City: Altérion
Time: 22:15
Sector: Alosad
Zone: Battlefield of the clash between the DHA and the super-terrorists
Several individuals in black armor and heavily reinforced helmets were busy extracting the hostiles whom Big Zero had trapped in ice, while others scanned the area using specialized tracking devices.
Near a massive, matte-black metallic transport vehicle, two of these armored figures stood out from the rest. The first bore a glowing blue « A » marked on the chest piece of his armor and held a data tablet featuring the same insignia on its casing. The one standing right beside him had a jellyfish emblem engraved on her armor; the sleek curves of the gear betrayed a female presence inside.
The armored man checked his screen and turned toward the woman:
« Colonel Medusa, here is the sector status report: a total of sixteen targets were located in the zone. Five are confirmed dead, and the remaining ones are unconscious. Four heavily armed lookouts were stationed on the roofs, alongside six guards patrolling below. »
Colonel Medusa remained silent for a moment, before delivering in a chilling voice:
« Hmm. If I understand correctly, there were four lookouts on the roofs and six guards protecting the other eight in the center. This looks like some sort of high-profile meeting or a secret transaction. Are they STIGMAS? Major Alfa. »
« Judging by their blood-red pupils, they are indeed STIGMAS », Major Alfa replied.
The Colonel glanced at the blocks of ice the soldiers were currently shattering, then exhaled sharply:
« I bet it was the DH ARMY operating here. »
Hearing this, Major Alfa leaned forward slightly, interlaced his fingers, looked at the Colonel, and said in a heavily sarcastic tone:
« No, it couldn't possibly be the DHA who did this. No, that would be way too easy. Why not Vanguard? No, better yet, the Justice League. No, wait, I have a better one: Rambo. »
The Colonel snapped to a halt, then glared at him with undisguised frustration:
« Major, I am your superior officer. You owe me respect. »
« But there is only one group of super-terrorists currently playing superhero out there. It's not my fault if I happen to be smarter than you », Alfa shot back.
The Colonel wanted to scream at him, but she forced herself to hold back. She jabbed a finger in his direction, then said:
« You see, that is exactly why I am a Colonel and you are not. »
She turned her back to him, crossing her arms.
Alfa broke eye contact and muttered under his breath:
« You're only a Colonel because you sleep your way to the top, you fat bi… »
« EXCUSE ME?! », she bellowed, spinning around.
Alfa immediately straightened up and barked:
« Nothing to report, Colonel! »
Another soldier stepped forward, snapping a crisp military salute before speaking:
« Colonel, there is a body you need to see immediately. »
Medusa and Alfa followed him to the center of the yard. The man whose skin had turned completely red was still stretched out on the ground.
« Almighty God », Alfa muttered upon seeing him.
« What did he do to end up in this state? », the commander asked.
« We don't know, but it has no connection to his cause of death. He has zero physical injuries, yet his tissue has become as hard as stone. »
She stared at the body for a long time, then bent down to get a closer look. Straightening back up, she ordered:
« Transport him to the lab immediately. I want to know exactly what caused this. »
She turned around and continued:
« As for you, Major, round up the ones who are in any condition to speak so we can begin interrogations. »
Alfa: « Right away, Colonel. »
As they discussed, they had no idea that a blue, ghostly specter of a man was standing right next to them. It was Meta in his metaphysical form—completely undetectable to both human senses and tracking machines. He could overhear their entire conversation without ever drawing attention.
THE NEXT DAY
City: Altérion
Time: 10:08
Sector: Valence
Inside a large lounge, several members of the DH ARMY were hanging out. Some were playing video games while others were simply sitting around, chatting.
Over by the ping-pong table, two of them were locked in a fierce match: Thorson and a lean, white young man with short brown hair. Both were sweating profusely. Every single ball was instantly returned by the other with insane momentum. Thorson was even forced to leap across the floor just to keep the ball in play.
Frustrated at his inability to score a quick win, a sudden idea crossed the young man's mind as he returned a final volley. When Thorson sent the ball back with a swing almost invisible to the naked eye, the boy hit it back. Thorson reached out his paddle to counter.
Suddenly, the boy began returning the ball at a mind-boggling, superhuman speed. Thorson, returning the shots by pure luck, began to yell out in sheer annoyance:
« Oh, Mathias! Mathias! Mathias! Yo, Infinity! Infinity! »
« Yeah, bro? », Infinity replied, returning a lethal shot with one hand casually tucked behind his back and a teasing smirk on his face.
