I looked at Wolf's neck.
The bug was gone, and Wolf wasn't dead. Neither were we. Zero has removed it cleanly. So much so that not even a notable mark could be seen.
I've seen people ripped apart trying to remove those implants. Not saying it's impossible, but it takes school more than most could survive.
I swallowed hard. Zero looked at me with a smirk and I knew that look he gave me. It made my spine shiver with excitement.
For the first time in what felt like forever, something like resolve stirred inside me.
"Zero," I said calmly, "do it."
The others looked confused. Wolf blinked slowly.
But Zero tilted his head, arrogance crackling like static in his eyes.
"Remove the bugs," I said. "I'll get to the CPU."
I opened the secure door to Wilder's control bay.
He was still leaned back in his chair, one eye cracked open, like he'd been waiting.
"You know this could get both of us buried, right?" he drawled.
"I mean you won't hit the grave anytime soon. But soft bones like me?" He chuckled. "We crack easy."
He studied my face as I typed in a string of foreign code, fingers flying without hesitation.
"Well, hell," he said finally. "Guess there's nothing to do but let it happen."
He waved vaguely. "Been years since I saw that spark in you."
He pointed a lazy finger in my direction.
"But you better make it interesting, Loui."
Something cold slid up the back of my neck.
As I hit the final line of code, I rewrote the test parameters. We had barely passed, according to the system now.
But pass we did.
A sudden shift in the air warned me I was seconds too slow. The doors opened with hydraulic precision.
Sector Zero's General walked through.
Behind him, stretchers lined with bodies. Outside, I could hear the cleanup crew dragging metal bins across concrete.
My team of idiots were playing cards in the corner. Laughing. Perfectly timed.
A feint? Or instinct?
Either way they blended in too well.
The General glanced at them. A pause. Then his gaze flicked to me. A long, silent study.
He gave a small nod.
I nodded back.
"Let's go," I said aloud.
The team stood quickly, shuffling together. As we exited through the northern corridor toward the cafeteria, Wilder called after me:
"Hey, Loui! You forgot something!"
I turned halfway, cautious. I thought I entered everything perfectly.
"No worries though," he grinned, eyes glittering with mischief. "It's in good hands."
I stared at him a second longer.
Let it go.
Wilder's been quiet since the last wave. We all lost too much.
Still…
I knew him modestly from back in the day. He old friend of my old team. He has always been a estranged yet calculating man.
"We're here," the General said, saluting before walking off.
Unit General. Sector Zero, Yamahiro Shikimura. Not exactly a top dog but more like the watchdog.
Where Mason runs a single squad, Unit Generals oversee entire divisions. Not commanders, not leaders. Inspectors.
They exist to enforce protocol, enforce health, and enforce consequence.
When rules are broken, they appear like executioners. But when a soldier's dying in a hallway, they're the first to administer meds.
They are the line between life and death in places like this. They don't talk. They watch.
"Hey Louis!" Wolf practically bounced beside me. "This is huge! Is it really a cafeteria?"
I nodded once.
"Yes."
I thought about warning them.
About the special selection on today's lunch menu.
However, as captain of a new team their is protocol to be followed. Unit generals are positioned everywhere ready to evaluate and rid of unnecessary disruptions.
I touched the collar around my neck. It was a unique device given to high risk criminals. It wouldn't be a good idea to act out of line as I am. I'd do more harm than breaking what they see as laws here.