the aerial unit and soon created a strong gust of wind that blew it off course and towards him and Leanna. But before its sensors could detect them, Prism pointed his right forefinger at the machine. The circuitry that controlled its sensors and cameras began to corrode, as did its copter circuitry. By the time it had skid across their rooftop and stopped right in front of Leanna and Prism, it was little more than a large computer.

    "Well done." Leanna said with a respectful nod to Prism.

    He simply smiled while she pulled a cable from her dronepack and plugged into one of the open ports on the exterior of the quadcopter unit. In mere seconds, she had hacked into the unit and its larger network. She bit her lip when she soon realized that the aerial robots were on a completely separate network than the ground machines. She couldn''t risk using the quadcopter units to hack into the rest of the robots within that zone, as she was sure that the violation in operating procedures would trigger an alert-state in all of the robots.

    "I can shut off all of the aerial units, but I can''t hack into the rest of the robots. Their operations are in lockstep with each other, meaning that if one of the land-based machines starts acting weird, then they all go into alert-status." Leanna explained to Prism and the other members of her team, who could hear her words in their ear clasps through their chemical connection.

    "Alright. I can fight off a lot of those machines down there with my corrosive magic." Prism said.

    "No need. We can stick to the rooftops now and continue to avoid detection." Leanna said after she sent the command for all of the quadcopter units in the Middle-5 zone to land and enter a low-power state. "We''re good up here; we can keep going." Leanna said aloud.

    The rest of RED-1 soon met up on the rooftop with Leanna and Prism. They looked around and saw several quadcopter robots resting on the few rooftops that they could see in front of them. Srell gave Leanna a pat on the back, which made her give him a playful yet annoyed shove.

    "Good work." Ursun said to Leanna and Prism. "But we won''t be able to travel by rooftop in the middle city. Average building height over there is seven stories. The building in front of us is fine, but we''ll run into some height discrepancies pretty quickly. It will require too much backtracking." Ursun stated.

    "Leave that to me." Prism said while boyishly pointing his right thumb at his own chest.

    Prism''s left eye glowed blue once again as he created a sky-blue spell circle within his left hand. He then hurled the disc-sized circle of light at the other end of the roof. An area of fast-moving wind appeared on a section of roof that bordered the next building that they would need to jump to. They were all athletic enough to make the jump, but Prism saw it as a perfect time to show them a new trick that he could perform to their benefit. Jaik looked excitedly at the circle of silvery wind that awaited them. He figured that it was a fun way for them to get around more easily.

    "You want us to step into that?" Srell asked, ever the skeptic.

    "Yup, just to try it out. It''ll help you jump higher, faster, and farther." Prism said confidently. "I''ll show you. And don''t worry; it will make sure you land safely, too."

    Prism ran over to the faint silvery vortex and jumped into it. He was immediately blown upwards a few meters before landing softly on a flat section of the next rooftop. Srell covered his mouth while Jaik took off running towards the vortex as well. Jaik too was blown over to the top of the neighboring building, with him and Prism being the first to enter the middle city. Though initially hesitant, the rest of RED-1 made the leap, and were glad that they landed without any ill effects.

    "And you can make these jumping pads without any problems for yourself?" Lorias asked Prism once they were all standing on the middle city building''s rooftop.

    "That''s right!" Prism said happily before waving his hand over to the wind pad that he''d created. Its spell circle reappeared and flew over to Prism''s hand, which caused the vortex to disappear from the other roof. "Shall we continue?" Prism said gleefully.

 Chapter 18 - Vehicle

    ¡°Over there!¡± Leanna yelled to her teammates.

    They were several meters away on a wide street covered in twisted metal, small craters, and concrete debris. Leanna stood on top of a burnt-out car, doing her best to shoot down several small quadcopter robots that were hot on their trail. The vicious flying robots had shot her insect drones out of the bright blue sky. It would take her dronepack several hours to grow new ones.

    A large robotic spider tank had jumped from an intersecting street and had set its sights on Leanna and the rest of RED-1. It quickly approached them with its surrounding contingent of smaller eight-legged robots with guns mounted on their backs, crushing everything in its path with its massive metal legs.

    ¡°Stand back!¡± Prism shouted when he saw the spider tank that Leanna was warning them about.

    Prism made a mad rush towards the spider tank, breaking away from the rest of his team. Once he¡¯d gotten between the approaching machine and the other members of RED-1, Prism¡¯s eyes shined with a brilliant emerald light. He pushed his hands out before him just when he saw the tank and its robot allies begin to open fire on the area around him. A wave of green light shot out from Prism¡¯s body, engulfing the surrounding street in a verdigris cloud of pure corrosion.

    The bullets that streamed from their enemies¡¯ weapons were reduced to fine particles that sprayed across the ground before they could strike anyone. Leanna watched as the flying machines that she¡¯d been firing at quickly fell apart and then fell to the ground. Any pieces of metal that were within the green cloud quickly turned to brittle rust that was carried on the cool wind.

    Leanna jumped off of the vehicle she stood upon and ran back to join her other teammates. She feared that the green cloud would spread to her and destroy her metallic equipment. The rest of RED-1 then made their way several meters up the street so that they could view Prism¡¯s attack at a safe distance.

    Mere moments later, Prism caused the corrosive green haze to flow forward at great speed until it had engulfed the spider tank and the robots that were around it. The metal machines were soon little more than rusty bits of scrap metal as their components oxidized at a rate far faster than the machines could handle. Prism let the green cloud linger on the road while he ran back to his team.

    ¡°Good, but more will come from all around us if we stay here. Let¡¯s go.¡± Ursun said to his regrouped team.

    They stood in the middle of the narrow Inner-6 zone of Battle City, an area that featured multitudes of aggressive and highly-developed enemy machines of all shapes and sizes. They¡¯d been forced off the rooftops of the middle city when long-range sniper fire began coming from the Center Building in spite of RED-1¡¯s elimination of the zone¡¯s aerial patrol robots.

    The team had spent the past two days slowly avoiding being detected while trekking through the middle city. But upon entering the inner city, RED-1 was immediately detected by a hidden proximity sensor. They¡¯d spent the third day of their week in Battle City fighting random groups of machines that were hastily alerted to the team¡¯s presence in the inner city.

    When the six members of RED-1 began to walk north on the wide road towards the Center Building, they could feel the ground start to shake from behind them. The buildings that had lined the streets where Prism had unleashed his corrosive cloud magic started to collapse. Though the green haze had dissipated, it had caused the metallic support structures within those buildings to sufficiently corrode enough to the point where they could no longer keep the buildings standing. The team ran for dear life as four skyscrapers behind them fell at an angle and crashed into each other, sending a beige cloud of particulate building materials and other debris flowing down the surrounding streets.

    ¡°Never do that again!!!¡± Srell screamed to Prism while they all continued running for cover from the rapidly moving particulate dust cloud.

    Lorias ran ahead of the rest of the group and quickly discovered a street-facing shop-front whose glass windows were still intact. He tried the door, which was unlocked, and beckoned for everyone to follow him inside. They all rushed into the empty shop, closed the door, and watched the dust cloud rush down the street outside the wall-height windows at the front of the shop.

    Prism¡¯s eyes flashed white before he created a thin magical barrier around the window to make sure that it held up against the bits of building that were carried in the dust cloud. Srell sighed loudly and sat down on the tiled floor of the old dingy room, holding his PAW close in case they got a surprise intruder during their impromptu respite. Lorias leaned on a wall near Srell while Ursun, Leanna, and Jaik stood around Prism by the window at the front of the room, near the entrance.

    ¡°That green cloud you made must¡¯ve corroded the steel beams that kept those buildings standing. Incredible¡­¡± Leanna said passively to Prism as she marveled at the aftermath of his mistake.

    ¡°I guess you aren¡¯t used to using magic like that in an urban environment. It¡¯s good that this happened here instead of in a populated city.¡± Jaik said in an attempt to be positive.

    Prism looked at Leanna and Jaik as they spoke. He¡¯d felt a sinking feeling in his stomach the moment that he saw the buildings begin to collapse, and that feeling hadn¡¯t abated. He¡¯d gotten the urge to try and keep the buildings standing with his magic, but such a titanic effort risked killing him and his teammates if he failed. He¡¯d chosen to run with the others, but still wondered if he¡¯d made the right choice.

    When Prism looked at Ursun¡¯s placid face after the others were done talking, Prism became even more worried. Ursun, who¡¯d been staring out of the windows behind Prism, turned his implacable gaze onto the small armored alien. Prism gulped nervously.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since Battle City¡¯s lost a building, let alone four.¡± Ursun said with a quick glance out of the window. ¡°Be more aware of your surroundings, kid. You could¡¯ve cost us a lot of lives instead of just a lot of money.¡± Ursun said with a slight frown.

    ¡°Yes, sir. Sorry, sir,¡± was all that Prism could say.

    After spending half an hour in the faux shop, RED-1 left and made their way down the dust-ridden street once the debris cloud had mostly dissipated. They looked back to see the aftermath of the collapsed buildings, and how the particulates from their destruction covered everything around them. They were fortunate that the buildings hadn¡¯t caused even more destruction than they had. They¡¯d also been fortunate to have survived after retreating to a building so close to the mayhem. Srell kept mentioning that fact while they walked over assorted chunks of concrete.

    Jaik coughed a few times, as he was sensitive to the dust that lingered in the air. When Prism heard Jaik¡¯s coughs, his eyes flashed blue before he swept his right hand in a backhand-motion. A mighty gale swept around him and the others harmlessly while gathering and sweeping the dust and contaminated air down the street behind them. The resulting blast of wind cleared the area and created a loud BOOM that echoed through the wide street that led south to the outer city.

    ¡°By the Twins. Was that really necessary?¡± Lorias said reproachfully to Prism after being startled by the unannounced maneuver.

    ¡°What did I just say to you!?¡± Ursun yelled back at Prism.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want any of you to inhale any toxic materials in the air now. And the sound can distract the robots and make our journey safer, right?¡± Prism was quick to reply.

    They soon saw several machines scurrying out from the buildings behind them, tracking the loud sound that had echoed across the city. The mercenaries each raised their weapons and went on high alert, again made aware of the numerous murderous machines that could be around each corner. Leanna paid close attention to the skies and Ursun eyed the nearby buildings for potential ambushes. It wasn¡¯t long until they both found what they were on the lookout for.

    Several large worm-like machines burst out of the buildings on each side of the major street that RED-1 walked down. The metallic worms were each ten meters long, and their exteriors were composed of spiked rings. The mechanical worms burrowed through the concrete buildings and burrowed along and through the asphalt ground by spinning their spiked rings at high-speeds, cutting through anything that made contact with the drill-like spike mechanisms.

    Prism¡¯s teammates reflexively raised their PAWs and began firing at the fast-approaching worms. They watched as their bullets harmlessly struck rotating spikes. Prism raised his PAW a short time later, and took aim at the fastest worm. His eyes flashed green again before his firearm began glowing with a green light as well. Prism briefly closed his eyes while he visualized a series of effects that he wished for his magic to cause. The complexity of the sequence made it difficult for Prism to create the spell quickly, but he still managed to. As Lorias reached for his variable sword and Srell reached for his shotgun, a green spell circle appeared on the side of Prism¡¯s PAW before he pulled its trigger.

    Prism¡¯s bullets were enwreathed with a green light that allowed them to eat through the metal that they came into contact with. The bullets then exploded with small green flashes of energy when they reached the innards of the lead worm. The worm made several loud clunking noises when its internal mechanisms began to rapidly corrode. In a matter of seconds, the worm and its carapace of spiked rings had stopped moving. Prism smiled to himself when he saw that his spell had worked.

    ¡°Keep firing!¡± Ursun yelled to Prism, who¡¯d stopped shooting to admire his own handiwork.

    ¡°R-right!¡± Prism yelled as he shot at the other dozen worms that were mere meters from him and his teammates.

    With each shot he took, he felt his own stamina drain away. The enchanted bullets were highly effective against the machines, but the elaborate magic behind their creation caused a great strain on Prism. After firing a few dozen bullets at the remaining worms, he felt himself become lightheaded. He fell to his right knee and mustered enough strength to fire one last burst at the mobile worm, which soon stopped moving like the others had.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    ¡°Looks like that¡¯s all of them¡­¡± Lorias said while poking one of the motionless machine worms with the tip of his sword.

    ¡°I guess whatever you did to them is stopping them from splitting into two smaller spikewurms, like they usually do once they''re deactivated.¡± Leanna speculated, making Prism aware of that dangerous aspect of the worms in the process.

    Jaik helped Prism up as the green glow left Prism¡¯s eyes and PAW. Jaik smiled at Prism and patted his chest after he¡¯d helped Prism stand. Prism smiled weakly up at Jaik before taking a minute to gather mana from his surroundings. Jaik watched as wisps of multicolored light appeared nearby and flowed into Prism¡¯s body.

    ¡°Stop using your bombastic magic without consulting us first! Any of us could have told you that it was a bad idea to alert every robot in the area with a blast like that!¡± Srell shouted at Prism, who looked ashamedly at the ground after restoring his body¡¯s mana reserves.

    Ursun looked around at the worms suspiciously. He and the other mercenaries on his team knew that the spikewurms were some of the deadliest and most resilient machines in the monarchists¡¯ arsenal. Gnapp had made Battle City¡¯s training replicas no less dangerous than their real counterparts. Ursun had been prepared to use a howler on the group of spikewurms once his team had sufficiently distracted the machines with their bullets. He was glad that Prism had been able to incapacitate the spikewurms, but Ursun didn¡¯t want RED-1 to linger in the area any longer. Ursun couldn¡¯t be sure that Prism¡¯s magic had fully disabled their splitting ability.

    ¡°We need to keep moving. We have a few more hours until we¡¯re at the Center. And there¡¯s a good chance that more robots are on their way from further down this street.¡± Ursun shouted.

    Before Prism and the others could reply, a series of explosions began to make their way towards their group from a dozen meters ahead of them. The ground shook beneath their feet once again. Each of them scattered to avoid the blasts that rained from the sky above.

    ¡°Cannoneers on the rooftops!¡± Srell shouted and pointed while he ran within a building for cover with Lorias.

    Prism looked up and saw four large blue figures high above them atop two neighboring skyscrapers. They were out of his range and the range of his teammates¡¯ weapons. At least, that was what Prism believed.

    ¡°Cover me!¡± Ursun shouted to Prism.

    Ursun stood behind the pillar of a sheltered entryway. He clipped his PAW to his armor and swung his coilgun off his back and into his arms. He then leaned over slightly and looked up at the long-range machines that had bombarded his team¡¯s area. He confirmed that the machines were cannoneers, especially deadly quadrupedal machines that acted as mobile explosives platforms. Cannoneers usually featured a single large cannon on their backs from which they launched their salvos of explosives.

    Ursun¡¯s team fired their PAWs up at the cannoneers that were nearly thirty stories above them. Ursun then took aim at the two bulky yet distant machines that were narrowly in his line of sight. He felt his coilgun grow warmer in his hand as it charged. Ursun could even feel a buildup of static electricity in the air around him, which he worried would be detected by the cannoneers and any other machines that might be nearby.

    Prism stood alone within an alleyway opposite to Ursun¡¯s location. Prism could see his commander preparing to fire the advanced electromagnetic weapon that he usually carried on his back. Prism wondered how the coilgun could possibly reach the cannoneers, though Prism knew that there was still much he didn¡¯t understand about the Red Wolves¡¯ technology.

    Prism saw the pinnacle of a laserlith in the distance, peaking from above the rooftop that hosted the two cannoneers that he could see. A thought occurred to Prism, and he soon realized that he too had the ability to strike at their enemy. His eyes began to glow white as he gathered a bit more mana from his surroundings. He then peaked around the corner up at the cannoneers, which¡¯d begun to rain explosives down closer to his location. He felt the heat and pressure from the blasts radiate towards him, and he quickly ducked further into the alleyway to avoid the worst effects of the attacks.

    Prism knew that it was now or never for his attack. Ursun, who nearly had the air knocked out of him by the blasts, had the same thought at the same time. When Ursun pulled the trigger of his coilgun, Prism stepped out from around the corner, stretched out his arms up above him, and pointed his right and left forefingers at the opposite rooftop that Ursun was aiming at. Each of Prism¡¯s two fingers pointed at a different cannoneer.

    When Ursun¡¯s coilgun unleashed a pulse of invisible microwaves in a cone, Prism shot two beams of white light from his two pointing fingers. The coilgun¡¯s microwave burst fried the electronics of the cannoneers on the eastern rooftop, while Prism¡¯s light beams shot through and destroyed the two cannoneers on the western rooftop in a fiery explosion that sent chunks of rooftop flying onto the streets below. And when even more machines began to appear from side streets ahead of RED-1 to investigate the commotion, Ursun was ready for them.

    ¡°Keep back, kids!¡± Ursun yelled from behind his pillar.

    He leaned over and aimed his coilgun at the street as dozens of assorted machines began to flood the street that led to the Center Building. When he pulled its trigger again, the coilgun unleashed another microwave pulse that rendered all of the approaching machines inactive. Some of the machines even exploded, causing even further damage to the wide street that had already been reduced to a cluster of craters.

    ¡°With me!¡± Ursun shouted to his surrounding teammates when he ran out from the pillar and took to what was left of the street again.

    RED-1 regrouped and made their final dash to the large roundabout that surrounded the Center Building. Prism¡¯s eyes continued to glow white as he created a temporary barrier around the team to deflect any projectiles or explosions that came their way. He¡¯d been afraid that he wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain such a wide-ranging magical construct, but he had little choice but to try.

    ¡°This is one ballsy formation, boss!¡± Srell shouted after he shot a quadcopter drone out of the sky while they ran.

    ¡°Prism is keeping us well-defended. We¡¯ve lost enough time as it is. We don¡¯t want to be in the inner city after dark.¡± Ursun said before he fired a few destructive rounds from his coilgun at an especially large robot that tried to stop their advance.

    ¡°We¡¯re still a few hours away from the roundabout gate. We¡¯ll have to find a resupply station to spend the night at, and try to get into the Center in the morning.¡± Leanna said while shooting at a fast-moving robotic attack dog.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just hear me? We can¡¯t be in this part of the city at night!¡± Ursun yelled while they all continued to run.

    ¡°With these enhanced patrols showing us no mercy, I get it.¡± Lorias said as he and Srell held up the group¡¯s rear.

    ¡°I can¡¯t make everyone faster and impervious!¡± Prism shouted, his slender arms still outstretched while he maintained the barely-visible barrier around their tightly-packed group.

    ¡°Sure you can!¡± Jaik yelled with a smirk.

    Prism could sense what Jaik meant before the young man could verbalize his thought process. Prism saw an armored military transport vehicle ahead of them that looked to be in relatively good shape. It was clearly un-drivable, as it had no tires, but Jaik figured that Prism could probably repair it with magic. Prism smirked back at Jaik, because the young doctor was correct.

    While Jaik explained his plan to the others, Prism ran ahead of the group and stayed in earshot of them. When they made it to the large armored vehicle, Prism looked over it quickly to make sure that its condition wasn¡¯t too poor. Satisfied that he could fix it, Prism nodded to his teammates, who stood by to defend him while he worked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll need to dispel my barrier in order to work on this. Be careful. I¡¯ll only be a few minutes.¡± Prism said to the others.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got five.¡± Ursun said after he noticed a group of slow-moving, four-legged robots approaching them from the south, and several groups of tank-style machines amassing to their north to block their access to the roundabout. ¡°Those tanks are EM-shielded. I won¡¯t be able to take them out easily with my coilgun.¡±

    Prism spent a minute gathering the mana he¡¯d need to implement Jaik¡¯s plan. He then spent the following three minutes refurbishing the shabby military transport, all while the rest of RED-1 held back the machines that threatened to kill all of them at once. Prism¡¯s eyes glowed white while he created parts that the vehicle needed by transmuting and reshaping nearby materials.

    Leanna was yet again amazed at Prism¡¯s ability to understand complex machinery enough to both precisely disable it and extensively repair it. She¡¯d realized that he wasn¡¯t some mystical faerie that had come from some primitive culture. To her, he¡¯d obviously been a man of war in the past. Prism was clearly someone who already knew his way around an industrialized battlefield, despite what his recent blunders may make others believe.

    ¡°He¡¯s just a century out-of-practice.¡± Leanna thought to herself.

    ¡°It¡¯s done. Get in!¡± Prism yelled from the passenger seat of the repaired military transport.

    His team looked back at the vehicle with amazed yet determined eyes. Ursun jumped into the driver¡¯s seat after tossing his coilgun at Prism, while the others took seats in the second and third rows. Ursun started up the vehicle and pressed his foot on the throttle for as far as it could go. In a matter of seconds, they were speeding down the road at over 100 kilometers an hour.

    ¡°Amazing, it¡¯s actually working.¡± Leanna said breathlessly while she sat in the middle row with Jaik.

    ¡°It even handles pretty well.¡± Ursun said loudly before he drove around a small crater in the road.

    Prism¡¯s eyes shined with a bright white light while he enveloped the bulky, gray, six-person armored vehicle in a shimmering layer of projectile-proof magic. As the vehicle took more hits from an increasing number of enemy robots that pursued them, Prism found it more and more difficult to maintain the barrier.

    Lorias and Srell slipped their PAWs into gun ports that were at the rear of the vehicle and fired at the group of fast-moving robots that chased after them while looking out of the bulletproof windows of their vehicle. Jaik and Leanna shot their own weapons from the transport¡¯s side gun ports. Ursun sped down the road at full speed, doing his best to avoid the numerous potholes on the extensively-damaged road.

    ¡°Thirty more minutes of this and we¡¯ll be at the roundabout gate.¡± Ursun said to his team just as a nearby explosion violently shook their vehicle.

    Prism suddenly felt winded by the explosive attack, but resisted the urge to rest. Despite his best efforts, Prism knew that he didn¡¯t have the strength to endure a direct hit of that kind.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t take much more of this¡­¡± Prism said after his magical barrier took the brunt of the blast¡¯s pressure wave and shrapnel.

    ¡°Just gather some mana and stick with it.¡± Ursun ordered.

    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­I can¡¯t gather mana while I¡¯m using intensive magic like this¡­¡± Prism said softly.

    Prism closed his eyes in order to strengthen his focus and prolong the duration of his protection spell. Ursun glanced over at Prism and saw the strain that the small contractor was dealing with. Ursun knew that they¡¯d all be killed quite quickly if Prism wasn¡¯t safeguarding their vehicle from the onslaught that surrounded them. But they didn¡¯t have the option of avoiding the killer machines of the inner city anymore; their overt presence in the large speeding transport made sure of that.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to get creative.¡± Ursun said with a smirk. ¡°Hold on tight everyone! We¡¯re taking a detour!¡± He shouted before sharply turning the steering wheel.

    Ursun¡¯s four mercenaries each took hold of the metal handles that were beside each of their gun ports. Prism, on the other hand, seemed unfazed by the vehicle¡¯s sudden and jerky movements. His magic was enough to keep his body stationary while he sat in the passenger seat.

    The armored transport turned off of the major road that led directly to The Center and soon burst through a tall, wide glass door that led into an expansive indoor mall. Its ostentatious halls were wide enough to allow their vehicle to careen through the mall without an issue. A few of the robots that had been following them turned into the mall to chase them, but Lorias and Srell quickly dispatched the spinning, wheel-shaped attackers before they could get close enough to do any damage. Prism opened his eyes wide just long enough to see where Ursun had taken them. With a worried shake of his head, Prism closed his eyes again and resumed his spell-enhancing meditation while Ursun gripped the steering wheel tightly.

    Ursun continued driving down the abandoned, faux, luxury shopping mall to avoid the roaming packs of machines on the city streets. The mall had automated turrets and hidden traps, but their armored vehicle was too fast for such defenses to threaten them. When Ursun made another sharp turn into a large roofed central courtyard, he almost hit the brakes when he saw a massive metallic statue of an idealized man begin to rise from its seated position at the middle of the room. The 10-meter tall statue was one of the mall¡¯s most potent automated defenses, and moved far more quickly than its size would indicate.

    Ursun swerved around various columns and big potted plants throughout the botanical garden within the courtyard in an attempt to avoid the miscellaneous objects that the mechanical statue threw at their transport.

    ¡°That¡¯s right; I forgot that there is a colossus in this mall¡­¡± Leanna mused to herself while she shot at the statue when her side of the vehicle faced it between Ursun''s maneuvering.

    "Come on, Data Girl! That kind of information would''ve been very helpful!" Srell shouted back to her while he clutched a handle on the wall of the transport, waiting for the vehicle¡¯s rear to face the colossus so that he could shoot at it too.

    "We''re getting out of here. The colossus is just a distraction." Ursun said calmly.

    The commander drove the armored vehicle through a series of archways that framed a wide walkway on the edge of the room. The stone archways provided enough cover to avoid an especially rigorous barrage of thrown objects from the colossal machine enemy. When it became clear that the transport was nearing the rear exit of the courtyard, the colossus leapt from the center of the room towards the exit in an attempt to block the transport''s escape.

    "Ram it. I can handle it." Prism said calmly.

    Ursun looked over at Prism and saw that the young-looking contractor was looking at his leader with confident eyes that still burned white. Ursun nodded his understanding to Prism before proceeding forward directly at the colossus. Ursun and his mercenaries knew that what he was doing was crazy, but they were all in the bootcamp with Prism because they trusted that Prism¡¯s magic really could do what they thought was impossible.

    Before the massive machine could completely bend over and prepare to stop the armored vehicle with its hands, Ursun drove into its legs with such force that the lower half of the human-shaped statue was pulverized by the impact. The armored vehicle simply kept going until it was out of the courtyard and flying down a north-facing hallway. The vehicle didn¡¯t seem to lose any speed. Ursun grinned while the rest of his mercenaries yelled and cheered. Prism leaned back in his seat and resumed his meditation while clinging to the warm coilgun in his lap.

    "Not much farther now." Ursun said with a measure of grit and excitement.

 Chapter 19 - Threshold

    After their fifteen-minute drive through the inner city¡¯s mall complex, RED-1 managed to arrive unscathed at Battle City¡¯s notorious roundabout gate. The gate acted as a comprehensive and dynamic test for those tasked with entering the city¡¯s tallest and most central structure, a place aptly named ¡°The Center Building¡± by the Red Wolves who built it.

    The building was surrounded by a circular road that served as a large roundabout that connected the inner city. Within that circle was a 10-meter high circular gate that featured numerous defensive and offensive technologies that were affixed within several cubic meter blocks that composed much of the gate¡¯s outer structure. The gate looked like a grid of multicolored, connected squares, like the colorful building blocks that a child would play with.

    The most dangerous aspect of the roundabout gate was that it had ten 12-meter laserliths built into its structure that provided comprehensive destructive coverage around the gate. The laserliths, the numerous traditional gun turrets, sonic deterrents, and electrified spiked blocks made the roundabout gate a true challenge to pass. Fortunately for Battle City¡¯s challengers, the normally-aggressive hordes of murderous machines within the inner city avoided the roundabout entirely.

    ¡°How terrifying.¡± Prism said quietly.

    He and the rest of RED-1 stood in front of their armored vehicle, staring the gate down. Ursun had parked the transport within the roundabout¡¯s wide street, on the edge farthest from the gate to avoid its auto-attack range. While Prism examined the gate from a distance, he took note of the glowing spikes that protruded from most of its blocks. The illuminated spikes seemed to have a sort of pattern to them. The multicolored lights alternated between different spikes every few seconds, and not all of the gate¡¯s spikes were lit-up.

    ¡°Like Leanna told you back at the first resupply depot, this gate is just a puzzle.¡± Ursun looked down and told Prism, who was standing beside him. ¡°We¡¯ll have to strike the correct spiked blocks in the correct order to solve the puzzle and open the gate. Opening the gate will deactivate all of its weapons.¡± Ursun added.

    ¡°And don¡¯t think that we know the solution just because we¡¯ve been through this crazy city before. Gnapp changes the puzzle for each new group.¡± Srell said while pointing at the patterns of light that flashed on the gate¡¯s metal spikes.

    ¡°This puzzle looks particularly confounding¡­¡± Leanna said with her chin resting pensively on her slender fingers.

    ¡°I can see the gears turning in that magnificent brain of yours.¡± Jaik said with a wide smile to Leanna.

    Leanna smirked at Jaik before resuming her visual analysis of the gate that was several meters in front of them.

    ¡°We have an hour of sunlight left. That¡¯s our time limit.¡± Ursun noted to the group.

    ¡°I could probably just corrode through the entire thing.¡± Prism said with a scratch of the back of his head.

    ¡°Bad idea. Those laserliths are powered by a series of fusion reactors whose power conduits run through the entire gate. There¡¯s no telling what would happen if you introduced that much corrosion to a system that was never designed to deal with such rapid oxidation.¡± Leanna was quick to dismiss Prism¡¯s poorly-thought out idea.

    ¡°Going over it is out of the question too. Once something enters within their horizontal range of ten meters, the laserliths will shoot anything out of the sky that¡¯s within the height of The Center.¡± Lorias further explained.

    ¡°Give it time. We¡¯ll solve the puzzle and open the gate the old-fashioned way.¡± Jaik reassured Prism. ¡°This is one challenge that you can probably sit out. Take this time to rest and reenergize yourself.¡± Jaik said to Prism while rubbing the smaller man¡¯s back.

    Prism looked around at the rest of his teammates, and saw that they were busy examining the gate¡¯s alternating light patterns. Ursun looked down at Prism and nodded his agreement to Jaik¡¯s words. Prism smiled goofily and walked over to the armored vehicle, which he¡¯d managed to keep in good condition during their foray to the roundabout. Prism hopped into the passenger seat and sat quietly in the transport with the door open, watching the mercenaries work together to get past the gate.

    Prism sighed, closed his eyes, and began to actively gather mana from his surroundings. He was impressed by how much mana was contained within the battle-scarred urban environment. The city began to remind him of another place he¡¯d visited on many occasions, which happened to be a sprawling metropolis that seemed to always have conflict on each of its colorful streets.

    As Prism drifted into reverie, he felt the pull of sleep inch its way into his mind a short time after. He knew that it was irresponsible to sleep during a mission, so Prism fought the urge and simply went into a slight meditative state instead. He wanted to be alert enough to aid his team in the event that things went wrong at the gate.

    ¡°Did he seriously go to sleep?¡± Srell said in irritation a few minutes later, after seeing Prism sitting in the transport with his eyes closed.

    ¡°I¡¯m just meditating! I¡¯m here if you need me!¡± Prism replied promptly, which only further annoyed Srell.

    After 30 minutes of analysis, thought, and discussion, the mercenaries realized that their iteration of the gate puzzle was far more complex than any of the versions each of them had solved before. Not even the bio-computer in Leanna¡¯s dronepack could provide a conclusive answer to the seemingly-random shifting wall of lights. Her powerlessness to compute the solution for her team given all the data she¡¯d gathered frustrated Leanna to no end.

    What had initially looked like a pattern turned out to be non-repeating gibberish. And towards the end of their group¡¯s vexations, Jaik seemed to come up with an algorithm that made sense of the desultory display. But when it came time to strike the correct spiked blocks, even the former boy-genius was unable to calculate the sequence needed to open the gate.

    ¡°I¡¯m starting to think that this puzzle doesn¡¯t have a solution¡­¡± Lorias said with a flip of his hair.

    ¡°I agree. But why would Gnapp do that? I was told that we can¡¯t access the Undercity until next week. That¡¯s the only way that we can get into the Center without destroying the gate.¡± Leanna thought aloud, hoping that Ursun would explain how they should proceed.

    ¡°You¡¯re right; we aren¡¯t going through the Undercity yet. But as far as this gate is concerned, your guess is as good as mine.¡± Ursun explained to his team.

    ¡°Looks like Gnapp made it so that we need Prism for this one after all.¡± Jaik shrugged.

    ¡°Old fool¡­¡± Srell cursed under his breath before everyone turned to look at Prism.

    Prism opened his eyes when he sensed several eyes on him. He¡¯d been listening to their attempts to get into the gate and had thought of a few ways to bypass its defenses in the meantime. He jumped out of the armored vehicle and walked up to the mercenaries a short distance away. Once he stood in the middle of the group, Prism smiled at them before pointing at the gate.

    ¡°I think that I can just hijack it and gain control of it long enough to force it open.¡± Prism said almost cockily. ¡°Magical hacking, as it were,¡± he added while tapping his helmet with the nail of his forefinger.

    ¡°And you just thought of this now!?¡± Srell shouted angrily.

    ¡°No, I¡­I¡¯m just not sure how control magic works on this world yet.¡± Prism said with a guilty look on his face. ¡°And this gate looks really complicated. That makes it even harder to gain control of it, even temporarily.¡± Prism explained while once again pointing at the gate before them.

    ¡°This gate is essentially unhackable. It is air-gapped, meaning that it can¡¯t be accessed outside of its dedicated, hard-wired network. The only person with access to the gate¡¯s system is Gnapp, using a single secure computer terminal located in the Undercity.¡± Leanna began explaining to Prism. ¡°Tampering with its onboard systems directly will result in the gate¡¯s laserliths neutralizing anything it sees as responsible, which will also cause them to fire lasers outside of their normal 10- meter horizontal sensing range.¡± Leanna stressed as she further explained the danger to Prism.

    ¡°All of you should head back into the mall while I attempt this, just to be safe.¡± Prism¡¯s voice was calm and confident, though he made sure not to make eye contact with any of his teammates while he spoke.

    ¡°Think about this. You might actually die. I doubt even you can dodge a laser.¡± Lorias said just as calmly to Prism, not being fooled by the Elementeitan¡¯s bluster.

    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised.¡± Prism smirked and looked up at Lorias, who was a bit taken aback by Prism¡¯s continued confidence.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do as he says, everyone. We¡¯ll take refuge in the mall to avoid detection by the laserliths while Prism attempts his proposed solution.¡± Ursun ordered while beckoning everyone back into the armored vehicle. ¡°Time is of the essence.¡± Ursun emphasized.

    When the mercenaries started to get into the transport, Jaik stayed rooted to his spot near Prism. He looked worriedly at Prism, but couldn¡¯t think of the right words to say to change his small friend¡¯s mind. Knowing that their options and time were limited, Jaik simply groaned before walking away and leaving Prism alone on the road of the roundabout.

    Prism could hear Jaik¡¯s worried thoughts like sirens blaring down empty streets, but there was little Prism could do but show his team that he could do what they couldn¡¯t. That was Prism¡¯s role in RED-1, as he was beginning to realize.

    After making sure that the others were gone, Prism took a deep breath and did a few stretches to further relax. Prism¡¯s eyes began to shine with red light while he reached his hands out towards the roundabout gate that loomed before him. He felt mana surge and flow out of him as he directed the red energy at the gate¡¯s mechanisms. When the magical energy made contact with the gate, Prism felt a familiar pressure in his mind.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Prism delicately traced the myriad circuits and conduits with his mana, being careful not to trigger any alarms or other hardware security measures. When he found the circuit leading to the gate¡¯s underground control terminal, Prism clasped his hands and used his magic to activate the computer. He was able to gain control of its circuits and use it to open the gate, bypassing the need for passwords or other such codes. Prism was surprised that there were no biological components within the terminal, but the purely-traditional technology was par for the course within Battle City from what he¡¯d seen so far.

    The blocks that formed a section of the roundabout gate began to shift and roll out of the way until a wide opening had formed between two of the gate¡¯s laserliths. Prism closed his eyes and created a red spell circle upon the underground computer terminal so that he could maintain his connection with it long enough to get his team inside.

    ¡°He did it! The gate¡¯s open!¡± Srell shouted excitedly while he and Lorias sat in the back seat of the armored vehicle.

    They¡¯d been watching Prism and the gate out of a round window in the mall interior¡¯s stone wall. They¡¯d been shot at by attacking machines, but had been able to dispatch the enemies before they¡¯d done any serious damage to their ride.

    ¡°Time to go, kids.¡± Ursun said before he drove them out of the mall and back to the roundabout, just before a trio of roaming machines discovered their stationary vehicle.

    ¡°Get in!¡± Jaik shouted to Prism when their vehicle stopped abruptly beside their contractor on the road.

    Prism wasted no time hopping into the open door and sitting beside Jaik in the transport¡¯s third row of seats. Ursun then eased on the throttle and sped the armored vehicle toward the open gate.

    ¡°We¡¯re good. Just go on through.¡± Prism said loudly as the red light dimmed from his eyes.

    Ursun glanced at Prism in his rearview mirror and then floored his throttle. RED-1 was speeding through the roundabout gate and driving out the other side. When they came to the perron stone staircase that led to the entrance of the Center Building, Ursun slowed down just a bit and kept going. Their transport rocked and jerked as they rode up the fifty stone steps. It didn¡¯t take long for them to reach the flat stone platform at the top of the stairs. And with a hard twist of the steering wheel, Ursun skid their vehicle to a stop parallel to the glass building entrance.

    ¡°Looks like we made it.¡± Lorias said sarcastically, not at all amused by Ursun¡¯s wild driving.

    ¡°Each of us is here in one piece, that¡¯s what matters.¡± Jaik retorted.

    ¡°Everyone out. We won¡¯t need this thing anymore.¡± Ursun ordered.

    After leaving the armored vehicle, RED-1 gathered in front of the tall glass doors leading to the lobby of the Center Building. Prism peered into the building and saw that its lobby was vast and mostly empty. Its floors and walls were composed of a deep blue marble that gave the interior an opulent yet mysterious feel. There was a curved twin staircase near the middle of the room that led to a visible upper level that overlooked the lobby. Prism could also make out a pair of large elevator doors at the rear of the room, though something told him that his team wouldn¡¯t have access to them.

    When Ursun walked up to the crystal-clear glass doors, they rotated open with a loud hissing sound. He headed on inside before the doors could completely open, and the others followed behind him. Once they were all standing within the spacious lobby, Ursun turned around to address his team.

    ¡°We¡¯ll rest here tonight. As most of you know, this lobby is a safe area and a resupply depot. There are beds behind the staircases behind me. Treat your wounds and stock up on whatever supplies you need. We¡¯ll start our trek to the top floor at sunrise.¡± Ursun told the others.

    RED-1 spent the next hour getting out of their armor, checking themselves for any injuries, eating a simple meal of rations, and winding down after four days of fighting within Battle City. Prism used his healing magic to treat his team¡¯s bullet grazes and other occupational wounds, a skill that Srell joked made Jaik¡¯s role as combat medic obsolete.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to hear you say that the next time Prism becomes incapacitated.¡± Jaik joked back.

    After making sure that everyone was taken care of, Prism stepped outside of the building and climbed atop the parked armored vehicle to watch the sun set on Battle City. From what he''d been told by Ursun, Prism thought that it would already be nighttime after his hour spent in the lobby. Prism figured that Ursun had frequently stressed the soonness of nightfall as a means of spurring on his team to get through the city more quickly.

    "It sure is strange, isn''t it? Being in the eye of the storm like this, I mean." Jaik said loudly while walking outside to join Prism atop the vehicle.

    When Prism looked back to see Jaik approaching him, Prism was reminded of the young man¡¯s incredible physique as the cool dusk wind caused Jaik¡¯s black shirt to shift across his defined torso. Prism could see a tuft of black chest hair peaking from the top of Jaik¡¯s shirt as well. From the looks of his hairy arms, Prism figured that Jaik was quite hirsute, though his day-to-day clothing hid it well.

    "You''re right...it is eerily quiet out here. No sounds of gunfire or heavy machinery..." Prism concurred as Jaik took a seat beside him on the flat roof of the transport.

    "You did a good job with this vehicle, and with the gate." Jaik leaned over and said to Prism in a low voice, causing Prism to smile dopily up at him. "No, seriously. I grew up with so many people calling me a genius and a prodigy. I was showered with praise to the point that it started to mean nothing to me. But seeing what you can do, and how you push yourself over and over again...that''s truly amazing."

    Prism felt waves of admiration and even respect washing over Jaik''s mind, which in turn gave Jaik a sense of pleasure and relief. Prism marveled at how Jaik''s sharing of his innermost thoughts actually made the young man feel so good. There were other thoughts and sensations that Prism sensed from his connection with Jaik, feelings that did not have form enough to give words too. When Prism delved into those feelings more deeply, he could feel himself become nauseous. He was violating Jaik''s privacy without even thinking about it, while also ignoring the sincerity of Jaik''s words.

    "I''m sorry, Jaik. I don''t want you to think lesser of me, especially after what you just said, but I need to share something with you that you might find disturbing..." Prism crossed his arms and said guiltily while looking away from Jaik.

    "Reading my mind again?" Jaik said with a chuckle.

    Prism''s eyes opened wide and stared into Jaik''s with a look of shock.

    "You knew!? But I...I didn''t sense your awareness at all! It''s like the surface of your mind is an open door to me, whether I want it to be or not." Prism calmed down while he spoke, revealing the extent of his confusion.

    "I''ve known something weird was going on between us since I saw you after your combat test. You''d be a bit more awkward around me than you were with everyone else. I tried to be more buddy-buddy with you, and it seemed to help a little bit, but you''d still respond to me in unexpected ways. I didn''t know for sure what was causing it until last week." Jaik started to explain himself fully.

    Prism felt Jaik''s sincerity oozing from the young man''s mind, which lulled Prism into a state of complete trust and understanding. It was as if their strange connection was strengthening with every honest word that they said to one another.

    "Last week? While we were hiking through the mountains?" Prism asked.

    "I sort of laid a trap for you." Jaik laughed and said, eliciting a raised eyebrow from Prism. "I had a weird dream that second night in the woods. It involved you fighting some sort of tattooed madman who was dressed in a blue-and-white coat. The dream was so vivid that I just knew it was something that had really happened. When I woke up, I felt a weird d¨¦j¨¤ vu when I looked over at you sleeping. It was then that I realized there was something strange going on between us, something that I couldn''t really understand or fully perceive." Jaik seemed to digress from his initial joke, though Prism soon realized where Jaik was going with the story he told.

    "The tree!" Prism suddenly remembered.

    "Right, right. While you were asleep that night, I reasoned that you¡¯d been reading my thoughts since the live combat test. And you hadn¡¯t been acting so awkward around the others, so I figured that I was the only one.¡± Jaik watched Prism¡¯s responses intently, and saw Prism nod at certain statements. ¡°So to test my hypothesis, I spent the better part of an hour thinking up a plan. When you woke up, I started obsessively thinking about a pine tree with a white ring painted around its trunk. I knew that there was practically no way that you could know the significance of that tree." Jaik''s eyes became a bit watery while he spoke, and Prism could sense the complex emotions that Jaik associated with that tree.

    "When we came within twenty meters of the tree an hour later during our hike, and I went out of my way to walk to it and ask specific questions about it..." Prism started to fully understand.

    "You couldn''t have known that someone had died there. That was a fact that was kept secret, even from Ursun. So when you asked if the white-ringed tree involved some sort of research, and if it served as a memorial of some kind, those questions confirmed my hypothesis." Jaik sighed and cleared his throat.

    "When I asked you if you knew about the white ring, you just shrugged and said that it could mean any number of things. Who was it that died there? I understand if you don''t want to tell me, especially after you fought so hard to keep those thoughts from me." Prism grabbed Jaik''s shoulder and said softly.

    Jaik looked behind them to see if anyone was listening to their conversation. Satisfied that they were alone, Jaik began to speak again.

    "When I worked alongside Dr. Liam within the Science Division a year ago, I would sometimes be called out to handle sensitive medical matters that involved the Red Wolves. One of those matters involved a pair of high-ranking researchers who''d been investigating electromagnetic emissions that were coming from what they believed to be an underground cave further up on that mountain. One of those researchers came directly to Dr. Liam in a panic and told the doctor how his research partner had gone mad and injured himself after running down the mountain. Dr. Liam sent me, Dill, and Dy to find the injured researcher. Even back then, Dill and Dy were known for their discretion. Needless to say, I discovered the missing researcher¡¯s dead body in front of that tree, which he''d marked with a white ring for an unknown reason. Dr. Liam quickly classified the incident and marked the researcher''s death as a suicide. I assisted him with the autopsy, but we didn''t find anything to indicate he was murdered. The other researcher was reassigned to a different project after being thoroughly tested and given a clean bill of health by Dr. Liam."

    Jaik''s retelling of the odd events put Prism on edge; especially since Jaik was nervous the entire time he told the story. Flashes of the events came into Prism''s mind while Jaik remembered them. The main thing that Prism kept thinking about was the role that Dr. Liam had played in the cover-up.

    "What would make Dr. Liam hide this from his colleagues in Command?" Prism asked.

    "Shame." Jaik said with a dramatic pause. "Dr. Liam wouldn''t want to admit that one of his favorite scientists died in such a meaningless way. Not to mention that the two researchers hadn''t fully shared what they were even researching with Liam. He still doesn''t really know what they were doing on that mountain, other than the simple "underground electromagnetic emission" explanation." Jaik sighed and leaned back on the roof, placing his arms behind him to prop himself up.

    "Quite a story. Thank you for trusting me with it." Prism said sweetly while staring gratefully into Jaik¡¯s bright green eyes.

    Prism reached up and tousled Jaik¡¯s curly, undercut black hair. Jaik soon grabbed Prism¡¯s arm, and lowered it back down to Prism¡¯s side. Prism became a bit worried when he saw Jaik¡¯s face become dour, and sensed a serious shift in Jaik¡¯s mood.

    "You seem good at keeping secrets, which brings us back to your mind-reading." Jaik said, not wanting to let Prism off the hook so easily.

    After a very pregnant pause, Prism looked up at the night sky and took a deep breath before he began to speak.

    "To start, I''ll tell you that I''m relieved. I was worried that the magic I used to heal your leg and bring you out of that coma had radically changed your personality, but now I see why you''ve been acting so friendly towards me." Prism''s expression hardened as he carefully chose his words. "And in all honesty, I''m not entirely sure why this one-sided telepathic bond has formed between us. If I had to guess, I''d say that the raw mana I used to treat you has made you...a bit magical." Prism smiled nervously at Jaik, seeing that his friend was even more confused by the explanation.

    "I''m assuming that this "raw mana" you''re talking about is the energy you got from connecting to our world when Ursun took you out to the waterfall? And I''m also going to assume that it is more unpredictable than the sort of mana you normally use?" Jaik asked intelligently.

    "Your assumptions are correct. The mana I get from initially communing with a world is especially wild and powerful. I normally need a day or two to "digest" it, so that I can fully utilize it and better understand the world that I''m on. I''ll admit that what I did to save you was dangerous, but I didn''t have time to wait. Once I''d digested that raw mana, you could''ve been dead." Prism explained in earnest.

    "I''ll always be grateful to you for saving my life and making me whole again. You know that. Though...I have a new reality ahead of me now, apparently. What does being "magical" entail?" Jaik looked over at Prism with complete naivet¨¦.

    "Well, since your people don''t seem to have the ability to even perceive magic, your new magical nature probably doesn''t affect you much at all. But since I can sense magic, I have a unique ability to see and hear you in ways that others on ?ba can''t. Your body is enmeshed with the magical energies of your world. You radiate raw mana, something that I am only starting to realize. And because of that, even your thoughts have become magical in nature." Prism''s explanation gave Jaik a budding sense of excitement. Jaik began to see himself as truly special for the first time in years.

    "Does that mean that I''ll be able to use magic, like you?" Jaik was surprised by his own question, but was made giddy by it, as well.

    "I don''t think so." Prism said softly, soon sensing Jaik''s disappointment. "Whatever prevents your people from using magic is still affecting you. And I''m now pretty sure that the mana that I used to heal you is fading away and returning to ?ba, since you lack the ability to absorb it. You''ll probably be back to normal in a few more weeks." Prism told Jaik, whose disappointment grew with each word Prism spoke.

    "I see," said Jaik with a slight frown. "But at least I''m alive! That''s what''s important!"

    Jaik rose to his feet after shouting joyfully and stretched his long, toned arms up to the sky in an energetic, triumphant pose. Prism smiled up at him, glad that he was focusing on the most positive aspect of his magical recovery. Jaik looked down at Prism and beamed at the bald, youthful alien. Prism could sense the love radiating from Jaik, and it made him feel warm and happy.

    "What''s going on!? Are there enemies nearby!?"

    A half-dressed Ursun charged out of the lobby with his coilgun in hand, with Srell and Lorias following close behind. When Prism and Jaik heard Ursun''s shouts and saw him running towards them, they both laughed and waved their arms to gesture that everything was okay. Ursun cursed to himself and turned around to head back inside. Lorias flipped his hair at the two youngest-looking members of RED-1, while Srell stayed behind to give them a piece of his mind.

    "The bootcamp isn''t over yet! Get your asses in gear! This ain''t no time to be goofing off!" Srell yelled to them irately before heading back to the lobby as well.

    "You heard the man. Let''s get ready for bed. We''ve got a lot of stairs to climb tomorrow." Jaik said to Prism with a jokingly overly-determined expression.

    "Yes, sir!" Prism shouted with the same silly look, even going so far as to give a mock salute to Jaik.

    The two of them laughed their way back to the lobby, pushing and shoving each other along the way.

 Chapter 20 - Ascend (Part 1)

    ¡°I found it on this one!¡± Srell shouted to his teammates scattered across the large blue room.

    Srell raised himself from a crouching position and held up a red card key for everyone else to see. The others, who were examining the motionless bodies of white humanoid machines, joined Srell when he walked over to a sealed elevator door. He tapped the red card key on a white panel on the wall, which then shifted to the same blue marble color as the rest of the wall.

    Moments later, the silvery elevator doors opened with a loud *ding* sound. RED-1 quickly crowded inside of the large silver interior of the elevator without a word. It had been the ninth time that day that they¡¯d cleared such a room of hostiles and been granted the ability to go to a higher floor. Such was the nature of the Center Building, the final challenge of Battle City.

    ¡°Prepare yourselves. The difficulty usually increases every ten floors.¡± Ursun said calmly while they rode the elevator up.

    Ursun looked specifically at Prism, who curtly nodded his understanding to the commander.

    ¡°Just 60 more floors to go after the next one!¡± Jaik said optimistically.

    Jaik saying the large number of floors aloud had the opposite effect on his team than he¡¯d intended. Leanna, Srell, and Prism looked at Jaik with glum expressions.

    ¡°When I went through this building a year ago, there was an especially powerful machine that we had to defeat every ten floors. A ¡°boss,¡± as it were.¡± Leanna recalled aloud to Prism.

    ¡°Knowing Gnapp, the bosses this time around are going to be turbocharged to give us and our newest member a real challenge.¡± Srell lamented while making a stink face.

    ¡°Well, time to find out.¡± Lorias said when the elevator came to a stop.

    After another *ding* sound played, the elevator doors opened to reveal a large white android that stood 5-meters tall. It had no face, just a smooth, featureless white surface. Its bulging artificial muscles flexed and throbbed as it rocked in place, itching for a fight. It simply stood ominously at the center of the vast room, waiting for them to exit the elevator.

    A thick transparent wall blocked off access to its portion of the room, and also prevented RED-1 from simply shooting at the android from the elevator.

    ¡°Oh lovely, a hulk golem.¡± Leanna said sarcastically while she held her PAW at the ready. ¡°It relies on fast movements to stomp on and punch its enemies. We need to stay as far away from it as possible.¡± She explained for Prism¡¯s benefit.

    ¡°It¡¯s a replica of one of the Kingdom¡¯s plasma soldiers, named for the apple-sized plasmagnetrons that supply them with clean fusion energy.¡± Jaik further explained to Prism. ¡°These are far more sophisticated than those more traditional machines that we faced on the city streets.¡± Jaik added.

    ¡°Is it safe to destroy them? I mean, they have fusion generators in them, so surely it¡¯s too dangerous to just shoot at them, right?¡± Prism asked with a high pitched voice.

    ¡°Their plasmagnetrons are so advanced that they shut off the moment they are damaged, or no longer receive enough of the deuterium fluid that¡¯s being circulated through the machines like blood. We can go crazy on these bad boys.¡± Jaik said with a smirk while he readied his PAW. ¡°Though Gnapp would probably appreciate it if we didn¡¯t damage their plasmagnetrons too much. He can¡¯t create them yet, and it¡¯s pretty hard to get more of them.¡± Jaik added in a more hushed and frenzied tone.

    ¡°Prism, give us some cover! This is going to be a tough one!¡± Ursun yelled.

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Prism said before readying a spell that he hoped would contain the golem.

    When Ursun stepped off of the elevator, the transparent wall began to slide down into the floor. He readied his powered-on coilgun and stood a few meters in front of the recessing wall, only 10-meters in front of the hulk golem. Kingdom plasma soldiers were thoroughly EM-shielded, but the coilgun¡¯s primary function would still be effective against them. The other members of RED-1 quickly exited the elevator and took up positions around the golem. They hid behind rectangular marble blocks of various sizes that were in random areas of the room, which served as defensive cover.

    Prism¡¯s eyes shined with blue light while he held his PAW in his left hand and held up his open, glowing right hand before him. He stood beside Ursun, and was ready to attack the golem the moment the wall between them had recessed enough. And in a matter of seconds, that¡¯s exactly what happened.

    ¡°Now!¡± Ursun shouted.

    Prism hurled a blue circle at the golem the moment that it leapt at Ursun. A torrent of wind pulled it back down to the ground, effectively restraining it. While the machine fought vigorously against the cyclonic shackles, RED-1 unleashed a brutal barrage of bullets upon it, heavily damaging it. The most damaging shots were from Ursun¡¯s coilgun, which fired sharpened steel rods that easily pierced through the android¡¯s fiber-reinforced polymer skin at such a close range. Even Prism fired his PAW at the golem as he held the hulk firmly in place with his magic-controlling fist.

    White fluid spattered from the gunshot wounds suffered by the hulk golem, though the android¡¯s fluids were largely sucked into the same tempest that kept it restrained in the middle of the room. As the damage to its body became more and more significant, it fought less and less against Prism¡¯s wind magic. After only a few minutes of nonstop gunfire, RED-1 was sure that their enemy had been defeated when it stopped moving on its own. Its limp, hole-ridden body began to flop around within the vortex that Prism had created.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Ursun shouted as he raised his arm and signaled to his team to stop firing.

    While everyone eased off of their PAW triggers, Prism dispelled his wind magic. The hulk golem lay limply on the ground in front of them, seemingly no longer a threat.

    ¡°Overkill¡­¡± Srell said in a hushed tone, as if he was a bit ashamed of their undefended assault on the android.

    ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll have to dig the card key out of it.¡± Leanna said with a disgusted shake of her head as she looked upon the white gooey mess that remained of the android.

    The hulk golem¡¯s internal components squelched while its white operating fluids spilled out of its numerous severed cables. Jaik and Leanna looked at the android skeptically, hardly believing how easily they¡¯d defeated the ordinarily-hardy opponent.

    ¡°I¡¯ll handle it.¡± Lorias said to the others.

    The blonde-haired ranger withdrew his variable sword from it¡¯s sheathe on his belt and twisted its hilt with a flick of his wrist. The sword glowed red when it shifted to cauterize mode. Lorias slowly approached the downed golem with his sword raised to his side. He too wasn¡¯t convinced that the machine was truly incapacitated. When he came within the android''s attack range, Lorias raised his sword in a defensive stance just long enough to protect against a sudden attack.

    After a few seconds, and a few more steps towards the downed machine, Lorias was satisfied that it was truly deactivated. He soon began to hack away at its chest cavity, slicing away piece-after-piece of its white polymer shell to reveal more of its internal structure. It didn¡¯t take long before he saw the gleam of a glossy red plastic card key buried deep within the android near its synthetic spine. He reached inside of the android with his left hand and pulled out the card key, then raised it high for his teammates to see.

    Prism couldn¡¯t help but hop over to where the plasma soldier¡¯s body lay cut open and exposed. A faint amount of heat was flowing out of the body. He glanced into the open chest cavity and saw a white spherical object faintly shimmering within. The sphere had several silvery accents and golden bands wrapped around it that secured numerous tubes to it. Prism¡¯s eyes gleamed while he looked at the heart-like plasmagnetron become dormant in the absence of deuterium fluid being pumped within it. The heat he¡¯d felt quickly faded away.

    "Good work, kids. Let''s keep up this speed. We have a little over 10 hours to reach the 70<sup>th</sup> floor." Ursun said before heading back to the elevator.

    "Shouldn''t be too hard. From now on, some of the card keys allow us to skip a few floors." Leanna said.

    "I get the feeling that the next few bosses will be a lot harder than this one." Srell said while helping Lorias clean up some of the white goo from his forearm armor while they headed to the elevator door.

    Srell¡¯s prediction came true when they reached the 20<sup>th</sup> floor after an hour of fighting combat androids accompanied by a variety of obstacles, traps, and automated turrets within ever-changing room arrangements.

    The tower¡¯s next boss was a pair of faceless twin white androids with tall, bladed golden lances. One of the ornate androids held their lance in their right hand, while its twin that stood beside it held its own lance in its left hand. They looked like mirror images of each other; two 2-meter-tall, armor-less, artificial knights with golden filigree accents framing each major artificial muscle on their limber bodies.

    ¡°Lance Knights,¡± was all that Lorias said when their elevator door opened.

    ¡°They¡¯re particularly efficient plasma soldiers. And don¡¯t be fooled by their lances; they actually double as low-yield particle cannons that''ll give you one nasty radiation burn." Leanna explained to Prism.

    ¡°We¡¯ll need precision here. Switch to high explosive rounds.¡± Ursun ordered. ¡°And Prism, slow these knights down as much as you can. Their speed alone makes them deadly.¡± He added.

    The six of them withdrew long rectangular boxes from the back of their utility belts and swapped out their ammo cartridges from their PAWs. The long cartridges slid smoothly into their PAWs and made a quiet *click* once they were fully inserted. Prism¡¯s eyes then flashed white when he raised his free right hand to prepare a restraining spell.

    When they all left the elevator, the wall partition that separated them from the twin knight androids rapidly began to slide down. While the others ran behind cover and aimed their weapons, white light radiated from Prism¡¯s eyes as bands of light formed around the androids in front of him. When the shining restraints closed around the torsos and legs of the machines, both of the knights dropped to the ground before the light bands could make contact with them. Prism¡¯s eyes grew wide when he saw how fast the knights truly were.

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    But Prism quickly started to redouble his efforts to stop the androids. He saw the white and gold machines leap towards him before he could form his spell attack against them. Fortunately for him, the androids were soon recoiling from the impact of his team¡¯s single-shot explosive rounds. The synchronized rounds were powerful enough to knock the androids back to the other side of the room, flooring them and knocking their lances out of their hands. The high explosive, armor piercing ammunition blasted through their white polymer skin.

    Despite the damage that the rounds inflicted, the knights soon stood up and rushed to pick up their lances. Prism noticed that the androids¡¯ damaged skin was repairing itself while he formed two spell circles to launch a more potent spell against them. While the knights began dodging the team¡¯s focused shots, the machines readied themselves for another attack against RED-1. The androids bent their knees and prepared to leap across the room and strike at the team.

    ¡°Whatever you¡¯re going to do, you need to do it fast!¡± Srell shouted at Prism from behind a tall block of marble that he used for cover.

    ¡°Alrighty!¡± Prism shouted while his eyes brilliantly shined with white light that could blind his teammates if he¡¯d been facing any of them.

    Prism¡¯s two white spell circles flew from his hands and expanded beneath the feet of the androids. In an instant, the marble floor below them contorted like liquid and burst forth, shooting stone tendrils up through the androids just as they were about to jump towards Prism. A horrible screeching sound came from the androids when the articulated marble pierced their synthetic limbs and torsos, striking at their critical systems. Prism caused the marble he controlled to whip around the androids, restraining them and bringing them to their knees.

    In spite of his efforts, the androids still managed to overpower Prism¡¯s marble restraints and deftly pointed their lances at him. Before Prism even realized what was going on, the lances discharged two slightly-radiant beams of ionized particles that both intersected directly onto Prism.

    Prism screamed as the two crossed beams irradiated his body with magnified power. Though his team looked on in horror, Ursun commanded them to direct their final few shots of explosive rounds at the two lances. With two well-aimed and focused bursts at both lance heads, the particle beams ceased firing. The knight androids wriggled helplessly against the blue marble that skewered them and held them in place.

    Prism dropped to his knees and slumped down onto the ground, soon becoming quiet and motionless. His light brown skin steamed while it slowly reddened from the buildup of heat and radiation that he suffered. His allies rushed to his side, though Leanna quickly warned them to keep their distance.

    ¡°There¡¯s so much heat coming from his body¡­¡± Srell said worriedly while he and the others kept their PAWs trained on the still-functioning androids a few meters in front of Prism.

    ¡°It¡¯s the ionizing radiation. He¡¯s being cooked from the inside out.¡± Lorias said with a shake of his head.

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Jaik yelled before throwing down his PAW and kneeling a short distance from Prism. As much as it hurt his heart, he couldn¡¯t get closer for his own safety. He was powerless to do anything about such extensive radiation burns. ¡°This test has gone too far! We never would have faced off against two REGENERATING knights at the SAME time if it had been just us!¡± Jaik said angrily with tears in his eyes.

    Ursun looked away ashamedly from Prism¡¯s prone body, surprised by how things had turned out. Ursun then took two perfect shots at the nearby knights¡¯ featureless faces. The two androids ceased functioning, and slumped down the warped marble that impaled their synthetic bodies. While the others looked on at Ursun while he slowly lowered his PAW, each of them jerked their heads back down at Prism when they heard their downed teammate begin to cough.

    They watched in awe while Prism¡¯s body began to be bathed in soothing white light as Prism began to bring himself onto his hands and knees. The healing light flowed from a white spell circle on the side of his head. Prism dry heaved while every muscle in his body flexed beneath his armor. The white light that surrounded him treated the damage to his cells while also cleansing his armor and gear of any lingering heat and radiation.

    After a minute of the display, the light dimmed and Prism was sitting on the ground rubbing the side of his head. The white spell circle that had been there dimmed. He then looked embarrassedly at the confused and relieved faces around him before rising to his feet and bowing to them apologetically.

    ¡°Sorry! I forgot to tell you guys that I¡¯d prepared an auto-recovery spell on myself a few floors ago.¡± Prism said with closed eyes and clasped hands. ¡°There is just such an abundance of mana in this tower. That complicated spell was suddenly pretty easy to cast on myself on the 16<sup>th</sup> floor. I figured I¡¯d be safe and do it, just in case¡­¡± Prism began to ramble when none of his teammates said anything.

    ¡°And we¡¯re glad you did.¡± Jaik said before pulling Prism into a tight hug.

    Prism smiled even while he felt like Jaik was squeezing the air out of his lungs.

    ¡°Moving forward, let us know when you¡¯re using magic like that. I shouldn¡¯t have to keep telling you that, Prism. You put us at a serious tactical disadvantage when we thought that a key member of our team had fallen.¡± Ursun¡¯s words were stern and tinged with frustration at the cavalcade of emotions that he¡¯d just experienced.

    ¡°Yes, do let us know next time, especially if you use something like that on us.¡± Lorias said with a cold look at Prism before approaching the two twin knights with his variable sword drawn.

    ¡°Stop with these death fake-outs. It¡¯s getting to be like the boy who cried wolf with you¡­¡± Srell said snidely after he groaned in irritation.

    ¡°Sorry¡­I¡¯ll try to stay dead next time.¡± Prism said sarcastically after pushing himself free from Jaik¡¯s embrace.

    Prism¡¯s words shocked his teammates more than he¡¯d expected.

    ¡°Not funny.¡± Jaik said with a hard squeeze of Prism¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Not at all. We¡¯re relieved that you¡¯re okay.¡± Leanna said with a nod of her head. She was still a bit stunned by Prism¡¯s magical resurrection, so much so that she couldn¡¯t make eye contact with the Elementeitan.

    ¡°But Srell does have a point, in a way. I¡¯d prefer it if you didn¡¯t have so many close calls with death. Be more careful. I¡¯m guessing that magic of yours would have a hard time healing you if you¡¯d been riddled with bullet holes instead of radiation.¡± Ursun said in a more fatherly tone.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Especially if enough of those holes were in my head.¡± Prism nodded softly. ¡°I¡¯ll be more careful, sir.¡±

    The next ten floors that RED-1 climbed featured puzzles and a few tiered levels that spanned multiple floors, offering more places for enemies to hide and be protected by cover. With each floor that they rose to, Prism felt the mana contained in his surroundings grow denser and richer. By the time they¡¯d defeated three elite archer androids on the 30<sup>th</sup> floor, Prism became sure of the source of the increased mana.

    ¡°There¡¯s a massive mana convergence atop this building. I can feel currents of mana flowing to and from it.¡± Prism said to the others while Lorias once again carved open the bosses¡¯ bodies in search of the next card key.

    ¡°Like the one you fed on by the waterfall?¡± Ursun asked.

    Ursun was unsure of how something that he thought was only to be found where various aspects of nature intersected could be found atop a skyscraper. Leanna also scratched her head in confusion. Prism smiled when he saw them look at him incredulously. Prism was well aware that they only knew what he¡¯d told them about mana, and that he hadn¡¯t been very thorough in any of his past explanations.

    "Small mana convergences like the one at the waterfall are just a natural result of being by so many different elements. But large convergences like the one above us are created by a complex network of mana currents that flow across ?ba. They take a long time to form, and have a much bigger effect on their surroundings. They also let magic-users like me cast really powerful spells much more easily." Prism explained.

    "That must be why Gnapp claims that he does his best work here; atop the Center, I mean. He has a lab up there, amongst other things." Leanna said before glancing pensively up at the ceiling.

    "Was there one of these large convergences on that glacier that you repaired?" Srell asked with a hint of guilt.

    "Yup, there sure was. But I wasn''t able to tap into its full power since I had to utilize it to fix the cracks you and Lorias made, erect a barrier to stop an avalanche, AND escape from you two..." Prism became annoyed while he retold the story of his live combat test''s resolution.

    "Orders are orders..." Lorias said while walking back over to his group with the card key he''d fished out of one the archer androids'' chest cavities.

    "Wait a minute, what do you mean by "tap into its full power"?" Jaik asked quizzically.

    Leanna had wanted to ask the same question but Jaik had beaten her to it. Prism placed his hand on his chin and then glanced up at the ceiling for a moment. He wasn''t sure if he should even entertain his idea, let alone share it with the others.

    "We''ll worry about this "mana convergence" when we get up there. We still have forty more floors ahead of us. Let''s get back to it." Ursun ordered.

    Prism was relieved by Ursun''s command, and took the opportunity to walk ahead of everyone and wait by the elevator. He''d be pestered by Leanna and Jaik to explain himself for the next five floors, but even they soon stopped probing once they came to an especially dangerous room on the 36th floor.

    The multi-floor room seemingly had no enemy machines, but instead featured an expansive network of stairs and ladders that appeared to reach up to the 39th floor. There were a few crates, tables, and assorted seating close to the elevator, signaling to RED-1 that the room was also a designated resupply depot.

    "Thank goodness. We could use the break." Prism said with a sigh.

    But just as he was leaving the elevator, he was held back by Srell, who''d been standing behind him.

    "Don''t be an idiot. Don''t you see how big this room is? There''s no way that it''s just a resupply depot." Srell said directly into Prism''s left ear.

    "An endurance test, perhaps?" Lorias thought aloud while he looked out of the elevator at the stairs and ladders that criss-crossed throughout the room.

    "I can''t make out the upper area very well. I''d send out a drone to check, but that would set off whatever machines are in there waiting to kill us. We''d be sitting ducks in here." Leanna said, knowing that the elevator doors wouldn''t close until each of them was off of the elevator.

    "We proceed with caution. We need to restock our supplies, so that will be our first priority." Ursun said calmly "Prism and Srell will cover us while we check the crates. Let''s go." Ursun ordered.

    They each got out of the elevator in a tight formation that allowed them to have eyes on all of their surroundings. When the others began to open and rifle through the supply crates, their best sharpshooter Srell and their magical ally Prism kept their weapons at the ready while scanning the area around them and above them for threats. It only took a few minutes for Ursun and the others to get the supplies they needed. Jaik handed Prism a few extra ammo cartridges for his PAW before a few of them became a bit more relaxed. After several minutes without encountering any enemies, Ursun felt it appropriate for them to take a small break to eat and drink what had been provided for them within the room.

    "A lot of the enemy configurations on the floors up till now are just a bit beefed up but relatively the same. This is the first area that looks completely different..." Leanna mused.

    "Gnapp did make this a modal building. Most of the flooring, ceilings, and even the walls can be adjusted remotely." Lorias reminded her.

    "Yeah, but this is...extensive. And to what end? Something like an endurance test would be more suited for the Undercity. The Center serves as a prelude for that, but still..." Leanna thought aloud.

    "I''m trying to give my mind a small break, but you guys just won''t let up." Srell once again voiced his irritation between bites of a ham and cheese sandwich.

    "I sense something...something''s coming!" Prism shouted before throwing down his own sandwich.

    The rest of RED-1 did the same and raised their PAWs, becoming battle-ready with only a seconds-notice. But what they thought was an enemy android was something far different. Small vents began opening at the edges of the walls on each end of the room. Swarms of small mechanical insects began quickly crawling out of the vents. They made their way towards the center of the room en masse directly towards the members of RED-1. The team didn''t need time to think once they saw the machines. RED-1 rushed to higher ground, using whatever ladder or stairway was closest to them.

    "They''re Eaters! They consume any organic matter that they come across! We have to get out of here before they reach us!" Leanna yelled to Prism while they made their way up two ladders.

    When Prism looked down, he could see that the small multi-legged machines were rapidly climbing up the ladder poles and the stairs below them. A mass of them had gathered around the abandoned sandwiches but quickly returned to pursuing RED-1, leaving no trace of the sandwiches in their wake. With the sheer amount of them blackening everything that they streamed across, Prism realized that there was little he could do to stop the eater swarm without potentially damaging the entire room.

    "They''re gaining on us!" Srell shouted.

    "He''s right! We need a speed boost or something, Prism!" Jaik shouted from a staircase near Prism.

    Prism''s eyes glowed red while he soon formed five red spell circles in his hand, and one on the side of his scalp. He sent the spell circles flying at his teammates, who soon began moving more quickly up the ladders and staircases with ease. Prism was soon ahead of them, and was fortunate enough to find the area''s red card key simply lying on the level below the elevator.

    "Meet me at the elevator! I have the card key!" Prism shouted below before he rapidly climbed up a ladder and made it to the elevator first.

    Prism smiled when he saw his teammates join him a few minutes later. They all got on the elevator before any of the eaters could catch up with them. Ursun gave Prism a hard pat on the back that pushed the small alien forward a bit. The red light faded from Prism''s eyes, and it soon faded from his teammates'' bodies as well.

    "That was a rush!" Srell shouted energetically.

    "A useful ability. You should use it on us more often." Lorias noted.

    "I was only able to use it so fast and on so many of you because of the mana convergence above us. And having you all move that quickly for too long could put a lot of strain on your bodies. We just didn''t have a choice back there." Prism explained with a guilty look on his face.

    "We can handle it." Jaik said to Prism with a smile.

    Prism shook his head and rolled his eyes jokingly at Jaik, who in turn started to pull Prism into a headlock. The group was still high on the adrenaline from outrunning the eaters, and Ursun knew it.

    "Calm yourselves! We''re coming up on a boss. We''ll need to be levelheaded to defeat whatever it may be." Ursun said while breaking up Jaik and Prism''s imminent horseplay before it really began.

    When the elevator doors opened onto the 40th floor, RED-1 braced themselves for the high-level threat that hovered behind the transparent partition before them. It was a slender, feminine-bodied white android that had a bulky, white, dress-like lower body from whence short jets of blue fire shot out to keep it afloat. Its face was featureless, like all the other Kingdom-style androids that Prism had seen, though it had a white lace veil coming from the back of its golden filigree-crowned head.

    "A Kingdom rector..." Jaik said almost breathlessly. "This is...supposed to be the last boss...on the 60th floor..." he barely managed to say.

    "Plasma thrusters for hovering and sustained flight, arm-mounted plasma-throwers, chest-mounted laser cannons..." Leanna began to rattle off the numerous dangerous features of the impressive machine.

    "I''ll handle this," was all that Prism said before his eyes became completely black. A pitch-black spell circle formed on the side of his bald, light-brown scalp.

    "What are you going to do? Be mindful that we need the card key inside of it to proceed." Lorias asked directly, as he usually did.

    "I''m going to completely neutralize it with the surge of mana I''ve taken a hold of; all of it but the card key." Prism said before stepping off of the elevator, which triggered the partition to rapidly retract into the floor.

    "Are you crazy!? We can''t enter this room without a plan! This thing WILL kill all of us without a plan!" Srell shouted in sheer panic.

    "Prism!" Ursun yelled behind Prism, who''d made his way directly in front of the nearly-retracted partition.

    Prism didn¡¯t look back at his worried teammates, and didn¡¯t make a sound.

 Chapter 21 - Ascend (Part 2)

    Before the rector android could activate any of its weapons, the area around it began to grow darker. The frilly, feminine white android contrasted greatly with the darkness that framed its well-crafted form. Despite the blackening sphere that formed around it, the rector only became slightly shaded and remained visible to the others in the room.

    Prism, his eyes still dark as night, reached out his hands toward the rector while his PAW hung from the clip on his chest armor. He formed an imaginary ball with his fingers, and the darkened area around the rector became pure blackness with light only shining at the seemingly-flat edges of the area. Prism began to close his hands together, tightening the imaginary ball that he appeared to be holding in front of himself. The android, which looked motionless within the darkness, began to vibrate as though it was straining against a force that surrounded it on all sides. The more that Prism closed his hands, the more force that was exerted onto the rector android.

    In a manner of minutes, the android crumpled against the pressure and was crushed into a ball of polymer and white goo. Electricity arced across the surface of the ball of very valuable technological materials, due to the cracking of its internal energy supply.

    "A black hole?" Leanna said after her eyes grew wide from witnessing the quick defeat of the normally-formidable opponent.

    "How are we supposed to get the card key now!? You crushed it into the size of a beach ball!" Srell yelled after running to Prism''s side.

    "You mean this?" Prism said in an unusually deep voice.

    Prism lowered his right hand to his side and then brought his left hand up as if presenting something to Srell. A small, rectangular black mass of energy appeared in Prism''s hand. Soon, the black energy began to disappear from the shape, slowly revealing the red card key. The pitch-black color faded from Prism''s eyes, as well as the darkness that crushed and held the crumpled rector android afloat. Its compacted remains fell to the ground with an oddly wet sound.

    "Impressive, even for you." Srell said before taking the card key from Prism.

    Srell walked the key back over to the elevator where the rest of the team was still amassed. They were learning not to be so shocked by Prism''s magic, but they could still hardly believe how easily he''d beaten the replica of one of the Queen''s strongest android combatants.

    Ursun had memories of seeing a deployed rector kill dozens of his men on the battlefield years ago. He knew that the replica hadn''t been truly as powerful as the Queen''s fabricators made them, but Ursun was impressed with Prism nonetheless. The commander did his best to hide his amazement from the others however, not wanting to inflate Prism¡¯s ego. Ursun had seen too many skilled mercenaries take too many risks simply because they¡¯d been complimented a bit too often during a mission. And over a decade ago, Ursun had even been one of those big-headed mercenaries.

    "Looks like this tower is ironically going to get easier and easier for us, thanks to that mana convergence." Lorias surmised.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky. Stay alert and work together. I don¡¯t want you charging off ahead of us again either, Prism!¡± Ursun said loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

    Lorias'' guess turned out to be correct, though no one had doubted him. Prism grew more and more powerful with each few floors they completed, but he was sure to listen to Ursun and involve the team whenever they ran into danger.

    Unlike on the glacier, Prism wasn''t afraid to constantly tap into the mana that radiated from the large nearby mana convergence. Prism sensed that it was ancient and therefore extremely stable, unlike the one he''d found weeks earlier atop the mountain.

    Prism¡¯s teammates marveled at how he not only dispatched the next two bosses, but used his magic to make his human allies faster, stronger, and safer as they came across more complex enemy formations. By the time they arrived on the 70th floor, they were all ¡°ebullient bundles of birr,¡± as Leanna had called them after they¡¯d dispatched an especially deadly group of androids. It was a well-known phrase that had been used to describe the Red Wolves by an Etrysian journalist during the early years of the mercenary company¡¯s existence.

    "There it finally is; the bomb." Prism said facetiously while walking triumphantly off of the elevator at the 70<sup>th</sup> floor before anyone else.

    The large mock fusion bomb hung from a thick bundle of cabling that occasionally swayed in the wind. The top floor of The Center was exposed on all four sides to the outdoors since all of the room''s massive windows had been left open. The room reminded Prism of the large lobby that they''d slept in the previous night, but with a higher ceiling that was still low enough to contain another large room above them. The room¡¯s marble walls featured several imposing half-columns that ran up to the ceiling, making the room seem ancient and grand.

    Prism could also make out the familiar remnants of battle that were noticeable throughout all of the floors they''d made it through; the bullet-cracked marble, the charred areas where explosives had gone off, as well as the cuts and gashes from large bladed weapons. It was clear to Prism that the penthouse room had been a host to many battles over the years.

    "Could you do the honors, Magic Man?" Srell said to Prism while motioning to the hanging bomb. "Data Girl is normally the demolitions expert these days, but I''m sure you can do it faster." He added with a dismissive gesture towards Leanna.

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    "It''s the panel with the special screws, right there." Leanna said while pointing to gray housing cover plate that was out of their reach.

    Prism''s eyes glowed blue as he began to wave his hands in the air before him, guiding his telekinetic magic to remove the cover plate and interact with the control unit inside. The unit was analog and rather antiquated-looking, which surprised Prism. With a few more fine gestures of his hands and fingers, he disabled the control unit and put everything back the way that he''d found it. He never physically touched anything. The others had barely been able to see the control unit or what he''d done to it, because he never needed to lower the bomb from its hanging position above them.

    It became clear to RED-1 that they''d accomplished their mission when Gnapp appeared from a hidden circular staircase that was contained within one of the large indented columns that existed within the walls of the room. He walked out of the revealed entrance to the stairwell and smiled gingerly at the group before him.

