“I’m going to die someday, Ayden,” says Petyr. “I want to be sure when my time comes, you’re ready for anything life throws at you. Life is cruel, sometimes even unfair but—no obstacle is too great to overcome.”

With tears in my eyes I stubbornly turn away from him and stare out the window of his condo overlooking the Neon District. Colorful lights illuminate the lively neighborhood. I want to be down there.

“Ayden,” he says softly, but somehow sternly as well. “Listen to me. A life on the streets is no life at all. Those people down there aren’t who you are. You’re an amazing young man with an amazing gift. A gift that could one day change the world. But it breaks my heart to see you use it to pickpocket.”

“It’s all I know how to do,” I say under my breath.

“No, that is not true,” he says. “You just picked up some bad habits is all. Habits can be unlearned, and people can change. Look at me, I was an alcoholic for years until I realized I was doing more harm than good. I turned my life around. I’m not saying it’ll happen overnight but in time, and I want to be there for you every step of the way.”

He places his hand on my shoulder and a cold chill cascades down my spine. Everything dissolves, liquifying into a blur of estranged, indistinguishable shapes.

I wake suddenly, feeling a cold trickle down the side of my cheek. I wipe away the semi-dried tear with my palm. The bedroom door opens in the distance, followed by sluggish footsteps against the hardwood floor. I pretend to be asleep but Keith whispers my name.

“Ayden, are you awake?” he asks. I try to find him the darkness, and vaguely make out his shape from the hall.

“Yeah,” I reply back. I power on the flashlight on my cybernetic and guide him to me. He lies down beside me. It’s a tight fit so I remove the pillows to make room.

“I’m sorry I snapped like that,” I say to him and kissing the top of his forehead.

“I’m sorry I locked you out,” he replies.

“It’s okay. I’ve been acting like a selfish asshole. What are you doing up this early anyway?”

“I couldn’t sleep, then I sensed something was wrong and came out here to check on you.”

“Well, I’m fine,” I reply. “I’m more worried about you though. You haven’t gotten any sleep.”

“I was up all night thinking about you. Then I called my grandma and we talked a bit about why you’d make such risky decision.”

“I’m doing this for Petyr and my mother.”

“I realize that now. I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t do the same thing if I were in your shoes. I’m just really worried is all.”

“I know,” I solemnly reply. I gently stroke his back with my palm. He falls asleep in my arms within minutes. I stay awake, contemplating the choice I’ve made. I’m more confident than ever. Lupo will pay.

The sun crests over the horizon, and an unmarked humvee takes me to the ABI headquarters in Capitala city. We arrive at a security checkpoint. The driver, who remained practically quiet as a mouse the entire trip, hands the security guard his identification for validation. After getting the green light, the driver proceeds through an underground parking complex. He then stops at a designated drop off zone where a woman dressed in a white blouse and black pencil skirt is waiting. I step out of the humvee with my duffle bag of belongings then approach her. She greets me with a smile.

“Ayden O’Hara?”

I nod my head.

“My name is Sandra Holland. I’m an administrator here at ABI. If you follow me, I’ll take you to the conference room where you’ll be meeting the other recruits.”

She guides me into a glass elevator nearby then presses the button for the twelfth floor. The open layout of the lift offers an unique viewing experience as we transition through each level, making it slightly more entertaining than your average closed-off elevator ride. We arrive at our floor and I follow Sandra down a curved and spacious hallway. The conference rooms line the outer edge of the building. Large glass windows offer a glimpse into each conference room. I glance into each one, fascinated by what important meeting could be taking place.

Sandra shows me to a conference room labeled 12B. Peering inside, I see three men gathered conversing around a wide table. Sandra opens the door and the chatter instantly stops. At once they look to me with visible shock and disbelief. One of the men, whose face is decorated with many small tattoos, stifles his laughter into the arm of the man sitting beside him. The third person, whose bald head led me to believe she was a male at first, attempts a smile to mask her astonishment.

