The war room of the Xenocide high command was deathly silent, save for the rhythmic tapping of Dock Von's fingers against the glass tabletop. Before him sat Zane, his expression a mask of calculation. Between them, a single encrypted file glowed—the anonymous tip regarding Bola Ahmed's impending abduction.
"Who sent this... or rather, how did the sender know?" Dock Von asked, his voice low and heavy with suspicion.
Zane leaned back, his eyes fixed on the shifting coordinates of the Prime Minister's estate. "In this city, secrets have a way of leaking into the right ears. But the 'who' is less important than the 'when.' If this tip is accurate, we are minutes away from a decapitation strike on our leadership."
"We should prioritize securing the Prime Minister first," Zane added, his tone leaving no room for debate.
"Yes, I agree," Dock Von replied,
Across the city, at the 10th Division Base, the morning had begun with the familiar sounds of metal hitting metal and the hum of tactical equipment. Nyx and Mikasa were locked in a high-speed sparring match in the center of the gym.
In the adjacent ring, a three-way brawl was unfolding. Jaxen, Kaelen, and Rook were pushing each other to the limit. Kaelen's fists were wreathed in flames, trying to bypass Rook's levitating metal shields, while Jaxen blurred in and out of their blind spots, looking for the perfect opening.
"Come on, Rook! Your shields are getting slow!" Jaxen teased, narrowly dodging a flying steel plate.
"My shields are fine, Jaxen. You're just lucky ", Rook grunted, his brow furrowed in concentration.
Near the wall, Cipher was hunched over a workbench, his fingers dancing over the circuitry of a new device. He didn't look up, his mind entirely focused on his project he's been working on, Sloane and Vela were sprawled on a sofa, eyes glued to a movie on a large tablet. Vela's hand moved rhythmically from a bag of barbecue chips to her mouth, her expression one of pure, cinematic focus.
Elias and Renji had just finished their own set of training. They stood by the water station, catching their breath as they watched Nyx's explosive combat style.
"Looks like you've gotten faster, Renji," Elias said, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Thanks... but I still have a long way to go," Renji replied, passing a bottle of cold water to Elias. .
"Yeah, you're right," Elias agreed, taking a long drink. "We still have a long way to go before we can stand against the High Commanders without struggling".
ALERT! ALERT! ALERT!
The base's siren tore through the air, a high-pitched scream that sent the 10th Division into an instant state of combat readiness.
"Zethrian Drones have breached Sector 1! This is not a drill!" the automated voice blared.
The entire 10th geared up in seconds, the air thick with the sound of snapping holsters and powering-up Evo-Signatures. They sprinted to their tactical vehicle, the engine roaring to life before the last door had even shut.
While Vela was crying"seriously I was just getting to the good part of the movie...why do you hate me universe ".
As they sped toward the heart of the city, Captain Drakye Void sat in the front seat, his face as hard as flint. "How is this possible?" he muttered to the cabin. "This is the first time in history Zethrians have made it into Sector 1. That is the most protected sector in the border".
"They must have had help in the sector," Sloane said,."
"I don't care how they got in," Nyx said, cracking her knuckles with a predatory grin. "I just want to see how they look when they fall apart".
"Sector 1 is full of civilians," Mikasa reminded them, her voice stern. "So no explosion,We aren't in the subway ruins anymore".
"This is bad ... what if it's a superise attack " cipher said, "Let's just hope we get there before they turn the place to rubble," Jaxen added,
When the 10th Division arrived at Sector 1.
The 1st Division was already on the scene, their elite units forming a perimeter around the Prime Minister's residence.
Reid Gedion Swallow, the leader of the 1st, was standing near the main gate.
"Good to see you, Void," Reid said as the 10th piled out of their vehicle.
"Yeah... okay, what's going on?" Drakye Void asked, his eyes scanning the hundreds of Border Enforcers and agents surrounding the building.
"Well, I don't have many details," Reid replied, . "But apparently, someone is trying to kidnap the Prime Minister. Probably the Zethrians".
"I see, but how did you find out?" Drakye asked.
"I didn't," Reid said, shaking his head. "General Dock Von got an anonymous tip".
Drakye's mind immediately began to process the information. Anonymous tip.
"Same thing happened to Zainab," Drakye thought to himself, his suspicion growing. "Who is this anonymous tipster? How did the Zethrians breach the border so easily? So many mysteries... could they all be related to the anonymous tipper?"
The orders came down quickly. The 10th and 1st Divisions split up to engage the swarms of zethrians drones, while the 9th Division arrived to bolster the rear lines. The rest of the division were moved to secure the border itself, patrolling for any si
gn of a surprise follow-up attack.