261 HE'S A QUANTUM MIND
"My dear, we must tread carefully," Vilra said softly. "Our war with the Nuralith is raging at full scale."
Jax Trionix scoffed. "Those Nuralith scum? What can they do to me—send the Syndic of Fracture after me?"
Vilra frowned. "That is not impossible. They are capable of such vile acts."
Jax smiled dismissively. "Relax. I've reinforced our escort. A full squadron of drone guards, and this vehicle is fitted with Rank AAA armor. Let them come."
Without warning, an ear-splitting screech tore through the air. Both of them clutched their ears in agony.
The luxury armored vehicle shuddered. Screens flickered. Systems failed. With a hiss, the doors unlocked on their own.
"What the hell is happening?" Jax demanded as he stepped out of the vehicle.
His blood ran cold.
Every escort drone plummeted from the sky, crashing lifelessly into the streets. The automated guards were completely disabled, leaving only human bodyguards scrambling into formation around Jax and Vilra.
Then, from the horizon, two figures emerged.
One carried a massive speaker-like device slung over his shoulder. The other rose into the air, flames coiling around her as glowing orbs formed at her side.
A sudden flash erupted in the distance.
In an instant, a third figure appeared—materializing at near light speed.
"Who the hell are you?" Jax shouted. "Why have you stopped my convoy?"
The man with the speaker grinned. "I'll be honest, since you're about to die. We are the Syndic of Fracture. I'm Boom Master." He patted the device proudly. "Your drones and tech? Their circuits were fried by my EMP boom."
"You triggered an EMP in the city!" Jax screamed. "That's illegal!"
The floating woman laughed. "Some say our entire organization is illegal. That's kind of our thing."
"Why are we wasting time?" the speedster said impatiently. "Just finish it, Viera."
She smirked. "He's all yours, Speedy."
In a blur, Speedy vanished.
A heartbeat later, Jax was ripped from the circle of his bodyguards and dropped helplessly in front of the Syndicate. His protection was gone.
"Don't kill me!" Jax cried. "I'll pay you triple—ten times what the Nuralith offered!"
Boom Master chuckled. "Who told you about the Nuralith?"
"Sorry," Viera said coldly. "We don't cancel contracts once they're sealed and paid."She raised her hand.
"Die, Jax Trionix."
"No! Don't kill him!" Vilra screamed from beside the vehicle—but there was nothing she could do.
"Please!" Jax begged, collapsing. "Anyone—gods, saints—save me! I swear I'll go to church!"
Speedy laughed. "Huh. He's a religious one. Too bad your guardian angel isn't—"
Suddenly, a voice thundered across the sky.
"Guardian angel, perhaps not… but what about a Guardian Devil?"
All three looked up.
A figure hovered above them, cloaked in writhing darkness veined with silver light.
They knew him instantly. He was famous…. Infamous.
"Y-you…" Boom Master gasped. "Black Halo."
A plasma beam erupted without warning.
Viera didn't even have time to scream—her body disintegrated into ash midair.
"Oh no…" Speedy muttered. "He's the supervillain who killed a 6A Super Soldier with his bare hands."
"Yes… I've seen the mushroom clouds rising from Liberty city. Rumors has it he killed Graviton with a nuclear attack", Boom Master added.
"Please, we don't want trouble with you", Speedy pleaded.
"Leave," Black Halo commanded, his voice cold and mechanical, "before I kill you all."
Speedy exchanged a glance with Boom Master.
In the next instant, Speedy vanished at light speed. Boom Master ran, abandoning his massive speaker as he fled.
Black Halo descended slowly. He studied the fallen device. "This can become useful", he murmured before absorbing it into his personal space.
Finally, he turned to Jax Trionix.
"Now," he said, "it's your turn."
"Please don't kill me," Jax sobbed. "I'll give you anything."
Black Halo laughed in a low, hoarse, mechanical noise.
"Would you like revenge," he asked, "on the ones who tried to kill you? The Nuralith?"
Jax nodded frantically. "Yes! Anything you want—one hundred million—no, five hundred million!"
"I don't need your money," Black Halo replied. "I need information."
"W-what information?" Jax asked.
"The kind only you and the leaders of Silver City's major families possess," Black Halo said."Information even a quantum mind cannot breach."
"Yes," Jax said desperately. "Anything you want."
-----
Another meeting was convened at the isolated farm in the wilderness.
The air inside the barn was thick with heat and hostility. Leaders of Silver City's major families shouted over one another, accusations flying, old grudges reignited. Every word felt like a spark threatening to ignite a civil war.
The chaos ended with a violent crack.
Godfather slammed his hand down on the armrest of his chair—wood splintered and shattered. The sound echoed like a gunshot.
Instantly, the room fell silent.
The assembled leaders bowed their heads, fear rippling through the crowd. Order returned, fragile but intact.
Exoren Atheris rose slowly. "Enough. We must stop tearing at one another," he said firmly. "A greater threat stands before us. The alien hordes are advancing toward Silver City. This is no time for division."
The family heads avoided one another's eyes, their hatred still burning, but reality had sunk its claws into them.
"The alien threat is exaggerated," Governor Lawrene scoffed. "They are nothing more than vermin crawling toward our borders. Silver City's shields will hold."
"And if they don't?" Macan Nuralith asked coldly.
"We still have our army. Our armada," Rione Veyran added.
At the word armada, Godfather snapped the remaining armrest clean off his chair.
No one spoke.
Silver City's armada had been annihilated in Liberty City. Most of its elite forces were gone—lost beyond recovery. Now an alien invasion loomed, and worse still, every major family stood on the brink of open civil war.
"This is all because of Black Halo," Dr. Revive muttered.
Exoren exhaled sharply. "What's done is done. We must unite, or Silver City will fall."
"We will never work with the Nuralith," Luna Trionix said firmly. "Even if it means abandoning the city."
Governor Lawrene turned to her. "Luna, why are you representing the Trionix family? Where is Jax?"
Luna raised her hand and pointed across the room. "Ask him. Macan Nuralith hired the Syndic of Fracture to murder my uncle. Jax is injured. He couldn't attend."
Macan smirked. "Baseless accusations. Jax Trionix has made many enemies. Every time someone attacks him, you come crying to me."
"You—!" Luna shouted, surging forward.
The meeting descended into chaos once again—voices clashing, tempers flaring. Even an existential threat couldn't bury generations of blood feud.
The doors creaked open.
A silver-haired boy stepped inside.
"Who the hell is this?" Macan demanded.
Dr. Revive cleared his throat. "That is Argent—Godfather's latest recruit."
"A child?" Rione Veyran sneered. "You bring a boy into this council?"
Godfather finally spoke. His voice alone commanded silence.
"Argent is no boy. He is a Quantum Mind."
The room froze.