“Hello everyone!” Sandra announces cheerfully, completely oblivious to aura of the room. “I appreciate your patience. This is our final recruit, Ayden O’Hara.”

The man who was stifling his chuckle like some wild hyena bursts into full laughter and slaps his palm against the surface of the table. I refuse to let him get under my skin. I take a seat next to the bald woman then set my bag down at my feet.

“I’m going to notify the Captain everyone is here. Ayden, can I get you a cup of coffee or tea?”

“Some chocolate milk? Or maybe some apple juice?” snickers the tattooed man.

“Jorge!” says the bald woman. Her voice is rough and raspy like a smoker. He immediately stops laughing and sinks down in his chair.

“I don’t need anything right now, thank you,” I reply to Sandra. With a single nod, she parts from the conference room. The bald woman turns to me with an apologetic look.

“I’m so sorry for his overreaction,” she says, cutting a mean look to him. “Jorge doesn’t know how to control himself around other people.”

“Aye, muchacha. I was just having a little fun. It’s a harmless joke!” Jorge whines unsympathetically.

The bald woman gestures to herself. “My name is Pyrrha. The two old farts on the other side of the table are Jorge and Dawud. The three of us served in the DSSO as Heroes before we were retired.”

I look to Jorge and Dawud in contrast to Pyrrha. She’s young, at least in her early thirties with a long, horizontal scar beneath her left eye.

The man named Dawud lurches forward in his chair, crossing his arms over his large, beefy chest. His eyes rapidly dart up in down in silent judgement.

“So you’re the other Kinetic? You don’t seem like much...” he scoffs disapprovingly. “What’s the most you can lift? Are you even a category three?”

Pyrrha sighs wearily. “Dawud, you can’t underestimate people like that. Remember the Odessa Revolts?”

He narrows his eyes with annoyance. “I remember you losing a leg. Not me.”

“Then you know first hand that you shouldn’t underestimate anyone, just like those agricultural workers... besides, he looks like he’s earned some battle scars,” she says, bobbing her head around to get a better view of my cybernetic.

“I noticed that robo-arm too. It looks a lot better than your leg. New even,” says Jorge. Pyrrha rolls her eyes and shrugs off his comment.

“So what happened there?” she asks.

“It happened a long time ago,” I say. “I lost my arm in the Grand Metro Station bombing.”

The room falls eerily silent. Pyrrha cups her mouth, gasping in horror. Dawud and Jorge appear to be more intrigued by my answer, eagerly leaning forward in their seats to hear more.

“I-I don’t remember the details. I just know the bombing claimed my mother’s life and took my arm,” I reply.

“I’m so sorry. That must’ve been so traumatic for you,” Pyrrha says sympathetically. I shrug.

“Yeah... it was,” I notice the Jorge staring intensely. He squints and then his eyes widen suddenly.

“You were at EvGeni during the shooting! You’re the Asian kid who took out that Pyro!”

The trio collectively erupt into chatter. I watch silently as the Dawud and Jorge express their differences while Pyrrha tries to control their debate.

“It was me,” I speak up. “I-I killed the Pyro. It was an accident though. I didn’t mean to.”

They cease their argument and look at me perplexed.

“Didn’t mean to?” asks Pyrrha.

“I didn’t mean to kill him. I lost my grip on him and he fell,”

“Sounds like you killed him,” I hear Dawud murmur under his breath.

“They we’re showing exclusive footage of the fight on ANN this morning. That’s why I recognized you!” Jorge quickly interjects.

“We’re they?” I ask, mostly concerned.

“You were pretty impressive. I’ve fought Pyros before, they’re tough fuckers,” Jorge says looking to Pyrrha and playfully winking his eye.

