Chapter 1:
The year is 2088. Aetheria, the neon-drenched capital of The Sovereign Concord of Aerion.
Acid-laced rain was falling on the dockyards of Kyto Level-7. The rain never stopped here. It mixed with the grimy runoff streaming down the sides of monstrous hab-stacks and the fractured reflections of neon signs, creating a toxic rainbow on the concrete floor of the dockyard. The air was heavy with the smell of heavy metals, the acrid smoke of burnt circuits, and the steam from cheap synthetic noodles. This was the part of Aetheria they didn't show in the corporate advertisements. This was the city's underbelly, where shadows did the talking.
Above this gloom, perched nearly a hundred meters high on the head of an abandoned cargo crane, a figure waited in silence. Commander Ryan Solas.
He was clad in the standard-issue black tactical gear of the Elysian Vector Authority (EVA). Lightweight armor plates covered his muscular frame, but the raindrops fell on his exposed face, tracing a path down his chin. Lowered over his right eye was a multi-spectrum optical visor. Through it, the rain-slicked, dark dockyard became a living map of a thousand data points. The thermal signature of every container, the wind speed, the humidity, and the trajectory of every moving object—it all floated across his screen.
A calm, controlled voice echoed in the comm-link fitted inside his ear. "Commander, intel confirmed. The 'Neon Dragon' will be entering Dock Seven-B in five." The voice belonged to Silas Qorr, Ryan's intelligence operative. He was the team's brain, the one who saw the entire battlefield through the eyes of satellites and drones.
"Confirm positions, Silas," Ryan's own voice was calm, quieter than the rain itself.
"Lily is in position. Delta crane, seven hundred meters from the target zone. She has a clear line of sight," Silas reported. "Juno and his heavy unit are ready behind the Alpha container block. They're getting a little antsy."
The faintest hint of a smile touched Ryan's lips before vanishing. Juno Raze. The muscle of his team. Patience wasn't his virtue. "Tell him to hold. We let them commit."
"And Elan?" Ryan asked.
"The tech-wizard is ready with his jamming suite. He'll cripple their network the moment the target is in place," Silas replied. "He says their firewall is like ancient parchment. One puff and it's gone."
Ryan didn't answer, his focus fixed on the dockyard below. SHATTERVOID (SV). Not just a gang. They were a cancer in the heart of the city. A terrifying network of murderers, smugglers, and cyborg marauders. And tonight, they weren't just smuggling contraband. According to Silas's intel, they were trafficking a military-grade prototype weapon, the sale of which on the black market could destabilize the entire city's balance of power. It was EVA's duty to stop it at all costs.
A few moments later, a pair of bright green lights cut through the dockyard's darkness. Slowly, a massive, armored hover-freighter became visible. The vehicle's frame was bizarre, resembling a mythological dragon from Old Earth. The green neon tubes fixed to its body created an illusion in the rain. The 'Neon Dragon'—a fitting name.
The freighter came to a stop at Dock Seven-B. The doors of its cargo bay opened with a hiss. About a dozen cyborgs emerged from within. Their bodies were a grotesque mix of man and machine. Some had hands like sharpened blades; others had hydraulic pistons for legs, granting them unnaturally swift movement. Their optical sensors glowed with red light, like a pack of mechanical demons searching for their prey.
They quickly took up positions, attempting to secure the area. Their leader, a tall cyborg whose body was half chrome metal, stepped forward and said something into his comm-link.
"They're waiting for the buyer," Silas's voice came through again. "Should we..."
"No," Ryan cut him off. "I want to see the shipment. We need to identify the primary weapons container."
Ryan zoomed in with his visor, analyzing the cyborgs' movements, their weaponry, and their stances. These weren't common thugs. The mark of military training was evident on them.
A few minutes later, another group approached from the other end of the dock. They were fewer in number, but clad in expensive attire, their movements far more controlled. The buyers had arrived.
The two groups met. The SV leader raised a hand, and at his signal, his team brought out a large, square container from inside the freighter. The container had no markings, but it radiated a kind of cold energy that registered on his visor's sensors.
"Got it," Silas said. "That's it. The bio-mechanical weapon. Project: Mycelium."
Ryan held his breath. It was time. He activated the encrypted channel on his comm-link, connecting him directly to every member of his team.
"All stations, the target is identified," Ryan's voice was ice-cold, like a hawk waiting to deliver the final command. "Lily, you have the primary target. The SV leader. On my mark... you will neutralize him. Juno, your team moves on the container. Elan, scramble their communications... now!"
On Elan's command, an invisible electromagnetic pulse spread across the dockyard. The optical sensors of the SV cyborgs flickered for a moment. Confusion was sown.
