Kayden barely slept.
Every time he closed his eyes, the sky split open behind his eyelids—the thin crack, the humming droplets, the whisper calling him Commander.By morning, exhaustion sat heavy under his white hair, but his mind felt strangely alert. Too alert.
He brewed instant coffee, hands steady despite everything.That bothered him.He should be shaking, panicking, questioning his sanity.
But instead, his thoughts were clean. Clear. Sharper than usual.
Calm under pressure.A part of him recognized this shift, even if he didn't understand it.
The APEX system wasn't active now, but its presence lingered like static in the back of his mind.
He left his apartment, hoodie up, and stepped into the cold morning air.
The city looked painfully normal.
People rushing. Vendors yelling. Cars honking.No cracks in the sky. No frozen rain.No sign the universe had hiccuped last night.
Kayden exhaled. "Maybe it won't happen again."
The universe, naturally, took that personally.
The First Glitch
Kayden reached the metro station, tapping his card at the gate. The barrier opened—
then time stuttered.
Not paused.Not frozen.Just… skipped, like a corrupted video frame.
The footstep he took landed half a second earlier than it should have.His senses sharpened instantly.
Not normal.
He scanned around.No one else reacted. Not even a flinch.
And then—
bzzt—
A spark flickered in the air beside him.Like static forming a shape.
Kayden's breath hitched.The shape clarified—
A tiny hologram.A circle.A loading icon.
Then a line of text blinked into existence.
APEX — Attempting Reconnection…
Kayden stepped back, heart hammering.
"Not here," he whispered. "Not in public."
The hologram ignored him.
Signal Strength: 2%Stability: CriticalCommander Identity: Confirmed
A woman with a stroller walked straight through the hologram.She didn't see it.It didn't even distort.
Kayden's pulse quickened.
Just me again.
The hologram glitched violently—Then expanded from a coin-sized orb into a hand-sized panel, flickering with fractured symbols.
Then a voice emerged.
Half-digital, half-sarcastic, half-broken.
"Commander… you look terrible."
Kayden's eye twitched. "Oh great. You can talk."
"Apologies," the console replied, glitching, "my emotional support module is currently… uh… on fire."
Static crackled.
Kayden forced a slow breath. "Why did this activate? Why me?"
APEX paused.
Then, with absolute deadpan seriousness:
"…Because fate is bored."
Kayden dragged a hand down his face. "You're useless."
"Incorrect. I am semi-functional."
The hologram vibrated, stabilizing for a moment.The system's tone shifted—humor fading, seriousness replacing it.
"Commander," it said quietly, "I reconnected because your life is in danger within the next ten minutes."
Kayden froze.
"What?"
The system displayed a pulsing red icon.
MISSION 0 INITIATED:Survival Protocol — Immediate
His throat went dry. "What danger? From who?"
"Unknown," APEX answered. "Threat classification incomplete. I need data to refine predictive models. Your situational awareness is requested."
Kayden stepped away from the crowd, adrenaline spiking.His heart beat faster—but his mind slowed down, becoming eerily precise.
He scanned the station.
Left. Right. Every corner. Every movement.
Pattern recognition flared—one of his strengths .
A man leaned on a pillar near the escalators.Black cap. No metro card. No bag. No urgency to reach a train.
But his eyes—They weren't watching the schedule boards.They were watching people.Specifically the guards.
Kayden narrowed his eyes.
"APEX. Threat probability on that man."
"Analyzing………Low confidence. But: 62%."
Kayden swallowed. "What is he going to do?"
APEX glitched."Unknown. But he is carrying something metallic beneath his jacket. Left side."
Kayden's jaw clenched.
A moment later, the man reached into his jacket.
APEX's tone snapped.
"Commander. Move."
Kayden didn't think.He sprinted.
The man pulled out—
A gun.
Screams erupted.People scattered.Chaos detonated instantly.
The gun wasn't aimed at Kayden.It wasn't aimed at the crowd.
It was aimed at the security guard.
APEX barked in his ear—
"Left! Avoid the civilian! Move now!"
Kayden dove sideways, sliding behind a bench as a gunshot cracked through the station.
His pulse thundered—but his movements were clean, precise.
Why am I this calm?How am I thinking this fast?
APEX answered as if reading his brain:
"Commander, your Combat Metrics are low, but your cognitive processing is reacting to adrenaline as predicted. Nice reflex, by the way."
"Not helping!" Kayden hissed.
The shooter adjusted his aim toward the guard again.
And Kayden realized something terrifying:
If that guard dies, the shooter escapes into the crowd.
Another life.Another victim.And Kayden was the only one close enough to stop it.
No weapons.No training.Strength Level 0.Endurance Level 0.Agility Level 1.Reflex Speed Level 1.—He was absolutely not built for heroics .
APEX chimed:
"Commander. You have a 14% chance of success."
Kayden whispered, "That's terrible."
"Correct! Shall we begin?"
Kayden exhaled shakily.
Then he moved.
He sprinted again—this time toward the shooter.
APEX fed rapid directions into his mind—
"Angle left! Reduce silhouette! Accelerate on step three!"
Kayden didn't know how he understood those instructions so fast.
He just did.
The shooter spotted him approaching and swung the gun toward him.
Time stretched.Kayden's mind snapped into hyper-focus.
If he fires now, I'm dead.
APEX yelled—
"Commander! Drop!"
Kayden dropped flat.A bullet sliced the air above his head, hitting a ceiling sign.
Screams echoed.More chaos.
Kayden lunged forward from the ground, grabbing the shooter's wrist with both hands.
He wasn't strong—but the angle was perfect.The shot fired into the floor instead of his chest.
APEX cheered:
"Nice wrist control! You are officially better than a potato!"
Kayden snarled, "NOT NOW!"
He twisted the shooter's arm—pain shot through his own muscles; he wasn't physically built for combat.But adrenaline pushed him through.
The gun clattered onto the tiles.
The guard tackled the shooter seconds later.
Kayden stumbled back, chest heaving, dizzy from exertion.
APEX hummed proudly.
"Mission 0: Survival — Partial Completion.Commander lived. Threat neutralized. Emotional trauma… pending."
Kayden leaned against a pillar, shaking.
"I almost died," he whispered.
"Yes," APEX replied cheerfully. "But you didn't. Good job!"
Kayden closed his eyes.
This wasn't normal.This wasn't luck.This wasn't coincidence.
Something wanted him alive.
Something wanted him activated.
And this was only Mission 0.
Police flooded the scene.Paramedics checked the guard.Civilians whispered about the "brave kid" who tackled the shooter.
No one saw the system.No one knew Kayden acted by guidance.
APEX flickered back to small orb form.
"Commander," it said quietly, "this was only the beginning."
Kayden stared at his trembling hands.
"What happens now?"
APEX's voice lowered—almost… worried.
"The real activation.The next signal.And the answer to why only you saw the sky break."
Kayden looked up toward the station ceiling, heart still racing.
He knew one thing:
His life wasn't going back to normal.
Not ever again.