In a certain cellar of the Romulus rehabilitation facility, Dick Quartel calmly read a book he had borrowed from the library for the night.
Glancing up for a second, he checked the time on the mechanical clock hanging from his cell's wall. He pursed his lips and then grinned, pushing his glasses up with one finger.
"Finally, right on schedule."
Right then, he felt a foreign presence latch onto his mind and form a connection with it. The very next second, a voice echoed through his head.
"The First phase of the plan is unfolding beautifully, Dick. Ah, I wish you could be here to see this. But what a shame that you are stuck in prison!"
The former Assemblyman instantly recognized the voice and closed his book, chuckling quietly.
"Yes – yes, I wish I could be there to witness it too Father Octavius. However, I can still follow the news."
Octavius's laughter resounded in Dick's mind. After a few seconds of silence, he sighed and muttered:
"But now we have deal with the Pope's tantrum... that'll surely be a big headache."
Dick smiled.
"Wishing you were the one in prison?"
Octavius smacked his lips.
"...Kinda."
Dick shook his head and stood up.
"You've made that choice and now, you have to face the consequences, Father. The Pope's wrath will not subside easily. Especially so since we've struck the Lieutenant General. Inform me if anyone one dies and if they don't, I too will praise his kindness."
Octavius remained silent for a few moments as Dick stretched his old body. Then, the Archbishop scoffed:
"Whatever. Goodnight, Dick. May your nightmares drown in sorrow."
Dick exhaled heavily and responded in a nonchalant tone:
"May your nightmares burn with horror as well, Father. Goodnight."
The mental link connecting their minds snapped and Octavius's voice went silent.
Dick flopped down on his bed, pulled the blanket over himself, and smiled.
'Finally… I can sleep well.'
He was out cold in seconds.
***
Missio's primal screams rippled through the air as the ground beneath him began to crack and be flattened under his power. Yet, in the wake of his sorrowful cries, none seemed to be awakened from their slumber.
Krishna looked towards his best friend with sorrowful eyes. Gritting his teeth, he furrowed his brows and scanned his surroundings.
The rest of the Operators had fallen to the ground – unconscious. Sun was a few feet behind him in the same state as the Operators.
Jack-in-the-Box lay a few inches away from the Drug Lord, the puppet joker slumping on the cold concrete.
Krishna inhaled deeply and rushed forward. The Operator's figure became a blur as his velocity soared. With inhumane speed, he picked up all the Operators one by one and rested their bodies within Sun's apartment.
When he neared the Operator who had dragged Missio away though, he gritted his teeth. He could feel the space-time warping around him like the waves in an ocean.
However, this was only an echo of the distortion happening at the eye of the storm.
Krishna shook his head and gripped the man's wrist, dragging him back to Sun's apartment.
Seconds later, Missio's cries had subsided somewhat. Krishna approached Sun and drew handcuffs from his pocket. He swiftly brought the Drug Lord's hands together and cuffed them.
Lifting his head, he noticed Jack-in-the-Box laying the ground. Krishna froze and stared at the wooden cube in horror, something clicking in his mind. Ire rose in his heart but he quickly suppressed it and grabbed the Relic, stuffing it into his pocket.
Only then did he drag his unconscious body to the apartment.
After that, Krishna grimaced and turned towards the Lieutenant General.
'Damn it...'
Clenching his fist, he stared at his captain's suffering, knowing he couldn't approach.
He didn't know what was causing reality to bend. However, he knew the distortion occurring near Missio was the greatest even though the latter seemed to be unaffected.
'I can get through it but... it'll cause a lot of damage.'
Approaching the bent reality while trying to maintain shape would probably cause a chain reaction in the surrounding space-time, possibly causing immediate collapse.
However, Krishna couldn't know the actual outcome. Maybe something different would happen but the local space-time collapsing seemed to be the most probable to him.
There was something strange about this phenomenon though...
Krishna could faintly hear an elusive voice singing in the mists of the distortion and that.... disturbed him a great deal.
But before he could think of anything else, Missio's rampage finally halted.
The Lieutenant General released his head and fell onto his side, blood streaming from his eyes and ears. His wings also disappeared, being sucked back into his exposed scapula.
His eyes rolled back before his fell onto the ground and went unconscious.
Krishna slid down the small crater Missio had created and knelt before him. He clenched his jaw, picking his captain by the shoulder with a slight groan. Missio's body limped, devoid of any strength.
'He's exhausted all his Will…'
Krishna sighed and began climbing the small crater. A bad premonition rose in his mind as he felt the surrounding Chaos vibrating in an unusual manner.
'A Fragment...'
And as he guessed, the sky started to churn. The air began vibrating to a grating melody, unheard by mortal ears and ground shook under a terrible, unfathomable pressure.
Sparks of dark grey electricity crackled in the air, growing bigger with passing time.
Krishna rested Missio near Mary and straightened, peering towards the center of the small crater.
Finally, reality split open like a wound dealt to the universe. A massive dark chasm, seemingly the size of an average house, appeared in the center of the crater.
Krishna sighed as grey-skinned monster burst out of the rift and flooded the surroundings. The Operator's eyes gleamed as an unnoticeable change occurred to the surrounding space-time, as if an extra layer had been peeled off of it.
***
In the control room of the AEOC Special Ops division HQ, a small team of scientists were monitoring an AI responsible for detecting disturbances in Chaos within the borders of Ashland.
As they watched, a massive surge appeared on the digital scale. The scientists eyes widened as a robotic voice echoed through the chamber and warned:
"Class Beta Chaos Fragment detected in Kharagen! Repeat! Class Beta Chaos Fragment detected in Kharagen. Second Unit dispatch! Repeat! Second Unit dispatch!"
***
A few minutes later...
Several armored vehicles rushed out of the AEOC Special Ops Headquarters underground parking lot. Twenty individuals dressed in black sat in the vehicles, gripping in a submachine gun with their gloved hands.
All twenty simultaneously raised their fingers and tapped the earbud in their right ear twice.
The earbud shone as it expanded across their faces, covering their heads in a black metallic mask that made them almost indistinguishable from the surrounding darkness.
Two valves protruded from their mouths, filtering the air as they breathe and two glowing slits covered their eyes, making them seem even more fearsome.
With steeled hearts, they rushed towards the Chaos Fragment, preparing for a harrowing battle.