    "Congratulations, gentlemen and lady. You have completed this week''s objective and have been the fastest climbers of The Center yet! It only took your team five hours to run the increased-difficulty gambit I created. I would have never thought that you all would breeze through the last half of this tower, even with Prism''s help. My goodness, what a marvelous development!" Gnapp began to say in an especially chipper tone.

    "There is a great mass of mana up here. Actually, it¡¯s slightly above the building itself. It''s enabled me to do some pretty incredible things while we''ve been in here." Prism explained to Gnapp, who scratched his beard in a display of interest and thought.

    "Now can you tell us how you''re going to "tap into its full power" now?" Leanna asked.

    Prism looked back and saw that she and the others were raring to hear his answer. Each of them wanted to see what Prism was going to do. He''d restored RED-1¡¯s stamina an hour ago, and they were still energetic. Prism smiled at them and nodded. He had no intention of hiding his intentions from them any longer.

    "I think that I can complete my healing process by absorbing a large amount of raw mana from the mana convergence. That way, I''ll regain my full magical might." Prism said while looking up at the ceiling above them.

    "That''s awesome!" Jaik said exuberantly.

    "Yes, but what are the risks? You seemed too concerned for there not to be any." Ursun asked, reigning in his team''s excitement.

    "I..." Prism began to say, but stopped to take a deep breath. "It''s possible that I''m just too damaged from the torture and from going so long without access to this planet''s mana. The process could overwhelm my body and mind...it could tear me apart. And..." Prism struggled to be so honest with them, afraid that they''d deny his only chance at making himself whole again.

    "And? There''s even more risks than that?" Lorias asked warily.

    "It''s possible that I could destabilize the flow of mana across your entire world. That''s the worst case scenario." Prism said softly.

    "What would that even do?" Srell asked anxiously.

    "Without mana, a world''s natural processes cease to function. Waters begin to cease their flow, wind begins to cease its circulation, and even life ceases to thrive..." Prism explained with a saddened face and voice.

    "It''s crazy that something that we can''t even perceive of or detect with our technology can be so pivotal to our continued existence." Gnapp said astutely. Leanna and Jaik silently nodded their agreement.

    "How likely are these outcomes?" Ursun asked after spending a few seconds deep in thought, stroking his thick red beard pensively.

    "Not likely. I have enough control over myself and the magic around us right now to minimize the risk significantly. Fighting through this building really was the best thing that could''ve happened before doing this." Prism said. His confidence was quickly returning to him.

    "Then I''ll allow it. Go ahead, kid." Ursun said simply and calmly.

    With a happy nod of his head, Prism began taking off his helmet and armor until he was only wearing his underclothes. His eyes glowed blue while he summoned the winds to lift him up and take him out of the room through one of its large open windows and above the building itself. The ease of his flight reminded him of how it used to be for centuries before he''d arrived on ?ba. He flew directly into the heart of the massive mana convergence, which he saw as a large swirling sphere made up of all of the colors of the rainbow.

    Gnapp quickly accessed The Center''s external camera feeds from his own arm display and zoomed in on Prism so that the others could see what he was doing. The members of RED-1 that still stood within the room linked their own arm displays to Gnapp''s, with his guidance. They all stared into their displays, unsure of what would actually happen above them. Jaik was the only one who could see the colorful mass of energy that Prism had flown into. He smiled after he looked around at the others, soon realizing that his temporary magical nature enabled his eyes to see what they could not.

    Prism reached out his arms to his sides and began to absorb the mana that rushed around his body. It was truly dangerous for an Elementeitan to commune with a world and open itself up to its raw mana more than once, but what Prism was doing was different. He didn''t need to reach out to ?ba and ask her to release her bounty to him. He merely needed to drink deep of the mana that was already there in the sky. He simply hoped that he would not drown in the process.

    Prism''s eyes flashed with every color imaginable as the torrent of mana began to enter his body. His form began to transform, just as it had before Ursun by the waterfall weeks earlier, so that he could handle the absorption more effectively. The phantasmal tendrils that appeared from his head reached out in all directions, facilitating the osmosis of even greater amounts of mana. His translucent body became ever more luminous, until his form was absolutely incandescent with kaleidoscopic colors.

    Gnapp and the other members of RED-1 looked curiously at their arm displays at Prism''s transformation, and they soon had to look away when the Elementeitan became too bright to be looked upon directly. Each of them could see the brilliant prismatic light streaming down from atop The Center through the windows that were all around them. Prism shined so brightly that he could be seen by all on the Peninsula who looked at the sky in his direction, even though it was midday. Gnapp and Ursun began to grow worried at the implications of such a strange display, and hoped that their enemies didn''t act on news of the occurrence. If the enemies of the Conjunction believed that the Red Wolves had a new weapon, they had all the evidence they''d need after Prism''s polychromatic spectacle.

    After several minutes of overwhelming the daytime sky with color, the light from Prism''s body dimmed and he began to feel a sense of fullness and satisfaction. His ethereal form hovered peacefully in the air for a few more moments before it coalesced back into Prism''s more familiar human form. Prism smiled serenely as he hovered in the center of what remained of the mana convergence. Though stable, there was just enough of the convergence left to surround his body. He looked like a sleeping, dreaming man suspended in midair.

    "How do we get him down from there?" Srell asked the others.

    "Good question." Lorias said half-sarcastically.

    Jaik ran over to one of the open windows that stretched from floor to ceiling. He gripped one of the metal railings near the windows, and peeked his head outside.

    "Come back if you can! Everybody''s worried about you!" Jaik yelled out into the sky.

    "What on ?ba are you doing? He''s too far up to hear you." Leanna said reproachfully, figuring that Jaik was being childish again.

    Prism slowly opened his eyes when he sensed Jaik''s magically-tinged words. Prism smiled to himself when he realized how ingenious Jaik''s efforts had been. Prism stretched his arms high above his head as if he''d gotten a full night''s rest. He sensed that the raw mana within him was being put to work by his body, slowly restoring the magical elements of his being. Prism soon flew himself back down and into the penthouse room. Jaik was the first to rush over to him and make sure that he was okay.

    "Mission accomplished?" Jaik asked with an expectant smile.

    "Mission truly accomplished!" Prism said before the two grabbed each other and jumped around cheerfully.

    "Kids, indeed." Ursun said with a chuckle.

 Chapter 22 - Descend (Part 1)

    ¡°Who¡¯s gonna wake him up?¡± Srell asked his teammates.

    The other members of RED-1 stood around Prism, who was lying down in a cot against the wall and fast-asleep. They¡¯d spent Saturday and Sunday resting within the lobby of The Center, and it was time for the last week of Prism¡¯s bootcamp to begin.

    ¡°I¡¯ll digest all of this raw mana a lot better if you guys can let me sleep undisturbed for the next two days.¡± Prism had told his teammates and Gnapp not long after he¡¯d returned from absorbing most of the convergence of mana that hovered above the skyscraper.

    Ursun had agreed to allow Prism¡¯s request, and had set up a separate area in the lobby where Prism wouldn¡¯t be disturbed. Unbeknownst to Prism, Ursun and his fellow commanders had already factored in two days of rest for Prism and the rest of RED-1 before the difficult final stretch of Prism¡¯s training. But no one in Pack Command had imagined that Prism would essentially be hibernating during that time.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Jaik said gently to Srell before leaning down and giving Prism a light shove on his shoulder.

    Prism was turned away from Jaik and laid facing the wall. Jaik could see Prism¡¯s youthful face at peace, eyes closed with his full lips slightly parted while he lightly snored. Prism¡¯s long eyelashes quivered after Jaik began to shove him awake. Prism resisted the urge to wake up, even going so far as to groan loudly in his sleep.

    ¡°Come on, buddy. It¡¯s time to start your last week of training.¡± Jaik leaned down further and whispered sweetly into Prism¡¯s ear.

    Prism groaned again and simply pulled his gray cotton blanket up further over his head to cover his ear in a sleepy fit of defiance. Jaik sighed and chuckled, not having the heart to make any further attempts to wake Prism.

    ¡°Enough of this childishness.¡± Ursun said.

    Ursun took a few steps forward and ripped back the covers from Prism¡¯s half-naked body, nearly knocking Jaik over in the process. When Prism slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Ursun¡¯s menacing face, Prism got the jolt he needed to finally get out of bed. He leapt up in only his briefs and ran to a nearby crate to grab his clothing. His teammates laughed especially hard at his frantic behavior; none of them were a stranger to being forced awake during an exhausting mission. It only took Prism a minute or so to get fully geared up, just like the rest of RED-1 already was.

    ¡°About time. Now walk with us over to the center of the room. I need to brief you on your last training mission.¡± Ursun said to Prism before the commander and the others turned away to start walking.

    The middle of the lobby was a large empty area of the blue marble room. The only notable feature of the area was the striking large circular design on its floor. The marble floor medallion depicted the sun with a gentle smiling face at its center, with the planets around it in larger circles that represented their orbits. ?ba was the fourth planet within the star system, and was represented as a larger circle than the other planets within the orbital circles. The silvery lines of the monochrome design composed of simple symbols and shapes had caught Prism¡¯s eye the first time he¡¯d stepped in the lobby, but he hadn¡¯t considered it notable enough to discuss it with anyone.

    While they all stood around the center of the floor design, Ursun withdrew a small black device from a pocket of his utility belt. With a click of the device, the sun-portion of the floor medallion soon began to rise from the floor, revealing a tall, circular elevator with metallic doors. Prism smiled at the new development, intrigued by what he¡¯d find beneath The Center.

    ¡°This elevator leads to Battle Undercity, a sprawling underground complex that mirrors the city we now stand in.¡± Ursun said to Prism. His voice was loud enough to boom through the cavernous room, as though he was announcing the plays of a sporting event.

    ¡°It¡¯s practically a trip to the underworld¡­¡± Srell said snidely to Lorias, who chuckled quietly. Both of them got an irritated stare from Ursun, which made them suddenly stand at attention.

    ¡°What¡¯s your culture¡¯s ¡°underworld¡± like? I¡¯ve read some of your religious texts, but I haven¡¯t seen much spirituality amongst any of you since I got here. I¡¯ve been pretty curious abou-¡°

    Prism was feeling quite energized from his long rest, and he felt himself becoming euphoric in the same way he usually became after communing with a new world. But one look at Ursun told him that it was not the time nor place to ask such questions.

    ¡°For the next five days, we will make our way through the Undercity until we reach its deepest depths, overcoming a series of challenges in the process. The challenges will mimic real-world scenarios, such as rescuing hostages or sneaking past a guard patrol. Our team will be awarded a maximum of 100 points upon completion of each challenge, and there are ten challenges on each level. Only through the accumulation of 500 points will we be able to descend to the next level of the Undercity. There are a total of 10 levels that will get increasingly more difficult, hence the need for five days. This final portion of your training will be even more grueling than the last three weeks, so stay focused and continue to work with your team.¡±

    Ursun¡¯s explanation intrigued Prism even more. Ever since he¡¯d woken up, Prism could feel a true expansion of his powers in addition to his budding giddiness. He saw the varied challenges of the Undercity as an excellent way to try out and demonstrate his new capabilities.

    ¡°And no explosions or corrosive magic. We don¡¯t need the Undercity to collapse on our heads.¡± Srell said sneeringly to Prism, who was smiling without even realizing it.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Please warn us before you use any destructive abilities down there. Some of the rooms are cramped and ill-suited for anything but small arms fire.¡± Leanna reiterated.

    ¡°Right, of course.¡± Prism simply said with a big smile and dismissive wave of his hands.

    ¡°We can continue your briefing on the ride down. Time to go.¡± Ursun said while clicking his elevator remote again.

    The doors to the round elevator opened, and everyone stepped aboard. The silvery circular booth was roomy despite containing six fully-geared adults. With another click of his remote, Ursun had the doors close and the elevator begin its descent.

    ¡°Gnapp said that he¡¯s already adjusted the difficulty of the Undercity based on Prism¡¯s performance in The Center.¡± Leanna said with a raised hand and a matter-of-fact tone.

    ¡°Oh, great¡­¡± Srell said with a sigh of disappointment.

    ¡°It¡¯s actually possible that he lowered the difficulty from what he¡¯d set it to earlier, especially after Prism almost died from those two knights.¡± Lorias humbly suggested.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°That would be nice. Gnapp is a reasonable man, after all.¡± Jaik nodded to himself as he smiled hopefully.

    ¡°So uhh¡­how could this Undercity be even harder than what we faced last week? You guys are only human, and many of those machines could have very easily have killed all of you¡­¡± Prism¡¯s voice was full of worry, especially when Srell¡¯s anxious eyes met his own.

    ¡°Battle Undercity isn¡¯t a gauntlet full of killer androids, like on the surface; it¡¯s more of a rat¡¯s maze full of complicated skills tests.¡± Leanna explained.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get her wrong; there are still going to be some killer androids for us to destroy.¡± Srell said a bit too energetically.

    ¡°We¡¯re mercenaries. Killing and destroying hostiles is what we¡¯re already good at. It¡¯s the more precarious situations that give us a hard time, like safeguarding the lives of civilians during a firefight or quickly making it out of a building that¡¯s about to be destroyed by incoming missiles. We need to be able to handle those incidents just as effectively as we handle our enemies on the battlefield." Ursun spoke strongly and nobly.

    "Oh, I get it. We''ll be facing more specific field scenarios." Prism said while nodding to himself while the elevator continued to descend.

    "That''s why this stage of training is so important for our elite forces. Our RED teams have to be able to do what others can''t. They have to be well-rounded and professional, disciplined and adaptable." Ursun said while staring firmly at Prism.

    "And as RED-1, we''re the best of the best. People expect a lot from us. Don''t forget that!" Jaik said energetically to Prism, breaking the seriousness that had filled the elevator booth.

    Prism looked over and smiled at Jaik, glad for the reprieve from Ursun''s ardent explanations. Everyone then felt the elevator begin to slow before it came to a complete stop. The doors then slid open, revealing a big open room that looked a lot like the interior of Pack Command HQ.

    The room''s gray epoxy-covered concrete floors glossily reflected the rectangular lighting that ran along the ceilings. The slate-colored concrete walls reminded Prism that they were indeed deep underground. The room was set-up like an industrial reception area, with seating at the edges of the room as well as a few lockers and crates lining the left and right walls. A standing electronic kiosk was near the wall in front of the elevator, along with a sizable metallic arched gate.

    Ursun wasted no time walking across the room and to the kiosk beside what Prism assumed was the room''s exit. The kiosk featured a large vertical display screen that came to life when Ursun approached it. He was soon tapping away at it, reading descriptions of what the first level of Battle Undercity had in store for him and his team.

    "Come on, kids. Let''s get Prism acquainted with how things are done down here." Ursun yelled back over at everyone still lingering near the elevator.

    Prism followed his teammates over to Ursun, and was quickly given a crash course on reading the Undercity''s kiosk. The kiosk showed what the next three "event rooms" contained, and would display the team''s score upon completion of each event room. Prism learned that they were standing within a "prep room", which existed between each event room. Each level of the Undercity was separated by a relief room, which was accessed only once the Undercity''s participants had cleared the level above it.

    "The relief rooms are well-stocked with food and fairly comfortable beds. We''ll want to sleep in relief rooms and not prep rooms." Srell explained to Prism.

    "So that means that we should clear a level a day, then." Prism stated aloud.

    "Some of the event rooms will have quite intensive and time-consuming activities. We''ll want to pace ourselves, for sure." Leanna explained further.

    "Fortunately, it looks like our first three event rooms aren''t too crazy." Jaik said while leaning over to see what was being displayed on the screen that they were all standing around. "Smartmine Avoidance, Defend the Transport, and...Secure the Hostage. Standard stuff." Jaik read aloud.

    "I''m sure these simple scenarios will have an extra twist added in to keep Prism on his toes." Lorias said slyly.

    Prism glanced over at Lorias and gave the sword-wielding merc a slow nod. Prism knew that he''d need to stay ready for anything, and that his teammates would need him to keep them alive given their organization''s wanton use of deadly force during training. Lorias seemed to know what Prism was thinking while the two of them looked at each other. Lorias gave Prism a half-smile before the tall blonde gripped the hilt of his sheathed variable sword.

    The first event room of the Undercity featured a sizable maze that the six teammates navigated while doing their best to evade the detection range of numerous round smartmines that had been placed on some of the floors and walls of the maze. The smartmines were small black spheres the size of oranges, and could adhere to nearly any surface. Their meter-long range of detection was a sphere around them, and what made them "smart" was their ability to roll around and change their location every few minutes without detonating themselves.

    "These are shock mines. They won''t create an explosion, but they will send out enough electricity to stun us, even with our shock-resistant armor." Leanna told Prism when they came across a cluster of the smartmines for the first time within the maze.

    "You should unsync yourself and scout ahead. Go get a feel for the maze so that you can navigate us out of it faster." Ursun said to Prism shortly after Leanna''s explanation.

    "I would, but I actually can''t unsync and resync anymore. Well, not without almost dying like you guys did." Prism told Ursun a bit too flippantly.

    "Explain." Ursun said with annoyance after crossing his arms.

    "Since I''ve fully incorporated ?ba''s mana into my being, my body is more..."?ban" now. Your world''s matter seems to abhor shifting in and out of reality, and now I have that weakness as well." Prism said with an apologetic shrug.

    "Noted. We continue as usual, then." Ursun said calmly. Prism''s explanation was reasonable enough for him, it seemed.

    "Couldn''t I just send a few jolts at the smartmines we can see, so that I can deactivate them for us?" Prism asked with a raise of his hand. He was ready and willing to try out his new powers.

    "If you trigger one, the rest of them will be alerted to our presence and roll over here en masse. We''d probably die from so many shock mines discharging at once." Leanna stressed.

    "Ah, they are "smart" indeed. I''ll let you guys lead the way, then." Prism said disappointedly.

    By the time they''d made it through the maze, Prism had learned how to manually avoid smartmines. The Red Wolves'' armor provided a fair bit of protection from electromagnetic scanning, which had saved them from what otherwise would have been close calls with the smartmines. Prism was itching to use the new level of magical ability that he''d gained from incorporating ?ba''s raw mana into himself, and he hoped that the upcoming event rooms would give him that opportunity.

    "Hmmm...looks like we only got a 90 for completing that event room." Leanna said with a frustrated bite of her lip.

    "Ooo, I see. Looks like Prism grazed the mines'' detection range one too many times." Jaik noted while reading the event room''s detailed report.

    "It''s always the newbies that knock off points." Srell said with a snarky shake of his head.

    "I''m sorry; I''ll do better next time." Prism said with a heartfelt bow to his team.

    "It''s fine, we''ll just have to complete six event rooms instead of just five this level. Keep your head up and let''s keep going." Ursun said to Prism before activating the kiosk and opening the gate to the next room.

    "Did you guys really expect to get a 100 on these events?" Prism quietly asked Jaik while they followed after Ursun.

    "Yes, yes we did. My team and I got through the first level with five 100s when I went through here a few months ago." Jaik said plainly. But when he saw Prism''s expression turn dour, Jaik rubbed the smaller teammate on the back and reassured him. "You''re pretty new to all this. Don''t let it bother you. Our people aren''t usually allowed to even step foot in Battle City until they''ve already logged hundreds of hours in real missions."

    Prism smiled up at Jaik and told the young merc that he was alright. Jaik''s words did make Prism feel a lot better about being given the opportunity to train alongside an elite team in such an exclusive place. It reminded Prism of why he was going through the strenuous bootcamp in the first place.

    They all stepped into a room that was large and mainly featureless, save for a few concrete slabs arranged around a large black military vehicle. Prism figured that the long concrete blocks were there for cover. When he saw the others begin to run behind the slabs and crouch down, he was quick to do the same. Only seconds later, the gate had closed behind them, and a familiar tone echoed through the room, announcing the beginning of the room''s event.

    Several white androids clothed in black combat gear began to run out from openings that appeared and disappeared in the walls around them. The androids were armed with automatic rifles, and began to raise them up to fire upon the vehicle behind Prism and his team. Before the androids could unload their magazines, RED-1 shot them down, making quick work of them. Prism, who was also shooting at the androids, was surprised by how quickly his team had defeated them.

    "Stay focused. The first wave is always the easiest." Jaik said resolutely to Prism when he saw his teammate begin to relax.

    Right on cue, a second wave of androids began to stream out of the walls and towards the vehicle that they were tasked with protecting. While his teammates continued to fire at the hostiles, Prism looked back at the vehicle and reached his right hand out towards it. Prism''s irises became light gold in color while he manifested a barrier of light around the transport to protect it from the gunfire that rang out all around it.

    "That''s gonna get us a 100 for sure!" Jaik shouted passionately while he fired his PAW and helped to dispatch the second wave of androids.

    Eight waves of enemies later, RED-1 was walking out of the event room and checking their score. Another hour had passed, and Prism was beginning to understand the importance of only doing a few event rooms on each level. If each task was so intensive, then being forced to do six or more rooms would be exhausting and therefore increasingly dangerous.

    "Our first 100!" Jaik yelled happily when he was the first to see the kiosk in the next prep room.

    Prism smiled widely before hugging Jaik. The two of them began to jump around with glee, which made their other teammates smile. Srell grinned up at Lorias, who gave his partner-in-crime a reserved smirk. Leanna giggled while she retrieved some ammo from a crate along the wall. Ursun walked over to Prism once the two of them had finished their celebrating.

    "Let''s keep up the good work." Ursun said while placing his meaty hand on Prism''s much-smaller shoulder. "We''ll take a ten minute break before continuing." Ursun said while walking over to have a seat on a nearby metal bench.

    While Jaik explained the next challenge to Prism as they sat on a bench on the other side of them, all Prism could think about was how he could best serve his team.

 Chapter 23 - Descend (Part 2)

    ¡°Get down!¡±

    Ursun shouted at Prism when he saw a wall trap shoot several sharp darts out at his teammate. Prism ducked immediately and narrowly dodged the projectiles, mindlessly heeding the commander¡¯s warning. Prism looked down at his foot and saw that he¡¯d accidentally stepped on a floor sensor of some kind. Prism groaned, knowing that his recklessness had surely cost his team the chance to get a perfect 100 score on the event room that they¡¯d nearly completed.

    It would have been the last 100 that they¡¯d need to proceed to the fourth level of the Undercity.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to have superhuman senses or something!?¡± Srell shouted from across the room while he stood amongst the rest of RED-1 near the exit.

    ¡°He didn¡¯t have a choice. The laser cannon that came out of nowhere forced him to move onto the panel. Leanna didn¡¯t detect either of those traps.¡± Jaik rationally defended Prism.

    ¡°This room was a tricky one. Gnapp went out of his way to shield the walls and flooring from scanners.¡± Leanna said while tapping on her smart glasses and shaking her head with irritation. ¡°We can¡¯t expect steady 100s on the third level, anyway. It¡¯s a miracle that we¡¯ve been doing so well.¡± Leanna added.

    ¡°That¡¯s what he¡¯s supposed to be for.¡± Lorias said with a discreet point towards Prism, who¡¯d nearly joined back up with his team.

    ¡°Sorry everyone!¡± Prism shouted a short time later.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You¡¯ve been doing well up until now. Let us know if you need to take a break. We¡¯re making good time, so we can afford an extended rest.¡± The normally hard-nosed Ursun said calmly to Prism, which surprised the others.

    ¡°Oh, that won¡¯t be necessary. I¡¯m feeling good. I just made a mistake, is all.¡± Prism said confidently to his commander.

    When they all left the fifth event room of the third level, they weren¡¯t surprised to see a large ¡°95¡± appear on the prep room kiosk¡¯s display. Srell groaned loudly before dramatically falling onto a couch within the prep room. Prism shrugged at Jaik when the curly-haired doctor looked at his bald friend after they''d both taken off their helmets.

    ¡°One more room before we can call it a day.¡± Jaik said with a smirk.

    ¡°That¡¯s okay. We¡¯ve already made excellent time. I think that we¡¯ve only been at it for four or five hours.¡± Leanna replied while temporarily taking off her helmet and adjusting her hair bun.

    ¡°These rooms are getting too long, even with magic. I wish Gnapp would give us a break, for once in the old man¡¯s life.¡± Srell complained loudly.

    ¡°Stop your whining. He¡¯s probably listening in right now.¡± Ursun told Srell, who was quick to sit up and cover his own mouth.

    Lorias was the first to check the kiosk for detailed information about their next event room. As he tapped and swiped the display screen in front of him, Lorias¡¯ face became increasingly stern. When Leanna saw the frown on his face, she became worried herself.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be that bad, can it?¡± Leanna said with a nervous laugh.

    ¡°Teammate Rescue.¡± Lorias said somberly while stepping aside from the display so that everyone else could see it. ¡°It calls for two incapacitations.¡± He said loudly to get the attention of the others scattered about the room.

    ¡°That can¡¯t be right¡­¡± Leanna said while looking at the event room details. She quickly learned that Lorias¡¯ description was indeed correct.

    ¡°Holy Twins¡­it even specifies which of us have to be knocked out¡­¡± Jaik said a short time later, after all of them had crowded around the kiosk¡¯s display screen.

    ¡°Lorias and Ursun!? What was Gnapp thinking!?¡± Srell shouted. ¡°Is he really getting back at me that fast for talking crap about him!?¡±

    Lorias gave Srell and light shove to calm the nervous man down. Srell looked at Lorias expecting him to be even a little concerned, but Lorias somehow managed to maintain his legendary coolness in the face of danger. Srell smirked, knowing better than anyone else how unflappable Lorias truly was.

    ¡°Our two eldest members, including our leader. This is sure to be a challenge.¡± Leanna said while biting down on the nail of her thumb.

    ¡°No magic is to be used to revive the incapacitated teammates¡­¡± Prism said in disbelief as he read the event room description. ¡°That¡¯s silly.¡± Prism said to himself.

    ¡°Keep your heads on, kids. All of you know how this event room works, with the exception of Prism. Two designated incapacitations during a Teammate Rescue is rare, but it does happen. It¡¯s nothing that you four can¡¯t handle.¡± Ursun said unworriedly.

    ¡°We¡¯ll simply drink the sedative and be taken to the room¡¯s exit by our most capable young crew, who will then administer a shot that will wake us up hale and whole.¡± Lorias made sure to speak as sarcastically as he could.

    ¡°Seriously though, you can count on us.¡± Jaik said with conviction.

    ¡°I may not be able to just wake the two of you up, but I can buff the heck out of the rest of us to make sure that we all make it through the room safely.¡± Prism said assuredly to Ursun and Lorias.

    ¡°You better, because if anything happens to Lorias, I¡¯ll¡­¡± Srell was practically snarling at Prism.

    ¡°Down, boy. Nothing¡¯s going to go wrong. We¡¯ve got Magical Boy on our side.¡± Lorias¡¯ sarcasm vanished from his voice as he pulled Srell close and spoke positively to him.

    ¡°¡­alright,¡± was all that Srell could say to his longtime friend.

    Ursun put his coilgun within a large tubular locker that ran up and down the corner of the prep room. With a press of a button on a panel near the tube, his heavy weapon disappeared down the tube. Leanna had explained to Prism that the pneumatic tube system that ran throughout the Undercity allowed them to safely store and transport excess items that they no longer needed to their next relief room. Ursun was simply making sure that his teammates wouldn¡¯t need to transport both him and his heavy weapon through the next room, whose layout was unknown to them.

    After checking their gear and making sure that everything they possessed was in working order, RED-1 made their way into the next event room. Prism was surprised when he saw the prep room¡¯s gate open up to a smaller room with a gate of its own. When the team entered the smaller room, the heavy industrial gate behind them closed and locked them in. A display on the side wall lit up, and directed Ursun and Lorias to drink an orange solution that was contained in two vials that sat within a glowing tray that slid out of the wall. Lorias and Ursun clinked their glass vials together before throwing them back like they were doing shots.

    ¡°See you soon.¡± Lorias said to Srell before closing his eyes and falling unconscious. Srell was sure to catch his friend before he fell to the ground.

    ¡°Lightweight.¡± Ursun said with a chuckle before succumbing to the effects of the powerful sedative himself.

    Prism and Jaik broke the hulking man¡¯s fall and then leaned him against the nearest wall. The heavy hydraulic gate doors leading to the larger event room slowly slid open moments after Ursun and Lorias became unconscious. While Leanna, Srell and Jaik stood before the gate in anticipation, Prism began to ready a barrage of spells to empower himself and his team.

    His left iris shimmered red and his right iris shimmered green before he formed three small spell circles in his open right palm. Prism then sent the half-red, half-green circles at his three conscious teammates, who each briefly glowed when the circles made contact with their bodies before disappearing like snowflakes. Prism¡¯s own multicolored spell circle glowed on the side of his bald head, but was hidden by the helmet that he wore. His teammates were no stranger to being strengthened by his magic since their time in The Center building, though the rush it gave them was almost intoxicating.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    ¡°I feel five times stronger! Damn it feels good!¡± Srell said before lifting Lorias up with ease and slinging the taller blonde man over his shoulder.

    ¡°We¡¯re faster, too.¡± Leanna stated while moving her fist in the air in front of her at superhuman speed.

    ¡°This is the most you¡¯ve ever buffed us. I thought you said it was dangerous to make our bodies this strong and fast?¡± Jaik said while his medical training kicked in.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ve mixed in some regenerative magic into the empowering magic. It¡¯ll allow you guys to stay buffed for about ten minutes with no ill effects.¡± Prism explained resolutely, which put Jaik¡¯s mind at ease.

    ¡°From the looks of this room, we¡¯re dealing with a multi-tiered maze configuration. I¡¯d send out my drones, but it¡¯d be faster for you to do your magical echolocation thing to chart our path, Prism.¡± Leanna said while activating the scanning function of her glasses.

    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m locked in. I can¡¯t use that sort of magic while I¡¯m maintaining these buffs on all of you.¡± Prism said.

    ¡°Then alternate between your echolocation magic and your buff magic.¡± Leanna replied. She sounded as though she¡¯d taken over the role of commander in place of Ursun.

    ¡°I can¡¯t just switch between two complex magics like that. I¡¯ll use too much mana doing that, and then I¡¯ll be of no use to anyone.¡± Prism explained a bit guiltily. ¡°And if I¡¯d used my area scanning magic beforehand, then I wouldn¡¯t have been strong enough to buff us.¡±

    He hated that he still had such limitations, but mana wasn¡¯t exactly abundant in the Undercity.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this!¡± Srell shouted and pointed at the timer on the wall display beside them counting down from 30 minutes. ¡°We need to get moving.¡± Srell suggested in a calmer tone.

    Leanna sent out her two flying insectoid drones from her hard-cased backpack and soon began receiving a visual feed from their eye-cameras. She was the first to run ahead and enter the actual event room. Jaik looked over at Prism, who gestured for Jaik to pick up Ursun. Jaik nodded curtly and lifted Ursun off the ground. Jaik wasn¡¯t prepared for how easily it felt to lift the heavy man, though it was still a challenge to carry Ursun in a way that still allowed Jaik to use his PAW or his pistol. Realizing that he had no other choice, Jaik slung Ursun over his shoulders and grasped the unconscious commander¡¯s arm in one hand and his thigh in another.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t carry me like that.¡± Prism joked when he saw how ridiculous Jaik looked with the much larger man wrapped around him.

    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re tiny in comparison.¡± Jaik replied with a smile before following behind Srell, who took off running behind Leanna after growing tired of their playful antics.

    The four of them walked briskly through the maze with Leanna at the lead. She wondered why her drones didn''t detect any traps or other challenging obstacles during their first five minutes within the maze, but she figured that Gnapp hadn''t wanted them to endure too many dangers while their two most capable teammates were incapacitated. The thought of the room being shielded from her scans had occurred to her, but the scanners within her drones were far more powerful than those within her glasses.

    By the time their team had made it halfway through the maze, they''d been lulled into a false sense of security.

    "We''re making really good time. Shouldn''t be much longer now, I hope." Leanna turned back and said to her allies while they all walked up a steep staircase.

    But before anyone could respond, the steps beneath their feet suddenly gave way, sending them hurtling down to an earlier part of the maze. Prism, with his enhanced reflexes, was able to respond to the trap just as the others began to fall. Luckily, he was behind everyone else, giving him an opportunity to save them.

    After a brief flash of red and green light from his respective eyes, he leapt from his step as it began to fall and rapidly grew his arms to over twice their normal size. While he flew in an upwards arc into the air, he caught his five teammates in his overgrown arms, then hugged them all tight as he came slamming down into the hard metallic floor above them on his back. He felt the air leaving his lungs when he struck the ground. He opened up his massive arms to allow everyone to roll onto the ground around him, and sighed as his arms shrunk back to their regular size.

    "Now THAT was a rescue!" Srell shouted excitedly while he stood up and slung Lorias back over his shoulder.

    "Excellent work. I apologize for not detecting that trap." Leanna said while she slid her glasses back up onto her nose. Her drones returned to her location and hovered busily above her shoulders.

    "No worries. We''ll just need to proceed with a bit more caution from now on. This room is just as shielded as the r-" Jaik said while helping Prism back up to his feet.

    "The magic I''m using on you guys isn''t going to last much longer. We actually need to hurry up, or we won''t be able to easily carry these two anymore." Prism interjected. "That little rescue took a lot out of me. I won''t be able to recover enough mana to be of much use without a lengthy break. I''ll need thirty minutes before I can buff even just two of you again, at least."

    Prism had used a great deal of magic that day during their foray through the third level of the Undercity. He knew that once his personal buffs expired, he''d feel the full brunt of the day¡¯s activities. He definitely didn''t want to be in a dangerous event room when that happened.

    "It isn''t safe. My drones can tell us the layout of the maze, but not about any of its traps. This definitely won''t be the last one we encounter." Leanna told Prism. He could see the worry in her eyes.

    "Send the drones out as usual. I''ll walk ahead of you to check for traps." Prism said to Leanna, who looked at him apprehensively. "Don''t worry, I''ve figured out a way to scan for traps on my own." Prism said with a smile.

    "Don''t let us down, Magical Boy." Srell gingerly said to Prism.

    Prism gave Srell a thumbs-up before putting on a game-face as he walked ahead of everyone else. He then turned his head around and nodded to Leanna for her to send her drones out. With a tap of the rim of her glasses, the two spherical bug-drones buzzed away from her and flew around the corner ahead of them.

    "Looks good. Let''s proceed." Leanna said resolutely.

    Prism''s red eye began to shimmer while he ran ahead of the others. He started to be able to see the complex lines of electrical wiring that ran through the walls, despite the extensive electromagnetic shielding that the walls had. Prism could feel a pain behind his eyes as he pushed himself to see the shielded circuits using mana that he constantly pushed out in all directions. It was like the magical echolocation that he''d used in previous rooms, except more specific. It became harder for him to see the actual details from his normal vision, though he did his best to maintain as much of his regular sight as he could. He overlaid the electrical information he perceived on top of the physical forms that he saw, which only further increased his eye strain.

    It didn''t take long before he saw lines of electricity leading to a complex network of circuits behind a section of the wall. The circuits were in the shape of an automated gun turret.

    "Hold up, there''s a turret trap." Prism said while holding his hand up to the teammates behind him.

    While everyone stopped, Prism saw the circuits from the hidden gun turret lead to a panel on the floor ahead of them. He was relieved that there was only one such panel within the hallway, and that it was small enough to be avoided completely.

    "Follow me. We need to avoid a floor panel." Prism said.

    He leaned his back against the wall opposite to the hidden turret and walked sideways until he was clear of the floor trap. The others did the same, finding it easy despite Srell and Jaik still carrying the larger men on their shoulders.

    After they¡¯d made it around the trap, Leanna eyed Prism up and down with a gleam in her eyes. She was once again fascinated by him and the unknown ability he was using to see what her cutting edge gear could not. Sensing her eyes on him, Prism turned around quickly to speak with her.

    "I can see the electrical currents all around us." Prism told her while pointing to the shimmering red iris of his left eye.

    Leanna rubbed her chin before nodding her approval. She gestured for him to keep going, and he was happy to oblige. After a few more minutes of dashing through the maze and avoiding three more extensive traps, RED-1 made it to the event room''s exit just as Prism''s strengthening magics began to fade. When Prism pressed the door''s control panel, he turned around to see Jaik''s knees finally begin to buckle under Ursun''s weight.

    Jaik had no choice but to fall to one knee and drop Ursun to the ground as gently as he could manage. Srell laughed at the sight, as he had no problem with having Lorias slung over his own shoulder using only his own strength. Srell slowly and smoothly placed Lorias in a seating position beside Ursun, who Jaik had propped up to have leaning against the empty wall beside the exit gate.

    "Good, the antidotes." Leanna said when a panel next to the slowly-opening door was revealed.

    The panel slid up and slowly presented a glowing tray with two tack-like needles that didn''t seem to have any fluid containers attached to them. Prism looked suspiciously at the small, low-tech needles as Jaik took them off of the tray. He had one of the needles in his right hand and the other in his left.

    Without any warning, Jaik simply pricked both of the tacks into the necks of Ursun and Lorias at the same time. The small tacks didn''t seem to leave a mark on either of the men. Almost immediately after being pricked, Ursun and Lorias opened their eyes and looked up at their teammates. Lorias gave a knowing smirk to Srell and then to Prism before rising to his feet. Ursun rubbed his thick red beard before standing up as well.

    "Looks like we''re in one piece. Good work." Lorias said to Srell with a squeeze on the small of the smaller man''s neck. Srell chuckled and swatted Lorias hand away.

    Prism was surprised by how energetic Lorias and Ursun appeared to be after receiving the antidote. He had been groggy and tired for days after awakening from his own drug-induced slumber, though he knew the circumstances had been drastically dissimilar.

    "Good work, indeed. You all look tired. Let''s get into that relief room." Ursun said, which elicited many nods and words of agreement from everyone else.

    The prep room''s kiosk displayed a score of 100 for their completion of the Teammate Rescue event room. Despite triggering a trap, their blazing speed through the room had spared them a less-than-perfect score. After confirming that they''d amassed the 500 points needed to proceed to the fourth level of the Undercity, they heard the familiar sound of the prep room''s center flooring opening up. A minute later, a circular elevator like the one that had brought them down to the Undercity rose from the opening in the center of the room. With a relieved sigh, Prism was the first to step onto the elevator.

    It only took a few minutes for RED-1 to be brought down to their third relief room, which looked the same as all the others. Ursun saw that his coilgun sat within the pneumatic tube at the corner of the large room, and he was quick to retrieve it. Prism walked ploddingly over to the partitioned locker room area and began to remove his armor and disrobe. He''d been dreaming of taking a nice warm shower after being made to rush through an event room that became hotter and hotter to simulate escaping from a burning building. He was the first to step into the communal shower that day, despite them normally letting Leanna shower alone first. He was quick to apologize to her after he was done.

    "Oh please! You definitely earned the right to shower before me today." Leanna said to Prism with a warm smile.

    Prism soon laid down on the lower bunk of one of the many bunk beds that were in a partitioned corner of the room. He knew that it was only mid-afternoon, but he was too tired to do much else. Before he fell asleep, he could make out the others conversing in the common area on the other side of the room.

    "Seems to me that the newbie has become much more of a team player already." Lorias said with only a hint of sarcasm.

    "I must admit, I didn''t expect him to be able to rise to all of Gnapp''s demented challenges, and to keep us all safe in the process." Ursun replied. "I guess that mad scientist was right about Prism''s capabilities." He added after a brief pause.

    "Dr. Liam has a bone to pick with Prism. I''m not sure it''s really in our best interests to put him in all of these wildly dangerous situations." Jaik said.

    Prism could not only hear the restrained frustration in his voice, but he could sense it emanating from Jaik like tumultuous waves on an otherwise calm sea. Prism knew that there was quite a bit of bad blood between the younger and older doctor.

    "It''s definitely risky to put him under so much pressure, but he has risen to meet and beat each challenge. The kid''s got heart." Srell said confidently. His words made Prism smile to himself while he laid under the covers.

    "I just don''t want us to wear him out before he can even help us on another big mission." Jaik said quietly.

    "On the topic of our previous mission, what''s the word on Goran Tinit? Have we executed him yet?" Lorias said. Prism could practically hear the smirk that appeared on Lorias lips.

    "We aren''t executing him, you cold-blooded kidder. He is in the process of spilling his guts to us, though. We''re getting all sorts of valuable intel from him." Ursun said in a tone that was more casual than Prism was used to from him.

    "Anything about the Vadamites? I''ve been hearing rumors that they''re preparing for some sort of big operation." Srell asked.

    "You all will be briefed about all of that once we''re back topside. Right now, we just need to focus on surviving the next day or so down here." Ursun quickly shut down the discussion.

    "Aww, it was just starting to get good." Leanna said from the locker room area, echoing the same words that Prism was thinking.

    The conversation between the mercenaries quickly devolved into small talk about various things that Prism didn''t have much knowledge of. The tediousness of following each of their discreet discussions was enough to finally lull the Elementeitan to sleep.

 Chapter 24 - Descend (Part 3)

    Prism and his teammates felt a rush as the door to their final event room began to open. They had amassed 460 points over five rooms on the especially difficult fourth level of the Battle Undercity. There was little that they could do to fail to gain the last 40 points they needed to complete the level, but they were prepared for anything, nonetheless.

    ¡°How fitting that our last challenge is Target Retrieval.¡± Lorias said when they stepped into the first small portion of the event room.

    ¡°Looks like an office building mockup.¡± Srell said while looking around and noticing the familiar setup of a standard reception area.

    ¡°Makes more sense why our target is a data-drive hidden within a pen.¡± Jaik said with a smile.

    Though the interior of all the event rooms had bluish-colored metallic walls, flooring, and fixtures, many of the rooms were arranged to mimic real-world interiors. Prism had learned that the rooms were composed of modal tiles that could be shifted quite rapidly into a variety of configurations. Such modality was a cornerstone of engineering commander Gnapp¡¯s design principle.

    Prism¡¯s irises shimmered as they became an electric blue color. He stretched out his hand towards a closed door beside the metal desk facsimile in front of them and shot off several waves of fast-moving blue magic. The pulses of magic struck the door, but moved through the metal barrier unimpeded as Prism channeled more mana into his spell. After several seconds, the magical pulses returned to him, filling his mind with the shape of each space and hallway within the event room. He could even detect stationary androids in each room.

    Prism then turned to Leanna and tapped the rim of her smart glasses with a glowing blue forefinger. A 3-D model of the event room¡¯s interior with markers for its hostiles was instantly downloaded into Leanna¡¯s glasses, allowing her to then disseminate the map to the rest of the team¡¯s arm displays.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever get used to how incredibly useful that ability of yours is.¡± Leanna said to Prism with a smirk. ¡°My bug drones can scan areas and make maps too, but not through EM-shielded doors.¡± She added.

    ¡°It takes a bit out of me, but I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Prism said with an appreciative nod.

    He¡¯d only used the empowered version of his echolocation magic a few times since reaching the fourth level of the Undercity, where everything seemed to be EM-shielded and toughly-armored. His team had paced themselves, taking extra time in each prep room so that he could gather what little mana he could from his increasingly mana-barren underground environs. Prism had been able to pace himself so that he could remain an effective tool for his team to wield.

    ¡°No traps?¡± Srell asked while tapping away on his arm display.

    ¡°None that I could detect. I¡¯ll prepare my electromagnetic sight magic just in case.¡± Prism replied.

    ¡°This is still going to be tricky. All of these androids are in ambush positions.¡± Lorias said while he looked over the map he¡¯d received on his own lit-up arm display.

    ¡°Looks like each room has three of them. The moment we open the door, they¡¯ll start shooting.¡± Jaik reasoned.

    ¡°At least Prism identified the location of our target. The pen is sitting on a desk several sub-rooms ahead of us.¡± Leanna marked the item on her map, which updated the shared maps of her team.

    ¡°Prism, you¡¯ll create your one-way bullet shields before we open each door. The moment Leanna opens each door, Srell and I will take out the androids with impunity. Lorias and Jaik will then enter the room after Prism does a visual sweep to verify its contents before we proceed.¡± Ursun ordered.

    ¡°Sounds like a plan!¡± Srell shouted while holding up his PAW.

    Prism took a deep breath as he prepped himself to use two taxing spells simultaneously. His right iris glowed red while his left iris shimmered with golden light. Leanna approached the door beside the metallic block that represented a desk in front of them. Prism stood at her side, and soon created a door-sized barrier of golden energy that could block a set amount of force directed at it from its opposite side. Srell and Ursun ran up behind the barrier that lined the closed door, and Ursun soon gave a hand signal for Leanna to open it.

    With a tap of the small door control panel on the wall, the door slid open. A long hallway with many rooms along its length revealed the three androids that Prism had already detected. As the androids started moving and began to raise their own rifles, Srell shot two of them in the head while Ursun shot a burst of rounds at one¡¯s torso. Each of the hostiles fell limply to the ground.

    ¡°Not even a warm-up.¡± Srell said cockily as Prism looked around the hallway from the safety of the reception area.

    ¡°Sensors in the walls. Once we step through this doorway, the doors within this hallway will open.¡± Prism said a bit guiltily.

    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    He hadn¡¯t gotten a whiff of such a trap, but luckily his other teammates had.

    ¡°Why do you think I told you to pull up your barrier at the doorways?¡± Ursun said gruffly before reaching his hand out beyond the shimmering barrier of golden light and past the doorway.

    The trap was unavoidably triggered, causing six doors to open. Androids within the side-rooms began to whir to life, and were soon running out with weapons at the ready. Srell and Ursun were even more ready for them as they unleashed a barrage of bullets at the approaching hostiles. The few androids that managed to fire their weapons had their own bullets harmlessly strike the golden barrier that RED-1 stood behind. It wasn¡¯t long before 18 bullet-ridden android bodies were squelching white fluid on the metal floor of the hallway.

    ¡°Just like target practice!¡± Srell shouted again, sounding even fuller of himself than before.

    ¡°Are we good to proceed?¡± Ursun asked Prism.

    ¡°Yes, sir. No more traps here.¡± Prism said with a simple nod.

    ¡°Alright kids. Just like this for the rest of the event room.¡± Ursun rallied his team before Lorias and Jaik stepped into the hallway first.

    It only took their team ten more minutes to retrieve their target pen and make it to the exit of the mock office building event room. They¡¯d truly become an elite fighting unit, able to intuit each other¡¯s actions and work in unison once their orders and objective were clear. Prism felt one with the team, and even felt his body act automatically while they cleared each sub-room of threats. He¡¯d finally reached a point that he¡¯d been striving for since he started the rigorous bootcamp.

    ¡°That¡¯s it. We¡¯ve done it.¡± Lorias said calmly once they¡¯d entered their final prep room.

    ¡°I can barely even believe it¡­¡± Srell was the first to reply. ¡°We should¡¯ve died twenty different times these past two weeks.¡± He said with an irritated shake of his head.

    ¡°Gnapp really outdid himself.¡± Leanna sighed while taking off her helmet and undoing her hair bun. ¡°I¡¯m going to file a Command-level complaint when we get back. Far too many resources went into this beefed-up deathtrap.¡± She added while she let her dark-green hair down with a quick shake of her head.

    ¡°Hey guys, don¡¯t forget why we¡¯re all down here.¡± Jaik said loudly before turning around to look at Prism.

    Soon Prism saw that all eyes were on him. The weary group of mercenaries looked upon him with a variety of other emotions, but they were all sure that he¡¯d accomplished a great deal in their presence. They¡¯d come to trust him, and in his ability to adapt with them in mind. When Prism looked over at Ursun, he could see a sort-of pride glimmer in the tough man¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Good job, Prism. You¡¯ve done right by us these past four weeks.¡± Ursun said sincerely while walking over to the prep room¡¯s kiosk display. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve completed your team training to such a high degree of skill and determination, someone special wants to meet you.¡± He added before inputting a secret code into the kiosk.

    Prism saw the center of the prep room¡¯s floor slide away and soon heard the familiar sound of the relief room elevator approaching. But to his surprise, the round elevator that appeared was not the basic one that he¡¯d seen thrice before. The elevator that arrived had golden filigree accents across its semi-transparent glass frame. The filigree that wrapped around the exterior of the elevator was in fact gold that had been fashioned as ornate vines that Prism couldn¡¯t help but touch. Its round doors slid open, revealing a booth with dark-red wooden flooring and wood paneling that came up to half of the elevator booth¡¯s interior wall height. Prism marveled at the artistic nature of the elevator¡¯s design, since he hadn¡¯t seen such a thing within the Undercity or within the Red Wolves main base.

    ¡°This doesn¡¯t lead to a relief room, does it?¡± Prism asked Jaik quietly. Jaik, who¡¯d kept close to Prism since entering the prep room, smiled widely at Prism and simply shook his head no.

    ¡°All aboard. I¡¯m sure you kids are exhausted and ready to get all of this over with.¡± Ursun spoke like a cranky old man.

    After a moment of scurrying, RED-1 all stood within the softly-lit ornate elevator that began to descend without notice. Prism felt an odd sense of magic about the situation, as if he was being taken to a mystical land of some sort. It didn¡¯t take long before his eyes became bathed in a bright yellow light that caused him to raise his arm to cover them. When his eyes adjusted to the light, he lowered his arm and became amazed with what he saw outside of the glass canopy of the elevator.

    They were descending into a large domed chamber that had four massive circular lamps affixed within the cardinal points of the dome¡¯s ceiling. The light was warm and bright like the sun, and Prism was soon able to see that the ceiling was decorated with a massive and beautiful painting that featured numerous humans flying through the cloudy blue heavens in various states of undress. The dome itself was round and separated into four parts by gilded buttresses that ran down to the floor of the room.

    When the elevator finally stopped, Prism was left breathless by the room¡¯s beauty that he could see above and around him. Every fixture and protrusion in the ceiling and walls seemed to be gilded or silver-plated. The artificial sunlight made the room glow as if it was touched by the divine. The beige stone walls and white marble floor that Prism observed once he stepped out of the elevator lent even more opulence to the chamber that was so rich in painting and heroic sculptures.

    Four large columns framed the center of the room where the elevator sat and RED-1 stood, seemingly being the end of the buttresses that held up the dome above their heads. The areas around the columns had numerous free-standing large displays that had streams of data flickering across them. There were blackboards and walls covered in bookshelves, as well as dark-red wooden tables full of scattered papers, computers, chemistry glassware and other instruments. There were even silvery tables that contained the flesh and viscera of what Prism assumed were biocomputers.

    ¡°What¡­¡± Prism tried to speak, but he became even more flabbergasted as his eyes continued to dart around the chamber.

    None of his teammates spoke for whatever reason. They all stood around the elevator as if they were waiting for the arrival of something that commanded their deference. Ursun was even bowing his head slightly, which perturbed Prism to no end.

    ¡°If this is some sort of hazing prank, then I am genuinely impressed.¡± Prism turned around and said to the others. He was growing tired of their strange silence.

    Just when Prism was about to complain again, he began to sense a strange presence enter the room. He hadn¡¯t felt such an entity before on ?ba, and he couldn¡¯t be sure that it was even human at all. He placed his left hand on his PAW, and primed his right hand with a small surge of mana.

    ¡°I assure you that the time for fun and games is over,¡± an androgynous voice echoed through the chamber from one of its shaded outer areas. ¡°You and RED-1 are needed on a real battlefield, Prism.¡±

    An olive-skinned person wearing white robe-like attire stepped into the warm yellow light of the inner chamber. The person looked as androgynous as they¡¯d sounded, with an angular face and high cheekbones. The person¡¯s nose and mouth were thin and slight. Their overly-large eyes were an especially light purple, and they had no eyebrows or eyelashes. In fact, Prism could see that they were just as bald as he was. Though the person¡¯s most striking feature was that their head was unusually large, and protruded several more inches behind their neck. Several prominent veins even bulged across the skin of their head.

    ¡°Prism, I¡¯d like you to meet Bighead, lead tactician of the Red Wolves.¡± Ursun soon walked between the two of them and stretched his arm out to present Bighead.

    ¡°A pleasure.¡± Prism reached out his hand to shake Bighead¡¯s.

    Bighead looked down contemplatively at Prism¡¯s hand before deciding to shake it. Prism felt a strange neural shock when he made contact with Bighead¡¯s skin. Bighead, who was the same height as Prism, glanced at him when they felt the shock themselves. They tilted their head curiously before finally letting go of Prism¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Your brain is complicated enough to directly receive information from my own. Not unexpected.¡± Bighead spoke dreamily to Prism. ¡°And despite their feigned deference, the few that know of my existence are far more likely to call me ¡°Lead Biocomputer¡± than to honor me with more prestigious titles.¡± Bighead said with a far off look towards the domed ceiling.

    Prism didn¡¯t know how to respond to the mysterious person that stood before him. What he was somehow sure of was that the shock that he¡¯d received had contained images of a place that he knew just as little about; The Kingdom.

 Chapter 25 - Vigilance

    ¡°You seem to be wondering what I do for the Red Wolves, and why I¡¯m down here in the depths of the Undercity. Allow me to answer these questions for you.¡±

    Bighead walked over to one of the free-standing display screens in the shaded outer area of the artificially-sunlit inner chamber. The being¡¯s white robes made them seem like they were gliding across the white marble floor. Prism noticed two small, silvery metallic ports on the back of Bighead¡¯s neck. Prism knew that some of his teammates had similar access ports at the base of their spine, and had even learned that Leanna¡¯s dronepack plugged into her spinal port through an adapter within her armor. The ports were used to directly interface with a variety of biotechnology.

    After a few taps with their slender tan fingers, Bighead brought up a screen that showed an image of them alongside several textual details about themself. Prism looked up at Ursun with confusion, unsure of how to proceed. Ursun looked down at his nearby teammate, and closed his eyes before giving him a smug smirk.

    ¡°Go on ahead. Bighead won¡¯t hurt you.¡± Ursun said with a shooing motion of his hand toward the display that Bighead stood at.

    ¡°Yes¡­sir¡­¡± Prism said nervously.

    Prism could hear the rest of his team snickering at him as he walked over to where Bighead stood. It then occurred to Prism that their previous quietness and bowed heads may have been some sort of inside joke. Prism shot them a not-so-pleased look before stopping in front of Bighead¡¯s display.

    Prism looked over the screen for a second or two, and was surprised by how much information was shown about the person that had brought it up. Prism looked curiously at Bighead, who simply smiled politely at him with closed eyes.

    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind. This is just a more efficient way of answering your questions.¡± Bighead said brightly.

    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Prism said with a whimsical bob of his head. Bighead¡¯s kind demeanor had begun to put him at ease. ¡°So, you¡¯re a bioengineered life-form created by the Queen herself?¡± Prism asked brightly, communicating how impressed he was with Bighead¡¯s origin.

    ¡°That is correct. She wanted a being with an intellect close to her own that would also be subservient to her. She was successful in the first regard.¡± Bighead said with their eyes still closed.

    Prism looked over the displayed details about Bighead a second time, noting the being¡¯s pronounced age of 200 and their lack of sex or gender. Prism then examined Bighead¡¯s sprightly face for a moment, especially the smooth and unblemished areas around their eyes and mouth. Prism couldn¡¯t see any obvious signs of advanced aging. Bighead soon opened their eyes and tilted their head when they saw what Prism was doing.

    ¡°My assumption is that you are intrigued by my age, especially since I appear no older than someone in their late twenties. Ironic, since I am certain that you too are far older than you appear to be.¡± Bighead correctly intuited. ¡°And before you ask, yes, I am neither a male nor a female. My kind was not given such attributes.¡±

    ¡°When we touched over there, I saw some fragments of your memories. Are you telepathic?¡± Prism asked a bit rudely while crossing his arms defensively, in an attempt to deter Bighead from stating any further assertions about him.

    ¡°If only. Even the Queen has not yet figured out how to grant telepathy to purely biological beings. I simply have very sophisticated nerves that allow me to exchange information through touch with other beings like myself.¡± Bighead said while holding up their right hand and slowly running the long fingers of their left hand over their right palm. ¡°And it has been a long time since I have touched another like me.¡± Bighead said with downward-looking eyes that hinted of sadness.

    ¡°My nerves are also capable of that, though my own biology is probably very different from yours or anyone else¡¯s on this world.¡± Prism said, matching Bighead¡¯s tone of voice.

    ¡°And that is exactly why you have been brought down to meet me! The Red Wolves have always excelled because they incorporate uniqueness and eccentricity into their wonderfully adaptive organization.¡± Bighead clapped their large hands joyfully. ¡°And now an extraterrestrial life-form graces our ranks. It is truly marvelous!¡±

    ¡°I¡­I¡¯m grateful to be working with all of you.¡± Prism said bashfully.

    Bighead¡¯s elevated mood caused them to jovially turn to the display beside themself and pull up a screen showing a largely-redacted document about the A-Lab that had once kept Prism prisoner. Prism¡¯s eyes grew wide when he saw the lab¡¯s familiar logo on the image of the document. He put his face up close to the screen and examined the few words that were still visible between the myriad of black lines that seemed to dominate the document. He could only see the words ¡°sedated humanoid¡± used to describe him and what was contained within the secret lab.

    ¡°This is what made our meeting possible.¡± Bighead said after making a satisfied sigh.

    ¡°This is all it really took for you guys to venture to that dangerous island and retrieve me?¡± Prism said doubtfully.

    ¡°Oh, please. The Red Wolves have gone on far more dangerous missions with far less intel.¡± Bighead said with another closed-eye smile.

    ¡°How did you even get this document?¡± Prism said while still eyeing the screen.

    ¡°With my help, Gnapp was able to reactivate and then hack into a long-defunct Kingdom datastore that RED-2 had retrieved a few months ago. This document was contained within it, along with the location of A-Lab.¡± Bighead said matter-of-factly.

    ¡°That makes sense. But I¡¯ve still got to ask; did you know about me back then, while I was still being experimented on?¡± Prism looked away from the screen and stared intensely at Bighead¡¯s big purple eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯d been privy to a few of the Queen¡¯s sensitive projects during my time working with her; that is true. However, she kept plenty of her projects a secret even from her Scriveners, which was what she called my kind.¡± Bighead explained soberly.

    ¡°Was what she called your kind?¡± Prism leaned forward and seized upon a hidden meaning behind Bighead¡¯s words.

    ¡°Unfortunately, the Queen disposed of all of my kind shortly after I snuck out of her Kingdom and defected to the Red Wolves. She now makes a point not to create or employ any super-intelligent life-forms.¡±

    Though Bighead spoke in a calm and sing-song way, Prism could see guilt and pain subtly appear on the being¡¯s face. Prism didn¡¯t need to imagine the burden that Bighead carried, because Prism¡¯s past decisions had also cost the lives of his own friends and family.

    Prism reached out and suddenly pulled Bighead into a gentle hug while avoiding any skin-to-skin contact. Prism simply rested his chin on Bighead¡¯s clothed shoulder. Bighead smiled warmly as they raised their arms and wrapped them around Prism¡¯s armored back, reciprocating Prism¡¯s act of compassion. It had been far too long since Bighead had been physically embraced by another.

    ¡°Are you two okay over there?¡± Prism heard Ursun shout from across the chamber.

    ¡°We are quite fine!¡± Bighead shouted happily, not wanting the serendipitous moment to end too quickly.

    When Prism stopped hugging Bighead a minute later, he turned around to quickly glance at what his teammates were doing. Most of RED-1 was on the opposite side of the room sitting on two couches that were in a shaded living area of Bighead¡¯s chamber. Ursun, however, was standing up just outside of the living area, eyeing Bighead and Prism impatiently.

    ¡°Thank you for your kindness, Prism. It all happened long ago, and the pain is but a dull ache in my heart now.¡± Bighead reassured Prism with a pat on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sure that you and your team are all tired after your day in the Undercity. I just wanted to meet with you before you leave on your next mission, since you were ¡°in the neighborhood,¡± so to speak.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m assuming that our next mission has something to do with the Vadamites again?¡± Prism asked.

    ¡°Yes, they are peripherally involved in the coming conflict. But I will let Command brief you on those details. I simply analyze intel and create stratagems. It is up to them to implement those stratagems or not.¡± Bighead spoke humbly.

    ¡°Well, it was nice meeting you, Bighead.¡± Prism said awkwardly, not fully sure if using the name was polite or cruel.

    ¡°Same to you, Prism. We will meet again.¡± Bighead smiled and nodded. ¡°And don¡¯t hesitate to use my name. It is a name that I have grown to be quite fond of.¡± Bighead said with a knowing glint in their eye.

    ¡°Alright, Bighead.¡± Prism smirked. ¡°You have an uncanny ability to guess what I¡¯m thinking.¡±

    ¡°Even without my super-intelligence, I doubt that reading you would be difficult. You do very little to conceal your heart and mind to me.¡± Bighead said with a smirk of their own.

    The two shared a light chuckle between them before Prism turned away and started walking back over to his team.

    ¡°By the way, to answer your second question, I am living beneath the Undercity because it is perhaps the only place on the Peninsula where the Queen or her allies couldn¡¯t get to me. Well, not easily, in any case.¡± Bighead said to Prism before he could get too far away.

    Prism turned around and looked worriedly at Bighead. He couldn¡¯t understand why Bighead¡¯s sudden explanation jolted him so viscerally, but Prism knew then that he had yet another reason to aid the Red Wolves in their fight. Prism had only just met Bighead, but he already felt a kindred connection to the fellow non-human. Prism nodded his acknowledgement to Bighead before continuing over to the rest of RED-1.

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Ursun sat on the back of a couch, watching Prism as he approached him. Prism shook his head when he noticed that Srell, Jaik, and Leanna were all sleeping on the couches. Lorias sat quietly reading a book as Srell¡¯s slumbering head rested in his lap. Leanna lay peacefully across the couch that she shared with Jaik, who¡¯d managed to fall asleep sitting upright.

    ¡°That was a kind thing you did over there, comforting Bighead like that.¡± Ursun said quietly once Prism stopped in front of him.

    ¡°Oh, err, I didn¡¯t think you could hear us, since you yelled when you saw me hug them¡­¡± Prism said.

    ¡°I could. I just wasn¡¯t sure of what you were doing to Bighead at the time.¡± Ursun said.

    ¡°You¡¯re so protective of us, sir. Thank you.¡± Prism said with a wry smile.

    Ursun¡¯s eyes grew wide for a moment before curtly looking away from Prism. He began to stroke his beard with his right hand as he rested his left hand on the back of the couch that he leaned against. Prism saw apprehension dance across Ursun¡¯s pensive face, which soon shifted into a look of resolve. He began to speak to Prism, though his eyes stayed fixated on a table to his side.

    ¡°Bighead was my childhood teacher, at my mother¡¯s insistence. They taught me a lot about the Queen and her Kingdom, and all sorts of things that came to be useful to me. And when my parents died, Bighead helped raise me, alongside Gnapp.¡± Ursun¡¯s words surprised Prism, whose own eyes grew wide at the personal details that Ursun shared. ¡°It¡¯s because of Bighead that I ultimately decided to help you, with a little convincing from Leanna. Through Bighead, I learned that ¡°humanity¡± isn¡¯t exclusive to the human race, if that makes sense.¡±

    ¡°I have a lot to thank Bighead for, it turns out. Thank you for allowing us to meet each other.¡± Prism said with a slight bow.

    ¡°We have a lot riding on you. That¡¯s why we all went through all of this madness the past few weeks. Don¡¯t make us regret saving you.¡± Ursun said quite directly, which broke the tender mood that Prism had been experiencing since speaking with Bighead.

    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Prism said simply. He felt the heavy weights of responsibility and expectation return to his shoulders.

    Ursun walked away to exchange a few private words with Bighead in a separate room connected to the chamber. Prism then took a seat in a comfortable red chair near the couch that Jaik and Leanna slept upon. He quickly felt the day¡¯s tiredness overwhelm him, though he fought to keep himself awake long enough to see Ursun walk back over.

    Prism smiled sleepily over at him when Ursun placed his hands on the back of the couch that the commander had been leaning against earlier. He clapped his powerful hands together several times, creating a thunderous echoing noise that jolted Srell, Jaik, and Leanna awake. It was certainly enough to make Prism lean forward in his seat.

    ¡°We¡¯re finally headed back to HQ. You kids can sleep on the transport.¡± Ursun said sternly.

    ¡°Please tell me that they¡¯re sending a copter.¡± Leanna said while she stretched after a long silent yawn.

    ¡°They are sending a copter. They need us back ASAP.¡± Ursun replied.

    ¡°Sounds like we won¡¯t be getting that day of rest that they promised.¡± Lorias said before closing the book that he¡¯d been reading.

    After a lengthy trip on the elevator, RED-1 was let out within the lobby of the Center. Prism was impressed that the Red Wolves¡¯ elevators could move both horizontally and vertically, allowing them to only need to ride Bighead¡¯s elevator back to the surface. Once they exited the lobby, a large black quadcopter vehicle was waiting for them where their military transport had been a week earlier. The copter¡¯s cabin was only slightly bigger than the entire truck-sized transport had been, and its four black rotors sat angled above it like the wings of a butterfly.

    Prism took in the cold night air, glad to be outside once again. He marveled at the sight of ?ba¡¯s two full moons amidst a backdrop of stars. Despite spending two weeks outdoors in the wilderness of The Peninsula, he hadn''t taken the time to view the night sky previously. One of the luminous moons had a blue tint to it, while the other had a red tint. They reminded Prism of the moons of a world he hadn¡¯t been to in ages, a world that had also been the scene of a lengthy and devastating war. Despite their difference in color, the moons somehow seemed to be the same size.

    ¡°The Twins.¡± Jaik, who was walking behind Prism, leaned down and said into his ear. ¡°Eiza,¡± Jaik said after pointing to the red moon, ¡°and Voba,¡± he then said while pointing to the blue moon.

    ¡°That''s right, I''ve read about them in a book about old-world ?ban faiths." Prism quickly recalled an ancient yet recurring tale of The Twins merging into one being known as Eizavoba and then descending to ?ba. "How are the moons the same size? Surely they¡¯re in different orbits?¡± Prism looked back and asked.

    ¡°They do, in fact, share the same orbit despite both moons having roughly the same mass and size. And even with our sophisticated astrophysics, our science still has issues explaining it.¡± Jaik stood up tall and said while looking dreamily up at Eiza and Voba.

    ¡°Quit stargazing. It¡¯s time to go.¡± Ursun barked once he and the others passed Prism and Jaik and started boarding the black quadcopter.

    "I''ll have to go over our constellations with you sometime." Jaik said with a squeeze of Prism''s shoulders before jogging around Prism to join Ursun in the copter.

    Prism glanced up at the twin moons once again before he heard the sound of the copter''s four rotors begin to spin. Prism couldn''t help but think that the mystery of ?ba''s non-magical humans was tied to those moons, as well as the eons-old religion that had been formed around them. His musings would have to wait, as he did not want to hold up his allies any longer.

    He ran the short distance to the copter and sat in the rear of the cabin beside Leanna, who''d already fallen back asleep. The copter began to rise soon after, and smoothly made its way over Battle City and back over the route that Prism had taken during his 4-week bootcamp to get there from Mt. Kyero.

    As Prism stared down at the darkened landscape, he finally felt as though the Peninsula could become a home for him within the greater vastness of the cosmos that he ordinarily ventured across. He smiled to himself when the feeling came to him, yet again amazed at how effective shared suffering could be in strengthening bonds with people and places. He should know better than to fall for such things, he thought to himself. But just like his appearance, he was all too human in the way that his mind worked. He wasn''t immune to psychological manipulations and the effects of suffering. Sometimes he even wondered how his mind still functioned at all after enduring centuries-worth of trauma.

    "Look alive. We''re landing. Once we do, we''re headed straight to a briefing on what''s going on in Athea." Ursun looked back and said from his seat in the cockpit, disrupting Prism''s introspective thoughts.

    Leanna flinched when she heard the last of Ursun''s words. She quickly pulled herself up and leaned over the middle row that Lorias and Srell occupied.

    "Where in Athea?" She asked loudly with much concern.

    "The eastern coast. Surmil, or nearabouts. We''ll learn more at the briefing." Ursun said calmly.

    His answer seemed to satisfy Leanna, who sat back down in her seat beside Prism. She began to bite the nail of her right thumb, which put Prism a bit on edge.

    "Do you think we''re headed there tonight?" Lorias asked.

    "Doubtful, but be prepared to leave in the morning." Ursun replied. "Get him up." Ursun said to Lorias and pointed to Srell, who was still asleep on Lorias shoulder.

    Lorias slapped Srell on the cheek, making the wiry-haired man jerk violently awake. Jaik laughed at the sight, which got him a nasty look from Srell.

    After the copter flew into Mt. Kyero and landed within the Auxiliary, RED-1 quickly made their way to a mission room in a hallway near the hangar. They were greeted by Finisome and a slender thirty-something man that Prism hadn''t seen before. The man stood alertly near the smartboard at the front of the room beside Finisome, who looked rather tired.

    The tall man had very short green hair and a large scar across his otherwise unblemished face. The scar went from his forehead down to his jaw, and the iris of the eye that it ran through was red despite his other eye being brown in color. He had a handsome and intelligent countenance that made him seem both nerdy and debonair. He wore a uniform similar to that of a commander, though without the fancy trim and line down his black pants. Prism noted that the man''s uniform coat was scarlet red, meaning that he was a part of the Mercenary Division.

    "Please, have a seat. We don''t want to take too much of your time. I know that you are all quite tired after finishing Prism''s training." The green-haired man said placidly with a hand outstretched at the chairs in front of him.

    Ursun and his team took seats at the front row. Srell did his best to sit at attention, so that he could more easily stay awake. Ursun crossed his arms and looked worriedly at his brother, who he knew had been working especially hard during his absence. Finisome didn''t look at Ursun, but instead focused his eyes on the man standing beside him. Prism could sense the strange familial tension that hung in the air. Prism couldn''t help but wonder what the cause of it was.

    "Two nights ago, a Destructor speedsub was detected by Etrysia entering the Athean Sea. The speedsub evaded Etrysia''s jellymine grid and proceeded toward the eastern Athean coast. A supercavitating torpedo was launched by one of Etrysia''s subs to intercept the speedsub, but it failed to make contact with the vessel. Several more attempts were made to destroy the speedsub, but it continued to evade Etrysia''s forces. After several hours of traveling around a large area of the Athean Sea, the speedsub left the area and returned to Vadam''s territorial waters." The man began to explain using graphics and pictures shown on the smartboard near to him.

    "Ridiculous...Destructor vessels shouldn''t be able to do that." Leanna shook her head angrily.

    "The Destructors are the largest private military company on ?ba. They''re pretty much evil sea pirates being backed by the Queen. They usually taunt ships before robbing them and enslaving their occupants. They¡¯re professional terrorists." Jaik leaned over and told Prism quietly, who thanked him for the grim explanation.

    "After the Destructors¡¯ taunting behavior, Etrysian forces were put on high alert. It was clear to them that the Destructors had received a technological upgrade from either the Vadamites or the Kingdom. Because of how strained the Destructors¡¯ relationship is with the Vadamites, we believe that the upgrades are most likely from the Kingdom." The man continued.

    "Who is he?" Prism asked Jaik while nodding his head towards the man briefing them.

    "Lieutenant Commander Zel Libo. He''s Ursun''s right-hand man." Jaik said quietly to Prism to avoid getting Zel''s attention.

    "I see. I guess there''s still a lot of people within the Red Wolves that I don''t know about." Prism said with a bobbing nod to himself.

    "This is a big organization. A lot of us are scattered across ?ba at any given time." Jaik whispered to Prism.

    "Last night, the Etrysian military detected an amassing fleet of Destructor vessels on a small Vadamite island near the edge of the Athean Sea. It remains unclear who the Destructors are preparing to attack, or if they will be attacking at all. What has the Etrysians and the rest of the Conjunction worried is that our intel suggests that the Vadamites are using this crisis as a smokescreen to hide their own plans to invade Athea or the southeastern coast of Ruskeda."

    Zel''s words were full of anxiety, though he did his best to physically hide his concern. Ursun grunted before leaning back in his seat and stomping his heavy right boot on the epoxy-coated stone floor. Zel furrowed his brow but for a second before looking over at Finisome. Finisome closed his eyes and shook his head in irritation before tapping on the smartboard and bringing up a map of the region surrounding the Athean Sea, including the Peninsula and the main islands of Vadam.

    "I''m here because we can''t be entirely sure that Vadam doesn''t plan on attacking our Peninsula as a means of diverting attention away from Athea. My security forces are shoring up our defenses, and Gnapp has assured me that the laserliths are prepared to shoot down any Vadamite airships or vessels that approach us." Finisome said unconvincingly.

    "The Etrysians want us in Athea, to help protect the most likely invasion target." Ursun said matter-of-factly to his brother.

    "I''d rather have you all here, especially with Prism''s improved capabilities. But security is my job, and mercenary work is yours." Finisome said almost spitefully.

    "Sir, the Etrysians requested you and RED-1 by name. I rushed back to convey their desires directly to you." Zel said tensely.

    "I''m sure it won''t be just us." Ursun said expectantly to Zel, who nervously gulped before breaking eye contact with Ursun.

    "The Roses will be joining you there, in Surmil." Zel said after a fearful silence.

    "Of course they will." Lorias said with a roll of his eyes.

    "Who are the Roses?" Prism, captivated by the developments around him, asked Jaik.

    "A private military company that is inferior to us in every way; though those sanctimonious prigs would tell you the complete opposite." Lorias said snidely before Jaik could utter a word.

    Prism''s eyes grew wide at Lorias'' sudden outburst. Prism hadn''t seen the cool-headed man become so spirited before, and he found it intriguing. Prism glanced over at Ursun, who seemed to be deep in thought. Finisome and Zel simply stood before them impatiently, yet they didn''t look like they knew how to proceed either.

    "Please, continue with the details of our mission, sirs. The longer this takes, the less sleep we''ll be getting tonight. I''m sure that we all want RED-1 to be at peak operating efficiency to meet the crisis that is quickly unfolding." Leanna said assertively and respectfully to Zel and Finisome.

    "Yes, well said." Zel nodded gratefully to Leanna before swiping an arch across the map displayed on the screen. "You all will be taking this route to Surmil, to prevent Vadam from more easily intercepting your ship." He said while pointing out the route that would take them over a large portion of eastern Ruskeda instead of the more direct route over the sea to the south of the Peninsula.

    "Whoa, we''ll have plenty of time to sleep on the Titian with a route that long." Srell said with a sleepy smirk.

    "Yeah, looks like a seven hour flight." Jaik said tiredly.

    "The rest of you go and get some sleep. They''ve prepared some rooms for you here in the Auxiliary, just down the hall. I''ll stay and get the rest of our mission details from these two. I''ll brief each of you on the Titian tomorrow. We''ll meet in the hangar at 0600 hours." Ursun said to his surrounding teammates, most of whom looked at him a bit dumbfounded. "Go on, get out of here!" He said loudly, reassuring them that he meant what he''d said.

    As Lorias, Srell, Leanna, and Jaik got up and left the room, Prism stood at the front of the room and stayed behind despite Ursun''s protestations. Finisome smirked when he saw the Elementeitan stand his ground, remembering that Prism had just beat the gauntlet that Command had thrown at him without any fanfare at all.

    "On behalf of the Red Wolves, I''d like to formally congratulate you on completing your RED-1 bootcamp. You''ve reassured all of us within Pack Command that you truly have what it takes to be on our premier team." Finisome said sincerely before offering his hand to Prism.

    Prism''s eyes began to water as he grabbed Finisome''s much larger hand and gripped it strongly while they gave each other a short shake. Ursun stood up from his seat and placed his hand on Prism''s small shoulder. He hadn''t wanted to focus on Prism''s success in light of the brewing conflict, but Ursun began to realize that his alien ally didn''t need much to feel celebrated. Ursun offered his hand to Prism after his brother was done, and Prism gladly shook it.

    "I heard Jaik tell you who he is, but you two should be properly introduced." Ursun said before grabbing Zel''s shoulder and pulling him over to stand in front of Prism. "This is Zel Libo, my Lieutenant Commander. He does most of my administrative work since I''m away so often these days." Ursun said earnestly.

    "Very nice to meet you. I could barely believe the reports I read about you when I got in a week ago from my time in Etrysia." Zel said while shaking Prism''s hand.

    "I can barely believe it all myself sometimes." Prism said with a chuckle. "I won''t take anymore of your time. Thank you, and good night." Prism said with a quick bow as he began to back away from the three men towards the door behind him.

    Each of the commanders told Prism goodnight before he left the room and made his way down the hallway to a private room that had been setup for him. He drifted into memory while he walked down the familiar hall, remembering when he''d been brought into the Auxiliary for the first time to be poked and prodded by Dr. Liam.

    It had only been two months since he''d been awoken by the Red Wolves, but Prism already felt nostalgic about his early days among them. And despite the atmosphere of dread that he''d sensed in the mission room during their briefing, Prism felt excited and hopeful about the days to come. He was somehow certain that he''d keep his team safe, and that he''d do his best to bring ?ba''s Centuries-Long War to an end.

 Chapter 26 - First Strike

    ¡°That¡¯s quite the facility¡± Jaik said while he looked out of the window of the Titian as it approached a large military complex on the coast of the sprawling metropolis of Surmil.

    The reflective chitosan windows of the skyscrapers that towered within the center of the whitish-grey city reflected the afternoon sun as the Titian flew around Surmil on its route. A major trading hub within the Conjunction, the city had been well-defended for over a decade, allowing it to expand to a size few coastal cities dared to during the Centuries-Long War.

    The base on its coast was separated from the city by a simple canal, and wrapped around a cliff that faced the sea to the east. The facility looked like a stepped pyramid whose foundation disappeared underwater into the depths. There were numerous long-range weapons atop several towers that lined the seawall of the base, though the inland portion of the facility was like a small city of its own with its numerous blocky gray buildings of metal.

    ¡°It has to be. Getla Base is Athea¡¯s primary land defense against Vadam and the Destructors.¡± Leanna was quick to reply.

    ¡°I know, I know. It¡¯s just my first time seeing it in person.¡± Jaik said with raised hands, sensing Leanna¡¯s increasing anxiety as they drew closer to the facility.