« We said no powers, masa! », Thorson grumbled, frantically slamming the ball back.
(Note: masa = friend, brother, or sister).
« Yes, we did say we wouldn't use our powers, amigo, and I am following the rule to the letter: I'm not using my powers, I am utilizing them. It's totally different », he retorted with a proud grin.
In a desperate, ultimate effort, Thorson tried to intercept the next volley but completely missed it. The ball bounced off the table, zipped against the wall, and ricocheted back. Mathias began hitting it back and forth against the wall at hyper-speed, keeping a loop going while counting his own points out loud:
« 13, 64, 80, 123, 355, and 1000. Victory for Mathias! »
Thorson stood back up, completely exhausted, and huffed:
« Tsk. Cheater. »
Adriana, without even lifting her eyes from her phone screen, chimed in:
« Never play against Mathias. He's a cheater and a terrible loser. »
« Not even true. I am literally the most law-abiding guy in the DHA. »
Right next to the sofa where Adriana was lounging, a young Black man with twisted locks was in the middle of doing push-ups. He stopped dead in his tracks and pushed himself up, yelling in mock disbelief:
« Ah, masa! You are the biggest cheater in the history of the DHA! I can literally list the evidence: you cheated in the training room using your acceleration, you tried to… when we were playing Afoot77 and I was about to pull off an epic comeback, you snatched my controller and went to throw it inside a volcano! And to top it off, right here, you just used your powers to win a simple game of table tennis. »
Mathias looked away, shooting back:
« Simon, you see, in life, as every wise Congolese philosopher says: "In life, every technique is good to win, la dame homme." »
Khalid, who was sitting on the edge of a table reading a book, interjected:
« What kind of idiotic idiom is that? And why add "la dame homme" at the end? »
« Because la dame homme, that's just how it is », Mathias retorted flatly.
Right in the middle of their banter, the heavy security door slid open. Techno Rider stepped inside. He wore a hoodie, leaving his arms—completely covered in distinctive diamond-shaped tattoos—exposed, paired with casual denim jeans:
« Hey, everyone! », he called out as he entered.
The others returned the greeting, but Mathias couldn't help but keep going:
« Welcome back Jack, alias Techno Rider, alias the rookie, alias… »
The entire room collectively cut him off, roaring in perfect unison:
« OH, WILL YOU SHUT THE HELL UP! »
Mathias looked at them, feigning deep offense, and threw his hands up in the air:
« Oh, okay! Okay! »
As Jack walked further into the lounge, he noticed that a lot of people were missing. Only half the squad was present:
« Uh, where is the rest of the team? »
Adriana, pointing toward a large reinforced door at the back, answered:
« They are in the briefing room, having a serious talk among square-jaws. »
Simon, dropping back down to resume his push-ups, added:
« Basically, they're having a meeting with the highest-ranking members of the DHA, and no one else is allowed inside. »
« Oh, I see », Jack murmured, staring at the heavy door with deep intrigue. What exactly was going on behind those walls?
AT THE EXACT SAME MOMENT: IN THE BRIEFING ROOM
Inside the secure room, Dark Wolf and the senior members stood gathered around a sleek, glowing holographic table stamped with the DHA logo. Dark Wolf broke the silence, addressing Lame:
« Lame, if I understand correctly, there is an individual or an unknown terrorist group currently plotting something major? »
Lame nodded gravely, confirming:
« Yes, boss, though nothing is set in stone just yet. Zero kept insisting on it, but last night's events pretty much confirm his suspicions. It looks like they are setting the stage for something massive. »
Dark Wolf crossed his arms, plunging into deep thought for a moment before turning his gaze:
« And what about you, Ghost? You told us you crossed paths with STIGMAS we already knew, and you mentioned a specific piece of armor that might explain the code name "Cold W" and the origin of this terrorist faction. »
Ghost—a lean, muscular man with long, dark dreadlocks—replied:
« Exactly, boss. I crossed paths with three people we all believed were dead, and I uncovered crucial intel proving that a secret organization is pulling the strings from the shadows. »
« Mhh. Explain everything to us in absolute detail. Do not leave a single thing out », Dark Wolf commanded, placing a digital voice recorder onto the table.
Ghost smiled faintly as he prepared to recount his investigation:
« Oh, everything? Man, this is going to be a long story. But alright… here is exactly what happened. »