The night air was unusually still as the black executive transport pulled up to the Hotel Azure. Inside the suite, the atmosphere was a chaotic blend of high-stakes preparation and tactical tension. Elias stood before the full-length mirror, adjusting the cuffs of a tailored midnight-blue tuxedo. He looked really nice, and he used a sweet perfume that smelled really nice and refreshing.
Lyra walked into the room, stopping short as she saw him. Her face flushed a deep crimson, and she quickly looked at her data-pad to hide her expression. ""Dr....d...said I should give you your ear plugs,Elias. You look... functional. Very functional."
"He looks sharp, Lyra. Just say it," Jaxen teased, leaning against the doorframe while spinning a silver coin. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were the CEO and Baldwin was the help. Just don't let your guard down
Renji grunted, crossing his arms. "He isn't there for the champagne. Baldwin inviting a 'new recruit' to be his personal bodyguard at a high-society gala? It's a setup. He wants you in an open space where he can watch you die."
"Which is exactly why it's the perfect distraction," Kahn said, his arm stretching across the room to grab a tactical headset from the table. "While their busy with the gala , we're going to tear TƎll Industries apart from the inside.
This is the best time to search for that energy signature."
"Kahn is right," Sora added, her voice low and focused. "The security detail for the building will be at half-strength. Most of their high-tier guards will be at the gala protecting the elites ."
Elias checked his reflection one last time, his silver eyes cold. "Cipher, are we live?"
Cipher's voice crackled through everyone's earpieces. "I've bypassed the TƎll satellite array. I'm ghosting the cameras now.
Dr. D stepped forward, looking at the two divisions. "9th and 10th, listen up. Elias is our lightning rod. While he draws the heat, we find Lab 9. Nyx, Sloane, you're with the infiltration team. . Kross, Rook, If the door doesn't open, you make a new one."
"Understood," Kross rumbled, his massive frame shifting.
Elias nodded to the group, a silent pact shared between them, and walked out the door toward his destiny.
Meanwhile at orlox palace,a meeting was being held.
Inside the obsidian halls of Orlox's palace, three figures stood in the flickering light of a dying sun.
Vaxas and Xylo, zethrians general, stood before
"The plan of turning the humans into aliens in order to turn them against themselves is falling apart," Xylo hissed, his eyes blinking in sync. "The Xenocides are interfering. They are smarter than we calculated."
"I agree," Valkhyre replied, his voice a mechanical rasp. "We need a new plan. When King Orlox returns from his journey , he expects a world ready for conquering, not a rebellion. We must provide results."
Vaxas let out a jagged laugh. "Maybe we should let the commanders have some fun. Why send drones when we can send the hunters?"
"That's risky," Xylo snapped. "If we lose a Commander, the King will have our heads."
"If the Commanders kill the Xenocide Captains," Vaxas countered, "we have destroyed their legs. They cannot move. The only two left are Zane and Dock Von. We can handle them ."
Valkhyre tilted his head. "I am with Vaxas. We have the data. We know their powers, their habits, and their weaknesses. I say we play our special card. Let the Commanders descend."
Xylo went silent for a long moment before nodding. "Fine. But the plan with the serum must commence. If we cannot turn the many, we will turn the powerful."
The Grand Gala
The Grand Emerald Ballroom was located miles away from TƎll Industries.
It was a palace of glass and light, filled with the wealthiest families in the sector.
Baldwin moved through the crowd with the grace of a shark, his smile never reaching his eyes. Beside him, Elias stood as a silent shadow.
"Smile, Elias," Baldwin whispered, nodding to a passing senator. "You're supposed to be enjoying the prestige. It isn't every day a guard gets invited to the top table."
"I'm here to work, sir," Elias replied, his eyes constantly scanning the balconies.
Baldwin smiled—a genuine, dark grin this time. He knew what was coming. He had orchestrated the gala as the perfect stage for an execution. He had invited the boy here to watch him fall.
The Breach of TƎll
Meanwhile, the 9th and 10th Divisions had successfully infiltrated the TƎll tower. They split up into their tactical cells, moving through the silent, white hallways like a virus.
Cipher had managed to hack his way into Baldwin's private office. He sat at the CEO's desk, his fingers flying across the holographic interface as he downloaded terabytes of data.
"Come on... come on... show me serum or anything," Cipher whispered.
But as the bars filled, his face fell. "Damn... it's clean. Everything is clean. Financials, logistics, HR... he's scrubbed the whole system."
"He wouldn't keep the evidence in his office," Mikasa said over the comms, her voice sharp. "He's too smart for that."
"Wait," Cipher said, his eyes widening. "Lab 9 can't be on the surface,we have all cameras hacked the only place left is the last floor,."
The entire team converged on the entrance to the final elevator bank. They stood before a massive, seamless door of black alloy. There were no keypads, no retinal scanners, and no obvious way in.
Jace closed his eyes, placing a hand on the door, there's something inside but i can't lock in ".
Cipher tried to plug in his deck, but the connection was immediately severed. "Damn it! It's too tight! The encryption isn't code—it's DNA-locked. I can't hack a living organism!"
"So we're stuck?" Vela asked, her usual humor replaced by frustration.
Back at the Gala, the music suddenly stopped. A high-pitched whistle tore through the air, and the massive glass ceiling of the ballroom shattered into a million diamonds.
Three monstrous figures descended from the sky. They were the Zethrian captain: ,Nork, tusk , and the hulking Mordok.
"The feast begins!" Mordok roared, his voice shattering the crystal chandeliers.
The crowd erupted into a panicked scream. Elias immediately reached for his comms. "Cipher! Rook! We have a breach at the Gala! Requesting—"
Back up .
"Signal is jammed," Elias hissed. He looked at Baldwin, who was ran away with the other people
Elias didn't waste another second. He lunged into the crowd. While the Zethrians began to tear through the room, Elias moved with the speed of a predator.
He grabbed two socialites by their collars, tossing them toward the emergency exits. He dove under a falling beam, hauling an elderly couple to safety.
"Run! To the kitchens!" Elias shouted, his voice commanding even over the carnage.
In the chaos, Elias managed to evacuate more than a hundred guests, his suit stained with dust and debris. Out of the 200 elite, he had saved more than half, but the ballroom was now a wreck of fire and shadows.
The three Zethrian Captains landed in a triangle around him, their eyes glowing with a predatory violet light.
"The little human thinks he's a hero," tusk sneered, his bone-blades sliding out of his wrists with a sickening schlick.
Elias stood in the center of the ruined ballroom, his tuxedo torn, his silver eyes locking onto the aliens. He breathed slowly .
He was alone, cut off from his team, facing three aleins all alone.
"You're not the first monsters I've had to put down," Elias said, his voice cold and steady. "And you won't be the last."