    Prism leaned back in his metal seat and watched the other members of RED-1 interact within the large transport bay. Their bald and red-bearded commander Ursun was having a rather serious discussion with the genteel and golden-haired Lorias. The chiseled and curly-haired Jaik did his best to entertain the graceful, green-haired Leanna with his youthful antics, hoping to take her mind off of the anticipated attack on her homeland. The bristly-haired and beady-eyed Srell stood near the glowing tactical table, working on his shotgun alone in silence.

    They were the best mercenary team of the world¡¯s best mercenary company, the Red Wolves, and Prism was their team¡¯s contractor.

    ¡°Prepare for vertical landing,¡± the pilot¡¯s voice crackled over the malfunctioning intercom system.

    ¡°Engineering still hasn¡¯t fixed that?¡± Srell shouted with a furrow of his brow.

    ¡°It was working fine an hour ago, when the pilot told us we were entering Etrysian airspace. I guess it¡¯s a recurring issue.¡± Jaik reasoned.

    ¡°Most advanced ship we¡¯ve got and it¡¯s got faulty wiring. Gnapp needs to get his priorities in order.¡± Srell complained loudly again.

    Their lengthy flight to the island of Athea had been largely uneventful, though Prism''s team had taken the time to educate him on both Etrysian society and to get used to communicating through his telepathic link magic, which would be the most secure form of communication they could have on the battlefield.

    Though he''d read much about ?ba''s cultures, Prism was glad for the crash course that Leanna and the others provided him with during their trip. She''d even quizzed him on what she''d explained. She¡¯d always had a reputation for being thorough, especially in her dealings with others.

    "What are the three gene classes of the genetically-modified peoples of Etrysia?" Leanna had asked him during her first round of quizzes.

    "Telyo, which are the pink-haired all-arounders...Xypno, which are the green-haired geniuses...and Myo, which are the orange-haired muscle-people." Prism had answered carefully.

    "Good enough. And what percentage of the Etrysian population is largely free of significant genetic modifications?" Leanna had asked.

    "70%, so most of them." Prism had replied, a bit disturbed by that number once he¡¯d said it aloud.

    "That''s right. And what will you hear many people call these two groups?" Leanna had asked with a smirk.

    "Genemods for those who are genetically-modified, and GMO-free for those who aren''t," Prism had replied coolly. "Which is a bit of a misnomer since pretty much every Etrysian-born person has at least inherited some form of genetic modification." Prism had added.

    Leanna had smiled and nodded at Prism¡¯s own attention to the details that she¡¯d explained to him. She could tell that he had some issues with Etrysia¡¯s extensive bioengineering, but she didn¡¯t want to get into a debate over the morality of such things with him. She knew that he¡¯d already read a great deal about all of the nations of her world, but he seemed to lack wider cultural context.

    "Very good. Just those tidbits of information will give you a good understanding of Etrysian culture and its internal conflicts." Leanna had said while running the fingers of her right hand through her thick green hair.

    She''d been leaning against the tactical table while Prism had sat in one the floor-mounted stools around it. Not long after sharing more information and giving another quiz, Ursun had turned the topic to Prism''s telepathy magic, which had failed during his last mission with the team. Ursun and his fellow commanders had discussed the significant tactical advantage of having a form of undetectable communication that worked over vast distances, and Ursun had been eager to revisit the use of telepathy with Prism once he''d completed his bootcamp.

    The conclusion to use the telepathy magic had required a unanimous vote amongst all commanders and a recommendation by Bighead, who sometimes served as a judge-of-sorts to Pack Command''s more significant decisions, a task which was the inverse of the role he normally played within the Red Wolves. It wasn''t until Bighead had met Prism that he concluded that the alien contractor was trustworthy enough to be in control of something so intimate that could become critical to RED-1''s success.

    "After discussing it further with the rest of Pack Command, we''ve decided to use your telepathic link during this mission. If it works out this time, it will become the de-facto form of communication for our team while in the field." Ursun had told Prism after walking over to join him and Leanna at the tactical table. Prism had then smiled brightly after hearing of the vote of confidence that his leadership had given him.

    Prism had then spent the next several hours running telepathic drills with the rest of RED-1 and even with the Titian''s pilots to a limited extent. He''d gotten his team to become comfortable with sharing sounds and images with one another through the psychic link, and he''d become better at regulating their emotions and preventing "spillover" of thoughts and feelings that they didn''t want to share. Prism had done his best not to abuse their trust by peeking into their minds, and he''d even avoided paying attention to their stray thoughts as he kept them partitioned from the group while they learned to maintain their own telepathic privacy.

    Jaik''s mind had been the most challenging to contain, due to the young doctor''s lingering magical influence. Prism would need to walk a tightrope when it came to maintaining the link between his magic and the raw, chaotic magic that continued to radiate from Jaik''s body. It was an issue that Prism had shared with Ursun, who''d been taken aback by the admission that the commander could barely even understand.

    By the time they''d flown over Surmil, each of the members of RED-1 had become able to simply mute their minds while keeping the telepathic link running within their subconscious. That skill allowed them to speak and carry on as usual without the added complication of having other people in their minds, until it was necessary. Prism had been amazed at how quickly they''d reached such a level of telepathic skill, and he figured that ?ban humans were perhaps already latently telepathic.

    "Prism and Jaik, remember that you''re staying aboard until I give word that it''s safe for you two to disembark. Neither of you have been to Athea before. They have stringent security measures in place now. You both will need to have your DNA submitted so that you can get put into their system. Then you''ll be able to get through their gene-gates." Ursun told them while the Titian began to slowly descend onto a landing pad within a secure courtyard on Getla Base.

    "I remember. I have a sample that shouldn''t be too suspicious." Prism said to Ursun while briefly glancing over at Jaik.

    "He''s right. I don''t know how he did it, but the saliva sample he gave me has unique human DNA. And when I used the medscanner on him, it registered him as having the same DNA as the sample." Jaik explained to Ursun. ¡°He didn¡¯t even let us get a DNA scan of any kind, which drove Liam crazy.¡± Jaik said with a chortle.

    "That is a neat trick. The less anyone outside of the Red Wolves knows about you, the better." Ursun said with a short nod to Prism, who grinned goofily back at him.

    "I''m guessing that you used that trick to confound the Queen''s researchers during your imprisonment." Leanna intuited.

    "Yeah...I couldn''t risk any of you somehow making more of me...no matter how unlikely that seemed given your peoples'' inability to detect magic..." Prism said as his voice suddenly become quieter.

    "We''ll see how long that "inability" lasts." Srell said under his breath while he got up from the tactical table and placed his shotgun in a holster on his hip.

    "We''ll keep a live telepathic feed of what''s going on open to you and Jaik while the two of you are stuck aboard the ship, now that we know how to do that." Ursun said to Prism.

    "Understood. And remember, it''s probably best to only share what you''re seeing and hearing when it''s relevant. Otherwise, the strain of always actively streaming your perception could give you a mean headache." Prism said while wagging his finger at Ursun.

    By the time Prism realized how condescending he was acting, it was too late. Ursun glared at him, but then just nodded and walked away. Prism felt relieved that he wasn''t reprimanded, but he knew not to get complacent.

    "Ursun is still the leader, no matter what sort of power I wield over the team. It¡¯s best that I be as respectful as possible. I definitely don''t want his job." Prism thought to himself.

    When the Titian''s landing gear made contact with the ground, Ursun, Lorias, Leanna, and Srell went to their equipment lockers and quickly donned their helmets and other assorted gear before the transport bay''s rear floor ramp began to lower. Prism and Jaik looked out of one of their tiltjet''s round windows and saw a sleek white aircraft parked a several meters away from their own. Prism could make out an artistic red rose logo painted on its rear exterior. The more that Prism examined the craft, the more he realized that it resembled a wingless, hairless moth. He even noticed that it was resting on what appeared to be small white legs.

    Soon Jaik and Prism noticed a group of tough-looking soldiers approach the Titian from a building on the opposite side of the helipad courtyard that they were in. The group was led by three people: a middle-aged man with chubby cheeks and short green hair who looked to be in charge, a tall and lanky young man with long curly green hair who was wearing a dronepack similar to Leanna''s, and a poised woman with layered pink hair that was cut in a bob that framed her dignified face perfectly.

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    The older man wore a white military uniform with several colored rectangles and metallic buttons on its chest to signify his service distinctions. On the other hand, the younger man and the woman wore rather ornate armor that seemed a bit gaudy and antiquated to Jaik. Prism tilted his head when he saw them, musing that they could have come from one of the more low-tech magic-rich worlds that he oftentimes visited. The armor had extensive rose motifs across its otherwise porcelain surface, with flourishes of red petals and vines framing each edge of the armor. Even the machine pistols that were holstered on their thigh armor were porcelain white with red floral accents. The only things that were missing from their knightly outfits were helmets.

    "Looks like Base Commander Maginae is coming to meet us, along with two Roses. They look like Thorns...oh, I recognize the woman. She''s Theda Lymm." Jaik relayed what he saw to his teammates as they finished getting ready. He knew of their faces from the mission reports and dossiers that he''d read on their flight to the island.

    "Looks like Base Commander Maginae is coming to meet us, along with two Roses. They look like Thorns...oh, I recognize the woman. She''s Theda Lymm." Jaik relayed what he saw to his teammates as they finished getting ready. He knew of their faces from the mission reports and dossiers that he''d read on their flight to the island.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that those in the Etrysian military are addressed with their first names instead of their surnames.¡± Leanna reminded Jaik and her team. She¡¯d noticed that their mission notes had the same issue, though it had slipped her mind.

    "The Peacekeeper is here? How delightful." Lorias said with a pure biting sarcasm.

    "Hmph." Ursun grunted while squeezing his coilgun until his knuckles became a pale white. He then let go of the heavy weapon and grabbed his PAW instead. He didn¡¯t see the point in being so heavily armed when they would just be sitting in a long briefing after they landed.

    After a few more moments, Ursun walked down the lowered ramp and onto the black asphalt of Getla Base''s enclosed courtyard. He was soon joined by Lorias, Leanna, and Srell, who stood at his rear. The three officials that Prism and Jaik had seen stood only a few meters before them. It didn''t take long before the middle-aged man laughed heartily and reached out his hand towards Ursun.

    "So good of you to come so quickly! Just what we expect from the Red Wolves!" The man said jovially.

    "Good to see you, Base Commander Deriges. I wish it were under better circumstances." Ursun said after shaking the man¡¯s hand.

    "Those are the times we live in! War is ever present, as you very well know." The base commander said with a strange smirk. "And please, just call me Deriges. You aren''t under my command, so no need to use titles with me. In any case, I''m sure you remember..." Deriges turned around and motioned to the pink-haired woman to his left.

    "Theda." Ursun was quick to say.

    "Ursun. It''s been quite some time since..." Theda began to speak in a cautious tone.

    "And who''s this?" Ursun interrupted again and pointed at the tall young man to the right of Deriges.

    "Remades Retanae. He''s our team''s analyst and medic." Theda stated plainly without breaking eye contact with Ursun.

    "It''s an honor to meet you, sir! I''ve heard so many awesome things about you! You''re a living a legend!" Remades excitedly walked out in front of Deriges and took Ursun''s heavy right hand into his own without a care.

    "This kid could be Jaik''s long-lost brother..." Srell whispered to Leanna, who giggled at the insinuation.

    "Not very Rose-like, but I appreciate the compliment." Ursun said calmly before pulling his hand away from Remades'' grip.

    "S-sorry, sir! I get a bit too ahead of myself sometimes..." Remades slowly walked backwards and returned to his position behind Deriges, who chuckled at the exchange.

    "I''m sure your people are ready to get apprised of our situation here. Just give Remades the DNA samples of your two new men and we''ll get them registered in our system in no time." Deriges said loudly while nodding his head towards Remades. "The four of you and your pilots are welcome to join us inside. Just be aware that there are gene-gates at each doorway of my base."

    Leanna walked over to give the two vials containing Jaik and Prism''s saliva swabs to an eager Remades. Remades thanked her before rushing back through the nearest door leading back into the base. Leanna shook her head at the man''s frantic nature before she walked back behind Ursun. Ursun nodded his approval to Deriges, and told Srell to notify their pilots that they were relieved for the day.

    After Srell ran back onto the Titian to get their weary pilots out of the cockpit, they all walked over to a large black doorway at the other end of the courtyard. With Theda in front of him, Ursun watched her walk the entire way. He felt the dull throb of long-suppressed emotions slowly begin to ebb and flow through the recesses of his mind. It was the last thing that he wanted to deal with before what he knew would be a lengthy war briefing.

    Prism and Jaik looked on from within the transport bay, having been privy to all that was said outside thanks to the telepathic link they shared with the others. The two of them sat on the same row of wall-mounted metal seats, and looked out of two different windows. When the large group had left the courtyard, Jaik scooted over to be right beside Prism. Prism looked at Jaik queerly, sensing a strange giddiness from Jaik that radiated strongly from him in ever-more powerful waves of magicked emotion.

    "So...Theda and Ursun..." Jaik said playfully.

    "What about them?" Prism said with a smile, finally understanding what he was sensing from Jaik.

    "I shouldn''t say..." Jaik played at being coy.

    "Awww, come on! Tell me!" Prism yelled, still smiling.

    "Okay, okay, you''ve talked me into it..." Jaik said with a chuckle, which got him a shove from Prism. "They used to be a couple, about 6 years ago."

    Jaik stopped talking in an attempt to build anticipation. It worked.

    "What happened? Why aren''t they still together? It seems like he hates her..." Prism said softly.

    "She got two members of RED-1 killed back then, during a joint mission in Sguvi with the Roses." Jaik said somberly, dropping all of his silliness.

    "That''s...my goodness..." Prism said after covering his mouth for a brief moment. "That''s why Lorias has no respect for the Roses..." Prism thought aloud.

    "That''s a whole ''nother story. Lorias was a part of the Roses for a few years when he was younger. He was apparently one of their best Thorns, which is what they call their combat mercenaries. He even recruited Srell for a brief time before they both left that organization..." Jaik said as he looked out of the window at the afternoon sky above the gray buildings that framed the courtyard.

    Prism examined the fine details of Jaik''s chiseled face, seeing the contemplation that he knew Jaik felt at that moment. It seemed strange to Prism that he was learning such intimate details about his teammates in their absence, but Prism wanted to hear more. He hadn''t spoken to them about personal matters much at all since joining their team, and it filled him with a sense of disconnection from them.

    "I know so little about all of you..." Prism said faintly while looking down at the metal flooring of the transport bay.

    "We can say the same about you, Magical Boy." Jaik said lightheartedly, breaking the tension that had grown thick in the air between them.

    Prism looked at Jaik, simpering and silly, and couldn''t help but grin. There would be time for them all to know each other in all of the big and little ways, Prism thought. It was a comforting thought, and one that could prove to be untrue if Prism failed in his duties to them. A moment of hope was quickly dashed by shot of anxiety that re-entered Prism''s heart, much to his chagrin. Before he could overanalyze himself even more, Prism saw Remades rushing out of the nearest door and over to the Titian''s lowered ramp.

    "Are you guys still in there!? You can come inside and join the briefing now! I got you two in our system without any problems!" Remades yelled at the foot of the ramp, knowing better than to enter without approval.

    "Thanks! We''re heading out now!" Jaik yelled as he stood up. "You ready?" Jaik then asked Prism after seeing him look a bit sullen again.

    "I''m ready. After you." Prism said placidly before also rising to his feet.

    After a few energetic introductions, Prism and Jaik followed Remades into the large black door that the rest of their teams had entered minutes earlier. When he walked through the doors that Remades opened for them, Prism heard two upbeat dinging noises. When he looked up and behind himself after entering the long white hallway within, he saw a rectangular black security device attached to the ceiling immediately behind the doorway. It had two bulbous lights on its hallway-facing side, one of which glowed green. When Prism looked even more closely at the device, he could see that it had a sheen to it. He could sense the emanations of life coming from it, the same sort of synthetic life that he''d sensed from Leanna''s dronepack.

    "It''s pretty remarkable, isn''t it? We Etrysians can grow just about anything to serve just about any need we have. This gene-gate is just one of our marvels. Some day I''ll be a biocrafter and make something remarkable of my own." Remades spoke so positively that it moved Jaik.

    Prism, on the other hand, was skeptical of Remades'' claims.

    "Using life like this is...well, I''m not sure it''s for the best..." Prism said reservedly.

    He knew that it was improper to criticize a culture that he knew so little about, but he''d seen what could happen when life was crafted so wantonly. It had rarely ever gone well, especially not for the people that were doing the creating.

    "None of our biotech is sentient. There is no conscious experience that these devices can have. Even our biocomputers lack the structures necessary for subjective feeling, despite what some GMO-free radicals would say." Remades was quick to defend himself.

    "I hope that''s true..." Prism said, not convinced.

    "If you grow a liver in a vat, is that liver sentient? And even if they are sentient, we treat our biotech with gratitude and respect. It''s a core part of our culture to value all of our living things, whether they are born or created." Remades explained earnestly in an attempt to win Prism over to his point of view.

    "Alright boys, your discussion will have to wait. We need to get to that briefing." Jaik said in a mature tone that impressed Prism.

    "Right, I haven''t forgotten! Follow me!" Remades said before walking briskly ahead of Jaik and Prism.

    ¡°Wait, one question. What does the gene-gate do if it scans someone with unauthorized DNA?¡± Prism asked

    ¡°It¡¯ll trigger our base¡¯s alarm system, and then it will send an electrified tendril out at the intruder in an attempt to immobilize them. If that doesn¡¯t work, then it will shoot a highly-pressurized jet of acid to kill the intruder.¡± Remades clearly explained.

    ¡°Got it¡­¡± Prism said with a fastidious shake of his head

    The three of them walked down the white hallway to a briefing room that was being guarded by four Etrysian soldiers. When they say Remades approach the door to the room, they stepped aside and let him, Jaik, and Prism inside. Prism and Jaik were surprised by how many people were in the room, and that the room looked more like a small lecture hall than a typical meeting room.

    The room had two separate sections of seating on either side of the door, and each section had four rows of five seats. Unlike the hallway, the meeting room was moderately-lit by several ceiling-mounted yellow lights. The room had gray concrete walls and dark-blue carpeted floors. There was a podium at the front of the room, which was the lowest area, and behind that podium was a large black screen on the wall.

    Ursun, Leanna, Lorias, and Srell were sitting in the third row in the section of seating to the left of the door, while Theda and two others that dressed in armor like hers were sitting in the opposite seating section in the first row. There was a young man in a white Etrysian officer uniform sitting in the first row of the left section, and a full-bearded middle-aged man in a brown suit sitting in the fourth row of the right section. Deriges stood behind the podium talking to the young officer while the others spoke amongst themselves.

    ¡°Perfect, that should be everyone. Come in and have a seat. We need to begin this emergency briefing immediately.¡± Deriges said to Remades, Jaik, and Prism, who were all still standing by the door. They quickly went to their respective groups and settled in.

    ¡°About time.¡± Srell said to Jaik and Prism after glancing back at them when they took seats in the row above him.

    ¡°Get Hypergeneral Aksos on the screen. Tell him we¡¯re ready,¡± Prism heard Deriges say in to a microphone on the podium.

    ¡°Hypergeneral? What a title.¡± Prism telepathically said to Jaik.

    ¡°Indeed it is. It is Etrysia¡¯s highest military rank, and there are only four of them. One for the North, South, East, and West.¡± Jaik replied telepathically.

    ¡°Let me guess; he¡¯s the hypergeneral of the East.¡± The sound of Prism¡¯s voice echoed in Jaik¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Correct. He¡¯s specifically the ¡°Hypergeneral of Eastern Athea,¡± and he¡¯s in charge of all of this region¡¯s major military forces.¡± Jaik replied through the telepathic link. ¡°I thought you read all of the mission documents?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you anything. I was just cracking a joke and you took it upon yourself to be my tour guide.¡±

    ¡°Now wait just a minute! If I¡¯m annoying you with my explanations, then I can always leave you in the dark. There¡¯s a lot of fine details that aren¡¯t even in those reports!¡±

    Jaik¡¯s overreaction made Prism roll his eyes, but it only took a second to realize that Jaik was just being silly again.

    ¡°I am grateful to you, for being so helpful. You know that, right?¡± Prism telepathically said while staring into Jaik¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°I thought so, but its good to ¡°hear¡± you ¡°say¡± it.¡±

    Jaik reached over and gave Prism¡¯s shoulder a squeeze, and winked at his smaller friend. Prism nodded to Jaik admiringly, glad to have such a good friend on the world that he was still relatively new to. Sometimes, two people just fit together right from their initial meeting, Prism thought to himself. But such encounters were rare, even in the vastness of the cosmos.

    After a short moment of hushed conversations, the black screen at the front of the room lit up, revealing the austere face of an older man with short layered pink hair and short curly bangs that hung down from the edges of his forehead, stopping just before his visible cheekbones. He had a pink goatee that was immaculately trimmed to the point of looking razor sharp. Only the man¡¯s face and upper torso was visible, and his white Etrysian officer uniform was laden with medals of all shapes and colors. The trim of his high collar was solid gold.

    ¡°Hello, hello! This is Hypergeneral Aksos Lymm, for the new faces that I see. First, I¡¯d like to thank everyone for making it here, especially our Red Wolves allies. Our situation is dire and we have much to discuss.¡± Aksos¡¯ voice was low and powerful, immediately getting the attention of everyone in the room.

    ¡°Sorry to interrupt you before you get into it hypergeneral, but I need to tell you about several anomalous readings that were detected around the city just a few minutes ago. My team is checking it out, but our guess is that we are dealing with cloaked explosives of some kind. We¡¯ve already evacuated the city per your orders, but there are always stragglers that refuse to leave.¡± The bearded man sitting at the back of the room said with a raspy voice that was full of urgency.

    ¡°I thank you for sharing that with me. Its just further evidence of what we believe is already taking place; there is an infiltration force on our coast operating in secret at this very moment. And from the news you just gave me, they intend to start their operation with a literal bang.¡± Aksos said, his face still looking determined and ready for action.

    From what Prism could see, the hypergeneral appeared to be on a moving vehicle of some kind, perhaps even a plane. He was not standing still, and was being moved about regularly during the stream. There were also some objects in the background behind him that appeared to be shaking, though Prism couldn¡¯t make out any fine details about Aksos¡¯ surroundings other than that.

    ¡°You want us to route them out.¡± Ursun said loudly and boldly to the screen.

    ¡°Astute as ever, Ursun. I put a call out for your team specifically because RED-1 has a proven track record of finding and stopping enemy terrorist cells. Time is of the essence, so this isn¡¯t going to be an hour long briefing that puts you all to sleep. I¡¯m going to tell you what we know, and then you all can be on your way to find these Monarchist monsters.¡± Aksos said.

    ¡°And why is the Peacekeeper here? Do you honestly think these terrorists can be negotiated with?¡± Lorias asked plainly. Ursun grimaced at the unexpected question.

    ¡°My cousin is no longer a negotiator. She belongs to Thorns Team Trias, and can be seen as your team¡¯s analogue in the field. I trust that you are all professionals who can put the past behind you and work towards stopping whatever these infiltrators have planned.¡± Aksos maintained his poise and did not have an ounce of irritation in his voice.

    ¡°Of course. Please, tell us what you know about these infiltrators.¡± Ursun said.

    Before Aksos could begin speaking again, the ground shook suddenly beneath the feet of all who were in the briefing room. The lights flickered, and the quake was so strong that it knocked Deriges to the ground. Aksos¡¯ image flickered on the screen before disappearing entirely.

    The briefing had ended, and they were no closer to figuring out who was attacking them.

 Chapter 27 - Prowl

    Prism was the first to get up and run out of the lecture-style briefing room. Etrysian soldiers began to run down the hallway outside and make their way into the courtyard to see if they were under attack. Getla Base¡¯s alarm began to sound, and it became clear to Prism that the infiltrators were already ahead of RED-1 and the Etrysians in carrying out their terrorist plans. While Prism stood in the courtyard amidst dozens of soldiers awaiting their commands, a second cluster of explosions were detonated within Surmil. The explosions were so powerful that they caused the earthquakes that they¡¯d all felt.

    Throwing secrecy to the wind, Prism decided to act in a way that only he could.

    Prism¡¯s eyes shimmered green before he kneeled down onto the ground and placed his hands on the asphalt. He poured his magic into the very foundation of the base, strengthening it as much as he could. When the shockwaves from the second round of explosions reached Getla Base, there were no quakes felt by anyone within. Prism stood up and relayed what he was seeing to his teammates through their telepathic link. He saw the panic and confusion on the faces of the soldiers around him, and prepared for them to try and apprehend him. But soon a voice blared over the base¡¯s intercom system.

    ¡°Surmil is under attack by Monarchist terrorists. Detachments B and C will leave immediately to contain the situation there. This is an order from Base Commander Maginae. I repeat¡­¡±

    Prism glanced around the courtyard and saw sudden looks of clarity and focus on the faces of the soldiers. They began marching orderly back within the buildings surrounding the courtyard. Prism had a moment of relief, but knew that it wouldn¡¯t last.

    ¡°They aren¡¯t going to do anything to stop you. They¡¯ve already been briefed not to interfere with the operations of the Red Wolves or the Roses, regardless of what strange things they might see you do.¡± Ursun¡¯s voice echoed in Prism¡¯s head through their telepathic link. ¡°There¡¯s a high likelihood that the attacks on Surmil are just distractions to pull forces away from this base. Srell, Jaik, and I are staying on the base to help defend it. Leanna and Lorias are going to the city with two of the Roses on their ship. Surmil''s Chief of Security will be joining them, and guiding them to where he suspects the infiltrators are. If you can get to the city faster than them, then do it. We still need to make sure that the infiltrators can¡¯t do any more damage there. We¡¯ll update you when we learn more.¡±

    ¡°I understand, sir. I¡¯m headed there now.¡± Prism telepathically replied.

    Prism checked the strap of his helmet to make sure that it was on tightly enough. Then, with a shimmer of blue light from his irises, Prism altered the air around him and directed it up beneath his feet with great force. It was an inefficient way to send himself flying, but his capabilities still hadn¡¯t improved enough to finely manipulate gravity over a sustained period of time for smoother flight. By the time he was shooting into the sky in the direction of the setting sun, Leanna, Lorias, Remades and a tall, muscular orange-haired woman were stepping out into the courtyard. A strong gust of wind whipped past their group, causing them to look up and see Prism just as he propelled himself forward in the air to get enough momentum to arrive in Surmil.

    ¡°Wait, was that someone flying unassisted? I didn''t see a wingpack on them or anything like that! That must be Kingdom tech, or maybe even a plasma soldier!¡± The large woman shouted.

    ¡°Calm down, Testa. The Queen wouldn¡¯t deploy those sorts of forces out here, and our infiltrators definitely wouldn¡¯t be flying so haphazardly and kicking up wind like that. We would have easily found them by now.¡± Remades reasoned.

    ¡°That was our teammate Prism. We¡¯ll meet him in the city.¡± Leanna said matter-of-factly.

    "Hmmm, alright, then. You Red Wolves really do have a lot of secret tech that you''re keeping to yourselves..." Testa said while crossing her arms and looking reproachfully at Leanna.

    "I told you they were!" Remades smiled and gave Testa a slap on her armored lower back.

    "If you say so..." Leanna smirked.

    Lorias rolled his eyes at Testa and Remades'' youthful exclamations before the middle-aged bearded man who''d been in the briefing with them walked through the door behind their group. He wore a brown three-piece suit and a short-brimmed brown hat, which was a bold choice for Athea''s sub-tropical clime. He approached the others at a leisurely pace, which caused Leanna to furrow her brow at him.

    "I never liked these living ships. Being in the belly of a giant bug gives me the creeps." He said while looking over at the nearby Roses aircraft, which was smaller than the Titian and comfortably carried six passengers in its bay.

    "We shouldn''t waste any more time getting to your city, Chief Goginae. We need you to navigate us to the last known location of the terrorists." Leanna said curtly.

    "That goes without saying. I''m ready to leave whenever the rest of you are." The chief said a bit rudely.

    Remades gave a quick nod to the rest of the group before walking out ahead of them and approaching the ship at a brisk pace. Lorias smirked when he noticed how much pep the young man had in each step he took.

    "Sphingid!" Remades shouted after stopping at the rear of the ship.

    The white carapace of the living ship began to shimmer before a wide ramp lowered from its rear abdomen section. A cloud of warm humid air blew out of the opened section as the ship prepared itself for its human passengers. Remades glanced behind himself and waved his hands to beckon the others to join him before he walked up the carapace ramp and into the ship''s bay. When each of them was within the bay, the carapace ramp closed behind them, sealing them inside.

    The ship''s light-pink and white interior was lit by luminescent nodes that lined its ceiling, and had six soft seats that lined its walls in rows of three on either side. The ship''s internal structure was symmetrical and well-balanced, giving it a grand yet simplistic design. The pink carapace that formed its flooring and accents was paired with white bone-like material that formed the ship''s rib-like frames that looked like the arches of ancient cathedrals along its ceiling. A linear section of the walls above the seats were translucent and could be made more transparent by swiping ones'' fingers across their surface, allowing the passengers to see the ship''s exterior surroundings. The window surface worked one way, only allowing those within the bay to look out of it while it appeared opaque to those outside of the ship.

    Unlike the Titian, the cockpit was open to the transport bay, and the group watched as Remades plugged the pilot seat''s control nerve cable into his armor''s spinal port adapter by scooting back into the seat. Each of them had been aboard such living ships, but it had been quite some time for both Lorias and Leanna.

    "He''s the pilot?" Lorias asked worriedly. He had never seen such a young man with so many critical team roles also be a pilot.

    "Yup! He handles pretty much anything relating to biology.¡± Testa said while moving through the bay so she could look out of the cockpit''s transparent walls for a better view of the city when they approached it.

    The Sphingid rumbled as its large pink and white scaled wings unfurled from within the outer carapace of the ship. The ship''s wingspan was slightly wider than the length of the ship itself, and the wings stretched out straight at the sides of the ship. Soon after, the wings began to beat quite rapidly, like the wings of a hummingbird. In mere seconds, the Sphingid was lifting off the asphalt and flying rapidly through the sunset air towards Surmil. The small white legs it had been resting on then dangled beneath it before being retracted up into its lower abdomen beneath its transport bay.

    "Can you contact Hypergeneral Aksos?" Chief Goginae asked Remades as he walked over to the cockpit area.

    "No, I can''t. It seems that those explosions flooded the area around the city with some sort of disruptive electromagnetic field that''s disrupting our radio communications. And the winds are too crazy right now to even use terpene communication. I''m going to have a hard enough time just keeping this ship steady." Remades'' shouted while he was analyzing the vast amount of data that the ship was relaying to him.

    "We need to head towards the Scava district, in the north part of the city. That''s where the last anomalous readings were detected before the explosions. There will be a security station nearby where we can land. Some of my security officers will be there to meet us." Chief Goginae said as he leaned over Remades'' pilot''s chair.

    "Alright. We should be there soon." Remades said softly with closed eyes.

    "Did you get that, Prism?" Leanna asked over their telepathic link. She¡¯d kept it open once they boarded the ship, so that Prism could hear any pertinent information.

    She and Lorias sat quietly across from each other.

    "I''m headed there now. I''ve been putting out fires in the meantime." Prism said telepathically to the members of RED-1.

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Remades was one with the Sphingid, and was seeing through its sensory organs. He saw the fires raging throughout Surmil, and smelled the smoke that billowed into the sky. Only the smaller buildings had been engulfed in flames, as the city''s larger skyscrapers were made using organic materials that were highly resistant to heat and concussive force. Remades wondered why he didn¡¯t see the city¡¯s bioorganic fire suppression systems quenching the flames, but chocked it up to more sabotage by the infiltrators. Before long, he began to see a few of the fires suddenly die out. He figured that some of the automatic fire suppression biotech was still working, so he shifted his focus back on navigating the volatile winds over the city in crisis.

    "I''ve heard about you two. You both were raised in Etrysia." Testa said loudly to Leanna and Lorias as she leaned on a wall between the bay and the cockpit area. "I can tell that you were, Leanna. But a Rvljsan like you being raised by one of the noblest Etrysian families is quite something. Did you know that they made a movie based on you?" She then said to Lorias. Testa smiled widely at him the entire time she spoke.

    "Spare me." Lorias said with a dismissive wave of his hand at her.

    "You really are just like Dimnos portrayed you in the movie! Amazing!" Testa yelled jovially. "He must''ve met you at some point. Otherwise, he''s an even better actor than I thought."

    "Are you not one of the Roses, renowned for their class and grace? By the Twins, you are insufferable." Chief Goginae said while walking into the bay after hearing Testa.

    That''s...!" Testa began to yell, but reigned herself in as she remembered who she was speaking to. "I''m sorry. I don''t think I''ll ever get used to acting "classy" or "graceful." I wasn''t raised like the rest of you."

    "I wasn''t raised within any sort of noble family either. And as you can probably tell from my brown hair, I''m GMO-free. But that didn''t stop me from learning restraint and rising through the ranks." The chief said sternly to the orange-haired young woman who towered above him.

    "Yes...you''re right, sir. You''re a model for us all. Very few GMO-free folks become leaders in our society." Testa nodded softly to Chief Goginae.

    "And very few Myo are let into the Roses. How''d you manage?" Leanna spoke up.

    "You''re right about that! I was only allowed in because my family got rich during the reconstruction of Clisina fifteen years ago. We are a family of construction workers you see, like a lot of Myo, and my parents were in the right place at the right time." Testa happily explained. "I''d always wanted to be a Rose since I was little, and I was able to get in after I completed my studies at Xandi military academy as a heavy weapons specialist."

    "New money. That explains everything." Lorias said snidely.

    "It sounds like you worked hard to get where you are. I had similar challenges when I tried to become a member of RED-1." Leanna said in a softened voice.

    "I can''t imagine! It must''ve been so hard just leaving Athea and making the trip across Ruskeda to get to the Peninsula! It''s still a treacherous journey for a civilian." Testa leaned towards the seated Leanna and said. Testa had a glint in her eye and an exuberance that charmed Leanna.

    "Oh goodness yes. I was only 17 when I made that trip. Our busfly was almost shot down when we were going over the Kasiper Mountains. Not even by Monarchists, but by a group of tribal separatists who thought our ship was there to clear them out." Leanna said with a smile on her lips.

    "You are such a legend." Testa listened in awe.

    "No, not me. I''m just a girl that wanted something different for herself, just like you." Leanna said with a recusant shake of her head.

    "Those separatists are still living up there in the Kasiper Mountains. They''ve built a sizable town that trades with Wolf City from time to time." Lorias said wryly.

    "Ruskeda is just too big for their government to put down every group that doesn''t want to pay taxes or make nice with their nation''s neighbors." Chief Goginae stated plainly. "Anyway, enough of this. We should be talking about the infiltrators."

    "And what can you tell us about them?" Leanna asked.

    "Not much. We believe that they are utilizing some sort of cloaking technology to hide themselves. Not even our gene-gates are detecting them, which means their cloaks must be completely masking all traces of their physical presence. I''m guessing that they are wearing bodysuits with self-contained breathing units. Otherwise our gene-gates would¡¯ve at least picked up some DNA from their exhaled breath." Chief Goginae explained.

    "That''s possible, but I think that it¡¯s improbable. That''s a lot of gear to wear and be able to move so quickly around the city. And the extensive coastal detection grid that Athea has surely would have detected people arriving on land from a vessel of some kind." Leanna reasoned.

    "The quakes...they must''ve come from underground! The explosives they used shouldn''t have created such powerful seismic activity that could damage Getla Base kilometers away from where your people detected the anomalous readings!" Testa excitedly surmised.

    "But they would have still needed a ship to reach our coasts undetected, and then they would need to dig lengthy tunnels underwater without alerting any of us. How is that any more probable?" Chief Goginae said as he began to pace around the bay. The idea intrigued him, but its implications were too dire for him to accept it so easily.

    "We''re landing atop the security station. Prepare to disembark." Remades voice hummed through the interior of the Sphingid, amplified by the same bulbous nodes that supplied the bay with light.

    "We''ll discuss this with my men. They''ll be able to confirm your hypothesis." The chief turned and said to Testa before the ship landed and the bay''s ramp lowered.

    Their group was met on the rooftop landing pad by several men and women dressed in brown uniforms that signified their role as Surmil security officers. Prism walked out from the middle of the group, glad to see his teammates safely exit the living ship. Leanna smiled when she saw him confidently approaching them with his hand on the PAW that was clipped to his chest armor. She was glad that he was starting to become comfortable with the weapon that he¡¯d not-so-secretly shown disdain for just weeks earlier.

    "Nice of you to join us out here." Prism said when he walked up to Leanna.

    "Our contractor is also a firefighter, apparently." Leanna couldn''t hide her admiration for his spontaneous heroic efforts as she smiled while she spoke. "Did you find any survivors?"

    "Only a few. I brought them back here after healing them. I didn''t have enough time to do much more than that." Prism said guiltily.

    "Don''t you dare undersell what you''ve done. No one else could''ve saved those people, not with the evacuation orders and the chaos that''s going on." Leanna said in no uncertain terms.

    Prism nodded to her and smiled sheepishly while looking at the ground between them. He saw the attacks as a way for him to prove himself after his training, and her words told him that he was on the right path.

    "Come on you two. We have a lot of ground to cover if we''re going to find who did all this." Chief Goginae yelled as the rest of the group started to leave the roof and head inside the security station. Lorias stood beside him, discussing something in hushed tones.

    Once everyone was inside the station, Chief Goginae made a point to pull up an interactive map of Surmil within a large open meeting room in the center of the station''s fourth floor. A three-dimensional model of Surmil expanded from a large round table at the middle of the room, and everyone took their places around it. The fires were shown upon the map, as well as icons that represented where the anomalous readings had been before the explosions rocked the city.

    "It seems fair to say that the anomalous readings were cloaked bombs that have been detonated across the city." Chief Goginae was the first to say.

    "Yes, sir. We have confirmed that most of the explosions emanated from where we discovered the anomalies." A lean green-haired man in his thirties replied. His uniform and badge showed that he was the chief''s deputy.

    "Most of the explosions?" Lorias asked as Chief Goginae was opening his mouth to speak.

    "We detected several of the explosions underground." The deputy waved his hand over the hologram, causing the city map to be raised to show the sewers and other underground areas. Icons showing the additional blasts then appeared. "Some were within our municipal sewers and subway tunnels. But some were in newly-created tunnels."

    "Who created those tunnels?" Leanna asked while leaning in and examining the map intensely.

    "We don''t know. There''s no official record of these tunnels even existing. We are simply calling them tunnels because there wouldn''t be another way for the bombs to be at those locations. Our sensor grid''s nerve-network doesn''t even reach down that far underground, so we don''t have any definite readings of what''s there other than the seismological calculations that predicted those blast areas." The deputy said with a furrowed brow.

    "This is unbelievable. Our enemies have actually managed to bypass our detection system and reach us by tunneling beneath our feet..." Chief Goginae''s voice was thick with subdued rage and intense concern.

    Prism was surprised that the man hadn''t yelled at the top of his lungs. As Remades, Testa, and the security officials began to brainstorm ways of locating who they believed to be cloaked infiltrators, Prism felt a familiar tingle at the back of his mind. The feeling told him that his team wanted to communicate with him through their telepathic link.

    "Prism, you need to find these infiltrators. They are using cloaking technology too sophisticated to be detected using conventional means, so it stands to reason that we need to use your unconventional abilities to detect them." Leanna telepathically said to Prism while making eye contact with him from across the hologram table.

    "That''s fair. This city is very big, so I will need to go to multiple areas to scan each region individually. I''ll need to find somewhere quiet and open to a large area in each region. It''ll make my job a lot easier." Prism communicated to his team through the telepathy magic that linked them all together.

    "The security stations. Most of them are four-stories high and all of them have landing pads on top that should give you some measure of peace and quiet." Lorias communicated telepathically. It seemed clear to Prism that Lorias had somehow already figured out what he''d need to find the infiltrators.

    "I''m worried that Lorias and I will only slow Prism down. He should get to the security stations while we stay with Chief Goginae and pursue more traditional ways of locating the infiltrators, in case I¡¯m wrong." Leanna''s voice echoed in the minds of her team.

    "Sounds like a plan. Execute it as soon as possible. We''re alright here at the base now, but there''s no telling when we''ll be attacked." Ursun psychically said. "I''ll tell Deriges to have his soldiers scan for any underground tunnels to see if we can catch our enemies off-guard."

    "Be safe out there. There''s no telling what crazy Kingdom-tech the infiltrators have been outfitted with. This new personal cloaking technology that we think they have is already bad enough." The worry in Jaik''s telepathic words hit Prism more strongly than he was prepared for, though Prism was able to keep the rest of their team from being struck by the magically-amplified feelings.

    "Find ''em and kill ''em." Srell mentally communicated along with sending an image of him mowing down scantly-clad Destructors with his PAW.

    After a moment of shared resolve and confirming their plans with one another, RED-1''s telepathic link became silent as each of them returned their focus to the world in their immediate vicinity.

    "But why would they blow up the tunnels that they used to get here!? It doesn''t make any sense!" Testa yelled.

    "I doubt that these infiltrators have any plan to escape. They''re probably a pre-invasion force sent to sabotage our defenses as much as they can, while also confusing us with seemingly-random attacks." Chief Goginae said confidently with a rub of his chin.

    "They''d be seen as expendable, and that makes them even more dangerous." Lorias said softly.

    "Hypergeneral Aksos should be at Getla Base in an hour or two. His troops and Base Commander Maginae¡¯s troops will give us the manpower we need to track these terrorists down.¡± Chief Goginae said hopefully.

    ¡°Deputy, could you pull up the location of all of Surmil¡¯s security stations on this map?¡± Leanna asked sweetly.

    ¡°Sure.¡± The fellow Xypno man met her request without hesitation.

    With a few taps of the control console that he stood in front of, the deputy caused 20 white squares to appear on the large 3D hologram that illuminated the room. After Prism had memorized the location of each of the stations, he gave a confident glance at Leanna, who then winked at him.

    "Do you think that these are the infiltrators'' next targets?" Chief Goginae asked as he gave Leanna a look of sheer doubt. "Surely if that was their plan, then they would''ve planted their cloaked bombs on our stations instead of at random places. In fact, none of our stations were destroyed by the bombs." He said with a tinge of condescension.

    "Isn''t that a bit strange?" Remades asked. A few of the security officers in the room voiced their agreement.

    "I''m sorry to break up this productive planning meeting, but I''m going to head out and try to find these terrorists on my own." Prism said with a raised hand and an awkward smile.

    "You''ll probably get yourself killed out there. We still have no idea how many infiltrators there even are." The deputy said, doing his best not to sound rude.

    "Don''t be ridiculous. We can''t let you go on your own. If you end up going missing, then we''ll have to expend resources to find you; resources that we barely have at the moment." Chief Goginae said firmly.

    "Prism is uniquely able to handle himself out there. And as these two Roses saw earlier, he can cover far more ground than any of us can on our own." Leanna explained earnestly to the chief and his team.

    "Don''t ask us how, but he can fly." Remades said with a quick shrug.

    Chief Goginae walked over to stand directly in front of Prism. The chief looked over the contractor with harsh eyes, doubtful that such a small, adolescent-looking person could be competent enough to single-handedly find their enemies.

    "Right now, every second is precious. I''m not going to waste any time arguing. Go on. Just know that my men and I aren''t going to save you if you get caught out there." Chief Goginae said harshly to Prism.

    "I understand." Prism nodded to the middle-aged man.

    With a final look around the room, Prism gave a quick salute to everyone before running up to the roof.

    ¡°Why am I surrounded by children at what may be the most dangerous time in my career?¡± The chief said while dramatically gripping his forehead.

 Chapter 28 - Lifelink

    The roof of the security station was still and quiet when Prism returned to it. The light from distant fires flickered across the nearby buildings as smoke rose into a haze that slowly filled the newly-night sky. Prism hated the strangely-sweet smell of the smoke, no doubt a result of the extensive biotechnology that composed Surmil¡¯s buildings, he thought. His eyes glowed blue as he walked to the center of the roof, near where the Sphingid sat.

    He sat down cross-legged on the rough surface beneath his boots and began to focus on the unknown streets and structures around him. After fully expanding his perception of living things in all directions, he hit his limit at about five square kilometers. He began to feel the strain of stretching what he could perceive all at once to such a large area, but he just gritted his teeth and focused. Prism knew that he¡¯d probably need to repeat the process several more times in quick succession as the night progressed.

    Prism sensed numerous life forms in the area, such as cockroaches, centipedes, and crows, but narrowed his attention to humanoids. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead while he rapidly checked each street, hallway, and room for the infiltrators. After several minutes, all he could sense were his allies beneath him and the few people who¡¯d ignored the evacuation orders, most of which were cowering in their homes in fear of more explosions.

    ¡°The infiltrators aren¡¯t here. I¡¯m moving six kilometers eastward, to the closest station to this one.¡± Prism told his team telepathically.

    Prism jumped from the roof and created a strong stream of wind to carry him through the air in an arc towards his destination. As he flew silently over the darkened streets beneath him, he was suddenly struck by a bullet that tore through his right arm with enough force to send him spinning. He crashed through a window and soon felt shards of glass scratch the exposed skin of his face and cut into the exposed wound on his arm. He struck the floor of the office hard, skidding a short distance on his belly before slamming headfirst into a wall. Fortunately, he was still wearing his standard-issue Red Wolves helmet.

    Prism¡¯s adrenaline kicked in as he rolled under a desk to avoid being shot again. He¡¯d managed to keep his mind alert enough to maintain his telepathic magic, but he decided against contacting his team until he was sure that he couldn¡¯t deal with his attacker on his own. He looked down at his left arm and saw that his triceps muscle had been shot off. Blood ran heavily down his still-armored elbow as the gaping wound began to hurt Prism a lot more after he¡¯d seen how bad it was.

    On top of that, he noticed that his PAW was missing. After a quick glance around the shadowy room that he was in to be sure, Prism felt certain that his weapon had been shot off along with the clip that once connected it to the left side of his chest armor. Prism also became certain that the weapon that had shot through his armor could shoot through the desk he was hiding under.

    Prism closed his eyes so that the light of his irises couldn¡¯t be seen. He placed his right hand over the wound and sent healing magic within it, causing the damaged flesh to quickly regenerate until it was back to normal. Prism felt himself grow tired, as using such significant healing magic was especially strenuous. He was unsure how much longer he could hide, and didn¡¯t want to risk gathering mana there. For a moment he contemplated shrouding himself in protective magic, but he figured that the armor-piercing power of the bullets was too great for such magic to prove effective without an abundance of mana being available to him.

    He sighed before deciding to find his enemy the old-fashioned way; by drawing out their gunfire and figuring out the trajectory of their bullets.

    ¡°Here I go.¡± Prism thought to himself before dashing out from under the desk.

    He ran past the shattered window and soon felt a bullet graze his cheek. He was impressed by the skill and precision of his assailant, even as his heart raced from nearly having his head blasted off. The armor-piercing bullet that missed him ripped through the wall behind him. Prism rapidly glanced along the path that the bullet had traveled as he fell to the ground and rolled behind another desk.

    He¡¯d seen the location where he expected the sniper to be, in a building across from the one he¡¯d crashed into. But to Prism¡¯s amazement, the other building only had two small bullet holes running completely through it, and with no sign of anyone within. Even with his magically-enhanced vision, Prism couldn¡¯t see what was on the other side of the building. He desperately and stupidly tried to peer through the bullet holes to find his target. He was simply at the wrong angle to do so while he hid behind the desk, and he didn¡¯t dare to pause again to use any complex magic.

    He quickly realized that the shooter was using a weapon that could somehow shoot through entire buildings, and that he was not safe hiding behind anything.

    ¡°AHHHH!!!!¡±

    Prism cried out as another bullet shot right through his gut, perforating his intestines and causing him an incredible amount of pain. He refused to look down at the injury when he felt his blood begin to flow into his lap. He gritted his teeth and began to move, determined to get out of the office alive. His body could naturally heal twice as fast as a normal human¡¯s could, but that wouldn¡¯t help him much with such a severe wound. He choked back his grunts while he crawled along the ground, unsure if he was being detected by sound or some other non-visual cue.

    He closed his eyes again just long enough to use a quick, simple healing spell to seal his gut before his insides could spill out. He dulled the pain, though he knew that his injury would need more significant treatment than what he could perform at the time. He had very few options with the small amount of mana that he still had available to him. Fortunately for him, it only took a second for Prism to figure out how he could make it out of the office alive.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve used illusion magic, but this is as good a time as any.¡± Prism thought with his eyes still closed eyes.

    Prism raised his arm slightly out above him as he lay on his belly amidst the shattered glass that sprinkled the thinly-carpeted floor. He caused a bald, blue phantom to appear, which had a passing resemblance to himself. He heard a bullet pass through it, causing it to dissipate immediately. Prism smirked upon seeing that his plan could work. He began conjuring several of the glowing blue phantoms, until the room was full of them. Their empty ephemeral forms required only a tiny amount of mana, and he still had enough mana to make several more of them.

    He carefully got up onto his knees in a crouched position as the shooter began to take out several of the phantoms at once. With a closing of his fist, Prism caused the remaining five phantoms to lose their glowing, ethereal appearance and become just as real in their appearance as he was. The silent bullets began to stop, and Prism figured that the shooter was trying to figure out his game. Prism directed his illusions to begin acting chaotically just when he decided to begin his escape. Some of the illusions jumped out of the broken window, while some of them ran to different corners of the room.

    Prism leapt out of the building behind one of his illusions only to begin running along the structure¡¯s exterior up to its roof, which he saw was only four stories away. Two illusions that he made had jumped out of the window to run alongside him. While he used a simple spell to adhere his feet to the building¡¯s chitosan windows, he also created four more illusions that ran farther away from him up the building. Prism figured that he needed to get to a higher place than the shooter, or at least to get to the same elevation as his foe. Once Prism made it halfway to the roof, the shooter started firing at him and his illusions again.

    Prism became very worried when he saw how rapidly his illusions were being destroyed. He hadn¡¯t thought that the sniper could fire at such a fast rate, or that their accuracy would be seemingly unaffected by so many moving targets. Prism clenched his jaw as he made one final sprint, knowing that the next shot could be the one that ended his life. A few seconds later, he was crouching down, grabbing the edge of the roof, and pulling himself up onto the roof in one quick, fluid motion. He fell onto his belly painfully, rolled several meters, and hid behind the raised edge of the roof. He saw several bullets pierce through the area of roof where he¡¯d pulled himself up, which made him certain that the sniper was at a lower elevation than he was.

    Prism wasted no time in gathering as much mana as he could as quickly as he could. He gave himself a single minute to do so, sure that the sniper would somehow figure out where he was lying by then. It was enough time for Prism to get what he needed to execute the second part of his plan.

    Prism leapt up from the roof and looked in the direction of the sniper¡¯s shots. His eyes began to glow red as he walked slowly and purposefully. A bullet veered away from him and flew into the night sky behind him. Though the pain was still present in his gut from the damage that he had yet to heal fully, Prism smirked at the success of the powerful electromagnetic barrier that surrounded him. The magnetic field was so powerful that it could diamagnetize almost any sort of projectile that came into contact with it, repelling them just enough to spare Prism any injury.

    It was his last ace in the hole, but it gave him the confidence to pursue his attacker. Prism soon leapt from the roof and used his electromagnetism to levitate enough to reach the neighboring rooftop of the building that divided him and his attacker. The act of using electromagnetic magic to levitate weakened the barrier that surrounded Prism, as it used an increased amount of mana. He needed the magnetic barrier to last, so Prism did his best not to use it to levitate again.

    Another bullet was fired at Prism, but it veered around his left ankle and up into the sky. Prism glanced in front of him and smiled as he had enough information to locate the sniper. He dashed forward, ignoring the sharp pain in his belly, and headed directly to the other end of the roof he was on. In mere seconds he was staring down at the eighth floor of the building that he hadn¡¯t been able to see clearly while he was in the office. Prism saw the sniper with their strange rifle-like weapon pointed at an extreme upward angle toward him. The sniper wore a turquoise skin suit that shimmered slightly in what little light shined into the window that they kneeled in front of.

    The sniper wore a full-face mask that had a single silvery hose that wrapped around their neck and led to a small metallic device on their lower back. When the sniper glanced up at Prism, who leered at them from the edge of the rooftop, Prism noticed that they had a feminine body shape. Prism¡¯s attacker quickly abandoned their weapon and took off running behind themself to a darkened section of the room that Prism couldn¡¯t see due to the angle that he stood at. Prism leapt down from the ledge and slammed himself boots-first into the window beside the slightly-opened window that the sniper had been firing from.

    With a dramatic showering of chitosan glass, Prism slid across the length of the storage room¡¯s floor until he came upon a closed door. He leapt up with an acrobatic flip from his slide and expanded his perception enough to detect the sniper running down some nearby stairs within the building in an attempt to escape. He could see that the sniper had activated their cloaking technology, rendering them invisible. But Prism could see the very incorporeal essence of the person who ran away from him, regardless of the technology they were using.

    Prism sneered before he burst through the door and ran rapidly down a pitch-black hallway to reach the same stairway. Fortunately for Prism, he could naturally see in the dark.

    Prism was fast, but the suspected infiltrator that he pursued was faster. He figured that he was dealing with an android, despite having been told by the Surmil security officers that he¡¯d recently met that such machines would have been detected immediately upon coming near to Athea¡¯s coast due to the signature radiation that their plasmagnetron power sources put out. The possibility of a human genemod entered Prism¡¯s mind, but he had yet to encounter such a person as an enemy to know what their physical capabilities may be. He thought of Leanna, who didn¡¯t seem to be much more powerful or athletic than the other normal humans he¡¯d seen on ?ba.

    As he jumped down each flight of stairs like his attacker had, his dogged determination to catch the sniper overpowered his good sense. When he jumped down the last couple of stairs, he stepped onto an anti-personnel mine, triggering an explosion that sent his body flying through the door leading to the ground floor¡¯s lobby. He skidded across the hard, shiny tiled floor, barely able to cling to consciousness. If he hadn¡¯t focused his electromagnetic barrier to his feet in the split-second he had to respond to the trap, he¡¯d surely been killed.

    As he felt his severely-damaged lower body grow numb, he sent a series of telepathic images to his entire team that relayed the gist of what he¡¯d experienced since encountering the sniper. He looked around the partially-lit room and saw no sign of his attacker. Prism was too weak to magically-sense their presence, and he did his best to simply keep his line of psychic communication open to his team.  He remained as motionless as he could manage, hoping to appear dead to any enemies that may be nearby.

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    ¡°I¡¯m hurt really bad¡­I didn¡¯t tell you guys what was going on because I didn¡¯t want to put anybody else in danger.¡± Prism¡¯s voice echoed through the minds of his distant teammates after he was sure that they¡¯d all seen the violent montage that he¡¯d sent them.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t too far from Lorias and me. We¡¯re coming to get you. Just hold on.¡± Leanna¡¯s disembodied voice was calm and assuring to Prism.

    ¡°We¡¯re under attack here! They came from underground, just like you guys thought they might!¡± Srell¡¯s panicked voice blasted through the telepathic link.

    ¡°Make sure that Prism is seen to immediately. We¡¯re probably going to need him here soon. These freaks are already putting up one helluva fight. They¡¯re heavily armed with Kingdom-tech and we won¡¯t be able to hold them off for much longer.¡± Ursun communicated.

    Prism detected a terror from Srell, Ursun, and Jaik that he hadn¡¯t imagined they were capable of. Prism wanted to stand up, but he knew that his legs were a mangled mess. He needed to focus on gathering the mana he¡¯d need to heal himself, a process he knew would take more time than his team probably had.

    ¡°Be strong, Prism! Help is on the way!¡± The hope of Jaik¡¯s words gave Prism strength.

    Prism worried that the sniper was still within the lobby that he laid in, cloaked and waiting to kill him or anyone who attempted to rescue him. He closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and soon entered a deep state of serenity. In the dire situation that he found himself in, Prism believed that only a peaceful and orderly mind would keep him alive.

    He felt the myriad magical energies flowing all around him, untapped and untamed. He reached out to them with his mystical essence, pulling the mana towards him to rejuvenate his physical body. As he started to absorb the mana from his surroundings, he sensed something strange, vast, and alive. The being¡¯s alien wails were barely-perceptible, but Prism¡¯s Elementeitan nature allowed him to hear and oftentimes understand the voices of many different forms of life. The cries seemed to come from all around him, and yet also from far away.

    As Prism quieted his own internal voice, he began to realize the meaning of the cries; they were the animalistic cries of a sort of pain that can only be caused by a deep wound or illness. The pained wails were so quiet because they came from the electrochemical nerve-cables that ran through the walls and floors of Surmil¡¯s buildings and streets. The sound was a product of the complex interchange of electrical impulses and biochemical reactions that traveled through the city. If Prism hadn¡¯t entered a state of heightened calm and focus, he would probably have never noticed the whimpering of the city-spanning organism.

    ¡°What are you? And why are you in so much pain?¡± Prism thought to himself.

    He knew that his questions couldn¡¯t be answered without interfacing with the being directly. He was intimidated by such a prospect, and how it might make matters worse. The being was so alien to Prism that the possibility of doing it more harm than good concerned him. Prism again began to focus on gathering as much mana as he could, setting the matter of the strange lifeform aside.

    After several minutes of lying still in silence, Prism heard footsteps approaching from outside of the building lobby. He checked his telepathic link, and learned that Leanna and Lorias were about to enter the building with three Surmil security officers. Prism used a small bit of the mana he¡¯d been absorbing to detect any human presences within the room he was in. When he felt nothing, he expanded his perception to the adjacent rooms within the building. Prism felt relieved when his second attempt revealed no signs of his attacker or any other hidden people nearby.

    ¡°It¡¯s safe to enter. No infiltrators are nearby.¡± Prism communicated to Leanna and Lorias.

    ¡°Alright. The security officers that are with us will keep guard outside, just in case.¡± Leanna psychically replied to Prism.

    Both Lorias and Leanna ran through the lobby¡¯s doors and soon found Prism lying on his side in a pool of his own blood. Leanna almost gasped when she saw the state he was in, with his leg armor bloody and cracked as if he¡¯d been crushed. Lorias noticed that Prism¡¯s left foot was facing the wrong way, and that his right knee was bent backwards.

    ¡°This is¡­¡± Leanna began to say.

    ¡°Can you heal yourself?¡± Lorias asked Prism with a harsh, impatient voice.

    Prism opened his mouth to speak, but he instead coughed raggedly until blood spilled onto the corner of his lips. Leanna kneeled down to lift up Prism¡¯s head to prevent him from choking. She knew that he wasn¡¯t invincible, but she could still barely believe the state he was in. She looked down at his fatigued face and truly worried if he¡¯d survive. She then began to worry for her own safety as she realized that their enemies were truly on another level of deadliness if they could do so much harm to their super-powered ally.

    ¡°I just need¡­ten more minutes¡­¡± Prism said weakly as he looked up into Leanna¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have that much time. Chief Goginae and his officers are under attack back at the security station, most likely by the same person that attacked you. If they could do this to you, then the others will be dead soon.¡± Lorias explained bluntly.

    ¡°Then take me¡­to a¡­nerve¡­¡± Prism¡¯s voice grew fainter.

    ¡°A nerve?¡± Lorias asked pointedly.

    ¡°The city¡¯s¡­big¡­organism¡­¡± Prism struggled to say.

    ¡°He must mean Surmil¡¯s nerve grid!¡± Leanna said excitedly to Lorias before looking back down at Prism. ¡°You want to connect to it, don¡¯t you?¡± She asked him.

    Prism nodded slowly, giving Leanna and Lorias all the confirmation they needed. Leanna carefully picked up Prism and followed Lorias over to a meter-long panel on a nearby wall that was labeled with a stylized yellow lightning bolt. Lorias shot off the panel¡¯s lock with his PAW and then removed the slat, revealing a thick bluish-green cable that pulsed with light. The cable was strapped onto the wall and had several smaller tendrils stretching up the wall to unknown locations. Leanna then laid Prism along the wall, so that he could reach up and touch the nerve-cable.

    Prism grunted as he raised his left arm, but managed to muster enough strength to grab the living power line. The nerve-cable was warm and lightly throbbed beneath Prism¡¯s hand. He immediately began to be overwhelmed by complex information that streamed through the nerve-cable¡¯s epineurium surface. As Prism did his best to weather the torrent of biological signals he was receiving, he began to tap into the spate of bioelectrical energy that glowed through the nerve-cable as well. The energy was in a form that Prism¡¯s body could easily utilize, and the abundance of energy let him rapidly heal himself. His body started to glow as he began manipulating the bioelectricity that flowed through him.

    ¡°But that isn¡¯t mana, is it? Surely we would have discovered mana by now if it had just been a form of electrochemistry.¡± Leanna inquired quite keenly.

    ¡°I¡¯m able to absorb and manipulate many forms of energy. Some are harder than others to use, though. This ¡°nerve grid¡± is easy for me to tap into, since it creates and distributes the same type of energy that our bodies generate.¡± Prism explained with an increasingly bright voice.  ¡°I sensed this being here¡­it called out and I reasoned that we could help each other.¡± Prism added.

    ¡°Called out? This is just a power generation and distribution system. It isn¡¯t sentient.¡± Leanna stated emphatically.

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong. This organism that you have incorporated into your entire city is conscious, and it¡¯s in pain. And after connecting with it like this, I think I know why it¡¯s suffering.¡± Prism said strongly.

    His body was nearly healed, and it had become easier for him to understand the massive flow of information being sent through the nerve-cable¡¯s electrochemical impulses. He got up on his regenerated legs, squatted down, and placed his right hand on the nerve-cable beside his left hand. Prism closed his eyes as his body began to glow even more brightly than it had before. He used his mind to dive into the larger nerve grid, exploring the city in a way that he hadn¡¯t imagined that he could. It wasn¡¯t long before he encountered the areas of the organism that were causing its pain and increasing dysfunction.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a bunch of interconnected bio-generators and biocomputers with some other specialized biotechnologies as well. What you think of as its conscious thoughts are actually just diagnostic and operational data being distributed through the nerve grid.¡± Leanna said matter-of-factly, completely dismissing Prism¡¯s observations.

    ¡°That¡¯s neither here nor there. What¡¯s wrong with the system?¡± Lorias asked Prism.

    ¡°The infiltrators have severed several important nerve-cables from the nerve grid. They¡¯ve also introduced some sort of virus into the organism. It¡¯s spreading fast and will start to cause some of those bio-generators you mentioned to die off soon.¡± Prism said softly. ¡°I can save it. I¡¯m fully connected to it and I can use its own power to fight the virus and regenerate its severed nerve-cables.¡±

    ¡°How long would that even take?¡± Leanna asked after glancing at a testy Lorias. ¡°It¡¯s important to prevent the bio-generators from failing. They¡¯ll probably explode once they become infected. It¡¯s a tactic that our enemies have used before.¡±

    ¡°Ten minutes, probably. I¡¯m one with this¡­¡±bio-system¡±. It will take longer if I end our connection. I¡¯ll have to reach this perfect synchronization of our bodies all over again.¡± Prism said almost pleadingly.

    Lorias looked hard at Prism, whose squatting body was glowing beside him. Lorias¡¯ cold, blue stare belied a calculus of lives and consequences. Scenarios flashed in his mind that involved a multitude of outcomes that would be the direct result of the decision he knew needed to be made. He knew that the rest of RED-1 was fighting for their lives at Getla Base, and he knew that the largest contingent of Surmil¡¯s security force was probably being slain at that very moment.

    When Lorias thought about those two disparate incidents, he had an epiphany. There was perhaps a way to solve both problems simultaneously, and Prism would be the only way to do so, Lorias thought.

    ¡°Can you use Surmil¡¯s bio-system, what you call the organism, to track and attack the infiltrators?¡± Lorias asked Prism.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Prism paused for a moment to think over the unexpected question. ¡°Yes, yes I can!¡±

    Prism opened his eyes, and they began to brilliantly shine with a warm, white light. His lips silently formed a series of words that imbued the nerve-cable with a portion of Prism¡¯s mystical essence. Prism sent a portion of his own consciousness into the nerve grid as he anchored the rest of himself to his still-chanting body. He surfed along the electrochemical impulses, letting them take him to the deepest parts of the organism. When Prism¡¯s disembodied self passed through several of the being¡¯s bio-computers, numerous images and sensations were imparted to him.

    Prism perceived the birth of the organism¡¯s many parts, from the conception of its bio-computers in sterile laboratory vats to the almost-industrial construction of its power-producing bio-generators deep underground. Prism witnessed the growth and expansion of the many organs that came to become one being, and how their nerve-cables, arteries, and digestive tubes came to connect it not only to the city of Surmil, but to itself. The burst of understanding was an intense rush to Prism, but he didn¡¯t let it deter him from his true goal.

    Prism¡¯s consciousness continued to flow through Surmil¡¯s bio-system, and eventually came upon the areas contaminated by the viral bio-weapon. Through his fragment of consciousness, Prism sent forth his healing magics. He converted the ample biological energies into mystical energies that neutralized the super-virus and restored the organic structures that it had ravaged. With the understanding of the organism that he¡¯d been given, Prism was able to quickly move to the other damaged and diseased portions of the bio-system, repairing them with increasing speed and ease. He managed to bring good health and even increased fortitude to the entire organism in only seven minutes.

    ¡°It¡¯s all healed up. I¡¯m going to strike at our bad guys now.¡± Prism said aloud to Leanna and Lorias. The two of them simply stood by and watched a motionless, squatting, shining Prism continue to grip the nerve-cable.

    ¡°Can we see what you¡¯re doing through our telepathic link?¡± Leanna asked Prism.

    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous. I¡¯ve placed a portion of my mind into the bio-system. If I let you all enter my mind, I¡¯d risk losing a part of myself forever. There¡¯s even a chance that one of you could accidentally sever your own consciousness from your body while I¡¯m using this magic.¡± Prism explained.

    ¡°Fair enough¡­¡± Leanna said tepidly.

    Prism used the nerve grid distributed extensively throughout Surmil to massively expand his own magical range. He used his magic to detect any cloaked humans in the vicinity of the nearby security station that was under attack. Prism instantly sensed the infiltrator, and was certain that it was the same person who¡¯d shot at him. Prism saw that the infiltrator was on the top floor of a building near the security station, since the attacker was close to a nerve-cable. That nerve-cable ran through the buildings¡¯ wall beneath the window that the infiltrator had been shooting out of. The infiltrator kneeled behind another rifle-life weapon identical to the one they¡¯d left behind several floors above Prism, Lorias, and Leanna.

    Prism¡¯s expanded perception made him aware that the infiltrator had already killed ten of the security officers, though Chief Goginae and four other security officers remained alive. Prism could also see that Remades and Testa were not only alive, but were one floor below the infiltrator. The two Roses had somehow discovered where their attacker was and were close to intercepting their foe.

    ¡°Impressive¡­but it¡¯s best if I help them. They¡¯ll get themselves killed if they fail to subdue the infiltrator.¡± Prism thought to himself.

    Prism caused the nerve-cable hidden within the wall beside the infiltrator to overload, sending over 15,000 volts of electricity directly at them. Prism could see the electricity arcing through their suit, causing them to shift in and out of visibility even as they fell to the ground in an epileptic fit. As the electricity struck their body, Prism received a strange sort-of feedback that allowed him to peek into the mind of the infiltrator. He learned that the sniper was a cyborg woman from the distant nation of Sguvi, and that she was fervently dedicated to the Queen.

    After a few seconds of thrashing about the ground, the infiltrator lied motionless on the tiled floor of the penthouse room. Prism kept his perception focused on that area until he saw Remades and Testa burst into the room and quickly stand over the downed infiltrator with their machine pistols drawn. Prism then did a quick but extensive scan of the city using the nerve grid, but couldn¡¯t find any evidence of other infiltrators.

    ¡°The infiltrator that was attacking the security station has now been neutralized. Ten security officers are dead there, but the Roses and Chief Goginae are still alive and well.¡± Prism said aloud to Leanna and Lorias.

    ¡°Excellent job.¡± Leanna replied. ¡°Though we may still have a problem.¡±

    ¡°We just reached out to Ursun. Apparently, Getla Base has its own independent bio-system. You won¡¯t be able to use Surmil¡¯s to deal with their attackers.¡± Lorias said.

    ¡°Alright, you two can head back to the security station, then. I¡¯m assuming you¡¯ll use the Sphingid to get back to the base. The sniper left it intact for some reason.¡± Prism said after he took his hands off of the nerve-cable and stood up to face his teammates.

    ¡°Did you find any other infiltrators in the city?¡± Lorias asked Prism.

    ¡°Surprisingly, no. Seems like the lady I electrocuted was the only one here.¡± Prism said.

    ¡°Electrocuted!?¡± Leanna asked loudly.

    ¡°I overloaded a nerve-cable that she was in front of.¡± Prism explained.

    ¡°Very interesting. I¡¯ll personally want to hear all about your experience of ¡°becoming one with¡± Surmil¡¯s bio-system when this is all over.¡± Leanna said.

    ¡°How do you know the infiltrator is a lady? You said it with a certain sort of¡­familiarity.¡± Lorias crossed his arms and asked Prism.

    ¡°When I electrocuted her, I was able to read her mind for a split-second. I learned that she¡¯s a young Sguvan woman with several cybernetic body parts. She¡¯s completely loyal to the Queen. In fact, I think she worships the Queen as a goddess or something. That¡¯s all I learned.¡± Prism said while tapping on his helmet. He¡¯d gotten a bit of a headache from the sudden and involuntary psychic intrusion of the infiltrator.

    ¡°She must¡¯ve been a Royalist. They are the Queen¡¯s most loyal devotees outside of the Kingdom, and are akin to a cult.¡± Lorias explained to Prism. ¡°Though most Sguvans worship the Queen. Their religion calls her the ¡°Third Coming¡± of Eizavoba.¡±

    ¡°The cybernetics she has were probably rewarded to her by the Queen herself, which would mean she¡¯s a Constable...¡± Leanna mused aloud.

    ¡°Constable?¡± Prism asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s a title given to Royalists by the Queen. Constables have proven themselves in battles that serve the Queen¡¯s interests, hence the reason why they get her approval and her technology. They¡¯re basically her secret agents.¡± Leanna further explained.

    ¡°The Queen¡¯s reach is vast¡­¡± Prism said softly.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough lessons for today. We have a base to save.¡± Lorias reminded them.

    The three of them left the lobby and joined up with the security officers out front. Leanna and Lorias wished Prism well before leaving with the others back to the security station to help the survivors and find out more about the defeated female infiltrator.

    Prism, who was fully-healed and energized, looked up at the cloudless night sky. The smoke that had been building up in the air was quickly dissipating as the restored bio-system began putting out the fires all over the city. Prism didn¡¯t have time to examine what he¡¯d just been through, but he knew that it had been a profound experience interfacing with the artificially-created organism that ordinarily supported the people of Surmil.

    ¡°Time to go¡± Prism said aloud to himself before using his magical power over wind to send himself flying into the sky toward Getla Base.

 Chapter 29 - Dash

    Ursun swung himself around an open door frame for cover as a stream of blue plasma made its way down the well-lit underground hallway he¡¯d been dashing down. The hallways of the central level of Getla Base had smooth, light-brown walls and ceilings with shiny white flooring, all of which was composed of a mix of biopolymers and concrete. The bio-luminescent nodes that lined the center of each hallway ceiling offered nowhere to hide except for the few adjoining rooms along the wide halls. Despite being pursued doggedly by the infiltrators, Ursun felt at home being several dozens of meters underground. He¡¯d grown up within the interior of a mountain, after all.

    He¡¯d been separated from Jaik and Srell during the chaos that had unfolded when a dozen infiltrators rapidly made their way up from Getla Base¡¯s lower levels. The infiltrators were armed to the teeth with weapons and gear that were significantly more powerful than what was available to the Etrysian soldiers guarding the base, which allowed the enemies to mow down those who stood in their way. Only the Red Wolves and the Roses had weapons that could properly subdue the enemies, and they¡¯d made a plan to deal with the infiltrators once it became clear what their targets within the base were.

    The breakneck speed at which the enemies moved through the base was made worse by how efficiently they killed, leaving no one alive to report directly what they¡¯d seen to their base commander. Deriges had been infuriated by how little of a defense his soldiers were putting up, as his base was known to be one of the most secure within the Conjunction. With their radio communications being jammed and their base¡¯s assorted systems beginning to break down, Deriges and his soldiers¡¯ situation seemed bleak.

    The base¡¯s saving grace was the multitude of functions and redundancies the Etrysian military¡¯s biotechnology provided.

    ¡°Ursun, have you reached bio-generator 4¡¯s membrane yet?¡± Deriges¡¯ voice blared through Ursun¡¯s ear clasp. The clasp was linked to the base¡¯s terpenoid communication network, which was usually referred to as ¡°terp-comms¡±.

    ¡°Almost, but these damned infiltrators are right behind me. Looks like we were right; they are definitely going after the base¡¯s power system.¡± Ursun replied back.

    ¡°If they get into our bio-generators, they can blow up this base and the Athean coast with it.¡± Deriges¡¯ said worriedly over the terp-comm.

    ¡°I know. I¡¯m on it.¡± Ursun replied back curtly.

    Ursun recalled a well-known incident that had occurred 12 years earlier, when Vadamite terrorists triggered a feedback loop within the Etrysian city of Shyon¡¯s main bio-generator, which led to the destruction of the city and its surrounding area. It had been the first time such a thing had happened to a fourth-generation bio-generator, which had been designed by Etrysian biocrafters to make the possibility of disastrous or destructive meltdowns nigh-impossible. Vadam eventually discovered a virus that could not only infect the bio-generators, but would also lead to a breakdown of enough of the bio-generators¡¯ internal safeguards to allow for an eventual and tremendous chemical detonation. Many believe that the Vadamites were given the virus by the Kingdom, as Vadam was not a nation known to possess any significant bioengineering capability.

    Ursun withdrew a small mirror from his gear belt and extended the rod on it to check the hallway for his three attackers. The infiltrators had the good sense to shoot out any gene-gates or monitoring organs that they came across, so the base was left largely blind.

    Their boots and armor allowed them to move silently, so he needed to rely on sight to locate them. He soon saw all three of them slowly approaching him down the hallway. One of them held a large plasma-thrower, while the other two held silenced pistols. They each wore sleek, silvery bodysuits that covered them from head to toe, with areas that appeared padded around their chests and sections of their arms and legs. Geometric patterns of reflective gold covered the padded sections of the suits, which served as the suits¡¯ onboard technology. The suits could deflect most types of bullets in addition to being scratch, pierce, and blast resistant. It was the armor ordinarily worn by the Kingdom¡¯s strike forces, which were almost never seen outside of major battles near the Kingdom itself.

    ¡°How the hell did these Destructors get all this Kingdom-tech?¡± Ursun thought to himself for the third time that evening. ¡°Not even that cyborgized Constable that Prism took out could¡¯ve outfitted an entire unit this well.¡±

    He knew that the infiltrators who stalked him and who invaded the base were Destructors by the way that they moved. The Destructors were a brash gang of bandits, slavers, and killers. They tended to move with a thuggish swagger that betrayed any attempts to mask their sordid identities.

    After putting away his mirror, Ursun grabbed a grenade off of his belt. But before he could pull its clip and throw it into the hallway, Ursun heard the sounds of a firefight down that same hallway. He quickly pulled out his mirror to watch what was going on, and was surprised to see Theda and her smaller female teammate shooting repeatedly at the heads of the infiltrators. The two women simply walked forward as the three suited enemies fell down from the nonstop barrage of Roses-designed disruptor bullets striking their heads.

    When the disruptor bullets made impact, they released small electromagnetic pulses that damaged electronics. The golden designs on the enemies'' armor flickered repeatedly as their technology attempted in vain to protect their wearers. It didn''t take long for the bullets to tear through the rapidly-regenerating armored skin of the head-covering mask, soon causing the three infiltrators to slump over dead on the shiny white floor before the two Roses. After confidently stepping over the dead bodies, Theda walked down the hallway to where she¡¯d seen Ursun¡¯s mirror peaking out of a doorframe.

    ¡°Thorns Team Trias, at your service.¡± Theda said to Ursun after he stepped out of the room he¡¯d been waiting in.

    ¡°That was good work. Those disruptor bullets of yours still pack a punch, I see.¡± Ursun said to her rather reservedly, which she thought was quite humorous.

    ¡°Their armor might look fancy and new, but it¡¯s actually old-gen Kingdom-tech. Looks to me like the Queen is alright with letting these thugs use her outdated habiliment. It¡¯s the only reason that our bullets do anything to them.¡± Theda explained while stylishly reloading her red-and-white machine pistol.

    ¡°Habiliment? Why couldn¡¯t you just say ¡°clothes¡± or ¡°gear¡±? Don¡¯t you ever get tired of being so snobbish?¡± Ursun said with an irritated shake of his head.

    ¡°Snobbish? I believe a better word to describe me is ¡°grandiloquent¡±.¡± Theda said with a smirk.

    ¡°Six years haven¡¯t changed you one bit.¡± Ursun groaned before glancing behind Theda. ¡°She handled herself pretty well.¡± Ursun said with a nod of his head towards the black-haired woman with a buzz cut who was still standing in the middle of the hallway behind Theda.

    ¡°Risa is a quiet girl, but she¡¯s one of the stealthiest and most observant Thorns we¡¯ve got in the Roses. She¡¯s the one that tracked the thugs and got us here undetected.¡± Theda explained with a proud smirk as she glanced over at Risa.

    ¡°We should get going. There are three more groups of infiltrators headed for the three remaining bio-generators.¡± Ursun said after grasping his PAW and looking determinedly towards the end of the hallway that he¡¯d come down earlier.

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°I¡¯m well aware.¡± Theda said with a quick eye-roll. ¡°I gave your two boys a few mags full of disruptor bullets. I expect any magazines that they don¡¯t use to be returned to me.¡± She added playfully.

    ¡°That was generous of you. Weird that they didn¡¯t tell you that we¡¯re carrying an improved version of your disruptor bullets on us.¡± Ursun said with a chuckle.

    ¡°I should¡¯ve known. Gnapp loves tweaking our designs whenever he gets the chance.¡± Theda said as the two of them began walking down the hall.