Without warning, the door opens behind us. The four of us become silent. A young woman storms into the room. She’s stern looking, with a crisp jawline and blonde hair cascading down the left side of her face. Interestingly, the right side of her head appears to be mechanically reconstructed with cybernetics, including the entirety of her right arm and shoulder. The technology is unfamiliar, there’s no visible marking or brand logo so I suspect the cybernetics to be DIY or military edition.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Captain Elnora,” she says at the front of the conference table. I take a moment to study her profile. She’s young, possibly younger than me and incredibly short. I hadn’t noticed it until just now. Judging by the proportions visible from the conference table, she’s no taller than five feet inches. Jorge snickers, and Pyrrha hides her face behind her hand in shame.

“Is something funny, Mr. Gutierrez?” she asks unamused.

“Just a joke I remembered, ma’am,” he replies.

“Is the joke perhaps your poor tactics on the Canteron assignment three years ago? You know, the one where you failed to capture and arrest the infamous drug lord, Bhen-Va-Harral? How many units did you lose under your command during the firefight? A dozen, was it? That’s not including the civilians caught in the crossfire, so that skyrockets to thirteen souls lost.”

A vein throbs from Jorge’s neck and his face turns beet red with anger. He lashes out and slams his fists against the table, puncturing the hard wooden surface and forming two fist-shaped craters.

“You weren’t there! How do you even know about that assignment?!”

“The mission reports went public about a few months ago. Anyone can read them,” she replies smarmily. Dawud pats Jorge’s back, encouraging him to settle down. “Now if there won’t be any interruptions, I’d like to introduce myself further. Again, I’m Captain Elnora. In my youth, I was a science experiment for some bad people...”

She gazes at her cybernetic arm, reminiscing with an almost troubled expression. “I was equipped with advanced neural implants, transforming me into a cyborg. A walking human supercomputer. I was eventually saved by some good men here at the ABI, and I worked hard to have the privilege of leading this task force to capturing Lupo.”

“So how exactly do you plan on catching this woman?” huffs Dawud.

“Ah, Mr. Abidi, I almost didn’t notice you were in the room you’re so quiet. How’re your migraines?” she asks with a nonchalant grin. Dawud narrows his eyes.

“I’m managing,” he replies with a cold grunt.

“I must say though, I was quite impressed with your dossier. You were a valuable asset to the DSSO, one of their top Kinetics. You served five tours, each one about four years in length and retired shortly after the Odessa Revolts when Pyrrha was relieved of duty.”

Captain Elnora focuses her sights to Pyrrha, smiling genuinely. “Ms. Hart, I see transitioning to the civilian workforce didn’t last long. How’s the leg?”

“Oh-oh! It’s good. It’s really good. Certainly beats having no leg,” she chuckles.

“Only good?” the Captain says condescendingly. “That won’t do. I’ll be sure to have you fitted you with the best cybernetic limb the ABI has to offer.”

“Oh, uh, thank you ma’am,” Pyrrha replies humbly. Elnora’s sights shoot beyond Pyrrha and onto me. Her gaze pierces my soul. I hold my breath, anxious to hear what she knows about me.

“And who the fuck are you?” she snarls.

“My name is Ayden O’Hara, ma’am,” I reply confidently as I can. “I spoke with the Prime Minister yester—”

Captain Elnora interrupts me with a raise of her palm. She gazes intensely into my eyes, her right pupil widens and narrows like a camera shutter. Suddenly hundreds of electronic documents populate at the palm of her hand at incomprehensible speeds. Her eyes dart back and forth as she analyzes the information. She then makes a fist, severing the data feed.

“Ayden O’Hara. Born November 5th, 2221. You survived the Grand Metro Station bombing which claimed the life of your mother, Anna, when you were only six years of age. With no close relatives to take you in, social services placed you in custody of EvGeni’s Foster Program for Gifted Children. At the age of eighteen, you filed for independency and attempted a life on your own. With only a high school level education and zero work experience, you succumbed to a life crime where you were charged with two misdemeanor accounts of theft. According to your medical files, you are registered as a ‘borderline category three Kinetic’ suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. No doubt, witnessing hundreds of people perish before your very eyes tends to have that effect on people…”

Captain Elnora rubs the bridge of her nose, shaking her head in disappointment.

