"So, Miss Alastair is returning from the southern front?" Damien raised his eyebrows, recalling the punishment his boss had received for taking him on as her subordinate. She deployed to the south for some unknown mission. It appears that it was time for her to return.
"The deployment took longer than expected. It should have been concluded within a week, which means that something in the south required her attention." Francine explained while placing her pale hand over her ample hips.
"How long will it take for her to arrive in New York?" He inquired, curious about when she would reach Staten Island, where the SIGIL Headquarters resided.
His senior furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head. "Miss Alastair has already arrived in New York. Ready yourself, I'll wait outside."
Without any delay, Francine stepped out of Damien's private quarters, leaving him with an eerie silence that permeated throughout its interior. He took a deep breath and quickly attired himself in the black suit of SIGIL.
As he placed a fedora over the strands of his pitch-black hair, Damien stepped out of his room and met his senior outside of his private quarters. "Should we wait at the entrance of the headquarters?"
"She already called me and wanted to meet up in Brooklyn," Francine explained as the two of them walked through the concrete hallway that led to the exit of the SIGIL Headquarters.
"It seems that she brought the fourth member of Block 7 with her. Your junior, Damien." She continued while her plump velvet lips curved into a gentle smile. "You should take care of the newest member."
Damien nodded in understanding, though a realization struck him after hearing about the fourth member. "Doesn't this imply that Miss Alastair got delayed because of my new colleague?"
Francine halted for a moment, acknowledging the words of her junior. It made sense. It sounds like the identity of her second junior was much more complicated than she imagined. "Possible..."
"Perhaps Miss Alastair invited a troublesome fellow. But no harm is done. SIGIL has already accepted an Aberrant in its ranks. I doubt anything can go beyond that." She confidently stated, earning the nod of her junior.
Glancing at the briefcase beneath his fingers, Francine's gentle smile widened as she nodded at him with clear satisfaction. "Jaegers should have a habit of bringing their weapons with them, regardless of the situation."
"As expected of my junior, you learned fast."
No matter the situation, the world was as unexpected as it could be. You could be drinking tea early in the morning and fighting for your life a minute later. Her junior had already picked up the customs of their profession. She was proud.
Damien rubbed the back of his neck and decided to change the subject. "I have a good teacher training me. In any case, are the higher-ups aware of the fourth member?"
His arrival at the SIGIL Headquarters was spontaneous. There was no warning for the ruling bodies of the organization, prompting them to punish the seventh Paragon. After all, employing an Aberrant was unheard of.
"They shouldn't be aware. It must be why Miss Alastair wanted to meet us in Brooklyn." Francine replied and continued walking until they arrived at the exit of the headquarters.
The breeze gushed from above, swaying strands of their hair. The radiance of the golden sun reflected from their pale skin. It was warm and somewhat soothing.
"Francine, how about I teleport us to Miss Alastair?" Damien suggested that he didn't want to waste time riding a vehicle. It would probably take half an hour to reach their destination.
After all, leaving Staten Island required several inspections. The only ones exhibited from this were the Paragons of SIGIL. Those below the powerhouses would have to follow the rules of authority.
Francine raised her eyebrows and felt a bit intrigued. "You can teleport others?" She wasn't ignorant of his capabilities in instantaneous spatial transportation. But she expected Damien to be only capable of teleporting himself.
"Well, I just discovered this part of my ability. However, I would have to locate Miss Alastair first before teleporting the two of us. It would probably take a couple of minutes." He clarified and summoned the Freedom Eagle, Sky.
A piercing screech echoed from the heavens as a giant eagle soared through the blue skies. Francine watched as the summoned monster became a dot gliding from above. 'An aetheric beast?'
She wondered if her junior had learned how to manipulate aetheric beasts to fight for him. After all, there were reports about multiple monsters fighting against the sixth Paragon before her arrival. She also saw some of them while clashing with her former master.
But she decided to throw it in the back of her mind. It was important for some of Damien's abilities to be a secret. Information was one of the pillars of strength between powerhouses.
After all, there were some Brands that were no different from hacking reality. It was for this reason that Jaegers rarely fought one another. Even a weak one could unveil a trump card of unprecedented magnitude.
Jaeger confrontations usually never lasted longer than a minute. If neither side could secure victory beyond this duration, it was a draw. Unless, of course, an adversary was willing to die with their opponent.
It was good that her junior was utilizing versatility and expanding his array of skills. It made her assured in his capabilities to survive against weak powerhouses.
As Sky reached the heavens above Brooklyn, its gaze peered through the cityscape and scanned the streets for signs of the seventh Paragon. It didn't take long for its eyes to concentrate in a simple cafe near the river.
"I found Miss Alastair, Francine." Damien immediately reported and activated the Raptured Blink for long-range teleportation.
Meanwhile, strands of silver hair shifted with the breeze as Alastair's pearl-like eyes gazed toward the blue skies where a giant eagle circled them from above. Her crimson, supple lips curved into an arrogant smirk.
She placed the soda on the table and proudly remarked. "It seems that my Aberrant has grown. Looks like Francine trained him well. As expected, I wasn't wrong about his potential."
As she chuckled with interest, she turned her attention towards the crimson-haired teenager nearby. The young one's eyebrows seemed perpetually furrowed and annoyed, but the crimson-haired girl's beauty wasn't to be underestimated.
She was a volatile beauty, an emotional and stubborn girl. It took quite a while to employ the girl under Block 7. But it was all worth it.
"Master, where are these members of ours?" The newest colleague of their division questioned, her patience running out. Alastair merely grinned and waved her pale hand. "They should be arriving soon."
As if proving her words, the air above them cracked into pieces as reality fractured. A black mist enveloped the entirety of the cafe, attracting the attention of nearby bystanders. The crimson-haired girl covered her face with her arm and focused on the newly arrived figures.
Her heart palpitated as her instincts screamed and her senses went overdrive. Without an inkling of hesitation, she trusted her intuition and intended to attack.
As she was about to strike the ones that had recently arrived through a black mist poured by the fracture of reality, Alastair glanced at her with a cold gaze that oppressed the entirety of her being.
In mere moments, her determination faltered, and the unmoving silence followed.
"You shouldn't attack your dear seniors, Hecate."