The helicarrier descended like a metal thundercloud, its engines drowning out chatter as it settled onto the campus landing pad. Huey watched through his blue eyes as another group of students approached from the opposite direction black combat uniforms in opposition to the logistics hazard suit's
"Ah, perfect timing!" Professor Giacomo clapped his hands together. "Everyone. Today's exercise requires both departments working together." The Combat Department's Head of Department strode up, a woman in her forties with grey-streaked hair and a posture that suggested she could bench press a variant. "Professor Helen," she introduced herself to the students. "My students are ready for joint operations."
Huey's attention immediately zeroed in on familiar faces among the combat students. Josephine waved enthusiastically, her curly hair bouncing as she jogged over to embrace him."Huey! I didn't know you had field day today too!" She threw her arms around him, and he caught a whiff of her shampoo—something floral that made his brain short-circuit."Small world,"
he managed, acutely aware of how warm she felt against him." Sit with me on the carrier? We can catch up properly." Nearby, Mira Veltman stood like a statue carved from snow, those pitch black eyes with silver rings surveying the logistics students with detached interest. When her gaze met Huey's for a moment, he felt his breath catch.
Inside the helicarrier, as students strapped themselves into crash seats, Huey's mind wandered to institutional logistics.
Virelia's selection process was brutal; 3,000 students chosen from hundreds of thousands of applicants through written exams, practical demonstrations, and interviews. Four-year programs across ten departments, each capped at 300 students. Factor in dropouts, expulsions, and the occasional unexplained disappearance, and the current population hovered around 12,000. Each department divided their students into twenty groups of fifteen for field exercises held during the final twenty days of each month.
Right now, nineteen other logistics groups would be waiting to conduct similar operations with their respective Arcanum supervisors
"You're thinking too loud," Josephine teased, nudging his shoulder. "What's got your brain working overtime?""Just wondering why the Combat Department got assigned to the same location as us. Seems unusual ."Willy leaned over from his seat across the aisle, Wheeler's windy frame perched on his shoulder. "Maybe they figured you logistics nerds needed some real muscle for protection.""Says the guy whose crest is good for hoarding nuts for the winter. Josephine shot back."Hey! Wheeler's got personality!"As if offended, Wheeler chittered and turned his back on her, crossing his tiny arms dramatically.
Huey noticed Luan sitting alone near the front, perfectly postured even in a crash seat, her attention focused entirely on a tablet displaying environmental data. An idea struck him."Willy," he said casually, "you should go introduce yourself to Luan. She looks lonely.""Little miss Yao it all? Nah, man. Girls like that eat guys like me for breakfast."
"She's not that scary, okay maybe she is but just a little bit."
Willy glanced at Luan, then at Wheeler, who gave what might have been an encouraging squeak. "Fine. But if she roasts me, I'm blaming you."
He unbuckled his harness and made his way forward, leaving Huey and Josephine with relative privacy."Smooth," Josephine observed. "Trying to play matchmaker?""Just giving him a push. Sometimes people need—"
Riva's voice cut through the carrier's ambient noise. "Listen up, delinquents. Your mission objectives."She stood at the front of the passenger compartment, her red eyes scanning the assembled faces with predatory focus. Her black hair caught the overhead lighting, emphasizing the sharp precision of her parting cut."
"Logistics and Support teams will be collecting residual energy samples from designated rift sites, documenting environmental anomalies, and establishing evacuation protocols for the surrounding area. Combat teams will handle cleanup of any remaining variant presence and provide security during sample collection."
She gestured to a holographic display showing the mission area. "You'll be working in mixed pairs; one logistics student, one combat student. Partnerships have been pre-assigned based on complementary skill sets."
Huey's stomach dropped as she began reading names."Cross, Huegen paired with Veltman, Mira."Josephine's face fell slightly, though she tried to hide it behind a supportive smile. "Lucky you," she whispered, but her tone suggested otherwise.
"Rodriguez, Josephine paired with Yao, Luan."
"Thompson, Marlo paired with DiLorenzo, Marco."
"Cross, Willy paired with Hassan, Layla."
Willy, who had just reached Luan's seat, turned back with a look of pure terror. Layla Hassan was a mountain of a girl with an eyepatch, a large chest and arms that looked like they could crush steel. Her Aeon-type super-strength crest was legendary among first-years."But I was just—" Willy started.
