Chapter 3:
The headquarters of the Elysian Vector Authority (EVA) stood tall in the heart of Aetheria—a massive, black glass monolith that symbolized power and control. On its 85th floor, in a minimalistic debriefing room, Commander Ryan Solas's team was assembled. The room was cold, almost sterile, with gray walls and a single, massive holographic table as its only furniture. There was no room for personal feelings here, only data, analysis, and results.
Forty-eight hours after the "Neon Dragon" mission, having shaken off the last vestiges of their exhaustion, they were back in their world.
"And then... BOOM!" Juno Raze said, making an explosive gesture with his huge hands, his voice echoing in the room. "Those SV cyborgs were crushed like tin cans! Our plasma cannons just played with them!" He leaned back in his chair, a satisfied, victorious smile on his face.
On the other side of the holographic table, Elan Drev looked at Juno over the top of his glasses. "Played with them? Juno, after your 'game,' the city's infrastructure department will be cursing us for the next month. Your strategy has a single step: whatever you see, pulverize it."
"Hey, the job got done, didn't it, tech-wizard?" Juno retorted. "Or did you want me to sit down for tea with them and give you a chance to hack their passwords?"
"I wouldn't have needed that much time," Elan said dismissively. "Their firewalls were in such a state, my grandmother could have broken them. Though, I admit, the ship's internal system was a bit more interesting."
"Knock it off, both of you," Ryan's calm but firm voice instantly changed the light mood in the room. He was sitting at the head of the table, his face impassive, hidden behind the perfect mask of Commander Solas. The quiet day spent with Nyra now felt like a distant dream. Here, he was a different person. "We're not here to pat ourselves on the back. Lily, your report."
Lily Vael, who had been sitting almost silently in the corner, sat up straight. Her hair was tied back in a tight bun, her eyes devoid of emotion, holding only sharp focus. When she spoke, her voice was low and measured, as if each word was as precise as a bullet from her sniper rifle. "Primary target neutralized 0.7 seconds after engagement. Subsequently eliminated three more targets, two of whom were snipers. There were no further threats from my position."
She finished her report and fell silent again, but her gaze lingered on Ryan for a fraction of a second. There was something in her eyes that was hard to read—concern, or just professional observation?
Ryan nodded, averting his gaze to the holographic table. "Silas, what's your analysis?"
A beam of blue light shot up from the center of the table, forming the faint silhouette of a man. Silas Qorr rarely came to the headquarters. He was the team's shadow, living in a world of data. His holographic avatar was also somewhat indistinct, as if he intentionally wanted to remain in the shadows.
"Mission success rate: 98.7%," Silas's voice drifted out, devoid of any emotion, a cold stream of information. "Two minor injuries on our side. On the enemy side, twelve SV members and three buyers were killed. Five SV members and two buyers were captured alive. Their preliminary interrogation is underway, but they have counter-interrogation chips implanted in their brains, so extracting information will be difficult."
"And the primary shipment?" Ryan asked.
"The 'Project: Mycelium' container has been recovered intact," Silas reported. "It's now in the Level-Ten lab of EVA's Bio-Weapons Research Division. Initial scans suggest it is a highly unstable, self-replicating biological agent. No further information has been released at our level."
Ryan made a mental note. Self-replicating. That meant if it was ever released, stopping it would be nearly impossible.
"One more thing, Commander," Silas continued. "Analyzing the data drives of the captured members and their battle tactics makes one thing clear. SHATTERVOID is far more organized than before. Their combat formations and communication protocols are not like those of a common gang. It seems a new player is pulling the strings from behind the curtain."
A silence fell over the room. The banter between Elan and Juno had stopped. They all understood what this meant. A new, more intelligent, and more dangerous enemy had entered the field.
Ryan tapped his fingers lightly on the holographic table. The dull ache in his right hand had returned. He hid his internal discomfort and said, "We need to find the identity of this new 'ghost,' Silas. Keep an eye on all SV movements."
"Already on it, Commander," Silas replied.
