The exclusion zone of Manhattan was enclosed by towering fortified concrete walls. Alongside the East River, the enclosed fortifications divided the exclusion zone from the broader city of New York. But the ruined borough wasn't wholly sealed.
Connecting the great divide between remnants of human civilization and its ruins were the bastion bridges, three of which were fettered to Brooklyn: the Brooklyn Bastion Bridge, the Manhattan Bastion Bridge, and the Williamsburg Bastion Bridge.
Each of these bridges was fortified to the teeth, bunkered, and prepared for the worst. The garrisons spent most of their time patrolling the nearby walls, ensuring that nothing could escape the containment perimeter.
After all, New York was hardened by the tragedies and catastrophes brought about by the black tower looming over the skyline in the Bronx. Whether it'd be the aetheric beasts of Aberrants, humanity was prepared.
Although for the first time in their careers, the guards of the bastion bridges found themselves bewildered. Artillery batteries were aimed at the entrance, while heavy machine gun placements were directed towards a lone individual.
Inside their fortifications, alarms bellowed as aetheric signature spiked. The extreme concentration of aether heralded the emergence of an Aberrant. Yet, standing near the entrance with the city of Brooklyn in the distance was one young man.
One would expect an Aberrant to be in the exclusion zone, but what the hell was one doing outside inside the city? One of the garrison commanders entered the meeting room where officers gathered.
His gaze motioned through the nearby officers, prompting one of them to debrief on the current circumstance. Hearing the report, his eyes widened as he recalled one vital information he had recently received.
Since he was part of the higher echelons within the garrisons, he was granted some information regarding SIGIL operations. Without a doubt, the young man near the entrance should be the third member of Block 7.
"Stand down and let him in." After pondering for a moment, the garrison commander ordered his officers. They were astounded by the decision but followed orders nonetheless. All of them were proper and capable soldiers.
Hesitation was beaten into damnation while their hearts and minds were forged by the dangers of the New World.
Damien was somewhat exasperated by the extreme reaction of the garrison when he arrived near the Brooklyn Bastion Bridge. No one wanted to have guns pointed at them from every angle, but that was to be expected with his current identity.
Aberrants were abominations of aetheric nature. Unlike aetheric beasts, who were merely animals tainted by aether, these nonsensical monsters were built from aether itself.
Even the usual firearms were proven to be useless against them. Only a specific aetheric weapon or a Jaeger could handle the Aberrants. Even then, it took a squad of Jaegers and a powerful aetheric armament to neutralize one.
Unfortunately, aetheric weapons were beyond expensive and stood in the experimental stages. So, in the event of an Aberrant incursion, the garrison was merely meant to buy time for SIGIL.
Fortunately, the black tower of New York had long been inactive. Years have passed since its last activity, so it was considered dormant. Nevertheless, the Federation of North America didn't underestimate it.
The iron gates of the bastion bridge opened, prompting Damien to enter. As he stepped into the fortress, several soldiers surrounded him, though none seemed to point their rifles at him. At least, the misunderstanding had been cleared.
'I shouldn't have been hasty and waited for a warrant.' Damien sighed to himself, regretting his impatience regarding the commission.
But it was difficult to contain his excitement when the assignment presented his first primary mission, whose reward was a thousand Terror Points. It represented ten terrestrial monsters, two paranormal monsters, and one extraterrestrial monster.s
In any case, entering the exclusion zone wasn't easy even for the Jaegers of SIGIL. It required warrants from the Federation of North America. Even those corporate stooges from CORE couldn't bypass this law.
Walking deeper into the bastion of fortified concrete, a group of officers stood in the distance alongside their superior. It seems that his appearance has attracted some attention.
As Damien approached them, the garrison commander finally opened his mouth and remarked. "I heard of your capabilities, Sir Damien. You could have teleported into the exclusion zone without attracting attention."
The only recorded abilities of the third member of Block 7 were teleportation and a giant black hand. It wasn't the strangest, as some Jaegers wielded Brands that didn't make sense. The most infamous was the seventh Paragon, Miss Alastair.
Hearing the remark, the edges of Damien's lips curled into a smile. He had been adapting to the New World and trained his social skills with the assistance of his most beautiful senior, Francine.
It wasn't as bad as before; awkward and dull.