Through his visor, Ryan watched the live feed from Lily's sniper scope. A single red dot was fixed on the SV leader's forehead.
Time seemed to freeze. The raindrops hung suspended in the air. Ryan's lips moved.
"Engage."
####
Ryan's command, "Engage," was the spark that ignited the dockyard's powder keg.
From seven hundred meters away, there was no difference between Lily's breath and the trigger of her sniper rifle. A near-silent 'whip' sound cracked the air, and in less than a second, the head of the SHATTERVOID leader ceased to exist. The high-explosive anti-materiel round fired by Lily didn't just obliterate his skull; it turned the datapad in his hand into metallic confetti, leaving no chance for a dead-man's switch to activate.
For a moment, an eerie silence fell over the dockyard. The SV cyborgs stared, stunned, at the mangled body of their leader.
That moment was all Juno needed.
"Rain of fire!" Juno's gleeful roar resounded over the comm-link, and then all hell broke loose from behind the Alpha container block. Juno and his four-member heavy unit opened fire with their portable plasma repeaters. Torrents of superheated blue plasma vaporized the raindrops as they flew toward the cyborgs. The first three SV members in line were reduced to heaps of molten metal and scorched synthetic flesh before they even knew what hit them.
"Pin them down!" Juno yelled, emerging from behind the cover of a container, his massive rotary plasma cannon roaring incessantly.
But the remaining members of SHATTERVOID were not common thugs. They recovered from the chaos with speed and discipline. Taking cover behind metal armor, they returned fire. Red laser beams and green plasma bolts rained down on the concrete and metal containers, creating a storm of sparks. The buyers' group also drew advanced pistols from within their expensive suits and began firing. The dockyard instantly became a death trap.
From atop the crane, Ryan observed the entire battlefield. His visor analyzed the trajectory of every shot, the radius of every explosion, and the position of every fighter. "Silas, status?"
"Juno's team has them suppressed, but they're outnumbered. The buyers' group includes three trained combatants. Lily has taken out two SV snipers, but two more have her pinned down behind the containers." Silas's voice was calm, but the tension of the situation was palpable. "Elan, any update?"
"Commander, we have a problem!" Elan's voice was frustrated. "I've jammed their personal comm-links and sensors, but the 'Neon Dragon's' native operating system is on a completely closed circuit! It's not connected to any external network. I can't get in!"
Before Elan could finish his sentence, a hissing sound emanated from the metallic body of the 'Neon Dragon' freighter. Panels on its top and sides slid open, and from within, four automated defense turrets emerged. Each turret was equipped with a dual-barrel laser cannon.
"Everyone, cover!" Ryan yelled.
But it was too late. The turrets activated, automatically locking onto targets and opening fire. Intense red laser beams ripped through the positions of Juno's team. A laser hit the shield of an EVA soldier, melting it instantly; he screamed in pain and fell back.
"We're pinned down here, Commander!" Juno shouted from behind a massive container, sweat beading on his forehead. "These turrets aren't letting us advance!"
Ryan analyzed the situation rapidly. Their main objective was to secure the 'Project: Mycelium' container, but now the 'Neon Dragon' itself had become the greatest threat. If the turrets weren't neutralized, his team would be cut to pieces.
"Lily," Ryan's order came, "your new targets are the turrets. Hit their optical sensors. Keep them busy."
"Copy, Commander," was Lily's curt reply. A moment later, the red sensor of one turret shattered from a perfect shot. The turret began to spin wildly, firing lasers in all directions.
"Juno, maintain pressure on the remaining SV members. Don't let them move from that container," Ryan said. "I'm going in myself."
"Commander, no!" Silas tried to protest. "That's suicidal!"
But Ryan didn't stop to listen. He sprinted to the edge of the crane. Disengaging the magnetic grippers on his boots, he leaped into the void. As he fell toward the concrete a hundred meters below, he fired a grappling hook from his belt. The hook latched onto a lower crane, and Ryan controlled his descent, swinging in an arc to land right in the middle of the dockyard, at the very center of the battle.
He hit the ground, and his situation changed instantly. Until now, he had been the hunter. Now, he was the prey.
Ryan drew his personal sidearm from its hip holster, a heavy bolt pistol, model 'Seraph.' It didn't fire plasma; it fired small, high-velocity explosive rounds.
His landing had not gone unnoticed. Two SV cyborgs turned toward him. One had a hand like a sharpened sword; the other had a small rocket launcher mounted on its shoulder.
