Chapter 36
Gun and team (2)
IAM and Kepa locked eyes. For a moment, neither said a word. The same surprised expression sat heavy on both of their faces, their eyebrows raised, the silence thick with confusion.
Kepa finally broke the moment. "This is kinda random, no...? Why all of a sudden...?"
"I don't know," IAM replied, shrugging lightly. "But we should probably make our way to the mission hall. Doesn't sound like something we can ignore."
Kepa nodded. "Yeah. Let's go."
The two walked together in silence for a while, minds busy with the news. The mission hall wasn't far, located toward the front section of The Hold. If one considered the front to be facing in the direction where the Deadline creatures were known to roam, then the hall sat right up in that danger-facing zone.
It was a squat, broad structure, three stories tall and shaped like a giant cube. On its front waved a large red flag, marked with a grey 'H.' IAM had come to understand that this symbol was given only to buildings of critical importance. Very few structures bore it. Some others flew a similar red flag, but without the 'H,' signaling moderate priority—important, but not quite on the same tier. The flag with the 'H' marked buildings that were absolutely essential to the function and defense of The Hold.
The Hold itself was more complex than IAM initially realized. It had no traditional walls. Instead, mini-towers surrounded the encampment—just like the one IAM had passed through on his first arrival. These towers served as both lookout points and barriers. The whole settlement was clustered around the large central dome. The closer a structure or tent was to that dome, the more important it tended to be.
Tents and structures that housed soldiers, volunteers, and general amenities like the hub, showers were situated further from the dome—closer to the rear, toward humanity's side. That's where IAM and Ryan had first arrived, where most of the fresh volunteers were stationed.
The mission hall, on the other hand, was in the forward section, alongside other crucial structures like the dome itself—home to high-ranking personnel and elite combatants, usually ranked three stars or above—as well as the health ward, command centers, and supply depots.
As IAM and Kepa approached the mission hall, it became clear this wasn't just a routine announcement. A massive crowd had gathered—volunteers packed shoulder to shoulder, alongside some of the more experienced soldiers.
Standing at the front was IAM's path teacher, Bell, commanding attention as usual.
"A situation has occurred," she announced, her voice strong and clear despite the size of the crowd. "Deadline creatures have been observed displaying unnatural movement... and we need to send out scouts—quickly. We need answers before this escalates into something worse."
The skinny Milo stood beside her. The man rarely spoke unless he had to. He was the theory teacher, quiet, stern, and always carrying an air of isolation, as though annoyed just by being near people. But his words now cut through the air like steel.
"Take this seriously," he said, his tone grave. "History is littered with examples of what happens when unnatural behavior from Deadline creatures is ignored. And the result is always the same: annihilation. If we hesitate, if we dismiss signs, we risk repeating those mistakes. You are all being placed into teams of six. These teams will be your partners for at least two weeks. You'll be expected to train together and operate together. At the end of that period, you'll be issued a compulsory mission—to scout a designated area. Some teams may be deployed sooner depending on need".
He paused. The silence that followed was heavy.
"You'll now enter the mission hall," he continued. "Check the boards, find your team number, then proceed to your team's assigned meeting spot. For most of you, that's the training halls or physical class rooms. The already-experienced groups have been deployed for advanced scouting. Not every new team will be sent out right away. But remember—all of you volunteered for this. So tighten up. This is what you signed up for."
Someone from the crowd yelled, "What kind of unusual movements?"
Bell replied without hesitation. "Weaker Deadline groups have begun to disperse, some showing unusual aggression, as reported by scouts. These behaviors are not normal. We need to figure out what's causing them before it turns into something worse. If we wait too long, we risk a Beast Tide. And I'm sure none of you want to deal with hundreds of thousands of creatures storming The Hold."
She clapped her hands, firm and final. The message was clear.
IAM and Kepa made their way inside with the rest of the crowd. The mission hall looked exactly as IAM imagined it would: practical, efficient, militaristic. It had digital mission boards lining the walls, each floor clearly marked with mission tiers. The lowest floor held low-risk, low-reward tasks. The higher the floor, the harder—and more dangerous—the missions became. The rewards being contribution points and potentially gaining a star on their badge.
Each mission board was organized with filters. Right now, there was only one mission being displayed across all levels: "Find your team at the meetup spot."
IAM scrolled through the list, filtering names by first initial until he found his own.
His assigned team number: 241723. Not a name—just a number. It didn't reveal who else was on the team. His designated meetup spot was the physical classroom where his training sessions were usually held.
He glanced over at Kepa.
"I'm not on the same team," Kepa said before IAM could even ask.
Before IAM could respond, Ryan and Hen approached. Ryan , as always, was surrounded by people—more like a crowd now. Some greeted him like he was already famous.
"Hey, you guys know if we're on the same team?" Ryan asked, trying to make casual small talk.
IAM offered a faint smile, but it was awkward. The whole interaction felt fake. Forced. The whole thing felt like a toxic group who knew they didn't like each other but had to keep up appearances.
IAM didn't stay long. He separated from the group and made his way toward the training hall, where his team's meetup was scheduled. Along the way, he passed other volunteers doing the same, each person quiet, contemplative, maybe a little nervous. This wasn't just theory or training anymore—this was the beginning of real deployment.
From what IAM remembered reading, each team was required to have at least two experienced soldiers, and one of them would serve as the team leader. That meant at least one person in his team had actual field experience—comforting, but also nerve-wracking.
As IAM entered the physical training room, he scanned the space.
There—toward the middle—stood a group of five, gathered around a tablet held at waist height.
241723
That was his team.
He took a deep breath and walked toward them. But with every step, the faint smile on his face began to fade. Something about the group felt... off.
And then he saw it.
One of the people standing there—arms crossed, eyes locked on him—was someone he recognized instantly.
Kon.
Someone he'd met a little while back at Raj's workshop. Someone he didn't expect to see again so soon.