"I can't just waltz into the exclusion zone without a warrant. Even then, it would be better for you to be aware of my existence in the area. After all, none would want you chiming the alarm bells."
His explanation was reasonable, which made the garrison commander furrow their eyebrows. The black-suited young man in front of him wasn't the usual Jaeger, but the first intelligent Aberrant since Heaven's Fall.
Generally, it would have been a red flag, but since the seventh Paragon employed the Aberrant. Not much had occurred in the wider New World. The current landscape wasn't shifting, but regardless, the FNA and SIGIL were making their preparations.
At any rate, it wasn't the garrison commander's problem. With a diplomatic smile, the two of them shook their hands together like they were old friends. "The Brooklyn Gate is honored to be in your presence, Sir Damien."
"Your warrant has been received, and you're free to enter the exclusion zone." The garrison commander stated as they stopped shaking hands. Damien maintained his subtle smile and nodded. "Thank you for your time."
Without warning, a fracture shattered reality above him as a black hand descended and embraced him in mere moments. Dark mist filled the hall as Damien vanished from the perception of the officers and the garrison commander.
The garrison commander shook his head since he was accustomed to the peculiarities of Jaegers from SIGIL. It wasn't the first time someone had disappeared in front of him.
"At least he acts like a human."
On the other hand, somewhere within the exclusion zone of Manhattan, an eerie silence pervaded the decrepit streets while ruined towers loomed over the broken skyline. Nature had devoured the abandoned cityscape, leaving behind fauna entangled with concrete.
The calm and settled air shifted, disturbed from its rest. The empty streets echoed a silence ringing from every nook and cranny.
Above the dilapidated sidewalk, reality fractured into pieces as a black-suited young man descended with poise. Grasping onto the fedora, hugging the strands of his pitch-black hair, he observed the surroundings with scrutiny.
"So, this is the exclusion zone, huh?" Damien muttered under his breath, staring at the desolate and abandoned city. It was an unfortunate sight. To think that the once bustling Manhattan had become a forsaken land.
'I already expected such a sight, but seeing is believing. Doubts and false imaginations couldn't compare to the painfulness of the truth.' With a sigh, he walked through the decrepit streets. He was headed towards Lower Manhattan.
It was where the CORE Research Outpost was established, according to the commission intelligence. The strand researchers were last contacted within the outpost. '24 hours have passed since then.'
"Are they even alive? I guess that's why I got commissioned. Though... The air here feels different." As he traversed through the ruined city, he couldn't help but mumble in boredom.
It doesn't matter if it was metaphorical or actual; the air truly felt different to him. It seemed as though he was thrown into the ocean as a shark. His body brimmed with vitality and power.
"High density aether..." It didn't take long for him to understand his current state. Aberrants were constructed through the concentration of high-density aether. This environment practically ensured the sustenance of Aberrants.
It was no wonder Manhattan remained an exclusion zone.
Nevertheless, Damien turned his obsidian-like eyes forward and narrowed his gaze. In the distance was the research outpost of CORE. Unlike the dilapidated environment, the outpost was spotless and advanced.
"CORE... What games are you playing?"
---
Meanwhile...
Inside the SIGIL Headquarters, nestled deep within the fortifications of Staten Island, Francine walked through the concrete hallway with furrowed eyebrows. Her golden-tinted eyeglasses shifted while her ponytail swayed from behind.
A cold tint of glare escaped her sapphire-like irises as a nerve slightly popped from her forehead. She was displeased, and it wasn't without reason.
As she was about to follow behind her junior and guard him in secret during the assignment, the higher-ups had summoned her to meet them. She was infuriated as her plan got disrupted by those old men.
Although she trusted her junior's capabilities, it was better to be safe than sorry. She didn't want Damien to fall into the grimy hands of those corporate vampires. Though a bad feeling also simmered within her heart.
While the timing could be considered as nothing short of a mere chance, Francine didn't believe in coincidences. With this in mind, she charged through the headquarters and immediately reached the meeting room of the higher echelons.
"Why have you summoned me?" Inside the meeting room where the SIGIL executives surrounded her, she questioned with a displeased tone. Some of the higher-ups coughed as the one in the middle explained with a stern voice.
"The sixth Paragon of Block 6 has returned from the north."