BAB3 -Chapter 34

# Chapter 34: City in Turmoil

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Joan Thaxton, A.S.I.U. Captain of Echo Team 8, marched into a corporate office building flanked by two of her subordinates.

And she was pissed.

Thanks to high-profile blunders, she’d been pulled off both the Lab case and the Aero Cup explosion.

Twice now, that kid with the braids had been involved; twice, he’d somehow made her look incompetent.

Now, the brass had saddled her with some easy bottom-of-the-barrel case: an Awakened asshole allegedly murdering his father and a few board members.

Far beneath her station.

Still, she suited up, followed every damn protocol, and showed up to make the arrest.

Her team had already secured all exits, and she’d just stepped into the elevator bay when she spotted a familiar face loitering in the hall.

“Donovan?” she barked. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Abraham Donovan was an Awakened on retainer for the City of New Meridian—and a constant pain in her ass.

For some reason or another, he always showed up around her biggest cases.

Joan couldn’t stand him.

The man shrugged lazily. “City caught wind of your little operation here. Sent me to make sure you don’t fuck it up again.”

Joan clenched her jaw so hard she nearly cracked a molar.

But before she could let him have it, alarms blared from every direction—followed by emergency alert notifications.

A goddamned Blood Moon was happening. Right now.

“Uh.. Cap,” Braxton murmured beside her.

“I see it, Braxton,” she snapped, eyes locked on Donovan. “Follow protocol. We make the arrest, then assist with evacuation. Move!”

“Aye!” her team saluted, marching into the elevator.

“After you?” Donovan grinned, gesturing gallantly.

Joan growled low in her throat but said nothing. A Blood Moon was here, and they had to be quick. She didn’t have time to deal with jackasses.

The elevator opened directly onto the top floor, right into the acting CEO’s office. Right into Anton Morwen’s office.

The boy sat behind his desk with a smug grin, like he’d been waiting for them. Alarms still blared, but not a flicker of concern showed on his face.

“It appears you were right, Siren,” Anton said, glancing toward Donovan. “On both counts.”

“You tipped him off?” Joan barked, raising her guard. “The city will be hearing about this.”

Donovan strolled casually to the side of the office. “I doubt it.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Joan saw Anton slam a meaty hand down on the big red button atop the desk.

“Seize him!” she shouted, stepping between Donovan and her men.

But her men didn’t move.

They twitched and spasmed like they were being electrocuted.

“What the hell?” Joan looked around, trying to find whatever was attacking them.

“You won’t find an external source,” Donovan said calmly.

“Your men have NeuroSync implants,” Anton gloated smugly. “They’re mine now.”

“What?” Joan roared. “Impossible! The A.S.I.U. rejected the offer. Braxton..” she murmured, her eyes flicking to him. “Tell me you didn’t.”

“He can’t hear you,” Donovan replied, almost gently.

Joan’s face twisted into a deeper scowl, and her forearms glowed, transforming into machete-like blades.

“What the fuck did you do to them?” she demanded, leveling her blades at both Anton and Donovan.

Anton only smiled, spreading his arms wide.

A hologram of the city appeared in the center of the room. It was absolutely teeming with tiny orange dots, all in motion.

“One point eight million people in this city have my NeuroSync installed,” Anton said with pride. “And with a single command, one point eight million people have just become my slaves. This is my city now.”

Joan grimaced. “You arrogant little shit. The Big 5 will never let you get away with this.”

Donovan chuckled. “You mean the Big 5 currently out there rushing to the Blood Moon?”

Joan’s eyes widened before she caught herself. “They’ll still come back. When the Blood Moon ends—”

“It’ll be too late,” Anton finished for her. Then he turned to her men. “Kill yourselves.”

Both men twisted their own necks with sickening cracks, collapsing where they stood.

“No!” Joan screamed, lunging too late to stop them.

Anton and Donovan were already pulling in their essence.

With a feral roar, Joan launched at Anton, her blades flashing toward his chest.

But she never reached him.

Donovan tackled her from the side, jabbing a purple-tipped blade into her shoulder—clearly some type of poison.