    Ursun scoffed at her assumption and walked ahead of her. He knew it was pointless to argue with someone as undeservedly conceited as her. The Roses hadn¡¯t invented anything that came near any of Gnapp¡¯s creations for well over twenty years, Ursun thought. And yet the highfalutin private military company still claimed that Gnapp¡¯s success came from mirroring their own technology. It was an assertion that infuriated Ursun, and Theda knew it.

    After contacting Deriges on their terp-comms, Ursun and Theda learned that the infiltrators closest to them had nearly broken through the defenses Deriges had commanded to guard the base¡¯s southern Bio-generator 3. It would take the three of them ten minutes to rush over to that section of the base since the bases¡¯ lateral lifts were malfunctioning due to the virus that continued to affect its bio-system.

    Deriges navigated the trio from the command and control room at the center of the base, helping them to get past several sealed security gates and gene-gates that had gone haywire. Ursun took that time to load his magazine of magflux bullets into his PAW, in case they encountered their enemies sooner than they expected.

    By the time Theda, Risa, and Ursun made it to the hallway that led to Bio-generator 3, the trio of infiltrators had broken through the line of soldiers tasked with halting their progress. Ursun and his allies had been too late to stop the slaughter of the guards stationed there, and could only step over their bodies to reach the destroyed door leading to the bio-generator room and its membrane.

    The semi-permeable membrane that surrounded the large energy-producing organ served a number of functions, such as adding an extra layer of security to the bio-generator while also keeping in much of the heat that it produced. The membrane formed a pink pulsating sphere around the bio-generator, and that sphere was propped up and fed by a network of thick-walled tubes and sacs known as the bio-generator¡¯s endoplasmic reticulum. Numerous living cables of various colors and thicknesses ran out of the top and bottom of the membrane and into tubes in the ceiling and flooring of the bio-generator room.

    On a ramp leading to the surface of the pink membrane, Ursun, Theda, and Risa found the three infiltrators, who were preparing to inject a super-virus into the membrane. Ursun raised his PAW and fired a single bullet at the suited man holding the white cylinder that had an equally-long golden needle attached to it. When the bullet struck the chest of his shimmering bodysuit, electricity erupted from the site and arced between the three infiltrators. They all twitched as their suits went haywire, delivering high-voltage currents of electricity from the golden filaments directly into their bodies. The enemies soon fell unconscious onto the metal grating of the ramp, and the viral syringe rolled out of the hand of the would-be saboteur.

    ¡°That worked a lot better than I expected.¡± Ursun said with a smirk.

    ¡°Absurd¡­what kind of bullet was that!?¡± Theda exclaimed as Ursun approached the downed infiltrators.

    ¡°That¡¯s classified.¡± Ursun said loudly without turning around.

    When Ursun bent down to pick up the large syringe, he heard Risa yell ¡°Run!¡± just when he began to see the silvery suits near him begin to glow.

    ¡°Shit!¡± Ursun grunted before grabbing the syringe, placing it in a large pocket on his gear belt, and taking off running out of the bio-generator room.

    Theda and Risa were running down the hallway when Ursun made it out of the room. Ursun tried to remember the yield of the suits¡¯ self-destruct function, which normally needed to be activated manually, as he ran for his life. He hoped that the bio-generator¡¯s membrane could handle the brunt of the blasts, but he became concerned by the reality that three explosions were triggering. He cursed himself for being so reckless with using Gnapp¡¯s prototypes in such a risky situation.

    KERBLOOM!!!

    Each bodysuit detonated simultaneously, magnifying their destructive force as Ursun feared they would. Theda and Risa had turned around a corner to get off of the hallway exposed to the bio-reactor room, and Ursun narrowly leapt to his side to join them. Ursun grabbed the two women while he crashed to the ground and covered their bodies as the flames from the explosion shot straight down the neighboring hall and began to wash over them. The heat from the flames singed what little skin Ursun had exposed, though his armor protected him and his allies from the fire. The walls and the floor shook as they withstood the shockwaves that rocked the entire base. Theda twisted her head to look up at Ursun, and saw as he struggled to endure the conflagration. He gritted his teeth and held Theda and Risa more tightly like a bear protecting its cubs.

    A sense of relief swept over them as water began to rain down from the ceilings after the explosion ended. The base¡¯s fire suppression kicking in gave the trio hope that the bio-generator had survived. The fires were soon quenched by the water-spewing pseudo-nipples that discretely lined the hallway ceilings, and Ursun soon released the women beneath him from his grip. He groaned and rolled onto his back, allowing Theda and Risa to rise to their feet. He stayed sprawled out on his back for a while and let the cool water soothe his overheated body.

    He shared the events that had transpired with his teammates over their telepathic link, and learned that Prism had just arrived on the surface of the base. Jaik and Srell were encountering trouble at the northern bio-generator, so Ursun directed Prism to aid them there.

    ¡°You okay, big guy?¡± Theda leaned over and said to Ursun, who appeared to be deep in thought.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, little lady.¡± Ursun said almost affectionately after opening his eyes and looking at her.

    Risa looked gingerly at Theda, who stood at 183 centimeters tall, when she overheard Ursun¡¯s words. Theda smiled at Ursun wryly, not wanting to reveal how pleasant his words sounded to her. She recalled a time when the two used those nicknames as lovers, though she knew how distant those days were.

    ¡°You must be delirious. Rest as long as you need to. We¡¯re going to check on this bio-generator and see how bad the damage is.¡± Theda said gently.

    Ursun propped himself up on his elbows and gave Theda a light nod before she left with Risa just when the water nipples ceased their sprinkling. He ran his fingers through his thick red beard, which he¡¯d tucked in between the two women during the explosion. He was glad that it hadn¡¯t caught fire or been singed off.

    In the few minutes that the women were away, Ursun had stood up and re-established contact with Deriges. The terpenoids were able to flow through the base¡¯s ducts and reach Ursun since the fire and smoke was cleared away. The base commander communicated that Bio-generator 2 in the eastern end of the base didn¡¯t seem to be under attack, and that he and his forces had no idea where the last three infiltrators were. Deriges also shared that Jaik, Srell, and Deriges¡¯ son Kurillios were in a firefight with three infiltrators at the northern Bio-generator 1.

    ¡°The membrane has a big hole in it, but it¡¯s already beginning to close itself up. None of the reticulum leading from the bio-generator nucleus to the membrane were seriously harmed, so the membrane should be fully restored in an hour. The actual bio-generator is essentially unscathed, thank goodness.¡± Theda told Ursun once she¡¯d walked back over to him with Risa several minutes later.

    ¡°Military membranes are tougher than I remember. That bio-generator would have been destroyed by a blast like that just a decade ago, membrane or no.¡± Ursun said

    ¡°Good to see you¡¯re alright.¡± Theda said to Ursun curtly. ¡°I¡¯d hate to see what would have happened if the virus had been involved in the blast. The explosion might¡¯ve served as an alternate delivery method.¡±

    Ursun withdrew the syringe from a long rectangular pocket on his gear belt, having nearly forgotten it was there. He was relieved when he saw that it was undamaged. He turned it over in his hands, examining its contents. The white liquid within the vial was translucent and milky, and Ursun could see small sparkles glinting throughout it.

    ¡°Be careful with that. There¡¯s a good chance that it can infect us, too.¡± Theda said worriedly as she saw Ursun transfixed by the bio-weapon.

    Ursun grunted before placing it back in his gear belt, taking great care to cover its sharp golden needle with a piece of tough leatherine. It had been a miracle that he hadn¡¯t jabbed himself with it when he dived down to cover Theda and Risa, he thought to himself. Not long after, they headed to the eastern bio-generator despite there being no signs that their enemies were there.

    ¡°We¡¯ve stopped the infiltrators here. Prism is connecting to the base¡¯s bio-system to find the last three of them.¡± Jaik relayed to Ursun telepathically.

    ¡°I hope he doesn¡¯t run into any problems. This bio-system is a lot more secure internally than Surmil¡¯s.¡± Ursun communicated to Jaik, Srell, and Prism. ¡°Speaking of, what¡¯s your status in the city?¡± Ursun then reached out to Leanna and Lorias.

    ¡°We¡¯ve stabilized the people who were injured at the security station. We¡¯re beginning to interrogate the female sniper that was responsible. She survived Prism¡¯s attack, probably because she¡¯s a cyborg.¡± Leanna said to her team psychically.

    ¡°Be incredibly careful. If she¡¯s a Constable, then she¡¯s got self-repairing functions and who-knows what else.¡± Ursun¡¯s concern echoed through the link while Prism was focused on connecting to Getla Base¡¯s bio-system using a nerve-cable within the northern bio-generator room.

    ¡°We¡¯ve wrapped her body in a bundle of nerve-fibers, since their current has proven effective in subduing her already. Leanna has rigged up a makeshift control panel for the nerve-fibers, too. If our killer cyborg gets cute, then we¡¯ll run a few thousand volts of bio-electricity through her again.¡± Lorias stated matter-of-factly through their telepathic link.

    A feeling of unease crept through their minds, spreading primarily from Jaik and Leanna. Torture was something that Srell, Lorias, and Ursun had been both the recipients and perpetrators of, making them intimately familiar with it. The act of torture had been an unexperienced evil to Jaik and Leanna until that night, though Leanna told herself that she would reign in any sadism that she might witness from Lorias and Chief Goginae. She would be an effective torturer, who would only use pain to fine tune their enemy, she thought morbidly to herself.

    ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it.¡± Ursun¡¯s voice echoed in the mind of Lorias in particular.

    As Prism stood poised to enter the infected bio-system of Getla Base, and as Lorias and Leanna prepared themselves to begin questioning their tight-lipped captive, the conflict seemed to be shifting in RED-1''s favor. But they couldn''t have imagined how much worse Surmil''s Night of Terror would become.

 Chapter 30 - Escape

    ¡°What is your mission?¡± Lorias asked the young Sguvan woman sternly.

    The brown-skinned woman¡¯s eyes remained locked on a section of the wooden floor of the security station''s basement. She appeared to be catatonic, being as still as stone. The long, thin braid that she normally tucked behind her right ear hung down from the right side of her round face, and her short straight hair was a tussled mess atop her scalp.

    She¡¯d been stripped of her stealth bodysuit, leaving her dressed in only a beige bra and panties. Her wrists, ankles, and neck were strapped into a sturdy wooden chair, and she was wrapped in thin bluish-green cables that shimmered with a golden light. Four security officers stood at each corner of the room with machine pistols at their sides, while Lorias and Chief Goginae loomed over their captive.

    ¡°You will tell us what we want to know, or we will kill you. Do you understand me, you cyborg freak?¡± Chief Goginae said in an oddly reserved tone while bending down and staring directly into the cyborg¡¯s placid face.

    When the infiltrator said nothing, Lorias nodded over to Leanna, whose left hand was on the switch of the strewn-together panel that controlled the flow of electricity through the thin strands of nerve-cable that they¡¯d coiled around their captive. Leanna flipped the switch mindlessly, and averted her eyes when she saw the Sguvan woman¡¯s body jerk and twitch in the chair that they¡¯d strapped her into.

    Though the woman¡¯s body was affected by the electric current, her face was not. She simply continued to stare unseeingly at the same section of floor until the seizures of her body ceased shortly after Leanna switched off the increased voltage through the nerve-cables. Leanna noticed that the golden lines that ran over certain sections of the woman¡¯s body began to glow, but Leanna couldn¡¯t be sure if it was a sign of her self-healing or a sign of stress on her cybernetic systems.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t working. We¡¯ve been at this for thirty minutes, and she hasn¡¯t even whispered a word.¡± Leanna said in frustration to the men that had been questioning the Sguvan.

    The two Roses that had been with them, Remades and Testa, had tried to stop the torture before it had begun. Chief Goginae had forced the two of them to stay within the lobby of the security station so that they couldn''t interfere with the brutal interrogation of the prisoner.

    ¡°Her tech is healing her. She still seems to feel pain, but there is no threat of doing her any serious harm, it seems.¡± Lorias said while faintly running his slender fingers across his jaw-line.

    ¡°Then perhaps we should rip out her cybernetics, and make her bleed out onto the floor like she did to my officers.¡± The security chief said coldly while rubbing his dark-brown beard.

    ¡°You are all animals, soulless and stupid.¡± The Sguvan woman said loudly in a heavy accent.

    She began to laugh heartily, causing her light-brown eyes to squint.

    ¡°And you are nothing more than a queenie goon.¡± Chief Goginae said calmly before pulling his pistol off of his hip holster and slamming its grip across the left side of her face.

    The chief then ran his right forefinger along a single thick strand of gray hair that ran up from his forehead, which had been knocked in front of his face, and slicked it back along the rest of his brown hair. He holstered his pistol and then used both of his hands to sweep his neck-length hair back behind his right ear. He looked down at the seemingly-superficial damage that he had done to the cyborg¡¯s face, and felt somewhat satisfied with himself.

    Multicolored light soon began to flicker from the Sguvan woman¡¯s left eye, and a golden seam that framed the bone structure of its socket began to glow. The woman began to wildly throw her head back as she started to have a full-body seizure. Her small body shook so hard that the chair she was tied to fell to its side.

    ¡°If she dies, we¡¯ll have learned nothing from her to stop whatever else is coming!¡± Leanna shouted to Chief Goginae before she ran to the woman¡¯s aid.

    Leanna held their captive¡¯s head as the woman began to foam at the mouth. They began to worry that the infiltrator may have triggered some sort of self-destruct as the woman¡¯s shining left eye continued to flicker just as wildly as her body twitched. Lorias squatted down and held the woman¡¯s mouth open, checking for a broken tooth and smelling her breath for signs of poison.

    Once Lorias and Leanna were at the woman¡¯s side, she suddenly burst through her restraints and began to swipe at her captors. Leanna reflexively dodged several chops from the woman¡¯s right hand, which had suddenly sharpened from her wrist up to the tip of her pinky into a gleaming blade. Lorias reached for the variable dagger holstered on his gear belt.

    But before Lorias could slash off the woman''s bladed hand at its golden-seamed wrist, Chief Goginae flipped the switch on the nearby control panel, causing a massive amount of electricity to pour into their errant captive''s body from the strands of nerve-cable that were still tied around her. Lorias and Leanna stepped back from the glowing woman to avoid being electrocuted themselves. The golden seams on the woman''s face, right wrist, and left thigh began to glow more and more brightly as she stood seemingly paralyzed by the bio-electricity surging through her. In seconds, she was squeezing her fists closed and leaning over slightly, resisting the electrical onslaught as Chief Goginae increased the voltage being sent into her.

    "It''s not working! She seems to be adapting to the current!" Leanna shouted to Lorias and Chief Goginae.

    As the security chief turned up the voltage to its maximum, the Sguvan woman yelled and stood tall before releasing a concussive blast that knocked everyone else in the room back. The four security officers who''d had their guns aimed at her were slammed into the walls, rendering them unconscious. Chief Goginae, Lorias, and Leanna were all thrown onto the ground, and the cobbled-together control panel that had regulated the flow of power to the cables was wrecked. The thin nerve-cables that had been on the captured woman''s body were destroyed, leaving what remained of the cables to leak a syrupy white fluid onto the floor near her feet.

    The woman looked around for only a second before running at the heavy metal door that was a few meters in front of her. She leapt powerfully using her cybernetic left leg only a meter from the door, tackling it with a running start. The door was ripped from its hinges as she rolled onto the basement hallway floor and then stood up in a single, seamless motion.

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    She killed the two security officers that had been standing guard outside of the interrogation room with two swift slices of her bladed right hand while the guards were still stunned from her explosive exit. The cyborg then ran down the narrow hall and up the stairs that led to the ground floor of the security station. She killed several more security officers stationed atop the stairs in a white-floored area that served as a security checkpoint.

    When a gene-gate that sat atop the door that led to the ground floor began to shoot its electrified tendrils towards her, she deftly sliced the whipping cables before dodging the spray of acid that the gene-gate then shot at her. The Sguvan acrobatically leapt around the small area before using her cybernetic leg to once again leap forward with tremendous force and tackle the sealed door.

    She burst through the door, though her right shoulder became bloody in the process. She found herself surrounded by three security officers, as well as Remades and Testa, who all had their machine pistols trained on her scarcely-clothed body. The cyborg slowly stood up and raised her arms up high in surrender.

    ¡°Stay right there and don¡¯t move!¡± Testa yelled mightily at the cyborg.

    But as the brown-uniformed security officers started to approach the Sguvan, the cyborg smirked and seemingly winked with her right eye before the iris of her artificial left eye flashed so brilliantly that it blinded them. Remades, Testa, and one of the officers covered their eyes, while two officers began firing straight ahead. After a few minutes of disorientation, the two Roses and the officer who hadn''t been shooting began to regain their vision.

    "Hold your fire!" The recovered security officer said, not wanting to be shot accidentally by a blinded ally.

    "Interesting...very interesting indeed..." Remades said while he rubbed his sore eyes.

    The two officers that had been shooting intermittently and in a panic stopped. When the un-blinded officer looked around the room, he saw that the front door of the security station was open. Testa groaned at the sight, sure that their foe had escaped. Seconds later, Leanna, Lorias, and Chief Goginae ran through the broken door leading to the basement. They each visually scanned the lobby around them and soon surmised what had happened.

    "She blinded us with her eye. Some sort of...flashbang cybernetic or something." Remades said to the trio.

    "You did your best. Tend to your fellow officers, if you''re able." Chief Goginae ordered his sole remaining able-bodied security officer, who nodded silently before doing as he said. "Put out a bulletin to the other stations via laser-link that she''s escaped. We''ll head out and track her down." The chief then said to Remades and Testa, who begrudgingly headed up to the upper levels of the station where the laser-link terminal was.

    "See here? She''s got some axoplasm on her feet, from the severed nerve-cable." Lorias squatted down near the station door and pointed out to Leanna and the chief.

    "I should be able to track its chemical signature." Leanna said before tapping on the rim of her wrap-around glasses, causing them to glow as they displayed an augmented-reality overlay to her. "She''s got a head start, but she''s injured. It''s faint, but I''m seeing specks of her blood along with the axoplasm footprints. And...okay, I''ve got a DNA trail. Without that stealth suit, we can track her bio-signature through the city now."

    "Let''s get her before she finds another suit. I''m sure she''s got spares stashed around the city, like she had with her sniper weapon." Lorias said.

    "We''ll get in a crawler. We can cover a lot more ground that way. Follow me." Chief Goginae said.

    After running into the security station''s connected garage, they were all soon strapped into the roomy interior of a six-legged living vehicle. It had a sleek black exterior with long, spindly black legs that resembled the limbs of an ant. Its four bulbous headlights shined brightly at its front end, which looked similar to a more traditional car. Its rear, which sat behind the interior section that people sat within, looked more like the abdomen of a male stag beetle, being fat, long, and ovular.

    Chief Goginae had risen up the back of his coat and shirt before stepping into the vehicle. He''d simply sat down and slid back in the driver''s seat until the control nerve-cable in the seat''s lower back section had slipped painlessly into his spinal port, which gave him mental control over all of the crawler''s functions.

    After Leanna shared the Sguvan woman''s tracking data with the crawler''s bio-computer, Chief Goginae drove the crawler out of the garage and onto the night streets of Surmil. The insect-like vehicle skittered rapidly down the street following their enemy''s bio-signature. But after ten minutes of pursuit, their trail ended after the crawler climbed up onto the fourth level of a public parking garage. They saw a small empty black trunk that had been left there, signs that their enemy had indeed found a new stealth suit to wear.

    "Damn! She beat us to it! She could be anywhere now!" Leanna shouted in anger.

    "We should have seen her along the way. She must have some sort of inherent cloaking ability even without the suit. She just needs it so none of her DNA gets secreted for us to track..." Lorias reasoned.

    ¡°That¡¯s fair. I examined the suit before we interrogated her¡­it didn¡¯t seem to possess enough tech on it to have a cloaking function. The suits oddly-textured surface must simply be compatible with her cybernetic cloaking tech.¡± Leanna said quietly.

    Chief Goginae sat silently in the driver''s seat for a minute, gripped the handle on the console in front of him. Lorias and Leanna could sense his frustration, even without him voicing it. Leanna bowed her head and sighed quietly, secretly relieved that their ineffective torture session had ended. She pitied the lives that had been lost during the Sguvan woman''s escape, and she''d wished that she¡¯d learned something of value about their captive to make the officers'' deaths more meaningful.

    As she ran over the incident in her mind again, Leanna had an epiphany.

    "There are pressure sensors within the station, right?" She asked a despondent Chief Goginae.

    "Yes, several. Why do y-" The chief began to reply cautiously.

    "Where are the city''s pressure sensors? If there are any, do you have access to their data?" She asked eagerly with a look of pure excitement in her hazel eyes.

    "Each street and most buildings. Practically everywhere with extensive nerve-cable coverage has pressure sensor functionality." Chief Goginae spoke quickly and more loudly as hope began to return to him. "It''s a large amount of data, but I can access it. We just need to jack into the nerve grid."

    The trio wasted no time returning to the station and rushing up to its top floor. They found Remades and Testa sending out messages on the third floor of the building, and left them to their devices. Leanna plugged her dronepack into the holographic map system at the center of the room, and then she had Chief Goginae plug another of the dronepack''s nerve-cables into his spinal port, so that she could use his biological security codes to dive into both the security station''s protected bio-system and Surmil''s bio-system to access the data they needed from its nerve grid.

    Leanna used the dronepack''s onboard bio-computer to crunch the data involving the unique pressure signature of the cyborg''s gait and other movements. Leanna then correlated that data with where she knew the cyborg had been within the city while wearing the stealth suit before being caught by Remades and Testa. Using the combined data, Leanna was able to create a model of the stealth-suited cyborg''s unique pressure signature.

    "Now we plug this model into a live feed of the city''s nerve grid..." Leanna said intently while moving her fingers around the air in front of her on the computer controls that only she could see through her glasses.

    Using Chief Goginae''s nearly-unlimited security access, Leanna used the holographic map system to display a three-dimensional map of Surmil and its active nerve grid, so that the others could see what she saw in her glasses. In seconds, the hologram showed pressure signatures that it identified as their Sguvan infiltrator. Their enemy was leaping from rooftop to rooftop, heading towards the eastern outskirts of the city.

    "She''s headed to Getla Base, no doubt to meet up with the would-be saboteurs already there." Lorias said with an upturned chin.

    "Simply genius! You''ve actually found her!" Remades yelled from across the room, as he and Testa approached the others. "I''ll go tell the other stations." He said more calmly when he saw the icy reception he got from them.

    "That can wait. We need you to fly us over to the base. We have to get there before she does." Leanna said loudly to him before beckoning him with her hand.

    "Of course!" He shouted gleefully before running across the room and up to the stairway leading to the roof.

    "Do you think we can stop whatever she''s planning?" Testa said solemnly as she walked over to join the others around the circular hologram console.

    "We have to." Lorias said simply.

    As Leanna and Lorias walked over to the door leading to the rooftop stairway, they noticed that Chief Goginae wasn''t following them. Lorias locked eyes with the man, who looked both tired and determined.

    "I have a lot of work I need to do here in the city. There''s no telling what forces are waiting to try and tear Surmil down. I need to make sure that it¡¯s ready to put up a fight, with or without the hypergeneral. Go on ahead; I''m staying here." Chief Goginae said collectedly while gripping the rim of the hologram console''s controls until his slightly-tanned knuckles became white.

    "Good luck, chief." Lorias said with a respectful nod, which Chief Goginae returned.

    Leanna noticed the exchange between the two men and cringed internally. She did not like the security chief, who she saw as ineffective and incompetent. He''d been the primary cause of the cyborg''s escape, and he''d been the one who''d argued most fervently for the cyborg''s torture. He¡¯d let his feelings of vengeance cloud his judgment, which she believed to be completely reckless and unprofessional. Leanna did her best to push such thoughts from her mind, which she knew were altogether unhelpful to their mission. In truth, she''d been just as complicit in the act as Chief Goginae, for she engineered the implements of the torture.

    "Never again." She said to herself before heading up the stairs.

 Chapter 31 - Infect

    With his eyes closed, Prism firmly squeezed the nerve-cable that sat within the wall panel of the bio-generator room with both of his hands. He¡¯d connected his nervous system to its own through touch, a trait that he used to intimately communicate with his own kind. Prism kept coming up against a feeling of hard resistance as he tried to share his mind with the military bio-system. He tried and tried to convey his good intentions with the hardened and secure bio-system, but it rejected all of his attempts to connect his consciousness with it. It had even begun to send increasingly powerful jolts through its nerve-cable to Prism¡¯s hands in an attempt to get him to leave, though Prism didn¡¯t budge.

    Prism figured that he could use magic to forcefully enter the ¡°mind¡± of the bio-system. But at that point, he knew that he¡¯d be diving into a hostile entity whose immune system would treat him as a foreign invader. He knew too little about the military bio-system to risk it destroying his own mind through some sort of neuro-feedback attack while his own defenses were down.

    ¡°Still no luck?¡± Jaik asked.

    Jaik stood beside Prism on the metal grating platform that wrapped around the wall of the womb-like room. He watched Prism wince from the pain of the nerve-cable¡¯s defensive jolts. Jaik wondered why Prism couldn¡¯t absorb the jolts when he¡¯d been able to absorb the bio-electricity of Surmil¡¯s nerve grid earlier. Jaik and Srell had been standing by Prism for nearly ten minutes, and nothing of note had seemed to take place during that time.

    Deriges¡¯ son Kurillios, who¡¯d they¡¯d learned was a test pilot, had left shortly after they¡¯d killed the three infiltrators attempting to break into the bio-generator room. Kurillios had told them that he needed to get to his own team before the ¡°true invasion¡± began. Prism had seemed so confident at that time that he could quickly dive into the base¡¯s bio-system and find any other infiltrators. But as the minutes dragged on with no results, Srell had gotten so angry that Jaik had needed to escort the thick-haired Esdegonian out into the hallway outside of the bio-generator room.

    ¡°Prism!¡± Jaik yelled to his friend a few minutes after not receiving any sign that he¡¯d heard him the first time.

    ¡°I can¡¯t get through!¡± Prism turned around and yelled, taking his hands off of the nerve cable. ¡°It just won¡¯t let me in. It¡¯s too¡­paranoid. And the virus is making it even more unwilling to listen to me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a military bio-system, Prism. Of course it¡¯s been secured against unauthorized access. And Deriges already told you that he can¡¯t grant you clearance because of the viral damage to its subsystems.¡± Jaik reminded Prism with a soft tone.

    ¡°I know, I know¡­¡± Prism sighed before bringing his fingers up to his face and using them to cover his tired, watery eyes.

    ¡°Your hands¡­¡± Jaik said worriedly when he saw the red welts that covered the brown skin of Prism¡¯s small hands.

    Jaik reached out and grabbed Prism¡¯s wrists, being careful not to touch any of the red electrical burns on his hands. He looked closely at the sores, which looked incredibly painful.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you healing these? And how were you burned like this in the first place? I thought that you could absorb the electricity from nerve-cables.¡± Jaik asked. His voice was full of concern and confusion.

    ¡°I¡­I¡¯m not¡­feeling very¡­well¡­¡±

    Prism began to sway back and forth where he stood, like a palm tree in the wind. Jaik was quick to grab his waist and hold him steady. Jaik placed the back of his own hand on Prism¡¯s sweat-slick forehead, and found it to be incredibly warm. Jaik laid Prism down on the grated floor and withdrew his medscanner from its pouch on his gear belt. Jaik then got on his knees and bent forward over Prism. After waving the medscanner over Prism¡¯s head and body, Jaik furrowed his brow and frowned.

    ¡°You¡¯re infected with the same supervirus that¡¯s wreaking havoc on the bio-system.¡± Jaik said solemnly to Prism, who looked weakly up at him.

    ¡°What¡¯s my¡­prognosis¡­doc?¡± Prism said with a weak grin. His face was covered in sweat.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to give you a strong dose of the generalized antiviral meds that I have on me. That should help slow the proliferation of the supervirus in your body.¡± Jaik said before loading a small vial into a grey cylindrical device that was the size of a toothbrush. ¡°This is a transdermer. I¡¯m going to give you the medicine using this. It won¡¯t hurt a bit.¡± Jaik told Prism while holding up the device so it could be seen clearly.

    He placed the angled tip of the transdermer on the side of Prism¡¯s neck, and then squeezed the grip of it until it made faint whirring sound. The washer-like mechanism on the angled tip pushed down on Prism¡¯s skin and delivered the antiviral through his skin to his bloodstream. After putting the transdermer back into a pouch on his gear belt, Jaik once again withdrew his medscanner. From its readings, Jaik saw that the antiviral was only slightly effective against the supervirus, which he¡¯d guessed would be the case.

    ¡°Rest here for a moment. I need to speak with Srell. We¡¯ll be just outside, okay?¡± Jaik leaned over and spoke kindly to Prism.

    ¡°O¡­kay.¡± Prism said meekly, his eyes half-closed. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­do my best to¡­keep¡­the link open¡­¡±

    ¡°If it helps your body fight the virus, then close the link.¡± Jaik said sternly.

    ¡°Nuh¡­uh¡­¡± Prism said childishly. ¡°I¡­am still¡­of use¡­¡±

    Jaik shook his head at Prism¡¯s stubbornness before standing up and walking out into the brown-walled hallway. There were a few Etrysian soldiers standing guard further down the hall, and several who were slightly-injured from the previous attack on the bio-generator room were resting in rooms that were connected to the hall. Jaik saw Srell look over at him hopefully, but that happy look in Srell¡¯s eyes quickly turned to one of frustration when he saw how dour Jaik looked.

    ¡°Magical Boy still spinning his wheels in there?¡± Srell said with a groan.

    Once he was sure that he was out of Prism¡¯s eyesight, Jaik withdrew his medscanner and ran it over himself. He quietly sighed in relief when he saw that his own body was free of the supervirus. Srell looked over at Jaik with a tilted head, followed by widened eyes when Jaik began to close the distance between the two of them.

    ¡°Hey man! Keep your distance!¡± Srell shouted and gripped his PAW when Jaik was two meters away from him.

    A few soldiers heard Srell¡¯s shouts and began to approach him and Jaik, but Srell wordlessly motioned for them to stay at their positions.

    ¡°Keep your voice down. I¡¯m fine.¡± Jaik said while holding up his medscanner¡¯s screen to show Srell the virus-free result. ¡°It looks like the Monarchists are still obeying the Weaponized-Human-Pathogen Ban.¡±

    ¡°Fuck, that¡¯s right, Prism technically isn¡¯t human. But still, how has he been infected?¡± Srell asked the medical doctor before him.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know enough about his biology to answer that question. We¡¯re just fortunate that the supervirus hasn¡¯t mutated to infect humans¡­yet.¡± Jaik said.

    ¡°Can you use that vial of supervirus that the boss picked up?¡± Srell asked intelligently. After nearly a minute of waiting for Jaik to respond, Srell then said, ¡°Y¡¯know, to create a cure for Prism,¡± to clarify his question.

    ¡°I know what you meant, I¡¯m just thinking.¡± Jaik said quietly with a furrowed brow. ¡°I¡¯ll need to use a powerful bio-computer, but it should be possible to synthesize an effective antiviral with that source-sample.¡± Jaik answered.

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    ¡°Good, we¡¯ll contact the boss and let him know that you need that vial.¡± Srell nodded.

    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t use the telepathic link. I don¡¯t want to alarm Prism or put anymore strain on him. I think that the only thing keeping him alive is what little magic he has left right now.¡± Jaik was quick to say. Jaik¡¯s own comm-clasp had been nicked by a bullet during their last firefight, rendering it inoperable.

    With a nod, Srell clicked his ear clasp and activated its terp-comms. He then spent the next minute updating Ursun as to Prism¡¯s condition, and on what he¡¯d spoken about with Jaik.

    ¡°I¡¯ll send Risa to bring the vial to you guys. She¡¯s faster than me and Theda. Expect her within the next ten minutes.¡± Ursun said after a minute-long delay.

    After acknowledging Ursun¡¯s message, Srell told Jaik about Risa¡¯s imminent delivery of the supervirus vial, which pleased Jaik.

    ¡°Now to find an uninfected bio-computer that we can actually use.¡± Jaik said while rubbing the side of his face with his palm, something he only did when he was overly stressed.

    ¡°The base¡¯s CCC should have one that¡¯s separate from all other systems. I¡¯ll ask Deriges.¡± Srell said while squeezing his comm-clasp again.

    The CCC, or the Command and Control Center, was the nerve center of most military bases and large-scale ships on ?ba. Such rooms were usually at the center of bases, being the most secure location within their respective facilities. They were also called ¡°Command and Control¡± rooms.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to go check on my patient.¡± Jaik said before Srell began speaking to Base Commander Deriges over terp-comms. Srell nodded at him before Jaik returned to the bio-generator room.

    Jaik was relieved to see that Prism was still breathing, but also terrified by how ill he looked. Prism¡¯s face was drenched in sweat as his body temperature only continued to rise. Sweat dripped down the back of Prism¡¯s neck and fell through the holes in the metal-grated floor of the walking platform that they stood on. The room was already hot from the bio-generator and its membrane, but the area around Prism was even warmer. His eyes were closed and he was unconscious, though his chestplate rose up and down rapidly from his quickened breathing.

    As Jaik began to walk over to Prism to take new readings on his medscanner, the floor began to shake beneath his feet. Jaik moved quickly over to Prism¡¯s still-prone body, using the platform¡¯s railing to keep himself steady. The reverberations of several explosions caused the platform to rattle for several minutes before it soon became still again.

    Jaik knelt down at Prism¡¯s side and held him to make sure that his sick teammate didn¡¯t slide off the platform and into the recesses of the bio-generator¡¯s exhaust area. And when three soldiers ran into the bio-generator room to make sure that the two of them were safe, Jaik nodded to the men and told them that he didn¡¯t need their help. The soldiers simply nodded in turn before running back down the shaking hallway.

    When he felt that things had sufficiently calmed down, Jaik lifted Prism up and carried the small Elementeitan to the cooler and safer hallway. Jaik then placed Prism on the cool, white flooring, which soon became slick with Prism¡¯s sweat.

    ¡°Do you know what that was?¡± Jaik yelled to Srell, who¡¯d begun to walk over to him and Prism. ¡°Was there another attack on a bio-generator?¡±

    ¡°The base¡¯s main docks have been destroyed. We think it was done by the last three infiltrators that we all lost track of.¡± Srell said in an odd, distant tone, as if he couldn¡¯t believe what he was saying. ¡°Most of the soldiers have gone to protect the CCC. Deriges¡¯ orders.¡±

    ¡°The docks? Surely you mean a boat or two?¡± Jaik said as he knelt beside Prism and began to wave his medscanner over Prism¡¯s body.

    ¡°Whatever bombs they used leveled that entire cliff-side section of the base. If it hadn¡¯t been separate from this underground section, then we¡¯d all be rubble in the sea right now.¡± Srell said quietly.

    ¡°So the base is almost defenseless against a sea attack now¡­no ships and no wall of cliff-cannons¡­¡± Jaik said as he briefly held his medscanner still above Jaik¡¯s head. ¡°How could three people have done that much damage?¡±

    ¡°There are still plenty of cliff-cannons left. They wrap around kilometers of cliffs, and have a lot of control redundancies. There are other docks too, but there¡¯s no telling when they might be destroyed as well.¡± Srell said while tapping nervously on the butt of his PAW. However, a smile soon returned to his face as he started to speak again. ¡°And hey, the border guns that line the walls of the surface base can destroy pretty much anything in the air or the sea. They¡¯ve got an effective range of about a hundred kilometers. It¡¯s crazy how I almost forgot about them.¡±

    Srell remembered visiting Surmil many years prior while he was briefly a Rose, and being given a tour of Getla Base¡¯s defenses. He remembered how grand it had all seemed, and how the Etrysians had bragged about the base being impregnable.

    ¡°I hope Risa¡¯s okay. Prism needs her to be okay. I don¡¯t think his body can hold out for much longer¡­¡±

    Jaik¡¯s hand shook as he read the results of his medscanner. He lowered his head and grimaced, unsure of how anything would work in their favor. He felt a foot lightly kick his lower back, and looked up to find Srell smirking down at him.

    ¡°Calm down, young man. How many times have we seen this guy almost die? He¡¯ll be fine.¡± Srell said rather flippantly.

    ¡°I¡¯m a doctor! I can¡¯t think like that!¡± Jaik quickly rose to his feet and yelled at the shorter Srell.

    Jaik''s body tensed up while he stared angrily down into Srell''s thin brown eyes. Jaik looked as if he might hit him. Srell, who was undaunted, maintained eye contact with Jaik.

    ¡°I told you to calm down!¡± Srell shouted back after grabbing Jaik and pulling him close by the sides of his chestplate.

    Jaik looked away from Srell as his body went limp in Srell''s grip. Srell pushed Jaik away, irritated by how quickly he seemed to give up. The two of them didn''t have much respect for each other, which became especially clear to them both in that moment.

    "He''s glowing..." Srell said after pointing at the unconscious Prism lying behind Jaik.

    Jaik quickly turned around and noticed a shimmering white field enwreathing Prism''s body. What was previously a body wracked in pain and sweat soon became a cleanly body that appeared to be resting comfortably. As Jaik moved closer to Prism, he saw a look of relief on his face.

    ¡°Told you.¡± Srell said as Jaik began to take new readings with his medscanner.

    ¡°The spread of the supervirus has stopped¡­but it isn¡¯t being reduced in any way.¡± Jaik said as he interpreted the readings he¡¯d taken. ¡°It looks like his body has entered some sort of magical stasis. I can¡¯t really be sure of that, though.¡±

    ¡°I guess this means that you¡¯ve got more time to make that cure.¡± Srell said with a chuckle.

    ¡°We have no idea how long he can keep this up. I think we should still act with some urgency.¡± Jaik said with some irritation.

    ¡°Prism? You there?¡± Srell asked through their telepathic link, which was still active despite Prism¡¯s state.

    ¡°Barely¡­¡± Prism¡¯s disembodied voice was faint in Srell and Jaik¡¯s minds.

    ¡°I asked you not to use telepathy while he¡¯s sick like this!¡± Jaik yelled at Srell, who shook his head at him dismissively.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m still able¡­to do this much¡­¡± Prism psychically said to Jaik, whose rampant emotions had roused him.

    ¡°How long can you keep yourself alive like this?¡± Jaik hesitantly asked through their link.

    ¡°Four¡­maybe five hours.¡± Prism replied telepathically.

    Srell glanced over at Jaik with a self-satisfied expression, which only made Jaik roll his eyes at him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have an effective treatment ready for you well before then. Just rest now.¡± Jaik made his telepathic voice as kindly as he could to Prism.

    ¡°Okay. Good¡­night¡­¡± Prism¡¯s voice echoed sleepily through the minds of RED-1.

    With his last message, Prism also sent his team a simple understanding of his condition, and of his inability to respond for the next several hours. The feeling of being made aware of knowledge without the exchange of words was familiar to each of the mercenaries. When they¡¯d placed the nerve-cables of simpler living vehicles into their spinal ports, they almost instantly learned how to control them.

    The knowledge that Prism had shared of his infirmity was free of his own emotions, a skill that he¡¯d learnt earlier from Surmil¡¯s bio-system. Prism had learned that the ease by which his teammates used telepathy had come from their experiences with connecting to living vehicles and other biotechnology in their pasts. What made telepathy a bit of a challenge to them was the fact that emotions were shared as well, a trait absent in spinal port communications.

    ¡°His mystical body is significantly slowing the metabolic functions of his physical body, which means¡­¡± Jaik¡¯s voice echoed in the mind of Ursun and Srell.

    Leanna and Lorias were still busy with the fruitless torture of the Sguvan woman at that time, and had closed their minds to further telepathy after receiving Prism¡¯s last message.

    ¡°He¡¯s exhausting the very essence of his magic to keep himself alive. He¡¯s slowly losing all that power that he gained from absorbing that mana convergence back in Battle City.¡± Srell psychically reasoned, surprised that he finally understood something significant about Prism.

    ¡°Jaik, get Prism taken care of. Risa should be there any moment. She¡¯ll escort you and Prism to the CCC.¡± Without Prism¡¯s moderation, Ursun¡¯s authority rang strongly through the telepathic link alongside his voice. ¡°Srell, we need you down here ASAP. The last three infiltrators are headed back to the central base. We have to stop them before they do more damage.¡±

    Jaik and Srell telepathically communicated their acknowledgement to their commander before reducing the link to a dull prickle in their subconscious minds. The two men then looked at each other with an odd sense of expectation.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Jaik said softly to Srell. ¡°I overreacted. I shouldn¡¯t have yelled at you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. I¡¯m not the easiest guy to get along with.¡± Srell said with a smirk.

    Jaik nodded to himself and then sighed before saying, ¡°You¡¯re a better man than people give you credit for, myself included,¡± which made Srell look away from Jaik as the light-brown skin on Srell¡¯s patchy cheeks reddened.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna go now. You two be safe. There¡¯s no telling what you might run into out there.¡± Srell said as he turned to leave.

    ¡°Ditto.¡± Jaik said before Srell took off running down the hallway until he disappeared behind a door.

    Jaik looked down at Prism, whose skin glimmered in the light of the hallway. Jaik rubbed his eyes as he began to feel how tired he truly was. It would be a sleepless night for him, and he knew it. He felt the urge to take a stimulant, but told himself that it hadn¡¯t gotten that bad yet.

    Just when he was about to do a quick check of his PAW, Jaik saw Risa arrive from around the corner of an adjoining hallway. She was holding the large syringe that contained the vial of supervirus in her left hand, which Jaik thought was incredibly dangerous.

    ¡°Give that to me!¡± He shouted to her, which made her look hesitantly at him. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous to simply hold it in your hand like that. Its contents might be temperature-sensitive.¡± Jaik explained more calmly.

    Risa¡¯s light-brown eyes grew wide as she glanced down at the vial that she still held. She wordlessly nodded to Jaik before handing him the golden-needled syringe. He carefully took it from her, and then used his medscanner to collect data on it and its contents with his other hand. He was relieved to see that its viral contents appeared to be unharmed and inactive.

    Jaik remembered the design of the syringe, having studied such Kingdom medical technology while he was in the Red Wolves medical school. After confirming that it was safe to do so with his medscanner, Jaik unscrewed the long golden needle from the vial. As the needle hadn¡¯t been used yet, the vial was still safely sealed. Jaik put a rubber stopper on the tip of the needle, and then placed the needle in a large medical pouch on his gear belt. He then placed the vial of supervirus within a separate pouch on the other side of his belt.

    ¡°I¡¯m escorting you and your ally to the CCC. You¡¯ll need to carry him.¡± Risa said. Her voice was so faint and raspy that Jaik had to lean in closer to understand her.

    Jaik picked up Prism and wrapped Prism¡¯s small, lean body over his shoulders so that Prism could safely breathe while being carried. After standing up straight and checking if he¡¯d balanced Prism¡¯s weight well enough, Jaik nodded over to Risa.

    ¡°We¡¯re good to go.¡± Jaik said to the quiet, stoic woman.

    He could tell that her buzzed black hair was dyed, something that he hadn¡¯t seen before on a member of the Roses. Her demeanor had an eerie aura about it, which gave Jaik the creeps.

    ¡°Stay close, and stay quiet.¡± She said reservedly before leading Jaik down the hallway that she¡¯d appeared from.

 Chapter 32 - Kicker

    Ursun and Theda stood quietly side-by-side in the brown-walled underground hallway outside of Getla Base¡¯s second bio-generator room. Ten Etrysian soldiers were evenly distributed along the length of the well-lit hall, standing guard against any further attempts to sabotage one of the base¡¯s power supplies.  After the destruction of the base''s primary docks, most of the base''s soldiers had been ordered to protect the Command and Control Center at the very core of the military facility.

    "We should be doing something...anything. It doesn''t seem right to just be standing around on the off-chance that our enemies will appear here." Ursun said angrily while he tapped on the butt of his personal automatic weapon. He''d swapped out Gnapp''s experimental magflux rounds for a magazine of Theda''s disruptor bullets.

    "You still hate guard duty, eh? You haven''t changed a bit." Theda said with a shake of her head.

    "Come on, you must find this situation just as frustrating." Ursun turned to face the pink-haired woman, leaning over slightly to look her in the eyes. "They blew up the docks, for Eizavoba''s sake. We''re a joke to these guys."

    "And that''s why we have to start acting proactively. They''ve caught us flatfooted over and over again."

    Theda looked up into Ursun''s remarkably green eyes. She''d forgotten how bright they could be, as if they were lit by the fire in his heart. She found it hard to break his eye contact, sensing his fervent need for some action in the otherwise still hallway. When she was finally able to look away from him, she managed to say "stay vigilant" as she looked over at a nearby soldier.

    "You know how small these access-ways are." Ursun said while pointing to a marked panel on the ceiling. "Does Deriges really think that three adults could shimmy through one of them for almost a kilometer to get back here from the cliff-side section of the base? And the nerve-cables that run through these tubes put off enough heat to make the trek even more torturous."

    "If anyone would know what was possible to do within this base, it would be its commander. And with the lateral lifts disabled by the supervirus, its not like the infiltrators have any other choice." Theda said matter-of-factly. "Deriges comes from three generations of Getla Base commanders. If he says that he thinks the infiltrators are probably going to come back through one of the access-ways in this area, then I am sure as hell going to believe him."  She added with gusto.

    Ursun scoffed at Theda before standing up straight again and resuming his silent sentry duty. The silence was short-lived, however. A few minutes after they finished talking, Theda and Ursun heard a soldier yell "grenade" before they saw a plume of black smoke shoot down an adjoining hallway. Neither of them could see the hallway, as it was several meters in front of them. Several soldiers within their own hallway ran away from the smoke, while some who''d been in its path began to collapse and seemingly become stuck in place while they struggled for air. As the smoke began to convalesce into a sticky black substance that adhered to the walls and floors of the section of hallway before them, Ursun and Theda knew that they''d have a tough time reaching their enemies.

    "Gluifying smoke grenades...fun." Theda groaned and said sarcastically. "Do you have anything for this stuff?" She looked over and asked Ursun.

    "It''ll probably explode if we torch it, so no." Ursun shrugged. "We''ll have to go around." He said while pointing to a connected corridor to their left, which was fortunately meters before the hallway that had been coated with flammable black glue.

    "Those poor soldiers...unable to breathe as the smoke turns to glue within their lungs..." Theda said softly before she and Ursun ran around the corner of the hallway.

    "We have to catch up with them somehow." Ursun grunted as he began to run. "Soldiers, with us!" He yelled to the few able-bodied guards that had managed to end up on their side of the hallway when the smoke gluified.

    Ursun, Theda, and four Etrysian soldiers ran around a series of connected hallways in order to reach the area where they believed the infiltrators had appeared from. Theda had seen an access-way panel stuck on the glue-covered floor, and had reasoned that their enemies had simply dropped their grenades to cover their escape. When they saw another ceiling panel further up an unaffected section of the same hallway, Theda''s suspicious were verified. Unfortunately for their group, the panel was in the middle of a four-way intersection of hallways.

    "We split up. Two to each hallway. Theda, with me." Ursun ordered before taking off running down the hallway that led around the base.

    "Why are we going this way? Surely the infiltrators went down the hall that leads to the CCC?" Theda asked as they continued running.

    "They''re smarter than that. That hallway is being extensively guarded by dozens of soldiers. They''ll find another way in, if they''re even headed to Command and Control at all..." Ursun said calmly while gripping his readied PAW tight.

    "Where else would they be going?" Theda asked aloud. She too held her weapon at the ready as she ran beside Ursun.

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    "Their objective seems to involve crippling the base''s seaside defenses. They''ve taken out a suite of cliff-cannons, and have probably neutralized a good number of the base''s battleships that were still in dock. There are still the boats and subs that are further out at sea though, not to mention the battleflies that are still doing aerial sweeps above those ships." Ursun explained rather casually to Theda.

    "And don''t forget about the aerial fleet that Hypergeneral Aksos should be bringing at any moment now." Theda said with a determined smirk. "Oh wait..." She said worriedly after thinking about her words for a moment.

    "You see it now too?" Ursun asked with a glance over at her.

    "No, they couldn''t. There are too many biological control redundancies, even with the virus." Theda insisted.

    "Nothing has stopped these guys, Theda. They''re using Kingdom-tech. Even if theirs is outdated, its still more advanced than what we''ve got, than what we even understand." Ursun refuted.

    "If they really are able to gain control of the border guns, then we really are in major trouble. They''ll shoot our own boats out of the water. They''ll destroy Aksos'' fleet before they even reach the base. They''ll..."

    "Calm down, little lady. We''re going to stop these thugs." Ursun said with a confidence that comforted Theda.

    They soon heard gunfire in an adjoining hallway not far from them. When Ursun and Theda reflexively turned to run towards it, Ursun received a familiar buzz in his mind. He was soon seeing Srell shooting at two infiltrators with the disruptor bullets he''d been given by Theda. Srell used a connected hallway for cover, leaning forward and back to deliver burst after burst at his silver-suited enemies. Ursun smiled as he headed closer to Srell''s position, who was bringing one of the infiltrators to their knees with several perfectly-aimed shots to the head.

    Just as he''d hoped, Ursun and Theda ambushed the two infiltrators, firing at them with Srell from both ends of the hallway. In a matter of seconds, the two enemies were dead on the ground. Ursun, Theda, and Srell then met in the middle of the hall to check the bodies.

    "That was too easy." Srell said with a disappointed shake of his head.

    "You''re right. It was a distraction. Their leader must be..."

    Before Ursun could finish his statement, he saw the silver suits begin to glow. He groaned before yelling to his allies to run for cover. Srell quickly ran back the way he came, while Theda reflexively led Ursun into an open storage room nearby. Seconds later, the suits detonated with a force that was magnified by the grenades they''d been wearing on their belts. Flames and shockwaves erupted down the hallway and shook the underground base for the third time that night. Srell made it a safe distance away from the blast, and continued to make his way down the hallways in an attempt to find the last infiltrator. He telepathically messaged his team to tell them what had caused the explosion that time, and to check if Ursun was still alive.

    "I''m fine, but we''re trapped in a storage room. Looks like this section of the base has taken one too many explosions. The ceiling in front of the door seems to have caved in." Ursun psychically communicated to his team.

    "I''ll tell Deriges to send a team of soldiers to dig you and the Peacekeeper out." Jaik''s voice echoed to in the minds of his teammates. Jaik had managed to get to the CCC with Risa, and was within speaking distance of the base commander.

    "Don''t worry about us! Find the infiltrator before he can take over the border guns!" Ursun''s concern roared through the telepathic link, putting his entire team on edge.

    "We''re nearly at the base. Should we be concerned about being shot down?" Leanna psychically asked.

    "There''s still time. I''m on it." Srell said telepathically to his team.

    He truly believed that he was hot on the heels of their enemy, and that belief echoed through to his teammates.

    "We haven''t told you guys yet, but our prisoner escaped. She''s headed to the base, too." Lorias stated calmly through their link.

    "Unbelievable! We have this link to keep each other up-to-date as things happen!" Ursun''s angry words blared in his team''s mind.

    "Lorias and I knew you all were busy over there. We''re tracking the Sguvan woman''s movements, and we''ll reach the base before she does. We have the situation handled." Leanna''s calm voice attempted to staunch Ursun''s anger, but failed to do so.

    "I want her neutralized now! Use that moth ship you''re on to gun her down!" Ursun ordered.

    "She''s moving a bit too erratically to get a weapons lock on her. We don''t want her to know that we can track her yet, either." Leanna explained.

    "Are you disobeying my orders again!?" Ursun only grew angrier, and the link could barely communicate how much.

    While Theda and Ursun sat in the increasingly warm and poorly-lit storage room, Theda noticed that Ursun was rubbing his forehead rather furiously as he sat silently in a corner. She figured that he was just mad about being trapped in the room, especially since their terp-comms weren''t working. Theda was a bit worried herself, as that was a sign that the room''s air vents were blocked, meaning that they had only a limited amount of time to get out of there before they were out of oxygen.

    When Theda walked over to him, she saw that Ursun looked incredibly upset, and was even baring his teeth from time to time. She reached down to touch his shoulder, which got her an angry swing from him. She dodged the blow with a quick lean backwards, and soon saw Ursun look remorsefully back at her.

    "You''re really bothered by all of this. I haven''t seen you like this since..."

    Theda covered her mouth with her left hand; sure that she''d poured oil on the fire of Ursun''s rage. She was surprised when he looked up coldly at her. His icy stare made her feel that he was looking straight through her.

    "I don''t have time for this. Everything''s going to hell and I need to get out of this room so that I can stop it."

    Ursun rose to his feet as he spoke in a loud, stern voice. It seemed more like he was addressing a crowd than just speaking to her, Theda thought. She understood his indignation, even shared it, but she knew that they couldn''t stop the forces moving against Surmil all by themselves. She sighed and ran her fingers through her bobbed pink hair.

    "Alright, let''s get out of here, then." Theda said to him smugly.

    "How!?" He shouted at her, displeased by her tone.

    Theda pointed to a wall beside Ursun, where a storage shelf full of boxes of old base reports partially blocked a door to a neighboring room.

    "I only noticed it when you took a swing at me," said Theda with a playful smile. "If you help me, I''m sure we can move that shelf out of the way."

    Humbled by the moment of serendipity, Ursun nodded goofily at Theda before doing as she said. After a few moments of effort, they''d shifted the shelf enough to then burst open the door. They breathed easy when cool oxygenated air flowed into their lungs when they entered the lengthy, well-lit records room. And before they could speak to each other again, they saw several soldiers enter the room at its far end, several meters ahead of them.

    "Oh good, you figured it out. We weren''t sure if you would find the door, or if you two were even able-bodied enough to use it." One of the senior soldiers yelled over to Theda and Ursun.

    "We''re alright. Have any of you sighted the last infiltrator?" Theda asked on Ursun''s behalf, since he was still calming down from his anger attack.

    "One of your fellow Red Wolves and a few of my own have chased the queenie into a stairway leading up to the surface. For some weird reason, your buddy is convinced that the enemy is trying to hack into the border guns." The soldier explained to Ursun in an annoyingly mellow way.

    "Take us there." Ursun said loudly and authoritatively, which made the senior soldier stiffen up a bit.

    "Yes sir." The soldier said with an awkward salute before leading Ursun and Theda out of the records room and towards the stairway he''d mentioned.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to stop that son-of-a-bitch,¡± was all that Ursun kept thinking as they ran through the long corridors of the base.

    Theda felt concern for her former lover as she saw his brow furrowed and his jaw clenched, but all she did was run on beside him. She knew not to get in his way when he had a target to strike.

    ¡°Still as bearish as ever.¡± She mused to herself, not understanding the irony of her words.

 Chapter 33 - Trap

    The Sphingid flew high above the darkened city of Surmil, taking an arced path from the security station to Getla Base. The security station relayed live information about the Sguvan woman''s movements to the moth-like aircraft using lasers that were invisible to the naked eye. With the smoke cleared from Surmil''s skies, the laser communication system was able to circumvent the radio jamming that still plagued the city.

    Leanna and Lorias sat in the ship''s bay with the brawny and loud-mouthed Testa, who''d been asking several questions about the Red Wolves Company in the minutes that they''d been airborne. Her questions soon fell on deaf ears as Leanna and Lorias received Ursun''s anger-laden orders. Leanna got up from her seat and walked to the cockpit area of the Sphingid, where Remades was silently controlling the ship with his eyes closed.

    "Is there any way that this ship could kill our escaped prisoner?" Leanna leaned over and said to the peaceful-looking young Remades.

    "I doubt it. The Sphingid has weapons, but it¡¯s not exactly a gun ship. And striking an invisible enemy would be pretty difficult, considering that we''ve only got a few seconds of knowing where her feet are at any given moment." Remades'' boyish voice sounded half-asleep while he spoke to Leanna. "Also, I just-"

    "That''s what I thought..." Leanna interrupted absent-mindedly. Her voice began to trail off as she became unsure of how to proceed. "We have orders to neutralize her before she reaches the base." Leanna said hesitantly.

    "If she learns that we''re tracking her-" Remades began to say.

    "I know, but we don''t have much time left. She''ll be there within the next ten minutes, at this rate." Leanna said firmly.

    They''d all been amazed at the alacrity of the Sguvan cyborg. She''d leapt from rooftop to rooftop without stopping, running several kilometers in the process. Her cybernetic leg allowed her to jump great distances while landing safely afterwards. But that leg also gave her the unique gait that allowed her to be tracked.

    "Just when did you receive your orders? The electromagnetic interference from the bombs is still blocking our comm-clasps." Remades asked rather innocently.

    "My team''s comms are unaffected by the jamming." Leanna said, which got a shocked expression from Remades.

    The Sphingid jerked slightly as Remades opened his eyes and momentarily lost his focus on controlling the ship. He looked up suspiciously at Leanna, concerned by her lack of clarity. It was the third time that night that Remades had discovered a significant advantage that the Red Wolves had been hiding from his own team.

    "That''s...quite a thing to keep to yourself. We''re allies, y''know?" Remades sounded hurt, which made Leanna feel a small pang of guilt.

    "We don''t have time for this. A lot of dangerous things are unfolding at the base right now. We need to stop these infiltrators from carrying out the next phase of their plans at all costs." Leanna was firm and strong-willed when she spoke, which only seemed to make Remades even more upset.

    "I know. I received a laser message from the base commander a few minutes ago. I was going to tell you when you walked over here, but you cut me off." Remades said a bit dejectedly.

    "Oh, I''m sorry. I was just so focused on following orders that I..." Leanna said before stopping herself from making excuses. "I shouldn''t have been so rude to you. It wasn''t warranted." Leanna said while reaching down and squeezing Remades'' shoulder.

    "We''re all under a lot of stress, I get it. We can beat these guys, I know it. We just have to work together and share information freely, I think." Remades'' words lacked confidence, but Leanna knew that he genuinely believed them.

    "Fair enough. So, any ideas on improving our chances of stopping our cyborg?" Leanna asked sprightly.

    "If we fly down low when she gets to the canal bridge, we''ll have the best chance at catching her off guard. She''ll be out in the open and have nowhere to hide." Remades said determinedly while looking out at the transparent walls of the cockpit and gesturing towards the bridge below them.

    "Good. Now, does this ship have a way to fire fluids? If we coat her with a dark liquid, then we can deprive her of her cloak." Leanna reasoned.

    "We do, actually! Our ship has a sticky tether shooter on the underside of the cockpit. I can modify it to fire a large wad of sticky goo that can cover a wide area. We can use that to coat her and trap her. We''ll only get one shot, but it''ll be a big, wide shot, at least!" Remades explained exuberantly.

    "How long will it take to make the modifications?" Leanna asked.

    "Only another minute. I''m having the ship make the necessary changes to itself as we speak." Remades said with a wide smile.

    "Excellent. I''ll leave you to it. I''ll tell Testa and Lorias about our plan." Leanna said before walking back over to the transport bay area.

    "We heard most of it." Lorias said.

    "Open-floor plan." Testa smirked and shrugged. "Though what was the news about the base being in danger?" Her face suddenly shifted to a look of concern.

    Leanna explained to Testa what had transpired at Getla Base since they''d left. Testa kept trying to interrupt and ask too many questions, but Leanna was steadfast in her storytelling. By the end of her mini-briefing, Testa was furious.

    "The Queen hasn''t gotten this involved in any of our conflicts for over ten years! Where does she get off throwing her tech at these thugs now?" Testa yelled, her question being more of a rhetorical exclamation.

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    ¡°Some say that she sees the world as a big science experiment, and that she sees all of us as rats in a maze.¡± Lorias said cheekily.

    ¡°We aren¡¯t rats, we¡¯re human beings! We should all be working together to stop her instead of squabbling amongst our selves. That¡¯s the only reason that the Queen and her Kingdom still exist today.¡± Testa¡¯s anger began to die down as she began to state the obvious.

    ¡°The Queen¡¯s in her Kingdom, all''s right with the world." Lorias said mockingly, quoting a centuries-old song.

    It had been a general rule that ?ba usually saw periods of relative peace while the Queen stayed in her own nation. The Monarchists and the Conjunction would ordinarily limit their conflicts to small territorial disputes and retaliatory strikes after terrorist attacks. Such constrained conflicts would be carried out mainly by private military companies, known as PMCs, like the Red Wolves or the Destructors.

    It had been during the times that the Queen left her Kingdom that the Monarchists were emboldened to launch large-scale attacks on Conjunction nations. The grand battles of the Centuries-Long War would involve the militaries of their respective countries, in addition to the PMCs and joint Conjunction and Monarchist forces. But from what the Conjunction could presently tell, the Queen hadn''t left the shores of her own lands. Even still, the fires of war were threatening to become a conflagration once more.

    ¡°I''ve never liked that song. Too propagandistic." Leanna said with a shake of her head.

    "We''re a minute out from the bridge. The sticky shooter is primed and ready to fire." Remades voice blared over the Sphingid''s intercom.

    Leanna rushed to Remades¡¯ pilot seat and leaned down to say, ¡°Make sure that you shoot as soon as you¡¯re in range. We can¡¯t give her a single moment to react.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡± Remade spoke aloud while keeping his eyes closed as he sat up straight and focused on the task at hand. ¡°Strap in everyone. We¡¯re going to dive, and then we¡¯re going to be stopping hard, fast, and at an extreme angle.¡± Remades said over the intercom again.

    Leanna went back to her seat, placed its harness over her armored chest and buckled herself in, while Lorias did the same. Testa sat across from Leanna and mirrored Leanna¡¯s movements. Testa kept her eyes on the younger woman that she admired, and Leanna couldn¡¯t help but grin back at the orange-haired Thorn.

    "Let''s trap this queenie bitch." Testa said while throwing a few punches in the air in front of her.

    "Yes, let''s." Leanna said with a simple nod at Testa, who shot her a rather charming smile.

    Remades received the cloaked cyborg¡¯s location and saw that she was running full-speed down an empty road and straight towards the canal bridge. It was a 1.5 kilometer-long suspension bridge with two impressive stone towers that held up its thick cables. The Etrysian soldiers that had been standing guard around the area had been ordered onto the bridge itself, creating several additional barricades and turrets atop its light-brown towers that would act as the last line of defense if the Sphingid failed.

    ¡°Beginning our dive. Brace yourselves.¡± Remades said calmly over the intercom.

    Lorias, Leanna, and Testa gripped their harnesses as Remades flew the Sphingid down in a sweeping arc, in the hopes that the Sguvan woman wouldn''t notice their ambush until it was too late. His precision in calculating where his ship¡¯s path needed to intersect the cyborg¡¯s was impeccable; the Sphingid was soon hovering with its ¡°mouth¡± shooter pointed directly at the Sguvan woman. Posed like a hummingbird tenderly getting nectar from a flower, the Sphingid fired its ball of sticky fluid directly at the cyborg. The street that surrounded the woman became covered in gooey white webbing that spanned several yards in all directions. The cyborg¡¯s movements were easily detected by the Sphingid¡¯s visual organs as she tried to tear herself out of the sticky substance.

    ¡°We¡¯ve caught her! Mission accomplished!¡± Remades cheered over the intercom as he leveled out the ship.

    The Sphingid¡¯s passengers removed their harnesses and went to Remades¡¯ chair in the cockpit area. Leanna stood on his right side, Testa stood on his left, and Lorias stood silently behind the sleek red chair. There, the young pilot showed the cyborg woman trapped within the sticky webbing on the transparent surface displays that lined the domed walls of the cockpit. Leanna and Testa patted Remades on each of his respective shoulders while they gleefully watched the zoomed-in video.

    ¡°Excellent work, young man. We should be good to proceed to Getla Base. The soldiers should be able to make sure that she¡¯s properly contained.¡± Leanna said resolutely.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t your orders to kill her? I mean, she could very well escape.¡± Testa said worriedly.

    ¡°She¡¯s our prisoner, and she¡¯s very well captured. It would be wrong to kill her; illegal, even.¡± Remades was quick to say as they hovered high above the mess of white webbing on the street below.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be na?ve. The rules of war have no standing here. These infiltrators are essentially terrorists, and therefore have no rights.¡± Lorias said coldly. ¡°We should dispense with this cyborg before she becomes a nuisance to us again.¡±

    Leanna tried to contact her teammates within the base through their telepathic link to apprise them of their situation. Though she felt the familiar tug of the link within her mind, she found that she couldn¡¯t actually communicate with anyone with it. She began to fear that Prism was close to death, though she quickly pushed such thoughts from her mind.

    Leanna then looked at Lorias, and saw that his icy-blue eyes were looking back at her. His face was unreadable, as usual. She couldn''t even tell if he had lost his ability to use telepathy as well. She didn¡¯t enjoy how readily he devalued the lives of his enemies, even those who could no longer fight back. She felt a familiar thought enter her head, one that she wasn¡¯t very proud of.

    ¡°Rvljsan, through and through.¡±

    It was a stereotype that was well-known across ?ba. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed people of the Antarctic nation of Rvljse lived in a bitterly cold and isolated region that tended to make them seem just as frigid as their homeland. It was a rough life there, and ruthlessness was a trait that was oftentimes rewarded. Though Lorias had been brought to Etrysia¡¯s warm west coast as a baby and had never even set foot in the infamously Monarchist Rvljse, he¡¯d never been able to get away from such generalizations. Many believed that he had a cold Rvljsan heart that was incased in ice, just like the land that he was born in.

    ¡°You¡¯ll want to keep her alive, and you¡¯ll want to give her a chance to explain herself. Don¡¯t let your misplaced morality interfere with the safety of this nation, Leanna. Our foe is cunning and powerful, and she will not help us.¡± Lorias said indefatigably, which drew Leanna out of her own disdainful thoughts.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say that you¡¯re wrong. But I also can¡¯t condone her execution. But I suppose our orders aren¡¯t wrong, either.¡± Leanna after sharply taking in breath through her teeth.

    ¡°We should kill her. I don¡¯t feel good about it either, but it needs to be done.¡± Testa said solemnly, causing Leanna to raise an eyebrow at her.

    ¡°I¡¯m the pilot of this ship, and I won¡¯t do it. I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s that.¡± Remades raised his voice only slightly while keeping his eyes closed.

    ¡°Can we send a laser message to the soldiers on the ground, telling them to fire at the cyborg?¡± Leanna asked Testa.

    Testa walked over to a small console near the pilot¡¯s chair, but smacked it in frustration only a short time later.

    ¡°He¡¯s locked down any peripheral controls. We can¡¯t do anything without controlling the ship now.¡± Testa groaned as she looked angrily down at Remades.

    ¡°Please, Remades. Every moment we fight with each other is another chance for the cyborg to escape.¡± Leanna said softly to the green-haired pilot.

    ¡°I won¡¯t kill her.¡± Remades said defiantly.

    ¡°Then I will.¡±

    Testa leaned over the back of the pilot chair and then reached down to push Remades out of it. Remades suddenly opened his eyes to see who was touching him, and was shocked that it was his own teammate. Testa simply continued to grip his waist and back, pulling his further off the seat until the control nerve-cable became visible down at his lower back.

    ¡°Pull it out of him while I hold him still! The ship will continue to hover until I jack in!¡± Testa shouted to Leanna.

    ¡°I..¡± Leanna hesitated.

    ¡°He won¡¯t be harmed by the sudden disconnection. Please, help me.¡± Testa begged, her voice becoming calmer as she noticed how panicked Leanna was becoming.

    Leanna looked over at Lorias again, and saw him gesture towards the young man who was starting to thrash against Testa¡¯s restraining grip. He wouldn¡¯t help her, Leanna realized. Sighing to herself, she reached down and carefully pulled the warm, slick nerve-cable out of Remades¡¯ spinal port. Testa then brought Remades down to the ground in front of the seat and placed his arms behind his back. Leanna could see that the lanky young man was crying silently to himself. He had stopped resisting, and had begun to come to terms with the situation.

    ¡°Get connected to the ship, Testa. I¡¯ll tend to Remades.¡± Leanna said gently as she stopped down to cover his wrists.

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Testa said loudly before sliding into the pilot chair and inserting its nerve-cable into her own spinal port adapter that was a part of her torso armor.

    It didn¡¯t take Testa long to establish a connection with the Sphingid, nor to communicate their situation to Getla Base. Deriges was quick to tell his soldiers to begin firing on the trapped cyborg, and it didn¡¯t take long before she became motionless within the webbing. The Sguvan cyborg¡¯s white prison became stained with her blood as the woman began to bleed out from the numerous bullet wounds that she¡¯d sustained. The grisly scene was displayed on the screens of the Sphingid¡¯s cockpit, and all within couldn¡¯t look away.

    ¡°Mission accomplished¡­¡± Remades said before he began to bawl onto the floor beneath him and Leanna.

    Leanna took her hands off of his wrists and watched him cry like a small boy. She then looked at Lorias again, and the two of them shared a gaze of understanding between them.

 Chapter 34 - Haste

    Srell ran rigorously up the numerous flights of stairs that led to the surface of Getla Base. The lighting within the spacious stairwell dimmed and flickered as the supervirus spreading through the base¡¯s living infrastructure began to affect even the base¡¯s most rudimentary systems. Srell had been running up the stairs for several minutes, still in pursuit of the last infiltrator known to be within the base.

    Through the busy terp-comms that were buzzing in his ear, Srell had learned of Ursun and Theda¡¯s escape from the explosion that had separated him from them. He¡¯d also heard of Risa and Jaik¡¯s successful trek to the CCC with Prism, and of the neutralization of the Sguvan cyborg just minutes earlier by the Sphingid and soldiers stationed on the canal bridge.

    Though he couldn¡¯t see between the flights of stairs above him, Srell could feel his enemies movements vibrate through the metal steps, even if he could not hear them. Srell was certain that his enemy was a man, and he was right. Srell could tell from the heavy steps that the infiltrator took and from the well-defined chest and other muscles that the enemy¡¯s skin-tight suit revealed.

    The infiltrator¡¯s silver-colored bodysuit gave him greater speed and endurance than Srell, but that did not stop Srell from maintaining a close distance to the infiltrator. Srell¡¯s heart felt like it was exploding in his chest, and he could taste blood in the back of his throat. Nevertheless, he continued to run up the stairs without stopping.

    ¡°We¡¯re almost on the surface!¡± An Etrysian soldier yelled to Srell from a few flights below him.

    Srell grunted as he tried his best to move faster, still believing that he could catch up with the enhanced enemy. Sweat poured down Srell¡¯s forehead from his helmet and down the sides of his face, but he barely took notice of it. Srell knew that the stairwell led to the very area that his leader Ursun believed the infiltrator wanted to be; Srell knew that he would soon be opening a door that led onto the roof of Getla Base¡¯s outer walls. And upon those walls sat the border guns, massive artillery cannons that could destroy just about anything that entered their 100-kilometer range.

    ¡°We¡¯re halfway up the stairwell. Stop that Destructor thug at all costs!¡± Ursun¡¯s voice shouted over Srell¡¯s terp-comms.

    Srell tried to use telepathy to contact Ursun, but he quickly realized that the connection no longer worked. Srell then thought of using his terp-comms to ask for guidance, but he didn¡¯t want to deal with its slight transmission delay. In a last, desperate attempt to stop his enemy, Srell withdrew his howler round from his gear belt and slid his launcher attachment onto his PAW. With his howler loaded, he aimed his weapon at the flight of stairs above him.

    ¡°What are you doing!? You¡¯ll bring the entire shaft down on us!¡± An older soldier yelled to Srell from only a few steps below him when the soldier saw the grenade launcher pointed upwards.

    Srell cursed to himself before lowering his weapon and charging up the stairs once again. He¡¯d decided to listen to reason, but knew that their prey would reach its objective as a result. And as if reading his mind, the infiltrator disabled a gene gate before bursting through the exit door atop the stairwell, a door that was only a few flights above Srell and his accompanying soldiers. Srell rapidly detached his launcher tube and howler round from his PAW before he resumed running up the stairs.

    Srell was angered by how easy it had been for the infiltrator to make it there, with no soldiers standing guard atop the stairwell. The soldiers that had been stationed there had run down the stairs in an attempt to stop the infiltrator. They were killed like all of the others who¡¯d gotten in the infiltrator¡¯s way.

    ¡°The enemy has made it out of Access Stairwell 3-E and is now on the roof of the 3E Tower.¡± A soldier near Srell said over terp-comms.

    ¡°This is Guard Unit T3E. We are engaging the enemy.¡± An anxious soldier¡¯s voice was soon heard through the terp-comms.

    As Srell and the other soldiers opened the door to the rooftop a few minutes later, they were met with a bloody scene. The bodies of a dozen soldiers were scattered around the concrete rooftop, many of which were still moving in the light of ?ba¡¯s twin moons. The moonlight shined harshly on the large white domes of the border guns that sat silently nearby like strange monuments as the groans of injured men were carried on the ocean air.

    Srell held his PAW tightly, with its stock pressed tightly against his shoulder as its short muzzle pointed out at his twilight surroundings. He stepped lightly out of the stairwell after checking the immediate area for any sign of the infiltrator. It was then that he felt a shot streak by his helmet.

    ¡°Get to cover!¡± Srell shouted before dashing over to kneel behind a small gray guard booth only three meters away from the door. The windowed concrete booth was large enough to hold three men, and offered a well-armored position to fire from.

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    Srell soon saw two of the soldiers who¡¯d followed him out of the stairwell be shot in rapid succession as they tried to join him behind the guard booth. Srell cursed under his breath when he realized that the infiltrator was shooting to maim, not to kill. It was a strategy that the Destructors often used to distract and terrorize their enemies, since many would try to save their injured friends even if it meant endangering themselves.

    ¡°Stay in the stairwell! It¡¯s a trap!¡± Srell shouted to the few soldiers trying to join him on the rooftop. ¡°The infiltrator has created a kill-zone on the roof. There are over a dozen casualties up here. Do not leave the stairwell. I am moving to stop him.¡± Srell then stated over the terp-comms.

    As Srell looked around the corner of the guard booth to find where the infiltrator was firing from, he was nearly shot dead by a bullet. Srell smirked when he wrenched his torso back up to lean against the booth again, satisfied by what he¡¯d managed to peek at. He¡¯d seen his foe standing within the guard booth opposite his own, which offered a fortified firing position.

    ¡°He won¡¯t be in there for long. He¡¯s trying to get to a border gun.¡± Srell thought to himself.

    Srell knew that he needed to keep his eyes on the enemy, since he was unable to hear his movements. Srell quickly withdrew his retractable periscope from his gear belt and used it to safely look around the corner. He saw the infiltrator begin running from the booth towards the nearest border gun, which was ten meters away at the center of the tower.

    The white chitinous dome that contained the control and firing mechanisms of the gun stood over ten meters tall, and its protruding gray barrel that pointed up at an angle out at the sea was fifteen meters long. It had the appearance of an observatory with an oversized telescope. Though they looked sleek and mechanical, the large rail guns were primarily organic like most advanced Etrysian technologies. Their biological design allowed them to heal between firing their high-speed electrified rounds, which tended to cause too much damage to traditional metallic rail gun barrels.

    As Srell put his periscope away and started to leave the back of the booth, he felt a chain of powerful explosions be released near the door to the stairwell. The infiltrator had covertly hurled all of his grenades at the door before he¡¯d started to run, effectively sealing off the stairwell and preventing any further direct access to the roof.

    Srell cursed to himself before stealthily slinking out from behind his booth before he began to pursue the infiltrator yet again. He hid behind whatever emplacement and booth that was on his way, careful not to remain too exposed to an enemy that he knew was just as good of a shot as he was. But when Srell saw his foe make a final break for the border gun, running over a stretch of roof that was completely exposed, Srell aimed and fired a burst of disruptor rounds from a safe position behind a smaller inactive turret.

    The bullets traveled only five meters and struck the side of the infiltrator¡¯s face mask, which caused him to recoil from the shock and pain. On reflex, the infiltrator aimed his pistol at Srell¡¯s position, but was disarmed by a burst of bullets that struck his hands. Srell heard the man grunt as gold lines began to glow across the surface of the head and hand portions of his bodysuit.

    The pistol fell to the ground, and the infiltrator leapt towards the sheltered barricade that covered a trench that surrounded the border gun just as Srell began firing at him again. Srell ran after the man, throwing caution to the wind as he caught up with the enemy near the border gun. Srell began to shoot at a silvery glimmer his eyes caught at the edge of his vision when he walked over to the recessed area that he¡¯d seen the enemy leap to. Srell then recognized that they were merely the gloves that the enemy had been wearing, and cursed himself for falling for the distraction.

    The shallow trench began to glow around the gloves, signaling to Srell that they were about to explode. Srell rushed to run around the short barricade that ran along the trench, avoiding the small blast that didn¡¯t do too much damage. Srell soon caught sight of the infiltrator again, then running up a ramp that granted access to the border gun¡¯s interior. Srell fired at the nearby man while running to intercept him, which made the man jump into the dome and temporarily out of Srell¡¯s sight.

    But when Srell ran up the simple brown ramp and into the dome¡¯s darkened interior, he was struck from the side and nearly knocked on his feet. The infiltrator then took off his face mask and threw it at the dazed Srell, who quickly saw that the mask was glowing. Srell had to let go of his PAW and grab the mask only to then throw it back out of the entrance to the dome. It was a risky move, and one that led to Srell being knocked down by the resulting explosion that occurred only two meters from his body.

    Srell lay on his back on the ground of the walkway, concussed with a few broken ribs. Blood began to run from his right ear as a result of a ruptured ear drum. He tilted his dizzy head just far enough to see his enemy placing a small white patch with a web of golden lines running across its surface on a control panel attached to the artillery system. Despite his sore head and his double vision, Srell could make out the golden glow of the activated white patch, and the calm face of the man who¡¯d beaten him.

    The man had a diamond-shaped face and a strong jaw, with plainly-cut straight black hair that came down to the top of his ears. His wide nose and thin lips reminded Srell of one of the teachers he¡¯d had at the orphanage he¡¯d lived at as a child.

    The man soon looked over at the incapacitated Srell, and Srell stared into his large brown eyes. It was then that Srell could tell that the man was a Vadamite, as the infiltrator¡¯s eyelids had creases that his own native Esdegonians didn¡¯t have. It was an odd thing, thought the two of them, to be looking into each other¡¯s eyes with curiosity instead of malice. The man simply returned to his work at the control console, satisfied that Srell was not a threat to him.

