The first dot appeared in the lower corner of the map.
Enzo didn't even look up at first.
—Thermal sensor —he muttered, still holding a soda can.
The second dot appeared a few streets away from the first. Then more began to show up, one after another—too many to count without zooming in.
Enzo set the can aside and expanded the map with two fingers. The dots weren't scattered.
They were closing a perimeter.
Dante leaned slightly over the table.
—That's not a patrol.
Silyan studied the marked routes.
—It's containment.
Enzo swallowed.
—They're not coming for everyone.
He dragged the map toward the center. The lines converged.
—They're coming for you. You're next.
Dante didn't respond immediately. He simply watched the pattern for a few seconds longer.
—Perfect —he said at last.
Ikar looked at him, confused.
—Perfect? There are a lot of them.
Dante straightened.
—We need access to their physical network. IDs, frequencies, transport routes. If the GDA is moving pieces, we won't get that sitting here.
Enzo understood first.
—You want them to come in?
—I want them to think they've caught us.
A brief silence followed.
Silyan nodded.
—Quick strike. No casualties.
Dante confirmed it with a glance.
—No one dies.
Ikar took a deep breath.
They didn't wait for the perimeter to fully close.
They exited through the side of the building before the encirclement was complete.
Three black trucks turned the corner almost at the same time. A squad of soldiers quickly formed up and raised their rifles.
Enzo snapped his fingers, and the magazines inside the weapons vibrated. Several fell to the ground with a sharp metallic sound.
—Magnetization active —he announced, focused.
—Do you have to say everything you do? —Ikar said.
—Hey, it adds style. Like in anime or manga—it's more epic.
The first bullets that did manage to fire changed trajectory before reaching them. They ricocheted off the pavement or veered into nearby walls.
Silyan stepped forward and released a short sonic pulse. It wasn't a scream, but a compressed wave that rattled visors and earpieces. Three soldiers dropped to their knees, clutching their ears.
Dante was already in the middle of them.
He didn't strike.
He pushed.
A shoulder movement sent one soldier crashing into a truck.A twist of his wrist disarmed another.A well-measured shove was enough to take someone out of the fight.
They were precise. Direct.
Ikar covered the left flank. When one soldier got too close, he projected a visual distortion that duplicated his figure. The man hesitated for a split second before taking a hit to the helmet from Silyan.
The fight wasn't chaotic.
It was controlled.
They had decided not to prolong it.
The second wave arrived with more discipline.
And with it, a small figure stepped out of the rear vehicle.
Long hair tied in a ponytail.Serious face.Far too young to be there.
Enzo saw her and let out a short laugh.
—That's it?
The girl didn't respond.
She walked toward them with steady steps, ignoring the fight around her.
Dante stopped.
He recognized her before it happened.
—Fall back —he ordered calmly.
The transformation wasn't instant, but it wasn't slow either.
Her posture changed first.
Then her size.
Her body grew—bones and muscles reshaping with a dry, unsettling sound that made Ikar blink.
In seconds, the girl was gone.
In her place stood a massive creature with thick skin and a heavy jaw, slamming its fists into the ground.
Enzo slowly lowered the hand he'd been using to manipulate the magnetic field.
—Okay… didn't see that coming.
Ikar took a step back.
—What the hell…?
—She's not a soldier —Dante said, stepping in front of them. She's an asset. They call her Monster Girl.
The creature roared and charged.
The first impact sent dust and fragments of asphalt flying.
Dante blocked the blow but was pushed back half a meter by the force.
He didn't respond with his full strength.
He pivoted, dodged the next strike, and shoved her into a side wall. The concrete cracked, but she launched herself forward again without hesitation.
She wasn't clumsy.
Every attack was calculated.
Dante intercepted another strike, this time grabbing one of her monstrous arms and redirecting it into the ground.
—Stay back —he repeated without looking at them.
Behind him, Enzo reactivated the magnetic field, disabling more rifles.Silyan released another short pulse, disorienting a squad trying to flank them.Ikar maintained a partial distortion, making it harder for the soldiers to judge distance, while using his speed to take them down before they could react.
Monster Girl charged again.
This time, Dante met her head-on.
Both of them were pushed several meters before crashing into a truck.
The creature tried to grab his torso, squeezing with enough force to bend the metal beneath their feet.
Dante looked her straight in the eyes.
—This ends here.
He broke free with a sharp motion and, using the momentum of her next attack, twisted his hips and delivered a precise strike at the base of her neck.
It wasn't explosive.
It was exact.
The creature staggered.
A second later, it collapsed. Its monstrous form slowly faded, revealing once again the girl who had stepped out of the truck minutes earlier.
The silence that followed was brief, but clear.
