[Current scene - Inside the factory].
The group was getting ready for the patrol to the lab. Bulwark was checking maps, Ricochet was adjusting his boomerang, Blockwave was spinning a makeshift detector. Shiftie, uneasy, approached Yume, who was sitting quietly against the wall.
-Yume... -Aoi said, almost in a whisper, "Why did you leave the Cult?
Yume looked up slowly. Her expression, for once, was not sarcastic. She nodded her head slightly.
-...It's alright.
[Flashback begins - a year ago]
A narrow corridor. Damp walls. Leaking pipes. Yume walks with unsteady steps, a white coat over his uniform, surgical gloves on.
-Today it's your turn," says the boss, a tall, gelled-haired man with a marble smile. Do the honours.
Yume looks at the phosphorescent green syringe he holds out. She trembles slightly, but takes it.
-What kind is it? -he asks.
-The boss responds, opening a metal door. But don't get excited. It's bound to fail.
The room is cold. In the centre, a boy of about 12 is tied to a metal chair. He is wearing hospital pyjamas. He shivers. His eyes... are wide open, big, empty and hopeful at the same time.
Yume freezes.
-What... what happened to her parents? -she asks in a weak voice.
-Delivered," the boss replies indifferently. They promised a gifted son. Today we'll know if they lied.
Yume takes a step towards the boy.
-What is your name? The boy whispers:
-Ren.
A heavy hand falls on his shoulder.
-Give it to him. Don't keep him waiting.
Yume bows. The boy looks at her. He doesn't cry. Just... wait. Yume hesitates, but finally inserts the needle into his neck.
The green liquid enters.
Ren convulses. She screams. His spine arches. The chair vibrates. From his throat comes an inhuman roar, as if every unspoken word explodes at once.
-Get in! -It's collapsing the ear canal!
Tentacles begin to emerge from its back, black filaments covered in a kind of fibrous skin that vibrates like violin strings. The air fills with an unbearable, high-pitched, screeching sound.
-Ha! -laughs a recruiter. Another beast for the dustbin!
Yume steps back. She covers her ears. Something inside her snaps.
-Stop it! -she shouts. Her field of silence is activated by instinct.
The room is mute. The creature continues to scream... but no one can hear it. The recruiters laugh soundlessly, mocking his attempt to calm the situation. The boss gestures. Armed security enters. Ren breaks the straps. He stands up.
-Put him back on the table! -shouts the boss.
But Ren is no longer Ren. A sonorous tongue engulfs everything. A tentacle pierces the boss and throws him against a wall.
Panic. Lights explode. Alarms sound. Yume runs. He runs without looking back. She sees only a hole the creature opened when it escaped.
She runs out into the street, panting. Behind her, a recruiter follows her.
-Yume! Stop! Come back or you're a traitor! He doesn't run alone. He has a syringe.
-Don't you want to go back? -he says. Then you'll die like the failures.
He sees a homeless man asleep in the corner of the alley. Without hesitation, he sticks him with the syringe.
The man's body writhes. In seconds he becomes a skeletal beast, jaw slack and spines vibrating like broken guitars.
-Kill it! -he orders.
Yume runs. She stumbles. The monster chases her through the shadows, roaring in a distorted echo. It reaches a dead end.
She screams.
-SOMEONE! -HELP!
A wall of blue light explodes in front of it. The creature crashes into it and bounces backwards.
A boy with a torn jacket, sodden hair and a furious look appears in front of her, panting.
-Are you all right? -he shouts.
Yume can't speak. She only sees the shield that separates them from the monster.
-Who... are you? -she mutters.
-Daiki," he says, holding back the pain. Or... well. I don't have a hero's name yet. But I'm not going to let you die today.
[End of flashback - back at the factory.]
Silence.
Aoi's eyes are wet. Haruto looks at her in shock.
-...Daiki? -he says, turning to Blockwave. Blockwave scratches his head uncomfortably.
-That's my real name. I don't use it much, because it sounds like the lead in a school drama....
-HAHAHAHAHA! -laughs Aoi and Haruto.
-I'm Daiki, and I passed without studying! -Haruto mimics.
-Daiki, the boy who lends you notes and saves you from the Cult! -adds Aoi.
-It's not funny! -says Blockwave, pouting dramatically. They have zero respect for the suffering of others!
Yume smiles, for the first time in a long time. Goro approaches and speaks in a soft voice:
-Yume. When we get back... can we talk, the two of us? She looks at him. He nods.
-Yes, Goro. Anytime.
[Interior of the base - Reddish sunset filtering through the broken windows]
Goro finished sharpening his ceremonial hammer. Haruto was checking the status of his boomerangs. Aoi looked at digital maps. The tension was beginning to build, simmering like electricity before the storm.