    ¡°What is your situation, Srell? Have you eliminated the infiltrator?¡± Ursun¡¯s voice began to be transmitted through Srell¡¯s ear-clasp.

    Despite the ear clasp using cartilage conduction instead of air to transmit sound, Srell¡¯s damaged ear drum caused the sounds to be distorted. He could barely understand what was being said over the terp-comms.

    ¡°We need to know what¡¯s going on up there. Hypergeneral Aksos and the Second Athean Air Fleet are within Surmil airspace as we speak.¡± Deriges said with concern through the terp-comms.

    Srell tried to reach his hands up to rub on his aching ear in an attempt to hear more clearly, but he became aware that he couldn¡¯t move his hands or even his fingers. He began to panic when he realized that he was paralyzed and only able to move his head. He told himself that it was temporary, and that his body was merely in shock, but he could barely calm himself down. He forced himself to keep his head still, as he knew that he was still at the mercy of the man only a short distance away.

    ¡°Srell¡­Srell¡­Srell¡­can you hear me?¡± A familiar voice grew stronger and stronger within Srell¡¯s mind.

    ¡°I¡¯m here, Prism. Paralyzed, deaf, and defeated, but still here.¡± Srell closed his eyes and smirked as his telepathic link slowly began to be restored.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been given some medication that is fighting off the virus inside of me. Just give me some time and I will be there to help you.¡± Prism said telepathically to his wounded teammate.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have time. Ursun was right; this Destructor is taking over the border guns. This one, at least. It looks like he¡¯s almost done.¡± Srell shared.

    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll do what I must, then. Everything will be alright. Just rest now.¡± Prism¡¯s words echoed in Srell¡¯s mind.

    A sense of relief began to wash over Srell. It was a long-shot, but he still believed that Prism could truly save him; he had to believe.

 Chapter 35 - Prowess

    Prism felt a linen-like padded surface beneath his skin as he slowly opened his eyes. His armor had been removed, and he simply wore his Red Wolves standard-issue grey briefs. His body ached and his mind was foggy, but he hoped that those feelings would pass. Breathing was even painful for him. He soon heard himself wheezing slightly. He also heard a great deal of movement and talking around him, including Deriges¡¯ angry yelling not too far away.

    The first thing that Prism¡¯s sore eyes saw was Jaik¡¯s strapping face, which wore a mixture of relief and worry. Jaik¡¯s bright green eyes looked tired and dry. Jaik had taken off his own helmet, and his curly black bangs stuck sweatily to his forehead.

    ¡°Hey there, buddy.¡± Jaik said warmly while he stood over Prism, who was lying in a medical bed tucked away in a corner of the CCC.

    Prism smiled weakly before trying to lift himself up from the bed. His thin arms struggled to raise his upper body, and they shook during the attempt.

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to get up; your body is still recovering from all of the damage that the supervirus did to the cells in your body.¡± Jaik warned while grabbing Prism¡¯s shoulders in an attempt to lay him back down.

    Prism grunted and said, ¡°No, I have to save Srell,¡± before trying to swat Jaik¡¯s strong hands away.

    Prism¡¯s voice was raspy and his throat felt like he¡¯d swallowed a handful of razor blades. He fought back the urge to cough, as he was worried that he might hack up a piece of his lungs. He was too starved of mana for his body to heal itself at an accelerated rate, but he had a plan to remedy that.

    ¡°See? You need rest.¡± Jaik said when Prism¡¯s other arm gave way after he¡¯d tried to push Jaik¡¯s hands off of his slender shoulders. ¡°You must¡¯ve overheard Deriges¡¯ attempts to contact Srell. He¡¯s probably just too busy to-¡°

    ¡°No, I just contacted Srell! He¡¯s hurt really bad, and the infiltrator is about to take over the border guns!¡±

    Prism¡¯s frustrated shouting made him begin to cough roughly. He began to hack up blood, and he felt a stabbing pain in his chest.

    Jaik turned around and grabbed a vial from a nearby desk, then placed it in his transdermer. He quickly brought the transdermer over to Prism¡¯s neck, but Prism grabbed Jaik¡¯s hand and stopped him.

    ¡°No, don¡¯t put me to sleep.¡± Prism said fearfully while wiping blood off of the corner of his mouth.

    ¡°It¡¯s just something to dull the pain and make it easier for you to breathe.¡± Jaik held the transdermer up, as if Prism would know what was within it.

    After sensing feelings of honesty emanating from Jaik, Prism nodded to the young doctor before he delivered the medicine through the skin of Prism¡¯s neck. Prism sighed as the drug immediately began to bring him relief.

    ¡°Were you somehow able to telepathically communicate with Srell? It still isn¡¯t working for me.¡± Jaik said while putting his transdermer back into his medical bag.

    ¡°Yes, it was the first thing I did once I regained consciousness.¡± Prism said softly. ¡°If you take me to a nerve-cable, then I can get my strength back and restore my telepathy magic to normal.¡± Prism explained.

    ¡°You already tried and failed to connect with the base¡¯s bio-system, and it nearly killed you.¡± Jaik reasoned.

    ¡°You cured me, so cure the base. Once it¡¯s healthy again, then I can probably connect with it.¡±

    Prism was optimistic, but Jaik was not.

    ¡°The base¡¯s bio-system is too far gone. Normally, its own immune system could get a sample of an effective antiviral and use that to synthesize enough of it itself to fight off its viral infection, but it¡¯s too sick now for that. And this isolated medical bio-computer can¡¯t synthesize enough antiviral meds to treat a city-sized bio-system.¡± Jaik said while pointing at the bluish-green bio-computer console beside him and Prism.

    The bio-computer was the size and shape of a wall locker, and ran up to the ceiling. It had a waist-height console attached to it that had colored keys that resembled small glowing sacs of fluid. Above that console was a large OLED display that was also connected to the tall bio-computer tower beside it. That tower also had several other strange attachments coming out of it, connected to flexible stalks that could be stretched and bent for ease-of-access. It made the bio-computer tower look like an alien tree of some kind, though such bio-computers were commonplace within Etrysian labs and medical facilities. A rather mundane office chair on five wheels sat in front of the console, and below the console was a brown desk that had several papers, vials, and medical devices strewn across it.

    ¡°Do I have immunity to the supervirus now?¡± Prism asked, knowing that he¡¯d need to appeal to Jaik¡¯s reason to get what he wanted.

    ¡°I believe so. This supervirus is incredibly stable. I doubt that it can mutate enough to circumvent your immunity.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll drain the nerve grid dry, and then use its energy to save Srell and stop the infiltrator.¡± Prism said resolutely.

    ¡°Drain it? That¡¯ll leave the base even more defenseless than it already is.¡± Jaik shook his head with doubt.

    ¡°Actually, by draining the base¡¯s nerve grid of power, the border guns will temporarily be brought offline until the hydropower backups come online and supply them with power a few minutes later.¡± Risa said quietly from a short distance away.

    Prism flinched when he heard her, having not been aware of her presence. She¡¯d practically been invisible to him, despite her gaudy red and white plate armor. She¡¯d been standing on the other side of the bio-computer, observing the goings-on of the CCC while Jaik treated Prism.

    "Will draining the base effectively kill the bio-system?" Jaik asked Risa, who seemed strangely knowledgeable about it.

    "No, not as long as the bio-generators aren''t harmed. The bio-system will enter a low-power state until the bio-generators refill the bio-batteries to a safe-operating level, and then the system will resume as normal." Risa said softly before tilting her head slightly. "Well, as normal as it can run while it is infected with the supervirus."

    ¡°I guess we don¡¯t have a choice then. The last thing we need is the hypergeneral and his fleet getting blasted out of the sky.¡± Jaik thought aloud while rubbing his stubbled cleft chin. ¡°Risa, please inform Deriges of our plan.¡± He asked politely.

    With a curt nod, Risa left the small medical area in the corner of the large room and went over to its center to speak to the busy base commander. Jaik looked down at Prism, who still seemed quite weak.

    ¡°I¡¯ll carry you there, to wherever he says is safe to attempt this.¡± Jaik reassured Prism.

    ¡°Thanks. I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m strong enough to walk yet.¡± Prism said honestly.  ¡°She didn¡¯t bat an eye about me being able to drain power from the grid.¡± Prism added while tilting his head far enough to see Risa speaking to a rather serious-looking Deriges.

    ¡°I told her and Deriges about your power to connect to bio-systems without a spinal port. They were surprised, but haven¡¯t asked too many questions about who or what you are. Pack Command already briefed them about you and your unusual abilities before we even flew here, so it isn''t a complete surprise."  Jaik explained verbosely, which made Prism a bit impatient.

    "We don''t have much time. Srell could be dead by the time we-" Prism urged before he saw Risa walk back over. Her face was stolid and unreadable, as it usually was.

    "Both of you; follow me. I''ll take you to a nearby room so that he can access the base''s nerve grid." Risa said meekly.

    "Why can''t we do it here?" Prism said in agitation. He tightly gripped the sheet that he laid atop.

    "The CCC is on a separate bio-generator than the rest of the base, and we can ill-afford having our command center lose power for even a moment." Jaik explained to Prism.

    Prism huffed like a child before giving an acknowledging nod of his head. Jaik leaned over and picked up Prism, carrying his much smaller teammate with both of his sinewy arms. Jaik looked down at Jaik for a moment as he held him tightly, wondering if he should put his armor back on. When he saw how Prism made a point to avoid looking at him, Jaik knew that he''d only irk Prism even further if he stopped to do that.

    Jaik nodded to Risa before she turned around and led them out of the CCC. It was a busy room, full of about twenty soldiers at various consoles scattered around. The middle of the room was large and featured a large circular table that the senior officers were gathered around. Deriges loomed over the table, which displayed a three-dimensional hologram layout of the eastern wall of the base, where their enemy was. The room was darker than Prism thought it should be, and most of its light came from console screens and tactical tables.

    Prism saw Deriges stare at him when they walked around the central area where Deriges stood in front of the round hologram-emitting tactical table. The stout, round-faced base commander looked upon Prism kindly despite his angry shouting at the officers gathered around him. Prism smiled weakly at Deriges, who quickly returned to arguing with his second-in-command.

    It only took them a few minutes before they were standing within a well-guarded living room. After a quick look around, Jaik and Prism realized that it was the base commander¡¯s living quarters. The lights flickered in the room, as they''d been doing in the hallways. A guard standing within the smartly-decorated brown and beige room walked over and removed a panel from the wall, revealing a thick yet ulcerated nerve-cable. The cable oozed a strange-smelling yellow liquid, which the guard was quick to avoid.

    "Pus. The infection has gotten far worse in such a short amount of time. It may very well reach the bio-generators soon, regardless of their enhanced immune systems." Jaik said apprehensively. "Are you sure you can do this safely?" He looked down and said to Prism, who was still in his arms.

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    "I am. Take me over there." Prism said while doing his best to block out the extreme feelings of fear and disgust that were being emitted from Jaik''s magicked mind. Those feelings were making Prism sick to his stomach.

    Jaik cautiously walked Prism over to the diseased nerve-cable and then propped his teammate up onto his unsteady feet against the wall beside the oozing cable. Jaik stepped back and watched Prism lean down slowly to grip the healthiest part of the nerve-cable. Jaik wanted to cover his eyes, worried that Prism would electrocute himself when he touched it. Prism closed his eyes when his skin made contact with the nerve-cable. He nearly recoiled from the torment that he sensed coming from the bio-system.

    If Surmil''s sick bio-system wailed, then Getla Base''s diseased bio-system screamed in agony. It was all Prism could do just to withstand the foreign pain that clawed at his mind, unwelcome and unbearable. Prism realized that it had been a different strain of virus that had been used to infect the military bio-system, one far more potent than Surmil''s. It ate away at the living grid like locusts who''d just awoken from a long hibernation, leaving only scraps of coherent data and functionality. Even the lighting could barely stay on.

    "It''s really bad, Jaik. This system is barely hanging on to life." Prism looked back and said to his young friend, who looked aghast. "I''m going to start draining it now, and then I''m going to rid it of this virus. If the system survives, that is."

    Before Jaik could tell him to be careful, the room began to shake as Prism began to absorb what little bio-electric power was left from the nerve grid. The bio-batteries that Risa had told Prism about were too infected to properly maintain a charge, hence all the power issues throughout the base. The nerves writhed within the wall as they experienced something that they''d never been designed to deal with.

    The horrified bio-system sent out gut-wrenching sounds from its myriad organs and cables that wrapped around the entirety of Getla Base. The soldiers within started to panic, fearing that their mysterious enemy had found a way to collapse the underground base in on them. The walls shuddered and the floors rumbled, but Prism forcefully wrangled control over the system as he withdrew the last of its strength.

    A dark purple aura of siphoning magic appeared around Prism as he drained more and more of the bio-systems power, while at the same time reining the system in. He stopped its groaning, and kept its cables still so that the base wouldn''t break itself apart. He felt the large organism''s life-force flow into him, and he felt his own body grow strong again. He could stand steadily on his legs, and he could breathe easily and quietly.

    The light around his body became a dark bottle-green, then a bright sapphire blue, and then a transcendent white. Soon, Jaik and the soldiers within the room couldn''t look upon the resplendent light that enwreathed Prism until finally, in a burst of sound and light, Prism was gone. The room became dark and silent, even cold.

    "Prism?" Jaik said softly in disbelief. "Prism!?" He then screamed.

    Jaik ran over to the dead-looking nerve-cable, stupidly touching it as if he''d find Prism within it. He then started banging on the wall around it, still screaming Prism''s name. He cried out, angered and saddened by all the times Prism had frightened him like that.

    It always hurt Jaik quite badly when Prism seemingly died in front of him, because Jaik had come to love the strange alien when he''d first carried him out of the recesses of the lab he''d found Prism in. It was a love that had confused Jaik, and he''d done his best to lock that love inside himself. When he''d learned that Prism could sense his feelings, he buried the feeling as deeply as he could and resisted all thoughts that his love might manifest. It was a love that was just as strange and mysterious to Jaik as Prism was to him, and it always managed to bubble its way to the surface in Prism¡¯s absence.

    "Stupid!" Jaik shouted aloud when he finally started to calm down.

    Linear lights that ran along the ceiling next to the hidden sprinkler nipples began to shine as more traditional generators started to whir to life deep below the base, converting the power of flowing seawater into electricity.

    "Sir, what happened to him?" A younger guard asked Jaik.

    "Return to your post and be quiet, soldier. Now is not the time to be asking questions." Risa said quietly, seemingly unfazed by what had just happened.

    The soldier nodded to her and did as she said, despite the fact that she wasn''t even a part of the Etrysian military. That was the respect that the Roses commanded within even their ranks.

    Jaik kneeled on the ground near the nerve-cable, wallowing in self-pity. Risa walked over to him and squatted down in front of Jaik. She saw that his eyes were watery as they looked sadly down at the ground immediately before his knees.

    "Your friend is powerful. He will return to you." Risa said with a conviction that made Jaik look up at her. "Have faith." She smiled and said when Jaik looked into her large, light-brown eyes.

    After sitting in silence for a few moments, Jaik felt a tingle in the back of his mind. He gladly answered the telepathic call.

    "Jaik, I''m fine. I''m within the bio-system, purging it of the virus." Prism''s voice echoed in Jaik''s mind, strong and true.

    Jaik smiled widely at Risa, and he thanked her for her kindness. It was strange to him that she''d said those words to him minutes before Prism reached out to him.

    "You idiot! You should''ve told me that you''d disappear like that." Jaik psychically said with a chuckle made aloud as a tear rolled down his right cheek.

    "I didn''t need you asking questions and holding me up any further." Prism said telepathically, along with a disembodied laugh of his own. "I can become a being of pure energy when I have a large amount of mana within my body. I am traveling through the bio-system this way, and I''ll be getting to Srell like this soon. Speaking of, the telepathic link is fully restored for everyone."

    Jaik began to hear the voices of all of his teammates echoing in his mind. They began to share information with each other, and Jaik was overwhelmed by the sudden inundation of requests. He got up from his knees, told Risa that he needed to use the bathroom, and proceeded to the restroom within Deriges'' quarters. There he was able to apprise his team of Prism''s progress.

    "We''ve got Ursun and Theda onto the Sphingid now. We''re flying up to the rooftop as we speak. It''s been blocked off and can''t be accessed through its stairwell anymore." Leanna told Jaik through their link.

    "I know, Deriges was yelling about that in the CCC." Jaik shared.

    "So we need to watch out for this Destructor guy that Srell was fighting." Ursun remarked telepathically to his team.

    "Srell''s unconscious. We can''t reach him." Lorias stated.

    "I''m done; the base''s bio-system is virus-free and will be waking up soon. I''m heading to the border gun now to treat Srell." Prism''s empowered voice could be heard in the minds of his entire team.

    "It''s amazing that the infiltrator hasn''t killed him. That''s weird, isn''t it?" Leanna psychically asked her team.

    "He might think that Srell''s dead." Lorias reasoned through the link. "Srell''s a tough little guy, he''ll make it." Lorias then said lovingly aloud to the Roses on the Sphingid.

    "We''re coming up on the rooftop. Help Srell and then cover us." Ursun ordered Prism just when the alien materialized out of the control console in an electrical display that would dazzle most onlookers.

    Prism felt a strange chill run down his spine as he returned to his corporeal, human appearance. He glanced back at the console, and saw that it had a strange apple-sized golden tumor next to it. Prism tilted his head curiously at the ugly golden mass that clung to the wall of the fire-control bio-computer connected to the console. He knew that the growth wasn''t a result of the supervirus, but he wasn''t sure if it was a feature of the controls or a bug.

    "Be safe up there Prism. Even a cat only has five lives." Jaik said over their telepathic link.

    "Odd. On most worlds, people say that they have nine." Prism mused telepathically before running over to Srell, who was in really bad shape on the brown ramp he''d been laying on for over ten minutes.

    Prism reached out his hands and sent pulses of white light at Srell''s body, which quickly mended his broken bones, fixed his ruptured ear drum, and treated his brain injury. Srell soon opened his eyes and saw Prism kneeling over him.

    "I knew you''d save me, Magical Boy." Srell said affectionately before sitting up. "Did you kill that Destructor thug yet?"

    "Sorry, I just got here. I sense his presence nearby, but he can''t do much while the base''s bio-system is still down." Prism said with a confident smile.

    "Come on, Prism! Don''t be dumb and underestimate your enemy!" Srell shouted angrily before rising to his feet and running towards the entryway to the border gun dome.

    "What''s wrong?" Prism called after Srell.

    Srell was carefully looking out at the border gun''s surroundings. He wasn''t going to be caught unawares again, he thought.

    "Where is he!?" Srell yelled back to Prism with his PAW at the ready.

    "He''s...inside another border gun, on the next wall tower over." Prism said dumbly while pointing in the direction that he knew they''d find the Destructor.

    "Are you serious!? Go after him!" Srell continued to yell before taking off towards their enemy.

    Prism blinked quietly before following after Srell. The two of them soon saw the Sphingid appear over the edge of the rooftop, moving almost silently in the balmy night air. Srell motioned them towards the other rooftop and then telepathically told his team that they''d find the infiltrator there.

    "On it." Leanna replied back before the Sphingid began to fly a short distance away.

    Before the moth ship could land, all of the border guns started to shift their lengthy barrels away from the sea and up towards the sky over Surmil. Prism and Srell looked up in horror as they noticed a large number of aircraft coming into view over the city''s skyline. The ships were almost at a major airfield in the southern portion of Surmil.

    "How!? You said that the bio-system''s offline!" Srell shouted at Prism, who was standing beside him.

    "It is...but the...hydropower..." Prism struggled to speak.

    "These guns aren''t on that system! They''d be able to be hijacked if they had normal electronics in them!" Srell yelled again.

    "The golden tumor..." Prism said almost breathlessly.

    Srell grabbed Prism''s right ear, then twisted and squeezed it. Prism cried out in pain, and looked confusedly at Srell.

    "What. Golden. Tumor?" Srell''s sternly staccato question was the final push Prism needed to snap out of his own sensitiveness.

    "It was on the console I appeared from, on the border gun''s control system." Prism explained quickly.

    Srell let go of Prism''s ear and ran back to the border gun they''d just left. When he tried to walk up the ramp, he was struck with an intense heat on his skin that forced him to turn back. In his haste, he''d forgotten about the microwave defenses that the border gun domes had, and that they sealed themselves shut when they were in operation. Prism telepathically told his other teammates what was going on, and that he and Srell were handling it.

    "Prism! We need to get in there! Disable its defenses and bust down that door!" Srell shouted over to Prism, who''d been standing meters away near the edge of the roof.

    Prism leapt over to Srell''s side and stretched out his right hand toward the border gun. Prism''s irises shimmered with blue light as he forced the dome doors to open while rendering its defenses inactive. Prism found it quite difficult to do so as he fought against a strange force for control of the weapon. When Srell and Prism ran back inside the dome, they saw that the golden tumor on the fire-control bio-computer had not only tripled in size, but had released golden tendrils that wrapped around the console and the rest of the large control system contained within the center of the room. The tumor and its tendrils throbbed and glowed as they dominated the bio-computer, subjecting it to an unknown will.

    "You didn''t think to say something about this!?" Srell continued to yell at Prism, who was right beside him.

    "It didn''t look like this when I got here! It was just a small golden mass that could fit in my palm." Prism said in exasperation.

    "Must be some sort of nanomachine colony. They''re about the only thing that the Monarchists have that can directly interface and control living tech like ours." Srell said more calmly while he furrowed his brow. "They are really hard to make though, even for the Kingdom. At least, that''s what Bighead says."

    "I''ll try to destroy it." Prism said while reaching out his hand at the tumor.

    "You''d be destroying the entire border gun, then." Srell said hopelessly. "They''re nanites. They''ve worked themselves into every cell of the fire-control system by now, maybe even the gun''s large mechanisms too. There are probably trillions of nanites in there."

    Prism knew that he couldn''t rid an organism of trillions of smart machines in a short amount of time. He rubbed his frustrated face and looked at the shining golden mess that was spread out on the surfaces before them. It almost looked beautiful.

    "What am I supposed to do, then? It seems like this guy has somehow installed these things on all of the border guns that this base has." Prism asked in irritation. He didn''t want to give up if he could still stop things from getting any worse.

    "We''ll have to destroy them somehow. The border guns, I mean. If we don''t, they''ll blast the fleet out of the sky any minute now." Srell said dejectedly. "Is that even something you can do?"

    "I could destroy one or two, but I saw ten out there." Prism said softly.

    He, too, was beginning to feel the futility of their predicament. But then Prism had a moment of absolute clarity.

    "I''ve been hesitant to do so without a mana convergence being nearby, but I can draw upon the natural mana in the environment to stop all of this." Prism''s mood became buoyant as he spoke, though he knew that he needed to stay calm and be incredibly careful.

    "Do whatever you have to do, just do it now!" Srell shouted as he saw the controls on the console begin to blink and buzz.

    ¡°Will electricity work on these things?¡± Prism quickly asked.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Srell replied loudly while nodding frantically.

    Prism ran out of the dome, down its entry ramp, and onto the rooftop several meters in front of the border gun. Srell was quick to follow him, not wanting to be caught in whatever destruction Prism was about to cause. Prism raised his right hand slowly into the air as he stood tall and assuredly, inundating the area with a heavy pressure that made Srell slightly nauseous.

    Prism began to mouth words of power, commanding the elements to his will. The words were alien to ?ba, but she listened to them nonetheless. The magic that Prism''s people wielded had a vast range and fluency that spanned the entirety of existence. There was no world where he would be deprived of his power for long, if he chose to bend that world to his own desires. It was a dangerous dynamism that could easily turn him into a tyrant.

    "Rikwe, Fobo, Byiti!" Prism yelled as his voice took on a terrifying timbre that quaked in the minds of all nearby.

    Srell stepped away slowly as he instinctively realized how much danger he was in. He saw small crackles of bluish-white electricity begin to appear around Prism''s body, and soon wisps of light-blue plasma also appeared around the Elementeitan. The air was thickly charged, and Srell took off running for fear that his body would be ignited by the fulminant energy.

    "Rikwe, Fobo, Byiti!"

    Storm clouds formed in the night sky above them, seemingly out of nowhere. The air around Prism''s body was glowing, and electricity began to arc from his body onto the concrete all around him. His outstretched hand was raised up higher up at the sky, and he began to float off of the ground as lightning shot between the new clouds above, followed by the sound of thunder.

    Srell, who''d taken refuge behind a small artillery gun several meters away, watched the eerie scene unravel before him. He shared his sight with his team on the other roof, who''d been unable to apprehend the Destructor before he locked himself inside that roof''s border gun dome.

    "Rikwe, Fobo, Byiti!"

    Prism''s voice was just as resounding as the thunder that rolled across the coast. His eyes looked as though they were on fire, glowing a blue so bright that it would blind anyone who stared directly at it.

    With a final closing of his raised hand, bolts of lightning flashed down from the heavens and struck several border guns, demolishing their domes and causing them to explode. Two of the lightning bolts arced between several of the hardier border guns that had survived, soon causing them to malfunction just as they were shooting their explosive rounds towards the assembled Second Athean Air Fleet. One of the rounds made it out of its cannon, but was so far off course that it came short of the fleet by several kilometers.

    "By Eizavoba..." Srell said quietly before leaving his mouth agape. His teammates made similar statements as they stood by and saw the spell that Prism had cast.

    "What on ?ba is he?" Theda said in disbelief while she stood beside Ursun.

    "Our salvation." said Ursun, who tranquilly took in the splendor of the moment.

 Chapter 36 - Storm

    Prism stood in the rain, looking solemnly at the cloudy sky above him. The lightning storm he¡¯d created continued without his direction, helping to quench the fires of the ruined border guns that dotted the horizon. He could hear his teammates telepathically asking if he was okay, and he heard Srell walk back over to him to ask the same question verbally. Everything seemed far away from him, and he didn¡¯t even feel the rain soaking his t-shirt and briefs.

    ¡°Prism, snap out of it!¡± Srell said before swinging his open palm at Prism¡¯s face to slap him.

    Prism grabbed Srell¡¯s wrist and looked placidly into the Esdegonian¡¯s beady brown eyes. He took notice of a faint, dark brown scar that Srell had on his left cheek as his eyes danced carelessly across Srell¡¯s face. Srell, confused, merely stood still in Prism¡¯s grasp.

    ¡°Your eyebrows are so thick. I never noticed until now.¡±

    Prism¡¯s voice was dream-like, and his head was tilted up as if he was looking down on the taller man. Srell scoffed before yanking his wrist out of Prism¡¯s hand, which only made Prism slowly lower his hand back to his side. Srell rubbed his wrist as if it had been hurt in some way, even though it hadn¡¯t. He furrowed his brow at Prism, tired of his strange behavior.

    ¡°How long are you going to ignore everyone?¡± Srell asked after huffing angrily.

    ¡°I¡¯ve done something bad¡­¡± Prism quietly said as he looked down at the concrete roof between him and Srell. ¡°On an unrelated note, the Destructor is still alive somehow.¡±

    Prism pointed to the other rooftop where Ursun stood. Its border gun¡¯s dome was largely intact, though its gun barrel had been blasted clean off. Srell shared Prism¡¯s words with Leanna, Lorias, and Ursun, and they quickly raised their personal automatic weapons and approached the dome carefully to avoid any automated defenses it might still have. Theda, Testa, and Remades looked uncertainly at their allies before joining them with their machine pistols drawn.

    ¡°What ¡°bad thing¡± have you done?¡± Srell asked Prism, who was still acting aloof. ¡°If you meant destroying the border guns, then you didn¡¯t have any choice. Deriges and the hypergeneral will understand.¡±

    ¡°I tapped into the mana of the land and sky, even though I knew it wasn¡¯t abundant here. I¡¯ve upset its delicate flow. I fear what will happen as a result.¡± Prism sounded melancholy.

    ¡°How is that different from what you normally do?¡± Srell asked.

    ¡°Normally, I just absorb a small bit of mana from my environs and store it within myself so that I can draw upon my own reservoir to power my magic. But my own supply wasn¡¯t enough, so I had to mold the region¡¯s mana directly.¡± Prism explained softly.

    ¡°Why is that such a big deal?¡± Srell struggled to make sense of Prism¡¯s sudden moodiness.

    ¡°Mana is the greater structure of the world, the part that you can¡¯t see. It is the essence of everything, and it must exist in harmony. If it is depleted or reorganized too dramatically, it can lead to a cascade of destabilization that causes wild and dangerous things to occur. That is, until its equilibrium is naturally restored.¡± Prism gestured like a maestro with his hands as he spoke. ¡°I did my best to keep things as ordered as I could, but I overindulged. And now¡­¡±

    Prism pointed up at the sky, and Srell languidly tilted his head upwards to observe it. The rain was starting to pour heavier, the wind was blowing harder, and the lightning flashed more rapidly. Even the thunder grew louder and closer to the base.

    ¡°Just end it. End the storm.¡± Srell said in a matter-of-fact tone.

    Prism shook his head slowly before simply saying, ¡°I would only make things worse.¡±

    Prism and Srell heard a small explosion nearby, and they quickly turned to see their neighboring allies blasting the sealed door to their roof¡¯s border gun dome. Ursun was leading Lorias and Leanna up its brown ramp and into its newly opened interior.

    ¡°Be careful, boss. I got ambushed going in like that.¡± Srell telepathically reminded his team.

    Prism waved his right hand in front of him, conjuring a simple spell that made the rain and wind be diverted away from him and Srell while also drying the two of them off. Grateful for the shelter, Srell still cocked his head curiously at Prism.

    ¡°You can do this, but you can¡¯t stop the storm?¡± Srell asked.

    ¡°This is easy. I only have to use my own stored mana. I¡¯d have to use a colossal amount of mana to stop a storm, which would require me to do the same thing that caused this storm in the first place.¡±

    Prism tried to explain as simply as he could, but there was still too much that Srell didn¡¯t know about magic and mana.

    ¡°Whatever. I¡¯ll just take your word for it, for now.¡± Srell said with a dismissive wave of his own hand.

    The two of them ran over to the edge of the tower they stood atop, watching Remades, Testa, and several soldiers who were keeping guard outside rush to nearby guard booths as the storm continued to worsen. The others continued to check the dome¡¯s dark interior, turning on the flashlights on their helmets and armor to see well. After a few minutes of searching, they found no sign of the Destructor who¡¯d planted the nanites into the border guns. It seemed impossible for him to have escaped the sealed dome, as there was only one way in or out.

    ¡°Is he cloaked?¡± Srell asked through the telepathic link.

    ¡°Unlikely. If he had cloaking tech then he would have used it a lot earlier.¡± Ursun guessed. ¡°Do you still sense him, Prism?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t sense much through this storm, but I can faintly detect his presence in your general area. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be. You just saved the fleet. We¡¯ll find him.¡± Ursun was quick to communicate.

    Lorias stepped around the central console within the dome and walked along a railing that ran along the outer section of the room. He saw water leaking in from a section of the curved wall. With a firm press of his fingers, the wall gave way, though the strong winds outside kept the wall from moving too far out of place.

    ¡°I know how our enemy got out of here.¡± Lorias said aloud to the others in the dome with him. ¡°This section of the dome was damaged. If it wasn¡¯t for the wind blowing against it now, I could push it just enough to squeeze through and escape.¡±

    ¡°I see your point. The thug probably saw the wall give way when the lightning struck and seized the opportunity.¡± Theda spoke as if she was helping to solve a murder mystery.

    ¡°Actually, there¡¯s a pretty big dent here. I think he punched the wall hard enough to crack through to the exterior. Maybe it was a combination of both the lightning and the increased physical strength he gets from the Kingdom suit he¡¯s wearing.¡± Leanna added after examining the wall section herself.

    ¡°In any case, we need to get out there and catch him before he escapes.¡± Ursun said impatiently.

    When Ursun stepped out of the dome with Leanna close behind him, lightning struck the concrete rooftop only meters from them, leaving a small crater. Bits of concrete went flying like shrapnel that luckily missed them. Both of them flinched reflexively, knowing that their armor would provide poor defense from a lightning strike. The wind-backed torrential rain poured down with such ferocity that it even pushed back Ursun as he tried to walk out of the dome. He saw several crates near a guard booth lift off of the roof and fly straight towards him as he struggled to walk down the ramp.

    ¡°Watch out!¡± Leanna yelled aloud and screamed telepathically at the same time.

    Ursun and Leanna both fell to the ground on their bellies, narrowly avoiding the crates as they crashed into a section of the dome above them. Some of the contents of the crates, mainly shell ammunition for smaller artillery guns, fell on their backs before being blown off the ramp as well. The wind was so strong that the two of them began holding onto the railing of the ramp for fear of being blown into the sky.

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    ¡°Prism! Do something about this storm!¡± Ursun¡¯s voice blasted through the telepathic link to ring in Prism¡¯s mind.

    ¡°I can¡¯t, but I¡¯m coming over to protect you guys from it.¡± Prism communicated to the minds of his teammates.

    Prism used his magic to blast himself and Srell up in the air, sending them over to the neighboring rooftop in an arc that ended up being too high. He and Srell hit the other rooftop hard, almost enough to break their bones. They were both a bit bruised, but otherwise unharmed.

    Prism realized that his magic was on the fritz, and knew that he needed to be careful with casting even simple spells. It was yet another consequence of disturbing the area¡¯s balance of mana. He¡¯d expended too much of the region¡¯s mana, and the air and sea rushed to fill the void with a turbulent rush of raw mana from ?ba¡¯s nearby currents. The turbulence was enough to begin overwhelming Prism¡¯s mystical body, which in turn affected his magical abilities.

    ¡°What the hell was that? You almost got us killed!¡± Srell bent forward and rubbed his aching shins while he shouted.

    ¡°This maelstrom of mana is messing me up. I¡¯ll try harder.¡±

    Prism¡¯s embarrassment was evident, which made Srell feel a bit guilty about how hard he¡¯d been on him. Srell simply nodded sympathetically at his alien teammate before the two of them began running over to the large white dome at the center of the tower¡¯s flat concrete roof. When Testa and Remades saw the two of them seemingly in a bubble free of rain and wind, they looked at each other in further disbelief.

    ¡°A force field? How is that even possible?¡± Remades said as he stood in the cramped guard booth with Testa, who took up most of the space.

    ¡°It¡¯s the small guy, Prism! Yet another one of his magic tricks.¡± Testa¡¯s distrusting words were closer to the truth than she realized.

    With brilliant blue eyes that shined even through the downpour, Prism reached his hands out and used his magic to ward Ursun and Leanna from the extreme weather that continued to worsen. Theda and Lorias watched the weather-negating spheres expand around their allies. They still stood within the dome to avoid the elements, not wanting to risk what they¡¯d seen Ursun and Leanna endure. Ursun and Leanna stood up and ran their hands over their armor, amazed that they were completely dry as they stood in a magical bubble of shelter.

    ¡°Good work. Can you protect the others on the roof with us?¡± Ursun asked Prism telepathically, though their team was aware of their communication.

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t risk it. I¡¯m having a hard enough time keeping even this simple magic stable.¡±

    Prism explained to his team, though his voice became distorted within their minds. A wave of disorientation overcame each of them, though it quickly passed. He began receiving worried messages from all of them, all clamoring to understand what had affected them. The strain it placed on Prism made him worry that his mind magic would suddenly shift and become harmful to them again.

    ¡°My telepathy magic is being warped by the chaotic mana flooding the area. I think that it¡¯s best if we stop using it here. I¡¯ll do my best to keep it active for emergency messages.¡± Prism explained before he made the link fall silent.

    Prism and Srell ran over to the front of the dome¡¯s ramp to join Ursun and Leanna. In the peace of their joined weather-warding bubble, they spoke aloud to each other.

    ¡°Where is the Destructor?¡± Ursun asked Prism, who looked nauseous.

    ¡°I don¡¯t sense him anymore.¡± Prism said after he lowered his head guiltily.

    Prism worried that his solution to the border guns had given them an even worse problem.

    ¡°How much longer is this storm going to last? How far-reaching is it?¡± Leanna then asked.

    She had a habit of asking two questions at once, Prism had noticed.

    ¡°It could last for a few more minutes, or a few more days. The forces behind this storm are too chaotic for me to tell.¡± Prism spoke softly, which only annoyed the three teammates who stood around him. ¡°And from what I can tell, it¡¯s spreading to encompass Surmil and the kilometers of sea to the east.¡±

    ¡°Your magic can be a double-edged sword.¡± Ursun stated simply.

    Prism looked up at Ursun, wrenched his eyes closed, and then nodded ashamedly.

    ¡°Everything has a cost. Magic is no different. I took a risk and it made things worse, yet again.¡± Prism said in a meek way while he continued to nod to himself.

    When he had called down several bolts of lightning, he¡¯d felt as powerful as he was before he¡¯d come to ?ba. But while he presently stood in the judgment of his teammates, he felt weaker than ever.

    ¡°That has yet to be seen.¡± Leanna said in an attempt to use reason to curtail Prism¡¯s spiral into self-pity. ¡°The border guns would have done more damage to our forces than a thunderstorm could.¡±

    ¡°We need to get everyone back inside. I¡¯m assuming that these force fields apply to each of us individually?¡± Ursun calmly asked Prism.

    ¡°Yes. They simply combine when they make contact with each other, to make communication easier.¡± Prism explained as a bit of pep returned to his voice.

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll split up and lead each of our people still on the roof to the access stairway over there.¡± Ursun said while pointing to a closed door several meters away near the western edge of the rooftop.

    Prism¡¯s temporarily-blue eyes suddenly grew bright for moment as he raised his closed right hand and then slowly opened his fist. A glittering of blue energy flowed from his right hand, and its sparkles flew to the four of them. They felt a slight warmness flow over their skin beneath their armor.

    ¡°I¡¯ve bolstered the ¡°force fields¡± around each of us. They will now expand to include up to three of other people who are close to you, so that we can escort our allies safely.¡± Prism said while the blue light in his eyes dulled to a mere glimmer.

    ¡°Alright, time to go. I¡¯ll get Theda and Lorias out of the border gun. Srell, get the soldiers in the guard booth north of us. Leanna, to the east booth, and Prism to the south booth. We¡¯ll meet back up in the stairwell.¡± Ursun ordered, then ran back towards the dome¡¯s ramp a short distance away.

    After a short time, the stairs leading back down to the underground section of the base were full of soldiers and most of the members of both Thorns Team Trias and RED-1. They¡¯d nearly been struck by lightning several times during their escape from the rooftop, and everyone was a bit rattled by the experience.

    They¡¯d all gotten back in contact with Deriges, who was told of the destruction of the border guns by lightning seemingly wielded by Prism, and how it had coincided with the unnatural hurricane that appeared out of nowhere above the coast. The Second Athean Air Fleet had managed to land safely before the storm reached them but they were stuck at the airfield in south Surmil, cut off from the base and even the security forces within the city.

    There had even been word that the seas to the east of the base, where the Etrysian navy was stationed, were becoming too treacherous for the boats and aircraft to maintain their positions. The navy claimed that whirlpools and waterspouts were appearing in record numbers around their ships, which further threatened to sink the seaborne fleet.

    There was a palpable tension in the air of the stairwell while everyone made their way down the stairs, and Prism was the cause. Half of the soldiers were afraid to look at him, while the other half had reverence in their eyes as they glanced his way. Prism was used to mixed reviews, and simply ignored their conspiratorial murmurs.

    ¡°We need to talk about your new teammate now, while we¡¯ve got time.¡± Theda¡¯s voice was hushed so that only Ursun could hear her.

    They walked alone ahead of the others, leading the trek down. They had plenty more flights of stairs to walk down before they were back at the CCC, and everyone knew it. The terp-comms buzzed with a nonstop stream of emergency messages from the soldiers still outside the base. Theda simply tuned it out.

    ¡°All you need to know is that he¡¯s pivotal to our plans to get rid of the Queen for good.¡± Ursun said stoically and quietly.

    ¡°He¡¯s a weapon of mass destruction, for twins¡¯ sake! Your organization is a part of the Conjunction, and therefore you must share intel concerning WMDs that you have or are developing with the rest of us!¡±

    Theda¡¯s angry whispering made Remades and Testa share a worried glance while they walked behind her and Ursun. They¡¯d never seen their leader on edge before, and Ursun seemed to know exactly how to perturb her normally-refined demeanor.

    ¡°We have shared his existence through the appropriate channels.¡± Ursun said without looking over at Theda.

    Theda rolled her eyes and rubbed her forehead. She knew that the Red Wolves hadn¡¯t been honest with the Conjunction about Prism¡¯s origin or about his capabilities. After the events that had already occurred that night, Theda figured that there would be an investigation into the matter once the invasion had been thwarted. And with such a powerful being on their side, she saw their victory as inevitable.

    ¡°We¡¯ll know soon enough.¡± Theda said almost sinisterly to Ursun.

    Ursun shook his head and kept his mouth shut on the subject. He knew the game that Theda played, and he would not fall for it.

    ¡°Are you still feeling sick from the storm?¡± Leanna asked Prism, who was walking beside her.

    ¡°It¡¯s getting better the farther underground we go. Things are a lot more stable here.¡± Prism said with a relieved smile.

    ¡°Good, that¡¯s good.¡± Leanna¡¯s mind was elsewhere. ¡°It¡¯s been a crazy night.¡±

    Prism looked at Leanna and saw that she looked incredibly exhausted. The night had taken a serious toll on her, and Prism could easily see that her mind was buckling under the pressure. Srell, who was walking in front of them, looked back for only a moment. He too was exhausted, but he was too rattled by the night¡¯s events to notice.

    ¡°Would you like a pick-me-up? I can make you feel well-rested for a while, though it¡¯s not a substitute for actual sleep.¡± Prism asked with a playful wag of his right forefinger at her.

    ¡°Like what you did back in the Center Building? No, that¡¯s okay. I was able to get off my feet for a while back on the Sphingid.¡±

    Leanna¡¯s resistance told Prism that she didn¡¯t trust his magic to fix what was ailing her. He nodded regretfully at her, and the two continued down the stairwell. Lorias, who was right behind them, found the situation to be mildly entertaining.

    ¡°She¡¯s done a few things tonight that she¡¯d like to forget about. Is that something your magic can do?¡±

    Lorias¡¯ sarcasm came quickly and unexpectedly. Leanna turned around and took a swing at him, though he dodged her punch with little effort. Prism got between the two of them, confused by their sudden hostility. Srell continued walking on; not wanting to deal with the drama between Lorias and Leanna that he¡¯d seen blowup a few times before. Soldiers started to walk around them as the trio stood on the wide platform that separated the flights of stairs from the each other.

    ¡°Not everything is a joke for your amusement, you cold-blooded bastard!¡± Leanna cursed, nearly regretting her words as she spoke them.

    ¡°Lighten up; things can get so much worse.¡± Lorias taunted.

    ¡°You¡¯d like that, wouldn¡¯t you!?¡± She screamed at him.

    Leanna tried to push the smaller Prism out of her way, but Prism stood his ground quite easily. Lorias simply smirked smugly at her boorish behavior.

    ¡°What is going on between you two!? We¡¯re on the same team!¡± Prism felt hurt by their animosity, sure that he was somehow responsible.

    ¡°The little lady saw how ugly things can really get on the battlefield, and is throwing a fit.¡±

    Lorias¡¯ words were like venom being spat at Leanna, and Prism would not stand for it any longer. He reached up his arm and grabbed the much-taller Lorias by the flexible collar of his armor. Prism held Lorias up off the ground for a few seconds before shoving him backwards a short ways onto his feet. Lorias looked tickled by the whole thing, and simply readjusted his collar. Leanna, on the other hand, was not amused at all.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to defend me from him.¡± She barked at Prism. ¡°This isn¡¯t any of your business.¡± She added spitefully.

    ¡°I just want us to be kind to one another. Things are bad enough as it is.¡± Prism said softly, turning around to Lorias to include him in his statement of unity.

    ¡°What children you both are. Your feelings and desires have no place here. Perhaps if you¡¯d both been singularly focused on our mission, then we wouldn¡¯t be running from the storm of the century right now.¡±

    Prism and Leanna looked coldly at Lorias, whose harsh words always contained a portion of truth in them.  Leanna rubbed her sleepy eyes and let out a short groan.

    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right. Maybe I am just too weak to cut it on RED-1. But I didn¡¯t survive up till now to be snarked at by you, Lorias. You were there with me when the Sguvan woman escaped. Where were those amazing reflexes of yours then? And you stood by on the Sphingid and waited for three junior mercs to ¡°do what needed to be done¡± without even lifting a hand to help. I see why you¡¯ve got Srell wrapped around your finger. You¡¯re a cruel, manipulative son-of-a-bitch. It must be in your blood.¡±

    Leanna spit on the ground at Lorias¡¯ feet before she jogged down the stairs, leaving Lorias and Prism alone. They heard the distant rumble of dozens of boots stomping below them, which made the silence between them only slightly easier to bear. Lorias glanced over at Prism, who looked back at him with derision and a dash of uncertainty.

    ¡°She was right; I haven¡¯t been pulling my weight tonight. Perhaps that¡¯s why I¡¯m in such a foul mood.¡± Lorias said calmly, dropping his facade for just a moment.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about you, heck, we don¡¯t know much about each other. But I know that you¡¯re wise, and I know that you¡¯re incredibly good at your job. Those things can only come from many years of hard-won experience. All that she¡¯s asking is that you share that wealth of experience with consideration and compassion. It may have been hard out there for you, but you can make it easier for everyone else around you, as a result of your struggles.¡±

    Prism was measured and thoughtful in his speech, hoping to strike the right chord with his audience of one. But all Prism saw after he spoke was a face of absolute apathy. It was then that Prism understood what Leanna had meant about Lorias¡¯ true nature.

    ¡°If it¡¯s easy, then there¡¯s no real growth, is there?¡± Lorias asked, though Prism knew it was rhetorical. ¡°Let¡¯s catch up with the others, Magical Boy.¡±

    Prism tried to put Lorias¡¯ snide response out of his head, but it bounced around his mind all the way to the bottom of the stairwell.

 Chapter 37 - Menace

    *Rrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggg*

    The walls shook and the floors quaked throughout the vast underground network of hallways and rooms that made up Getla Base¡¯s core section. The soldiers standing guard throughout it had lost count of how many times their facility had been rocked that night, but all of the sudden disturbances still made them uneasy. The sturdy brown-walled corridors, with their flexible and adaptive organic materials, were designed to withstand such forces. The island of Athea was no stranger to earthquakes, though they tended to occur only a few times a year.

    ¡°More infiltrators!?¡± Srell yelled to his teammates.

    ¡°Or maybe even the same one.¡± Lorias said with a smile.

    The two of them ran with the rest of their team down the hallway that led to the CCC, passing several soldiers who were guarding the busiest hallways of the underground base. The quakes grew worse, just as the storm above them had. Prism could sense that the two things were related due to the disorientation he¡¯d felt on the surface making its way a kilometer underground.

    Jaik appeared out of a medical room when he heard Srell and Lorias speaking in the hallway. He¡¯d been helping treat some of the soldiers injured by the infiltrators¡¯ earlier blitz attack. Once everyone within the room had been stabilized, he had begun to grow restless about what was happening on the surface. When Jaik saw Prism walking sluggishly behind all of them, Jaik left his temporary duties and joined Prism on his way to the CCC.

    ¡°You don¡¯t look like someone who just saved a bunch of lives.¡±

    Jaik gave Prism a small push with his elbow, but Prism just kept walking without acknowledging Jaik. After he noticed Prism¡¯s poor state, Jaik took out his medscanner and waved it over Prism while they walked. The results the device showed Jaik made no sense to him.

    ¡°Your heart-rate, blood pressure, blood sugar, and your hormonal levels, to name a few, just keep going up and down. Some of these shifts can be explained by stress, while others defy logic.¡±

    Jaik¡¯s concern and confusion only made it harder for Prism to keep himself together. Prism tried to tune out Jaik¡¯s loud mind but it had somehow seemed to grow more intense, despite Prism believing that the raw magic that ensorcelled the man¡¯s body was diminishing over time. While being bombarded with Jaik¡¯s thoughts again, Prism realized that Jaik was being affected by the mana maelstrom as well.

    ¡°And how are you feeling? Anything weird going on with your own body?¡± Prism stopped in the hallway to ask Jaik.

    Jaik stopped in front of Prism and eyed his teammate like someone who was being made fun of. Jaik heard the irritation in Prism¡¯s voice and could tell that Prism didn¡¯t like the interruption. But there was real consideration in Prism¡¯s strained brown eyes which seemed to faintly glimmer with a myriad of colors the more that Jaik stared into them.

    ¡°Yeah, I have a slight headache. Also, the air started looking slightly iridescent about ten minutes ago, like there¡¯s oil and water floating in it or something. It¡¯s starting to swirl and rush around, but I don¡¯t feel any wind. I asked a few people if they could see it, but I¡¯m the only one. I chocked it up to stress.¡± Jaik said after a brief pause.

    ¡°That¡¯s the turbulent mana that you¡¯re seeing rushing around us. It must be your magicked eyes. Your brain isn¡¯t adapted to perceive of mana, so it¡¯s straining to make sense of what it¡¯s seeing.¡± Prism explained before rubbing his forehead to relieve the pain of his own headache.

    ¡°Prism! We need you in the CCC right now!¡± Ursun¡¯s telepathic voice felt like it was ripping through Prism¡¯s sore mind.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got to keep going.¡± Prism said softly to Jaik.

    ¡°I¡¯m coming to, in case you collapse.¡±

    Jaik rubbed Prism¡¯s clothed shoulder adoringly, causing Prism to cock his head and look up slowly at Jaik. Prism sensed Jaik¡¯s true feelings for him being broadcast from his magicked mind at full-power. Prism¡¯s eyes grew wide, and he even blushed. Seeing Prism¡¯s light-brown cheeks redden made Jaik smile.

    ¡°Oh, okay¡­¡± Prism said awkwardly before taking Jaik¡¯s hand off of his shoulder and looking down at the ground to avoid the young man¡¯s lovesick gaze.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s just that¡­when you disappeared, I f-¡±

    ¡°No time. Gotta go to the CCC.¡±

    Prism walked briskly past Jaik as he sensed the complicated thoughts that Jaik wanted to share aloud. Jaik was hurt by the sudden departure, but was soon following close behind Prism. Lorias¡¯ harsh words yet again replayed in Prism¡¯s head, and Prism was of the mind to agree with them given the present situation that Prism found himself in.

    ¡°He¡¯s trying to make an admission of love to me now, of all times? Doesn¡¯t he realize how we need to keep our heads focused on the mission?¡± Prism thought almost angrily to himself. ¡°I see why Lorias called us all children.¡±

    When Ursun and Theda¡¯s teams entered the Command and Control Center, they were met by Deriges and his senior staff, who were still preoccupied with the numerous calls for aid and information updates across the region of Eastern Athea. Deriges looked up from his round tactics table at the center of the room when he saw Ursun. The jolly base commander was quick to unload on him since Ursun had been ignoring his terp-comms.

    ¡°Just when our radio communications were starting to work again, a hurricane appears out of nowhere with lightning so powerful that it¡¯s causing even more EM interference. And I hear that your mysterious teammate is to blame for this and for destroying our best line of defense against invasion. What an absolute mess he¡¯s gotten into.¡±

    The room grew quiet when its inhabitants heard Deriges loud words being directed at Ursun. Ursun crossed his arms as he stood across the tactics table from the base commander. He¡¯d planned his words carefully, no longer wanting to give into his anger like he¡¯d done earlier.

    ¡°The guns were completely under enemy nanite control. They had to be destroyed or they¡¯d destroy our allies.¡± Ursun stated with complete confidence. His voice was deep and comforting. ¡°As for the storm, it delays any invasion plans our enemies might have had, giving us more time to plan out our defense, especially in light of our changing capabilities.¡±

    ¡°Funny that you should mention changes, since we¡¯re now being affected by volcanic activity beneath and around our coastline. Could that also have anything to do with the storm that¡¯s waging? You know, the storm that¡¯s keeping the hypergeneral and his air fleet grounded and stuck outside of the base?¡±

    Deriges was clearly not amused by anything that was going on, as it took away a great deal of his power over the base and its surroundings. The room shook more violently than the last time for an entire minute, which made everyone grip whatever was near to them.

    ¡°This base is supposed to be able to stay almost completely still in the event of seismic activity and explosions! Why have the springs in the walls and our supposedly ¡°flexible¡± building materials done nothing all night!?¡± Deriges yelled to his officers.

    ¡°The spring layering in the walls has been due for replacement for quite some time, sir. They¡¯ve lost a lot of their elasticity over the years. The only thing keeping the base from collapsing now is its flexible composite construction.¡± A rather intelligent-looking officer said quickly to Deriges, winning a groan and a dismissive hand gesture from his leader.

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°You mentioned volcanic activity?¡± Theda asked.

    ¡°Our base sits atop a fault line that has been relatively stable for the past century, with only occasional earthquakes. This entire region is full of faults and few underwater volcanoes, but we didn¡¯t have any volcanoes close to the coast until now. We¡¯ve just detected a major underwater subduction event only 50 kilometers to the east.¡±

    Deriges explained the crisis well, which made Leanna and Remades believe that he had a science background, like many in the Xypno gene class. Deriges showed the live findings from the base¡¯s sensors on a three-dimensional hologram of the area around Getla Base, which was projected from the table in front of him. The eight mercenaries within the room paid close attention to everything that he was saying and showing, especially Leanna.

    After the confrontation with Lorias in the stairwell, she had something to prove to herself.

    ¡°That¡¯s near where the naval fleet is amassed, isn¡¯t it?¡± Leanna asked after she approached the round rim of the hologram table.

    ¡°Yes. We have serious concerns that some of our ships will begin to lose their buoyancy and sink as the volcano that appeared there degasses the surrounding seawater.¡± Deriges¡¯ second-in-command replied.

    He was a short, older man with graying green hair. He looked like Deriges¡¯ opposite in nearly every way, being thin and mean-faced.

    ¡°Any chance of a tsunami?¡± Remades then asked.

    ¡°It seems not. The new volcano isn¡¯t erupting with enough explosive force for that. But its activity is violent enough to cause earthquakes strong enough to reach us here.¡± The second-in-command answered again.

    Jaik looked tepidly over at Prism, who¡¯d separated himself from his team by standing amongst a group of tactical officers. Jaik saw the guilt clear on Prism¡¯s face, serving as a reminder that he was in some way responsible for all of the crises being described.

    ¡°So, ¡°Magical Boy,¡± as some of my men have heard you being called, why exactly have you done all this? Surely you can reverse it?¡± Deriges boldly asked in front of the room of about thirty people.

    Prism glanced fearfully around at the faces staring back at him. Most of them desperately wanted to know what made him capable of such feats, though some of them dismissed the possibility that he had anything to do with what was transpiring. Prism looked at Ursun, whose hawkish eyes were trained on him. Prism thought that Ursun would telepathically tell him what to say, but no message came.

    After a painful pause, Prism finally opened his mouth to speak.

    ¡°This is beyond me. It¡¯s too complicated for me to stop. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±

    Prism lowered his aching head in shame while he heard the angry groans and curses begin to be uttered throughout the large room. Just when he thought he could take no more, a strange electrostatic noise began to be heard from the comms speakers set up around the CCC.

    ¡°Contact! We have contact with the highly-modified Destructor speedsub that we encountered days ago!¡±

    A panicked soldier reported over the high-priority comms before also sharing the enemy¡¯s latitude and longitude. To everyone¡¯s further shock, the ship was only a few kilometers from the coast. The speedsub sat within the blind spot of the base¡¯s cliff-cannons, right in front of the destroyed docks. An image of the surfaced submarine was displayed on monitors that lined the walls of the CCC. The portion of the vessel that they could see looked sleek and gilded. The gold portions of its exterior glowed with the familiar hallmarks of self-repairing technology, making it clear to those within the CCC that the speedsub had been outfitted with Kingdom-tech.

    ¡°What in the name of Eizavoba is that speedsub doing!?¡± Deriges shouted.

    ¡°Should we send out our own ships to intercept it?¡± The second-in-command asked Deriges.

    ¡°No, this may be another decoy. We don¡¯t know what sort of weapons that thing has. It might even have high-yield particle beam capability.¡±

    When Deriges mentioned the high-yield particle beam, the room grew quiet for a moment. Such weapons were devastating to the Conjunction and any others who attempted to oppose the Kingdom directly. There was little to no effective defense against them, as most of them tended to use muons as their particle ammunition. Powerful and practical particle weapons were too sophisticated to have yet been created outside of the Kingdom. Only the simplistic, low-yield variants found on certain Kingdom-made plasma soldiers had ever been salvaged and used, with wildly-mixed results.

    If the speedsub did have a muon beam weapon, it could kill everyone within the base regardless of how much rock and metal separated them from the sea.

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The second-in-command said to Deriges. ¡°Put our forces at sea on high-alert. Tell them to monitor the speedsub closely.¡± He then ordered a communication officer to relay to the nearby Etrysian ships and submarines.

    ¡°Dangerous.¡± Remades said softly to Testa.

    Testa solemnly nodded down to him as Risa walked over to Theda from across the hectic CCC. Risa acknowledged Ursun with a quick nod before she whispered something into Theda¡¯s ear beside him. Theda looked bewilderedly at Risa before dismissing her back over to the communication officers that Risa had been closely observing.

    Ursun was definitely intrigued by the strange exchange, but didn¡¯t express it to Theda. She knew that he was curious, nevertheless.

    ¡°They tracked the speedsub from where it had been hiding when it surfaced. Turns out that there was a deep sea cavern wide enough to travel through that ran for dozens of kilometers right into an underground cavern beneath Surmil. The sudden volcanic activity caused the tunnel to collapse, forcing the speedsub out of it and into the open sea. It has some damage that must¡¯ve come from its narrow escape.¡±

    While Theda explained what she¡¯d learned from Risa, everything began to click in Ursun¡¯s mind. The infiltrators¡¯ secret entry into Surmil and the base, seemingly from deep underground, had been explained. In his mind, Ursun imagined that the tunnel and cavern might have even been created by the very kingdom-tech that the speedsub was equipped with. If that was the case, then all of the Conjunction¡¯s coasts faced an unprecedented threat. It was that realization that made Ursun understand why Theda had freely shared the information with him.

    ¡°The Queen is escalating the world¡¯s conflict to a new stage while she sits back and watches.¡± Ursun said as he felt the anger rising in his gut.

    He was uneasy again, but he resisted his feelings.

    ¡°They were quite literally beneath our noses the entire time. And now through Prism¡¯s strange machinations, they¡¯ve been flushed out. What a night this is.¡±

    Theda shook her head at what she believed to be some great farce taking place all around her. She watched Prism leaning against a wall, consumed in thought. She needed to know what he truly was.

    She soon saw Jaik walk over to the underdressed young man, who still only wore a black t-shirt and grey briefs. She wondered how he¡¯d managed to walk so far while being barefoot, but she then realized how silly it was to wonder about that in the face of the incredible things she¡¯d seen him do.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get you back in some armor. People are starting to talk about your lack of suitable clothing.¡± Jaik said to Prism in a brotherly way. ¡°We had to incinerate your old armor since it might¡¯ve still carried some of the supervirus.¡±

    When Prism wouldn¡¯t look up from the ground or even move, Jaik placed his hand on Prism¡¯s waist. Prism¡¯s eyes shot up at Jaik when he felt the warm, sweaty hand suddenly gripping him.

    ¡°What!?¡± Prism asked with alarm.

    A few of the officers nearby stared at them when they heard Prism yelp. Jaik squeezed Prism¡¯s narrow waist and pulled him closer. Prism was at a loss for words.

    ¡°You need to put some armor on.¡± Jaik leaned down and said firmly.

    ¡°Right, you¡¯re right.¡±

    Prism nodded rapidly a few times before following Jaik out of the room and to an armory a few rooms down the hallway. Jaik had learned from the soldiers he was tending to that there was spare combat gear there, and that it was alright for Prism to wear any that fit him once he¡¯d gotten back. Jaik asked a soldier there to outfit Prism in suitable combat armor, which led to a brief exchange where the soldier commented on how young Jaik and Prism looked. After a minute of rummaging through some lockers, the soldier found something that fit Prism nicely.

    ¡°This feels quite comfortable.¡± Prism noted as he moved around in the brown and black armor that wasn¡¯t too dissimilar from his Red Wolves gear.

    The black compression under-material was light and the plated outer portions had a similar gloss to Prism¡¯s previous combat armor. The Etrysian flag was on its shoulder pauldrons; a flag of green, pink, and orange. A black line ran through the center of its three colored rectangles.

    ¡°It¡¯s not as widely-protective as our armor, but it¡¯s still pretty good.¡± Jaik said.

    He smirked when Prism began doing various stretches in it. The soldier who¡¯d retrieved the armor and helped get Prism dressed looked satisfied as well.

    ¡°It bonded to your skin quite quickly. I haven¡¯t seen it do that before.¡± The soldier commented with a chuckle.

    Prism became aware that what he thought was a cloth compression material was in fact a living layer of fibers that caressed his skin, removing its dirt and helping to regulate his temperature and oil production. The armor¡¯s plates were chitinous, and fed off of his body¡¯s ambient heat to begin further hardening itself. The combat armor was a complex organism that worked symbiotically with his own biology.

    ¡°Incredible.¡± Prism said.

    He began to feel the effects that the mana maelstrom had on his body abate. The living suit he wore gave his own physical body a greater capacity to endure and regulate external stressors. It was as if the Etrysian biocrafters had discovered a magic all their own, Prism thought.

    ¡°Get back in here. We¡¯ve got a major development happening right now.¡± Ursun¡¯s urgent voice was heard in Jaik and Prism¡¯s minds.

    The two of them ran back to the CCC, where they heard a sultry feminine voice over the comms speakers before they were even let into the room. When they did enter, they saw a seductive-looking woman with long, straight black hair being displayed on the numerous screens scattered across the room.

    She had bright-red lipstick on her small mouth, which made her heart-shaped face look even more carnal. Dyed violet strands that matched the color of her eyes ran through her hair, and bangs completely covered her forehead. Though only her head and upper chest could be seen, she appeared to be wearing a purple silk robe over a sleek black vest of body armor. She stood in a dark room with traces of gold and red lights in the background.

    ¡°Well, what is your answer?¡±

    The audio setup of the CCC made the woman sound like she was all around them at once. She spoke playfully, like she was having a good time.

    ¡°Vitenza, you¡¯ve come so far for a GMO-free woman. From mere pirate crew to captain of a Kingdom-enhanced speedsub. You¡¯re even threatening one of the mightiest bases of your homeland. My, oh my.¡±

    Deriges mocked Vitenza, who he knew a great deal about. The Etrysian military knew much about the Destructors Gang and its members, and Vitenza was indeed a rising star under the direct command of one of its most powerful leaders.

    Vitenza laughed villainously before raising up a golden hand fan and opening it dramatically with a flick of her wrist. She began to wave the large fan near her head, making her shiny black hair move back and forth.

    ¡°Former homeland. I disowned Etrysia a long time ago. But that is a mere distraction, you silly little man. As I said, I will destroy your base unless you give up the man you call Prism to my associate, who some of you very nearly killed.¡±

    When he heard her demand, Prism felt his heart nearly stop. He and everyone within that room finally understood the motive of all the sabotage and death that their enemies had wrought that night. Prism¡¯s guilt reached new heights when he saw several people look over at him. Their intentions were clear as day on their faces; they wanted to hand Prism over to her.

    ¡°My associate will return to your base with a sedative that will be given to the alien. Once the alien is unconscious, my associate will then carry the alien to a small boat that will ferry them back to my ship. We will then be on our wonderful way back to Vadam where the Queen¡¯s resident constable will deliver the alien back to the Queen¡¯s anxious arms. You will keep your tired old base and we will leave you to your miserable little lives.¡±

    Vitenza giggled after she told them her demands. Deriges stared up at the screen above him with a blithe grin that belied his derision for her. The room became deathly quiet as they all eagerly awaited Deriges next response.

 Chapter 38 - Conspire

    "I''ll need twenty minutes to think about it." Deriges said punctiliously as he stared into the large tilted display screen above him, which both received and transmitted images and audio simultaneously.

    "You have ten, and not a minute more. I''ll be looking forward to your favorable reply." Vitenza said with an impish open-mouthed wink before terminating their connection.

    The screens around the CCC grew black and the room again grew silent. A small quake could be felt for a moment, as if the ground was clearing its throat.

    "Our jellymines didn''t even detect their speedsub. Why am I not surprised? These Destructors have avoided all of our countermeasures so far. Hell, our gene-gates may as well be elaborate air conditioners to them." Deriges turned to his second-in-command and said loudly in a facetious tone. "Get me probable outcomes of both decisions, countermeasures to those outcomes, and all analytics regarding that ship. I need it all in the next five minutes, people!" Deriges yelled to the officers around the room.

    His tactical officers got to work around the room''s glowing tabletops devising strategies and writing up the reports that their commander asked for. Theda and Ursun''s teams looked empathetically at Prism, who was numb to his surroundings. He felt a small bit of solace that Deriges hadn''t simply agreed to Vitenza''s demands, but he knew that the option was still on the table in the rational mind of Getla Base''s cheery commander.

    Ursun walked over to Deriges'' side to make a case for keeping Prism out of the Queen''s hands. Deriges first asked about the condition of the border guns, and if any were still salvageable.

    ¡°None of their barrels are intact, and there still might be nanites floating around in what¡¯s left of their fire control systems.¡± Ursun explained.

    ¡°Hmm, then I guess it¡¯s prudent to continue to suppress their healing functions. It¡¯d be stupid to have some of them become functional just to be taken over by the enemy again.¡± Deriges said to himself before allowing Ursun to discuss Prism with him for a minute or so.

    Leanna approached Remades to talk over technical ideas that could potentially help them survive an attack from the speedsub. They started by getting the technical specifications of the base¡¯s construction, which Deriges allowed given the extreme circumstances they were all in.

    The underground portion of the base, where most of its personnel were stationed, had several meters of protective material that could provide some degree of shielding against various forms of radiation and a number of directed energy and particle attacks. As the use of high-yield particle weapons was very rare, being reserved mainly to the defense of the Kingdom¡¯s borders, Getla Base¡¯s shielding was untested against such weapons.

    Leanna and Remades¡¯ knowledge of the Kingdom¡¯s particle weapons came mainly from the scans and performance data that Conjunction forces had gathered from their attempted incursions into the three continents that made up the Kingdom. With its hyper-efficient infrastructure that connected every part of its territory, the Kingdom had created several dozen large particle cannons that provided an almost-absolute defense against invasion. The high-yield particle cannons sat on raised platforms that dotted the Kingdom¡¯s borders, neutralizing any unapproved vessels that tried to enter their boundaries. It had, in fact, been the inspiration for Gnapp¡¯s laserlith defense system.

    ¡°I find that this base¡¯s shielding might in fact mitigate a fair amount of the high-energy particles that might be directed at us, perhaps even if those particles happen to be muons.¡± Remades said to Leanna and the analysts that they conferred with in their designated corner of the CCC.

    The area consisted of several smaller bio-computer consoles on well-lit work desks that were segmented four ways for easier collaboration. There were five such desks in the analytics corner of the room, one of which was surrounded by four others. Leanna and Remades sat at the central desk, surrounded by four other analysts.

    ¡°The biggest issue will be the frequency of the speedsub¡¯s particle beam. If it can sustain the beam for a significant amount of time, then our shielding will fail, and we¡¯ll be cooked in here.¡± Leanna reasoned aloud before they all broke out into a fast, spirited discussion.

    Theda called Testa and Risa over to her and gave them a set of secret orders that would act as a sort of contingency plan. Testa and Risa then left the room in a hurry, though few people seemed to notice.

    While everyone else was strategizing, Jaik gripped Prism''s shoulder and gave it a light, reassuring squeeze.

    "You can leave this world whenever you want. Why stay and deal with all of this?" Jaik leaned over and asked Prism.

    There was a tinge of anger in Jaik''s voice. He looked around contemptuously at the room full of people who seemed eager to give Prism up.

    "I made a promise to you and your people." Prism said quietly but adamantly. "Perhaps giving myself over to them would be my best and fastest way to get to the Queen directly." Prism pondered aloud with a far-away gaze.

    "That''s suicide. There''s no way the Queen is going to let you live after you''ve shown how powerful you are. They''ll sedate you and then kill you once you''re on their ship." Jaik spoke with absolute certainty. "The only reason they want to bring you aboard their ship is so they don''t damage your body with radiation. I''m sure the Queen will want you in as good a condition as possible for her research."

    Jaik''s words were enough to give Prism further pause. He wasn''t sure if Jaik was right, but Prism also wasn''t sure if he could fool the Destructors into thinking he was actually sedated long enough to get on their ship and strike back. The Destructors had proven to be quite ingenious in their planning, and it seemed to Prism that they would do all in their power to achieve their goals.

    The room shook as another tremor began to make its way through the coastline. Jaik grabbed Prism and held him close until the quake subsided a few seconds later. Prism looked at Jaik''s face and noticed how strong it suddenly looked. For the first time, Prism felt as if he could tell Jaik the other reason why he stayed on ?ba; the reason that compelled Prism more than any other. As Jaik looked warmly down at Prism, Prism cleared his throat and began to speak.

    "She needs to die for all the atrocities that she''s committed, and for those that she will continue to commit. I''ve seen beings like her turn their worlds into industrial wastelands that serve only to spread their evil across the entirety of existence. If she were to unlock the secrets of my body, she''d have all she needed to do that and far worse."

    Jaik watched how Prism''s youthful face became hard and tormented while he spoke. A shiver ran down Jaik''s spine when he saw that side of Prism; a side that belied the vast scope of Prism''s life and the suffering that he''d endured over the span of it.

    "I''m assuming you mean the Queen?" Jaik said in an attempt to bring some levity to the situation.

    Prism glanced up at Jaik and scoffed at his lack of seriousness. The Elementeitan moved away from the young man, taking Jaik''s hairy hands off of his shoulders before turning his back to him. Jaik apologized for the misstep, quickly understanding that Prism was not at all in the mood for silliness.

    "I don''t want you to think I''m incapable of taking things seriously. I was just tryi-"

    "Just stop. There are more important things for us to worry about."

    Jaik reeled from the Prism¡¯s sudden coldness towards him. Jaik silently nodded down at Prism so that his words couldn''t disappoint him again.

    "Option 1." Deriges yelled while holding up a sheet of beige paper that his tacticians had handed him. "We give up Prism, hope that Vitenza is true to her word, and maybe live to fight another day. Likely Outcome: We hand over our alien friend to the one person on ?ba who could use him to do the most harm to everyone. Vitenza irradiates the base anyway, and we all die.

    Deriges smacked the paper down and then picked up another one from the table in front of him. Everyone looked at him, their eyes transfixed as though they were watching a stage performance.

    "Option 2. We deny her request and call her bluff as to her ability to neutralize all of us. Likely Outcome: The base is irradiated and a few of our ships still on the coast sacrifice themselves to sink the speedsub.

    Deriges dropped his eyes from the paper and looked around the room for a few seconds, further upping the drama. He leaned over and picked up another piece of paper, cleared his throat loudly, then read from it.

    "Option 3. We trick her associate into believing that he has Prism. We then use that opportunity to sneak a team aboard the speedsub and neutralize it while preparing to mount an attack on the enemy ship in the event that the team fails. Likely Outcome: Potentially the same as Option 2, though success would mean the opportunity to salvage some significant tech if we can prevent it from self-destructing."

    Deriges lowered the paper and looked directly at Prism, as if asking something of him. Prism''s eyes narrowed at the middle-aged man, irritated by the unneeded theatrics. Deriges then lowered his eyes onto another paper that sat on the table before him.

    "Our scans of the speedsub indicate a high likelihood that it can produce the power necessary to create a high-energy particle beam. Structures on its hull are indicative of particle beam capability, though those structures could also serve as a sort of directed-energy tunneling system, in theory. I will assume that it can do both. Therefore, I''m advocating for Option 3." Deriges said.

    Prism was surprised to hear many sounds of relief being voiced throughout the room. It was only then that he began to question whether he was correct in his assumptions that the soldiers wanted to be rid of him. He had the urge to listen to the murmurings of their minds, but thought better of it. It would be difficult for him to do so while keeping what he heard a secret from the telepathic link he already shared with his teammates.

    "Are you capable of duping Vitenza''s associate, Prism?" Deriges asked Prism loudly.

    "Yes. I can fool his mind and any recording equipment he might have into thinking that he is sedating me and carrying me off." Prism explained calmly. "I''ll just need some sort of facsimile of a human body."

    "That''s quite something." The second-in-command said aloud with a rub of his gray-bearded chin.

    "It sure is. Prepare to do that. Someone get him a first aid mannequin from storage. I''ll tell Vitenza that we''ll meet her demands. You have two minutes to come up with a plan and share it with me." Deriges said with a happy nod to Prism.

    While Deriges prepared to hail Vitenza over laser, Prism began to hear some of the soldiers near to him whispering things about him. He heard them mention Eizavoba, and how he was potentially the "real" third coming of the religious figure. One of the soldiers used Prism''s lightning attack on the border guns as proof of Prism¡¯s divinity, quoting some sort of religious text that Prism was unfamiliar with. Prism was intrigued by the hushed conversation, but he was forced to draw his attention back to the task at hand when Ursun walked over to him.

    "You''re going to have the lives of everyone on this base in your hands. Can you really do this?" Ursun asked Prism aloud.

    "I can. I¡¯m focused and I''m ready." Prism said convincingly. "And this suit is helping me cope with the turbulent mana."

    "Good. You, me, Srell, and Lorias will be the team going to the speedsub. We''re all prepared to deal with the effects of unsyncing and resyncing, just as long as you keep us alive." Ursun explained.

    "I honestly can''t do that anymore. When I absorbed your planet''s mana and incorporated it into myself, I lost the ability to use that sort of magic. One of the rules of your world that I''m now forced to obey, I''m afraid." Prism shrugged.

    "What''s the alternative?"

    Ursun tried not to sound too upset. Losing the perfect stealth that unsyncing provided was a real strategic blow to their team, even if it had almost killed all of them the last time Prism had used it. Ursun had figured that Prism could simply learn to use the magic more safely.

    "The scanners the speedsub use detect light, heat, sound, and motion, right?" Prism asked.

    "Yes, primarily." Ursun nodded. "The Kingdom-tech makes it hard to be sure."

    "Do you think it can completely ground a lightning strike?" Prism then asked after a brief pensive pause.

    "It would have a comprehensive lightning protection system, so probably. But if the lightning was to strike one of its sensor masts and ignore everything else, the electricity would probably still reach their equipment within the ship itself." Ursun reasoned as he spoke, intrigued by what he figured Prism was proposing. "Are you going to wield lightning again to disable the speedsub?"

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "Sort of. I can''t manipulate the storm without making it worse, not even a little. But what I can do is turn myself into pure electricity again via the base¡¯s restored bio-system. I''ll send myself through the nerve-grid, shoot myself into the atmosphere from an antenna I saw on the base''s exterior walls, and then strike the speedsub as a bolt of lightning. I''ll be able to travel through its circuitry and potentially disable its weapons before I rematerialize." Prism explained simply.

    "That''s...far too much risk." Jaik said.

    He''d been standing near the both of them, though he''d kept his mouth shut to avoid their ire. Prism and Ursun glanced at Jaik, who leaned against a wall shyly without saying another word.

    "Well? What is the risk, exactly?" Ursun asked loudly, irritated by Jaik''s fear-fueled lack of explanation.

    "Prism keeps talking about how dangerous all of this "turbulent mana" is to him and his own magic. How can he be sure that it won''t affect him while he''s pure energy? Surely his Etrysian combat suit won¡¯t come into play when it¡¯s transformed into electrons, too. Also, the speedsub''s upgrades will surely allow the ship to neutralize any harm that it would normally incur from lightning strikes. The gold components of its kingdom-tech are highly-conductive, but they''ll also be able to redistribute the electricity into its self-repairing functions, thereby accelerating the speedsub''s repairs. If that happens to Prism while he''s in that state..." Jaik spoke as quickly as he could.

    "Then my electrons will be converted into shipbuilding materials faster than I can rematerialize, effectively killing me. Prism finished Jaik¡¯s sentence. ¡°It¡¯s a risk that I''ll have to take. We don''t have time to argue about this."

    "How will you let us know that you''ve been successful, in case our telepathic link is severed?" Ursun asked.

    "I''ll make a section of the speedsub explode. That should be obvious enough." Prism imitated a large explosion with a gesture of his hands.

    "And how will you get back to us?" Jaik asked with so much solicitude that Prism nearly shuddered.

    "I''ll fly back. I''ll find my way off the ship and I''ll fly back."

    Prism didn''t sound too convincing, but Jaik knew that he couldn''t stop him from going. Ursun sensed something odd between the two of them, but he didn''t have the luxury of psychoanalyzing them at the time.

    "What''s your plan? The clock is ticking." Deriges shouted over to the trio while a soldier brought in a simplistic-looking life-sized mannequin used to train people in CPR and simple first aid.

    Ursun held up his finger at Deriges and said, "Just a few more seconds" before he put his big freckled right hand on Prism''s shoulder and leaned in close to him.

    "I can do this." Prism said before Ursun could ask the question one last time.

    "Good kid." Ursun said contently before walking over to Deriges and explaining what they''d decided.

    Deriges eyes grew wide with excitement as he heard the strange plan. When Ursun was done speaking, the base commander smiled and said, "They''ll definitely think he''s either the real Third Coming or Daman after this!" giddily to Ursun. Ursun chuckled and nodded his agreement before both of the men became more serious again.

    "I''m accepting your proposed plan. Do what you need to do with this dummy and then head to my quarters to start your mission." Deriges said directly to Prism.

    "Yes, sir." Prism replied respectively.

    ¡°And before I forget, could you rid the border guns of the inactive nanites within their fire control systems before you¡­¡±depart¡± the base?¡± Deriges asked Prism with an expectant tilt of his head.

