Inside the Peacekeepers headquarters, the meeting hall was filled with an air of anticipation. At the front of the room stood Gregory, a burly man whose body was a patchwork of cybernetic enhancements—mechanical limbs, reinforced plating, and wire connections that ran across his massive frame. His beefy arms were crossed tightly over his chest as he stood in front of the audience.

  In the rows before him, around a hundred Peacekeepers were seated, all in black and silver gear, their eyes focused intently on Gregory.

  He cleared his throat, his deep voice carrying easily over the room. "We’ve been handed a new mission. A couple days ago, the holding facility that held the insignia bearers had a breakout. A couple hundred inmates managed to escape and flee to the continents."

  "Luckily, most of them were stupid and had tried to get help from local authorities, so the majority of them have already been recaptured." Gregory’s voice grew more serious. "But…," he said, pointing behind him at the screen on the wall.

  The screen flickered to life and six faces appeared, frozen in sharp detail.

  "These inmates led the breakout. Their names are Owen Walters, Isaac Temple, Grace Lawson, Katherine Hart, Jason Carter, and Marie Tully."

  Gregory paused. "They haven’t been captured yet. But after talks with the former warden of the holding facility, we believe they’re planning on storming the Havec city prison where their families are being held."

  Gregory’s gaze swept over the assembled Peacekeepers, his expression hard as steel.

  "Our job is to stop them," he stated. "I’ll be stationing half of our forces around the prison to ensure they don’t even get close. The other half will be sent out to track down and capture the remaining escapees."

  A murmur ran through the ranks, but it was quickly silenced when someone in the front row raised a hand.

  It was one of the squad captains, a woman with black hair, a sharp gaze, and multiple piercings adorning her ears.

  "Wasn’t their warden an advanced essence user?" she asked. "If they managed to take out someone like that, then… doesn’t that mean they’re pretty damn strong?"

  Gregory exhaled through his nose, crossing his arms even tighter. "Amy," he addressed her, his tone even. "They are strong. But we’re stronger."

  His eyes shifted slightly, settling on another squad captain sitting beside Amy.

  This one, a man in an oversized blue coat, leaned back in his chair, his low-cut blonde hair barely shifting as his head rested against the seat. Massive headphones pumped out a steady, bass-heavy rhythm loud enough that the Peacekeepers around him could hear it. His eyes remained shut, almost as if he hadn’t been paying attention.

  Gregory narrowed his gaze. "Benjamin."

  One yellow eye cracked open.

  "Did you get all that?" Gregory asked.

  Benjamin reached up, pulling his headphones down to rest around his neck. The music still blared from the speakers.

  "Loud and clear, sir." Benjamin replied, locking his piercing gaze onto Gregory.

  Gregory’s gaze next shifted to the other six remaining captains seated beside Amy and Benjamin. Each of them wore a different expression—some serious, some indifferent—but all of them were listening.

  "This mission cannot fail. Arden expects results, and we will deliver."

  A few of the captains nodded, some more resolutely than others.

  From his seat, Benjamin stretched his arms over his head and let out a slow exhale. Then, with a casual shrug, he muttered, "Alright then, let’s start this already."

  ***

  Owen let out a tired breath as he gazed through the fogged-up window on the second floor of the warehouse. The morning mist blanketed the outside, making it hard to see beyond the immediate surroundings. His reflection, faint and hazy, stared back at him.

  With a quiet sigh, he shoved his hands into his pockets and turned away from the window. His boots thudded softly against the metal flooring as he made his way to the stairs leading down to the main floor.

  Below, the warehouse was already alive with movement. People moved back and forth, preparing gear and checking out supplies.

  Isaac’s group would be heading out first, leaving within the next hour. Owen’s team would move out half a day later.

  As Owen descended the stairs, his eyes flickered towards a gathering crowd near the centre of the warehouse. He moved towards the group, and as soon as people noticed him, they instinctively stepped aside, making a path for him.

  At the centre of it all, Isaac sat on a worn-out couch, leaning slightly forward, his focus on the long table in front of him. Scattered across the surface were multiple OmniBands.

  Isaac, busy working on another OmniBand, looked up as Owen approached.

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  "Good morning." Isaac greeted.

  Owen absentmindedly nodded, still shaking off the last remnants of sleep.

  Isaac stood up, stretching his arms briefly before locking eyes with Owen. "Glad you're awake. I needed to talk to you."

  Turning toward the crowd, Isaac raised his voice slightly. "If anyone still needs an OmniBand, come find me later."

  With that, he and Owen stepped away from the group, moving towards the open warehouse doors. Going past them, they stepped outside into the crisp morning air. A few hover cars sat parked nearby along the gravel road.

  Isaac let out a slow breath. "It’s going to be difficult for you and the others heading to the prison. Even if you manage to free the families, we're talking about possibly thousands of people. Escaping the city with that many… it won’t be easy."

  Owen sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah… I’m still racking my brain on how the hell we’re gonna pull that off." His expression shifted slightly, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Your mission also won’t be any easier. But at least you’ve got the lay of Gaast City."

  At the mention of the city's name, Isaac suddenly stopped walking. His head tilted back slightly as his eyes settled on the sky above.

  "Right…" Isaac murmured, almost to himself. "I’ll be going home."

  Owen paused beside him, watching the shift in his expression.

  Isaac exhaled and then looked at Owen. "Do you remember when I told you I didn’t mind staying in the facility?"

  Owen nodded. "Yeah, I do. That was around the time we first met."

  "Yeah so the reason I said that back then was because my family owns a massive hover car manufacturing company."