Yume, still leaning against the wall, stood up. She approached the group, looking at each of them decisively.
-I want to go with you," she said, bluntly. This time... I want to finish it. The four looked at her. Goro narrowed her eyes.
-Are you sure?
-More than ever.
Goro nodded, but with a serious gesture.
-Then change your clothes. In that outfit, anyone in the Cult will recognise you instantly.
Yume arched an eyebrow, a little confused.
-And what am I supposed to wear? Aoi brightened up immediately.
-I'll make you one!!!
Yume blinked, surprised, before Aoi grabbed her arm with unexpected strength.
-Come on, let's go! We use that room as a dressing room in the back!
-What?
-Trust me!
He dragged them to the back. As they disappeared behind a curtain hung with rusty hooks, Goro shouted at them:
-"There are boxes of old clothes over there! Check whatever you want!
[Meanwhile, at the base]
Haruto was sharpening a curved blade on his makeshift bench.
-So... tonight we're going up against one of the Cult's main labs, right? Blockwave nodded.
-Yes. It's where they do their most important experiments, from what I've heard. I've never been inside, but I know it's key to their system.
Goro crossed his arms in thought.
-We don't have blueprints. We don't know how many are inside. We're going in blind.
-But not alone," Daiki added. Yume knows more than anyone. If she goes, we have a real chance.
That's when a cheerful voice was heard from behind the curtain.
-Here's the new Yume!
Everyone turned at the same time.
Yume walked out with her arms crossed, visibly uncomfortable... but she looked stunning.
She wore a black two-piece suit with opaque purple details and a loose scarf that covered the lower half of her face. She had the air of an urban assassin. The top was tight and open-backed, just enough to make anyone sweat. Fingerless gloves. Military boots. Eyes lined.
Daiki froze. His face reddened as if his head had been stuck in an oven.
-Wh-wh-what... what is that...?
-Does it look bad? -Yume asked, genuinely confused.
-No, no-no, it's not bad! -Daiki stammered, covering his face, "It's... it's fine! It's functional! Tactical! PRESPECTUALLY TACTICAL!
Haruto burst out laughing.
-It's perfect! It's even scary. Goro sighed.
-That's fine. The important thing is that they don't recognise her. Aoi appeared behind Yume, bursting with pride.
-I made it myself! With scraps of old clothes, a curtain and a lot of urban warfare fashion inspiration!
Everyone smiled, even Yume, who looked down with a slight blush.
[Shortly after - Tall building in front of the laboratory]
The five of them were crouched on the rooftop of a dilapidated building. From there they could see the Cult complex: a three-storey grey building, with internal lights and constant patrolling.
Yume looked at the walls.
-They've fixed the hole. There's no trace of what happened....
-Visible guards," Goro said through the binoculars. Two at the main gate, armed. There are cameras on the outer walls.
Yume nodded.
-I can see the patterns. Those two cameras rotate in sequence. And there's another at the side entrance. If they break one, the operator will know instantly.
Goro lowered the binoculars and gently touched Aoi's shoulder.
-It's your turn, Shiftie. Harness your power. Aoi swallowed.
-But... I'll make noise when I walk. Yume stepped forward.
-Don't worry. I'll take care of the noise.
They both slipped down the outside staircase and descended to the alley level. They crept up to the barred door. Yume hid behind a pillar and held out her arm with spread fingers.
A dense aura enveloped the area. Silence fell like an invisible bell.
Aoi closed her eyes. She took a deep breath.
-Thank you..." she whispered.
Yume smiled at her.
-You can do it.
Aoi vanished into thin air like a sigh. He moved forward slowly. The two guards saw nothing... until they fell to the ground with dry blows to the back of their necks.
-I did it! -he said happily.
Then he put his hands to his mouth.
-I'm sorry!
-Don't worry," Yume replied, still inside the camp. No one outside heard him. From the building, Goro watched through the binoculars.
-Target accomplished.
Haruto and Daiki raised their fists in restrained joy.
-Go, Shiftie! -celebrated Haruto.
-Well done! -added Daiki.
Even Goro gave a brief, approving smile.
[In front of the main gate]
Yume looked up, serious.
-The cameras are still active. If we go in like this, they'll see us. Haruto flicked his wrist. His boomerang appeared.
-Shall I break them?
-No!" said Yume, stopping him. "If the operator sees anything break, he'll activate the evacuation protocol. We have to deactivate them first.
-How do I do that? -Aoi asked nervously.
Haruto rummaged in his backpack and pulled out a small, shiny object: a camera the size of a thimble, with a clip.
-With this. You put it on your scarf. We'll see what you see. And Yume will guide you. Aoi blinked.
-Me? Do all that by myself?
-You can do it," Yume said firmly.
Aoi took a deep breath. She clenched her fists.