Still, Joan fought, using her legs to grapple with Donovan, while trying to slice his arms clean off.

But the man was slippery as a fish, bending and twisting just out of her reach as her body started to fail her.

He nicked her twice more before Anton, now twice his original size, slammed both his fists down on the top of her head.

Then it all went dark.

***

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It was Emily Escher’s last day in the Octahedron Sect.

The shares from her old teammates—and the generous donation from Xay and his team during that disastrous rift a few months back—had wiped out most of her debt.

Her mom’s medical bills were fully covered, and she was finally in recovery.

All Emily had left was one last sect due to pay, and then she was free.

The only reason it had taken this long was because she’d stuck to low-level, low-risk rifts.

After everything she’d been through, Emily had no interest in flirting with death again.

The sect had been reorganized after the Latch Stalker incident. The Co-Head was fired, and a new wave of recruits had been brought in.

In several of her final rifts, Emily found herself the veteran on a team of rookies.

Anna, the head mana crystal miner, had already left the sect’s employ. They refused to work with any of the teams ever again.

Emily couldn’t blame them.

What John had done was insane, but it was the scouts’ failure to notice the Latch Stalker in the first place that had put everyone in danger.

After sending her final payment, Emily was on her way to return some rented equipment to the acquisition hall when the alarms began to blare.

“Fuck me,” she cursed and ran to drop off the equipment in the return bin. “I’m never coming back to this hell hole.”

The sect exploded into a flurry of motion around her. She was bumped and shoved in multiple directions.

After a few moments of struggle, Emily finally made it to the bins and sighed in relief. She was done with them.

Turning toward the stairs, assuming the elevators would be a death trap—Emily stopped cold.

Three people stood strangely around the hall, their bodies twitching and spasming.

“Ah, you okay, buddy?” Emily asked, stepping toward a man she vaguely recognized from around the building.

He didn’t respond, his eyes were rolling back into his skull.

The alarms were still blaring, and she didn’t have time to investigate properly, but she couldn’t just leave someone having a medical emergency during an evacuation.

She looked around for help—then the man moved.

His arm shot out faster than she could react, and his hand locked tight around her neck.

Emily screamed and fired a *Mana Bolt* straight into his face. He released her, and she dropped to the ground, gasping for air.

That was when the woman across the hall hurled a ball of green acid right at her.

Emily quickly cast *Haste* on herself and rolled out of the way. Not bothering to look back, she hopped up and darted down the hall.

She could hear all three of them giving chase.

“God, I hate this fucking sect!” Emily shouted, bursting into the stairwell.

***

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Theo Blake had been cleaning up when the alarms went off. His first thoughts were of his wife and daughter.

They were both powerful women, more than capable of protecting themselves—but he still fired off a few quick messages.

*Gotta be sure.*

There were several emergency shelters in the Residential District, the closest being just a few blocks west.

Like any good soldier, Theo kept emergency supplies, spare clothes, and water packed neatly in his dimensional storage at all times.

Before heading out, he snatched up pictures of his family, then grabbed cold cuts from the fridge, along with bread and sandwich spreads.

*Might be some hungry kids in the shelter.*

He knew that the military and police forces would be immediately deployed to help with evacuations and to escort the city’s defenders out of town.

But he could still help the elderly couple a few rows down in the meantime.

Theo took one last look at his home, then opened the front door—and was nearly blown back inside from a clash of force.

Quickly, Theo spun, pressing his back against the doorframe as he peered outside.

Down on the street, he spotted what looked like two A.S.I.U. agents fighting each other.

One was clearly trying to protect a family across the pathway. They stood huddled together behind him.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” the protector bellowed. “This isn’t fucking funny. Stand down!”

The attacker said nothing, surging forward with glowing purple gloves manifesting around his hands.

The defender moved to intercept, conjuring a shield of braided mana chains.

But he was blindsided by a second Awakened—just some random guy—who launched in from the side.

Theo stepped out, lifting his cybernetic arm as the hand retracted and the wrist began to whirl.