  Owen blinked, his eyes widening in surprise. "Wait, really?"

  Isaac gave a curt nod. "It’s a company that’s important to the realm. Profitable. Influential. And when they found out I was an Insignia bearer," he let out a disbelieved laugh. "That’s when they made the decision to turn me in—to protect the company."

  Owen stood in silence for a moment, letting Isaac's words settle.

  Isaac exhaled, his voice quieter now. "Now that I'm free, Arden will imprison them. It’s only a matter of time. I’ve got no clue on what I should do."

  Owen stayed quiet for a beat longer, trying to find the right words. Finally, he spoke up. "Do whatever you want when you see them again. Either ask them to come with us or leave them behind." He turned to start walking again but then paused. Without looking back at Isaac, he added, "But you must still care for them, or you wouldn't have let yourself be imprisoned for so long."

  Isaac sighed, his breath heavy with thought, but he continued walking beside Owen. The two of them made their way down the road in silence for a few moments. As they walked further, they spotted Katherine jogging ahead, her pace steady, while Marie trailed behind, clearly struggling to keep up and breathing heavily.

  As Katherine neared, Owen smirked. "Morning, Kath."

  Katherine shot him a frown as she ran past. "My name isn’t Kath." she muttered before continuing down the road.

  Just as she went by, Marie stumbled and fell to the ground right in front of Owen and Isaac, her hands clutching the gravel as she panted for air.

  Owen raised an eyebrow at Isaac. "Isn’t Marie coming with you to Gaast City? I didn’t expect her to be this weak."

  Marie’s head shot up, her face flushed. "I’ve never been that physically strong." she huffed between breaths.

  Further ahead, Katherine was still jogging in place and called out to her. "Are you just going to sit around? Marie!"

  Marie groaned but pushed herself to her feet, dusting off her hands before forcing herself into a run to catch up.

  As she disappeared after Katherine, Owen turned back to Isaac. "Yeah… I’m going to be worried about you guys."

  Isaac shook his head. "Marie’s Insignia is strong. You don’t need to worry."

  Owen exhaled through his nose. "Still, your team isn’t that big. Most of the guys are coming with me to Havec City."

  "But we need that many people if we want a real chance at freeing most of our families."

  Owen sighed. "If we had more time at the facility—got stronger, gathered more allies—we’d be better prepared."

  "Right. But, how did the Arden officers find out about our plan?"

  Owen frowned. "It must have leaked out from somewhere."

  "Then we’ll have to find out how that happened later."

  Isaac suddenly remembered something. "Oh yeah," he said, a grin forming on his face. "I actually brought you out here to show you something."

  He stretched out his arm, and a black metal case materialised in his hands. Holding it out, he smirked. "Go on. Take it and open it."

  Owen raised an eyebrow but took the case. He set it down on the ground and flipped open the lid.

  Inside, nestled in a sleek foam interior, were a pair of high-tech black gauntlets. Their design was sleek, with intricate golden engravings along the plating and small mechanisms visible along the joints.

  Owen reached down, picking one up and inspecting it closely. "Oh shit," he muttered, his eyes widening. "I didn’t expect you to make something like this."

  Isaac put his hands in his pocket, still grinning. "Not only will these protect your arms, but they’ll also increase your punching power."

  Owen slipped the gauntlet over his sleeve. The moment it made contact, it came alive, adjusting itself and fitting snugly around his arm. He clenched his hand into a fist, and the golden engravings began to glow.

  A grin formed on his face as he suddenly threw a punch to the side. The force of the strike sent a sharp gust through the air, rustling the gravel beneath his feet.

  Retracting his fist, Owen turned to Isaac. "Thanks for this." he said, genuinely appreciative.

  Isaac waved a dismissive hand. "It’s nothing serious."

  Glancing down at his OmniBand, Isaac swiped a finger through the holographic interface, pulling up the time. "Speaking of which, it’s about time for me and my group to head out."

  Owen nodded. "I see. Let’s go gather them then."

  ***

  Most of the people had gathered outside the warehouse, their breaths visible in the crisp morning air. The ones leaving with Isaac were loading into the hover cars and carrying supplies into them. Engines hummed as they powered up, casting a low vibration through the ground.

  Owen stood near the entrance with his arms crossed. Beside him, Jason, Grace, Will, and Katherine were stood with him in silence.

  Isaac, Marie, Hannah and Joyce, having just finished carrying the last of their supplies, approached the group. They came to a stop in front of them, ready to exchange their farewells.

  Joyce stepped in first, wrapping her arms around Grace in a tight hug. One by one, the others followed, exchanging handshakes, quick embraces, and parting words.

  As they pulled away, Owen looked at Isaac and the others. "Stay safe. And don’t take on big risks."

  Isaac gave a nod, as did Marie, Hannah and Joyce. "We’ll be careful," Isaac assured him. Then he exhaled and turned towards the vehicles. "Alright, it’s time to leave."

  Without another word, they headed to the front of the convoy. The doors of the lead car slid open, and one by one, they climbed inside. A low hum filled the air as the vehicles lifted off the ground. The hover cars hovered in place for a moment, then took off, gliding over the gravel road before disappearing into the misty horizon.

  The remaining crowd lingered only briefly before filtering back inside the warehouse, leaving Owen and his group standing alone.

  Owen took a step forward, then turned to face the group. "Alright," he said, stretching his arms above his head, "let’s go to the beach."

  A gust of cold wind rushed past them, and the others instinctively hunched their shoulders. Katherine frowned, pulling her clothes tighter. "Huh?"