-I'll do it. I'll do it.
Haruto opened his laptop on the floor and plugged in the microcamera signal. Goro leaned over a grate in the wall.
-Enter through this duct. It leads to the maintenance corridor. From there you can get to the monitor room.
Aoi approached the duct. Before entering, she looked at everyone. They were with her. She slipped inside. The metal creaked softly.
And the mission, at last, had begun.
[Inside the ducts - Cult Laboratory]
Aoi crawled through the narrow ducts, watching her every breath. Metal creaked softly beneath her knees, mingling with her racing pulse.
-Right or left? -he whispered over the radio, swallowing a sneeze of dust. On the other side, Daiki hesitated.
-I... I have no idea. Everything looks the same from here.
An awkward silence. Then Yume's voice filled his ears, dry but precise.
-Show what you see.
Aoi moved her microcamera closer to a rusty grille. Below, flickering lights and damp corridors stretched like veins.
-That broken pipe," Yume muttered. You're near the security room. Go straight ahead two metres, turn left at the fork and look for a square grate.
Aoi obeyed. The increasingly stuffy air made her break out in a cold sweat. Finally, she saw the crack: a small room, a half-asleep guard in front of monitors full of cameras.
-I've got him. I'm going in.
-Remember, Quiet Bloom, cover your sound," Daiki said, lowering his voice. No one outside will hear you.
Aoi took a deep breath, adjusted her scarf, and climbed down. He opened the duct carefully, almost without a squeak. It touched the ground like a whisper. The guard didn't even flinch.
Almost without thinking, he camouflaged himself with the wall. One step. Another step. He stepped behind the guard and knocked him out with a quick blow to the back of the head. The man fell over the console, beeping.
-Ouch," Aoi crouched down, staring at the screen. He needed... a print?
He dragged the unconscious guard over, put his thumb on the reader and waited. A louder beep, then the cameras flickered and went off one by one.
From the earpiece, Goro's voice boomed like a wall:
-Good job, Shiftie. Stay there. Don't move from the security room. We'll pick you up when it's clean.
Aoi puffed out her cheeks. She didn't like being left behind, but she took a deep breath.
-It's okay. I'll wait for you.
He sat in the guard's chair, the unconscious body lying next to him as if he were just asleep. He checked the black monitors. Outside, the other four advanced like shadows behind Yume, who walked ahead, reading each corridor like a book he knew by heart. The smell of cheap disinfectant and burnt wires filled the air.
[Interior - Security Room]
Time grew thick. Every second was a ringing in his ears. Aoi fiddled with a pen she found on the desk, tapping it against her knee.
Then he heard footsteps. Voices.
-Goro? -she whispered into the earpiece. No one answered.
The footsteps became clearer. A low murmur. A muffled laugh. It wasn't them.
Aoi felt a shiver run down her spine. He immediately camouflaged himself, breathing as softly as he could. He pushed the guard's body back into the chair, arranging it like a drunken mannequin. He turned off the small desk lamp.
The two guards pushed open the door.
-Hey? -said one, tapping the unconscious guard on the shoulder. Why don't you answer the radio?
He got no answer. The second guard stepped forward, frowning.
Aoi, leaning against the wall, felt her heart pounding in her chest. She caught a glimpse of a metal bar next to a shelf out of the corner of her eye.
-Come on, answer it, you idiot....
He didn't think about it. He grabbed the bar. It emerged from the camouflage like a shadow breaking: it hit the first one on the head. A dry crack. The second turned, barely had time to blink before he was hit in the jaw. Both collapsed without a scream.
Aoi was left breathing with her mouth open, trembling.
-That... was close.
He deactivated his cloak, ran out of the room and slipped down the corridor, barely looking back.
[Maintenance Corridor]
He rounded a corner at top speed and- CLONK!
His forehead slammed into another head.
-OUCH! -they both shouted at the same time.
Aoi clutched her forehead, dizzy. In front of her, Haruto was rubbing his bump, looking at her with laughter.
-Shiftie! -he said, grinning like a child. You're fine!
Goro appeared behind, serious as ever. Daiki and Yume followed close behind.
-I told you to wait in the security room," Goro growled. Aoi folded her arms, puffing out her cheeks.
-Two guards came in! I had to fight.
Daiki let out a low chuckle, with a raised thumb.
-Well done. Really.
Yume stepped forward, his voice soft but firm.
-Now that we're all here, listen up: the real lab is not up here. It's in the basement. And it's not just a warehouse.
The five of them walked together to an industrial lift built into a cracked wall. Yume stood in front of the side scanner. A red beam of light flashed across her eye.
-Dr Yume," said a metallic voice. Welcome.
A secret compartment opened next to the normal buttons. There was only one floor marked -1.
