October 3rd, 2026. 09:33

Inside a room, just as the early morning rays shine through the curtains of the window that reflects on some boxes and the bed, Rian hits on the table near the bed, holding his phone as he scrolls down a set of images, with the name "May-May" at the top of the page. Among them include his sister posing with other refugees wearing only white shirts, cooking some rib strips for them, tending to some plants in another camp, eating instant ramen in a bowl in her hands finally knitting a baby-sized dress for cold weather.

This set is further compounded with Rian texting something for her and ends up being the following: "You're growing quite a lot, and makes me really proud. I honestly hope to God we can meet each other someday."

It takes a while for May-May to type some reply, but around a minute, it arrives in this form: "I'm so glad, kuya!! i love youuuu".

With one slight smile on his face, only replies with a heart emoji and turns off the phone, then lets out a sigh as he slumps to the bed next to him. Even in these times, their time apart has been quite a while for both of them. It's his duty to remain on the battlefield, yes, but still, getting the chance someone who can be with him is one feeling that many soldiers, Human or not, can year when it comes to even passing months. But as always, duty has to come first in these matters at hand.

And Rian knows it well.

May-May, please understand, even if I didn't want to, my services have to come first. Just hold on a little bit longer, I promise...

He sighs once more, glancing at the window next to him as the sunrise dawns on him. Even if it could mean being a refreshing sight, it doesn't feel like it at the moment. Almost as distant as a bright star in the bright night, even if you can see it or even love it, you can't feel it within you even if you wanted to. Especially when he went as far as under enemy lines, far away from the nearest camp in San Francisco. And still, the sense of the encounter lingers on and on. How long would it take, he wonders? Perhaps not too long. Especially since the war in the US may end soon.

But meeting May-May once more is not one of those guarantees for Adrian. Especially with the rather tense ordeal between the citizens and refugees. And if worse comes to pass...

So many thoughts, so little time to properly act on them.

But before he can do anything else, two knocks are heard outside the door, two firm yet not too harsh knocks to be exact. Even though Rian doesn't glance at it, he sighs heavily while narrowing his eyes and frowning. As far as he's concerned, he would rather be on his own time rather than attend to a potential nuisance.

"Mr. Adrian, you there?" a female voice asks on the other end.

"Nah, you're talking to his twin brother," Rian replies with a dry tone as he still refuses to glance at the door.

"C'mon, don't be an asshole. It's just a little favor on behalf of Colonel Walker," a male and slightly older voice replies. Rian can only groan in response as he finally takes a look at the door while standing up, yet doesn't head there yet.

"Is it really that small or you're trying to trick me?" A sigh is heard while the female voice murmurs to the male one.

"Step outside and you'll find out so, please. It's a simple favor," the male voice replies once more. Rian can only roll his eyes while letting out another sigh, now he knows that they'll continue pestering him unless he complies immediately. He walks to the door while grabbing the knob and then pulling it away. In front of him are a fair-skinned bald man and a fair-skinned brunette with thin eyes. She holds a notepad as well.

"Alright, what do you want?" Ran asks, still with his arms crossed.

"Are you aware of the upcoming Operation: Grand Blackout?" Rian only shrugs in response, not that it would have been an operation worth doing for him it seems.

"Let me guess, sending more cannon fodder while the top dogs get their names in the history books?" The female sighs in response.

"It's less than that, it's more of a sabotage operation, in what could be the next vital step." Rian raises an eyebrow in response while keeping his distance. Maybe it could be an interesting one to try?

"Oh yeah? To find the way to kick the balls of the 'Hollywood Line'?" The male nods in response while the female soldier hands over her digital notepad, showing a satellite view of the Wolowitz Power Station. "A power plant? Are you serious?"

"It's more than that. It's the main power station supplying the jamming range for the Hollywood Line, and right now, it's will be executed as a stealthy operation of sorts." Rian nods in response, yet still doesn't change his posture in front of them.

"The recently unlocked files indicate that different levels of security are applied between different levels. It's a defense mechanism used to deter any potential intruders to break through the frontlines," the female officer says.

"And what do you propose?"

"We'll be deploying four different teams each with their own level of action and experience to make this operation a success. Alpha Team will make a distraction outside the gate to draw out most of the elite troops outside the facility. Beta Team will pass through some underground tunnels leading to the facility that would disable all potential communications between different bases to call for reinforcements. Once that's taken care of, Delta Team will then drop by and find the main stations that power the jammer, finding a way to either disable them or destroy them, which will completely weaken the jamming power."

"And the last one is...?" Rian asks with an inquisitive tone.

"Gamma Team will lead a nearby strike team to liberate Bakersfield, whose power is connected with the power plant. The ensuing communication blackout would pave way for the UEF and the rebels to push through and recapture the city. Should it be a success, then we'll have achieved step 2 of the plan to free LA: Ascend from darkness." Silence follows afterwards as Rian glances at every corner of the room. Sounds like a complicated operation to pull off, yet if they have faith in their own troops, then perhaps it could be worth trying.