He took aim at the attacking agent and fired. A bright red burst of mana shot through the air and struck the target in the back, slamming him into the pavement.

Theo fired two more shots as he ran down the stairs.

*Gotta be sure.*

The other agent managed to subdue the second attacker, locking him in mana-draining cuffs.

The family behind him bolted and ran toward the shelter.

The agent turned and jogged over to Theo. “Appreciate the save, sir.”

“Get on your radio, son,” Theo said, scanning the block. “Something funky’s in the air.”

Other altercations were breaking out down the path. Low-level techniques were flying back and forth like a gang fight.

“Yes, sir,” the agent replied, quickly tapping into his comms.

A moment later, he looked up, visibly confused. “No response.”

Theo reached for his left wrist, twisted the selector, and his cybernetic arm shifted.

The opening narrowed, and four thin metal pins extended, curling inward until a spark arced between them and buzzed to life with high voltage.

“Then it’s on us to get people to these shelters safely,” Theo said.

Just then, a fireball streaked toward him.

Theo snapped his arm up and unleashed a thin bolt of lightning that sliced the attack clean in half.

“Alright, kids. Let’s see what you got.”

Theo charged forward.

***

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“Are you sure you’re okay to be down here, dear?” Madam Guinevere asked for what felt like the hundredth time.

Bethany was in the Quantium boutique, working quietly beside Amy.

It was the first time she’d left the penthouse in weeks, and it felt good—like she was finally doing something useful again.

“I’m fine,” Bethany said with a smile. “I might not be ready to walk down the street, but I can still arrange clothes on the display.”

“Well, don’t push yourself too hard,” Madam Guinevere said, stepping into the back room. “Just let me know if you need anything.”

Valiant padded by, brushing up against Bethany’s leg. She knelt down to scratch behind his ears, her hand moving through his thick golden fur.

“If anything happens, you’ll protect me, right?”

Valiant purred and licked her arm in reply.

“Vali?” Amy called, peeking around a customer at the counter. “Are you over there flirting again?”

Bethany laughed—and then the alarms went off.

The emergency alert notifications followed almost immediately, and Bethany looked around in a panic.

But Amy took charge, her voice calm and steady. “Everyone! This is not a drill! The boutique is now closed! Please leave quickly and quietly!”

Remington moved rapidly, exiting from the back room and heading for the front door to guide people out in an orderly fashion.

“Come, dears,” Madam Guinevere called, gesturing to Bethany and Amy. “Once the shop clears, we’re going to my little sister’s bunker. It’s much nicer than those shelters, and far more secure.”

Bethany finally let go of the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

*It’s okay. Everything is fine. You’re going to be okay.* Bethany repeated to herself.

She took another deep breath and turned down the far aisle. There, she spotted a man just standing, trembling.

“Sir? Are you okay?” she asked, cautiously stepping closer. “The boutique is closing. Do you need any assistance?”

He said nothing, and Bethany’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. She took another cautious step—then the man lunged.

But Valiant was faster.

The golden ocelot launched from the floor and smashed into the man with his full weight, slamming him to the ground.

Bethany shrieked, stumbling back around the aisle, her heart pounding. “What the fuck!?”

With a sudden flash of orange light, Valiant was flung through the air, yelping as he crashed into a clothing rack.

The man surged upright—but Amy was already in motion.

She bounced onto the counter, rebounded off the back wall, and launched herself at him like a bunny missile.

Her knee struck his face with a sharp crack, and he dropped instantly, unconscious before he hit the floor.

Valiant had already gotten back up, and came to growl inches from the man’s face.

Remington and Amy dragged the man out the front door before locking it behind them. Amy handled most of the lifting.

Bethany wasn’t sure if it was a bunny thing, but she wished she had that kind of strength.

“A thief?” Madam Guinevere asked, peeking through the glass. “At a time like this?”

“He seemed insane,” Bethany said, still catching her breath. “Like there was.. nothing in his eyes.”

Madam Guinevere’s frown deepened. “All the more reason to get moving. Come, dears. We’re not staying to find out more.”