Ryan looked at everyone. "Thank you for the mission. You all did good work. But remember, this is just the beginning." He prepared to stand up, carefully putting his entire weight on his right leg, so that no one would notice the discomfort in his left.
But Lily's steady, sharp gaze never left him for a second.
###
The moment the automatic door of the debriefing room slid shut behind them, the room's cold, formal atmosphere seemed to evaporate. Juno stretched his broad shoulders with a groan.
"Man, Silas's data-lectures put me to sleep," he said boisterously. "My muscles have all seized up. Let's go hit the combat simulator and warm up. I have a sudden urge to trade punches with a ten-foot-tall assault-bot!"
"You always have an urge to break something," Elan said without looking up from his data-pad. "I'd rather test out some new attack algorithms for my drones. There's no point in wasting energy in primitive ways like you do."
"The primitive way is the best way, kid," Juno said, giving Elan a friendly swat on the back of his head. "Ryan, you coming?"
Ryan was standing by the door. He looked at his team and smiled faintly. These people were his family. Outside the battlefield, they were all different, but together, they were an unstoppable force. "You guys go ahead. I'll be there."
The combat simulation room was one of the most popular spots in the EVA headquarters. It was a massive holographic chamber, capable of creating any environment, situation, or opponent. As soon as Juno and Elan arrived, their familiar argument began.
"I'm running the 'Titan Fist' program," Juno announced.
"Nonsense. That's just mindless punching," Elan protested. "We're running 'Circuit Raid.' That requires strategy, something you lack."
While they bickered, Lily silently made her way to the virtual firing range at the other end of the room. She picked up a V-9 'Phantom' model sniper rifle—an exact replica of the real thing, identical down to its weight and balance.
Meanwhile, Juno had already launched his preferred simulation. A hulking, red assault-bot materialized in the center of the room. Juno stood before it in his aggressive fighting stance. "Let's see what you got, you bucket of bolts!"
On her side, Lily had taken her position at the firing range. Invisible targets appeared a thousand meters in front of her. She controlled her breathing, her heartbeat slowing down. Her entire world seemed to shrink to the scope of her rifle. She squeezed the trigger. There was no sound, but the holographic screen flashed—"Perfect Hit. Target Deviation: 3 millimeters." She squeezed the trigger again. "Perfect Hit." Again. "Perfect Hit." Each of her shots was flawless, calm, and terrifying. Next to Juno's destructive rampage, Lily's silent assassinations were even more chilling.
Ryan stood in a corner of the room, watching everything. Juno's indomitable strength, Elan's flash of intellect, and Lily's ice-cold skill. He had built this team with his own hands. He had complete faith in them. But did he have that same faith in himself? Would he endanger his team while fighting this enemy inside his own body?
Lily finished her practice, put the rifle down, and walked towards Ryan. Her face was expressionless, but her eyes were fixed directly on his.
"Commander," she said in a low voice so that no one else could hear.
"Go ahead, Lily," Ryan turned to face her.
"Your focus was elsewhere during the debriefing," Lily stated directly, without any preamble. It wasn't a question; it was an observation.
For a moment, Ryan's insides went cold. It was nearly impossible to evade this woman's gaze. Did she suspect something? Ryan quickly composed himself, pulling on the familiar mask of a commander.
"A commander's focus is always on the next threat, Lily," he replied calmly. "I was thinking about the new adversary Silas mentioned. Their tactics are bothering me."
"I'm not talking about tactics," Lily said, her gaze sharp. "I'm talking about you. Your stance wasn't normal. You were keeping your weight off your left leg."
Ryan's heart nearly stopped. He realized that his few moments of weakness in the Bio-Dome had not escaped Lily's notice. This woman wasn't just a sniper; she was an observer who could deduce the bigger picture from the smallest inconsistencies.
For a moment, he didn't know what to say. But as a commander, he couldn't reveal his weakness. "Took a minor injury during last night's mission," he said, using the simplest lie. "The medical team checked it out. Nothing to worry about."
Lily didn't reply. She just stared at Ryan for a few more seconds. Her eyes didn't hold disbelief, but rather a deep, unspoken concern. Finally, she nodded. "Take care of yourself, Commander."