    ¡°It¡¯ll take some extra time, but I¡¯ll try. It¡¯ll be a lot easier to do if the nanites really are dormant.¡± Prism replied sheepishly.

    Deriges nodded his head slowly before gesturing for Prism to begin his preparations. All eyes were on him yet again as Prism walked over to the tan-skinned first-aid dummy that had been laid on an otherwise empty section of floor beside the central tactics table. He got onto his knees beside the supine effigy and held his hands flat over it. Prism''s eyes glowed blue while he began to run his fingertips over the surface of the male-bodied silicone mannequin. He was surprised by how life-like it felt, even as he traced his forefinger over the outline of its lips.

    Prism¡¯s fingers moved in intricate patterns all along the artificial body while he kneeled over it and chanted long verses of an ancient and alien tongue. The mannequin was soon glowing with a warm blue light. Seconds later, all of the signifiers of the mannequin''s artificial nature faded away and its bodily features shifted to resemble those of Prism''s. The blue light faded from the body, and what was left was a perfect replica of Prism lying on the floor. As a finishing touch, Prism conjured a set of simple clothing on the replica''s body; a black t-shit and grey sweatpants.

    "A miracle..." Prism heard an officer whisper loudly nearby, followed by several other murmurs that he couldn''t pay attention to.

    Prism leaned down and pressed his lips against the lips of the facsimile he''d created. Prism breathed air into the copy''s mouth, suffusing it with a portion of his own essence. When Prism raised his head, he gripped the copy''s bald head with his right hand and rubbed his thumb along its forehead.

    "Awaken." Prism''s magicked voice echoed slightly.

    The magical clone opened its eyes and soon sat itself up on the floor. Prism looked pleased by what he''d done, and rose to his feet. He offered his hand to the clone, which took it and stood up beside Prism. Prism then looked over at Deriges, having the clone do the same.

    "We''re ready." Prism and the clone said simultaneously.

    "Amazing, simply amazing!" Deriges said while clapping his hands together in applause for a short time. "Is he truly alive?"

    "No, it''s just an elaborate illusion. It has enough of my mind in it to act and sound like me, but it is merely a temporary construct that will last long enough to be brought to the speedsub." Prism happily explained.

    "And after that, it will simply become a first aid mannequin again?" Deriges'' second-in-command asked.

    "Right. But for now, it''ll act and respond in all the ways I would, once I leave it on its own. It''ll bleed, cry, and be injured in all the ways that a living being would." Prism further clarified.

    "Alright then, be off. I''ll hail Vitenza the moment you''ve left the room." Deriges shooed Prism away with a hand gesture.

    With a curt nod to the base commander and a last glance at his teammates, Prism was escorted out of the CCC by a white-uniformed Etrysian officer. When Jaik tried to follow him out, Ursun put his meaty left hand on Jaik''s chest to stop him.

    "We need you here so that things don''t look suspicious. You''re the team''s medic, after all. We''re going to need you to act torn up about all this when Vitenza¡¯s ¡°associate¡± arrives."

    Ursun''s words were firm and rational, which Jaik understood. But as the young doctor looked at the fake Prism standing idly with a blank expression a few meters away, Jaik couldn''t help but feel conflicted by the entire situation.

    "I''ll go check on its vitals, see how convincing it really is." Jaik said to Ursun before withdrawing his medscanner and walking over to the facsimile.

    Prism felt Jaik¡¯s heartache claw at his mind from across the room as the CCC''s large metal doors slid closed behind him. It was as if the young man was wielding his emotions in the same way that Prism slung spells. Prism found Jaik¡¯s magical condition increasingly irritating, but still did not dare to rid Jaik of it.

    ¡°Please, keep your feelings in check, Jaik. It isn¡¯t appropriate to force them on me like this, especially during a mission.¡± Prism communicated privately to Jaik telepathically.

    ¡°So it¡¯s working, then. Sorry, I¡¯m being childish. I¡¯ll give you your space. Please, be as safe as you can out there.¡± Jaik said before closing his mind to Prism.

    Prism shook his head and smirked at the admission. He knew that Jaik was right to worry about the multitude of risks he''d face on his latest mission, but Prism didn''t like Jaik¡¯s attempts at manipulation. He couldn''t be too hard on Jaik, however, as Prism knew that Jaik was practically too young to completely control himself.

    "His brain isn''t fully-developed yet." Prism thought to himself while he walked down the hallway to Deriges'' quarters.

    Mere moments later, Deriges initiated laser communications with the speedsub. Vitenza''s alluring face appeared on most of the CCC''s monitors, though only the monitor above Deriges and across from his hologram-projecting tactical table actually transmitted visuals to their enemy.

    Vitenza could only see Deriges on her screens, and Deriges could only see Vitenza on his.

    "I hope that you''ve decided to resist us so that I can irradiate all of you." Vitenza said with a cloying smile.

    "Sorry to disappoint, but we''re handing the alien over to you." Deriges replied with a smile of his own.

    "Are you, now?" Vitenza said with a loud flick of her golden fan. She used it to cover the bottom part of her face, showing only her slight, dark eyes. "Then I suppose all of you can live."

    "How merciful of you." Deriges said sarcastically.

    "I''ll be sending my associate Rhonan to your base. He knows his way around, so he won''t be needing an escort. He''s the strong, silent type, so I know that I can rely on him. But I''ll be monitoring his every movement just in case, so don''t try anything. If you harm him in any way, I''ll flood the area with so much radiation on our way out of here that this region will be uninhabitable for the next century."

    Vitenza''s threat disturbed everyone in the CCC, but Deriges simply shook his head at her. He saw her as completely and utterly ridiculous.

    There were rules against such kinds of warfare; rules that were upheld ironically enough by the Queen herself. But given the fact that Vitenza¡¯s speedsub could have only been outfitted by the Kingdom, Deriges and the others couldn¡¯t be sure if the Queen had permitted such atrocities to be committed with her technology. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time that ?ba¡¯s sole monarch had shirked her own Rules of War to wipe out an entire region, though she¡¯d only done such a thing twice during the Centuries-Long War.

    Fortunately for Surmil, its civilians had been evacuated to the central region of Athea, which was over a hundred kilometers away.

    "If that''s all, then I would very much like us to get started. The sooner this ugly affair is behind us, the better." Deriges said in a stately way while looking away from the screen haughtily.

    ¡°Aww, you¡¯re no fun.¡± Vitenza said with a giggle. She then turned away from her screen, looked askance at it, and said ¡°he¡¯s on his way¡± as seriously as she could before her visual feed cut to black.

    ¡°Phew. Alright, things are set into motion now. I want what is left of our visual feeds to show me this Rhonan guy¡¯s entry into the base and his trek through it. Leave human eyes on him as often as it is possible, but do not antagonize him in any way.¡± Deriges began rattling off to his command team within the room. ¡°And you mercs make whatever preparations that you need to before he gets here.¡±

    ¡°He sure can be quite authoritative when he wants to be.¡± Srell said cheekily to Lorias.

    "He knows how to keep the morale of his soldiers up, even in a dire situation like this. There''s a reason that he''s seen as one of the most capable base commanders of our age." Lorias stated plainly.

    The two of them had been commenting on all that had transpired around them since returning to the room. They''d always managed to find entertainment in their idle hours, even if it was merely the goings-on of their allies.

    Lorias'' eyes watched Jaik examining the facsimile of Prism, focusing on how the facsimile responded to each of Jaik''s actions. Srell noticed Lorias'' fixation, and said nothing as to not interrupt him. They both watched Jaik begin speaking to the facsimile, curious as to how it would respond.

    "What is your name?" Jaik asked the facsimile of Prism.

    "Prism." It replied in a familiar voice; Prism''s voice.

    "Are you prepared to sacrifice yourself to save all of our lives?" Jaik asked rather seriously.

    "Of course. I''ll do whatever it takes to keep all of you safe." The facsimile said almost happily.

    Jaik nodded quietly, allowing himself to be satisfied with his findings. He walked over to Ursun and explained what he''d learned. Ursun, too, was satisfied when Jaik informed him that the facsimile passed every medical scan and simple test that Jaik had managed to perform.

    "Now we wait." Ursun said calmly.

    As he was making his way to Deriges to discuss their plans in more detail, Ursun saw Leanna approach him from the analytics section of the room. From the eager look on her face, he knew that she had something important to share with him.

    ¡°Sir, it may be possible that the speedsub''s damage is a lot more extensive than we initially thought. It might not even have the ability to submerge anymore, let alone fire a high-energy particle weapon." Leanna said with several flamboyant explanatory hand gestures.

    "What makes you think that?" Ursun urged her on.

    "The analysts have been getting a lot of sensor data over the past few minutes, too much to properly analyze in such a short amount of time. But running the data through my and Remades'' dronepacks gave us the extra computing power we needed." Leanna began explaining.

    Ursun looked over at Theda on the other side of the room and saw Remades speaking to her with the same sort of frenetic energy that Leanna had. Ursun then turned his attention back to Leanna.

    "The gashes that we''ve found all over the speedsub''s hull show that they narrowly escaped from the tunnels that collapsed after the increased seismic activity began. Several of those gashes are deep enough to reach into areas where critical systems are usually contained within Destructor speedsubs. Even with the Kingdom-tech modifications, we doubt that the overall structure of the ship has changed. Therefore, we can assume with a high likelihood that their speedsub is essentially dead in the water." Leanna''s hazel eyes seemed to gleam with pride at her findings.

    "How does this change the risk of them using a particle weapon on us?" Ursun asked.

    "That''s a little more complicated. From our measurements, the speedsub actually seems to be sinking at a very low rate. Its hull damage is so significant that the ship is still taking on water, even with its self-repairing systems still active. We know that high-yield, high-energy particle weapons require incredibly sophisticated power systems. And from the radiant energy that is coming off of that speedsub, we can be pretty sure that one or more of their fusion reactors are breached and have lost plasma confinement. If they tried to fire a muon beam at us, they''d probably completely lose power before their beam even reached us." Leanna spoke rapidly, though Ursun was able to follow her.

    She''d always been impressed with his technical knowledge. It was rare that Ursun didn''t understand something that Leanna explained to him, and he''d even taught her a few things about Kingdom technology in their year of working together. Bighead and Gnapp had taught him well, she thought.

    "It looks like the analysts are telling Deriges the same information. This doesn''t change much though, since we can''t verify these findings. Nor do we have time. The risk is still too high to get this wrong." Ursun said while watching several analyst soldiers show Deriges papers detailing what they''d discovered with Remades and Leanna''s help.

    "But sir! We could very well be risking Prism''s life unnecessarily! If he is captured, we''ll b-"

    He raised his right brow at her, lifted up his chin, and crossed his arms.

    ¡°Questioning my judgment again, Leanna?¡± He said gruffly.

    ¡°No sir, I just¡­¡±

    ¡°You just what?¡± He interjected.

    ¡°I just want us to make the best decision possible.¡± She said with a raised voice.

    "We all want that. But we have to make sure that we are doing all we can to mitigate the worst outcomes that are still likely. Your findings are hopeful, but they aren''t conclusive enough to take the outcomes that Deriges outlined off of the table." Ursun said thoughtfully.

    Ursun¡¯s words made sense to Leanna, and she nodded to him apologetically.

    "I''ll see if we can''t fine-tune the sensors enough to get more conclusive data." Leanna said while looking respectfully into Ursun''s eyes.

    "I''m counting on you." Ursun nodded to her gratefully.

    She went back over to the table where a group of analyst soldiers were still working and got back to work herself. She was soon joined again by Remades and the soldiers who''d consulted Deriges. They''d all had similar rebuttals from their leaders.

    ¡°Good, she¡¯s back at it.¡± Lorias said with a satisfied nod after observing the exchange between Leanna and Ursun.

    ¡°As should we.¡± Srell said quietly.

    "We''ll have plenty to do soon, I''m sure. This is the calm before the metaphorical storm still to come."

    Srell gripped his PAW hard after hearing Lorias'' prediction. In all the years he''d worked alongside Lorias, Srell had almost never seen Lorias get things wrong. It was part of the reason why he''d always respected his blonde friend''s judgment, even when it seemed devoid of optimism.

    Moments later, Deriges¡¯ second-in-command informed the room that Rhonan was a minute out from the CCC. They watched the live camera feed on the room''s screens that showed him walking menacingly down the brown hallways leading there. He walked with a swagger that made him look both tough and confident.

    ¡°Looks like he got a new suit and gloves. Arrogant bastard kept his mask off, though.¡± Srell said contemptuously.

    When Rhonan was let into the CCC, everyone took note of his large, empty brown eyes. Those undecipherable eyes looked out at them, sizing them all up. He looked like a muscular machine that was incapable of feeling or thought, especially while he wore the skintight silver suit. His body was built like a brick, and his short hair mirrored the style of the soldiers that got out of his way when he walked straight over to the facsimile of Prism.

    After looking the facsimile up and down, Rhonan stared into its eyes while he withdrew a transdermer from a sleek silver gear belt that wrapped around his wide waist. He placed a vial of glowing pink liquid into it, which made a satisfying clicking noise. He then shook the transdermer a few times before holding it up near the facsimile¡¯s neck.

    "This isn''t right!" Jaik yelled, his anger more real than he thought it should be.

    Rhonan let out a low, throaty chuckle and looked over at Jaik deridingly. Jaik felt his fists tighten as hate overwhelmed his senses. Ursun once again put a hand on Jaik''s chest to stop him from acting out any further.

    "Are you Prism?" Rhonan asked after he turned his attention back to his task.

    "I am." The facsimile said convincingly.

    With a believing nod, Rhonan put the transdermer on the skin of the facsimile¡¯s neck and pressed his hand on the transdermer''s touch-sensitive handle. The pink-liquid contained within its vial was pumped into the facsimiles¡¯ temporary bloodstream, causing the facsimile to fall unconscious. Rhonan grabbed the much-smaller alien in his thick arms and slung him over his shoulder, just as Jaik had carried Prism out of the lab where they''d found him months earlier.

    "We''re good. I''m on my way back." Rhonan said aloud, communicating through a device that rested on the roof of his mouth.

    "Be cautious. We just got struck by lightning. They may be up to something." A man said over Rhonan''s mouth comms.

    Rhonan''s mouthpiece allowed him to hear via the conduction of sound waves through the bones of his mouth. It worked in a similar way to the Conjunction forces'' ear clasps, though the mouthpiece had several other functions that made it far more sophisticated.

    Rhonan glanced around the CCC, looking out for any obvious tells. He was suspicious of the anxious faces he observed, but not enough to dissuade him from continuing his mission. He walked out of the room and made his way down the hall he''d come through until he was out of the command portion of the base. It was then that the people within the CCC allowed themselves to resume their preparations.

    "Any sign of Prism''s presence on that speedsub? Rhonan looked spooked for a moment, so that gives me hope." Deriges yelled to his analysts and tactical officers.

    "The enemy ship was struck by lightning when Rhonan entered the CCC, sir. We estimate that the strike was about 800 million volts and about 80000 amps. We then observed a marked increase in the temperature of the waters around the speedsub, which is to be expected from a lightning strike of such high voltage and amperage." A young male analyst reported loudly to Deriges from his console.

    "Is that a yes?" Deriges asked cheekily.

    His second-in-command looked sternly at the young analyst, who nearly cowed before the pressure.

    "It''s inconclusive, sir. The speedsub is still holding its position with no significant changes in its appearance or output." The young analyst replied.

    "Continue monitoring the condition of the speedsub. Inform me of any changes to it. And I want to know if our border guns are free of nanites. Also, before I forget, check on the status of the slain Sguvan cyborg. I want her body retrieved and examined as soon as possible." Deriges ordered in quick succession.

    While his officers got to work on his orders, Deriges hailed Hypergeneral Aksos via laser to update him on what was going on. Leanna and Remades labored to find conclusive proof that the speedsub was incapable of doing much more than float while its systems struggled to repair its extensive damage. Ursun spoke to Theda about Risa and Testa¡¯s mysterious disappearance, while Lorias and Srell met with the Titian¡¯s pilots in the Command Mess to discuss all that had happened over a quick, late dinner.

    With the clock still ticking until their enemies discovered their deception, the night continued to seem like a fever dream to the soldiers who''d witnessed one unbelievable thing after another. One word kept being uttered in hushed tones throughout the base as news spread about Prism''s incredible acts. It was a word that most Etrysians dismissed outright, claiming it to be a vestige of the Old World. But many who no longer believed in the word still used it, if only to curse or exclaim in some dramatic fashion.

    "Eizavoba," some said. "Eizavoba has returned."

 Chapter 39 - Shadow

    While Rhonan walked through the underground hallways of Getla Base with his facsimile, Prism was discreetly navigating the intricate structure of the speedsub''s circuitry. In fact, he''d quickly become lost in it.

    Moving through the biological systems of a nerve-grid in a form of pure electricity was simple and seamless to Prism, especially since the nerves he¡¯d traveled through were thick and high-capacity. But zipping through the billions of switches on the nano-scale architecture of the speedsub¡¯s electronics disoriented Prism. He did his best to keep his sense of self while the billions of electrons that made up his form were being split and sometimes transduced.

    Prism had known that traveling through such a sophisticated maze of technology could lead to his death, yet he took solace in the fact that the Queen would never get his body if his electrical form was subsumed by the machine.

    ¡°Got to¡­get out of here!¡±

    Prism formed one last coherent thought before he connected to a less complex set of circuits that offered him an escape. He released his electrons from a wall full of outlets that were a part of the speedsub¡¯s original Destructor machinery. Arcs of plasma shot from the metal sockets and convalesced into Prism¡¯s humanoid body. He fell to his knees once his transformation was complete, feeling an intense weakness in his body. His mind was quiet, and he realized that his telepathic connection with his team had been severed.

    As he looked over himself to check his condition, Prism noticed large holes in the skintight sections of the living body armor that he was wearing. He sighed gratefully upon realizing that he¡¯d unknowingly sacrificed portions of the suit to make sure that his own body rematerialized fully. The lethargy he felt was caused by two things: losing a variety of nutrients from the materialization process, and the suit repairing itself with energy from his malnourished cells.

    He¡¯d lost all the excess mana he¡¯d absorbed from the base¡¯s bio-system, which he¡¯d used to assume his electrical form. Gathering mana on the speedsub was like breathing acidic air that burned his skin and his lungs. Prism had no choice but to do so, however. He paced himself, only absorbing small amounts until his body was healthy enough to function somewhat normally.

    Prism weakly raised his head and looked around the room he was in. It was dark and cold with several pipes and bundles of wires running along its walls. The floor was hard and almost icy on the parts of his legs that were exposed to the elements. There was a burning smell that came from the sockets he¡¯d flowed through. The room was no bigger than a walk-in closet and its messy layout made Prism belief that it hadn¡¯t been entered in a long time. The lights overhead flickered a few times before shutting off again.

    Prism rose to his feet and approached the closed watertight door only a meter from him. He became lightheaded, still weak and disoriented, but he reminded himself that time was of the essence. The ship rocked from the rough seas outside, which made Prism feel a bit queasy as well. It seemed like everything was working against him.

    Despite trying to steel himself and push forward, he fell over and had to crawl to the door. He realized that the muscles of his legs were especially malnourished, causing them to spasm when he tried to use them. He pulled himself up along the door¡¯s ribbed surface and looked out of its cloudy circular window. He soon saw that the narrow corridor outside was dark as well.

    His ability to see in near total darkness allowed him to make out his surroundings regardless. He could hear hurried footsteps approaching, and he leaned over to avoid being seen. Two men with head-mounted flashlights ran by, ignoring the room Prism was in. Seconds after, the ship began to vibrate slightly before a voice crackled over a damaged intercom system.

    ¡°S-3F3 Orange, I repeat, S-3F3 Orange.¡±

    The voice was that of an older man, low and calm, though Prism wasn¡¯t sure if it was automated or not. It was in a code that Prism didn¡¯t understand, but he reasoned that it was most likely reporting a fire. He¡¯d encountered a lot of disabled circuitry as he¡¯d tried to find the weapons systems, so Prism knew that the ship was extensively damaged.

    As the holes in his suit sealed themselves, Prism¡¯s enhanced senses returned to him. No longer overwhelmed by the storm, Prism detected the presence of each person within five meters. He sensed a few men on the deck above him, and a few frantically moving out of his range on the level he was on. He¡¯d gained an understanding of the speedsub¡¯s layout while within its computer systems, but he still needed time to figure out exactly where he was.

    For a ship that was 100 meters long and had an internal height and width of 10 meters each, the speedsub was condensed enough for Prism to be almost completely aware of his surroundings. Prism felt safe in moving through the speedsub while avoiding its crew. He was sure that any internal sensors they had were being used to detect damage, not unidentified personnel.

    Prism slowly turned the long metal handles of the heavy round metal door until he felt the door shift slightly. He then pushed it open quickly and stepped out into the metal corridor. It was barely wide enough to contain two men side-by-side, but it was incredibly clean despite the condition of the ship. Prism began walking down the corridor, getting his bearings as he moved. It soon became clear to him that he was in a largely unmodified portion of the speedsub near its aft, or rear section.

    He walked further towards the aft, staggering every few steps due to his shaky legs. He moved away from the center of the ship where Vitenza and her command were, as he wasn''t foolish enough to face them head on while in his sorry state. He approached the ship¡¯s primary fusion reactor and quickly sensed how empty the area was.

    The door leading to the reactor section was sealed shut, though beside it was a ladder leading to the upper level. Prism used what little mana he could to stretch his perception beyond the sealed door, peering inside. He saw that the reactor was inactive due to a small perforation in its plasma confinement chamber, which was a much larger gash on the hull itself. There was a pool of water at the bottom of the chamber, though any leak had been since sealed.

    Prism had a basic understanding of fusion power and other high-tech concepts, but he was not an engineer. He wasn''t sure if the particle weapon could still be used with the single fusion reactor that was still in operation aboard the vessel on its bow, or front side. He shook his head angrily while he wished that he could consult with Leanna or Jaik.

    "I need to keep moving." Prism said to himself.

    He looked determinedly over at the ladder and made his way up it, struggling to keep his grip since his strength had not yet returned to him. On the upper level, there were far more Destructors walking around. Each of the thuggish men was armed with machine pistols, ready to kill any forces that attempted to board their ship. Vitenza knew that it was possible for Getla Base to realize how damaged her speedsub was, so she''d prepared for a possible attack. However, they were still dedicating much of their manpower to stabilizing the ship.

    Prism cast a simple spell to keep himself cloaked in darkness while he crouched along the shadowy ground around his enemies. It wasn''t true invisibility, but it was a far easier spell to maintain. When the lights suddenly became bright for a moment, Prism''s magical darkness faded slightly, revealing the outline of this body. One of the Destructors who''d been looking in his direction dismissed the sight as a hallucination brought on by sleep deprivation, much to Prism''s relief.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    After a few minutes of slinking about towards the ship''s bow, Prism found himself outside the door to the control room. Two burly men stood guard on either side of the door where the hallway widened a bit as it led there. A hatch with a ladder leading to the lower deck was open a meter away from the door; the ladder that Prism needed to go down to bypass the control room as he headed toward the second fusion reactor. The issue for Prism was that the area was the first well-lit section that he''d encountered, no doubt due to its importance. His veil of darkness would not hide him from the guards.

    A thought occurred to Prism as he hid behind a section of bulkhead that protruded out of the side of the hallway. He knew that he could siphon off the mana that made up the guards'' life-force to restore his own strength. They wouldn''t have much mana to supply him with, but it would be enough for his body to function normally again. It had been something that he''d always seen as a moral dilemma, even when it involved those who most would call evil. Prism knew how dangerous it was to start using people as sources of mana, how tempting it would be to get out of any situation by just draining his magically-defenseless enemies to empower himself.

    But the most harmful aspect of such magic was how significantly it affected Prism. As an Elementeitan, he would gain a portion of the will and memories of those that he siphoned from. He would never truly forget what he''d done to his victims, as their voices would echo in his own mind.

    "I can''t...I have to find another way."

    Prism shook his head as he pushed the temptation out of his heart. While he did, a new idea came to him. With a wave of his hand, he caused the sound of Vitenza''s voice to be heard by the guards.

    "I need both of you at the aft reactor immediately. Seems someone has found a way inside through the hull breach. I don¡¯t want everyone to raise a fuss about this, so be discreet."  Prism had the voice say into the men¡¯s ears.

    Both of the guards gave each other a queer look to make sure that they''d both heard the same message. They then took off running down the hallway, making Prism feel a small, cool breeze while they dashed by him. Prism smiled before he crawled over to the open hatch and slid down its ladder. The ladder led down to a third deck below the two tiered command room, a lower deck that only existed within the center of the speedsub. He didn''t detect anyone within its illuminated vicinity, so he continued onwards through the storage sections beneath the command room.

    Prism found the lack of human presence in the storage sections to be eerie, though he wasn''t too bothered by it. But by the time he made it outside of the electrolysis chamber on the lower level, he sensed the largest contingent of Destructors he''d perceived so far. Ten men were gathered outside of the fusion generator overhead, while ten more patrolled the electrolysis chamber. Given the fact that the chamber was responsible for creating breathable oxygen and hydrogen fuel cells as another power source for the ship, Prism understood the increased security.

    Prism could hear a man shouting orders to others on the level above him. His voice was sharp and high-pitched, but had a kindly tone about it despite his yells. What he asked of his men was strange and indecipherable to Prism.

    ¡°Couple the L16 to the W52! You two need to reinstall the G9 into the DT operant! SR is deficient and in need of a lot more juice!¡±

    Prism expanded his perception as he hid behind the protruding bulkhead that separated the storage room from the hallway leading to the electrolysis chamber. He reached out his vision until he could see the man in charge above him. The man was very thin with light-brown skin and black hair tied up into a bun atop his narrow head. He had a long wiry beard that contrasted with his otherwise youthful face. The man wore light-blue tinted goggles as he welded some sort of valve mechanism above him. The sleeves of his violet overalls slunk down enough for Prism to see the extensive colorful tattoos that covered his arms.

    Prism was struck out of his expanded perception when he heard fast-approaching footsteps behind him moving through the storage area. Prism was sure that the guards he¡¯d distracted must¡¯ve returned after realizing that they¡¯d been duped. Why they hadn¡¯t sounded the ship¡¯s alarm, Prism didn¡¯t know. But as he crawled behind a storage crate and hid himself in the shadows, he braced for a fight.

    Prism was relieved when he saw two lean men walk by, both wearing violet overalls like the man he¡¯d seen on the deck above. They wore sturdy hard-shelled satchels that contained an assortment of tools. Whatever they were doing above, it was important, Prism reasoned. After remotely viewing their work in more detail, Prism saw that they were creating a long, thick power cable to run more electricity somewhere. Prism guessed that they were rerouting power to the particle weapon.

    ¡°Hello hello, Head Engineer Neshal here. Fuel Cell Power is imminent. Lighting and heating will be back online within five minutes. PBTS will be back online in six minutes. Thank you all for your patience.¡±

    Prism smirked at how friendly the Destructor engineer sounded, especially when compared to Vitenza. Knowing that the clock was ticking against him and the base, Prism knew that he needed to act immediately to stop them. He had an idea that would be just as risky as the rest of the ideas he''d had that night.

    Prism needed power, and he knew just where to get it.

    The corridor leading to the electrolysis chamber was well-lit, as was the deck above it where the engineers were working. Beside the two guards outside of the electrolysis chamber door was a ladder leading up to Neshal and his workers. Prism knew that he couldn''t sneak up the ladder and catch the engineers unawares since there were several guards up there monitoring the ladder. Prism had recovered some of his strength, but he was still too weak for acrobatics and fanciful spellcrafting. The only option left for him was good old-fashioned misdirection.

    Prism leaned around the corner of the storage room and raised his finger towards an unlit red bulb on the corridor wall. His eyes shimmered red while he sent a small jolt into the mechanism, triggering the alarm within. Soon, the entire speedsub was put on high alert as the alarms started blaring throughout the ship. He''d unexpectedly disabled the ship-wide intercom system as well, which was both intertwined with the alarm circuitry and already significantly damaged.

    Prism then conjured an illusion upon himself to appear like one of the guards he''d fooled outside of the command room. He then stood up and started running down the corridor towards the electrolysis chamber, fighting against the pain of the cramps he was still getting in his legs.

    "Are we under attack?" One of the guards asked the disguised Prism.

    "Damn alarm came on without any messages telling us what''s going on!" The other, surlier guard yelled.

    "False alarm. Some sort of glitch in the system. I''ve got to tell Neshal to fix it, since the comms are being affected." Prism said to the two men.

    "He''s still up there." The quieter guard replied while pointing at the ladder.

    "He better turn it off soon! No telling what noise is seeping out of all these holes in our hull!" The surly guard shouted angrily.

    Prism nodded to the men before climbing up the ladder. His arms and his legs ached, making him bite his lower lip to stifle his pained groans. When the guards on the upper level saw him on the ladder, they lowered their pistols and let him up. Prism felt a small sense of relief that lasted only a few seconds.

    "What are you doing up here alone, Jupe? Where''s Dudai?" One of the guards said while Prism watched Neshal lower his welding tool and look over at him curiously.

    "He''s hanging back to make sure that this really is a false alarm. Our boys in command say that it was started by a power surge. They want Neshal to fix it, since the comms are down, too."

    Prism was completely unsure of how he should speak. He had never even heard how Jupe¡¯s voice sounded. And from the looks of the men around him who actually knew Jupe, he''d been completely unconvincing.

    Prism began to walk over to the thick conduit that lay in the middle of the corridor that ran out of the fusion reactor room. He saw that all eyes were on him while the red lights flashed on the wall and the annoying alarm sound echoed through the corridor.  Prism even sensed the approach of several more Destructors from the ship''s aft.

    It was now or never.

    "No way. You''re him, aren''t you? You''re the alien." Neshal said in quiet awe.

    Prism looked at Neshal with a lowered brow, though he was impressed with how discerning Neshal turned out to be. Prism then fell down to his knees and dug his fingers into the live conduit. His body became wracked with an immense electrical current as he fed on the power from the fusion reactor.

    A guard who thought that the disguised Prism was still his friend Jupe rushed over to Prism and foolishly tried to grab him. The guard was sent flying back into a wall, electrocuted by the force of the current moving through Prism''s body. The three guards began firing on Prism, but arcs of plasma destroyed their bullets before they could strike him. Neshal just stood by and smiled at the sight, captivated by the increasing incandescence of Prism''s still-disguised body.

    "Shut the power off!" One of Neshal''s workers shouted at him, knocking him out of his transfixation.

    Neshal grabbed a lever on the wall behind him and pulled it down, though the conduit didn''t lose power. Neshal shook his head and smiled once again. The corridor was becoming warmer and brighter while Prism continued to drink deep of the ship''s electricity. Wind began to be whipped up around him, causing technical papers and small tools to fly around Prism and the seven others nearby. The red lights of the alarm began to dim and its sound began to distort as its power was diverted to Prism.

    "He''s keeping the circuit open to absorb more power! Unbelievable!" Neshal yelled in facetious glee.

    Prism''s form began to shift into that of his mystical body, with his ethereal tendrils unfurling from his back and head. He started to lose himself as the electrical power threatened to overwhelm him. It took the firing of a portable railgun to snap him back to his corporeal existence. The long metal rod passed through Prism while his body was transitioning between a physical and energy state, luckily doing only minor damage to him as a result. Prism''s illusory disguise faded as well, and he returned to his normal human appearance.

    Prism rolled out of the path of the railgun-wielding guard that readied himself for another shot. Prism, energized and ready to fight, imbued himself with a spell to make him faster and stronger. With shimmering red irises, Prism leapt into the fusion reactor room, severed the conduit leading out of it with a chop of his right hand, and sealed the airtight metal door behind him.

    "Everyone, get to the escape vessels! He''s going to destroy the fusion reactor!" Neshal shouted to the men in the corridor.

 Chapter 40 - Daybound

    A ball of blue plasma erupted out of the top of the surfaced speedsub as a mighty explosion rocked the Athean coast. Its shockwaves echoed up the coastline¡¯s tall, black armored cliffs while the wind and rain continued to buffet the area. The explosion was soon felt within the underground interior of Getla Base, causing several rooms and hallways of the already-battered facility to cave-in.

    The force of the blast even created a tsunami large and fast enough to cause the base¡¯s automatic warning system to begin to blare. Several Etrysian boats in the area that had managed to stay afloat during the brutal storm prepared to be sunk by the wave that rapidly became two meters tall. The tsunami began to move several kilometers out in all directions.

    Prism, however, was determined not to let his magic cause anymore widespread destruction to his allies.

    He flew out of the hole that the reactor explosion created like a cork shot out of a bottle of champagne, soaring high above the fast-developing scene in the coastal waters. With his eyes glowing light blue, Prism pointed his arms straight down at the submarine that sat at the center of the tsunami. He saw the tall wave expanding like a ring around the ship. Overflowing with the power he''d absorbed on the ship, Prism directed a mighty spell down at the tsunami.

    He brought up his arms slowly, causing the air in the region to suddenly become frigid. And with a snap of his fingers, Prism almost-instantly created a three-meter tall ring of ice that encircled the tsunami. With a diameter of two kilometers, the wall of ice was soon struck hard by the tsunami, stopping the large wave before it could harm Etrysian ships or Getla Base. The frozen barrier then shattered and faded away, keeping the massive displacement of water from severely damaging anything else.

    Prism then flew down onto the outer walls of the base where he¡¯d been earlier with his teammates. There he saw the border guns he''d disabled slowly mending themselves, like trees becoming taller while growing branches that reached up to the sky. The large gun emplacements were sealing up the round white domes that sheltered their fire control systems, while the once lengthy and formidable white barrels that pointed dramatically out of those domes began to regrow as well.

    Prism smiled at the sight, marveling at the tenacity of the living weapons. He¡¯d almost forgotten that he''d cleansed the border guns of the nanites that threatened to seize control of them, just before he''d shot himself up into the sky as pure electricity half-an-hour earlier. He stood victoriously in the falling rain, remembering that nothing was truly unsalvageable; even after all the mistakes he''d made that night. He closed his eyes and listened to the thunder echoing in the stormy skies above him. He could sense that the coast''s natural balance of mana was nearly restored, and that the worst of the storm was behind them.

    "Prism, report to the CCC!" Prism heard Deriges'' second-in-command''s gruff voice yell over the intercom speakers on the rooftop.

    Prism, who''s head was tilted reverently up at the sky, smiled and returned his attention to his mission. He used the intercom system within a guard booth to quickly brief his allies on what had happened on the speedsub. When Deriges urged him yet again to hurry back, Prism told him that he was on his way. He dried himself off using a simple spell that he cast with a small twirl of his right forefinger. Prism then used the roof''s lift to quickly get to his destination deep within the base.

    Despite all the damage it had suffered that night, most of the base''s systems were functioning again thanks to Prism purging the base''s bio-system of the supervirus. The bio-system had nearly fully recovered from the ordeal while Prism was on the speedsub, even after Prism had drunk deep of its energy for a second time to get there. He''d imbued the bio-system with a spell of enhanced regeneration before he''d left, bolstering its own innate healing abilities while saving Prism the effort of restoring its functionality all-at-once.

    When Prism''s lift brought him to the command level of the base, he saw many happy faces that congratulated him on his success. He saw cracks in the walls of the hall he walked down, and he sent forth wisps of green magic that repaired the damage. The soldiers that he passed by within the hallway looked upon him with awe and gratitude, making Prism smile widely at them. By the time he entered the CCC, he was in a state of jubilation that was clear to all.

    Prism was quickly offered a chair by an officer near the door. He dared not sit down, however, because he knew that he would immediately fall asleep. The night''s events had truly taken their toll.

    "The triumphant hero! What a sight that was!" Deriges said loudly while a few soldiers glanced over at Prism with relieved eyes. "Their ship is sinking as I speak!"

    Prism saw his teammates approach him from various areas around the large circular room. Jaik was the first to reach him, as he''d been standing impatiently near the door the moment the base had detected Prism''s return. Prism could feel the warmth, joy, and affection emanating from the young man before Prism even saw him.

    Jaik grabbed Prism the moment he was within arm''s reach and pulled him in for a tight hug. Jaik bent his back and buried his face in the crook of Prism''s neck. Prism could feel the warm wetness of tears there, which made him wrap his slender fingers around the back of Jaik''s neck and hold him tightly.

    "Oh my, someone is quite happy to see you, Prism." Leanna said with a giggle as she and the rest of the team came upon Jaik and Prism intimately linked.

    "Called it." Srell said with a smug smirk up at Lorias, who was standing beside him.

    Lorias smiled knowingly with closed eyes and a smirk of his own.

    "Come on, kids. Break it up. There''s still a lot to do, and not a lot of time to do it." Ursun urged them in a heartfelt, fatherly tone while placing his heavy hands on Jaik and Prism''s backs.

    Jaik brought his face out of Prism''s neck and quickly wiped the tears from his eyes. He cleared his throat and nodded respectfully up at Ursun like a soldier would nod to his superior. Prism still smiled brightly; heartened by the fact that he''d saved all of them.

    "We got a bit worried when we lost contact with you." Jaik said softly.

    "I''ll get that restored now, if that''s okay." Prism said while looking up at Ursun.

    "Sure, but not here. That''s an ability that I don''t want to be widely known." Ursun said quietly.

    "You look quite tired." Lorias stated as he looked deeply within Prism''s brown eyes.

    "I am. I''ve really pushed my body to its limits tonight." Prism said more honestly than he''d like.

    "We have a few hours before sunrise. Deriges has set up his quarters for you to rest in. I suggest you make full use of it." Ursun said after placing both his hands on the chitinous brown shoulder pauldrons of Prism''s Etrysian body armor.

    Prism felt a genuine concern and an imminent worry in Ursun''s thoughtful words. Prism looked around him and saw that everyone was still busy at work in the CCC, as if their enemies hadn''t been utterly disabled.

    "We''re still expecting Vadam to launch a full-scale invasion force in the days to come. The storm and the quakes have bought us time; time that we''ll use to repair the damage to the base and to prepare further." Leanna explained when she saw Prism become aware of their continuing situation.

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    "Just get some rest." Jaik said almost out of exacerbation. "You won''t be any good to anyone if you collapse at a crucial moment."

    "The storm-"

    Prism stopped himself from telling them the truth, not wanting their worry to turn into panic again. He sighed while they looked at him expectantly. They were already sure that he had bad news to share.

    "Spit it out." Srell said while being the first to be annoyed, as usual.

    "The storm will subside soon. There''ll be clear weather for the next few days, since the region''s mana will have stabilized." Prism said more vaguely than his teammates would have liked.

    "Define soon." Lorias asked.

    "Sunrise." Prism stated definitively.

    "That changes everything. I''ll inform Deriges." Ursun said gravely. He turned to walk towards the center of the room, but then turned back towards Prism and said sternly, "Go get some sleep. That''s an order."

    Prism nodded diligently before Ursun left to speak with Deriges. Leanna, Lorias, and Srell told Prism not to worry before the three of them returned to their work in assisting the command officers within the room. Prism was left alone with Jaik, who waved his right arm towards the sliding metal doors behind Prism.

    "Let''s get you to bed." Jaik said with a good-natured glint in his eyes.

    While the two of them walked out of the CCC, Prism asked Jaik about what had happened while he was on the speedsub, and why everyone seemed eager to keep him uninformed. Jaik quickly explained how Leanna and Remades had been able to show how badly damaged the ship was shortly after Prism had made it aboard. And with the sudden restoration of the base''s functions, Deriges had been able to create a contingency plan that would involve scrambling the speedsub''s electronic systems using an experimental weapon that the base itself had.

    Jaik mentioned that Deriges was just about to fire the weapon when Prism destroyed the speedsub''s lone surviving fusion reactor. Because the base had detected that the ship had been left largely powerless, Deriges decided not to use the weapon. The speedsub had taken on such catastrophic damage from the magically-boosted explosion that it had begun sinking rapidly the moment Prism flew off of it. Jaik then told Prism how they were preparing for large sections of the base to be flooded by the impending waves before Prism stopped the tsunami.

    The unfortunate news that Jaik shared was that the Sguvan cyborg woman, who they believed to be one of the Queen''s special agents, had indeed staged her death within the sticky webbing that they''d thought she was trapped in. At the cost of her unmodified right leg, she''d managed to escape when the storm rolled in. The torrential rain caused the webbing to dissolve just enough for her to wriggle out of it. They had no idea where she''d escaped to.

    "And what happened to Rhonan?" Prism asked Jaik once they''d made it outside Deriges'' quarters.

    "We lost track of him after the explosion. He was on a small boat with your facsimile when it happened. But with how tough these freaks have been, I wouldn''t be surprised if he managed to survive somehow, too." Jaik said angrily while he remembered Rhonan''s thuggish behavior towards him.

    When Prism entered the living room area of the quarters, he saw Jaik walk inside with him. Prism gave Jaik a diffident smile, which Jaik mirrored. Prism shook his head at the thoughts and feelings that Jaik was sharing with him, all of them bold and a bit enticing if Prism was being honest. Jaik walked around Prism to stand directly in front of him, blocking Prism¡¯s path to the bedroom.

    "Is there anything else you want to know?" Jaik asked flirtatiously.

    "No, I think that''s everything." Prism said as he watched Jaik eyeing him playfully. "Actually, what''s going on with Theda''s team? I only saw Remades in there."

    "Oh, that''s the other big mystery." Jaik said with an annoyed eye-roll. "Theda claims that she just sent them to retrieve the Sphingid from the rooftop. They did go to their ship, but they didn''t fly it to a sheltered landing area on the base like where our ship is now." Jaik explained in a rather uninterested tone.

    "Where did they go? Testa and Risa, I mean." Prism specified for whatever reason.

    "They left the area completely, heading west. They''re probably in the center of Athea by now." Jaik shrugged.

    "Why would they go there?" Prism asked, fully intrigued.

    "You tell me. Ursun kind of wants you to read Theda''s mind and let us know." Jaik said with a chuckle.

    "I can''t...she''s our ally." Prism said softly, though he was fishing for more details.

    "The Roses are our competitors, not our friends. Our company tried to be good with them, but they just kept trying to one-up us all the time. They never treated us as equals, not really. They just see the Red Wolves as annoying upstarts treading on their territory."

    Prism listened to Jaik''s tirade and became more aware of his own severe sleepiness. Prism yawned after Jaik finished speaking, reminding Jaik of why they were in that warm, quiet room in the first place. Jaik put his strong hands on Prism''s armored chest and back, and then walked him over to the darkened bedroom. There was a large round bed at its center with warm lighting that softly lit up at their entry. The bedroom was well-decorated just like the living area was, with several artifacts and mementos strewn about from Deriges'' archaeological interests and from his long life of military service.

    "We''ll talk more when you wake up." Jaik said while helping Prism get undressed.

    Prism nodded absent-mindedly while Jaik ran his long fingers along the seams of the living body suit that bonded to Prism''s skin. Prism felt oddly at ease by Jaik''s touch, and he drifted further onto the verge of unconsciousness. With a squeeze of two areas of the suit above Prism''s armpits, the suit suddenly became slack against Prism''s body. The back section of the suit opened up completely, allowing it to be pulled off of Prism''s lean torso with ease. The upper suit hung limply down onto the floor while its lower section staid firmly on Prism¡¯s waist and legs.

    With a simple push of his right hand, Jaik lightly shoved Prism. Prism fell backwards onto the bed behind him, allowing Jaik to pull the pants portion of the living suit off of Prism''s legs. Prism was left in only his grey briefs.

    Seeing Prism''s eyes flutter as the young-looking alien fought to stay awake made Jaik laugh softly to himself. Jaik looked lovingly down at his exhausted friend, whose brown skin seemed to glow in the softly-lit room. Like a caring brother, Jaik lifted Prism up and scooted him up on the bed so that Prism''s legs weren''t half on the floor. Jaik then picked up a blanket from a small table nearby and unfurled it into the air above Prism with a strong flick of Jaik''s wrists. The blanket fell gently upon Prism, covering him in a comfort that finally made sleep impossible for Prism to fight off any longer. Jaik smiled when he heard one last deep huff come out of Prism''s mouth before he was certain that Prism had dozed off.

    "Sweet dreams."

    Jaik spoke in a whisper before leaving Prism alone in the room. Four burly soldiers stood guard outside the quarters, in case the Sguvan cyborg or Rhonan made their way onto the base somehow. Jaik considered staying within the room to keep an eye on Prism himself, but he knew his medical skills were needed to treat those injured in the recent cave-ins.

    As the hours passed by, the storm indeed grew less and less intense. The Etrysian ships that defended the coast both near the base and dozens of kilometers away from it managed to survive the night''s chaos. Several of their crew had been lost to the vicious waves that had appeared suddenly after the storm began. With the sinking of Vitenza''s speedsub, investigatory submarine crews were dispatched to search its wreckage. Though many bodies were found in its vicinity, there were too few of them for Deriges to be satisfied. It was clear to him that Vitenza had escaped somehow with nearly half of her crew, no doubt in a smaller stealth vessel.

    Deriges mobilized his men to repair as much of the damaged base as they could, while the border guns regenerated enough to be useful in the coming battle. RED-1 checked that the Titian was battle-ready before they took turns resting for two hours each. Theda and Remades continued to assist the officers of the CCC while remaining tight-lipped about where the rest of Thorns Team Trias had gone.

    ***

    By the time the first rays of sunlight appeared over the Athean Sea, Etrysia''s forces felt ready for whatever the day would bring. Shortly thereafter, alarms began blaring all throughout the coast.

    "The First, Third, and Fourth Divisions of the Vadamite Air Fleet have launched and are headed our way. We estimate that they''ll be in range of our border guns in one hour." Deriges'' second-in-command reported loudly to all within the CCC.

    "Inform Hypergeneral Aksos. Tell the Getla Fleet to assemble in formation and prepare for naval combat." Deriges ordered.

    "Should we wake up Prism?" Ursun asked while standing at Deriges'' side.

    "No, let him sleep for as long as possible. I assume he works best with a full eight hours like the rest of us?" Deriges asked jovially.

    "Seems like he needs more than that." Ursun chuckled and said, eliciting an equally-loud chuckle from the base commander.

    "You''re in for a real treat. We''ll be deploying a secret weapon of our own this time around." Deriges said to Ursun with a wink.

    "They''re already operational?" Theda, who was standing beside Ursun, asked with a high degree of incredulity that Ursun expected from her.

    Before Deriges could respond, the screens within the Command and Control Center flickered to show Hypergeneral Aksos'' strong, hawk-like face. His short pink hair was being blown by the wind while he stood outside on a busy tarmac. Planes could be seen being loaded in the background of his visual feed.

    "Clear skies, just like our alien friend predicted. The Vadamites wasted no time at all." Aksos said in his loud, deep voice.

    "You''re flying out now?" Deriges asked with a bit of apprehension that he hid poorly.

    "There are indications that some of the Vadamite ships have been modified with Kingdom technology. The Queen is truly ramping things up for whatever reason, and the escalation must be met with full force. We''re throwing everything we''ve got at them this time."

    The hypergeneral was ardent in his explanation, which was enough to satisfy Deriges. Aksos had proven himself time and time again on the battlefield, and had kept the Destructors as well as the Vadamites at bay for over a decade. When he spoke with zeal, his words carried the weight of truth.

    "We''re fully ready to support you in any way we can." Deriges said in manner that Ursun and his team hadn''t witnessed from him before.

    After briefing Hypergeneral Aksos on the capabilities of his base and the extent of their repairs, Deriges received his orders from Aksos solemnly. Gone was the jolly demeanor that Deriges had sported during the night. In its place was a hard-nosed base commander who barked out orders strictly and without delay. The entire mood within the CCC shifted to one of pure efficiency, brought on by Deriges'' sudden change in personality.

    "All mercenaries need to leave the CCC for the next portion of our briefing. They can be let back in after we''re done."

    The hypergeneral''s words alarmed Ursun and his team, though Theda seemed almost unfazed. Ursun noticed that Aksos hadn''t even acknowledged his younger cousin Theda, which he had done during their teleconference the previous day. Sensing a danger in the air, Ursun quickly mobilized his team after they''d been escorted out of the CCC.

    "We need to get to Prism." He ordered his team once they met in a command briefing room away from the watchful eyes of Theda, Remades, and the Etrysian soldiers.

    "Do you think they''ll hand him over to the Vadamites?" Leanna asked quietly.

    Ursun chuckled before pacing around for a moment. One he''d collected his thoughts, he looked at his team, crossed his arms, and sighed.

    "I think that they plan on keeping him for themselves." Ursun said with a concerned shake of his head.

 Chapter 41 - Evoke

    After hearing a knock on the door of the briefing room, the members of RED-1 braced themselves for betrayal. To their surprise, a friendly soldier entered and told them that they could return to the CCC. Their surprise did not last, however, when the five of them were escorted by six of the base¡¯s toughest-looking soldiers.

    The Red Wolves gave each other knowing looks as they walked. They were certain that their freedom to walk the base unescorted had ended.

    When they reentered the CCC, they noticed that Deriges was not speaking to Hypergeneral Aksos, whose heroic visage was still being shown on the room¡¯s displays. The hypergeneral was standing within a stately office, no doubt inside the flagship of his air fleet, Ursun surmised.

    Ursun sensed the anxiety fulminating from the officers, a sign that they were unhappy with what had been discussed in RED-1¡¯s absence. Theda and Remades were not in the room, which put Ursun further on edge.

    ¡°Our valiant mercenaries. I¡¯d like to thank you for all the work your team did last night in keeping Getla Base secure. Deriges filled me in on all of the details.¡± Hypergeneral Aksos said after RED-1 was directed to stand in view of one of the larger screens above the CCC¡¯s central console table.

    ¡°If you¡¯re so grateful, then why the sudden increased security?¡± Ursun asked calmly.

    ¡°The invasion forces will be within our borders in less than an hour. We have to secure our base as much as possible, especially in light of last night¡¯s infiltrations. That¡¯s reasonable, isn¡¯t it?¡± Aksos said imploringly.

    ¡°It is. It¡¯s also reasonable to wake up Prism and allow him to help fortify the base¡¯s defenses. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been told about his special capabilities.¡± Ursun said.

    ¡°I have, and it¡¯s for that reason that I¡¯ve decided that it will be best to let him sleep through all of this. We wouldn¡¯t want him to complicate matters on an already-uncertain battlefield.¡±

    Ursun crossed his arms and raised his chin high at the image of the hypergeneral above him. The situation was as Ursun thought, and he¡¯d need to navigate it carefully if he was to make it out of there with his entire team.

    ¡°Are we not guests here?¡± Ursun said almost mockingly.

    ¡°You were until it became clear that you were harboring an alien of unknown origin with you. Now you are all a huge security risk. I don¡¯t know how he tricked our DNA scans, but Prism is obviously not human nor some sort of new genemod. We will deal with him and the rest of your team after we¡¯ve stopped the invasion.¡±

    The hypergeneral dropped all pretenses and spoke plainly to Ursun and his team. There was a cold calculus to Aksos¡¯ words that Ursun hadn¡¯t heard before. Ursun looked over at Deriges, who was still standing at the central console beside his second-in-command. Deriges looked back at Ursun with uncaring eyes.

    ¡°So we¡¯re your prisoners, then?¡± Ursun said with his hands close to gripping his PAW.

    ¡°In a matter of speaking. I will not deprive any of you of your weapons, and you will be able to return to your ship if you so choose. We have no intention of souring our relationship with the Red Wolves over this single impropriety. I am simply revoking your access to the alien known as Prism.¡± Aksos explained rather diplomatically.

    ¡°Alien or not, Prism is a member of my team. Holding him here is an affront to me and the Red Wolves.¡± Ursun was quick to retort.

    ¡°Your company hid the existence of an alien, AN ALIEN, from the rest of the Conjunction. That is the biggest affront here. The matter is closed for now. The Conjunction Joint Forces will be here shortly to aid in the battle. Take it up with them like you should¡¯ve done in the first place.¡± The hypergeneral said angrily before turning his attention back to the base commander. ¡°Deriges, you have your orders.¡±

    Deriges loudly said ¡°yes, sir,¡± gave a simple salute, and then ended his visual feed with his superior. He then glanced back over at RED-1, who were still gathered not too far from him. The base commander remained stoic even when he saw their looks of sheer exasperation.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be going to our ship, then.¡± Ursun said solemnly to Deriges, who nodded in understanding.

    ¡°My men will escort you. A pity that you couldn¡¯t stay and help out here in the CCC. I value your team¡¯s insight.¡± Deriges said with a wave of his hand toward the strong-looking security attachment that brought RED-1 to the CCC.

    The muscular men had been standing by the main sliding doors, no doubt in case Aksos¡¯ orders had been received violently. Srell scoffed at them while Lorias flipped his hair defiantly. Jaik and Leanna looked at each other with an increased alertness, ready for anything that might go wrong.

    Ursun nodded respectfully to Deriges before he led his team out of the room with their military escort. He didn¡¯t blame the base commander, and knew that there was something grander going on than Deriges could control. The two of them had already caught glimpses of it the previous night.

    Unlike within the Red Wolves, the Etrysian military had religious remnants within its ranks that took the ancient faith of Eizavoba quite seriously. Ursun believed that such remnants may have forced the hypergeneral¡¯s hand, as it would be disastrous for such fervent belief to lead to insubordination in an active war zone.

    Ursun shared his theories with his team once they were in the privacy of their ship, which was shielded from eavesdropping. The Titian¡¯s pilots were already aboard, having been ready to join the impending aerial battle on a moment¡¯s notice.

    ¡°Prism as Eizavoba¡­strange that I didn¡¯t seriously consider that until now.¡± Leanna mused after she took off her red helmet and let her green locks fall once she freed them from the bun atop her head.

    ¡°None of us are the religious sort. It¡¯s a blind spot for us.¡± Jaik said with his palm rubbing the side of his face.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°We at Pack Command briefly discussed the possibility, but dismissed it after we gave Prism a thorough interview.¡± Ursun stated while putting his PAW down loudly on the tactics table within the bay.

    ¡°And why exactly did Pack Command dismiss it?¡± Lorias asked with a smidge of accusation in his tone.

    ¡°Yeah, seems like something that¡¯s hard to just write off. Wasn¡¯t Eizavoba technically an alien that appeared out of thin air during both of their ¡°incarnations¡± too? Seems pretty similar.¡± Srell said with a scratch of his bushy hair.

    ¡°And during both of those incarnations, Eizavoba was an amnesiac who slowly regained their memories of being born of the Twin Moons. Religious scholarship in the Old World basically proved that to be the case. You all may not have noticed, but Prism is anything but an amnesiac. He seems to have lived a very long and varied life before he even got to our world.¡± Ursun explained rather unconvincingly to his team.

    He sounded uncharacteristically-hostile, which only made his team become more defensive. When Lorias, Jaik, and Srell began to bombard Ursun with questions, Leanna saw that her commander was about to explode.

    ¡°We could argue about this ad nauseum. Whether or not he¡¯s the Third Coming is something we¡¯ll have to sort out later. How are we getting our Magical Boy out of this base?¡± Leanna said before giving her team a determined smile.

    Everyone stood around for a few moments while they wracked their brains around a solution. The base was on lockdown, and their movements were being closely monitored. It seemed impossible to sneak anywhere, let alone get into the base commander¡¯s quarters from the underground hangar they were in.

    But as though hit by lightning, Jaik slammed his fist on the metal wall that he was leaning against.

    ¡°My magicked mind! I can probably reach him with my magicked mind!¡± Jaik exclaimed giddily.

    ¡°Our telepathic link is dead, buddy. We¡¯ve all tried that.¡± Srell said with a shake of his head.

    ¡°No, he means the magical state that Prism left him in when he restored his leg.¡± Leanna was the first to understand Jaik¡¯s meaning.

    ¡°Can you really communicate with him that way? I thought you said that he can only sense your strong thoughts and emotions when you¡¯re nearby?¡± Ursun asked with a measure of skepticism.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been toying around with it for a while. I think that I can get to him even from here, and maybe even tell him what¡¯s going on.¡± Jaik said calmly, knowing that Ursun was more receptive that way.

    ¡°Prism could easily get back here if he wanted to. He¡¯s just fast asleep in there.¡± Srell said while raising his fist in a fighting gesture.

    ¡°And we all know how hard it is to wake him up. The guy is the heaviest of sleepers.¡± Lorias said smirkingly.

    The five of them laughed for a few seconds, reminded of their fondness for and familiarity with their team¡¯s newest member. They¡¯d all bonded with him in their own special way, and they wanted him back.

    ¡°Do what you need to do. Tell me the moment that you¡¯ve made contact.¡±

    With no other options, Ursun ordered Jaik to make his attempt. Jaik nodded respectfully to his commander before awkwardly finding a quiet corner at the back of the transport bar. He sat down cross-legged and attempted to meditate like he¡¯d seen Sguvan mystics do. It felt strange to him, but he soon cleared his mind of distractions and focused on where he knew Prism to be.

    Their connection had seemed one-sided, but Jaik had glimpsed upon Prism¡¯s memories in his dreams. Jaik had heard small whispers of Prism¡¯s mind during Jaik¡¯s waking hours, though he¡¯d strained to make sense of any of it. But what Jaik could be sure of was that Prism could hear his mind as clear as a bell when his emotions ran hot. And as Jaik directed that mind at Prism with great intention, Jaik became aware of just how powerful their bond truly was.

    ¡°Prism! Prism, wake up! You¡¯re in danger!¡±

    Somehow, through the dozens of meters of stone and steel, Jaik became able to see the room where Prism slept in. Jaik felt as though he was floating above Prism¡¯s bed, formless yet seeing. There was light within the room, and it became clear to Jaik that there were people within. A woman held a transdermer in her hand that contained a vial or glowing pink liquid. She was carefully moving her hand towards Prism¡¯s neck, not wanting to rouse him before she administered the sedative.

    ¡°Prism! Please wake up! I don¡¯t want them to take you away!¡±

    A tear fell from Jaik¡¯s closed left eye as he began to strain against the strange phenomenon he was experiencing. His mind felt the burden of the magic that he somehow borrowed from Prism, and he was reminded of Prism¡¯s words back in Battle City. His body was not built for the use of magic, and it could very well kill him if he kept trying to wield it. A stabbing pain began to strike his head, and he knew that his time was running out.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let the people of this world cage you again!¡±

    Prism¡¯s eyes shot open when he finally perceived Jaik¡¯s disembodied words. Adrenaline took over as Prism grabbed the woman¡¯s arm and tossed the transdermer away. Two armored soldiers who were at both sides of his bed raised their machine pistols at Prism, but he sent them both flying at the walls with a sudden blast of wind that knocked nearly everything off of the shelves and tables. The woman, who was a medical nurse, screamed before Prism let her go.

    He leapt up off of the bed and ran out of the room before the soldiers could stand back up. He knew that he had seconds before the guards he sensed nearby alerted others, so he removed the panel from the wall that covered the nerve-cable he¡¯d already used twice that night. Healthy and free from pus, the cable provided ample power for Prism to absorb as quickly as he could.

    Once he¡¯d grabbed hold of it, Prism did his best to siphon its energy without damaging the wider bio-system. He then sent himself through the bio-system as pure bio-electricity, seeking out the hangar where he knew his team was located.

    ¡°I¡­got¡­him¡­¡±

    Jaik called out weakly before he fell over onto his side. Leanna, Lorias, Srell, Jaik, and Ursun ran over to him without a hint of hesitation. Lorias was the first to check his condition as his ranger training kicked in. He¡¯d been versed in extensive first aid skills, making him the team¡¯s backup medic. He lacked the wide chemical, technological, and surgical acumen that Jaik possessed, however.

    They all saw how pale Jaik looked once Lorias tilted his head to get a better look. Despite trying to rouse him, Jaik remained unconscious.

    Lorias knelt down in front of Jaik and got to work. Lorias checked his pupils and his pulse with his bare hands, as he¡¯d been trained to do. Leanna grew impatient with Lorias¡¯ basic methods and quickly grabbed Jaik¡¯s medscanner from his gear belt.

    ¡°He¡¯s unresponsive. Pupils are dilated and pulse is weak. What do your scans show?¡± Lorias was deathly serious, and was glad for Leanna¡¯s help.

    ¡°His brain¡­there¡¯s a small amount of bleeding there. It looks like he¡¯s had a stroke¡­¡±

    Leanna nearly dropped the medscanner out of her hands as she read its findings aloud. She didn¡¯t understand what had happened, and the seriousness of Jaik¡¯s condition truly rattled her. Lorias quietly grabbed the medscanner from her shaky hands and read what medication it recommended administering to Jaik.

    Lorias calmly but quickly walked over to Jaik¡¯s medical supply cabinet near his equipment locker and grabbed a transdermer along with a vial of the necessary medication. With a press of the transdermer against Jaik¡¯s neck, Lorias did all they could do for the young doctor. They didn¡¯t have the means or know-how to stop the bleeding surgically.

    ¡°It¡¯s best not to move him. I¡¯ll stay here and keep an eye on his condition.¡± Lorias said while holding the medscanner.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Leanna said quietly while she looked away ashamedly, still kneeling beside Jaik.

    ¡°Pull yourself together. What did he say to us before this happened?¡± Ursun said softly.

    ¡°I got him.¡± Srell said with a confused shrug.

    ¡°Do you think he made contact with Prism?¡± Leanna stood up and said to Ursun, regaining her composure in the process.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯d end up like this if he hadn¡¯t.¡±

    Ursun was matter-of-fact when he spoke, doing his best to keep his team calm and focused. His team agreed with his assertion and held onto hope. They could do little more than wait on word from their alien ally.

    ¡°Prism¡¯ll be able to heal Jaik, just like he did before.¡± Srell said with a cheery nod, half-believing his own words.

    ¡°Jaik will need to survive until then. I¡¯m not sure that our magical friend can bring back the dead.¡±

    Lorias¡¯ words were brutal, but he didn¡¯t hear any complaints from the others. Leanna grimaced, but she fought back the urge to harangue Lorias again.

    She could make out the readings on the medscanner in his hands, and saw how bleak Jaik¡¯s condition was becoming. She swallowed hard and watched Ursun and Srell as they walked over to the tactics table to plan out their next moves.

    ¡°We need to get him into surgery! This base has the medical facilities to save him!¡± Leanna yelled at the men around her.

    Ursun turned around and looked tiredly at her. He knew his next words would only anger her further.

    ¡°If Prism escaped, then they¡¯ll be looking for him. They may not sound an alarm, but Deriges will have his best men scouring the base for any trace of him. If we put Jaik into their care, then they¡¯ll use him as bait to get Prism back.¡± Ursun explained rationally.

    ¡°Let them try to recapture Prism, then! Jaik¡¯s life can be saved! Prism will be able to easily deal with Etrysia¡¯s soldiers.¡± Leanna rebutted loudly, throwing her arms about as she spoke.

    ¡°Will he?¡± Lorias looked up and asked her. ¡°Prism has been captured before. And if Jaik¡¯s life is in their hands, then Prism will capitulate to them without a fight.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t hand them a hostage.¡± Srell stated plainly so there¡¯d be no misunderstanding.

    ¡°Have things really broken down that much between us and Deriges? Do you really think the man we¡¯ve fought alongside all night would resort to such tactics?¡± Leanna asked.

    ¡°We aren¡¯t dealing with Deriges anymore; we¡¯re dealing with Hypergeneral Aksos.¡± Ursun said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

    ¡°A man that allowed 100 Ruskedan fisherman to be captured and tortured by the Destructors to give an Etrysian merchant ship time to escape their raid.¡± Srell added.

    Leanna scoffed, but offered no further argument. She looked sorrowfully down at Jaik¡¯s body before Lorias¡¯ knees, watching it grow paler by the minute.

 Chapter 42 - Rebound

    Prism¡¯s electrical form moved through the bundles of nerve fibers that comprised Getla Base¡¯s power grid almost effortlessly. The military bio-system that once rejected him seemed to embrace him after he¡¯d cleansed it of the virus that plagued it hours earlier. It took Prism a matter of seconds to navigate to the hangar beneath the open courtyard that the Titian had initially landed on, and even less time than that to return to his physical, human form.

    When he became fully aware of his surroundings again, Prism soon saw several tall, well-muscled soldiers walking towards him. The tendrils of arcing electricity shooting from the wall had immediately alerted them to his presence. He noticed that they were beginning to use their ear-clasp comms to report his location to Deriges. Without a second thought, Prism jammed their long-since restored radio communications using a burst of disruptive magic that made his irises turn red. He then sent waves of paralyzing energy from his hands to bring the soldiers to their knees, soon causing them to become motionless on the stone ground.

    The hangar was sizable and poorly lit despite there being several soldiers keeping watch around the Titian. Prism smiled when he saw that they hadn¡¯t noticed him or the guards he¡¯d disabled. He sent a message into the ship that he stood several meters away from, a magical message that traveled invisibly through the Titian¡¯s hull and into its transport bay for RED-1 to hear.

    ¡°I¡¯m outside. Open the starboard bay door so that I can jump inside.¡±

    The sudden awareness of Prism¡¯s voice was enough to jolt the mercenaries out of their anticipatory melancholy and back into action. Ursun rushed over to the wall on the right side of the bay, twisted the handles that protruded from a section of it, and then pulled it back with all of his might. The door slid away and opened out into the darkened hangar outside. It wasn¡¯t long before Ursun and the others within the bay heard a loud thud on the metal floor near the door.

    ¡°I¡¯m here. You can close the door now.¡± An invisible Prism said quietly as to not be overheard by the soldiers who looked confusedly up at the open bay door.

    Ursun quickly slid the door closed with Srell¡¯s sudden help. Once he was satisfied that the coast was clear, Prism dropped the magical veil of invisibility that surrounded him. He smiled wide from the high that the escape had given him. Before he could tell his teammates how he planned to get them out of the hangar, Leanna rushed over to him and pointed frantically towards the back of the transport bay.

    ¡°You have to help Jaik! He¡¯s had a stroke and he¡¯s fading fast!¡± She practically shrieked.

    Prism¡¯s smile rapidly turned into a frown as he became aware of Jaik¡¯s situation. Prism and Leanna ran over to Lorias, who was still holding a medscanner over Jaik¡¯s motionless body. Prism¡¯s eyes swelled and grew watery when he gazed down at Jaik. The medscanner displayed what Prism could already sense; Jaik was dead.

    ¡°Come on, work your magic. His heart might have stopped, but he must still have enough brain activity to be revived.¡± Lorias looked up and said collectedly to Prism.

    ¡°That¡¯s right; the brain can survive five minutes after the heart stops, sometimes longer.¡± Leanna said loudly and confidently.

    Prism kneeled down and held Jaik¡¯s cheek. He rubbed his thumb along its stubbled surface, feeling how cold it had already become.

    ¡°Silly boy¡­you did this for me¡­¡±

    When the last word left Prism¡¯s mouth, a patter of tears on the metallic floor began to be heard by Leanna and the others in the otherwise-quiet bay. Prism continued to stroke Jaik¡¯s face as he cried quietly before him. He felt so many different things that it overwhelmed him. His guilt, however, dominated all of his other emotions.

    ¡°What are you waiting for!? Heal him!¡± Leanna shouted down at Prism.

    Prism shook his head and turned to look at Leanna, but he stopped himself. He couldn¡¯t look at anyone but Jaik in his sorry state, and wanted simply to hide himself away.

    ¡°He¡¯s beyond my abilities. The damage to his brain is too significant. If I tried to heal him, he¡¯d be¡­he¡¯d be¡­¡±

    Prism¡¯s lip quivered as he fought back the urge to break down completely. The young man who¡¯d fallen for him so innocently was dead, and Prism could not save him.

    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t be Jaik anymore¡­¡± Lorias said softly while placing his hand over the hand that Prism stroked Jaik¡¯s face with.

    Leanna blinked slowly as the realization started to hit her.

    ¡°Jaik isn''t going to be saved by Prism,¡± she began to think to herself. ¡°Jaik is gone.¡±

    Banging sounds started to be heard around the ship, temporarily forcing the team out of their sorrow. The soldiers outside had discovered the motionless bodies of their allies and realized that Prism had probably gotten aboard the Titian right under their noses. It wasn''t long until Ursun received a communiqu¨¦ from Deriges through his ear clasp. With a few taps of his fingers, Ursun routed the message to the Titian''s intercom system.

    "How can we help you, base commander?" Ursun said coldly while crossing his arms and standing near a window to see the soldiers amassing outside.

    "Somehow, someway, Prism has made his way aboard your vessel. We want him back, Ursun. You''re not leaving this base until he''s safely contained." Deriges said sternly.

    Ursun made eye contact with Prism, who was still kneeling by Jaik''s dead body. The two of them exchanged a hardened look that communicated their defiance of the situation. Prism''s eyes told Ursun that Deriges could not contain them, and Ursun''s eyes told Prism that they needed to leave immediately. Ursun saw that the soldiers outside were preparing a laser cutter that would allow them to force their way into the ship. Deriges was merely stalling for time.

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    "We''re done. This nonsense got one of my men killed. He was a good mercenary. Heck, he was a good doctor, too. Do what you have to, Deriges. We''re out of here."

    After he finished speaking, he ended the radio link with Deriges with a squeeze of his ear clasp. With a curt nod to Prism, Ursun signaled that they were leaving. Ursun jogged over to the door leading to the cockpit and gave it three distinct knocks. In seconds, the Titian''s tilt-engines began to hum as the ship''s fusion reactor fully came online. Plasma began to circulate through the ship''s propulsion system, providing an immediate ability to take off.

    Prism glanced up and sensed the mechanisms that controlled the massive sliding roof hatch above the ship. The Titian sat on a lift platform that could be raised up to the courtyard level, but Prism knew that they didn''t have time to wait for the heavy lift to slowly ascend. He reached out with his mind and remotely contacted the base''s bio-system. Their bond was still strong, and the system did as he asked. Soon, the roof of the underground hangar began to slide open against all lockdown protocols that were in effect.

    "Grab hold of something! This is going to be rough!" The pilot''s voice began to crackle over the ship''s faulty, temperamental intercom.

    Before the hangar roof could fully retract, the Titian took flight. Its twin tilt-jets aimed at the ground and unleashed pulses of plasma-boosted detonation waves that soon lifted them into the air. The nearby soldiers were knocked to their feet by the sudden force, but none were seriously injured. The ship leaned over at a 45 degree angle so that it could fly up diagonally and clear the section of the roof that had already retracted. After just barely missing an edge of the opening, the pilot proceeded to fly up and above Getla Base, just as the border guns began to loudly engage the Vadamite Air Fleets dozens of kilometers away.

    "Free and clear." The pilot reported over the intercom.

    "Good. Fly north and get us back to Ruskedan airspace. Once there, we''ll figure out the best route to Pack HQ." Ursun ordered.

    "Yes, sir." The pilot replied before the intercom went silent again.

    The room seemed like a tomb once the silence crept in. Prism had returned to Jaik''s body, taking over for Lorias when he decided to stretch his legs and walk over to Srell near the tactics table. Leanna knelt beside Prism and joined him in his vigil. The scene made Ursun increasingly uneasy, especially when he saw how busy the airspace outside was becoming. He knew that Aksos would not let them go so easily.

    "There are body bags in the storage locker near the medical station. It''ll help keep him preserved during our trip back." Ursun said to Leanna and Prism.

    The two of them heard Ursun, but they couldn''t bring themselves to do as he said. In Leanna''s mind, she kept telling herself that Ursun gave Jaik the order that killed him. She knew that Ursun couldn''t have known that reaching out to Prism would end so badly for Jaik, but she wasn''t being governed by reason at that moment.

    When Ursun noticed that they weren''t moving, he shook his head and retrieved the body bag himself. He would do the task, and he would not tarry nor complain.

    Prism took his hands away from Jaik''s chest and face when Ursun leaned down and placed the body within the bag. With a press of a button, the bag became airtight and leakproof. Prism found the sight sickening. He looked away from the bag while Ursun lifted it up and placed it within a chamber in the wall that Prism hadn''t been aware of. When Prism felt the chill come from the body-sized chamber, he realized that it was a refrigeration unit with the express purpose of storing bodies.

    "This is...this is..." Prism repeated while he clenched his fists and looked over at the closed refrigeration unit.

    "It''s horrific, isn''t it? They install those things within our tiltjets. We''re expected to die every few missions, and Engineering is very practical about it." Leanna said dispassionately.

    Prism wiped his eyes and rose to his feet while Leanna did the same. The two of them felt as though they were leaving a funeral. Ursun looked at the two of them stoically, hoping that his eyes didn''t betray his own feelings. But when Prism caught his glance, Ursun''s heart was laid bare to him.

    "It''s my fault, not yours. I shouldn''t have been careless. I could have cast a protective ward on myself to prevent being harmed while I slept. I should¡¯ve restored our telepathic link then and there. I should''ve tried to rid Jaik of that damned raw magic that wouldn¡¯t leave his body. I knew it was dangerous, but I didn''t think he could actually use magic. I didn¡¯t think...I just¡­"

    During Prism¡¯s guilt-ridden monologue, Ursun reached down and grabbed his slender shoulder. Prism held his mouth open as he stopped mid-sentence. Ursun looked angry and intense, and Prism feared that Ursun was going to punch him across the face.

    ¡°I ordered him to contact you. I told him to do whatever it takes. I¡¯m the commander, and I¡¯m the one responsible. You¡¯ve got your magic, but you¡¯re not all-powerful or all-knowing. This one¡¯s on me, kid, and I¡¯ll have to answer for it when we get back home. Jaik was a real asset to our organization. He could¡¯ve worked on any team in the Red Wolves, and he chose mine.¡± Ursun¡¯s voice grew louder and louder as he spoke.

    Prism and Leanna saw that Ursun was hurting under his stoic exterior. Seeing the guilt and grief suddenly appear on Ursun¡¯s face showed Prism how much Ursun had truly cared for Jaik. It was enough to make Prism muster up the strength to put his own grief aside and bolster his team¡¯s morale. They still had a job to do, after all.

    ¡°What matters now is that we get back to Pack HQ safely. I¡¯ll do all in my power to make sure that happens.¡± Prism said resolutely.

    When Ursun and Leanna looked upon Prism favorably, an alarm began to blare from the Titian¡¯s intercom speakers.

    ¡°Unknown object headed our way from the west! 50 kilometers and closing fast!¡± The co-pilot said over the intercom, which distorted her voice for whatever reason.

    Ursun, Leanna, and Prism rushed over to join Lorias and Srell around the tactical table. With a few taps and swipes of its display surface, Ursun brought up the visual feed of the ship¡¯s external cameras. He magnified the view of the fast-approaching vessel only to find that it was something he¡¯d never seen before.

    The vessel was actually a giant, bio-mechanical entity that had two arms, two legs, and giant insectoid wings on its back that moved and appeared like those of an earwig. Its red chitinous surface shimmered in the sunlight, giving its sleek design an even bolder appearance. Two similar objects had broken away from the red entity¡¯s flight path and headed straight east towards the approaching Vadamite fleets.

    Before any of them could discuss the unknown object, the co-pilot informed RED-1 that the object was attempting to hail them using audio only.

    ¡°Put it through.¡± Ursun ordered.

    ¡°This is Lieutenant Kurillios Maginae of the First Biost Unit. Return to Getla Base immediately or I will be forced to disable and seize your ship.¡±

    Ursun kept the Titian¡¯s own audio muted for the time being so that he could get his team¡¯s input on how to respond.

    ¡°That¡¯s Deriges¡¯ boy! He helped us defend the bio-generator last night!¡± Srell shouted out of surprise.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that circumstances have forced us to become enemies.¡± Prism said softly.

    ¡°A ¡°Biost,¡± eh? Guess that¡¯s the secret weapon that Deriges was talking about.¡± Lorias commented.

    ¡°Sir, based on its structure and speed, I don¡¯t think we can outmaneuver it. There¡¯s no telling what sort of weapons or others abilities it might have. I advise that we handle this situation with extreme caution.¡± Leanna said.

    Ursun watched the red Biost keep its distance five kilometers behind the Titian. With the confidence that Deriges had shown when mentioning the weapons earlier, Ursun surmised that they were truly extraordinary.

    ¡°I concur.¡± Ursun said to Leanna. ¡°I doubt we can outrun it, and firing on it is out of the question. That leaves you, Prism.¡±

    Prism stared blankly up at Ursun and then looked around at his team¡¯s expectant eyes on him. They were clearly out of options and he was clearly their way out of the situation, though none of them knew exactly how. Prism rubbed his chin before the co-pilot informed Ursun that Kurillios was hailing them again.

    ¡°You have 30 seconds to respond. If no response is given, then I will take immediate action against your ship.¡± The young man said as though he¡¯d rehearsed the line.

    ¡°Any ideas, Prism?¡± Ursun asked impatiently.

    ¡°Lower the rear ramp. I can engage him, draw his attention away long enough for you all to-¡°

    ¡°We aren¡¯t leaving you, don¡¯t you get that!? Jaik was willing to die to get you back to us! There isn¡¯t a plan that involves letting you sacrifice yourself, you hear me!?¡± Ursun slammed his fist angrily on the glowing tabletop while he yelled.

    ¡°Yes, sir; I understand.¡± Prism nodded slowly. ¡°Lower the ramp. I¡¯ll stick close to the Titian and keep it well-defended while we learn the capabilities of this ¡°Biost¡±. Once we see an opening, I¡¯ll disable it so that we can all escape.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± Ursun said with satisfaction.

    With a few taps on the tactics table, the rear wall of the transport bay began to tilt, opening into a ramp. The Titian¡¯s construction allowed the bay to remain relatively undisturbed by opening it mid-flight. Lorias, Srell, and Leanna held onto something nevertheless, as they knew that their ship was a bit of a prototype and therefore subject to unexpected malfunctions.

    Prism closed his eyes and touched his temples before releasing a wave of blue magic that encircled the group gathered around the tactics table. They all began to hear each other¡¯s thoughts again as their telepathic link was restored.

    Prism, still only wearing briefs, nodded to them and to Ursun before running through the bay and leaping out of the ship. With a flash of blue light from his eyes, he began to fly just as easily as the Biost in front of him. He still had an abundance of mana from the bio-system he¡¯d escaped through earlier, and he was ready to bring it all to bear to ensure that they escaped.