“The Prime Minister really scraped the bottom of the barrel with you, didn’t he?” she mutters. “You have no military background. Why are you even here? Why did you accept?”

A knot forms in my throat at the worst possible moment, but I find the confidence to reply. “I joined because I want to be the one to take down Lupo myself.”

Elnora crosses her arms and grins. “That’s a good enough motive for me,” she claps her hands together. “Okay! Now that introductions are over, let’s discuss what this task force is and who we’re facing.”

The lights dim in the room and the window shutters lower to block out the morning sun. A round projector emerges from a hidden compartment in the center of the conference table. The mug shots and criminal records of the four escaped convicts project simultaneously before us.

“Alright. We are Task Force Phalanx, a counter terrorism group specializing in Gifted combat.” Elnora says. “The Prime Minister and Director York has given us direct orders to capture Lupo, and put a stop to the potential threat of the Gifted rogues.”

A footage still of the EvGeni lobby the night of the shooting appears in the middle of hologram. The still overlooked a sea of bodies with the pregnant woman leading the convicts towards the exit. Captain Elnora zooms directly onto the pregnant woman’s smug face. A chill shivers down my back.

“Goddess… she’s pregnant…” gasps Pyrrha.

“Much like the original Lupo, the identity of the perpetrator is unknown. Facial recognition has not been able to match her with any existing Arcathian civilian records. Based on footage alone, we can discern her to be in her late twenties, early thirties with a tattoo of a wolf head on her left bicep. It’s not much but it does help.”

“How was someone in her condition able to bypass security?” asks Jorge.

“She’s Gifted,” replies Captain Elnora. “A Mnemokinetic. She was able to manipulate guards to grant access to restricted areas of EvGeni.”

“What is being done right now to actively search for these escaped convicts and Lupo?” asks Pyrrha.

“Good question. The ABI has dispatched hundreds of surveillance drones throughout the city and potential attack sites in search of them. They haven’t spotted anything yet but we hope to soon enough. Moving on...”

The Captain closes the image of Lupo then zooms into the criminal file of the grotesque acid spitter.

“This is Gerard Moreau, a Reflux. Some of you might know him as Midnight Toad, the ruthless serial killer who terrorized the United States East coast for years before his capture. His body can produce potent gastric acids strong enough to melt metal.”

“What was he like?” asks Jorge quietly.

“Fast,” I reply. “His acid spit travels as fast as a bullet.”

The Captain selects the profile of the young female telekinetic. Her mugshot looks different than I remember. She looks younger and healthier. Her face is unblemished and her hair is glossy and well kempt. It must be an old picture.

“This is Lila Porter. She is the most power Kinetic ever documented, able to lift just over eight tons. She wears an inhibitor chip which restricts her power, but it can be removed provided she has the necessary surgical equipment. We don’t know what kind of resources her new friend may have but we must always assume she is at full power.”

“What did she do to get locked up?” I ask. The Captain shrugs.

“Her parents were just afraid of her,” the Captain replies. She selects the the final two files, the twins.

“These two are… strange. Connor and Luke Petrov are both Glimmers, able to change their visual appearance at will or even turn themselves invisible to the naked eye. Luke, the youngest, has an unhealthy obsession with his older brother. Connor took this to his advantage and convinced him to kill their parents. Since they can wear any face, it will be tough for the drones to find them, but we hope others will lead us to them.”

From the corner of my eye I see movement on the other side of the office window. The door swings open. I nearly jump from my seat. Doctor Hsu enters dressed in a forest green tailored suit followed by two heavily armored DSSO marines and an older gentleman decorated in a plethora of medallions and ribbons over his uniform. Doctor Hsu briefly scans the room with fire in her eyes. I sigh. This is it. I knew this moment would come, I just didn’t think it would be this soon.