With that, she turned and walked towards Juno and Elan at the other end of the room.
Ryan stood alone. He discreetly wiped away the bead of sweat that had formed on his brow. He knew that Lily hadn't fully believed his lie. The first crack in his armor had likely formed today. And the one who had spotted it first was the most trusted, and most dangerous, member of his team.
###
After Lily left, Ryan stood alone for a few moments. Behind his commander's mask, he was a terrified man. Lily had gotten too close, closer than anyone ever had. His love and sense of duty for this team had always been his greatest strength, but today, for the first time, he felt it might become his greatest weakness. If he faltered, this entire team would fall apart with him.
He took a deep breath that no one saw. Then, he pushed aside all his fear and uncertainty and put the armor of Commander Solas back on. His team needed him.
He walked over to the section of the simulation chamber where Juno and Elan were still carrying on their virtual war. Juno had just shattered his assault-bot opponent with a vicious uppercut. As the hologram dissipated into static, he raised both hands and roared like a victor.
"See that! A perfect mix of power and strategy!" Juno said with pride.
"I'm not quite sure where the strategy was," Elan commented from the side, arranging his drones into a complex formation. "You just jumped on it until it broke."
"That *is* my strategy," Juno said with a laugh.
Ryan came and stood beside them. "If personal practice is over, can we do something as a team?" His voice was calm, but it carried an authority that could not be ignored.
Juno and Elan immediately turned to him. "What do we need to do, Commander?" Juno asked, his tone instantly becoming professional.
"Survival Mode. Level Nine," Ryan said. "Enemies will come from all sides. No rules. Just survive."
Level Nine was an extremely difficult challenge. Elan's eyes lit up with excitement, and Juno cracked his knuckles as if he had been waiting for this. Ryan looked at Lily, who was silently approaching them. Lily simply nodded in agreement.
The next fifteen minutes were a perfect example of controlled chaos. The holographic chamber transformed into a devastated, alien city. Mechanical aliens and armored cyborgs began to emerge from all directions.
But Ryan's team was like a single unit. It was as if they could read each other's minds without speaking a word. At a single gesture from Ryan, Juno moved forward to draw the main enemy attack upon himself, his plasma cannon spewing continuous fire. Elan's drones zipped through the air like serpents, striking at enemy weak points and disabling their shields. From the roof of a tall building, Lily took out one high-value target after another, each of her shots unerring.
And Ryan was the conductor of this orchestra. He watched the entire battlefield, found the weaknesses, and directed his team. He provided cover fire for Juno, fed strategic data to Elan, and identified the most critical targets for Lily. They weren't just four warriors; they were a living weapon.
After the simulation ended, the words flashed on the screen in large letters—"SURVIVAL TIME: 15 MINUTES. RECORD BREAKING."
"YES!" Juno yelled triumphantly, slapping Elan on the back so hard he nearly fell over. "We're the best!"
Elan, adjusting his glasses, said, "Of course we are, because my intellect was added to your brute force."
A rare, small smile even touched the corner of Lily's lips.
In this moment of joyous victory, there was no commander or soldier among them. Just a few friends, a few comrades. "Let's go to 'The Nebula' tonight," Juno proposed. The Nebula was a popular bar for EVA personnel. "It's on me."
"You have that much money?" Elan teased.
Ryan watched their friendly banter. It was for these people that he risked his life every day. Their laughter, their friendship—this was the greatest reward for his fight. Despite the cold conversation with Lily just moments before, Ryan's heart filled with a kind of warmth.
As the team started to leave the simulation room, laughing and arguing playfully, Ryan hung back for a moment. He was watching his family. His warriors. His comrades.
And he realized that the secret disease inside his body wasn't just his own personal battle. It was an impending threat to his entire team. If he fell, this entire family might just break with him. This realization placed a new, heavier burden of responsibility on his shoulders.
He wasn't just a commander; he was the guardian of this family. And guardians are never allowed to be weak.
With this grim resolve, Ryan moved forward to join his team.