    ¡°Your sacrifice won¡¯t be in vain, Jaik.¡± Prism thought to himself as he flew.

    With his arms at his sides, Prism swooped around the side of the ship and flew up a few meters directly above the Titian.

 Chapter 43 - Living Weapon

    ¡°Prism has left the Titian and is now holding position above it.¡± Lieutenant Kurillios reported over his unit¡¯s protein-encrypted comms.

    Kurillios'' voice was normally just as youthful and exuberant as he was, but the pressure of his first real battle made him overly serious when speaking to his superiors.

    ¡°What do you mean he ¡°left¡±?¡± Asked Major Defno Agitas, the First Biost Unit¡¯s second-in-command, in a soft, deep tone.

    ¡°He¡¯s flying. He flew out of the Titian and he is now matching its speed while flying a few meters above it.¡± Kurillios clarified while sending the visual recording of what he was describing to Major Defno and his commander, Colonel Vey Vilensos.

    ¡°Still no response from the Titian?¡± Colonel Vey asked.

    ¡°No, sir; not a peep.¡± Kurillios replied.

    ¡°Engage them, but do so with caution. I don''t want Ursun or his team to be harmed.¡± The colonel ordered.

    ¡°Yes, sir. Engaging the Titian now.¡±

    Kurillios made his slim red Biost rush forward through the air as naturally as it was for him to take off running on the ground. He was connected extensively to the Biost through a modified spinal port, making the half-humanoid half-insectoid vehicle feel like an extension of his own body. Its chitinous wings fluttered harder and faster to close the short distance between him and the Titian. He soon reached out the Biost¡¯s hands to grab the wings of the ship, but he was pushed back by a strong gale that sent him spinning downwards dozens of kilometers off course.

    ¡°What the!?¡±

    The systems of Kurillios¡¯ Biost took a few seconds to recover from the abrupt loss of attitude control. Kurillios knew that it had been no mere gale that had disrupted his flight path. Few things could interfere with the biological functions of the advanced craft like Prism¡¯s attack had. It vexed Kurillios, but he was usually quick to figure things out.

    While he shot his Biost back up towards the Titian, Kurillios reviewed the footage of Prism. Kurillios then saw that Prism had turned around and used some sort of energy attack on his Biost, which made Prism¡¯s eyes flash with a blue light. The previous night, Kurillios had seen Prism rush through the halls of Getla Base at superhuman speed and somehow connect with Getla Base¡¯s bio-system with his bare hands. Despite that, Kurillios hadn¡¯t believed it possible for anyone to use such strange power against a craft as mighty as his Biost.

    Kurillios kept a half-kilometer distance from the Titian as to not incur Prism¡¯s wrath again. He thought on how he could disable the alien, who he had strict orders to bring in alive. The task suddenly seemed much more difficult than he¡¯d initially thought. But Kurillios was not known to give up easily, if ever.

    His Biost had a store of an archaic-yet-modified pink sedative that he could aerosolize from sprayer nozzles on his Biost¡¯s body. He¡¯s wondered why he¡¯d been outfitted with such a weapon, since it would be completely ineffective if Prism had stayed within the Titian. But Hypergeneral Aksos had predicted such an occurrence, having heard of Prism¡¯s ability to fly from Kurillios¡¯ father, Deriges.

    Kurillios maneuvered his Biost to fly low under the Titian at high speed until he was flying half a kilometer in front of it. His Biost could easily out-fly the tiltjet. The specs of the Titian¡¯s standard model of aircraft had even been used during his top-secret Biost training over the past four years. It was Prism that remained the unknown variable for Kurillios. The pilot would need to outsmart the magic-using alien in order for him to succeed in his mission.

    After holding the position in front of the Titian for a few seconds, Kurillios released a trail of faintly-pink mist that trailed behind his lean, sleek Biost. The sedative within the mist was so potent that it barely lost its effectiveness in an aerosolized form. It only took a few seconds for Prism to fly through the mist, seemingly unaware of its danger. Seconds later, Prism was hitting the top hull of the Titian, where his unconscious body quickly slid off of. Prism¡¯s body began to fall straight into the blue ocean a kilometer below them.

    Kurillios deftly flew his Biost diagonally downward in reverse, intersecting perfectly with Prism¡¯s descent. When he reached out the Biost¡¯s hand to gently catch Prism, Kurillios was thrown back by a sudden concussive blast. Kurillios¡¯ visual sensors had been overloaded with a magical explosion of disruptive energy that also momentarily caused him and his Biost to become desynchronized from each other. Kurillios felt a sudden disorientation from the feedback shock to his nervous system, but his training allowed him to recover quickly.

    When he regained his Biost¡¯s senses, Kurillios saw that Prism and the Titian were flying in formation again.

    ¡°Damn it, he tricked me!¡± Kurillios cursed as he sent his Biost flying at high-speed back up to stop the Titian¡¯s flight across the strait.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got incoming, RedGreen.¡± Major Defno warned Kurillios using his pilot call sign. ¡°Four Fighsaus headed your way.¡±

    Kurillios cursed yet again when he looked to the east and saw the Vadamite Fightersaucers zooming towards him and the Titian. He could also make out the three massive ovoid shapes in the distance, which were the spaced armor ¡°heads¡± of the Vadamite Air Fleet¡¯s largest class of aircraft; their Ammaships.

    The large heads that blocked all other view of the ships were in fact several layers of armor that were spaced apart to provide comprehensive defense against high-speed projectiles and energy weapons. Each head was easily 100 meters tall and 200 meters wide, and were curved at their ends to offer wider coverage. Such structures were made explicitly to defend against long-range attacks, though the rest of the hull was hardy as well.

    The circular Fightersaucers, or Fighsaus as they were commonly called, were small, fast, and highly-maneuverable. They existed in stark contrast to the massive flying dreadnoughts that deployed them. Outfitted with precision smart-turrets, groups of Fightersaucers could bring down even large aircraft.

    Kurillios smiled at the chance to see some real combat. He hailed the Titian to tell them that he would help defend them for the time being, but his messages continued to be unanswered. When he saw Prism erect some sort of barrier of light around the Titian, Kurillios whistled in amazement before heading into the range of the Fighsaus¡¯ guns. Their bullets bounced off of his Biost¡¯s reinforced carapace while he bobbed and weaved amongst the much smaller vessels.

    One of the vessels tried to fly around him and directly to the Titian. Kurillios pointed the right arm of his Biost at the Fighsau and shot an explosive-tipped spike at it from a firing hole on the Biost¡¯s forearm. Though the craft dodged the projectile, it exploded when it got within close proximity of the Fighsau. The vessel was destroyed, causing the other three to put some distance between them and the Biost. Kurillios hovered in position while the Fighsaus did the same several meters away, unsure of how to deal with the unknown Biost vessel.

    ¡°Come on, you gnats!¡±

    Kurillios yelled aloud before he dashed forward and swiped at the nearest Fighsau, destroying it before it could respond. When the last two saucers began shooting at his Biost¡¯s wings, Kurillios laughed at the futility of their attacks. He moved his Biost¡¯s spider-like head to face one of the vessels and unleashed a barrage of bullets at it from the Biost¡¯s head-mounted autocannons. In no time, the Fighsau was destroyed by the spray of armor-piercing bullets. The last Fighsau attempted to ram Kurillios, but he simply reached out and crushed it with his Biost¡¯s powerful red hands.

    ¡°Fighsaus neutralized. Resuming pursuit and capture.¡±

    Kurillios smirked as he looked off to the north and saw how far the Titian had gotten.

    ¡°They¡¯re really zooming.¡± He said to himself.

    Kurillios laughed cockily while he accelerated his Biost so quickly that he felt the gravitational force through the stability rig he was strapped into. He covered the kilometers that separated him from the Titian in a matter of seconds, which caught Prism and his team off-guard. Kurillios¡¯ Biost flew acrobatically over the Titian in time to dodge a colorful spell attack thrown by Prism. When Prism readied himself to hurl another spell at the large red Biost, the Biost grabbed the top of the Titian while it was still flipping over the ship.

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    The Biost pulled the ship upwards hard and fast, causing it to slam into Prism with such force that he was knocked out cold despite being surrounded by his golden barrier of light. Kurillios then had his Biost grab the unconscious Prism before he could fall out of reach. The Titian was at the mercy of the red living vessel as it began to tow the ship back to Getla Base with one hand while tightly gripping Prism in the other. For good measure, Kurillios had small nozzles in his hand release a steady stream of pink sedative mist to keep Prism from regaining consciousness.

    ¡°Capture complete. Returning to base.¡± Kurillios said coolly over his unit¡¯s comms.

    ¡°Be swift about it. We need your help out here ASAP.¡± Colonel Vey said while attacking one of the three Vadamite Ammaships using retractable swords that his four-armed white Biost wielded.

    When Kurillios was about to respond, he suddenly felt a strange weight on the back of his Biost¡¯s body. His sensors soon made out the outline of a small, actively-camouflaged living ship that was preparing to pierce his Biost with a massive stinger. Kurillios couldn¡¯t believe that an Etrysian vessel was attacking him. He hesitated for a moment, giving the stealth wasp-class ship time to stab through the waist-area of his Biost.

    ¡°I¡¯m under attack! Attacking ship is¡­Etry-¡°

    Kurillios became wracked with pain as the stinger released a potent neurotoxin into the Biost¡¯s circulatory system. His large biological host began to jerk its limbs wildly as many of the cells that made up its nervous system began to die off. Its wings managed to keep it afloat, as they had their own backup nervous system for such events.

    Kurillios soon feared that his Biost might crush Prism while it went haywire. With all his might, Kurillios wrestled enough control from the bio-system to release Prism, but not before the Biost¡¯s other hand ripped a section of the Titian¡¯s roof off.

    ¡°Damn it!¡±

    Kurillios cursed in agony when he saw the damage that he¡¯d done to the Titian. Plasma streamed out of its exposed conduits, leading to a massive loss of the tiltjet¡¯s power. The Biost continued to twitch wildly in the air while the Titian started to plummet towards the ocean. Kurillios¡¯ attacker pushed off of his Biost¡¯s back, leaving the stinger wedged inside of it. The wasp-like ship flew downward to catch Prism using a sticky webbing that it shot from the launcher below its cockpit. The ship was too small to save the Titian, which continued to fall towards the sea as it vented a trail of glowing blue plasma.

    ¡°WhitePink! GrayOrange!¡± Kurillios yelled desperately over his comms. ¡°Requesting assistance! I¡¯ve been disabled by a wasp-class ship of unknown origin!¡±

    Despite his attempts to hail his unit, Getla Base, or the hypergeneral, Kurillios comms were malfunctioning like everything else on Biost, save for its wings. He opened his eyes and furiously began to thrash about in his stability rig. He became even angrier when he saw the Second Athean Fleet fast-approaching from the west while the Conjunction Joint Forces rapidly flew from the north and south.

    They¡¯d all no doubt seen him uselessly hovering above the sea while his targets escaped, he feared.

    ¡°Unknown Etrysian craft, we have observed your unprovoked assault on a Red Wolves vessel. We will not tolerate any further attempts to bring harm upon our allies.¡± A communiqu¨¦ was broadcast from one of the lead ships flying in the north.

    The aircraft was only a few kilometers away from Kurillios, and its weapons were in range of his Biost.

    ¡°Not good¡­¡± Kurillios said dejectedly to himself.

    As he began to regain control of his craft, Kurillios managed to have his Biost pull the toxic stinger out of its back. He feared what the Conjunction Joint Forces fleet might do to him, and he loathed how bad their first impression of his unit might be. He ignored the orders he received from Hypergeneral Aksos to engage with the mysterious wasp vessel, feigning ongoing damage to his communications equipment. He then rapidly flew to the eastern skies to aid his unit in combat.

    The skies and seas surrounding the Athean coastline were saturated with the sounds and sights of war. Explosions of all sorts of sizes and colors littered the area while an assortment of ammunition flew back and forth between the myriad vessels that dotted the landscape. Anyone standing aboard the decks of the many naval boats could not only hear the unending blasts all around them, but could also feel their distant booming shockwaves move through their bodies.

    A battle of such scale and intensity hadn¡¯t been waged in years near the island of Athea. Most of the soldiers that fought aboard the vessels were as green as the hair atop Kurillios¡¯ head.

    "Aksos will have your head for this." Major Defno said over a visual feed he shared with Kurillios. "But don''t worry; we''ve got your back."

    The major''s heavy brow ridge and square jaw made him look like a brute, but Kurillios knew him as a gentle giant. His call sign, "GrayOrange," came from his bulky, gray-colored Biost and his buzzed, dark-orange hair. He kept two thick curls on either side of his forehead, which was a style popular with his generation of Myo-class soldiers.

    "We''ve observed some kingdom-tech on the heads of the Ammaships, but we still don''t know the tech''s function. Be careful."

    Colonel Vey also shared a visual of him speaking aloud with his team. The colonel had the look of a classic Etrysian hero, with his handsome, stoic face that had small features. His caesar-cut pink hair and his sleek, white, four-armed Biost had earned him the call sign "WhitePink".

    Most in the military already knew who he was due to the fame he''d earned ten years prior, during the Battle of Proulkat Plain in Ruskeda. He''d single-handedly taken down a Vadamite Ammaship while piloting a simple flanxfly, one of the smallest fighter aircraft that the Etrysian military used. It had earned him the nickname "Flanxfly Vey" in the media.

    "Sir, I messed up. I damaged the Titian pretty badly." Kurillios reported while sending his own image to his unit.

    "Any casualties?" The colonel asked with a raised eyebrow.

    "None that I''m aware of, sir." Kurillios said while glancing down away from the screen in front of his face that also captured his visuals.

    "Ursun is tough, like his mother was. They''ll be fine." Colonel Vey said for his and Kurillios'' benefit. "Now, back to work."

    Kurillios joined his unit in attacking the side of the Ammaship at the front of the Vadamite fleet. It dwarfed them in size, but their Biosts were heavily armed with an assortment of versatile and destructive weapons. Though they fought off swarms of Fightersaucers, they still managed to damage the lead Ammaship enough for it to begin descending closer to the sea, putting it in further danger as the Athean navy found it easier to fire at its underbelly.

    "The Paneen is accelerating far too quickly. At its current speed and heading, it will ram into Getla Base within the next twenty minutes. Focus your attacks on its engines. With those gone, it''ll plummet into the sea." Hypergeneral Aksos ordered the First Biost Unit.

    ¡°Easier said than done.¡± Colonel Vey said over his unit¡¯s comms.

    The Ammaships were heavy and massive aircraft with no real wings to speak of. They were kept aloft by powerful pulse jet engines that were contained within large, open-bottomed domes on their sides. The domes were well-armored like the rest of the Ammaships¡¯ hulls, and the heat that came from them made attacking them from the bottom unlikely to succeed.

    "Did you get those orders from Aksos, RedGreen?" Major Defno asked over audio only.

    "Yes, sir. My comms are fully-functional again." Kurillios said with a smirk.

    ¡°I¡¯ll use my acid spray to expose the engines¡¯ primary control conduits at the midpoint of the ship.¡± The colonel explained.

    ¡°That area is too well-defended by Fighsaus and auto-turrets. We¡¯re hardy, but not that hardy, sir.¡± Major Defno said.

    ¡°You two will just need to cover me the best you can. We¡¯ll be in and out.¡± Colonel Vey said sternly.

    ¡°How¡¯s that injury, RedGreen?¡± The major asked while noticing the gash in the back of Kurillios¡¯ Biost.

    ¡°The carapace still looks bad, but all my systems are nominal. The internal damage was minimal, and has already healed.¡± Kurillios explained rather flippantly.

    ¡°Good. I¡¯m going in, then.¡± The colonel said.

    After an intense dive back into the intense firefight that was occurring around the Paneen, the three Biosts zipped through the explosions and fighter aircraft that blocked their path. They were too fast for most of the automated fire that was directed at them, and the sheen of their chitinous armor made them a difficult laser target.

    They¡¯d trained with the Biosts for over four years in nearly every sort of battle condition, so the chaos going on all around them did little to faze them. It also helped that the weaponized organisms they piloted had their own evasive instincts that allowed them to dodge attacks without conscious thought. The pilots were one with their Biosts, combining their human skills with the innate abilities of their living vessels for maximum efficiency.

    Once they¡¯d fought through to the most vulnerable part of the Paneen¡¯s exterior, Colonel Vey had his Biost stretch out its four spindly arms and shoot four streams of corrosive acid at a sizable portion the hull. He didn¡¯t stay close to see the acid eat away at the composite materials, exposing the critical network of wiring behind the plating. The automatic turrets that lined the undamaged portions of the hull began to unload their high-explosive ammunition directly at the colonel¡¯s Biost. The colonel zigged and zagged to avoid the barrage until his allies could take some of the attention away from him.

    Major Defno began to wield the mighty, massive arms of his own Biost to punch as many of the turrets that he could from a distance. With each powerful punch it threw, the major¡¯s Biost released shockwaves from its hands. Those invisible shockwaves traveled several meters and crushed nearly anything they came into contact with. When several of the turrets were craterized by the forces exerted by the punches, the remaining turrets instead turned their focus to the major¡¯s Biost.

    Colonel Vey capitalized on the opportunity and fired a stream of explosive rounds of his own at the corroded, exposed sections of the hull. His Biost¡¯s four arms sprawled out like the legs of a spider as they jerked slightly with each burst of spike-rounds that they fired from their palms.

    Arcs of electricity and flares of plasma soon erupted from the areas that he fired upon.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough! Now to the secondary systems!¡±

    Colonel Vey fled the area before it became completely swamped with enemy ships, and his two solders did the same. They watched as the Paneen began to dip lower while its flight and fuel stabilization systems switched to their secondary control circuits. It would be more difficult to repeat what they¡¯d done on the other side of the mighty vessel, as their enemies were onto them.

    ¡°RedGreen, time for a clustershot. I take it you know where to aim it?¡± The colonel said casually to his youngest subordinate.

    ¡°Of course, sir! Just keep these gnats off of me and I¡¯ll make you proud!¡± Kurillios said with his signature zest.

    Kurillios jetted nearly a kilometer away from the Paneen and hovered within sight of its starboard side. With a clear line of sight to the ship¡¯s midsection, Kurillios stretched his Biost¡¯s arms out before him and slowly brought its palms together. The chitin armor of the arms began to shift and fold, allowing the arms to merge into a single limb.

    With fingers bent back and palms conjoined, the Biost formed a long-barrel cannon. A round hole opened up where the palms had met, large enough for the clustershot that was stored in the Biost¡¯s chest area. A hole also opened up on its back so that the cannon would avoid any recoil when it was fired.

    Kurillios took a deep breath as he aimed the cannon before him at the Paneen. His Biost hovered as stably as it could.

    ¡°Ready and willing, sir.¡± Kurillios said over his comms while his team fought off the Fighsaus that flew towards him.

    ¡°Then what are you waiting for?¡± Colonel Vey said calmly before he intercepted a missile and punched it casually out of the way.

    Kurillios smiled and gritted his teeth before firing the Biost¡¯s converted-arm cannon. A small bundle of colored fused spheres shot from its hole and flew in an arc towards the Paneen. A group of Fighsaus that had been approaching Kurillios¡¯ Biost attempted to fire at the spherical projectile, realizing the danger it posed.

    Major Defno, who was several dozen meters away from Kurillios, swung a mighty punch that sent a shockwave towards the Fighsaus. Most of the Fighsaus were destroyed by the pressure wave, but one survived. It flew at the clustershot at full-speed and met it as it began to fall downward from the zenith of its arc. Colonel Vey fired a few shots from his four arms, but his attempts to strike the small, distant vessel were in vain.

    "Get out of the blast area!" The colonel yelled through his comms to his two subordinates.

    When the Fightersaucer collided with the clustershot, a conflagration of fire and light flared out in all directions from the point of impact. A spherical blast wave of deafening force expanded for two kilometers, destroying several small aircraft and seacraft within its radius. The sea beneath the blast was struck hard enough to create volatile waves that capsized many smaller Etrysian ships. The flames of the explosion traveled half a kilometer, and all within the area of the fireball was vaporized. The clustershot had detonated with far more force than it had been designed to.

    Kurillios, Major Defno, and Colonel Vey all managed to get clear of the explosion, but just barely. Each of their Biosts suffered varying degrees of damage that would take them out of the fight. They each flew back to the Athean coast to find a safe place for their vessels to recover. They did not know why the yield of the clustershot had been increased so dramatically, but their blunder had cost the lives of many of their allies.

    Their plan to stop the Ammaship had been catastrophically thwarted just as the Conjunction and Etrysian air fleets began to enter the airspace filled with Vadamite ships. The Paneen moved ever forward toward Getla Base, readying itself for one final showdown.

 Chapter 44 - Sunburst

    Prism awakened within a small, warm room that smelt of damp earth. He jerked himself up as quickly as he could, remembering the battle that he¡¯d been in before he lost consciousness. He was aboard a living vessel, but its black and orange interior did not match that of the Sphingid. He looked around at his strange, cramped surroundings and soon heard familiar voices coming from a short distance away. When he stood up, his eyes made out two figures sitting in a rounded area connected to the area he was within. They were illuminated by the sunlight that faintly shined through the shaded panoramic window of the bug-eyed cockpit.

    Testa turned in her seat to look at him while Risa continued to pilot the vessel toward a group of larger ships.

    ¡°Looks like the sedative has worn off.¡± Testa said loudly.

    She smiled wide at Prism, which made him rub his head and look at her goofily. His mind was still a bit fuzzy, but he started to recall the confrontation with Kurillios¡¯ big, red, bug-weapon. A rush of panic came to him shortly thereafter. He ran up to Testa¡¯s seat and grabbed her red-patterned white pauldrons.

    ¡°Where is the Titian!? Have they been captured!?¡± Prism yelled in Testa¡¯s face.

    ¡°They¡¯re fine.¡± Testa said while gently taking Prism¡¯s hands off of her armor. ¡°Well, the Titian¡¯s going to need some major repairs, but your team is alright.¡±

    Prism rubbed his face and sighed with relief. He sat down cross-legged between Testa and Risa¡¯s seats while he took a moment to calm himself. Testa then told him what had transpired while he was unconscious.

    ¡°So the rest of RED-1 is onboard the Conjunction ship we¡¯re about to land on, and the Titian is being airlifted to the southern shores of Ruskeda by Conjunction ships as well¡­¡± Prism nodded to himself while he paraphrased some of what Testa had told him.

    ¡°The Conjunction Joint Forces won¡¯t detain you guys. They tend to keep the peace rather than take sides in disputes such as this. The Etrysian Government would need to plead their case to the rest of the member states before the Conjunction would make a move against you or the Red Wolves. ¡± Testa explained.

    ¡°Lucky us¡­¡± Prism said with a shake of his head.

    After landing on the deck of an especially large airship, Prism and Testa disembarked from the wasp-like vessel that they¡¯d been aboard. Risa stayed seated in the pilot¡¯s chair, citing the need to keep the vessel away from prying eyes. She took off in the noiseless vessel a short time later. The craft shimmered for a few seconds before it vanished from view only a few meters above the area that it had landed on.

    Prism looked out to the east and saw the aerial battle above the Athean Sea intensifying. He could just make out the red Biost that had attacked him, as well as two similar bug-like vessels, zipping through the fighsau-filled sky. The Biosts flew close to the nearest Ammaship to the Athean coastline, the Paneen. The ship Prism stood upon maintained its distance from the battlefield while other, smaller Conjunction ships continued to head towards the fighting.

    Warm, gentle winds blew across the deck of the ship, distracting Prism¡¯s mind from the violence on the horizon.

    "We''re lucky that the Roots let us borrow the Ammophila. It''s one of the best stealth ships that we Roses have." Testa said proudly. "It helps that Risa used to be a part of their covert ops division."

    Prism bowed his head and then looked awkwardly up at Testa. He didn¡¯t think that she was supposed to be divulging such information to him, but Prism was still grateful to learn more about his unexpected benefactors.

    "Thank you. For saving me, I mean. I never thought you''d guys do all this to help me or my team. We all assumed the worse when you and Risa disappeared last night." Prism said guiltily.

    "Oh, we figured you all would. Theda had to be careful. She knew that her cousin Aksos wouldn''t want you running free once he found out about your powers. She assumed the worst about him, and she was right." Testa crossed her arms and looked down solemnly at the much-smaller Prism.

    "Welcome aboard the Besper. I''ll escort both of you to the others below-decks." A petite female Conjunction Joint Forces soldier who¡¯d been standing on the deck of the grand, blue airship suddenly said to Testa and Prism.

    The red-haired soldier wore a tailored light-gray uniform with four colored accents featured on its trim; light-blue, green, yellow, and brown. The four colors represented the four member nations of the Conjunction: light-blue for the icy mountains of Ruskeda, green for the verdant woods of Etrysia, yellow for the desert dunes of Disd¨¹t, and brown for the fertile lowlands of Esdegon. Prism had learned of the colors¡¯ meaning when reading a book about the Conjunction when he was first brought to Red Wolves HQ. Prism found the uniform to be both stylish and functional, a marvelous marriage of design that he''d found to be especially rare amongst militaries throughout his otherworldly travels.

    The Conjunction Joint Forces, or the CJF as they were more commonly called, were a rapid-deployment military that usually made up for any shortfalls of its member states¡¯ native military forces. It was Prism¡¯s first interaction with them, and he took note of every aspect of them that he could.

    "Also, these are for you." The female soldier said after being given a bundle of clothes and a pair of black running shoes by a young male soldier standing behind her.

    The woman handed Prism a set of CJF-issue jogging clothes, which consisted of gray sweatpants and a gray sweatshirt. Both items had the four color motif of the Conjunction Joint Forces on them. Prism suddenly became a bit modest of his barely-clothed state. Nevertheless, he thanked her and quickly put on the clothes and shoes that she provided.

    Testa and Prism followed the young woman and several husky CJF soldiers through an extensive set of crystalline-blue corridors and lifts until they''d made it to a large room several sections below the upper deck. Testa stepped away from the rest of the group when they made it in front of a set of opaque, glassy blue doors with four colored tiles inlaid upon it. The tall, muscular woman gave a playful salute before she smiled widely at the others.

    ¡°My work here¡¯s finished. Just had to make sure you were safely brought here. I¡¯m gonna head over the other Roses aboard this ship. Take care of yourself, Prism.¡±

    Testa¡¯s voice was suffused with both warmth and relief. Prism returned her mock salute with a serious one of his own. She nodded curtly to him before turning away and walking down the way they¡¯d come. The pep she had in each of her steps made Prism chuckle.

    When the blue doors swiveled open seconds later, Prism smiled when he saw his teammates scattered about the observation room with large windows that offered a dramatic view of the skirmishes above the Athean Sea. Leanna and Ursun looked over at him with curious eyes while Lorias and Srell continued speaking on the opposite side of the lengthy room on blue leatherine couches. The Besper seemed more like a luxury liner to Prism than a military ship.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    Prism''s smile quickly left his face when he realized that there were only four other members of his team. He''d pushed the loss of Jaik out of his still-hazy mind, but Jaik''s absence was apparent within that cold, azure room. Leanna seemed to sense Prism''s thoughts despite their telepathic link having been severed when Prism was sedated. She walked over to him and warmly wrapped her arms around his slender shoulders. She''d always been motherly to him, he thought. She''d been that way with Jaik, too.

    Before they could exchange words, they all saw an almost-blinding flash of light appear over the aerial battlefield several kilometers to the east. The blast that caused the flash was soon felt within their room as glasses and other small items began to rattle and shake. Everyone covered their eyes while the white light flared out in all directions.

    The members of RED-1 rushed over to the window to get a better view when the light dimmed. They saw the Biosts flying back towards the coast to the south of the Besper after the bipedal insectoid weapons were thrown back by the blast wave. A short alarm blared throughout the CJF ship, but it shut off when the explosion rapidly began to dissipate.

    "Some sort of new weapon!?" Srell shouted while they watched the smoke from the blast hang drearily in the air.

    "It looked like a nuke..." Leanna said softly, terrified by the possibility.

    "It better not have been. The Queen will come here and wipe us all out if that was the case." Lorias said with a shake of his head.

    "Why would she do that?" Prism asked with a raised eyebrow.

    "The Queen forced a ban of nuclear weapons soon after she came to power almost a millennium ago. She went out of her way to round up and disarm all of the world''s nukes, and she''s even destroyed entire military units that have tried to test them since then." Leanna explained.

    "The ban was formalized with the Nuke Armistice that was agreed upon by the Conjunction about two centuries ago." Ursun added.

    "If she can just show up and destroy entire armies and cities, why doesn''t she just take over the rest of this world!?" Prism said with an eruption of anger that caught everyone off-guard.

    "She''s powerful, but she''s not impervious. If the entire Conjunction threw everything they had at her while she tried to rampage through our lands, then the Queen would be destroyed eventually. It very nearly happened a century ago." Leanna reminded Prism of something she''d explained back in Battle City.

    Prism slammed his fist on the large window that stood in front of him and his team. He stared out at the airships and the small fighter aircraft that continued to creep towards the Athean coastline. The assault aircraft of the Conjunction Joint Forces and the Athean Air Fleet continued to hasten towards those enemy ships despite the explosion that had just occurred.

    Prism thought of the madness of it all; that there was an almost-divine arbiter keeping the war going, but who prevented that war from spilling over into her own domain. The Queen seemed to be playing a grand game with ?ba while she sat in her Kingdom doing who-knows-what, Prism thought further.

    "This needs to end." Prism said aloud.

    He looked around at his team and saw that they looked both tired and frustrated. Prism knew that they hadn¡¯t given up, however. He was glad that they hadn''t resigned themselves to the absurdity of the war they lived in; the Centuries-Long War that they were born into.

    Seconds later, several CJF soldiers entered the room to explain what was happening on the battlefield. They were led by an especially prim-looking man who had the rank of major within the CJF.

    "An unexpected reaction..." Leanna mused while she rubbed her soft chin after hearing the CJF officer''s explanation of the blast.

    "Damned "Biosts"! What a joke they are." Srell cursed.

    "They seemed pretty effective to me." Lorias shrugged. ¡°Not many ships can best both Prism and the Titian at the same time.¡±

    "So the Paneen is still on a collision course with Getla Base?" Ursun asked for clarification, as the CJF soldiers had left out a few important details in their mini-briefing.

    "No, the Paneen appears to be maintaining a stationary position fifty kilometers away from the coast while its Fightersaucers and dreadnought escorts continue to advance on Getla Base." One of the soldiers said calmly.

    "They''re creating an aerial defensive position. I suppose that accidental explosion made them reconsider their suicide mission." Leanna said thoughtfully.

    "That mistake may have turned the tide of this battle." Ursun said worriedly.

    "Our combined forces are about to meet the Vadamite ships. We''ll stop them from advancing." The senior CJF officer that led the soldiers said, referencing the CJF and Athean air fleets.

    As the minutes passed by, they all continued to discuss the battle while the Besper hovered high above the waves of the Athean Sea. They were far enough away to maintain a safe distance from the battlefield, as was the strategy for most command flagships. It wasn''t long before the Conjunction Joint Forces officer within the room received an urgent message through his comms. Ursun and Leanna looked attentively at the officer when they saw his face contort with shock and panic.

    "Main Window, show Zoom View 12 of the Paneen." The officer said loudly and clearly before anyone could ask what he''d learned.

    Everyone looked at the tall, wide window suddenly display a transposed video stream of the Paneen''s massive spaced-armor ¡°head¡±. The video was being captured by a scout ship that was a mere 15 kilometers from the lead Vadamite Ammaship. The video showed an expansive view of the front of the Paneen as well as the CJF and Athean fighter ships flying towards it. To everyone''s horror, the ovoid head of the Paneen had begun to glow with a bright golden light at its six edges. Each of those edges featured golden Kingdom-tech panels that reminded Prism of solar panels.

    Orbs of golden plasma began to merge at the center of the pot-marked armored head, forming a larger sphere of auric energy. A high-pitched trill could be heard for several kilometers while the weapon gathered more energy. After another minute of powering up, the large central orb was fired from the head with a loud warble. The plasma globule widened as it moved away from the Paneen at high-speed. It soon became a wall of fast-moving golden plasma that destroyed all it touched.

    "My Twins..." Leanna said airily while bringing her hands up to cover her face.

    The plasma wave streaked across the sunlit sky above the calm seas below. The CJF and Athean aircraft that had made it to the aerial battlefield ahead of their larger respective fleets were destroyed by the plasma. Not much remained of the ships struck by the wall of energy, which continued to widen as it traveled for kilometers unimpeded. A few of the more agile fighter aircraft evaded the plasma by diving downwards, but the larger ships that they''d come from could not escape the wave of destruction.

    Prism''s eyes twitched angrily at the sight, just as Ursun''s and Srell''s did. Everyone within the room stood almost dumbfounded by the destructive power of the never-before-seen plasma weapon. The widening wall of plasma only dissipated after it had traveled 20 kilometers, leaving a trail of smoke and floating debris in the air. It looked as though the Paneen was a great whale that had yelled with such force that it had destroyed all in a cone before it.

    "I need to go! I have to stop that thing from unleashing another one of those attacks!" Prism shouted resolutely to Ursun and his team.

    "Go where?" Ursun asked stolidly.

    ''To Getla Base!" Prism yelled.

    His teammates looked at him as though he was crazy. Prism knew that they were right to be skeptical, but Getla Base was the only place that he could harness enough power to decisively stop the Ammaships that continued to loom menacingly over the Athean Sea. Not only did the Paneen possess the Kingdom-tech plasma weapon, but its two sister Ammaships had the same shimmering golden structures built into their heads.

    "There''s no time! The other Ammaships could do the same thing the Paneen just did at any moment!" Prism yelled in response to the silence that met his previous reply.

    "Major, get us a line to Hypergeneral Aksos." Ursun said to the CJF officer as the officer was beginning to receive a damage report from the Paneen''s attack.

    "The plasma wave created too much electromagnetic interference. We''re doing our best just to communicate with our own for-" The officer started to say.

    "Then laser him!" Ursun yelled with a swat of his hand towards the officer.

    The officer looked stunned by the sudden rudeness, but he soon nodded and rubbed on his ear clasp to contact his superiors. After a few moments of hushed conversations amongst RED-1 and the Conjunction soldiers within the room, the officer pointed at the room¡¯s large window to draw everyone''s attention towards it. An image of the hypergeneral soon appeared, moving and shrinking the transposed feed of the Paneen to a corner of the window. The ordinarily proud and well-groomed man looked disheveled and strained.

    "Out of all the calls I''m getting right now, I chose to answer this one. This better be good, Commander Ursun." Aksos said indignantly.

    "I won''t waste your time, then. Prism can stop the Ammaships, but he needs to return to Getla Base and tap into its nerve grid again." Ursun said gruffly with crossed arms.

    "No, we can''t take the risk. I am still of the opinion that "Prism" is too much of a wild card for us to deal with." Aksos said with a dismissive shake of his head.

    "I can do this! What other option do you have!?" Prism stepped forward and shouted at the large display of Aksos upon the window.

    "Getla Base is being evacuated as we speak. A long-range pressure wave from the plasma attack has rendered the base unsafe to stay within. We have our own plan of action that doesn''t require any assistance from you or the Red Wolves." The hypergeneral said coldly.

    "I''m not asking for your permission! You can either stay out of my way or waste even more of your resources trying to stop me!" Prism shouted while angrily pointing his finger at the display window.

    Prism began to walk away, but Lorias grabbed him by his forearm. Prism stared into Lorias'' narrow blue eyes, which had a calming effect on the brown-skinned alien. Prism immediately understood what Lorias wanted from him; Lorias didn''t want Prism to further destabilize the already disastrous situation that the Conjunction and its Etrsyian member state found themselves in.

    "Over half of our combined aerial fleets have just been decimated. You may think that you can solve all of our problems with whatever powers you possess, but what we need now is certainty. We need to dispel all of the uncertainty that has gotten us into this mess. Can you honestly say that you alone can provide that certainty, Prism?"

    The hypergeneral''s words cut through Prism like a knife. Prism glanced around the blue observation room at all of the worried faces that surrounded him. When Prism''s eyes returned to Lorias'' face, he let go of Prism''s forearm and stepped back to Srell''s side. It was then that Prism saw the expectation in his team''s expressions. It was then that Prism saw that despite everything that had happened, they still believed in him.

    "Not alone, sir. But with the help of you and everyone else, I can stop the Vadamites."

 Chapter 45 - Radiance

    The warm wind streamed over Prism¡¯s bald head while he flew like an arrow towards the Athean coast to the south. He kept his arms close to his sides as he shot through the air towards his destination over 20 kilometers away. His glowing blue irises matched the color of the sunlit sea.

    Prism was accompanied by the red Biost piloted by Kurillios, who¡¯d been tasked by the hypergeneral with protecting Prism on his way to Getla Base. The bipedal craft flew a few dozen meters behind Prism, giving Kurillios a wide view of any threats that approached them. They made an odd pair, the likes off which had never been seen before by any on the intensifying battlefield save for Prism himself.

    Kurillios marveled at the small alien¡¯s flight speed, and at his ability to fly at all. The green-haired pilot still found it hard to believe that anyone could come close to the capabilities of his hyper-efficient Biost. The Biost was a platform onto which the greatest of all Etrysian advancement were placed upon. It was the culmination of five hundred years of organic technology, and Etrysia believed it to be the key to overturning the Queen¡¯s nigh-hegemony over ?ba. Prism, however, brought that possibility into question.

    ¡°I¡¯m still reeling from that kid¡¯s apology. Vey must¡¯ve told him to do it.¡± Ursun communicated telepathically to Prism through their restored psychic link.

    Not many minutes earlier, Kurillios had landed and exited his Biost on the Besper¡¯s deck. He¡¯d gotten new orders from the hypergeneral to protect Prism, which had stunned the young pilot. The rest of his Biost unit had not been surprised at all, as they had plenty of experience on how unexpectedly situations could shift during battle. Kurillios had been humbled by the change in orders, and had apologized profusely to RED-1 when they¡¯d met him on the deck.

    ¡°I told you that Kurillios is a good guy. He just got bad orders. He didn¡¯t even mean to tear through the roof of the Titian.¡± Srell explained telepathically to Prism.

    ¡°Vey?¡± Prism psychically asked Ursun while he looked ahead at the Athean landmass that drew ever closer to him.

    ¡°Vey is Kurillios¡¯ commanding officer and an old friend of mine. His family was close to my mother¡¯s.¡± Ursun explained to Prism¡¯s surprise.

    ¡°It looks like Vey and the other Biost pilot have made it to the Paneen. Hopefully they can damage the plasma dischargers on those Ammaships and buy you some time.¡± Leanna chimed in.

    ¡°In any case, we won¡¯t distract you anymore. Good luck over there. You know that we¡¯re all counting on you.¡± Lorias¡¯ mental voice was just as chill as his speaking one.

    ¡°Take out those Vadamite bullies! Do it for Jaik!¡± Srell shouted over their link.

    Prism did his best to keep his thoughts of grief from spilling out telepathically while his teammates began to silence their own minds. He could sense their own complex emotions related to Jaik, but he pushed them out of his head and trained his focus back on returning to the base. The threat of a fast-moving enemy ship soon helped distract him from his turmoil.

    ¡°Fighsaus approaching. I¡¯ll take care of them.¡± Prism could hear Kurillios¡¯ voice over the comm ear clasp he¡¯d been given.

    ¡°Understood.¡± Prism replied through comms.

    Kurillios¡¯ Biost broke away from Prism¡¯s rear and flew over to the six fightersaucers that were headed straight towards Prism. With a swipe of its hands, the Biost sent forth two arcs of sharpened darts that destroyed three of the small aircraft. The other three fighsaus zipped past Kurillios and continued their pursuit of Prism. Kurillios shot his Biost forward and lunged at the fighsaus, but they broke their tight formation and split up in three directions. It was then that Kurillios realized that he was dealing with three ace pilots, seasoned veterans with several confirmed kills and thousands of hours of flight-time.

    ¡°Careful! These guys won¡¯t go down easily!¡± Kurillios said over comms to Prism.

    Prism looked back to see the fighsaus begin to unload their smart turrets at him. He crossed his arms in front of his face and extended a protective barrier of golden light that shielded him from the deadly bullets, causing his left eye to shimmer with white light. He felt himself begin to descend rapidly as his intricate flight magics started to waver.

    ¡°Please keep them off of me! I can¡¯t keep flying if I have to defend myself!¡± Prism shouted over the comms.

    Kurillios quickly maneuvered his shiny red Biost to intercept the fighsaus firing on Prism. The Biost flipped in the air and twisted the waist of its anthropomorphic body at an extreme angle, catching two of the fighsaus off guard. Kurillios¡¯ Biost grabbed and crushed one of them, but the other ship evaded just in time. The two fighsaus continued firing on Prism in between evading the Biost¡¯s ranged and close-quarter attacks.

    ¡°No choice!¡± Kurillios said to himself within the innards of the Biost¡¯s chest section.

    He strained his mind to trigger muscles and nerves that had been restrained within the Biost. Its red armored surface began to glow and release wisps of bioluminescent chemicals from the tiny openings in its joints and sensory orifices. Kurillios gritted his teeth as another level of power began to awaken within the Biost. He controlled the vessel as if it was his own body, and the increased strain from the power boost put his own body under duress.

    ¡°Here I go!¡±

    Kurillios opened his eyes before he dashed forward through the air and suddenly closed the distance between him and the two fighsaus that had been toying with him. The fighsaus flew in opposing directions to throw the Biost off, but the human reflexes of their pilots were no match for Kurillios¡¯ chemically-boosted response time. He reached the Biost¡¯s arms out towards the fleeing fighsaus and fired pressurized jets of corrosive red acid. Both of the fighsaus were struck by the acid, triggering small explosions mere meters away from the Biost.

    Prism smiled at the dazzling red destruction and turned back around to face the nearby base. Both of his eyes were suffused with blue light once again as he fully-regained his control of the winds around his body. The base¡¯s black surface buildings and tall walls were clear to him now, and some of its large living border guns continued to fire at the numerous Vadamite ships that still approached Athea. Prism could see large cracks running throughout the walls, floors, and ground of Getla Base. Portions of the sea-facing walls had collapsed, causing two of the borders guns to fall into the sea.

    ¡°How could that plasma attack have caused all this damage? It stopped over 20 kilometers away from here¡­¡± Prism thought as his mind struggled to understand the physics involved.

    Prism¡¯s baggy grey sweatsuit flapped in the wind as he applied a final burst of wind magic to himself to accelerate his flight. Time was short, and he knew that the three Vadamite fleet divisions would soon annihilate him and his allies with their unprecedented Kingdom-tech.

    ¡°You should slow down. You¡¯ll splat into the ground at this rate.¡± Kurillios said to Prism over comms.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine! Thanks for the escort!¡± Prism shouted adamantly through comms.

    Kurillios smirked at Prism¡¯s cockiness. It was a trait that they both possessed, the Biost pilot thought.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay close by. Contact me if you need anything!¡± Kurillios said before pulling his Biost back and away from Prism, holding a position in the skies overlooking the northern Athean coast.

    A few minutes later, Prism was landing near one of the white-domed border guns. A fighsau that¡¯d evaded the nearby cliff cannons and defensive automated turrets on the rooftop fired upon the border gun. The border gun continued to fire its long-range electrified rounds at the approaching Ammaships while its dome became pockmarked from the fighsaus armor-piercing rounds.

    Prism sent a razor-sharp blade of wind up at the fighsau with a flick of his wrist. The small aircraft was sliced in two, triggering a sudden reaction within its weapons system. After the fighsau exploded above him, the nearby turrets began firing on Prism. He yelped when a bullet struck his shoulder right before he surrounded himself with a magical force field.

    Prism used his mind to call out to the base¡¯s bio-system, but the damage it had sustained from the plasma attack¡¯s pressure wave made it ignore his attempts at telepathic contact. Prism ran over to the east-facing edge of the roof. He could sense a nerve-cable running just beneath the stone balustrade before him. He knew that the solution to his problems lay beneath his feet.

    ¡°Work with me, Getla.¡± Prism said in a quiet prayer.

    He conjured a simple spell that created a small hatch in the stone floor near to him. He¡¯d begun to feel the strain of repelling the bullets that still pelted his protective barrier of light, and it wouldn¡¯t be long before his mana ran out. His eyes glowed with white light while he opened the hatch and revealed the nerve-cable below. After taking a quick glance around, Prism grabbed the thick, warm bundle of nerves and closed his eyes. He moved his consciousness through the cables and soon found the essence of Getla Base¡¯s bio-system within. It was afraid and suspicious, just as it had been when it was infected with the supervirus.

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    Its nerve grid was severed in numerous places from the collapse of several sections of the underground base. Even one of its four primary bio-generators had been crushed in a cave-in. Prism began to worry if the system could still supply the power he needed.

    ¡°Let me help you like I did before.¡±

    Prism¡¯s intentions soothed the bio-system, allowing him to probe it more deeply with his mind. He was worried when he sensed several humans still trapped within the base, but there was nothing he could do for them. He learned that the remaining border guns used energy quite efficiently, and that they could be the key that Prism needed. Prism would not be able to fix the bio-system¡¯s damage, but he would be able to work around it.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to stop those that hurt you, but I will need all of your strength.¡±

    The system hesitantly relinquished its control to Prism and stopped the turrets that had still been shooting at him. The bio-system knew that it lacked the innate intelligence to understand the world outside itself, so it placed its survival into Prism¡¯s hands. Prism thanked the non-human consciousness for making the same decision he had made a month earlier with the Red Wolves. Trust did not come easily to the injured and the fearful, but it was oftentimes their only path to salvation.

    Prism breathed deeply before he began rerouting the still-massive amount of power being produced within the bio-system. He forced the three bio-generators deep within the base to create far more energy than they ordinarily did. Prism then felt the surge of bioelectric energy begin to move through him as he brought it up to the border gun a dozen meters from him.

    His form began to shift into incandescence as more and more energy washed over him. The injury to his shoulder was mended as his body¡¯s mana overflowed. He did his best to maintain his human form; for fear that he¡¯d be swept into the border gun to be used as a power source himself. The result was a glowing, humanoid shape that shined with all the colors of the rainbow.

    ¡°Get your ships out of the airspace! I¡¯m preparing to fire!¡±

    Prism sent a telepathic alert to his team since the ear clasp he¡¯d been wearing had been temporarily subsumed by his luminescent form. The border guns became enwreathed in the same prismatic glow that made up Prism¡¯s present form. The multicolored light expanded around the border guns, causing them to assume a grander and more angelic shape. Wings of light formed around their domes, while their long barrels became thicker. Halos of ringed rainbows soon appeared at the tips of the luminous barrels. Seconds later, Prism stood up and stretched out his light-infused right hand towards the Ammaships that moved ever closer. His shining foot stayed atop the exposed nerve-cable to maintain his state of heightened energy.

    ¡°Are they clear?¡± Prism¡¯s magicked voice boomed through the minds of RED-1.

    ¡°Yes, our ships have cleared a path for your attacks.¡± Leanna replied with a serious telepathic voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m firing now, then!¡±

    The sky suddenly darkened and time seemed to stand still. Colorful beams of light shot from the magically-transformed border guns and pierced through the Paneen and its two sister Ammaships. Three of the penetrating beams went straight through the massive flagship while two beams each pierced through the other two ships. He didn¡¯t know exactly what sections of the ships to aim at, but Prism figured that skewering them through completely should be enough. Seven perfectly-straight prismatic beams in all shot across the sky faster than the speed of sound and managed to travel over fifty kilometers to strike their targets. The hundreds of meters of hardened materials that composed the Ammaships did nothing to stop the magically-empowered beams of various energies from shooting straight through them.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Prism said before slinking to his knees as the daylight returned to normal.

    Prism¡¯s supernatural luminosity left his body while he and the border guns returned to their normal appearance. The light left him and the guns like colorful petals floating into the sky above. Many that looked upon the phenomenon saw it as an act of divinity. The Vadamites, who were hardly religious or superstitious, viewed it as the act of a faerie, the mythical evil entities of ?ba.

    Prism sensed the numerous lives aboard the Ammaships that had been taken in an instant by the energy beams he¡¯d fired. He loathed killing, especially when it was so indiscriminate. He¡¯d been involved in many wars over many years, but it never grew easier for him.

    Prism began to hear the celebratory telepathic voices of his team within his mind, but it was short-lived. While the other two Ammaships began to plummet into the sea, the Paneen had managed to stay aloft. In fact, it was flying full-speed ahead towards Getla Base, Prism was told.

    ¡°Are you able to launch another beam attack at it!?¡± Ursun asked Prism intensely over their shared link.

    ¡°I¡¯ve drained myself and Getla Base dry. I¡¯m not even sure if the base will ever produce energy from its bio-generators again.¡± Prism replied weakly.

    ¡°You¡¯re right; they¡¯ll never make energy again after the base gets pulverized!¡± Srell said facetiously.

    ¡°You need to get out of there! The Paneen will strike the base in less than ten minutes!¡± Leanna¡¯s voice blared in Prism¡¯s head.

    ¡°Kurillios, please come get me. I¡¯m spent and can barely move.¡± Prism said meekly over his ear comms.

    ¡°Already on it.¡±

    Kurillios¡¯ Biost soon swooped down and landed its stilt-like feet on the tower¡¯s roof beside Prism. The Biost bent over and scooped Prism¡¯s weakened body up into its red-plated hands. After it covered one hand with the other to protect Prism, the Biost unfurled and fluttered its chitinous wings as it leapt high into the sky. Airborne, Kurillios looked back down at the ruined base that his family had commanded for generations. The border guns sat motionless on the rooftops, no longer firing a single shot.

    His Biost¡¯s numerous sensory organs allowed him to observe the aerial dogfights and sea-to-air artillery barrages occurring kilometers east of the base. The Vadamite forces were being systematically annihilated by the exemplary teamwork of the CJF and Athean fleets. The Vadamite fleet divisions, which were large enough to be fleets in their own right, became listless and demoralized by the beams that destroyed their command structure aboard the Ammaships. Even the Paneen had grown silent as its jet engines propelled it to a suicidal end.

    The whale-like living battleships of the Athean Navy fired guided volleys of organic missiles and anti-air flak from plated orifices on their backs. The sleek battleships, known as cetuships, could suddenly submerge themselves beneath the waves to avoid enemy firepower from above. The cetuships hadn¡¯t worried much about naval battle, as Vadam had sent only a scant amount of boats to Athea.

    The agile CJF jet fighters shot down multitudes of the fightersaucers that fled from the sinking Ammaships. The wide-radial missiles unleashed from the jets offered no escape for the more maneuverable fighsaus. Without the potent laser defenses of the Ammaships that ordinarily spanned the entire battlefield, the missiles could hit their targets without being disabled mid-flight. The jet planes were gray like the slate found in the unarmored sections of Athea¡¯s coastal cliffs, and they were shaped like the narrow arrowheads used by the island¡¯s natives thousands of years earlier.

    The black flanxflies and dark-blue beetlebombers of the Second Athean Air Fleet were a menace to the dreadnought-class Vadamite airships that continued to put up a fight. The small, single-pilot flanxflies spat wads of corrosive acid at the hardy dreadnoughts¡¯ six domed engines. A few of the flanxflies landed on the domes protecting the jet engines and began to release a steady stream of corrosive acid onto their metal surface.

    The beetlebombers followed up the acid attacks with a barrage of organic cluster-bombs that they shot out of their mouths. The bulkier living aircraft swooped in with their noisy plated wings and spat out their explosives once the flanxflies flew out of the way. It wasn¡¯t long before three of the tough-looking dreadnoughts were falling into the sea.

    The CJF and Etrysian ships tried a similar tactic on the Paneen, which continued to charge forward towards Getla Base. In a stroke of bad luck, the Ammaship¡¯s domed engines were largely unaffected by Prism¡¯s beam attacks. The guided missiles of the CJF jet planes did little to the armored jet domes, and the flanxflies¡¯ acid couldn¡¯t eat through its composite materials deep enough for the beetlebombers to be effective, either. The Paneen¡¯s advance couldn¡¯t be stopped, even when Colonel Vey and Major Defno¡¯s Biosts unleashed their own weapons upon it in a last ditch effort.

    ¡°Sorry, dad. Looks like I won¡¯t be inheriting the family business.¡± Kurillios said to himself.

    He knew that his father had made it out of Getla Base alive, but Kurillios couldn¡¯t stop thinking about how devastated Deriges would be by the base¡¯s destruction. Ever since Kurillios was little, he knew that his father¡¯s passion lied in that base. He wondered if his father would be able to be just as driven about anything else. Kurillios even wondered if the Etrysian Committee of Military Affairs would even let his father assume any sort of command role in the future, even though the day¡¯s events had been well beyond Deriges¡¯ control.

    Prism rested within the clasped hands of Kurillios¡¯ Biost as it quickly flew towards the Besper. The beautifully-constructed blue and silver airship had moved a few kilometers to the north to avoid the impending crash of the Paneen. The airspace around the Besper had become filled with smaller allied aircraft tasked with protecting it from any desperate Vadamite ships that broke through the defenses that kept the nearby aerial battlefield contained.

    Prism sensed the constant loss of large numbers of Vadamite lives, a result of their remaining ships being destroyed en masse. Victory would come soon to his allies, he reasoned.

    Kurillios¡¯ Biost landed upon the expansive deck of the Besper minutes later. There were several CJF soldiers standing across the deck, ready to trounce any enemies foolish enough to try and board. The Biost leaned down as it had minutes earlier and placed the back of its clawed left hand flat against the cold metal hull. Kurillios then carefully moved the Biost¡¯s right hand from the top of the other, allowing Prism to stand up and step onto the deck.

    Prism glanced around at the sentry soldiers standing as still as statues. The Besper was so stable during flight that Prism could barely perceive of the flagship¡¯s slow northerly movement without looking out at the horizon. He¡¯d noticed that the other side of the deck was recessed and terraced, like an arena. It was strange to Prism that the Besper had such a feature, but he¡¯d forgotten to ask about it earlier.

    Prism soon wiped the tiredness from his eyes and looked up at the beady black eyes of the Biost. Kurillios opened the Biost¡¯s chest plate and shifted the stability rig he was held in forward. He and Prism were soon looking into each others¡¯ eyes.

    ¡°I appreciate your help. I wish we could¡¯ve avoided fighting earlier.¡± Prism said to Kurillios, who was several meters above him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll apologize again, if you want.¡± Kurillios said cheekily.

    ¡°That¡¯s okay. Just stay out of trouble, young man.¡± Prism said with a wry smile.

    ¡°Young man!? You¡¯re younger than me!¡± Kurillios exclaimed after laughing for a bit.

    ¡°Sure I am.¡± Prism said with a wizened nod.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve gotta head out there and help my unit out, old man. Until next time.¡±

    Kurillios caused his Biost to stand back up and give Prism a military salute. Prism returned the salute with a slight grin before the Biost took to the skies again while Kurillios closed its chest. Prism imagined that piloting such a creature provided a thrill that few would ever experience.

    Prism soon heard numerous footsteps come from the blue cabin doors behind him. When he turned around, he saw Ursun, Leanna, Lorias, and Srell stepping onto the deck. They all looked elated to see him, though the tiredness was still clear on everyone¡¯s face. They hadn¡¯t had much time to rest.

    ¡°Any reason you couldn¡¯t bring down the Paneen?¡± Lorias asked bluntly, earning him a jab in the ribs from Leanna¡¯s elbow that he paid no mind to.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know the layout of those ships. I was firing in the dark.¡± Prism said with a shrug

    ¡°You literally took a shot in the dark! Well, several shots! What was up with the sky becoming black all of a sudden!? I thought the world was ending!¡± Srell started shouting and pointing at the sky.

    ¡°I drew the daylight into the beams, to boost their power. I wasn¡¯t sure what kind of energy would pierce through those ships, so I kind of shot a bit of everything at them.¡± Prism rubbed his head and said meekly.

    ¡°Amazing.¡± Leanna said softly.

    ¡°Look; it¡¯s happening.¡± Ursun said with a nod of his head towards Getla Base.

    The five of them turned to watch as the Paneen descended on the evacuated base. When the Ammaship¡¯s massive armored head collided with the cliff wall, a massive plume of fire and smoke erupted from the impact site. The Paneen seemed to disappear as all 200 meters of its length hit Getla Base with enough force to pierce into even the base¡¯s deepest underground sections. A wide pillar of thick, black smoke obscured the crater that was created in an instant.

    ¡°After all we did to protect that base; this is how it ends up.¡± Prism said with a dejected shake of his head.

    ¡°Most of its people got out alive. Your efforts helped secure the safe escape of even more soldiers.¡± Ursun reminded Prism.

    ¡°Bases fall, even ancient ones like Getla. It¡¯ll be rebuilt, given time.¡± Lorias said nonchalantly.

    ¡°Yes, this wasn¡¯t completely unexpected. And it isn¡¯t as though Vadam has the resources to launch a second invasion attempt anytime soon. They don¡¯t have many Ammaships in the first place.¡± Leanna reasoned while her eyes remained fixed on the site of the crash.

    ¡°Sending three entire fleet divisions at us is pretty insane. They probably thought they¡¯d take all of Athea with those plasma weapons of theirs.¡± Srell commented.

    ¡°We¡¯ll leave it to Bighead and the analysts back home to figure this all out. For now, we¡¯ll lay low here while our allies mop up what¡¯s left of those Vadamite ships.¡± Ursun sounded almost irritated to Prism and the others.

    ¡°Sir, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Leanna asked Ursun cautiously.

    Ursun looked down at her with his fierce, green eyes. When she didn¡¯t back down from her inquiry, Ursun sighed and crossed his arms. He thought for a moment whether he should share his true thoughts presently or back at Pack HQ, where they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about being overheard. He chose a mixture of the two options.

    ¡°The Queen seems to have wanted the Vadamites to overplay their hand. This all feels too staged, too artificial. Our forces back home will be able to confirm my suspicious, so we¡¯ll talk about it more there.¡± Ursun explained in earnest.

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Leanna said with a distant look in her eyes. Ursun¡¯s cryptic words reverberated in her overactive mind.

    As the colorful lights of aerial explosions flashed in the distance, RED-1 stood tall at the edge of the Besper¡¯s deck while the hard-fought battle came to an end.

 Chapter 46 - Celebration

    The battle would last only a few more hours before the few remaining Vadamite ships were disabled and their crews captured. By that afternoon, Hypergeneral Aksos and the CJF fleet commander aboard the Besper declared victory over their enemy, officially ending the conflict. The hypergeneral had considered pressing their advantage and leading an assault on Vadam, but the more-measured fleet commander had convinced him otherwise. Vadam was not defenseless, as their large naval fleets had remained within their own territorial waters.

    Despite their desire to make haste back to the Peninsula, RED-1 was politely asked to stay aboard the Besper to partake in the evening¡¯s celebrations. They were honored guests seen as heroes of the Battle of Getla Base, as it had already started to be called. Ursun felt uneasy about keeping Prism amongst those who¡¯d only want more answers about his mystical powers. Murmurs of his potential divinity continued to spread amongst those who¡¯d witnessed his spells firsthand.

    Fortunately for Prism, only a few survivors from Getla Base had remained that saw him use his powers. The masses who¡¯d arrived later were skeptical of the eyewitness accounts from soldiers who¡¯d dramatically lost their base. The majority of soldiers saw the beams as yet another experimental weapon, and the higher-ups who¡¯d monitored Prism¡¯s actions encouraged the misinformation. The commanders certainly did not want a religious fervor to overtake their forces. They feared losing the discipline of the military and the authority it gave them, such as what happened in Sguvi at the beginning of the Centuries-Long War.

    Prism would soon discover the purpose of the Besper¡¯s terraced deck, as there was to be a Victory Concert that night atop the ship. The concert was a tradition of the CJF, since its creation two centuries earlier. The Conjunction Joint Forces saw the value of maintaining the boosted morale of soldiers for as long as possible to mitigate the negative psychological effects of war on them. The Besper¡¯s deck was the venue of the concert, and the terraces were in fact arena-style seating.

    Hours before the night¡¯s festivities, RED-1 was given roomy shared quarters deep within the flagship to rest within.

    ¡°I just want to go home¡­¡± Srell complained.

    ¡°We¡¯re leaving right after the concert begins. They just want me to stand alongside the other commanders while Aksos gives a self-important speech.¡± Ursun said while he leaned on the wooden frame of a rather-large bunk bed built within the wall. ¡°The CJF is lending us a plane. It¡¯ll be prepped and ready to go in a few hours.¡±

    ¡°Well now I know why this place is designed like a fancy cruise ship. I wouldn¡¯t have thought that a flagship would double as an entertainment venue.¡± Prism said while he looked around at the fancy crystalline fixtures present around the room.

    ¡°The CJF have a unique military culture, that¡¯s for sure. They fight like hell, but they also party like debutantes.¡± Leanna explained with a smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe that most of these soldiers believe that our team simply jerry-rigged an overload of the border guns.¡± Lorias said with a sigh.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that they¡¯ve downplayed Prism¡¯s role in this. The fewer that know about him, the better.¡± Ursun said confidently.

    ¡°Aksos must still have his concerns, but he¡¯s keeping them to himself for now. I think that he sees more clearly now, in regard to Prism.¡± Leanna said with a pensive gaze at her alien teammate.

    ¡°We can hope so. That man can still make our existence here a living hell if he wants. That¡¯s why I want to get out of here.¡± Srell reasoned before biting his nails.

    ¡°Are the Roses coming back for the Victory Concert?¡± Prism asked softly, not wanting to irritate Ursun with the mention of their group.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re still personas non grata. No telling what the hypergeneral might do to his cousin Theda and her ragtag group if he sees them anytime soon.¡± Leanna surmised.

    ¡°A pity. I¡¯m reminded of how much Testa went on about her love for Beiana.¡± Lorias said sarcastically.

    Kurillios had told RED-1 that the Ammophila, the Roses¡¯ stealth ship, had only snuck up on him because he¡¯d been focused entirely on Prism. The wasp-ship may have effective visual camouflage, he¡¯d said, but the Biost could see in far more spectra than the human eye could. Nevertheless, the attack on an Etrysian vessel would be grounds for the nation to arrest Theda¡¯s team. The Roses were accountable to Etrysia¡¯s government, after all. They didn¡¯t have the same sovereignty that the Red Wolves had earned 40 years earlier.

    ¡°Is Beiana a good singer?¡± Prism asked innocently enough. He hadn¡¯t had much exposure to the music of their world, and was eager to hear more of it.

    ¡°You¡¯ve probably heard her music played quite loudly in Doctor Liam''s medical labs. He''s a true BeiBei." Srell said with a roll of his eyes. "Err, a "BeiBei" is a fan of Beiana''s." Srell quickly said when he realized Prism wouldn''t understand the slang.

    "That music was really upbeat and catchy. I expected something more somber for a military concert, like opera, if you have that on ?ba." Prism said with a tilt of his head.

    ¡°We do. Opera is especially popular amongst the Etrysian noble families.¡± Leanna said with a glance at Lorias, who was a part of one of those families.

    "You aren''t the only one that thinks the choice of music is ridiculous. Let''s just say your opinions are completely overruled by Beiana''s tremendous success throughout the Conjunction." Lorias said to Prism with a smirk after ignoring Leanna¡¯s statement entirely. ¡°I, for one, think that she¡¯s quite marvelous.¡±

    "Heck, she even has a lot of Monarchist fans!" Srell exclaimed loudly.

    "She''s flying in from her home in Disd¨¹t as we speak.¡± Leanna said.

    ¡°Is it really safe for her to come here so soon after the battle? There could still be enemies waiting to attack this ship.¡± Prism asked with a frown.

    ¡°I have the same concerns. I don¡¯t know what our allies are thinking. I just hope they have adequately secured the area.¡± Ursun said after slowly shaking his head.

    ¡°Losing Beiana would be a big blow to any diplomatic negotiations we¡¯ve been having with the Monarchists. Srell is right; she¡¯s pretty much universally loved across ?ba. Not many people have that kind of reach.¡± Leanna explained to Prism.

    Prism was intrigued about the idea of diplomacy between the two warring alliances of ?ba. He hadn¡¯t heard much about the peaceful interactions that the Conjunction and Monarchists took part in, but he knew that it was the wrong time to ask about such things. He would want to have that conversation with an expert on the matter, preferably a civilian.

    ¡°I hear that she¡¯s coming with an entourage of ace pilots in a few Disd¨¹ti Skepa. I doubt that there¡¯s too much that can get past those things.¡± Lorias smirked and traced the shape of the Skepa aircraft in the air before him.

    ¡°What¡¯s so special about those ¡°Skepa¡±?¡± Prism asked.

    ¡°They can move the air around them using all kinds of technology, without the need for hinges like traditional aircraft.¡± Leanna¡¯s words didn¡¯t help Prism visualize the craft at all.

    ¡°If you think Vadam¡¯s fighsaus are maneuverable and fast, then the Skepa are gonna really impress you, rookie!¡± Srell said after grabbing Prism, wedging him under Srell¡¯s right arm, and then pulling him close.

    ¡°Disd¨¹t might have the most advanced avionics in the Conjunction, which is a real waste considering how rarely they deploy their planes into battle.¡± Lorias said with a flip of his lengthy golden hair.

    As Srell, Lorias, and Leanna returned to the topic of Beiana''s impending performance, Prism walked over to Ursun¡¯s side and looked up at him wearily. Ursun saw the trepidation on his small subordinate¡¯s face, and grimaced at how ridiculous he found Prism¡¯s behavior to be. Ursun no longer had any illusions that he was dealing with a naive youth.

    He wondered why Prism chose to take on such an unremarkable form. Prism could appear in whatever form he wanted, Ursun thought, and yet Prism chose a form that barely even looked like an adult.

    ¡°Perhaps his race matures at a much slower rate than ours.¡± Leanna had hypothesized when Ursun had broached the topic while Prism was flying to Getla Base with Kurillios.

    Ursun sighed and crossed his arms as he reined in his suspicious thoughts. It did him no good to treat Prism like an unknown threat. The alien had spent the last several hours putting himself in great peril to protect RED-1 and its allies, Ursun reminded himself.

    ¡°Prism¡¯s appearance and personality is simply a quirk of his. We all have our eccentricities.¡± Ursun recalled Lorias¡¯ words during that earlier conversation with Leanna.

    Prism saw the inner turmoil that Ursun was experiencing, and worried that he was being a bother to his commander. Prism had realized that his team¡¯s doubts about him had bubbled back to the surface since Jaik¡¯s death. They weren¡¯t being obvious about it, but Prism could sense their emotions, even after Ursun had told him to end their telepathic link an hour earlier. Ursun had claimed not to see the utility of the link outside of battle, but it was further proof to Prism that Ursun¡¯s faith in him had wavered yet again.

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    ¡°Sir, is Jaik¡¯s body alright? Did the damage to the ship affect the refrigeration device? Sorry, it¡¯s been bothering me; not knowing, that is.¡± Prism said quietly.

    Ursun was a bit taken aback by the question. His eyes grew wide when he looked down at Prism, revealing his surprise. Ursun wondered why he himself had reacted that way over such a harmless enquiry. The commander began to search his feelings, and the answer soon came to him.

    ¡°Jaik¡¯s body is fine. The mini-morgue we put it in was unaffected by the Biost attack. It can run on battery power for several days.¡±

    Ursun spoke calmly, but he winced slightly when he referred to Jaik¡¯s body as ¡°it¡±. Prism picked up on the subtle movement, which confirmed his own assumptions about his team¡¯s state of mind. To Ursun, it was a wake-up call; he was actively grieving the loss of his youngest recruit, and it was coloring his thoughts in ways he hadn¡¯t realized.

    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± Prism replied before taking a few steps away to get some distance from Ursun and the others.

    ¡°Hold up.¡± Ursun said loudly enough to get the attention of the other three within the room.

    Prism turned around slowly, fearing some sort of angry outburst. But what Prism saw was a man in pain who was finally letting his walls down.

    ¡°Why did Jaik die? What did he do that was so catastrophic to his wellbeing? What role did you play in it?¡±

    Ursun¡¯s questions were tinged with sadness and exasperation. Prism looked at Srell, Lorias, and Leanna behind him, and believed that they were all eager to hear his answers. Prism rubbed his weary face, wiped his tired eyes, and then clenched his jaw. After tapping his fingers on his temple a few times, he steeled himself to deal with the confrontation.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Prism started to speak after carefully thinking about what he was going to say.

    ¡°We¡¯ve already heard his explanation, sir. Must we retread this already? Pack Command is already going to drill all of us on this when we get home. Why can¡¯t we just delay all of this pain until after the concert?¡± Leanna¡¯s words were like purifying fire in the room that seemed heavy with regret.

    ¡°I concur. There¡¯s nothing to gain from this right now.¡± Lorias said with a simple nod.

    Srell looked at everyone and shrugged, not sure of what side to take. Ursun stared angrily at Prism before he turned away and slowly walked out of the room. Prism stood paralyzed by the ordeal. He wasn¡¯t sure if Ursun would ever be on his side again.

    ¡°He always takes the deaths of his teammates really hard. It¡¯s a testament to how much he cares about us. It¡¯ll take him some time, but you¡¯ll be back on his good side eventually.¡± Lorias said calmly.

    ¡°He¡¯s dealt with a lot during this mission; we all have.¡± Leanna said compassionately.

    ¡°And what about you guys?¡± Prism said softly. ¡°Do you blame me for Jaik¡¯s death?¡±

    There was silence in the room for a bit too long. Prism had put everyone back on edge, and they worried that their words would lead to even more disharmony amongst their team.

    ¡°If Jaik knew that he could die if he reached out to you, then he made a noble sacrifice to get our greatest asset back. If he didn¡¯t know the danger he was putting himself in, then you have a lot of blame that you need to answer for.¡±

    Srell¡¯s words had both acceptance and anger behind them. The moral scenario that he outlined sounded like one that everyone could agree with, and yet it didn¡¯t sit well with the others. Leanna was the first to realize the logical issue with Srell¡¯s statement.

    ¡°We have no way of knowing for sure either way. It¡¯s best to accept Jaik¡¯s actions as a nobl-¡° Leanna tried to say.

    ¡°He knew that it was dangerous. I¡¯d told him as much back in Battle City. But that didn¡¯t stop him from trying¡­¡± Prism said with a quavering voice.

    ¡°Sure you did.¡± Srell said bitterly.

    ¡°Jaik told me about the conversation he¡¯d had with Prism. The kid said that there was a faint possibility of him being able to use magic.¡± Lorias said while painfully gripping Srell¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Jaik knew the risk, but he still wanted to try using magic even before today.¡±

    ¡°Why did he tell you and no one else?¡± Leanna asked. She believed that Lorias was lying to keep the peace.

    ¡°Because Jaik knew that I¡¯d be objective with him. I told him that it wasn¡¯t worth the risk. He was a doctor, our doctor. That made him more valuable than any magic tricks he could manage to do.¡±

    Lorias¡¯ words were convincing, and had the air of truth to them. Srell yelped before Lorias released him. The blonde-haired ranger hadn¡¯t liked his best friend¡¯s rude behavior towards an ally who was grieving just as much as the rest of them.

    ¡°There¡¯s no ¡°blame¡± here. Let it go.¡± Lorias stated while glancing intently at the room¡¯s sliding blue door.

    He was angriest at Ursun and the lack of emotional maturity that their commander had shown. Lorias knew first-hand the damage that a spiteful leader could do to a team.

    ¡°I get it. Sorry.¡± Srell said meekly with a bowed head.

    ¡°Let¡¯s lay down for a little while. A nap will do all of us some good.¡± Leanna said.

    After a few hours of unrestful sleep, Prism was awoken by a strong hand shoving hard on his shoulder. Prism groaned and rolled over, but the hand then slapped the back of his bald head. After hearing a few snickers around him, Prism sat up and glowered at his unknown assailant.

    ¡°Come on, Magical Boy. It¡¯s time to face the music.¡± Srell said while smirking.

    Prism nodded slowly before lazily getting out of bed. He would sleep the entire trip back to Pack HQ, he thought to himself.

    Lorias, Srell, Leanna, and Prism made their way up to the Besper¡¯s deck, taking an elevator to an area close to where the officers would be. They found the deck transformed into a flashy arena with a large stage that was surrounded by jumbo screens. The recessed seating that Prism had seen earlier had extended to become several rows of stadium seating benches. The benches were full of soldiers from across the Etrysian and CJF fleets. The gathered soldiers had been chosen to attend the concert by lottery.

    Prism furrowed his brow at how attention-grabbing it all was within the stillness of the night that surrounded the flagship. If any enemy vessels were lying in wait, their weapons surely wouldn¡¯t miss the most obvious target that the Besper had become. Prism hadn¡¯t realized that the airship had flown over a hundred kilometers north, and was safely within eyeshot of the Ruskedan coast.

    Prism followed his teammates to a raised booth that was closer to the side of the stage than the stadium seats were. They could see that a few officers were already seated within it. The area along the way was abuzz with loud conversations while instrumental versions of some of Beiana¡¯s most popular songs played from the speakers on the stage.

    ¡°This is crazy. So many people have died and this is the first thing your forces do when the fighting ends?¡± Prism said while pointing his open hands at the crowded scene surrounding them.

    Prism hadn''t known how visceral his reaction would be upon actually seeing the concert venue. He''d been on many battlefields after the fighting had ended, and he''d seldom seen such a scene of joy and excess.

    ¡°Don¡¯t castigate us. We choose to celebrate the lives of the fallen and the victory that their sacrifices secured. That¡¯s our way.¡± Lorias repudiated.

    ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s in poor taste, too. Where I¡¯m from, we mourn the dead, not sing and dance in their midst.¡± Srell said with crossed arms.

    ¡°Ursun feels the same way, and he¡¯s not afraid to let everyone know.¡± Leanna said while pointing to their commander.

    Ursun stood stoically beside the stage as he talked to Hypergeneral Aksos Lymm and General Deriges Maginae away from the crowd. Prism flinched when he saw the senior Etrysian officers who¡¯d tried to have him sedated and captured, just like the Queen¡¯s forces had. Leanna saw Prism¡¯s face contort into an extreme display of hatred as Prism then thought about the role that those men played in Jaik¡¯s death. Prism began to break away from his group and charge towards the trio of commanders several meters away. Leanna grabbed his hand before he could get too far.

    ¡°I know how you feel, but this isn¡¯t the time or the place. If you do something stupid here, you¡¯ll lose the trust of the entire Conjunction right after you¡¯ve begun to earn it.¡± Leanna said intensely into Prism¡¯s ear, not wanting to be overheard by the gathered masses surrounding them.

    ¡°I can forgive Kurillios; he¡¯s just some naive boy following orders that he doesn¡¯t fully understand. But those two!? I can¡¯t trust them, let alone forgive them! I thought that I could at least tolerate their presence, but seeing them look so dignified after their blunders almost got everyone killed¡­it¡¯s too much!¡±

    Prism yelled a bit too loudly, but no one seemed to take notice of him. He self-consciously looked around before taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. Leanna was sympathetic to Prism¡¯s feelings. She softened her response when she realized that he¡¯d already begun to calm down. His words made him sound just as naive as he believed Kurillios to be, she thought. She shook her head at the realization that Prism really was quite emotionally immature. It was not merely an act, as Ursun had believed it to be.

    ¡°With all that power you possess, you really can¡¯t understand why two men tasked with defending their homeland from an unprecedented force wouldn¡¯t trust a strange, young-looking alien to defeat their enemies? Have you forgotten how you destroyed the border guns, the base¡¯s best line of defense, discounting the fact they were hijacked by nanites? Or how your magic went on to cause a hurricane and earthquakes that nearly destroyed the base? What about how those unnatural disasters stranded the Second Athean Air Fleet in Surmil and the Getla Naval Fleet out at sea? Can you see how those factors might lead the hypergeneral to want to keep you out of the battle at all costs?¡±

    Prism stared blankly at Leanna for a few seconds. He was taken aback by her justification of how he¡¯d been treated, but he could only think of rather weak refutations of her observations. Prism exhaled long and slow again as he put the days events in greater perspective for a moment. He then gently touched Leanna¡¯s hand with the one she wasn¡¯t holding.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright now.¡± He said softly to Leanna.

    The concert began a short time later after RED-1 had made it to their assigned seats. Hypergeneral Aksos took to the stage first, accompanied by uproarious applause. He made a moving speech about the tremendous efforts that they¡¯d all taken to stop the three modified Vadamite fleet divisions. He then went on about how the Conjunction would need to be more vigilant than ever before if their enemies continued to be provided with Kingdom technology. After the hypergeneral delivered his initial speech, he called up Deriges, Ursun, and Admiral Enlyd Odan. Hypergeneral Aksos introduced each of them, giving a brief explanation of the role they played in preventing the Vadamite invasion.

    Prism paid close attention to Admiral Odan, who looked rather forlorn despite their victory. The admiral wore a dark-gray CJF dress uniform with numerous medals of all shapes and sizes pinned to both sides of his chest. Aksos, Deriges, and Ursun each wore their own dress uniforms, but Admiral Odan''s stood out the most.

    The average-sized, brown-skinned admiral was the commander of the CJF''s Northern Air Fleet, the same fleet that was currently deployed over the Athean Sea. Not only did the graying Admiral call the Besper his secondary home, but he''d designed the flagship as well. At 55, he was the oldest man upon the stage, being five years older than Hypergeneral Aksos and only a few months older than Deriges.

    "These men worked with me to protect our sea and city. It is thanks to their leadership that Surmil stands undamaged by the horrific weapons unleashed on the battlefield today." The hypergeneral said proudly.

    Cheers began to erupt from the hundreds that stood in front of the stage and that stood up from their stadium seating. The spotlights shined brightly on the three men, who each responded differently to the attention. Deriges smiled and waved to the many soldiers who''d served under his command at Getla Base. Admiral Odan struck quite the contrast as he stood solemnly beside the jovial general with his hands behind his back. Ursun slowly clapped while looking around assiduously at the audience. His thoughts were elsewhere, and his placid face revealed nothing.

    Colonel Vey''s absence upon that stage bothered Ursun. He''d learned from his conversation with Aksos that Kurillios'' clustershot blunder had killed several notable seamen that served within the Getla Fleet. As Vey had given the order to fire the clustershot, the fault was laid primarily on his shoulders. The First Biost Unit''s first foray into battle had caused a tragedy that would tarnish their reputation for many months to come.