The five of them rushed through the back, heading toward Madam Guinevere’s Auralis on the upper parking deck.

Just as they rounded the corner, a crescent of sword light sliced through the air, slamming down in their path.

Remington reacted instantly, firing three precise blasts from his mana pistol. The shots caught the approaching woman square in the chest, staggering her—but she didn’t fall.

“Get to the craft!” he barked, sending another volley her way.

Bethany and Madam Guinevere didn’t hesitate. They ran, Valiant close behind. Amy ripped a metal sign from the wall, bolts screeching as they tore from concrete, then hurled it like a discus.

It hit the woman square in the gut, dropping her to a knee.

By then, Bethany, Madam Guinevere, and Valiant had already climbed into the Auralis. Remington and Amy followed seconds later, slamming the hatch shut.

The hovercraft’s engines flared to life. As they launched into the sky, more sword crescents came flying after them.

“What the hell is going on?” Bethany shouted, panic threading through her voice.

“Attacked twice now by Awakened,” Remington said, his eyes scanning the streets below through the window. “And it doesn’t look like we were the only ones.”

He was right. Between the scurrying crowds rushing toward shelters, scattered skirmishes were breaking out—bursts of light, and crashing bodies.

“Nothing good,” Madam Guinevere muttered. She quickly glanced up and to the left, seemingly interacting with her GRID interface.

Although the evacuation had started off rocky, the trip was mostly smooth after takeoff.

Right up until around the fifteen-minute mark, when a nearby hover car suddenly swerved and rammed into them.

“Brace yourselves!” Remington shouted.

The Auralis lurched violently, dropping several feet and careening to the side. The chassis held under the impact, but they clipped the edge of a rooftop and spun out.

Within seconds, the onboard safety systems determined the craft was too close to surrounding structures to regain stable flight.

It activated emergency protocols, and the cabin ejected all five passengers.

Bethany, Amy, Madam Guinevere, Remington, and Valiant were flung into the air with automatically equipped parachutes.

They drifted toward a nearby rooftop as the Auralis crashed into the side of a different building.

The group landed with a few scrapes but, thankfully, no injuries.

Bethany was on the verge of losing it. “What the fuck is today?”

It felt like they were lurching from one emergency to the next, and she still had no idea what was actually happening.

Amy stepped up beside her and gave her back a quick pat, while Remington scanned their surroundings.

“We’re only about a five-minute flight from the bunker,” he said.

“And walking?” Madam Guinevere asked, fanning herself with the collar of her shirt.

Remington grimaced. “Thirty. On a good day.”

Bethany peeked over the edge of the rooftop. More fights had broken out in the streets below. Awakened were throwing around techniques like it was a war zone.

“It is not a good day,” Amy said flatly.

Just then, something massive turned the corner several blocks away.

A towering, fifty-foot humanoid robot, lumbered down the road like it owned the city.

It was plated in shiny silver metal, with glowing pink and blue lights running along its arms, chest, and legs. Steam hissed from its joints with every step, venting in rhythmic bursts.

The thing moved through the chaos with ease. Explosions, mana bursts, even direct strikes all bounced off its armored frame.

“Is that.. from the government?” Amy asked, bracing herself as the rooftop trembled beneath the thing’s approaching footfalls.

Madam Guinevere laughed lightly. “No, dear. That’s our ride.”

Bethany blinked. “What?”

Moments later, the robot halted right in front of their building. With a mechanical hiss, the chest cavity cracked open and a bridge extended to the rooftop with a solid thunk.

A hologram of a woman with platinum hair and a bright pink lab coat flickered to life within.

“Big sister!” the hologram cheered. “I saw your Auralis go down and sent LuLu to pick you up!”

Madam Guinevere smiled as if this was all perfectly ordinary. “Thank you, little sister. It’s been a strange day.”

Without hesitation, she walked onto the bridge and into the towering machine.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes, Talulah,” Remington said, following close behind Madam Guinevere with Amy and Valiant.

Still confused, Bethany walked across the bridge, too.

What else was she going to do?