Sunrise — Devus Estate
The sun rose over the Devus estate like a blade of gold.
Long shadows stretched across the sleek, monolithic compound. The estate sat alone on a private stretch of land, surrounded by a deep moat and smooth black walls built more like a fortress than a home. Security towers stood at each corner, but none of them were active.
That alone bothered Ian.
The STF transport hovered over the rooftop, its engines humming quietly as the squad prepared to move.
Ian stood at the open ramp, looking down at the estate below.
"Who lives here with you?" he asked.
Devus stood beside him, exhausted from the night before. His expensive suit was wrinkled now, his calm businessman act cracked by fear.
"My wife," Devus said. "Two sons. And my daughter."
Ian activated his comm.
"Alright. Codenames for hostages. Daughter is Princess. Wife is Queen. Sons are Princes. Devus is King."
Blade's voice came through the comm.
"Real creative."
Ian ignored him.
"Keep it simple. Nobody gets confused."
Shadow crouched near the edge of the ramp, watching the estate through a scanner.
Scarlet stood beside him, eyes sharp, daggers hidden beneath her cloak.
Voltron waited near the rear of the transport, silent as a statue made of weapons.
Roger and Billix stood near the squad entrance, both trying to look ready.
Roger adjusted his grip on his weapon.
Billix noticed.
"Nervous?"
Roger swallowed.
"No."
Billix stared at him.
Roger sighed.
"Maybe a little."
Billix smirked.
"Good. Means you're not stupid."
The transport lowered close enough for the squad to descend.
One by one, they moved onto the rooftop.
No alarms.
No guards.
No movement.
Too quiet.
Ian gestured toward the stairwell entrance.
"Move."
The squad quietly descended from the rooftop into the interior balconies of the estate.
The place looked untouched.
Polished floors. Tall glass walls. Expensive art. Smooth black stone pillars. Everything was clean, silent, and cold.
A home built by someone rich enough to buy safety.
But not safe enough to escape demons.
Billix moved near one of the balcony windows, looking through his scope toward the horizon.
His body stiffened.
"Movement."
Ian stopped.
Billix adjusted the scope.
His voice tightened.
"Demons inbound. Fast."
Shadow appeared beside him almost instantly and looked through a scanner.
Billix continued, "They have wings."
Shadow's tone sharpened.
"Ian. They're closing in fast. We need to move."
Optimus's voice came over the comm, clear and commanding.
"Lock the family in. Hold the line. We take care of the rest."
Ian turned to Devus.
"Get inside. Don't leave the safe room."
Then he looked to the recruits.
"Roger. Billix. You're with the family."
Roger blinked.
"With the family?"
Ian's stare hardened.
"Protect them. Stay calm. Follow Voltron's orders."
Billix nodded quickly.
"Yes, sir."
Devus's face went pale.
"Will we be safe?"
Ian loaded his weapon.
"You will."
His voice dropped lower.
"Just listen to everything we say."
Devus nodded.
For the first time, he looked like he actually believed someone might get his family out alive.
Then the first screech split the sky.
Rooftop Combat — Seconds Later
Winged demons streaked across the morning sky.
They came in black swarms, their bodies thin and sharp, wings spread wide as they dove toward the estate. Their shrieks cut through the air like torn metal.
Ian, Optimus, Shadow, Scarlet, and Buzzblade moved onto the rooftop.
Weapons drawn.
No hesitation.
Ian looked up at the incoming swarm.
"Light 'em up!"
The rooftop exploded into battle.
Plasma fire tore upward.
Scarlet moved with lethal grace, hurling daggers into the sky. Each blade sliced through demon wings with perfect accuracy, sending creatures spiraling into the moat below.
Shadow vanished into motion, appearing at different points across the rooftop with silent strikes and clean shots.
Buzzblade dashed along the rooftop edge, cutting down demons as they tried to land.
Ian leaped off the side of the estate.