    "We may have lost Getla Base, but it can be rebuilt. What cannot be replaced are the valiant soldiers who died today. Tonight, we celebrate the victory that they gave us!"

    The crowd roared again when Aksos raised his arms high and looked upon the audience with a wild look upon his face. After dismissing the other leaders, the hypergeneral told everyone to enjoy themselves before he left the stage himself. Moments later, the stage and the laser lighting that danced over the audience became wilder and more colorful. The audience turned quiet as an ethereal melody began to play.

    A thick mist spewed from the edges of the stage until the platform was completely obscured by it. A small figure could soon be made out at the center of the mist as additional layers of instruments were added to the simple melody. Many of the soldiers in the audience began to yell excitedly when they saw the feminine form in the mist. And when Beiana''s mellifluous singing voice began to be heard, the crowd barely resisted the urge to scream in unison. As she stepped out of the mist when the song''s dreamy introduction ended, the soldiers went wild.

    Prism recognized the woman''s appearance from a poster he''d seen in Dr. Liam''s office, though she¡¯d been younger in that image. Her skin was a deep caramel color, while her lips were as red as sweet apples. She had long, thick pinkish-blonde hair that she wore big and tall atop her head, and the short dress she wore was studded with pink and white diamonds that sparkled in the spotlight. She was a tall, athletic woman with a well-developed body, though her face was so youthful that it made her age hard to ascertain.

    Her appearance was utterly captivating and entirely unique. Her movements across the stage were confident and graceful, revealing her wealth of experience. Prism had expected her to act more cutely, but she sang and danced like a grown woman. As the music she sang became faster and more intense, Prism could tell that there was something special about her.

    After the first song was done, Beiana introduced herself to the audience and thanked them for their efforts in keeping civilians like her safe. She spoke in a mature, womanly way, though her talking voice was deeper than Prism expected. Ursun approached Prism and the rest of RED-1 during Beiana''s speech. He¡¯d briskly forced his way through the crowd surrounding the immediate area around the stage.

    "Our ride''s ready. You''ll have to enjoy the sounds of this concert on our way out of here." Ursun said with a quick side nod towards the lift they''d originally taken up to the deck.

    While they all discreetly left the area, Prism glanced up at Beiana while she began her next song. The two of them locked eyes unexpectedly. For a split second, Prism felt the murmurings of another voice in his mind. When Beiana looked away from him, the faint voice went away as well. He shook his head and dismissed the incident, thinking it to be nothing but his own tired brain playing tricks on him.

 Chapter 47 - Aftermath

    After a long flight and a long sleep aboard a plane far slower than the Titian, RED-1 returned to their base within Kyero Mountain without incident. The borrowed, fixed-wing CJF plane was flown by their regular primary pilot, while their copilot had stayed with the downed Titian to prevent its experimental plasma technology from being analyzed by outsiders. The two pilots, who were some of the best in the Red Wolves, had largely kept to themselves during the Battle of Getla Base.

    The plane landed in a hangar closer to sea level, where the Red Wolves normally accepted guests external to their company. A few members of Pack Command were waiting for RED-1 as they groggily stepped off the plane. Prism had expected some sort of fanfare upon their return, which proved to be a complete misconception.

    What followed instead was an intense debriefing process where the five teammates described the events of the past 36 hours in as much detail as possible, both separately and as a group. Ursun, Leanna, Srell, and Lorias had been through the process several times and had built up the stamina for it. Prism, on the other hand, felt that the only way he could get through the rigor was by using magic. Security Commander Finisome, Dr. Liam, and Lieutenant Commander Zel Libo conducted the interviews.

    It was especially hard for RED-1 to explain the details of Jaik¡¯s death. Losses were expected on RED teams, especially during missions involving Kingdom-related forces and technology. But the nature of the young doctor¡¯s death left many questions that the team couldn¡¯t answer. By the end of the briefing, Prism wasn¡¯t even sure if Jaik had actually used any magic at all. Prism could¡¯ve merely woken up on his own, Dr. Liam mentioned during his own questioning of the team. The possibility greatly bothered the team, which almost derailed the debriefing entirely. Zel was able to get things back on track after chastising Liam for his inappropriate and untimely speculation.

    After half a day of debriefing, Prism had been relieved by news that Jaik¡¯s body had been shipped back to the Peninsula ahead of the Titian. A memorial was to be held mere days after they¡¯d all gotten back, and many would be attending. Prism had mixed feelings about attending, as he was still feeling a great deal of guilt. He wondered if he could face Jaik¡¯s family, who were traveling to the Peninsula to lay their son to rest.

    Lorias and Srell were the first to leave the base. They had a home that they shared in Wolf City, though Srell mentioned that he was also visiting his son. Ursun traveled to Battle City to consult with Bighead, the Red Wolves¡¯ secret chief strategist and Ursun¡¯s childhood tutor. Leanna stayed on base to help analyze all the data the base¡¯s long-range sensors had gathered on the various energy weapons she observed during the attempted Vadamite invasion of Athea. Prism was left to his own devices for the first time in a long time. His freedom was short-lived, however, when the security officers Dill and Dy appeared outside of his room in the Auxiliary, a secure portion of the mountain base that existed closest to its peak.

    ¡°Hello gentlemen. I see that I am still not trusted by your organization.¡± Prism said in a mocking tone when he peaked out of his door after sensing their presence.

    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised by how much they do trust you.¡± The blonde-haired Dill said with a casual smirk, which took Prism off-guard.

    ¡°We¡¯re just here to help keep you safe. More people know about you now, so there¡¯ll be more threats to your person.¡± The dark-skinned Dy said in a warm tone that Prism hadn¡¯t heard from him before.

    ¡°So you two have already heard about what happened in Athea?¡± Prism asked.

    ¡°Most people have. It¡¯s all over the lasernet. There are even some weird theories about you going around.¡± Dill said with a boyish chuckle.

    The young, handsome guard suddenly no longer seemed so intimidating to Prism; neither of them did.

    ¡°What are they saying?¡± Prism eagerly asked.

    It irked him that he still didn¡¯t have access to the planet¡¯s form of internet, which was limited to larger, specialized devices to prevent the Queen from taking control of it. Prism had been to worlds where access to planet-wide information networks was as easy as pulling out a small device from one¡¯s pocket, or even by just closing one¡¯s eyes. But ?ba had several constraints on their technologies; strategic constraints that existed to prevent all-out cyber warfare.

    ¡°That you are the real third coming of Eizavoba, not the Queen.¡± Dy said smugly.

    ¡°Not that we belief in that superstitious stuff!¡± Dill said while swiveling his hands before him.

    ¡°I¡¯ve read a bit about this ¡°Eizavoba¡± figure, but the books in my room don¡¯t say much. Why do people think I might be that person?¡± Prism asked in earnest.

    Dill and Dy glanced at each other and shared a thought without uttering a word. It was something that only the closest of friends could do without telepathy, Prism thought. The guards then nodded to each other before turning their attention back to Prism. They looked quite serious, which concerned Prism.

    ¡°There¡¯s an ancient book called the Gwit. It was first written over 2500 years ago, and it¡¯s the religious text of Eizavobism.¡± Dy started to explain. For reasons Prism didn¡¯t understand, Dy spoke dramatically like an old storyteller.

    ¡°Basically, an alien supposedly came to ?ba 3000 years ago, during one of the old violet lunar eclipses that used to happen before the orbits of the moons changed. He appeared in a northern jungle of Sguvi, which was called something different back then.¡± Dill continued the story, speaking in the same dramatic way that Dy had.

    ¡°Eizavoba took on the form of a typical Sguvan man, with brown skin and black hair. He didn¡¯t know anything about himself but his name. It wasn¡¯t long before he was discovered by a solitary hunter named Ewa. Ewa helped Eizavoba learn his language, which supposedly only took a day because of Eizavoba¡¯s powers or whatever¡­¡±

    Dy began to break his storytelling-character as he could no longer bear how ridiculous the myth sounded to him. Dill laughed at Dy¡¯s failed attempt, and then gave his friend a pat on the back.

    ¡°Anyway, Ewa and Eizavoba come across a plague-infected village; Eizavoba cures the village with his divine powers, and then some of the villagers start following Eizavoba. Eizavoba heals a lot more people over time, which makes his memories of being the Twins come back. He then tells his followers, who start believing that he is a god, or at least the son of the gods they already believed in.¡± Dill explains plainly without the acting.

    ¡°Who are the Twins?¡± Prism asked, having a vague idea already.

    ¡°Right, the Twins are the moons of our planet. In ancient times, they were worshipped as gods by most cultures. They had many different names, but ultimately became called Eiza and Voba after Eizavobism took off as a religion around¡­500 AE, give or take.¡± Dill clarified.

    ¡°AE?¡± Prism asked.

    ¡°Ah, ¡°AE¡± means ¡°After Eizavoba¡±. We still use Eizavoban calendars, even though half the world isn¡¯t even religious anymore.¡± Dill further clarified.

    ¡°So what ended up happening to Eizavoba?¡± Prism wanted to hear the end of the story, if it even had an ending.

    ¡°Eizavoba and his followers travel to the valley at the center of the Sguvan continent, where he preaches people who traveled from all over the continent to hear him. He talks about peace, acceptance of all peoples, creating a paradise on ?ba using kindness, stuff like that. The night after he makes his speech, a warband sent by a warlord who didn¡¯t like Eizavoba¡¯s teachings massacres almost all of the followers. Eizavoba is then tortured and killed by the warlord himself, whose name was Damandh.¡± Dill explained without much effort.

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s awful.¡± Prism said as he leaned against the doorframe.

    ¡°None of this probably even happened. It¡¯s just a myth.¡± Dy scoffed.

    ¡°You said that people think that I¡¯m the third coming. Who was the second coming?¡± Prism asked Dill.

    ¡°Eizavoba came back in 1500 AE, also after a violet lunar eclipse. That time, they appeared as an albino woman with long white hair who is also an amnesiac wandering in the wilderness. By that time, Eizavobism had spread across all of ?ba, so it was hard for most people to believe that their god would return someday in another form. After she¡¯s found by a nun named Fiala in the woods of western Etrysia, she¡¯s given a place to stay in the nun¡¯s cloister. She learns the old Etrysian language and regains her memories, but is kicked out after claiming to be Eizavoba to a bunch of super-traditionalist nuns. By this time, the first version of the Gwit exists, as does the Singular Sect that made it.¡±

    Dill sees Prism begin to ask a flurry of questions, but the white-skinned guard shakes his head before Prism can even speak.

    ¡°This section of the story is pretty complicated. I only know it because my Ruskedan parents were big into history. The Singular Sect, or just the Sect, was the governing church of Eizavobism back then and the writers of the original Gwit. They tried their best to kill the second incarnation of Eizavoba once she started to attract attention. She used white lightning to destroy a fleet of raider ships that tried to invade Shyon, the town she was brought to by Fiala after they were kicked out of the cloister. After she stopped several more raids with her powers, people quickly started to follow her.¡± Dill went on to explain.

    ¡°Wait, I thought Eizavoba advocated for peace?¡± Prism asked loudly before Dill could cut him off again.

    ¡°That¡¯s the thing; the new incarnation was basically a warlord herself who hid behind the goal of ¡°liberating all of her persecuted followers in distant lands¡±. She claimed that it was all about self-defense, even as she destroyed cities and toppled empires. Just more of the hypocrisy and inconsistency of religion.¡± Dy said dismissively.

    ¡°What ended up happening to her?¡± Prism asked.

    ¡°She was killed in her sleep by her staunchest ally and loyal lover, Fiala.¡± Dill said almost somberly.

    ¡°My goodness¡­¡± Prism said with a gasp. He¡¯d been taken in by the religious tales.

    ¡°And five hundred years after that, the Queen is born.¡± Dy said with a laugh.

    ¡°Do people really believe that she¡¯s Eizavoba?¡± Prism asked angrily.

    ¡°Of course not. She¡¯s got most of the Sguvans fooled, but that¡¯s because she sent them back to the Stone Age early on in the war. They dared to challenge her by threatening to destroy the world with their stockpile of thousands of nukes when she first tried to take over the world. She outmaneuvered them though in just a few years, and ended up destroying most of their infrastructure in one fell swoop before their rebel leaders could even hit the launch button. She massacred over a third of their population, and then shaped the survivors to believe whatever she wanted them to.¡±

    Dy spoke with a hatred that surprised Prism. It made a thought occur to Prism after hearing more about Sguvi than he ever had.

    ¡°Are you from Sguvi?¡± Prism asked Dy, who had the dark features he heard Dill explain was typical of that nation.

    ¡°Yeah, I was born there.¡± Dy said while looking down at the ground at his feet.

    ¡°But he was brought to Wolf City as a kid, just like I was. We¡¯re Peninsula boys, through-and-through.¡± Dill said while bringing Dy into a headlock.

    Prism smiled as he watched the two of them engage in a bit of horseplay. His mind soon wandered to the stories he¡¯d just been told about Eizavoba. Could it have been possible that other alien beings like himself could have traveled to ?ba?

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s possible.¡± Prism silently answered his own question.

    ***

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised that more of you didn¡¯t die.¡±

    Bighead walked across their tall, domed room carrying a bottle of homemade liqueur in one hand and two glasses in the other. Ursun sat comfortably upon a padded couch with his arms spread out over its back and his legs spread open. The secret underground lab and dwelling was like a second home to him.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t kidding. Prism is the only reason most of us made it out alive. If those plasma weapons hadn¡¯t killed us, then the infiltrators would have before the Vadamites even got the chance.¡± Ursun said loudly with a lazy shake of his head.

    ¡°I estimate that Prism alone increased your mission survivability rate by 85%, while also decreasing the Vadamite invasion¡¯s success rate by 60%, based on what you told me about the whole ordeal.¡± Bighead said in their melodious voice.

    ¡°Save the statistics for your reports.¡± Ursun said loudly as he smiled to himself. ¡°Tell me, why do you think the Queen is outfitting Vadam and the Destructors with tech she¡¯s never shared before?¡±

    Bighead leaned over and placed the glasses on a small table in front of the couch Ursun sat upon, and then slowly poured the dark-red liqueur in them. The androgynous strategist filled their own glass to a third-full while filling Ursun¡¯s glass to half-full. After handing Ursun his glass, Bighead took a seat on the far edge of the couch so they could comfortably face Ursun.

    ¡°It¡¯s as you said; the infiltrators were there to lure out and capture Prism, dead or alive. I¡¯d surmise that the Queen views our alien ally as an existential threat to her, but would rather not get her own hands dirty in retrieving him yet. She probably foresaw that the Destructor strike team she employed would fail, so she encouraged Vadam to invade Athea. She used the plasma weapon upgrades as an incentive for them to do, probably knowing that their ammaships would be destroyed somehow by Prism.¡± Bighead began to muse before sipping on their drink.

    Ursun held his glass in both of his large, calloused hands as he thought over Bighead¡¯s words.

    ¡°It was all about Prism¡­¡± Ursun said softly after taking a long drink from his glass.

    ¡°Indeed. The Sguvan constable that was there was probably the Queen¡¯s best chance at getting Prism, but even she wasn¡¯t up to the task. The Vadamite invasion was a cover for this plot, and it was sheer overkill.¡± Bighead said emphatically.

    Ursun trusted Bighead¡¯s conjecture not just because Bighead was superintelligent, but because Bighead probably knew the Queen¡¯s mind more than any other being on ?ba. Bighead had worked alongside the techno-tyrant for nearly a century, after all. Ursun nodded solemnly while Bighead spoke, paying close attention to what his old tutor remarked upon.

    ¡°Why modify the Destructors¡¯ speedsub with rock-tunneling tech that could make them a threat to the entire Conjunction? Does the Queen no longer care about the balance of power on ?ba at all?¡± Ursun asked while swirling the liqueur around in his large, clear drinking glass.

    ¡°That speedsub is her own personal agent of chaos. The Queen will use it to make the Conjunction anxious, and she¡¯ll use it to draw RED-1 out after she¡¯s decided to try and capture Prism again. And in regard to this ¡°balance¡± you speak of¡­¡±

    Bighead sipped on their drink before speaking further. It wasn¡¯t a matter of thinking about what to say; Bighead could process information several times faster than humans. Bighead simply understood the value of a dramatic pause. Ursun leaned forward in anticipation, which made Bighead smile.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    ¡°The Queen is most likely singly-focused on Prism after witnessing his powers. I doubt that she has much regard for meticulously maintaining the level of violence involved in this Centuries-Long War anymore.¡± Bighead said before sipping cutely on their beverage.

    ¡°If that¡¯s true, then that means that things are going to become a lot more dangerous for everyone.¡± Ursun said angrily.

    ¡°For you and your team, most of all.¡± Bighead quickly replied before setting their glass on the table in front of the couch.

    ***

    ¡°How¡¯s Kiel?¡± Lorias asked when he heard Srell close the door to their home.

    ¡°Oh, y¡¯know¡­same little rascal that he always is. I love him, though.¡± Srell said with a shy grin.

    He walked through the large white-walled and colorfully-floored living room to join Lorias as he stood in front of a tall, wide window overlooking Wolf City. The sun was disappearing behind the tall snowy mountains in the distance, and the sky quickly began to darken. Their home sat on a hill in the eastern outskirts of the city; an area that was populated by many well-to-do members of the Peninsula¡¯s community.

    ¡°I know that you do.¡± Lorias said as he turned his head to see Srell making his way over to his side.

    Srell surprised Lorias by wrapping his limber arms around the much-taller man as he grabbed him from behind. Lorias stood still and let Srell hold him, not wanting to push him away after all they¡¯d endured recently. If it had been any other time, Lorias wouldn¡¯t have been so kind.

    ¡°We made it. We made it home.¡± Srell said with sweet relief while he buried his head in the small of Lorias¡¯ cotton-clothed back.

    ¡°Just like we always do.¡± Lorias said calmly.

    After a few minutes standing in front of the window like that, Lorias took Srell¡¯s arms from around his belly and turned to face him. Srell looked up Lorias with the eyes of a doe, innocent and skittish. Lorias shook his head at the manipulation attempt. He¡¯d taught Srell better than that.

    ¡°On again, are we?¡± Lorias asked while he held Srell¡¯s hands in his.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me that wanted to be ¡°off again¡± in the first place.¡± Srell said a bit loudly.

    He snatched his hands out of Lorias¡¯ and started to walk towards the kitchen area, but Lorias grabbed him and pulled him close. Srell¡¯s back slammed into Lorias¡¯ front, sending chills up Srell¡¯s spine.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I resist this man?¡± Srell thought helplessly to himself.

    Lorias leaned down and began to kiss Srell¡¯s neck. He could smell the scent of the mother of Srell¡¯s child there while he continued to nuzzle his nose into the small of Srell¡¯s neck. Lorias smiled before he pinched Srell¡¯s back, causing the younger man to jerk forward suddenly. Srell spun around and furrowed his brow at the tall, majestic man that stood before him.

    ¡°What was that for!?¡± Srell shouted.

    ¡°I thought you liked a bit of pain¡­¡± Lorias said rhetorically. A smile slowly appeared on his thin, pink lips.

    ¡°You¡¯re as infuriating as the Faerie King!¡± Srell yelled again.

    He stepped forward and grabbed Lorias by the front of his expensive white shirt. Srell pulled Lorias down to his level with his powerful hands, then kissed him. Lorias dropped his act for a moment and let his mouth entwine with Srell¡¯s.

    Their tongues slid over each other like waves crashing at sea. They were soon greedily and desperately pulling each other closer, squeezing each other¡¯s bodies while their kiss intensified. It had been a long time for both of them, and they needed each other more than ever.

    ¡°Things are getting crazy out there, aren¡¯t they?¡± Lorias said just as Srell began to remove his shirt.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter right now¡­¡± Srell said as he pulled his lover¡¯s shirt over his head, taking care not to damage the article of clothing that he knew Lorias treasured.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it? That cyborg Constable, for instance. She could have followed us back somehow¡­¡± Lorias whispered in Srell¡¯s ear when Srell tried to kiss him again.

    ¡°Prism would¡¯ve sensed her somehow.¡± Srell said with annoyance before he tried kissing Lorias again.

    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± Lorias said before finally letting Srell make out with him once more.

    Srell started taking off his own black buttoned-shirt, but Lorias made it difficult for him to do so. Lorias kept squeezing Srell¡¯s back so tightly that his shirt couldn¡¯t slide off. Srell groaned and pushed Lorias away when he picked up on the game Lorias was playing.

    ¡°What is it this time? Why can¡¯t we just make love and be sweet to each other for once?¡± Srell whined loudly after he fought his way out of Lorias¡¯ bear hug.

    ¡°What if he¡¯s really Eizavoba?¡± Lorias asked so quietly that it took Srell a moment to understand what he¡¯d said.

    ¡°You don¡¯t care about that!¡± Srell screamed. ¡°What is your issue, Lori!?¡±

    Lorias sat down on the tiled floor and looked up at Srell. Srell was on the verge of tears, as he¡¯d been the last time they¡¯d tried to be intimate. Lorias sympathized, but he couldn¡¯t help but be bothered by the woman that he smelled on Srell¡¯s body. He¡¯d never admit it, of course; Lorias had a reputation for being ice cold to maintain, after all.

    ¡°You bastard! You freakin¡¯ bastard! Are you really jealous of Uluba!?¡± Srell shouted after he examined Lorias face for a few moments. He was perhaps the only person who could read Lorias¡¯ implacable features.

    ¡°That¡¯s absurd. You told me that the two of you are just friends now.¡± Lorias said after chuckling for a short while.

    ¡°And I was telling the truth!¡± Srell yelled a bit more desperately.

    ¡°Of course! Of course you were.¡± Lorias said in a sarcastically chipper tone.

    Srell took a deep breath and sat down on the floor in front of Lorias. He took Lorias¡¯ hands in his, and carefully began to run his own strong fingers along Lorias¡¯ well-muscled fingers. As he traced the lines in Lorias¡¯ palm, Srell stared into his best friend¡¯s face while Lorias looked down at his own open hand. Srell could see an outline of doubt present on Lorias¡¯ small forehead, framed by his lengthy golden locks.

    ¡°She hugged me before I left, then kissed me on my cheek. She was worried about me when she heard about what was going on in Athea yesterday.¡± Srell said calmly.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that she was.¡± Lorias glanced up into Srell¡¯s brown eyes and said matter-of-factly.

    ¡°I would¡¯ve never slept with her in the first place if you hadn¡¯t pushed me away five years ago, like you¡¯re doing right now.¡± Srell said, still keeping his voice as calm as he could.

    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that.¡± Lorias said just as calmly.

    Just when Srell was about to have an angry outburst again, Lorias leaned forward and kissed him, shortly and sweetly. Lorias then reached over and pulled the shirt up and over Srell¡¯s wiry-haired head. They both sat there shirtless with their taut, toned bodies on display to each other, one brown and one white.

    ***

    ¡°This can¡¯t be right. Show me the spectroscopic view again.¡± Leanna spoke clearly to an analyst sitting at a nearby computer console.

    Leanna stared at the large holographic display at the front of the spacious battle analytics room that she stood at the center of. She was joined by a small team of analysts that she¡¯d handpicked months earlier, each known for their fastidiousness and attention to detail. The team of three worked on a number of projects that Leanna had tasked them with, ranging from the mundane to the extraordinary.

    That afternoon, she¡¯d focused their scientific prowess on the singular task of figuring out as much about the plasma weapons that the ammaships had used as possible. Leanna wore her comfortable red leatherine jacket and leatherine pants, the typical day-to-day uniform of the Mercenary Division. Her team each wore the less-stylish pink and white uniforms of the Science Division.

    Leanna watched the captured video of the weapon being discharged from the massive head section of one of Vadam¡¯s greatest ammaships, the Paneen. The video showed the plasma of the attack while keeping all other details of the scene black. The various types of radiation emitted by the plasma were indicated by various colors, colors which surprised Leanna.

    ¡°These magnetic fields shouldn¡¯t be able to release so much energy so suddenly, or so quickly.¡± Leanna remarked while she watched the ammaship¡¯s head create a thin plasma along its surface that it would then shoot forward at a much great density. ¡°There¡¯s more going on here than a simple gathering and charging of particles.¡±

    ¡°I believe that what seems like a ¡°charging¡± process may actually be a higher-order particle interaction that we haven¡¯t observed before; a plasma-neutrino interaction, to be exact.¡± A young female analyst said exuberantly.

    ¡°Ridiculous. If the Queen is somehow harnessing neutrinos and strapping that tech onto low-tech Vadamite aircraft, then we are truly done for.¡± A square-faced young male analyst quickly argued.

    ¡°I also doubt that what we¡¯re seeing here involves neutrinos, at least not to a significant degree.¡± Leanna said, which caused the young woman to groan with disappointment.

    The woman buried her auburn-haired head in her arms as she dramatically hunched over to lay on the desk before her. The masculine-featured man who was sitting beside her gave her head a poke, which made her sit up and glare at him. He chuckled before he went back to looking over the data on the screen he was working on. Leanna paid their silliness no mind.

    ¡°There is still too much we don¡¯t know about her technology. The Queen, I mean.¡± A slender, dark-featured man said nonchalantly. He sat in a corner away from everyone else. ¡°But this phenomenon should be familiar to all of you.¡±

    ¡°Do tell, Skax. Don¡¯t keep us on the edge of our seats.¡± The young female analyst said sarcastically.

    ¡°Seriously though, tell us.¡± The strong-jawed young man said.

    ¡°The weapon is essentially behaving like a miniaturized coronal mass ejection.¡± Skax said before tapping on the screen in front of him. ¡°See how the magnetic fields are gathering here?¡±

    A red highlighted circle appeared on the room¡¯s central display around the area that Skax mentioned. The video shifted to an alternate view that only showed the magnetic fields of the layer of rapidly-formed plasma as blue lines. Leanna paid close attention to the way the upper and lower lines on the ammaship¡¯s spaced armor moved quickly as they converged at the middle of the Paneen¡¯s convex head. When the lines met, they then moved away to the sides of the head from the center of the head. The moving lines suddenly sped up to an amazing speed just before the plasma weapon fired its destructive cone forwards.

    ¡°Magnetic reconnection¡­¡± Leanna said almost breathlessly. ¡°You¡¯re right Skax; we should have noticed this immediately. It¡¯s a well-documented plasmic phenomenon. We¡¯ve never seen it utilized on this scale, though.¡±

    ¡°While we¡¯re fighting amongst ourselves like primitives down here on ?ba, the Queen is constantly looking to the stars for new innovations. Now she¡¯s created a weapon that works like a solar flare.¡± The young man said contemplatively while running his heavy hands over his short blonde hair as he reclined in his seat.

    ¡°Try not to admire the Queen too much, Taly. She¡¯s still our enemy, after all.¡± The snarky young woman said.

    ¡°We¡¯re just starting to build plasma weapons of our own, and yet the Queen has seemingly mastered the engineering already. Our enemy may be cruel, Tiana, but their cunning is worthy of our mention.¡± Skax turned around in his seat and spoke directly to the young woman.

    ¡°I know, I was just giving Taly a hard time. I¡¯m more interested in the weird energy beams that Prism fired from the border guns he temporarily transformed.¡± Tiana said with a bored shrug.

    ¡°We can¡¯t learn much of anything from that footage. Prism¡¯s abilities not only seem to defy what we know about physics, but our sensors don¡¯t register any useful readings from his ¡°magical¡± powers. All we pick up are the colorful photons from his powers that our eyes can already see.¡± Leanna explained to Tiana.

    ¡°Now that¡¯s the mystery that we should be trying to solve. Etrysia¡¯s living tech saved us from being controlled by the Queen 500 years ago. Learning to use ¡°magic¡± could be the final edge we need to truly end this war against her and her cronies!¡± Tiana shouted passionately.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure we can. Just look what it did to Jaik.¡± Taly said reflexively.

    The room grew silent as everyone looked downward at the mention of their fallen friend. Jaik had helped their little team on several occasions, and they¡¯d all been fond of him. He was the sort of person who ignored the invisible boundaries between groups if it meant that there was a problem to be solved.

    ***

    The late morning sun shined gently on the gathered masses that sat and stood silently within the smooth green hills of Pack Pasture. A cool breeze began to blow through the immaculately manicured cemetery, signifying the coming of autumn. White tombstones in the shape of the heads of howling wolves dotted the landscape. They easily numbered in the hundreds.

    Ursun made his way to a black podium that had been set up near Jaik¡¯s gravesite. The young man¡¯s cherrywood coffin had already been buried there, and a mound of brown dirt could be seen. Jaik¡¯s family and close friends had viewed his body at a small ceremony that took place the previous day at a notable funeral home in Wolf City.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to thank all of you for gathering here today, to remember Lieutenant Jaik Viktin, or Dr. Jaik as he was more commonly called. The fact that so many of you are here is a testament to Jaik¡¯s kind and outgoing nature. Jaik was new to my team, but he¡¯d already proven himself as one of the greatest minds that the Red Wolves had ever seen. He blazed through our academy in record time, becoming the youngest doctor in our 50 year history. He then went on to help create our portable medscanners and an innovative form of regenerative treatment to heal burns and other damage to the skin. And after accomplishing all of that in just two years, he wanted to become a member of my team, RED-1. From a research doctor to a mercenary on the front lines, what a life he lived. And on his third mission with my team, he made the ultimate sacrifice. That sacrifice not only saved our team, but won the Battle of Getla Base for us all. He was truly a brave and exceptional young man.¡°

    Ursun¡¯s speech caused many in the crowd to cry, most of all Jaik¡¯s parents. They were surrounded by their many children and large extended family, who shared in their sorrow. One of the children did not shed a tear, however; Jaik¡¯s identical twin brother, Chaik.

    Prism had met the young man at the viewing the previous night, which only admitted Jaik¡¯s family and close friends. Prism had nearly fainted at the sight of Chaik. Leanna had seen Prism¡¯s overt display of shock, and had come to his aid to preserve the sanctity of the small, solemn event. She¡¯d cursed herself for not explaining that Jaik had a twin to Prism earlier. Fortunately for everyone involved, she¡¯d remedied the error quickly before Prism could make a scene. Prism had felt foolish after hearing Leanna¡¯s explanation, but he still couldn¡¯t have helped but stare silently at Jaik¡¯s brother while the other members of RED-1 gave their condolences to Jaik¡¯s family.

    There were a few things that made Chaik look different from Jaik; a shorter hairstyle, a short beard, and an almost-permanent scowl on his haltingly handsome face. He was just as physically-fit as Jaik had been, and he carried himself in a similar militaristic way. Prism learned why when he saw Chaik wearing a dark-green Ruskedan military dress uniform that day at the graveside service.

    Ursun stepped from behind the podium to join his team as they stood to the side of the gathering. To Prism¡¯s further surprise, Chaik was the next person to walk behind the podium. Prism looked over at Jaik¡¯s parents and saw that they were crying inconsolably while being held by their older children. Many in the crowd audibly gasped when they saw Chaik. His resemblance to his brother made him seem like an apparition walking among the bereaved. His face remained implacable, however, and he paid the others no mind. He withdrew a small paper from his pocket and placed it on the podium.

    ¡°My parents thought that it would be fitting for me to deliver the speech they prepared for my brother. So, here I am.¡±

    As they heard his irksome words, many people in the cemetery glanced at each other in disbelief. Prism¡¯s jaw dropped, more so because Chaik even sounded like Jaik, if but a bit raspier. After Chaik cleared his throat, he began to read from the paper in a benumbed voice.

    ¡°Jaik was everything that a parent would want in a son. When others would brag about their children speaking at two years old, we were bragging about Jaik reading at that age. It was always clear to us that he was an incredible boy. From the time he was six, he¡¯d improved our farm¡¯s irrigation system. And only a year after that, he invented a turbocharger for our gas-powered tractors. Jaik¡¯s accomplishments were many, but they were just the result of what made our son truly great.¡±

    Chaik looked down at his parents, who stared up at him with wide, wet eyes. He saw how they hanged onto every word of theirs that he spoke so plainly. He couldn¡¯t help but be moved by the expectancy on their faces; even as he spoke about a brother that he hadn¡¯t particularly liked, twin or no. Chaik swallowed his pride and began to put some real effort into reading the speech for them.

    ¡°Jaik was a kind and curious person who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of those around him. We still remember finding him in the barn when he was 9 years old, right before he asked us about Socloff Junior Military Academy. He was lifting small bales of hay that he¡¯d tied together on a makeshift dumbbell. We laughed at him while his little body was covered in sweat. But when we asked him why he was working out so strenuously, he told us that he needed to become strong for all of us. He told us that he needed to protect us from the Queen and her forces.¡±

    Chaik¡¯s voice began to intonate with the story he was telling, drawing in the crowd that had been skeptical of him initially. His appearance lent a weight to the speech that made it almost magical.

    ¡°Even then, we couldn¡¯t help but be so proud of him, even as we took the dumbbell away from him and told him to go get himself cleaned up. We knew that he was smart, but it was then that we saw how truly strong our son was. That strength got him all the way through school as fast as he could, because he wanted to be out there helping people full-time. We didn¡¯t expect him to become a doctor, but it made sense to us when he did.¡±

    Chaik ruffled the paper he was reading from for a moment and wiped the sweat from his brow. The sun wasn¡¯t too warm at that time, but the effort he¡¯d started using to speak emotively began to take its toll on him. Chaik was not usually the sort to show much of any emotion at all.

    ¡°What didn¡¯t surprise us was when he decided to try and work on ¡°the greatest team on ?ba¡± as he used to call RED-1 in his letters to us. He idolized them, especially Commander Ursun. Jaik wanted to be just as brave and strong as them; he wanted to be a hero. He died doing what he loved; saving the lives of others. Our son has made us so very proud to be his parents.¡±

    Chaik turned to the fresh dirt mound that his brother was buried within to deliver the final line of his parents¡¯ speech.

    ¡°We miss you Jaik, we will always miss you.¡±

    When Chaik finished speaking, his parents began to sob loudly at the front of the gathering again. Chaik¡¯s eyes watered, but he did not cry; he wouldn¡¯t let himself shed tears for Jaik. As he stepped down from the raised platform that the podium was on, he spied that the eyes of RED-1 were heavy on him. One bald-headed young person in particular seemed to be staring the most intensely at him. Chaik locked eyes with Prism, who simply looked unflinchingly at Jaik¡¯s twin.

    ***

    Prism stood before the four division commanders within the large command center of Pack HQ that he¡¯d been in a few times before. Jaik had been laid to rest for four days, and life around the base had begun to resume its normal pace for Prism¡¯s teammates. Prism, on the other hand, had been twiddling his thumbs during that time. He¡¯d been asked to stay on base since news of his existence had been spreading like wildfire throughout the Peninsula, and the Red Wolves could ill-afford for him to be assassinated by a random passerby on the busy streets of Wolf City. He¡¯d wanted so badly to venture out and see what joys and beauties the lands around him had to offer, perhaps to escape the grief he still felt. But those plans would have to wait.

    ¡°Contractor Prism! Please, join us up here on the Command Deck.¡± Finisome said in his deep, comforting voice.

    ¡°Oh, alright, sir.¡± Prism said daintily to the man above him before walking up the set of stairs at the side of the raised area.

    Prism soon stood directly in front of the four seated men with the lower strategic and analytics decks behind him. He wanted to lean against the railing that was close to his back, but he figured that he should maintain a respectful posture. He had no problem submitting himself to the authority of reasonable, effective people, even if those people were significantly younger than himself.

    ¡°We¡¯ve taken the necessary time to review your performance during the Getla mission. I must say, we¡¯re quite impressed.¡± Dr. Liam¡¯s praise was an unexpected delight to Prism and the other commanders.

    ¡°The importance of your contributions can¡¯t be denied, Mr. Prism. I personally had no doubts whatsoever.¡± Gnapp said with a haughty lift of his chin. He rubbed his grayed hair that still resembled a donut wrapped around his bald-topped head.

    "Needless to say, it''s become difficult to merely call you a contractor." Finisome said with a smirk across his squarish face.

    Ursun got up from his chair and walked up to Prism. The commander of the Mercenary Division withdrew a small golden medallion from his pocket, and presented it to Prism. Prism could barely believe what he was seeing when he noticed the signature scratch marks on the Red Wolves medallion.

    "We discovered this in one of the pockets of Jaik''s gear belt. He must''ve saved it when he threw the rest of your armor in the incinerator back at Getla Base. Don''t worry; we''ve made sure that it¡¯s free of the supervirus." Ursun said gently to Prism, who was visibly trembling at the sight of the medallion he''d fought so hard to retrieve over a month earlier.

    "He...he kept it..." Prism whispered while he fought back the urge to sob. He''d cried enough that week.

    "Prism, we''d like to enlist you within our company; within my Mercenary Division." Ursun said after placing his heavy hand on Prism''s shoulder.

    Prism looked up from the medallion Ursun still held in front of him and peered into Ursun''s bright green eyes. There was a warm, prideful fire within those eyes that made Prism feel strong and capable. There was no trace of the indignant criticism that Ursun had possessed mere days earlier. He was once again the leader and the protector that Prism had first known him to be.

    ¡°After all that¡¯s happened, after all the death you¡¯ve meted out and the lives you¡¯ve saved, you¡¯ve proven yourself in the eyes of each and every one of us here. There¡¯s no denying it; you¡¯re a Red Wolf now, Prism.¡± Ursun said in a confident tone that came naturally to him.

    Prism smiled uncontrollably upon hearing Ursun''s statement. He thought of all he''d been through in such a short amount of time with RED-1 and the Red Wolves Company. He knew that they''d need him for quite some time to come, and he knew that they''d be better served with him committing fully to their organization. Prism''s mind flittered across the events that had transpired a century earlier, before he''d arrived on ?ba weakened and confused. Whatever life he''d had was long gone; ?ba was where he belonged now.

    "I''m honored. I''d like to join. I want to be here; I want to be a real part of the Red Wolves." Prism said resolutely.

    "Raise your hand and repeat after me, then." Ursun said before raising his own right hand.

    Prism nodded and raised his right hand as well. He felt hesitant to take an oath, but he reminded himself that the Red Wolves were working towards a noble cause; a cause that sought to end the overarching conflict of their world. Prism went on to say the Red Wolves Vow, repeating the lines that Ursun said.

    "I, Prism, make this solemn vow

    To serve in the Red Wolves, here and now

    To howl at injustice, so that none may distrust us

    To safeguard the good, like the best of us would

    To fight valiantly and proficiently, to work smartly and efficiently

    To analyze and to optimize, to strategize and to improvise

    I vow to follow orders, unless they are unjust

    I vow to obey Pack Command, for in them I place my trust.

    If I ever question the justness of our cause

    Then I will refer to the Red Wolves Bylaws"

    Ursun nodded to Prism once he''d completed the vow, and placed the Red Wolves medallion in his hand. Prism smiled up at his commanding officer as a strange feeling of pride came over him. He''d been a part of militaries before, but it had been so long ago that he''d hardly remembered how it felt.

    "Prism, I grant you the enlisted rank of Red Wolf within the Mercenary Division of the Red Wolves Company. Congratulations, kid."

    After Ursun spoke, the other three commanders got out of their seats and applauded Prism. Prism smiled bashfully while he lowered his head. Ursun grabbed Prism''s chin and raised it up high to tell his newest recruit to act dignified. Prism found it hard to look at the strong men that surrounded him as they celebrated his newest accomplishment, but he managed.

    That night, the members of RED-1 threw a party for Prism within a large meeting room in the Auxiliary. Several high-ranking members of the Red Wolves that Prism didn''t recognize came to the party, including some of the lieutenant commanders that he hadn''t met yet. Dill & Dy were in attendance, as were Dr. Liam and Finisome. Prism was grateful for the festivities, but he couldn''t shake the feelings of captivity that he''d felt since being brought to the base after his rescue. He''d been made a Red Wolf, but he was not yet free to go off on his own. In fact, the rank restricted his movements and activities even more.

    But as the weeks and months went by, and as the missions he went on with his team intensified, Prism soon found himself with more freedom within the Peninsula than he''d ever thought he''d get. That hard-won freedom came just in time for the news that the Conjunction had been preparing for; full civil war had begun in the Holy State of Sguvi. Such a conflict occurring so close to the Queen¡¯s Kingdom threatened to imperil all of ?ba. Prism and the Red Wolves would have their hands full dealing with Sguvi for the foreseeable future.

 Chapter 48 - Modified

    A middle-aged Ruskedan woman clad in a gray Conjunction uniform walked up the stairs of the Pargrad Council Building, a six-story building made of beige stone and light-blue glass. She was short and dignified, with skin like porcelain and hair as black as charcoal. At a distance, she could be mistaken for a doll, the sort that sat creepily on shelves. Five other Conjunction soldiers walked closely around her, two at her sides and three behind her.

    The colorful flag of Ruskeda that sat atop the building''s roof blew gallantly in the spring air. The flag was split into two rectangles, a red one at the top and a green one at the bottom, with a simple blue triangle at its center. The woman glanced up at the flag before she looked at the crowd gathered around her and her entourage. Several armed Ruskedan soldiers in dark-green uniforms held the crowd at bay and preserved a wide path up to the building for the similarly-armed Conjunction soldiers.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like this crowd. There are too many of them, and they¡¯re too close,¡± said one of the Conjunction soldiers. He was a light-skinned man who looked to be in his mid-thirties. ¡°This place was just attacked a few weeks ago. Shouldn¡¯t these Ruskedan soldiers be doing more to secure the square?¡±

    The area around the building was known as Pargrad Square, the heart of the coastal city. Light-brown bricks covered the large open plaza and the wide streets that led into it. The council building was at its center and served as Pargrad¡¯s seat of government. Decorative steel towers jutted out from the four buildings at the corners of the square. The towers twisted over a hundred meters into the air and offered the best views of the city. The Spires, as they were called, were some of the most notable landmarks in all of Ruskeda.

    ¡°We¡¯re in the Conjunction, young man. People are free to leave their homes and peacefully amass in public. There¡¯s always a risk of violence, but we¡¯re prepared for that.¡± The steadfast woman said as she continued up the stairs.

    The woman paid little mind to the cheers that rang out from the masses gathered in the square. The numerous medals plastered on the chest of her uniform told the few that didn''t know her that she was a decorated war hero. She''d piloted all-manner of aircraft during her 30 year military career, and had shot down more enemy ships than most of ?ba''s pilots. More recently, she''d become an administrator overseeing the joint security plans of Conjunction partners. The soldiers that joined her acted as both her security and her assistants.

    ¡°They are loving you, Colonel!¡± A young, redheaded Conjunction soldier said to the woman beside them with a gleeful grin.

    Before she could make it to the perron of the staircase, the decorated woman caught a glance of a lean, brown-haired man pointing his palm at her from the edge of the crowd closest to her. A shot soon rang out as the man''s palm opened up to fire a concussive round at the woman. Several people screamed out in terror upon seeing the man''s arm transform into a grenade launcher. The Ruskedan soldiers had little time to respond to the sudden attack.

    Though the round struck the woman point-blank, a golden flash of light nullified its concussive force entirely. Her assailant was nearly blinded by a searing yellow dazzle that was directed back at him less than a second after the impact of his round. He screamed out in pain as his eyes and face began to burn.

    Some of the people in the crowd around him started to grab at the man before the Ruskedan soldiers could get to him. Despite his pain, he leapt up several meters and out of the crowd through the use of his cybernetic legs. A brown-skinned Conjunction soldier of Esdegonian descent stepped away from the rest of the entourage. The soldier''s face was obscured by his uniform''s grey, brimmed hat. He raised his rifle and shot the attacker in the head before the cyborg could land safely behind the alarmed crowd.

    "Gotcha." The Conjunction solider said, smiling with a smug satisfaction.

    The other soldiers in her entourage crowded around the woman who''d been shot and quickly trained their weapons on the masses around them. The Ruskedan soldiers quickly pushed back what was left of the gatherers and formed a line outside the council building to prevent their entry. Most of the crowd ran away down Pargrad''s wide boulevards to perceived safety.

    "Can''t believe that it actually worked." The light-skinned Conjunction soldier laughed and said with a wide grin.

    Gunfire began to be heard from the streets that led into the city square that the soldiers stood in. The Ruskedan military guards that had been securing those streets began to yell out "They''re here!" and "Ceders!" as the guards were killed one-by-one. The crowds that had remained outside of the council building started running in a blind panic to the street behind the structure. They were quickly wrangled by nearby Ruskedan soldiers and directed to the bunkers at the sides of the building.

    "Don''t forget the plan! We need to get Colonel Chereff out of here right now!" An older, burly male Conjunction soldier said to his fellow soldiers.

    Four of the Conjunction soldiers rushed their crouched leader up the stairs leading to the lobby of the Pargrad Council Building just as a group of brawny Ruskedans ran into the city square. Their brawn hid extensive and illegal cybernetic modifications that made the group deadly to even the military. The cyborgs transformed their bulky arms into fully-automatic guns that they fired at the Conjunction soldiers. The bullets that made contact with the entourage protecting Colonel Chereff were deflected by the same golden barrier that had protected the colonel from the concussive round.

    "Alright; Game on," said the Esdegonian-born Conjunction soldier that had stayed behind on the steps.

    The man touched the black clasp on his ear and rubbed it gently with his right thumb. He began fading from view until he was completely invisible. The Ruskedan soldiers around him were too busy with firing at the cyborgs to notice his magic trick. Several of those cyborgs began dropping lifelessly to the ground from unseen bullets, some of which were from the Ruskedan military snipers on the roofs that looked out onto the wide-open square.

    ¡°For the God-Queen!¡± One of the especially-large cyborgs screamed as he ran towards the council building.

    The cyborg was easily over two meters tall and armored like an Old World tank. He charged through Pargrad Square like it was a football field, leaving small craters in its brickwork with each step he took. The invisible Conjunction soldier took a few well-aimed shots at the cyborgs eyes, head, and heart, but his bullets bounced off of it. He was directly in the cyborg¡¯s path, but the soldier stood his ground. Before the soldier could change his ammo out, he heard a yell from a short distance behind him.

    ¡°Die Monarchist Scum!¡± A Ruskedan soldier yelled as he charged at one of the cyborgs from cover.

    The Ruskedan soldier had several grenades strung about his chest blinking and primed to explode. The Conjunction soldier leapt back a meter or two as he watched the other soldier tackle the cyborg brute. A deafening blast rocked the square and knocked the wind out of the surviving soldier¡¯s lungs. As the smoke cleared, the soldier could see that only a smoldering crater remained where the other soldier and the cyborg had made contact.

    Most of the Ruskedan soldiers hid behind fortified blockades set up near the bottom of the council building''s stairs. They¡¯d been protected from the blast wave, but were still shocked by the sight of it. Many of them had never seen actual combat before. Those soldiers looked on as the invisible Conjunction soldier neutralized six more of the cyborg terrorists seconds after the explosion.

    "Good job, Srell. We¡¯re glad you survived that insanity. We''re pursuing the Ceders left on the side streets. Prism''s treating the casualties near Pargrad Square." A deep, authoritative voice echoed in the invisible man''s mind.

    "Thanks, sir. How many of these cybernetic freaks are left?" Srell asked over the telepathic link as he shot the last two Ceder cyborgs left in the city square. "If Ruskedan Intelligence can be trusted, that is."

    "Looks like we''ve got a dozen left." The deep voice echoed in Srell''s mind again.

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    "Make that eight." The monotone voice of a calmer man was then heard over the link. He too was invisible, and he''d killed four cyborgs while they ran down a side street towards Pargrad Square. He held a black, compact firearm in both of his hands. "I''m coming to join you and Leanna, sir."

    "Sounds good. We''ll pursue the last of these terrorists while Srell guards the square." The leader''s low voice communicated telepathically to his team.

    "Ursun, I''ve healed all of the soldiers that I could. One of them didn''t make it, sir." Prism''s youthful voice was mired with guilt as it was sent over the link.

    "You did your best. Come join the rest of us. We''ll need your help in locating the last eight Ceders." Ursun, the team''s leader, said to Prism with his deep, disembodied voice.

    Prism stood up from the dead body of the Ruskedan soldier he''d tried to save. He sighed before leaping towards the side of one of the four-story buildings that framed the street he was on. After his foot made contact with the building''s surface, he made an acrobatic leap towards the opposite building. His black-booted feet landed evenly on the flat rooftop.

    He gazed towards the south of the city, where the docks were. He knew from Ursun''s telepathic message that his leader was on one of the rooftops in that direction. Prism began leaping from rooftop to rooftop, moving with an agility beyond any normal human.

    It only took him a minute to reach his leader, Ursun, a tall man in full battle dress. A man and a woman stood close to Ursun on the rooftop near the center of the large city. Each of them held sleek black firearms in their hands, weapons that they called Precision Automatic Weapons, or PAWs. They''d all disengaged their invisibility to tempt a direct attack from their remaining enemies.

    "Are you good on mana?" Ursun asked Prism aloud.

    Ursun was an imposing man with a short, scarlet-red goatee. He clipped his PAW to his chest armor and stood with his arms crossed across the opalescent-red chestplate of his sleek combat armor. It was the same type of armor that the rest of his team wore.

    "I''m good." Prism said to his commander with a quick, firm nod.

    "My drones haven''t had any luck finding any of the stragglers." Leanna said while tapping on the temple-side of her glowing smart visor with her free hand. She gripped her lightweight PAW with the other. "It''s up to you, Magical Boy." She added with a playful smile that made Prism lighten up a bit.

    Leanna''s pouty lips added to the allure of her small, angular face. A few strands of her green hair had fallen down from her helmet. She occasionally swept them out of her face with a graceful movement of her slender fingers.

    "We came all the way out here just to stop a gang of religious fools. We''re RED-1, for goodness sake." Lorias said coldly with an upturned chin while he looked in the direction of the Pargrad Council Building.

    The blue-eyed Lorias could have been a male model, but he''d chosen to be a mercenary instead while he was still a teenager. Every strand of hair on his pale body was light-blonde, and his eyebrows were only visible because of their thickness. He gripped the pommel of his high-tech variable sword in one hand while the other hand held his PAW.

    ¡°RED-9 is busy dealing with the Destructors on the other side of the country, as you very well know.¡± Ursun said with a shake of his head. "Both the Ruskedans and the Conjunction paid us well for this job. Quit turning your nose up at it."

    The brown irises of Prism''s eyes became blue in color as they started to shimmer. He crouched down and swiveled his head from left to right, taking in his surroundings bit by bit.

    "This Ceder cell''s upgraded cybernetics are too much for the local authorities to handle. Our stealth enchants and Prism''s shielding magic are about the only things that could''ve saved Colonel Chereff." Leanna gestured while she spoke to Lorias in an attempt to elucidate him.

    Lorias stood quietly by while the others spoke. He resented what he saw as Leanna''s know-it-all behavior. He''d been in the same briefings as her and his combat experience dwarfed her own. He''d been dealing with the Queen-worshipping Ceders since she was still in primary school. The homegrown, international terrorist group had been named for their desire to have their respective nations secede from the Conjunction and join the Queen''s monarchist empire.

    Lorias'' hunter eyes stayed transfixed on the flag that flew above the council building. It wasn''t the time to correct Leanna''s behavior, he thought to himself.

    "We can''t let these zealots delay the Pargradan security plans any longer. They nearly blew up the council building in their last attempt, and this group is even bigger and more deadly than the last." Ursun said.

    "I''ve found some of them." Prism said loudly. "They''re tunneling through the sewers to get into the council building. They killed all the guards that were stationed down there without us knowing..."

    "Figures." Lorias said under his breath.

    "Any idea where the others are?" Leanna asked politely as she directed her own flying drones back over to her.

    Prism stood up and looked towards the city''s docks. He squinted his blue eyes as they glowed faintly, channeling more mana into his enhanced sight spell. Prism was soon seeing human mana signatures through even more buildings than he had before. He made out four fast-moving figures with cybernetic limbs far in the distance, on the outskirts of Pargrad''s downtown area.

    "The last four are trying to escape to the docks." Prism said without taking his eyes off of them.

    "Can you get to the men underground in time?" Ursun asked his small alien teammate.

    "I can. I''ll merge with the stone ground and swim through it until I''m in the sewer." Prism said while making the shape of an arc with his right forefinger.

    "Shouldn''t we evacuate the council building, just in case?" Leanna asked.

    "No, it¡¯s the most secure place in the city. This could be a diversion to draw the colonel and her entourage out." Lorias turned to say to Leanna.

    "I agree." Ursun nodded and said. "Go, Prism. The three of us will head off the Ceders that are trying to escape." Ursun said, pointing to Leanna and Lorias.

    "Sir!" Prism shouted and gave a quick nod before leaping off the edge of the roof.

    Ursun chuckled while he watched Prism jump into the street below as if diving into a pool of water. The stony bricks that composed the road rippled when Prism made contact with them like they were made of water. The alien disappeared beneath the surface before the road stilled and returned to its normal, solid state.

    "I''ll never get used to seeing things like that..." Leanna said with a shake of her head.

    ¡°We¡¯re lucky he¡¯s on our side.¡± Lorias said, his eyes looking down at the street.

    "With me." Ursun ordered loudly.

    He took off running a short distance and then leapt off the roof''s edge. But instead of diving into the ground like Prism had, Ursun clicked his heels together. He soared through the air at high-speed for a few seconds until he landed smoothly on the roof of a taller neighboring building.

    Leanna and Lorias clipped their PAWs to their chestplates using an attachment on the bottom of their weapons¡¯ fixed stock. They then joined Ursun on the neighboring rooftop seconds later using the same maneuver as their leader.

    The cyborgs ran quickly, but the magically-boosted mercenaries moved much faster.

    "Dang, you guys are having all the fun now." Srell''s voice echoed in the minds of the rest of RED-1 as he watched them zip overhead.

    "Keep your eyes peeled down there. There could be more Ceders here than we thought." Ursun ordered Srell over their link.

    "More than twenty? That''d probably make this the biggest Ceder cell anyone''s ever seen." Leanna mused telepathically.

    The ground shook beneath Srell''s feet as a shockwave rocked Pargrad Square a few minutes later. The Ruskedan soldiers standing guard around the entrance to the council building gripped their rifles tightly while they looked around in fear. Srell''s eyes checked to see if the building''s exterior took any damage before he radioed Colonel Chereff''s entourage to check on their status.

    "We felt it too." The young female Conjunction soldier replied back to him. "But everything seems to be okay in here, for now."

    "What happened down there, Prism!? Did you neutralize the Ceders in the sewers?" Ursun''s voice bellowed in his team''s heads while he and the others continued towards the docks.

    The others grew worried when Prism didn''t respond for a full minute. They knew that the alien was still alive, as their telepathic connection continued to work. If he died, then all of the magic that they used would cease to function.

    "Shit..." Srell said aloud.

    "If we can''t confirm that he neutralized those targets..." Leanna communicated through the link.

    "Lorias, head back to the square. Srell, get to the colonel and have her head to the top floor of the building. It''ll be easier to defend her and the government officials there if the Ceders breach the basement." Ursun ordered telepathically.

    "That won''t be necessary."

    Prism''s weary face appeared in the minds of his teammates, along with the blasted bodies of the four Ceder terrorists that he''d been tasked with stopping. Small orange flames along the ground illuminated the area around Prism. It was as though he had a camera trained on him while he stood in the cindering section of the brick-laden sewer. Embers could be seen floating in the air behind him where the bodies lay.

    "Sorry about the explosion. These guys are outfitted with kingdom-tech. I wanted to be sure that I could kill all of them at once without any issues. The fire spell made me black out for a second, so I couldn''t talk for a little while." Prism said into the field of expanded perception that he relayed to the minds of the other mercenaries.

    "You had us worried for a minute." Srell shared along with a feeling of relief.

    "Prism, once you''re good to go, meet up with Colonel Chereff. Make sure that there aren''t any sleeper agents in the council building with her." Ursun ordered just as he, Leanna, and Lorias landed on the road leading into the city docks.

    "Right away, sir." Prism replied through the link.

    Prism¡¯s irises glowed white before he dove into the wall of the sewer as though it were water. While Prism swam up to the basement floor of the council building, Ursun dashed towards the Ceders that had made it to the concrete docks. Dockworkers ran from the scene as the Ceders leapt away from Ursun and fired on their pursuers.

    Leanna and Ursun ran to cover behind the base of a large robotic crane before they started firing back at the cyborgs. Three of the Ceders held their ground behind the massive support pillars of another, larger container crane. One of the terrorists kept on running towards a pair of armored hovercraft at the end of the dock.

    Lorias dashed around the robotic crane until he saw a safe path to his enemies. He became invisible to all but his teammates after swiping his ear clasp with his right thumb. He jumped onto a large shipping container and drew his variable sword. With a flick of his wrist, Lorias twisted the sword¡¯s grip in a single fluid motion. The blade of the sword began to glow until it was as red as a hot poker.

    "Distract them for me." Lorias spoke into the minds of Leanna and Ursun. "I''ve got to stop that asshole from escaping, and I don''t want to get caught in any crossfire."

    "Leanna, are your drones nearby?" Ursun asked her telepathically.

    "They are." She replied, pointing at two black specks high in the light-blue sky.

    "Have them swoop down in an angle at the Ceders. That should draw their firepower away from us for long enough."

    Leanna nodded to Ursun before sending the command to her spherical bug-drones using the dronepack she wore. The flying drones dove down towards the dock and quickly caught the eye of the three Ceders that were firing on Leanna and Ursun. When two of the terrorists took aim at the drones, Lorias jumped up and fired himself at them with his magicked boots. He twirled with the cauterizing sword in his hands, slicing his enemies'' hardened cybernetic limbs like a hot knife to butter.

    Lorias landed beside the third Ceder, a lanky man who nearly fainted after seeing the bodies of his two allies suddenly fall apart in neat sections. The Ceder shivered and screamed while his eyes looked around wildly for the cause of his friends'' dismemberment. Lorias, still invisible, shook his head at the man before lopping off the cyborg¡¯s arms and legs in two clean slashes.

    "We''ve got a prisoner, now. I''m going after the last one." Lorias communicated through his team''s psychic link.

    Within the next ten minutes, Lorias cornered the last Ceder atop the hovercraft while Prism safely escorted Colonel Chereff and her entourage to the top floor of the council building. Ten minutes after that, peace was restored within Pargrad by the Ruskedan military, and the Conjunction security meeting began without any further interruptions.

 Chapter 49 - Dredge

    The next two days of security talks between the Conjunction and Ruskedan governments passed by without incident. The members of RED-1 stood guard invisibly inside and outside of the Pargrad Council Building. They would stop any Ceders or other terrorists that might be lying in wait.

    Months earlier, Prism had enchanted RED-1¡¯s communication ear clasps, which they usually called their comm-clasps. The long-lasting ¡°enchant¡± magic granted the comm-clasps the ability to turn their wearers invisible for hours at a time. The enchanted ear clasps needed to be recharged by Prism every night to maintain their magic. The task wasn¡¯t nearly as taxing as the act of actually creating the enchantments in the first place.

    ¡°I thought you were going to die the first time you enchanted one of those things.¡± Leanna said as she watched Prism draw mana into her ear clasp during their penultimate night within the council building. ¡°You were sweating non-stop for an hour.¡±

    Ursun and Lorias stood guard outside of Colonel Chereff¡¯s room. The two senior members of RED-1 silently discussed the fate of the limbless Ceder prisoner, who they¡¯d handed over to the Ruskedan military, through their telepathic link. It was time for them to switch guard duty with Leanna and Srell.

    ¡°That was six months ago. He¡¯s a lot stronger now.¡± Srell said.

    He and Leanna stood over Prism, who was crouched and silent. The three of them were in their shared bedroom within the west wing of the building. Leanna and Srell¡¯s PAWs hung down from the side of the hard chest portion of their combat armor. It made it easy for them to ready the weapons without holding them all the time.

    ¡°Inscribing lasting magic on objects is really hard, no matter how powerful I become,¡± said Prism as light shined from his closed fist while he charged Leanna and Srell¡¯s dark-red ear clasps. ¡°Especially here on ?ba. Enchant magic is just harder to use here than most worlds I¡¯ve been to. I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s why there aren¡¯t any signs of applied magic on this world, at least from what I¡¯ve seen over the past year.¡±

    Prism stood up from his squatting position and handed Leanna and Srell their fully-charged comm-clasps in the darkened stately bedroom. Leanna thanked Prism while Srell simply nodded. Srell soon left to relieve the others of their guard duty. Leanna could see the tiredness in Prism¡¯s eyes once they were left alone together.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been working yourself to the point of exhaustion almost every day for the past six months.¡± Leanna said as she leaned forward towards Prism, whose head was bowed low. ¡°And you, the pluckiest guy on our team, hardly even smiles anymore. What¡¯s been going on with you?¡±

    Prism had been asked the question too many times to count since the Sguvan Civil War had begun. He¡¯d initially dreaded being deployed to such an active, embittered warzone so soon after he¡¯d enlisted with the Red Wolves. The mercenary company was more ethical than most, but it was still in the business of killing its designated enemies. Prism had started to wonder whether all the killing he¡¯d personally done was truly helping to end the larger conflict between ?ba¡¯s nations, the Centuries-Long War.

    The months had dragged on since the civil war began, and his team hadn¡¯t been ordered to intervene. The civil war had turned into a proxy war between the Conjunction and the Monarchist nations that supported the enigmatic Queen. The constant state of anxiety of not knowing when his team would get involved had worn Prism down like a used-up eraser.

    ¡°I¡¯m worried about the Sguvans.¡± Prism said softly.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we all¡­¡±

    Leanna looked away from Prism and shook her head. She ran a gloved finger over her small forehead while she thought of what to say next.

    ¡°The civil war is all we talk about these days. Everyone¡¯s worried about it. But until Pack Command decides how we can best help¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been six months, Leanna.¡± Prism said as he tightened his hands into fists. ¡°Ursun really thinks that I¡¯ll just make the situation worse over there, doesn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me that you haven¡¯t peeked into his mind to find out for yourself?¡± Leanna side-eyed Prism while she asked the question with a mischievous smirk.

    ¡°I don¡¯t do that! Your private thoughts are your own, you know that!¡±

    Prism leaned away from Leanna, crossed his unclothed arms, and furrowed his brow at her. He wore only a black cotton shirt and red leatherine pants, since he slept between recharging his teammates¡¯ comm-clasp and boot enchants.

    ¡°I¡¯m just messing with you.¡± Leanna giggled quietly and stepped over to touch Prism¡¯s shoulder in the dimly-lit room. ¡°But maybe you should take a peek, just to get out of this funk that you¡¯re in.¡±

    Prism pushed Leanna¡¯s hand off of his shoulder and looked at her as though her breath smelt bad. He scrunched his nose and turned away from her, taking a few steps towards one of the large beds in the room.

    ¡°Even if I did that, which I wouldn¡¯t, what if I¡¯m right? What if he is still holding Jaik¡¯s death against me?¡± Prism said tearfully with his head still turned away from Leanna.

    Her eyes widened when she heard Jaik¡¯s name on Prism¡¯s lips. It had been a while since she¡¯d thought of the young doctor. Hearing Prism¡¯s pained voice told Leanna how guilty he still felt.

    ¡°None of us blames you for that. Ursun wouldn¡¯t have made you a Red Wolf if he did. You¡¯d still be a contractor, and you¡¯d probably be working on your own.¡± Leanna softened her voice while maintaining her rationality.

    ¡°All this senseless killing¡­I¡¯d be gone if I¡¯d had to fight alone. I would¡¯ve left this world by now. Maybe I still should.¡±

    A chill ran through Leanna¡¯s bones when she heard Prism¡¯s icy words. He¡¯d never spoken to her like that before, and she couldn¡¯t remember him mentioning leaving ?ba with such bitterness. It was as though a stranger was suddenly standing in front of her.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were suffering this much¡­¡± Leanna said, watching Prism¡¯s fists shaking at his sides as his back was still turned to her. ¡°We¡¯ve been through so much, but we still know so little about you. You keep so much to yourself. It isn¡¯t healthy.¡±

    Prism turned his head to look at Leanna. She saw the wetness around his eyes and the quivering of his lips. She thought he might run over to her and start sobbing like a small child.

    ¡°Come on Leanna, time for our shift change. You¡¯ve had plenty of time to chit-chat with your best friend.¡±

    Lorias stepped into the room with Ursun close behind him. The two tall men towered over Leanna when they stood close to her. She nodded to them both before looking back over at Prism. He¡¯d wiped his eyes and had turned around the moment he¡¯d sensed Ursun close by.

    ¡°I¡¯m here for you. We all are.¡±

    Leanna communicated privately to Prism through their telepathic link. Prism¡¯s short, quick nod told her that he¡¯d put his guard back up. She cursed Ursun and Lorias¡¯ bad timing before walking past them and into the long hallway to join Srell on guard duty.

    ¡°What¡¯s her problem?¡± Ursun asked Prism as the commander took off his comm-clasp.

    ¡°Nothing, sir. Nothing at all.¡± Prism said before taking the small clasp from Ursun¡¯s much-larger hand.

    ****

    The next day was the final day of the security meeting, and everyone was on high-alert. There weren¡¯t any other terrorist attacks, in part due to increased military presence throughout Pargrad Square. Prism sat cross-legged with his eyes closed atop the roof of the Pargrad Council Building during the meeting. He used his expanded magical perception to detect the presence of anyone within 50 meters of the building. Srell had called him a glorified motion detector when Prism had performed similar tasks in past missions.

    Prism could, in fact, detect a great deal beyond the mere motion of the people within his field of perception. He could sense the immediate emotions of each individual around him, their general anatomy, and even the state of their health. The humans of ?ba may not be able to use magic, but their bodies contained magic''s constituent energy, mana, just like everything else on the planet. To Prism, that mana revealed volumes about the beings that possessed it. Each mana signature, as Prism called them, took the form of a colorful flame that surrounded each person''s body.

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    One mana signature in particular caught Prism''s attention during his time on the rooftop. The person''s mana felt oddly familiar, like a distorted sense of nostalgia. When he focused on the person, Prism grabbed his chest as he felt his heart suddenly beat faster.

    "Chaik..." Prism whispered aloud.

    Prism nearly woke from his meditative trance as his attention narrowed on Jaik''s twin brother. Prism knew that Chaik was a soldier within the Ruskedan military, but he hadn''t imagined that the young man would be deployed in the same remote area as him. Prism hadn''t seen Chaik since Jaik''s funeral a year earlier, not that he''d had any reason to meet the soldier. Chaik hadn''t shown any interest in getting to know any of his late brother''s friends or associates, even when Prism and his teammates had tried to speak with him before and after the funeral.

    Chaik stood silently at the corner of a side street that opened onto Pargrad Square. He held his automatic rifle in both of his hands, his green eyes staying alert as he monitored his surroundings. The man seemed to have a permanent frown on his chiseled face, just as Prism remembered. The short beard that Chaik had sported at the funeral was now just a layer of faint black stubble that made him look even more like Jaik.

    "I''m glad you''re okay, at least." Prism thought to himself.

    He let out a long breath before turning his perception away from Chaik. Prism knew that he wasn''t Jaik. It would do Prism no good to project his grief onto the soldier as he had in the past.

    The hours slowly drifted by as Colonel Chereff finalized the security agreement with the Pargrad officials. After the respective parties signed the necessary documents, a short banquet was held in the afternoon that lasted until dusk. Prism stayed on the rooftop until the colonel and her entourage were driven to the airport in a large, armored military vehicle.

    He leapt from rooftop to rooftop in pursuit of them; keeping his senses expanded enough to detect any approaching threat. It wasn''t until Colonel Chereff''s plane took to the skies that Prism let his mind ease back into a normal sphere of sensation.

    "That was rather anticlimactic." Leanna''s voice was heard in the minds of her teammates.

    "Yeah, sure was. I was itching to kill more of those cyborg freaks." Srell communicated over the telepathic link.

    "Keep your bloodthirst to yourself. The less lives we have to take, the better." Lorias'' smooth, baritone voice echoed in RED-1''s heads.

    "Agreed." Prism said both aloud and through the link as he stood atop the air traffic control tower of Pargrad Airport, invisible and relaxed.

    "Oh come on. You two have probably taken more lives than any of us." Srell was quick to reply while he and Leanna stood on the airport''s tarmac.

    "That''s exactly why they know the toll that all that killing takes." Ursun''s deep voice boomed through the link. "Meet me back at the council building, everyone. We''ll get some rest here before we fly back to the Peninsula tomorrow morning."

    "Is any of that fancy banquet food left?" Srell asked.

    "Plenty." Ursun replied.

    RED-1 spent the rest of the evening eating and conversing with members of the Pargrad City Council. The politicians had lingered in the council building with the hope that they¡¯d get to speak with RED-1 in person. Even the council''s elected leader, Delegate Myrnophe, had stayed behind. He personally wanted to thank the mercenary team for ridding the city of the Ceder terrorists.

    The mercenaries got out of their combat armor and changed into their less-intimidating leatherine uniforms for the night¡¯s festivities. The event became a second celebratory banquet that was a lot less formal than the first one.

    They stayed in the large stateroom where the first banquet had been held, which was in the center of the building. The green-painted walls of the windowless room featured large, rich tapestries embroidered with powerful human figures engaging in all manners of physical labor. The colorful tapestries were inlaid with golden thread and jewels to detail the eyes of the figures upon them.

    A long wooden table ran through the middle of the room, upon which an assortment of dishes from across the Conjunction sat next to ornate plates and silverware. The room''s ceiling featured detailed white paneling, while the wooden floor was largely covered with a diamond-patterned red rug. Several green marble columns made the room look even grander.

    "We''re elected because we''re normal people. You don''t see many rich people sitting on the councils of our country." One of the councilmen told Prism when he asked about their government.

    "When we stop listening to what our people want, we get kicked out of office. We''re not here to "interpret" the will of our people; we''re here to carry it out." A councilwoman added passionately.

    The councilpeople were far more plainspoken and unpretentious than most of the politicians Prism had met. One of them had been a janitor, while another had been a hairdresser. They came from all walks of life, and yet they talked to each other with a chumminess that put Prism''s heart at ease.

    "Unlike Etrysia''s Four Families, our councils get their power from the people, not from some genetic aristocracy." The councilman from earlier said while crinkling his nose as he pointed his sharp chin at Lorias. When the man saw Prism look confusedly at him, the councilman leaned forward and raised his eyebrow at the short, bald mercenary. "Surely you know that he''s a Rex, the family that presides over the Telyo gene class?" The councilman asked.

    "I know that, but Lorias isn''t involved in any of his family''s affairs. He''s just a mercenary." Prism said carefully, not wanting to cause a scene.

    "Fair enough. I suppose him being adopted probably precluded him from holding any sort of leadership role within his family, not to mention the attack on his family by those Rvljsan operatives that got his adoptive father killed."

    The councilman spoke a bit too flippantly about Lorias for Prism''s liking. But before Prism could voice his distaste of the topic, another councilperson joined the conversation.

    "Oh goodness, I remember when that happened! That was around 18 years ago, wasn''t it? It was all over the news for weeks. Those Rvljsans killed the Rex Family heir, I believe. They made a movie about the whole thing not too long ago."

    The chatty councilwoman spoke with such an exaggerated theatricality that it drew the attention of several others who''d been talking nearby. Prism could see that Lorias was all too aware of what they were discussing. The long-haired man''s piercing blue eyes stared harshly at the woman who so carelessly continued to talk about his personal tragedy.

    "I can''t imagine how it must''ve felt to lose not only your birth parents, but one of your adoptive parents years later. I probably would''ve run away from home too, just like Lorias did in the movie. The pain of it must''ve been too much to bear." The woman said while shaking her head and wiping her eyes as though she was crying.

    "That''s him over there, isn''t it?" One of the councilmen who''d come over said after pointing to Lorias. The swordsman was standing across the room on the other side of the table.

    To Prism''s surprise, Lorias walked over to the group and bowed politely to them. He smiled graciously while he brushed his long golden strands of hair out of his face. He immediately charmed those gathered around him.

    "Good evening. I saw one of you pointing at me, so I figured that I should make an appearance."

    Lorias'' warm, measured tone made everyone smile. Some even laughed as he disarmed the gossipers. Prism looked at Lorias and nodded nervously.

    "Don''t be fooled; these idiots are just as elitist as the Four Families that they''re mocking. The difference between the two governments is that these people never learned any manners." Lorias'' communicated solely to Prism over their team''s telepathic link. "I know that you didn''t start this topic of conversation, but I''m here to end it."

    "We were just discussing that movie that was made about your life." The dramatic councilwoman said while rubbing her hands together like she desperately wanted something. "Did you have any input on the film?"

    "None at all. I''m far too busy with my work to play at being a film consultant." Lorias said with a smirk.

    "Oh my, that would mean that the film probably isn''t as accurate as it claims to be." A councilman said with a raised finger.

    "You said it, not me." Lorias smiled and said, making everyone laugh again.

    Prism shook his head and walked away from the group while they were all focused on Lorias. Prism saw Ursun having a spirited conversation with Delegate Myrnophe, a gray-haired man who looked just as tough as Ursun. Leanna and Srell were seated in chairs on the far end of the room near its main entrance. The two of them were eating desserts with a group of Ruskedan soldiers that were also taking it easy. One of those soldiers in particular caught Prism''s eye.

    "Chaik!" Prism yelped before quickly walking over to join them.

    "We were wondering when you''d notice him." Leanna said with a wink at Prism when he stood between their couch and Chaik''s.

    "Try not to act weird this time." Srell laughed and said, reminding Prism of how aloof he¡¯d been at Jaik¡¯s viewing, when Prism first ran into Chaik.

    "I won''t!" Prism yelled a bit too loudly.

    Chaik simply stared up at Prism while Leanna and Srell laughed. Prism met the soldier''s gaze and gulped hard, uncertain of what to say.

    "What are the odds of all of us being stationed out here?" Chaik said, sounding like he was accusing Prism of something.

    "It is weird," was all Prism could say.

    "Your superiors must''ve taken the Ceder threat a lot more seriously than they made us believe." Leanna said.

    "They were right. We''ve never seen k-tech like what they had." Chaik said, his voice almost exactly like his late brother''s. "I''m just glad me and my men got here the day after the Ceders attacked."

    "We wouldn''t have stood a chance against those cyborgs, no way, no how. You see the poor excuses for weapons we''re given." A soldier sitting on the opposite side of Chaik said to the mercenaries.

    "The higher-ups prefer to throw more bodies at a problem than to improve our gear. That''s just how our military works." A baggy-eyed soldier standing next to the couches said before grabbing a cake from the table between them.

    "Our sergeant¡¯s probably the only one of us that could survive an attack from those Ceders. Heck, he''d probably kill some of them." A plucky soldier that sat beside Srell said with a smile. The soldier pointed at Chaik, who nodded his gratitude to the man.

    Chaik leaned back in the plushy red couch and stared up at the paneled ceiling for a moment. Prism watched him closely, noting how similar the man''s mannerisms were to Jaik''s. Prism had known several twins in the past, and he knew how rude it was to gawk at them like they were a sideshow attraction. But the strange circumstances of Jaik''s death and Chaik''s sudden appearance were enough to rattle Prism.

    "So, are you really an alien?" Chaik asked Prism with a nonchalance that took everyone around by surprise.

    Prism shrugged and said, "I am. I''m an elementeitan."

    Months earlier, the Red Wolves mercenary company had made Prism''s true origin public in the hopes that it would stop the rumors of him being some sort of divine being. The rumors had been greatly diminished, but they persisted amongst the most religious members of the Conjunction.

    "Have a seat, elementeitan."

    Chaik patted the empty seat beside him on the couch. Prism tilted his head before sitting on the cushion and laying back on it like Chaik was doing. Leanna started to giggle again when she saw how awkward Prism was acting.

    "Tell me something, Prism. How is it that I knew the exact moment that my brother died? And how is it that I heard him say your name shortly before I felt him die?"

    No one spoke after Chaik asked his questions. Everyone but Chaik looked as though they were standing before a firing squad, Prism most of all. Prism managed to look up at the soldier, and saw that the man''s gaze was fixed on his brown face. Prism sighed, knowing full-well that he owed Chaik an explanation.

    "On most worlds, identical twins have an intrinsic connection. Their bodies'' mana, or spirit as some call it, is linked at birth. This link remains no matter how far away the twins are, which is why you could sense your brother''s passing even though he was hundreds of kilometers from you. As far as you hearing the messages he sent to me...I''m guessing that they somehow traveled through the link that the two of you shared."

    Prism looked into Chaik''s eyes as he answered the soldier''s questions as best he could. Prism expected to see confusion on Chaik''s face, but the man never looked even the least bit unsure of Prism''s words. The only emotion clear on Chaik''s face was relief.

    "You shouldn''t have told him that, not here." Leanna''s voice echoed in Prism''s head. Prism sensed Ursun agree with her through their telepathic link.

    "Thank you for being honest with me. It sounds crazy to other people, but I believe in you and your magic." Chaik clenched his jaw and said calmly to Prism.

    Chaik looked down at the table between him and Leanna and stared at the pink and white cakes stacked on a silver serving tray. The soldier seemed to be looking at something much farther away.

    "If the Ceders believed in you, they wouldn''t have died so pointlessly for their false god. They would''ve followed you, instead."

    Leanna arched her eyebrow and Srell wrinkled his nose at Chaik''s statement. Prism was about to ask Chaik what he meant, but the man quickly got up from the couch and left the room using the large wooden door behind the couch they sat at. The Ruskedan soldiers that had been seated beside Chaik and on the couch with Srell stared at each other for a few seconds. The soldiers then got up and followed after their commanding officer.

    "That seems ominous..." Leanna said aloud to Srell and Prism.

    "Should we go after him?" Prism asked in earnest.

    "No, we don''t want to make a scene. I think he''ll be alright." Leanna said.

    Srell huffed and put his feet up on the table beside the silver tray of cakes. He sneered at Prism before kicking the tray towards the elementeitan.

    "Be careful what you say, Magical Boy. There are still plenty of zealots out there that think you''re either God or the Fairy King himself." Srell¡¯s voice blared in Prism¡¯s mind while the Esdegonian gritted his teeth.