They didn't call it a team.
They called it a Response Unit.
That alone told Aiden everything he needed to know.
He stood in a briefing room deep within the Federation complex, suppression fields humming softly beneath the floor. The system hovered at the edge of his vision, quiet but alert.
[Containment Stable.]
[Psychological Load: Elevated.]
The door slid open.
Four people entered.
None of them looked at him at first.
The first was a tall man with ash-blond hair and tired blue eyes, wearing the insignia of an A-rank frontline commander.
"Lucas Reinhardt," he said after a moment, extending a hand. "Unit lead."
Aiden hesitated, then shook it. Lucas's grip was firm but careful.
Measured.
The second was a woman with short black hair streaked with silver, her presence sharp and coiled like a drawn blade.
"Mei-Lin Zhao," she said. "Strike specialist."
She didn't offer a handshake.
Her gaze never left Aiden.
The third leaned against the wall, arms crossed, dark skin marked with glowing circuit-like tattoos that pulsed faintly with mana.
"Jaxon Cole," he said casually. "Support. Barriers. Tech."
His smile didn't reach his eyes.
The last was younger than the rest. Barely out of her teens. Her mana signature flickered unpredictably, like a flame struggling in the wind.
"Amara Okoye," she said softly. "Recon."
She looked nervous.
Aiden didn't blame her.
Lucas cleared his throat. "This unit exists for one reason. Rapid response to unstable events where conventional teams fail."
Aiden nodded. "And I'm the fail-safe."
Silence followed.
Lucas didn't deny it.
The briefing began immediately.
A holographic map of the city rotated above the table, red markers indicating recent distortions.
"These incidents are increasing," Lucas said. "Not just here. Globally."
Mei-Lin tapped the table. "And every time one spikes, you feel it first."
Aiden glanced at her. "That bothers you."
"It should bother you," she replied coldly. "Resonance like that isn't normal."
The system pulsed faintly.
[Statement: Correct.]
Aiden ignored it.
Training came next.
Not combat.
Control.
They moved to a reinforced chamber layered with dampening fields. The objective was simple: Aiden would raise his output to the maximum allowed without triggering system suppression.
[Authorized Output: 0.1%]
He stood at the center of the room.
The Fragment stirred.
The air thickened.
Jaxon's barrier constructs flickered nervously.
Amara swallowed hard.
Mei-Lin tensed, hand hovering near her weapon.
Lucas raised a hand. "Slowly."
Aiden exhaled and let the power rise.
The room groaned.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the reinforced walls.
[Output: 0.07%]
Pain bloomed behind Aiden's eyes as containment tightened.
He stopped.
The pressure eased.
Silence followed.
"That's it?" Mei-Lin scoffed. "That's what the world's afraid of?"
Aiden met her gaze. "No."
He let it rise a fraction more.
[Output: 0.09%]
The floor buckled.
Gravity warped.
Amara cried out as her footing vanished, Jaxon's barriers flaring desperately to keep the room intact.
Lucas shouted, "Enough!"
Aiden cut it instantly.
The room stabilized.
Everyone stared at him.
No one spoke.
Afterward, Mei-Lin cornered him in the corridor.
"You don't belong on a team," she said bluntly.
Aiden didn't argue.
"You don't fight," she continued. "You end things. And everyone around you pays the price."
Aiden looked at her calmly. "Then don't stand near me."
She flinched.
Just slightly.
That night, Amara approached him outside containment.
"I saw the feeds," she said quietly. "From the city."
Aiden waited.
"You looked… alone," she finished.
He smiled faintly. "I was."
She hesitated. "You don't have to be."
Before he could reply, the system pulsed sharply.
[Warning: Emotional Attachment Risk Detected.]
Aiden's smile faded.
"Be careful," he said gently. "I'm not safe to get close to."
Amara nodded, but her eyes didn't leave him.
Elsewhere in the facility, Dr. Marcus Hale reviewed the unit's formation.
"So they've given him companions," he mused. "Good."
He tagged the file.
[VARIABLE INTRODUCED: HUMAN CONNECTIONS]
Marcus smiled.
"Let's see how long they last."
Back in containment, Aiden lay awake once more.
The Fragment pulsed softly.
Not hungry.
Not angry.
Patient.
The unit existed to watch him.
To slow him.
To die before he did, if necessary.
And for the first time since awakening, Aiden felt something worse than fear.
He felt responsibility.