The question is: What is Adrian's part? For that, he glances back at the male officer.

"So where do I fall in?"

"Beta Team, you seem savvy enough to know when to surprise foes after your ordeal in Nevada. At least better compared to most conscripts," the officer says as he chuckles, prompting a grimace from Rian as he clenches his fists. This is enough to make the male officer to stop short and compose himself. "But that aside, that's your part. You'll be tasked alongside fellow Warrior Lucy, and two of G.o.D squad, Valentina Celina. You four together will form the element of surprise for this operation. Understood?"

"...Yes sir," Rian says after a moment of silence, still frowning. Even though it can be another fine offer to accept, it may be a risky endeavor to commit to. Nonetheless, the male officer still nods accordingly as his female counterpart turns off the digital notepad.

"We'll see you at the launch pad in three hours. Hope you're well prepared, Mr. Adrian." With that, both officer head to the left side of the hallways, leaving Rian on his own again as he closes the door. He then takes a deep breath as he walks back to the table, looking at both his light blade and some pictures.

If there's one thing Rian could hate more than being dragged to this type of mission, is the possibility of encountering the man he detests the most ever since that day, even if they're on the same side. Especially with an answer to the fist last time.

Logan, I hope you're as far away from me as you possibly can...

4 hours later

In a dimly lit and underground tunnel full of rusty pipes, broken crates, loose cables and wires and even trails of crimson liquid on the floor, Beta Team advances at ease while sticking close to each other, heading their way into the communications room to disable the comms as ordered. Despite the relative ease of the place, one can feel that there is something amiss in there, almost like waiting for a chance to strike. Step by step, followed by echoes, yet there's still not a single sign of a Zlocan or an Inquisitor in sight.

"Beta Lead, status report?" Walter's voice in the earpod is heard by Valentina, prompting her to press it.

"This is Beta Lead, all clear so far, not even a single bug to be found. How 'bout you?" Valentina asks back.

"Me and the rest of the boys are already engaging a few of their elite troops, hopefully with enough time for you guys to get in." Valentina smiles in response as she holds her double-bladed katana.

"Copy, Alpha Lead. Keep 'em steady for the surprise." With that, communications cease between Valentina and Walter as her team continues to advance to their point of destination. Next in her line is her close one, Celina, followed by Lucy and then Adrian. All sticking together in order to prevent a dispersal from any of them. So far, nothing too drastic is happening for them at the moment.

"Hope we kin do a guid job at this, lassies. Let's keep it up, ya too Adri," Lucy says as she snickers while seeing Rian behind her who groans in response, keeping his blade tight at his hand.

"Alright, cool it, peeps," Celina says dryly as she and the team keep advancing. So far, the only thing in sight is still loose cables and wires with barely visible sight, up until they see a metal box with a shining red dot strapped to a wall in front of them, which prompts Valentina to raise her hand, causing the team to stop in their tracks.

"Celina, is that what I think it is?" Valentina asks.

"Yep, a trap."

"So much for stealth then..." Rian quips as he observes the box closely for any potential weakness, yet it's hard to spot one for even the tiniest of the wires.

"Hey Adri, pull some smoke, will ya?" Lucy asks Adrian, and he responds by grabbing a cubic canister with a pin attached to it alongside other types as well. He hurls in the direction of the metal box, and on impact, a puff of smoke comes out of it. After a while, laser lines appear near the corner of the box.

"So, stabbing is next, right?" Rian asks as he ignites his light blade.

"Yeah, but only on the console, man," Celina says as she stays in position while Rian sneaks towards the box. Soon, he's in sight of the console of the box, and with one quick slash at it, the lasers disappear on sight.

"That was so damn easy," Rian quips while shrugging.

"I'm sure they'll be more, so don't let your guard down," Valentina says as she and the team continue to advance further into the tunnel, with Rian following closely behind. Soon, a faint of machinery can be heard in the distance as they approach a corridor on the right, all while Lucy spots another metal box with a red dot. Valentina raises her hand and the team stops again.

"Your turn, Luce," Valentina says, which makes Lucy chuckle in response while Rian raises an eyebrow.

"What's so special about it?"

"Here, let me shaw ye how it's dane." Lucy then pulls a bowie knife from her holster, holding the handle as tight as she can while aiming for the console. With one sharp throw, the knife impacts right on the console, which disables the other trap as well.

"You must work on a circus then," Rian quips in response. Lucy, however, scowls at him.

"More like covering wars ye know. C'moan, shift, mate," Lucy says as she pulls the knife from the shattered pad of the console as they head for the source of the sound that's just ahead. Then, a bend on the left leads to a staircase upstairs, all while Celina pulls a portable device out of her pocket. The screen shows a continuously vibrating signal as they head towards the staircase.

