> "Inbound transport confirmed. Estimated arrival at SHIELD Site-7 in twenty-two minutes."
The voice over the comms was calm, but Henri's nerves were not.
He sat in the back of the armored SHIELD transport with a cold, humming metal case in his lap — the one holding the interdimensional beacon he and Agent Ryler had unearthed.
It was locked tight, triple-shielded, and isolated in quantum-dampening foam.
And yet, somehow, it still pulsed.
Henri could feel it even through the casing. Like it was… aware.
> It's not just tech. This thing's alive. Or worse… it's a signal tower. And it already broadcasted.
Agent Ryler sat across from him, arms folded, eyes sharp. "You okay?"
Henri forced a nod. "Yeah. Just… hoping nothing tracks us."
She snorted. "In this world? Hope gets people killed."
---
🧠 Upgrade System Notification
> ⚠️ Beacon Status: Broadcasting (Suppressed)
Risk of Detection: High
Incoming Threats: 1 Confirmed
Recommendation: Prepare for Combat
---
Henri's HUD flickered. A red dot appeared on the tactical map in the corner of his vision.
It was moving fast.
Toward them.
---
🛻 Location: Manhattan Expressway, Lower Midtown
Time to Impact: 00:02:37
---
Suddenly, the transport swerved hard.
"Hold on!" the driver shouted.
Something exploded near the front — metal twisted, tires screeched, and the entire vehicle flipped.
Henri crashed into the side panel, pain shooting through his arm as the world spun.
Sparks rained from the roof. The front windshield was gone. The driver was slumped. The case rolled away.
Henri groaned, pulling himself up. "Ryler?!"
She coughed. Blood at the corner of her lip. "Still breathing."
From outside, footsteps echoed.
Heavy.
Deliberate.
Then… silence.
---
Until the wall ripped open.
A figure stepped through the metal like it was foil — a man wrapped in a ragged cloak of black and red, his face hidden behind a breathing mask, his chest glowing with dull orange veins.
His arms were mechanical — sleek and matte, ending in clawed fingers crackling with bioelectric energy.
Henri's system flared.
---
🛑 WARNING: Combat Encounter – Tier 1 Boss
> Codename: Reclaimer
Affiliation: Unknown
Objective: Acquire Beacon
Strength Level: Enhanced Cybernetic Host
Danger: EXTREME
Recommendation: Evade or Delay
---
The man pointed at Henri.
> "You have the beacon. Surrender it."
His voice was like static filtered through broken speakers.
Ryler pulled her sidearm and fired.
The bullets melted midair, caught in an invisible force field. The Reclaimer didn't even blink.
Henri's mind raced.
> No time to think. No time to build.
But maybe… just enough to upgrade.
---
🧠 Upgrade Point Available: 1
> Would you like to allocate?
YES.
> Choose Path:
▪ Combat Tech
▪ Mobility
▪ Tactical Analysis
> Mobility. I need to MOVE.
---
⚙️ Skill Acquired: Reactive Dash Module
> Allows sudden burst movement via kinetic redirection.
Duration: 2 seconds
Cooldown: 30 seconds
Integrated into wristband. Power Draw: Moderate
---
The Reclaimer stepped forward — clawed fingers reaching out.
"Your system does not belong to you."
Henri hit the trigger.
FWOOSH.
The world blurred — Henri shot backward like a rocket, rolling behind a flipped SHIELD drone van.
> Holy crap that worked!
Ryler rolled and fired again, this time aiming at the ceiling. A hanging steel pipe snapped and dropped — crashing down on the Reclaimer.
It bought them a second.
Henri scrambled to the case. The beacon hummed louder.
And suddenly, the Upgrade System pulsed again.
---
⚠️ Emergency Blueprint Slot Unlocked
> Beacon Energy Detected – Synchronizing with System
Temporary Module Available:
🔹 Pulse Gauntlet v0.3
Type: Single-use kinetic discharge
Range: Close
Power: High
Durability: Fragile
Crafting Time: 10 Seconds
> Craft Now? Y/N
---
> YES!
Henri ripped cables from the wall, jammed wires into the broken drone's capacitor, slapped a metal plate over his wristband, and watched the pieces assemble into a jagged, glowing gauntlet.
The Reclaimer burst from the rubble, eyes burning red.
> "You are the virus. I am the purge."
He lunged.
Henri swung.
---
💥 WHAM.
The Pulse Gauntlet slammed into the Reclaimer's chest. A wave of orange-blue energy exploded, hurling him through the side of the truck.
The enemy crashed into the pavement, skidding nearly twenty feet.
Smoke rose from Henri's hand. The gauntlet crumbled, spent.
> One hit. Worth it.
But the Reclaimer stood up.
His chest armor was cracked, but his limbs still sparked with power.
> "You delay the inevitable."
Helicopters whirred overhead. Ryler dragged Henri toward the rear of the transport.
"Extraction team's on site!"
Missiles rained down as SHIELD's backup engaged the intruder. Drones dove in. Sonic cannons fired.
The Reclaimer looked skyward — then vanished in a pulse of black light.
Gone.
---
🎉 Quest Complete!
Shadow Protocol – Phase 1 Complete
Reward: +2 Upgrade Points
Prototype Module Unlocked
Skill "Reactive Dash Module" Upgraded
---
Henri collapsed inside the evac transport.
He stared up at the ceiling, panting, heart racing.
"I just soloed a damn boss fight."
Ryler sat beside him, bleeding but alive.
She looked at him.
"You didn't just survive," she said. "You fought him. And won."
Henri stared at the wristband on his arm, still glowing with residual energy.
> This system… It's leveling me up fast. Too fast.
But deep in his gut, he knew something worse.
> That guy wasn't the real boss. He was just the scout.
---
🔻 Elsewhere…
In a lab filled with screens, Otto Octavius reviewed the footage of Henri's first Pulse Gauntlet strike.
He adjusted his glasses, smiling thinly.
"Well, well… the boy is adapting."
Behind him, the beacon replica flickered with light.
> SYNC: 3%
HOST SIGNAL LOCKED
---
✅ End of Chapter 5