The soldiers couldn't stop staring at what had just happened. They hesitated. One of their strongest assets had been taken down.
That was all they needed.
—Now —Silyan said.
Enzo released a pulse that temporarily disabled the trucks' communication systems.Ikar expanded the illusion, projecting a thermal replica of the group running in the opposite direction, while rendering the real ones "invisible" to the soldiers' perception.
The soldiers ran toward the wrong shadows.
Once the area was clear, Dante grabbed two ID badges and a wrist device from one of the unconscious agents.
Silyan picked up an intact communicator.
Enzo extracted the data core from one of the trucks using a compact tool from his belt and took a few uniforms from the soldiers.
It took less than three minutes.
Ikar dropped the illusion once they were behind an industrial structure two streets away.
Sirens and shouted orders faded into the distance.
No one spoke for several seconds.
Enzo was the first to break the silence.
—Well. That was… educational.
Dante examined the device in his hand.
—Confirmed. GDA regional division.
Silyan checked the communicator.
—And a direct frequency to a nearby base.
Ikar glanced back toward where they had left the creature unconscious.
—They'll come back with more.
Dante nodded and handed the badges to Enzo.
—But now it's our turn to strike.
Enzo laid the badges, the communicator, and the wrist device on the table. He placed the uniforms neatly to the side.
—Three and a half minutes —he said, checking his watch—. Not bad for an improvised visit.
Silyan picked up one of the badges and examined it.
—These aren't simple credentials. They have active microchips. If we try to enter a base with them, they'll detect duplicate signals.
—Not if I do it right —Enzo replied, already focused—. I can clone the signature and shut down the original for a short window. But we need to know which base.
Dante activated the wrist device. A simple interface appeared, protected by biometric authentication.
—I'll handle that —Enzo muttered, stepping closer.
He connected a small probe to the side of the device. The screen flickered several times before displaying a network of nodes.
—There it is… tactical deployment, eastern sector. Logistics hub twelve kilometers out. And… —he paused— a restricted sublevel.
Ikar looked up.
—Sublevel?
—It's not listed as an official detention center —Enzo clarified—. Which usually means it is one.
Silyan crossed his arms.
—If Hera is in the United States and the GDA has her, then she'll be in a facility with medical access and advanced containment. Not a regular prison.
Dante nodded.
—Then we don't go straight for the main target.
Ikar frowned.
—We don't?
—First, we confirm what they're moving and who authorizes the transfers —Dante replied—. If we go in blind, we don't come out.
Enzo zoomed in on the map in the case and marked the logistics hub.
—This place works as an intermediate node. Personnel come and go constantly. Fewer controls than a main base.
—Perfect for testing the uniforms —Silyan added.
Ikar looked at the dark outfits on the table.
—They won't fit Dante.
Enzo glanced at him from head to toe.
—We can make them fit.
Dante ignored the comment.
—We split into two teams. Enzo and Ikar go inside. Silyan and I cover from the outside.
—From outside? —Ikar asked.
—If something goes wrong, we need someone who isn't trapped behind a reinforced door.
Enzo lifted one of the badges.
—I can give you a ten-minute window before the system detects inconsistencies in the credentials. After that, they'll lock everything down.
—Ten minutes is enough —Silyan said.
Ikar didn't look convinced.
—And if we find nothing?
Dante answered without hesitation.
—We'll find something.
A brief silence followed.
—We have one problem… —Ikar finally said—. The units will be on alert after losing their cards and uniforms. They're probably already preparing a contingency plan in case of infiltration. We'll have to wait a few weeks before making a move. At least then we can create a better opening without being detected.
—You sure you want to wait? —Silyan asked—. After what I told you and what you've seen, do you really think we have time?
—It's not just that —Ikar replied—. If they have Hera, it's for a reason. I don't think they'll kill her just like that. She's probably in a containment cell. We need to think this through. Better to prepare than regret it.
Enzo nodded, still reviewing the projected data.
—Ikar's right. Entry will be restricted. In fact, they were already preparing before this. There's unusual movement recorded in the last forty-eight hours. Classified transfers. Personnel reassigned.
Silyan exchanged a glance with Dante.
—That lines up with our arrival.
Dante placed his hands on the table.
—We strike when they least expect it. They need to lower their guard. For now, we find a safer place.
—He's right —Enzo added. We can't stay near a place we just turned into a battlefield.
—Shit… —Dante muttered suddenly, looking toward the back door.
Silyan frowned.
—What is it, Dante?
Dante stayed silent for a second.
—Nothing special, Silyan… —he said calmly—. Just that… I forgot to take the bread out of the oven.
There was a brief pause.
Enzo was the first to react.
—Priorities. Always.
Ikar shook his head, almost smiling.