Going back to the Academy felt like walking back into prison after two days of freedom. Even the sterile AC air cut sharper than usual.
"You sure about this?" Yena whispered, curled up in her little hyena form inside Kaelan's custom bag. Her low growl could only be picked up by the receiver in Kaelan's ear.
"No," Kaelan admitted. "But we don't really have a choice."
Lena was already waiting at the main hangar, her face tight. "Klaus called for an emergency meeting. He knows we left without permission."
Kaelan frowned.
> "Klaus? Who's that? I thought Dr. Aris was the one at the top?"
Lena's expression hardened.
> "No. There's Klaus too. And the reason we got called in is because I triggered the emergency off day option."
"Let's just get this over with. I want to set things straight."
The meeting in Klaus's office felt more like a trial. The Director sat behind his massive desk, fingertips pressed together.
"Unscheduled vacation, Kaelan?" Klaus's voice was flat, but the danger beneath it was clear. "I trust you didn't do anything… reckless."
"He needed a break," Lena cut in, standing tall. "His stress level hit critical."
"Stress is part of the process," Klaus shrugged. "But fine. Since you've had your 'rest,' we'll move straight to the Sonic Scenario. Today."
Kaelan's heart sank. "Today? But—"
"No 'but,'" Klaus snapped. "Dr. Vex has prepared… upgrades for Banshee. It'll be the perfect test for your progress."
Kaelan blinked in disbelief.
> "Wait, Dr. Vex? How the hell is the Foundation working with a criminal?"
Lena answered firmly.
> "Dr. Vex was captured and taken down by others in the Foundation. But because of his talent, they put him under heavy supervision instead of locking her away forever. One wrong move and she's done."
Kaelan bit his tongue. There were a thousand questions he wanted to ask, but he decided he'd save them for Dr. Vex herself—especially about this Banshee.
The ride to Vex's clinic felt like heading to an execution chamber. Inside the transport, Lena leaned close and whispered, "He knows everything about you. Be careful."
The clinic was different now—darker, cluttered with stranger equipment, buzzing with a kind of unhealthy excitement.
"Subject Kaelan! Finally!" Vex greeted, eyes glittering with madness. "I've made so many upgrades for Banshee. You're going to love it."
Kaelan hesitated.
> "Banshee? What about the old unit…?"
Before he could finish, Rustbucket's warning blared:
Danger detected. EVADE IMMEDIATELY!!!!!
No time to think. The new (Robot) Banshee stood ready, four massive speakers blasting different frequencies.
"Multi-frequency!" Vex cackled. "Now you can't just rely on adaptation!"
The fight began, and it was worse than Kaelan feared. The layered sonic waves scrambled Rustbucket's focus. Every time it adjusted to one frequency, another smashed into it harder.
"Not working, DaRLinG!!!!" Vex yelled from his cockpit. "Your adaptation SYsTEM is tooOOOOOOOO sloOOOOOW!!!!!"
Kaelan hit the ground hard, Rustbucket tumbling with him. The pain was unbearable—like his skull was splitting from the inside.
"SHe's too strong!" Kaelan gasped into the comms, his voice warped with agony.
"Listen," Yena whispered through the receiver. "I can help. But you've gotta trust me."
Before Kaelan could respond, Yena leapt from the bag and shifted into her human form mid-battle. Vex's eyes widened.
"What is this? A free-form robot? Fascinating!"
Yena didn't waste time. She dashed to the control panel, fingers flying over the keys. "I can mess with his system, but not for long!"
For a brief moment, the sonic waves faltered. Enough for Kaelan to stagger back to his feet.
"Focus on the strongest frequency!" Yena shouted. "Ignore the rest! Let Rustbucket adapt to the deadliest one!"
Kaelan followed her lead. He shut his eyes, tuned out everything but the most painful wave. Resonance kicked in again—sharper, cleaner, more precise.
Rustbucket shifted—no longer a general shield, but a selective resonance filter, blocking only the most dangerous frequency.
"Incredible!" Vex laughed, though worry cracked through his tone. "But still not enough!"
He flipped a switch, unleashing an ultrasonic wave—inaudible but tearing at Kaelan's insides. Kaelan collapsed again, blood running from his nose.
Seeing him breaking apart, Yena made a reckless choice. She shifted back into her hyena form and lunged straight at Vex, throwing him off balance just long enough for Kaelan to breathe.
But it was a mistake. Vex quickly snared her in an energy net.
"Such a curious machine," he grinned, inspecting her struggling form. "I'll enjoy studying you."
Kaelan tried to rise, but his body wouldn't obey. The world spun out of focus. The last thing he heard was Vex's laughter echoing through the dark.