He slammed into a demon mid-air, grabbed it by the neck, and hijacked its flight path. The creature screeched as Ian forced it downward, using its own momentum to dive through the swarm.
With one hand locked around the demon's throat, Ian fired his plasma pistol with the other.
Burst after burst ripped through the sky.
Demons dropped like burning birds.
Optimus stood at the center of the rooftop, sword drawn, cutting down anything that made it past the first wave.
Then Scarlet's eyes snapped upward.
A demon was diving from the clouds.
It carried something in its claws.
A pulsing, glowing bomb.
Scarlet shouted into the comm.
"Bomb carrier!"
Ian looked up.
"Take it down!"
Scarlet threw two daggers.
One struck the demon's wing.
The second hit its shoulder.
But the demon was already falling.
It released the payload.
The bomb dropped toward the estate.
BOOM!
A section of the compound exploded.
Fire and dust erupted into the air. The rooftop shook violently. Glass shattered across the estate. A wall collapsed somewhere below.
Ian landed hard on the roof and turned toward the smoke.
"Voltron, report!"
For one second, only static answered.
Then Voltron's voice came through, colder than usual.
"Demons inside."
A pause.
"Securing the family."
Interior — Compound Breach
Voltron charged through a crumbling hallway like a walking tank.
Smoke curled around his massive frame. His glowing eyes cut through the dust. Fire reflected against his cybernetic armor as alarms screamed from broken systems in the walls.
Farther inside, Billix crept through the interior corridor, blaster ready.
His breathing sounded too loud inside his helmet.
He heard guttural screeching around the corner.
He raised his weapon.
Then—
CRASH!
A demon barreled around the corner and tackled him into the wall.
Billix's back slammed against the stone hard enough to knock the air from his lungs.
The demon snapped at his face.
Billix gritted his teeth and drove his boot into its chest.
"Off me!"
He kicked free and fired.
The blast struck the demon in the shoulder, knocking it back.
Roger rounded the corner with his weapon up.
"Billix! You alright?"
Billix shot him a furious look.
"You were supposed to stay with the family!"
Roger fired at the demon as it tried to rise.
"I came to check on you!"
Billix blasted the demon again.
It dropped.
Billix grabbed Roger by the shoulder and pulled him forward.
"Bro, we gotta go!"
Roger nodded fast.
"Right. Family first."
They turned and sprinted back down the hall.
Master Bedroom — Panic
Inside the master bedroom, Devus's wife held her daughter tightly.
The Queen and Princess backed into a hidden walk-in closet while the two Princes crouched behind them, pale and silent.
The closet door remained cracked just enough for them to see the bedroom.
Smoke drifted under the doorway.
Something scraped against the floor.
Then a tall demon entered the room.
It moved slowly, hunched beneath the ceiling, its claws tapping against the wood floor.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
The Princess covered her mouth, tears running down her face.
The demon sniffed the air.
Its head turned.
The Princess let out a soft, terrified sound.
The demon snapped its gaze toward the closet.
The Queen pulled her daughter closer.
The demon smiled.
Its jagged teeth spread across its face.
It crept forward, claw dragging against the closet door.
The family braced for death.
Then the wall exploded.
A blast tore through the side of the closet and struck the demon in the head.
The creature dropped instantly.
Smoke rolled through the broken wall.
Voltron stepped through the debris cloud, blaster still smoking.
"Target neutralized."
The family stared up at him.
The Princess's eyes widened in terror as the eight-foot cyborg towered over them, glowing eyes fixed in their direction.
For a second, she looked more scared of him than the demon.
Voltron lowered his weapon slightly.
His voice remained robotic, but quieter.
"You are safe."
No one moved.
Then Voltron turned toward the hallway.
"Stay close. I'll take you to safety."
Ian's voice came through the comm.
"Voltron, extract the family to the rooftop ship. Priority one."
Voltron looked back at Devus's family.
"Kings and soldiers…"
He paused.
"Or whatever the hell your codenames are."