Yume took a deep breath and pressed the button.
-Prepare to see... the worst.
The lift shook and began its descent.
[Interior - Elevator heading to level -1]
The lift vibrated like a heart about to burst. The echoing of the gears mingled with the group's bated breath. No one spoke. Only Yume broke the silence.
-Be ready. We're not just going to find tubes and cages. They know we'd come for this.
Shiftie swallowed, holding the hand of her scarf as if it were a charm. Haruto swung his boomerang in silence. Daiki stared at his reflection in the metal wall, drawing the shape of a barrier in the air. Goro held his ceremonial hammer, his steel knuckles throbbing like contained lava.
A muffled ding marked his arrival. The doors opened.
[Interior - Level -1, main corridor of the laboratory]
Fluorescent tubes flickered, illuminating a corridor wide as a beast's throat. There were pools of murky water, dry stains on the walls and metallic echoes in the distance.
In front of them, as if they had been waiting for them, ten guards with black helmets and raised rifles formed a line. One shouted:
-Stop! You are trespassing on Awakening Cult property!
Goro stepped forward, transforming his arms into polished steel.
-Bulwark," Haruto snarled, grinning crookedly. Shall I tell them something funny? They think they can stop us.
-Don't talk," spat Goro, raising his hammer. The first shot went off.
Shiftie disappeared in a whisper, zigzagging through the shadows. Ricochet launched his electric boomerang, which ricocheted off helmets and weapons with sparks. Daiki erected a barrier that sent bullets flying back like stones.
Yume closed her eyes. His field of silence blanketed the corridor: the gunfire died away, the orders drowned out in an oppressive void. One by one, the guards were left at the mercy of blows, slashes, and knockdowns.
In less than a minute, ten uniformed bodies lay unconscious, their weapons scattered like useless toys.
Daiki shook off his hands, smiling.
-What a quiet disaster.
But there was no time for jokes. From down the corridor, three silhouettes emerged. Yume took a step back, her breath barely shaking.
-It's them..." she whispered.
The three stopped in front of an armoured door. Their eyes glowed like badly extinguished embers.
-Allow me," Yume said, taking a deep breath. Meet my old demons.
He pointed to the one in the centre: a tall man, gelled hair, stained white dressing gown and marble smile.
-That's Kanzaki, my boss. He controls Dominion Waves: he can solidify sound frequencies and mould them into vibrating blades. He is the one who designed the mutation rituals.
The one on the right was a woman with shaved hair and scars on her jaw, armed with shiny metal gloves.
-Misora. It displaces electrical currents through her skin. It can overload any machine... or person.
The third, a young man with an expressionless face, removed a surgical mask, revealing eyes as red as coals.
-And this is Kurou. He is a "pure Awakened One". His blood mutated to create micro- organisms that devour living tissue. With a scratch, he can rot flesh... and cement.
Kanzaki stepped forward, her smile widening.
-Yume... our runaway flower. You finally returned to the root. Yume glared at him.
-This time to pluck it.
Without warning, Misora snapped her fingers. Lightning flashed across the ground, forcing Daiki to throw up a barrier. The discharge dispersed, shaking the ceiling lights.
Kurou licked his lips.
-New bodies to propagate me...
Goro pounded the floor with his hammer. The metallic echo filled the hallway.
-Enough speeches.
Haruto stepped up beside him, boomerang at the ready.
-Shiftie! Distract them.
Aoi took a deep breath, disappearing into the shadows of tubes and wires. Yume walked forward, his field of silence expanding like a wave. Kanzaki swung a hand, generating sonic blades that bounced off Daiki's barrier and slammed into the wall.
Misora charged at Bulwark, discharging bolts of lightning into his steel chest. The spark knocked him back, but Goro grinned.
-Electricity doesn't melt steel, child.
Kurou let out a growl, lunging at Ricochet. His fingernails lengthened like black scalpels. Haruto rolled on the ground, dodging a deadly slash, and threw his reinforced boomerang that sliced through a strand of crimson tentacles.
Shiftie appeared behind Kanzaki, striking him in the back of the head. But a sonorous blade emerged from her palm, forcing her to jump back.
-Don't let it touch you! -Yume shouted.
Daiki, sweating, created two barriers that blocked each sonic slash.
-I can't keep this up forever!
Yume turned to his companions, his voice vibrating in the thick air.
-Split them up! If they fight together, they'll tear us apart. Kurou must be burned or frozen. Misora is vulnerable if you get her wet. And Kanzaki... Kanzaki is only strong if they scream.
Goro spat out a grunt of laughter.
-Then we'll shut him up for good.
Yume activated his silence field to maximum. Kanzaki, trapped, felt his ripples cut off. A spark of fear crossed his smile.
The battle, then, began in earnest.