Ian sat behind his desk, slowly working through a stack of reports. Files hovered in holographic windows above the table as he reviewed mission summaries and intelligence briefings.
The office door slid open.
Renn Varos stepped inside.
"Ian," he said calmly, "come with me to the intelligence room. There's something you'll want to see."
Ian leaned back in his chair and groaned.
"…If this is another political complaint from Iron Summit, I'm not going."
Renn shook his head.
"Trust me. It's not that."
Ian sighed and stood up.
"Alright, let's see it."
They walked down the corridor into the Intelligence Wing, where analysts and officers worked quietly beneath glowing holoscreens. In the center of the room, a projection flickered to life.
Renn gestured toward it.
"This came from the ISB."
He pressed a control.
The hologram played.
A thug stood in a dim room, someone tied to a chair behind him. The hostage struggled weakly as the man leaned toward the camera.
"Hey… we know about you."
His voice was rough.
"We know what you did to our leader."
He shoved the hostage slightly.
"If you don't show yourself… we start taking hostages."
The clip ended abruptly.
Ian folded his arms.
"Where's this from?"
Renn answered immediately.
"Graven Hollow."
Ian raised an eyebrow.
"That city's inside the Empire."
Renn nodded.
"Apparently there's a vigilante operating there. Been targeting gangs for weeks. The ISB has been monitoring it, and this video popped up overnight."
Ian watched the frozen frame of the masked figure captured in earlier footage.
"Interesting."
Renn glanced sideways.
"You're thinking something."
Ian smiled slightly.
"Maybe."
He turned toward Renn.
"What do you say we check it out ourselves?"
Renn raised an eyebrow.
"You want to go to Graven Hollow?"
"Wednesday," Ian said. "Low-profile. Just us."
He pointed toward the screen.
"If someone's capable of cleaning up a warzone city alone… they might be useful."
Renn smirked.
"Oh, I get it."
"You're recruiting."
Ian shrugged.
"Maybe."
Across the city, Caden walked through the front door of his house after school. His dad was sitting in the living room watching the news.
"Hey," his dad said. "You see this?"
Caden looked up at the TV.
The same footage played again.
"…Some crazy guy going out into Graven Hollow and fighting crime," his dad continued. "Now gangs are taking hostages trying to lure him out."
Caden kept his voice steady.
"Wow… that's crazy."
He shrugged casually.
"They're really taking hostages now? That's a bit extreme, don't you think?"
His dad shook his head.
"Yeah. They need to calm down before someone gets killed."
Caden nodded and headed upstairs.
The moment he closed his bedroom door, he grabbed his phone.
Text: Eli. Bunker. Now.
An hour later, the two stood in the underground bunker surrounded by glowing screens and equipment.
Eli pulled up a map of Graven Hollow.
"You saw the news."
"Yeah," Caden said. "We need to figure out where they're holding the hostages."
Eli typed rapidly.
"Already working on it."
The map zoomed into a red marker.
"There."
Caden leaned closer.
"An abandoned courthouse."
Eli nodded.
"That's where the signal is coming from."
Caden walked over to the armor rack where his suit waited.
"Alright."
He started gearing up.
"I'm going in."
Eli glanced toward the Night Skimmer.
"You sure?"
Caden locked his helmet into place.
"If they're taking hostages because of me… I have to fix it."