The command chamber of First Division Headquarters was quiet except for the faint hum of electronics.
Large screens covered the walls, displaying surveillance feeds from across the city. Emergency alerts blinked in red across several districts where alien activity had recently been detected.
At the center of the room hovered a massive holographic map.
Standing beside the projection was Reid Gedion Sallow, calmly observing the incoming report.
Across the table stood Captain Drayke Void, representing the 10th Division.
The elite team Aegis Prime stood nearby, ready to deliver their findings.
"Begin," Commander Swallow said.
Valerius Flare stepped forward.
"Our operation in Sector Six intercepted three smugglers transporting several unidentified crates."
A recording appeared above the table.
The hologram showed the alley where the incident happened.
Three men dragging heavy containers.
Faint light glowing from the seams of the crates.
Julian Cross spoke next.
"Energy readings from the containers were unusually strong. However, we were unable to determine what the contents were."
The hologram continued.
Two aliens dropped into the alley.
The creatures attacked the smugglers and the squad.
Aegis Prime eliminated them quickly.
Then the footage reached the final moments.
A man wearing a skull-shaped mask stepped into view.
Black flames erupted from his hands.
The crates ignited instantly.
Heat flooded the alley as the fire burned through the containers and collapsed part of the nearby building.
The masked man stood there calmly before turning and walking away.
The hologram froze.
The skull mask hovered above the command table.
Silence filled the room.
Commander Swallow studied the image carefully.
"Identity?"
Valerius shook his head.
"Unknown."but he thought to himself " black flames, father said no one has ever archived black flames
Could he be from the family?, no not possible"
Seraphina Glass added,
"His abilities do not match any known Xenocide signatures."
Captain Drayke Void folded his arms.
"He destroyed the crates before anyone could examine them."
Julian nodded.
"Which means he didn't want anyone discovering what was inside."
Commander Swallow remained quiet for a moment.
Then he asked,
"Anything else?"
Drayke gestured toward Cipher.
The tech specialist stepped forward.
He placed a small metallic object onto the table.
"A dart injector," Cipher explained.
The hologram zoomed in on the device.
The chamber inside it was empty.
"We recovered it from the alien that attacked the 10th Division earlier today."
Commander Swallow looked at the recording of the creature's back.
"You believe it was injected with something?"
Cipher nodded.
"Possibly. But whatever substance was inside the dart is gone."
Julian crossed his arms.
"So someone modified the alien before the fight."
"Looks that way," Cipher said.
Commander Swallow slowly looked back toward the skull mask projection.
"An unknown figure destroys suspicious cargo."
His gaze moved toward the dart.
"And someone interferes with the aliens themselves."
The room was quiet again.
Captain Drayke Void finally spoke.
"Something else is happening in the city."
Commander Swallow nodded once.
"Keep investigating."
The meeting ended soon after.
Hours later…
The 10th Division transport landed back at their base.
The ramp lowered with a mechanical hiss.
Nyx stepped out first, stretching her arms.
"Back home."
Renji followed behind her.
"So how was the meeting?"
Captain Drayke Void walked beside them.
"Interesting."
Vela walked past holding a fresh bag of chips.
"That usually means trouble."
The team entered their training hall.
Drayke activated a console.
The image of the skull-masked man appeared again.
Renji frowned.
"That's the guy who burned the crates?"
"Yes," Drayke replied.
Nyx studied the hologram carefully.
"He clearly didn't want anyone looking inside them."
Vela crunched another chip.
"Which makes me curious."
Elias stood quietly beside the table.
"Whatever was inside those crates…"
He looked at the frozen image of the masked man.
"…it was important enough to erase."
Drayke shut off the display.
"For now, get some rest."
Renji cracked his knuckles.
"Until the next mission."
Nyx grabbed her blade.
"Something tells me this isn't over."
Later That Night
The underground,
The air in the underground was tense as Varkhyr the Collector was fraustred " damn you, you where sloppy and you decided to burn all my hard work"
"It isn't my fault your alein friends killed my men"
Skull shot back " what if I decide to kill you and everyone else" varkhyr added " what if I decide to burn this place down" skull shot back , a serious expression filled his face , varkhyr burst into laughter " I really like you , you're funny, "
"So now what should I do" his tone changed immediately ,skull replied boldly"what if we use aleins, the Velkari species , " interesting, I never thought of it, but we'll still need humans blood, but in a low amount, it should work yes it should " varkhyr said with a smirk on his face
" I guess we're even, but no mess up next time"
Varkhyr added.
High above the city…
Inside a quiet office overlooking the skyline…
Bola Ahmed stood near the window.
The city lights flickered below.
In his hand was a small encrypted communicator.
The device activated with a soft beep.
A distorted voice spoke from the other side.
"Report."
The Prime Minister allowed a faint smile.
"Everything is proceeding smoothly."
"And the commanders?"
"They suspect nothing."
The voice remained silent for a moment.
"And the shipment?"
Ahmed looked out across the dark city.
"It was erased exactly as planned."
The voice responded quietly.
"Good."
Ahmed leaned against the desk.
"They will continue searching."
"And they will follow the trail we prepared."
The mysterious voice asked one final question.
"And the war?"
Ahmed's smile returned.
"The war will keep everyone distracted."
The communicator went silent.
The Prime Minister ended the call and turned back toward the window.
Far below the city....
the battle against the aleins begin...