As soon as the suits were on, the lights in the chamber subtly dimmed. Panels on the floor pulsed with scanning waves, and a soft tone rang out from hidden speakers
"Calibration beginning."
"Stand still, don't panic if your suit tingles." Rena announced from the console.
Jules immediately flinched. "Too late. Already panicking. I do not consent to being tickled by nanotech."
Kade sighed heavily, standing with his arms crossed.
Dævd closed his eyes as the suit aligned to his pulse. The threads tightened gently across his chest and shoulders, syncing with his breathing. He could feel the channels responding to his energy, drawing faint traces of the Aether his body produced.
Suddenly, the runes across his sleeves lit up. Soft blue lightning arced harmlessly across the surface of the suit.
Jules blinked. "Okay, that's not fair. Why does he get lightning mode and mine still smells like static socks?"
"That's not static, that's the ionizing layer," Rena said casually. "It prevents electrical overload. And yours hasn't activated yet because you won't stop squirming."
Jules straightened instantly. "Squirming deactivated. Ready for action."
Kade adjusted the sleek black mask over his face, his voice muffled but still dry with sarcasm.
"So what now? We play ninja with dummies, or dodge lasers until someone pulls a hamstring?"
Rena tapped a few buttons. A quiet hum filled the space as the walls shifted, transforming into a compact virtual test field. Floating holographic drones activated, weaving through the air like silver wasps
"I want to see how well the suits hold under quick strain. Think of it as a warm-up."
Without waiting, Kade fired his grapple, leaping onto a moving drone platform and vaulting over it with clean precision. Jules flinched.
"He lives for this stuff," Jules muttered. Then he grinned.
"Fine. Time to be the tech god I was born to be."
He sprinted forward, his boots flaring softly with kinetic dampeners as he launched into a spin, firing a green bolt that curved mid-air and tagged a drone dead-center.
Dævd didn't move right away. He stood still, the suit pulsing with steady energy. Then, his body flickered. With a burst of speed, he vanished and reappeared mid-air, cleaving through two drones with the flat of his palm.
Jules paused mid-sprint. "Bro doesn't even need the sword to be broken."
Kade landed beside him with a thud.
"Starting to regret getting attached to him?"
Jules grinned. "Only mildly. He's cool. You're the grumpy dad."
Kade chuckled, muttering something inaudible and walked away.
Rena clapped once from the console.
"Alright. Systems are stable. Power signatures are holding. No one combusted."
She gave them a nod.
"Suit calibration complete. You're ready."
The test field powered down. The drones docked. The chamber went still again, the only sound, the low whirr of their breathing through the suits.
"Keller will be waiting."
Dævd looked down at his palms, then back up at the others. "Let's go."
Division 7 Strategic Operations Room
The steel doors hissed open with a smooth slide, revealing the Strategic Operations Room, a high-ceilinged chamber bathed in cold blue light. Transparent digital displays hovered mid-air, displaying satellite feeds, energy maps, and pulsing threat indicators overlaid across the globe.
In the center of the room stood a circular table with embedded holographic projectors. At its head, hands clasped behind his back, stood Director Keller, tall, composed, and severe in posture. His short, silvered hair and sharp German accent gave every word a sense of precision.
Behind him stood several core Division 7 analysts, arms folded, their eyes flicking to the trio as they entered.
Keller turned.
"Welcome, operatives," he said, voice even. "You've passed initial clearance. Now comes the part where we stop reacting… and start intervening."
Jules leaned in close to Dævd. "Okay, that was kind of cool. Like Bond-villain-cool. But on our side."
Kade cleared his throat, and they all stepped closer.
Rena moved to Keller's right. "They're synced, suited, and ready."
Keller nodded. "Wonderful. Your mission begins now."
He tapped a control on the table.
The world map spun and zoomed in on South America, then tightened focus over Colombia. The landscape bloomed into a live topographical feed. In the deep, forested region of Serranía de la Macarena, a glowing Aetheric pulse was marked in red.
"Early this morning, an Aetheric signature activated deep in the Colombian jungle. It matches the energy pattern we traced to the Lucent Grave after your Lagos battle. We've designated it a Tier-3 Rift Spike, unstable, volatile, and potentially linked to Astraean tech."
Jules whistled under his breath. "Yup. Definitely anime."
Rena flicked a glance at him, suppressing a smile.
Keller continued. "We intercepted reports of a local military patrol going dark after investigating the site. Shortly after, comms in a thirty-kilometer radius went dead. No drones are able to pass through the anomaly's field without shorting."
The hologram showed a pulsating red distortion layered across the jungle canopy, like heat waves folding over reality.
"Whatever is down there, it's more than residual energy. We believe another Branded may be active."
Dævd tensed slightly. "You think my brother sent someone?"
"We don't guess," Keller said, crisp. "We confirm. That's your mission."
He turned to the full team now.
"You three will deploy to the jungle edge via stealth hover insertion. Your objectives are clear: locate the source of the rift, secure or destroy any Astraean relics, and contain or neutralize hostile entities. No civilians in the immediate area. But stay sharp."
Kade crossed his arms. "What kind of resistance are we expecting?"
"Possibly a Branded, if the signal matches. But more likely… corrupted wildlife. Extraterrestrial spawns, maybe worse. You'll be the first eyes on-site."
Jules raised his hand with mock politeness. "Any chance this is all just… I don't know… jungle lightning or a super intense rave?"
Keller didn't blink. "No."
"Cool, cool. Just checking."
Rena approached with her usual calm but firm stride. "This won't be like Lagos," she said, her tone even. "The terrain is hostile, comms are limited once you're inside, and we still don't know what's creating the rift. This is a recon and containment mission, not a brawl… unless it turns into one."
Jules nodded. "Got it. Stealth, caution, heroic improvisation, rinse and repeat."
Kade rolled his eyes but checked the ammo feed on his gauntlet.
Dævd glanced at the hovercraft, then back at Rena. "We'll be ready."
She held his gaze for a moment before giving a nod. "Touch down will be in twenty minutes. Remote overwatch will patch in until the signal drops. Once you're in the rift zone… you're on your own."
As they climbed aboard, the hovercraft's side hatch sealed shut with a hydraulic hiss. A soft lift engaged, and the aircraft disengaged from the bay locks. With a pulse of silent propulsion, it rose into the cloud-washed skies over Delaware and vanished into the jetstream, headed south.