The Queen blinked.
Voltron pointed toward the door.
"Move out."
Extraction — Rooftop Evacuation
Voltron led the family through dim, damaged corridors.
Roger and Billix flanked the group, weapons raised, checking every corner. The Queen kept one arm around Princess while the Princes stayed close behind her.
Devus moved with them, constantly looking back.
Roger tried to keep his voice steady.
"Stay low. Stay close. We're almost there."
Billix glanced at him.
"You don't know that."
Roger whispered back, "They don't need to know that."
A demon lunged from a side hallway.
CRACK!
Voltron fired once.
Headshot.
The creature dropped before anyone could scream.
Another demon broke through a damaged wall.
Roger reacted before thinking.
He shoulder-charged it into the opposite wall, knocking it off balance.
"Go!" he shouted.
Billix covered the rear, firing controlled bursts down the hallway as more shadows moved in the smoke.
"Roger, move!"
Roger scrambled back into formation.
Billix fired again.
BLAST!
A demon fell.
Voltron marched forward, clearing the path with ruthless efficiency.
Every shot was precise.
Every movement direct.
No wasted motion.
They reached the final stairwell.
The rooftop door stood ahead, sunlight spilling through the cracks around it.
Voltron kicked it open.
Morning light hit their faces.
The extraction ship waited with its ramp down, engines already burning.
"Move!" Voltron ordered.
The family rushed into the ship.
Roger and Billix followed last, turning once more to cover the entrance.
A winged demon dove toward the rooftop.
Voltron raised his blaster and fired.
The demon exploded mid-air.
Then the ramp closed.
The pilot's voice came over the headset.
"Strap in. We're headed to orbit."
The ship lifted from the burning estate.
Below, the battle still raged.
But the family was alive.
Aboard the Ship — En Route to the Capital
Inside the extraction ship, the family sat strapped into their seats.
The Queen held Princess close. The two Princes sat beside each other in silence, both still shaking from what they had seen.
Devus stood near Ian, his face pale with exhaustion and relief.
Ian crossed his arms.
"Is your family okay relocating to the capital?"
Devus looked toward them.
"They'll be safer under STF protection."
Devus nodded slowly.
"Yes. We're fine with that."
His voice cracked slightly.
"Honestly, I've been wanting out of the demon trade for years."
Optimus stood nearby, watching him carefully.
"Will your family be financially stable?"
Devus gave a tired laugh.
"I'm still a businessman, Great. I have clean ventures too. Investments, legal manufacturing, transport contracts."
His smile faded.
"We'll manage."
Ian's expression remained stern.
"Good."
He stepped closer.
"But don't forget—we're not done. You're still getting questioned when we land."
Devus nodded.
"I understand."
He looked toward his family again.
"I'll answer whatever I can."
Ian studied him for a moment.
Then he looked away.
"That's all we need."
For now.
Space — Capital-Bound
The ship left the planet behind.
Stars stretched across the viewport as the extraction vessel cut toward Tenrihines.
Voltron sat alone near the window, silent, staring into deep space. His massive frame barely fit the seat, but he remained still, like a machine waiting for its next order.
Roger sat across from Billix, both still strapped in.
Neither spoke for a while.
Their armor was scratched.
Their hands were bruised.
Their hearts were still racing.
This was their first real protection mission.
Their first hostage extraction.
Their first time seeing how fast a simple assignment could turn into death.
And somehow…
They had survived.
Roger looked toward Billix.
"Think they'll keep us around?"
Billix leaned back, a tired grin spreading across his face.
"We just saved a billionaire's family."
Roger smiled faintly.
Billix closed his eyes.
"I think we're good."
Roger looked out the viewport at the stars.
Tenrihines waited ahead.
So did the portal investigation.
So did Varnyx.
And somewhere out there, demons were watching every move the Empire made.
But for the first time since arriving at STF HQ, Roger felt like he had earned his place.
Even if only a little.