“Who the hell is in charge here?” exclaims Doctor Hsu. “Where is Director York?”

“That would be me, and the director is with the Prime Minister in Central,” Captain Elnora says boldy, crossing her arms over her chest.

The fire in Doctor Hsu’s eyes burns ten times brighter. “Who are you exactly?”

“I believe I answered your question just seconds ago. I’m the one in charge,” she replies sarcastically.

Doctor Hsu snarls. “You little brat, I should—”

“Jennifer, that is enough. There’s no point in wasting our energy here,” says the older man who I now recognize as Fleet Admiral Tanaka of the DSSO. The two marines step aside and allow the heavily decorated older man to present himself besides the doctor. He stands tall and proud, with his arms behind his back. Jennifer takes a deep breath and to her disagreement, holds her tongue.

“Fleet Admiral Tanaka. A pleasure to meet you,” says Captain Elnora.

“You say it’s a pleasure but your expression tells me otherwise. I assume you know why we are here,” says the Fleet Admiral. He looks over to the four of us with a melancholy look of disappointment.

“It’s most unfortunate to see you three here...” he comments. Pyrrha and Jorge hang their heads in shame. Dawud, however, glares at the Admiral grudgingly and hides his clenched fists under the table.

“We have warrants to arrest the Prime Minister and Director York for violating the terms of the Hero Accord,” says the Fleet Admiral. “If you wish not to suffer the same fate, I suggest you disband immediately. I know you wish to protect your homeworld from this growing threat but this is a matter for the DSSO, not the Prime Minister’s or the ABI. I trust you’ll understand, like how I’ve trusted many of you before.”

A part of me clings to the idea that this task force will work out despite the accord, I’m not ready to give up. To quit now would be the ultimate betrayal against Petyr. I look up towards Doctor Hsu who senses my conflict. She gestures me to join her.

“It’s okay…” she mouths silently. Despite my strong feelings to stay, I put my hands flat on the table then rise from my seat.

“I’m sorry, Fleet Admiral, but my team and I do not answer to you or the DSSO,” huffs Captain Elnora. I stop midway and watch as she pulls up the Prime Minister’s State of the Union address love from Central office on her cybernetic arm.

“...the DSSO and USH cannot protect us!” Prime Minister exclaims from his desk. “...The situation with Lupo has gone beyond a boiling point, and the pot is beginning to overflow! Lupo is more dangerous than ever, and gaining followers! We cannot wait for the DSSO’s direct intervention any longer! I say the time for action is now! I say we be the hand that shuts off the burner and put an end to Lupo and these rogue Gifted!”

A few other officials standing beside the Prime Minister applaud.

“...As some of us know, the USH and DSSO enforced the Hero Accord shortly after the Extinction War. The accord was signed by every USH representative to ensure the power of these amazing members of society wouldn’t fall into the wrong hands. But this is our most desperate hour and we need Heroes now more than ever! This is why I’ve signed an executive order for Arcathia to secede from the United Systems of Humanity to establish ourselves as the Sovereign Planet of Arcathia!”

Almost everyone in the room, including myself gasp.

“Now, if I may turn your attention to Director York of the ABI! He is going to talk about Task Force Phalanx, the solution to our problems!”

We catch a glimpse of a sharply dressed man with chiseled jawline approach his desk before Captain Elnora cuts the feed. I sit down in disbelief. This was the loophole Doctor Hsu foresaw.

“You have no jurisdiction here, we’re immune to your authority,” Elnora says smugly.

Doctor Hsu’s face looks as if about to burst from her shoulders. Fleet Admiral Tanaka however is expressionless, and twists the gray hairs of his mustache with his fingers. He sucks his teeth.

“Alright, pack it up. We’ll leave this to the USH,” he says. Doctor Hsu stomps out of the room, shoving past the two marines in a fit of anger.

“We should be going too as well,” says Captain Elnora. “My team and I have a very long day to look forward to.”