The sky over Sector 1 was no longer blue; it was a fractured mosaic of golden Zethrian energy and the black smoke of burning drones. The screech of tires announced the arrival of the 9th Division. Their sleek, chrome-plated vehicles skidded to a halt, and the doors hissed open as the elite squad poured out.
Kross, Sora, Lyra, Kahn, and Dr. D hit the pavement with practiced grace, followed by their captain, Shadow, a man whose presence felt like a cold draft in a closed room.
"9th Division! Evacuation is the priority!" Dr. D barked, his mechanical eye scanning the crowds of panicked civilians. "Lyra, Sora—take the east block! Kahn, clear the debris!"
"On it!" Sora shouted, already sprinting toward a collapsing storefront.
"Wait for me!" Lyra called out, her face flushed from the adrenaline, catching Elias's eye for a split second before she vanished into the smoke.
The 10th and 9th Divisions merged for a brief, tense moment of coordination.
"Good timing, Kross," Jaxen said, sparks dancing off his fingertips. "I was starting to think you guys were allergic to actual work."
"Please, Jaxen," Kross smirked, adjusting his gloves. "We just like to let the Zethrians think they have a chance before we crush them. Keeps it interesting."
"Will you two stop flirting and start hitting things?" Mikasa snapped, her gaze fixed on a swarm of drones descending from the north.
"She's right," Renji added,
"Huh .....we are not....you do know we're boys " Jaxen said "yeah what he said" Kross added
"Doesn't mean " Mikasa replied "ok enough of that lets get ready " kealen said as he began to stretch
Vela, still munching on the last of her chips, looked up at the sky. "Ok so I'm gonna go inside to check for something to eat "
Shadow stepped forward, his dark cloak swirling around his boots as he approached Drakye Void and Reid Gedion Swallow.
"So, I heard that bitch wants to get kidnapped," Shadow said, his voice dripping with disdain. "Seriously, why do we even bother with him? Let's just save the civilians and let the Zethrians have the Prime Minister. It would save us a lot of stress ."
"Seriously, Shadow... he may be an asshole, but we still need him for now," Reid replied, has he crossed his arms."
Drakye scanned the high-walled estate. "Where is the son of a bitch anyway?"
"Probably jerking off in the toilet," Shadow spat, looking bored.
"Seriously... like, right now?" Reid replied, his brow twitching. "The city is under siege, and you think he's—actually, never mind."
"I'll send a scout to go inside," Reid said, gesturing to a 1st Division operative.
"No need," Drakye countered. "The enforcers are already going in. We need to stay out here and keep the airspace clear."
The two divisions split. Sloane and Cipher began setting up a first aid perimeter, while Rook levitated several cars to create a makeshift barricade for fleeing families. Kaelen provided cover fire, his flames melting drone wings before they could get close.
Inside the Prime Minister's residence, the atmosphere was hauntingly quiet. The thick stone walls muffled the chaos outside.
Princexx and Brook moved through the marble hallways like ghosts. Princexx's antennas twitched, picking up the frantic heartbeats of the guards. Suddenly, a Border Enforcer rounded the corner, his plasma rifle leveled at them.
"Stop! Hands up!" he yelled, his voice cracking.
Princexx didn't reach for a weapon. She stepped forward, her emerald skin glowing under the chandelier light. She looked at the man with a gaze that felt like honey. Before he could pull the trigger, she leaned in and kissed him—a lingering, toxic embrace.
The enforcer's face turned bright red. His rifle clattered to the floor. His eyes went blank, the pupils dilating until the white was nearly gone.
"Ok. Kill your friends," Princexx whispered against his ear.
"Yes... ma'am," the enforcer replied, his voice a hollow drone.
Brook watched with a cruel smile. "Wait..."
He stepped forward, pulling a jagged syringe filled with Valkhyre's 'Pet Strain' serum. He drove it into the enforcer's neck and, with a burst of superhuman strength, heaved the man toward a large bay window.
"Go fly... my darling!" Brook laughed.
The man crashed through the glass, falling toward the courtyard below. As he fell, his body underwent a violent, sickening mutation. His bones snapped and elongated; his skin tore as grey, leathery hide pushed through. By the time he hit the pavement, he wasn't a man. He was a 90-foot-tall, hulking monstrosity with 2 arms and a gaint core .
"RRRRRRRRRR!" The giant alien roared, its voice shaking the foundations of the sector.
The shockwave from the creature's landing sent a cloud of dust and debris over the 10th Division.
"Yasss! Finally!" Nyx screamed, her eyes wide with excitement. Before anyone could grab her, she vanished .
"Wait! NYX!" Elias shouted, reaching out into empty air. But she was already gone, teleporting directly onto the giant's shoulder.
"Everyone, focus!" Elias turned to the remaining members. "We have to evacuate the citizens and kill those drones! We can't let that thing reach the residential blocks!"
The street turned into a nightmare. People were screaming, running in every direction as the giant alien swiped a massive claw through a stone archway.
"Damn it... seriously!" Reid hissed, his eyes darting between the giant and the drones.
Deep beneath the house, far from the roar of the monster, Princexx and Brook stood before a hidden bookcase. Princexx's antennas vibrated violently. She pushed a hidden lever, and the floor groaned as it slid away to reveal a high-tech elevator shaft.
"A secret passage," Brook murmured.
They had found it. The path led directly to Bola Ahmed's secret lab, where the violet mass was still humming, waiting for its next meal.