They slid into the chairs, straps whispering as the VR rigs came to life. The haptic collars hummed at the base of their necks, screens dimmed, and the simulated environment bloomed in front of their eyes. When they spawned into the scenario, the city hit them all at once: the metallic tang of rain on hot tar, distant shouts, and the staccato of enemy patrol boots. Kenneth's interface tagged hostiles in soft red; civilians glowed a washed-out blue. Lennon's POV blurred and sharpened with each step; he was already moving, a shadow at street level. Durian climbed to the rooftop vantage, the simulation's wind whipping his virtual hair.
They flowed through the operation like a practiced unit. Kenneth directed via whispers in their ear, HUD, timing phases, and counting off seconds. Lennon ducked behind a rusted van and used its flank for cover while Durian's suppressive fire drew two patrols to the roof, exactly as Kenneth predicted. Fae stayed low, scanning corners for the kid's profile and calming an old woman trapped in a doorway so she wouldn't run into harm's way.
At the stairwell, they hit a minor snag: a second-floor patrol rounded the corner sooner than the intel suggested. Durian, impatient and half a block away, blurted a command over the comms and nearly compromised the flanking maneuver by firing early. A burst of simulated gunfire lit up the hall.
"Hold positions!" Kenneth snapped, voice sharp in their ears. He rolled a flashbang around the bend, the simulator rewarded the move with a strobe of light and 0.7 seconds of stunned AI response, long enough. Lennon made the dash, two steps at a time, striking bodies with nonlethal takedowns and sweeping angles with a blade. Fae moved in behind him, securing the room. a small figure huddled beneath a collapsed chair, then burst toward Lennon when he called her name.
"Child secured," Lennon said, voice calm, breathing even. He scooped the kid up and handed him toward Fae, who wrapped him in a thermal blanket and applied a quick vit patch. Kenneth watched Durian clear the exit and provide covering shots while Lennon worked the internal angles, his movement precise and economical.
On the alley exit, a final wave of hostiles tried to intercept. Durian's impatience paid off here; his pre-positioned suppression stalled one group while Kenneth executed a short, controlled breach from behind an overturned crate. The team moved out as one, the kid held between them like the mission's fragile core.
Twenty minutes later, the simulation dissolved. The classroom lights returned with a soft chime. around them, other teams were debriefing, some throaty with adrenaline, others chastened by mistakes. Instructor Stein's face held a rare, satisfied smile as she walked the rows, datapad in hand.
"Good coordination," she told Kenneth as the group peeled off the station. "You read the field and adapted to a deviation. That's what I want to see. Durian, your roof play saved the exfil window. Don't let impatience be the reason you get the squad killed next time."
Durian grunted but didn't argue. Lennon winked at Kenneth, breathless and bright-eyed. Fae gave them both a brief, warm smile. Though they'd completed the first scenario, they still had three more to complete.
Learning his lessons from the first time, Durian didn't argue when Kenneth gave a gameplan. He listened, albeit begrudgingly, to his instructions and played it safe. Their second scenario was getting from point A to point B without being detected. It was a slightly trickier scenario that involved outmaneuvering their opponents, but they were able to get to their destination using the buildings and other debris as cover.
Now came the last scenario, and this would prove to be the trickiest of them all because this mission required physically taking their enemies out. This was a simple in-and-out situation for Kenneth, but what stumped him was the change of scenery. So far, it has always taken place in the same worn-down, dilapidated outskirts of a city. But it was different this time; they were sent right in the middle of downtown. a place Kenneth was familiar with since it was the second place he'd been in after he'd woken up in the alley.
The city looked just like he remembered it. Bustling with people going to and from work. Children crossing the street with their parents, teens laughing and goofing off with friends. The picture of a perfect metropolis. But something didn't feel right, and he wasn't the only one who could sense it.
"Is it just me, or does the vibe feel..off?" Lennon whispered.
Fae nodded, and even Durian glanced around them, his body tense. It was as if something was coming. Something to disturb the peace in this otherwise unassuming street. Kenneth looked up at the sky, a nice blue, with a few scatterings of white fluffy clouds. The sun was beaming down at them, but there was an unmistakable chill in the air. Not the kind you get from a slight breeze, but the kind that makes you shiver and arms prickle with goosebumps.
His eyes narrowed as he watched the people around them, not paying a single attention to the four oddities in front of them. Then, the air suddenly went still, and the sound of birds chirping in the distance ceased altogether.
"Yeah…this scenario is fucked," Durian muttered, his golden eyes glowing faintly.
The group didn't have to wait long as the ground began to rumble. At first, Kenneth thought it was an earthquake, but as he looked around him, the ground began to cave in one spot of the street, a place that was less crowded, but still teaming with people.
Screams erupted all around them, and suddenly the space seemed to warp until a rupture occurred almost out of thin air. A large jagged crack formed where a coffee shop had been standing a mere seconds ago. It was a rift appearing right before their very eyes. The rupture pulsed like a living wound, splitting the air with the sound of static. Kenneth's breath hitched as colours bled out of it: blue, red, pink, orange, shifting and blending like oil paint. Filaments of light arched out, twisting through the air like veins. They crackled and sparked against the pavement, leaving faint scorch marks in their wake.
"Holy shit," Lennon whispered, stepping closer before Kenneth threw an arm out to stop him.
The rift expanded with a wet, tearing sound. around its edges, translucent vines coiled and writhed. Fae wrinkled her nose in disgust. Out of the rift, shapes began to crawl out, first on all fours, then dragging themselves upright. They were strange humanoid creatures that looked all types of wrong.
Then came a voice. Monotonous and female, almost out of nowhere.
"A gate has been opened. Destroy anything that comes out of it. You have twenty minutes."