But the greater threat was the three remaining active turrets of the 'Neon Dragon.' With a mechanical hiss, the turrets swiveled their glowing red sensors toward him. The barrels of three laser cannons began to charge simultaneously, their target one and the same—Commander Ryan Solas.
####
As the red dots of the three laser turrets converged on him, time seemed to slow down. Ryan knew that no matter how fast his reflexes were, it was impossible to beat the speed of light coming from three different directions.
But he wasn't fighting alone.
"Take the fire off Ryan!" Lily's voice commanded over the comm-link, calm but authoritative.
Suddenly, one of the turrets exploded in a shower of sparks. Lily's second perfect shot had torn its power cell to shreds. At the same time, Juno and his team burst from behind the containers, unleashing such an intense volley of plasma on the SV cyborgs that they didn't have a chance to focus on Ryan.
That single moment of opportunity was all Ryan needed.
Before the remaining two turrets could fire, Ryan lunged toward the sword-handed cyborg on his left. The cyborg swung its metallic arm at him, but Ryan ducked under the attack and fired his 'Seraph' pistol from point-blank range. The heavy explosive bolt pierced the cyborg's chest and detonated inside, tearing its body apart from within.
Right behind him, the second cyborg fired a mini-rocket from its shoulder-mounted launcher. Ryan rolled to the side without looking. The rocket missed him by inches and slammed into a container, exploding with a deafening roar. The shockwave threw Ryan off his feet, but he was back up the moment he hit the ground. Through the smoke, he saw the cyborg reloading. Ryan closed the distance in a single sprint and pressed the muzzle of his pistol against the servo-motor on the cyborg's neck, pulling the trigger. With a muted 'click,' the cyborg collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
"Commander, its power conduit is external!" Elan's excited voice crackled through. "Right behind the starboard landing gear! It's exposed!"
Ryan didn't waste another second. He broke into a sprint toward the 'Neon Dragon'. The last active turret swiveled and fired at him. The red laser beam seared the concrete floor next to him, carving a deep trench. Keeping his body low to the ground, Ryan raced under the belly of the ship.
He spotted a service panel behind the landing gear. No protective lock. He ripped the panel open with one pull and saw a bundle of glowing blue power cables. Ryan raised his pistol and fired a perfect shot into the cables.
For a moment, all the neon lights of the 'Neon Dragon' flared violently before dying out. Its internal engines let out a groan-like sound and fell silent, and the last turret went limp, its barrel slumping downwards.
The dragon was dead.
With the ship's main threat neutralized, the tide of battle turned completely in EVA's favor. Juno's team easily subdued the remaining SV members. The buyers' party was also forced to surrender.
The fight was over.
Ryan slowly pushed himself to his feet. He was surrounded by signs of destruction—molten metal, the smell of burnt circuits, and smoke hanging in the air. As the adrenaline began to fade, a sudden, sharp pain shot through his right hand, as if someone had thrust a red-hot knife into his veins.
He quickly glanced down at his hand. Through the gap in his black tactical glove, he could see the color of his skin was somehow unnatural, a darkish patch forming as if a shadow were pooling beneath the surface. Along with the pain, a cold numbness was also spreading, as if the hand was slowly slipping from his control. Ryan quickly clenched his fist and shoved it into his pocket, gritting his teeth to silently endure the pain.
"All stations, report," his voice remained calm, but it took a tremendous effort to keep it that way.
"Juno here. We're secure. Two minor injuries, nothing critical. The 'Project: Mycelium' container is intact," Juno reported.
"Lily here. Area is clear," was Lily's brief reply.
"Silas here. Emergency services and prisoner transport are five minutes out. Mission successful, Commander."
Ryan let out a breath of relief, though the pain in his right hand had not subsided. He glanced at the 'Mycelium' container. So much bloodshed, so much destruction, for this one box. Sometimes, this job felt meaningless.
He walked away from the dockyard and leaned against a railing, looking out at the city. From here, he could see the towering skyscrapers of Aetheria, glittering with neon lights like a false heaven. His life was dedicated to protecting this city. But behind the city's mechanical heart, what did his own heart want?
As he thought, only one face came to mind. A pair of beautiful, intelligent eyes, and that familiar smile at the corner of her lips that washed away all his fatigue, all his pain.
After all this violence, all this death... there was only one person waiting for him at the end of it all.
Nyra.
A notification pinged on his comm-link. It was a message from Nyra. A picture of the two of them, smiling as they looked down from the city's tallest observation deck. Below the picture was a simple message: "Come home soon when you're done."
Ryan took one last look at the broken, blood-stained dockyard, then at the bright but hollow skyline of Aetheria. For the first time in a long while, a genuine, small smile touched his lips.
It was time to go home.