The September evening in Hamilton was heavy with the lingering smell of smoke and a thick undercurrent of unease. By 7:00 PM, a significant crowd had gathered around the cordoned-off street where Michael Cage's apartment building now stood as a charred monument. The flashing blue and red lights of police vehicles cast long, distorted shadows, adding to the already tense atmosphere. The air buzzed with a low hum of speculation.
"Another explosion," a woman with a worn, tired face muttered to her companion, a man in a faded denim jacket. "Just like that one downtown last week. It's getting closer."
"C-Could it have been a gas leak?" the woman replied, clutching her purse tightly. "Old building like that, bound to happen sooner or later. Poor souls inside."
"Gas leak don't make buildings explode like that," a teenager interjected, scrolling through his phone. "Saw a video online, looked like something… unnatural. Like that thing in Central City last week." A nervous murmur rippled through the nearby onlookers.
"Agreed. It had to be one of those mutant freaks, didn't it?" a stout man in a plaid shirt said to the woman beside him, his voice low and conspiratorial. "Heard they're getting bolder, attacking right in the middle of the city."
High up on a corner inside the ravaged apartment, almost invisible against the soot-stained ceiling, a tiny metallic fly remained motionless, its delicate sensors whirring silently. Six figures in dark tactical gear moved with quiet efficiency amidst the debris below. Their faces were illuminated by the soft glow of advanced scanning devices. Agent Kira Davies, a woman with tightly cropped blonde hair and sharp, analytical blue eyes, held a thermal imager, its screen displaying the heat signatures of the still-smoldering wreckage. Agent Hajime Tanaka, his expression focused behind wire-rimmed glasses, manipulated a handheld spectrometer, analyzing residue samples. Agent Maria Millers, a woman with a stern face framed by a severe ponytail, oversaw the overall operation, her gaze constantly scanning the room. Agent Kassidy Stones, younger and more visibly disturbed with nervous glances darting around, used a specialized device to detect energy fluctuations. Agent Emily Carter, her movements precise and methodical, carefully cataloged and bagged any potential evidence. Agent Ben Wilson, a hulking figure with a shaved head, provided security, his weapon held at the ready, his gaze sweeping the perimeter.
Kira: Thermal signature matches Cage, (she reported, her voice flat.) Or what's left of him. (Her gaze drifted to a pile of grey ash.)
Hajime's spectrometer beeped.
Hajime: I'm picking up residual energy fluctuations… volatile. And… interesting. Trace signature, humanoid, but doesn't match any known database profiles. I managed to lock onto a faint bio-signature for this unknown individual and another one for Macher. (He pointed at two distinct, moving icons on his screen.) Both are heading east, erratic pattern. Looks like Kyle Macher is with this unknown person.
Maria's spectrometer beeped.
Maria: I have a lock on Ender Sinclair.
Kira: Good. Keep a tight lock on all three of them, (she ordered.) Emily, bag and tag Cage's remains. Rest of you with me, our objective is to secure Sinclair, Macher, Drake and this unknown individual.
Ben: (He grunts) What about the rest of the team?
Kira: Viktor has them occupied with other… priorities. This localized incident is our focus. Let's move!
Outside amongst the concerned crowd, Arthur, wearing a plain grey hoodie and jeans, subtly adjusted the small screen strapped to his forearm. This screen, linked to Arthur's miniature drone inside the building, displayed the same real-time tracking data the agents inside were seeing – distinct icons representing the unknown individual, Kyle, and Ender. Next to him, Rex, in a faded baseball cap and a leather jacket, casually leaned against the police barricade, his eyes scanning the burnt building. Both had almost imperceptible earbuds in, relaying the agents' internal communications.
Rex: (Whispering) "Occupied", huh... That sneaky bastard. Smells like he didn't want us knowing about this.
Arthur: (Whispering, eyes fixed on his forearm screen) Definitely. (He subtly tapped the screen on his wrist device. Inside, on the agents' tracking devices, the icons representing the unknown individual and Kyle abruptly veered off their eastward path, one heading sharply south, the other veering far north. A third icon, representing Ender, which had been faintly visible further north on Arthur's screen, suddenly jumped to a completely different quadrant of the city, west towards the river.) Our "friends" in there will chasing shadows for hours now.
Rex: You... Hacked them?
Arthur: Yep.
Rex: Huh... Didn't suspect their tech to be hackable.
Arthur: Nothing is unhackable Rexie, let's get outta here.
With a final glance at the building, Arthur and Rex smoothly detached themselves from the crowd, their conversation continuing in low tones as they moved down the street and around the corner. They approached a nondescript black SUV.
Rex: So, Kyle and the mystery person are really heading east, and Ender's up north near the docks?
Arthur: That's what my feed says.
Rex: Still no word from Zane?
Arthur: Nothing.
Rex: Auw! Just when things ain't bad enough, now we got a missing magician?!
Rex knocked twice on the tinted rear window. The door silently opened, revealing the other four members of their Covert Operations Division team.
Inside were four others in black tactical suits. Maya Sterling, with short, spiky vibrant pink hair and an energetic presence, tapping her fingers impatiently on her knee, her black exoskeleton armor on the arms and shins of her suit illuminated with a faint pink glow. Idris Khan, lanky with a nervous energy, his longish brown hair swept back from his forehead, fiddled with the collar of his suit. Selena Flores, sporting long fiery red hair and piercing green eyes and a focused expression, idly spun a small metallic orb between her fingers, a barely perceptible flicker of green energy surrounding it. Jaxon Smith, a man in his early forties with a neatly trimmed goatee and a calm demeanor, intently studied a tablet, the dim red lenses of his goggles reflecting the screen's light.
Rex and Arthur slid into the back.
Selena: Well?
Rex: Intel is Viktor's a sneaky bastard and didn't want us knowing about this. Michael's dead and Kyle with some other person heading east, and Ender's playing hide-and-seek up north.
Maya: East, huh? Sounds like a field trip!
Idris: W-we should wait for official orders, right?
Rex: Like hell we should! We're not gonna let our guys hang out to dry. Arthur.
Arthur brought up the real tracking data on a larger screen within the SUV.
Arthur: Kyle and the unknown are heading towards St. Peter's Hospital. Ender's still pinging in the abandoned warehouses by the docks.
Selena: What about Drake?
Rex: No sign. Probably vanished in a flash of lightning again.
Idris: W-what about Zane?
Arthur: Still no signal.
Rex: Alright, listen up. Arthur, Maya, and Jaxon, you're heading east. Check out St. Peter's. Play it cool, see what you can find on Kyle and our mystery guest. Selena, Idris, you're with me. We're hitting the docks. Ender's probably keeping a low profile there.
A chorus of acknowledgments filled the SUV. The team's focus sharpened, their concern for their missing colleagues overriding any hesitation. The engine rumbled to life, and the black SUV pulled away from the curb, disappearing into the Hamilton night.