"Partnerships are non-negotiable," Riva cut him off.
The carrier's rear hatch opened as Dr. Hermione Cross entered, her pristine white lab coat a stark contrast to everyone else's tactical gear. Several male students straightened in their seats, suddenly very interested in proper posture."Dr. Cross will brief you on sample collection procedures," Riva announced.
Hermione moved with the efficient grace. As she distributed collection equipment, her dark eyes found Huey in the crowd. She gave him the slightest nod, a message that whatever Hailee had asked him to do was already handled on her end."Residual rift energy degrades quickly," Hermione explained, her voice carrying easily over the engine noise. "Samples must be collected within six hours of containment, stored in these stabilized containers, and analyzed within forty-eight hours.
Any questions?"A combat student raised his hand. "Dr. Cross, are you single?"The mood in the carrier seemed to drop. Hermione's smile was surgical in its precision."I'm also your supervising physician for this exercise," she said sweetly. "Which means I'll be conducting your medical evaluations if you're injured, or if you want to be. Any other questions about sample collection procedures?"The student sank into his seat. No further questions were asked.
The rift site stretched across what had once been a suburban shopping district. Reality bled red and still looked distorted here shadows fell at odd angles, debris crushed each other, and the air tasted like copper and ozone.Huey found himself standing next to Mira as students organized into their assigned pairs.
Up close, she was even more striking; purple-gray braids interwoven with what looked like actual ice crystals, skin pale as winter morning, and those unsettling silver-ringed eyes that seemed to see through everything."So," he said, trying to break the ice, Literally. "What's our approach? Systematic grid search or—"
"Pretty," Mira said, staring at a twisted streetlight."I'm sorry?""The way the metal curved. It's pretty." She tilted her head like a curious cat. "Do you think it hurt?"Huey blinked. This was not the conversation he'd expected from the omega-level crest bearer who'd dominated combat rankings.
"The... the streetlight?""When it got twisted. Metal doesn't have nerve endings, but maybe it still hurt." She looked at him seriously. "What do you think?""I think we should focus on collecting samples before anything dangerous shows up.""Oh. Okay." She nodded agreeably and wandered toward a patch of crystallized pavement.
Across the field, other pairs were establishing their own dynamics. Marlo and DiLorenzo were already bickering. She wanted to approach sample collection systematically while he insisted on clearing the area of threats first."Logic dictates we establish safety protocols before—""Logic dictates we don't get eaten while playing the scientist,"
DiLorenzo shot back, his hands crackling with energy.Nearby, Luan and Josephine worked in efficient silence, Josephine using her light constructs to illuminate dark corners while Luan precisely catalogued environmental anomalies.
Willy, meanwhile, was trying not to get accidentally crushed by his partner. Layla Hassan moved like a walking earthquake, her super-strength making even simple tasks potentially catastrophic."Just... maybe don't grab that so hard?" Willy suggested as she picked up a sample container.
The reinforced container cracked in her grip. Layla looked mortified."Sorry! I always forget how fragile everything is."Wheeler materialized to pat her gently on the arm in commiseration.
From a elevated position overlooking the site, Riva monitored the exercise through advanced optics. Her spatial manipulation crest allowed her to maintain awareness of multiple areas simultaneously, creating small portals to observe students from various angles.Everything was proceeding according to protocol. Samples collected, minor variants eliminated, no casualties.
Then her communication systems went dead.She tapped her earpiece, frowning. "Command, this is Riva. Radio check." Static. She tried her backup frequency. More static.A chill that had nothing to do with the weather ran down her spine. In her years with Arcanum, communication failures were never accidental.
Down in the field, DiLorenzo was still arguing with Marlo when they both heard it, the distinctive whistle of something moving very fast through the air.The bullet struck the ground where Marlo had been standing a split second earlier.
Only DiLorenzo's reflexes had saved her, his energy manipulation crest catching the projectile mid-flight and holding it suspended in crackling light."Sniper!" he shouted, but his voice was swallowed by static. Their radios were down too.The second shot came immediately, this one with enough force to create a small crater. DiLorenzo strained against the impact, his eyes flaring as he tried to contain the explosion.
The blast hit and caused and explosion leaving only smoke and silence.
In the distance, a figure in a black suit adjusted his rifle scope, watching the chaos unfold through crosshairs that promised much worse to come.