"Finding something, Celina?" Valentina asks.

"If this is pulsing so widely, then we must be near the communications." She chuckles in response as they head upstairs. "This'll be fun."

"It better be," Rian says as he shrugs. They continue making their way to the source of the sound until they reach a steel gate on the right side. From the looks of it, it seems to be highly locked on the other side. Nonetheless, Valentina realizes that it'll take more than just brute force to take it down.

"I'll take care of the element of surprise in this one, take cover," Valentina says as the rest stand next to the door to be unseen by any potential foe as she knocks on the door three times. And just as anticipated, footsteps can be heard approaching, unlocking the gate even to inspect what's going on outside the room.

As the door opens, it reveals a short-haired, brunette human male holding a Desert Eagle. Just as he's about to turn around, Valentina stabs him in the stomach while Rian throws another canister into the room, which on impact causes a flash of light that blinds those who saw it in front of them. All of this while Celina opened fire on the others and Lucy throws two simultaneous daggers at others.

"Let 'em have it, my friends!" Celina yells as she covers fire for the rest of the team, with Rian stabbing another Inquisitor in the back as others rush to sound the alarm. Valentina notices enough to throw another dagger at the hand. The man screams until Lucy le until there's no one left but the four inside. "Alright, now, let's get to the final touch."

"Better hurry, Zlocs's gonna jump on us at any minute," Valentina says as she guards the other door next to a fallen male Inquisitor. As this happens, Celina pulls her device again, this time by connecting next to the main console that transmits the messages between different bases in the areas, as waves of communication are heard throughout the process. After some delicate touches with the commands, she presses a final command on the device, which makes all the systems in the room shut down or turn into static. With that, it seems that the next step is secured.

"Alright, now let's give Delta team the news!" Valentina nods as she puts her hand near the earpod.

"Delta Lead, this is Beta Lead, we've managed to knock down the communications array in the southern facility. The rest is up to you."

"Copy that, Beta Lead. Looks like we're coming off with minimal casualties this time," Logan says on the other side, while turbine noises are heard from his end. It seems that he's in a chopper of sorts.

"Let's hope it will. Beta Lead out." She then glances at the teammates, all packing the remaining equipment left or hanging to their weapons as they prepare the next course of action for them to take.

"Alright, now what?" Rian asks.

"We're gonna provide cover for Delta Lead once they arrive, that way we can hold off any potential threat coming their way, even if we shut down all communications," Valentina says. This makes Rian groan in response.

"Hey, you know how the Zlocs are, they can get a trick beneath their sleeves all the time," Celina says.

"No matter, let's hope they're not too annoying," Rian mutters as he and the rest of the team head to the other door, while alarms start blaring in the background of the scale of the attack getting to be known across the facility. Outside in the window, numerous railways and bridges show some remaining Knights and Inquisitors to handle any potential intruders in the way. And one they could sorely need in order to defend the facility.

At a sealed-off platform that oversees the electric chambers, the personnel scramble at every corner of the room in order to provide all the necessary power for the jammer, or arm themselves in order to protect the entrance from any potential intruder. Both Inquisitors and Knights alike, they all need to make it out of this alive to ensure that the files' hijacking is proven to be a fluke and nothing else.

But before they know it, explosions rock the rooftop from above, the shockwave being enough to blast the personnel away into walls, or with enough force, crashing down the windows as they fall down below as the platform shakes violently like the gust of a hurricane. And then, a lone figure drops from above right into the hole of the walled-off platform, using a pair of rockets in the boots to minimize the impact from the drop.

Seiner Butch in the flesh, ready to commit himself to sabotage more of the "precious" Zlocan technology that kept them safe for far too long. He heads for the main console as he sees a screen that displays many of the facilities being active. From the sight alone as he glances around the room watching the immobile men on the floor, he smirks in response as he gets to work on the main console.

"This looks really convenient," Seiner quips as he presses some buttons on the main console, ready to find a way to sabotage the main chamber, and thus, end the veil of darkness in Southern California for good.

However, just as he scrolls down even further, another figure lands from the hole he blasted earlier, this time landing on high impact, which is enough to blast some objects away in the room. The noise is loud enough for Seiner to dodge some of the equipment thrown around him, left and right. Just as the coast seems to be clear, he turns around with clenched teeth to see who interrupted him.

And the individual is enough for Seiner's eyes to widen, his mouth opening in too to let out a gasp as he realizes who's the one who intruded in the room.

A particular being with a feminine build, a cybernetic one that is, with the only piece of flesh being the face, a round one, accompanied by hazel ones, and one frozen expression. One that doesn't show grief, anger or fear.

"Shite, It's you...!" Seiner says as he grips his blaster gun from the being he sees in front of him.

Allison Byrne, a reborn slave.