The door shut behind them with a heavy thud. Lights flickered on, casting long shadows through the steel-lined corridors of the HQ. Three figures stepped inside—Ash, Valker, and a third agent.
The interior buzzed with activity—screens flashing, operators shouting coordinates, boots pounding across metal floors. This section of the facility housed about forty evolvers—enhanced individuals, each trained and augmented to be humanity's finest. Those who had undergone the procedure, enhanced in strength, perception, or control. The best of the best, at least on paper.
But the moment the trio entered, the room began to still. Conversations died out. Heads turned.
Some stared with admiration. Others, with barely concealed disappointment. Then the murmurs began.
"Hey, look. It's Ash and Valker. They're actually back from the Twelve Evolvers rescue mission."
"Yeah, and they failed miserably. Sure, they confirmed some theories about the Second Transition… but that's about it."
"Failed?" someone snapped. "You talking about the best Evolvers our section has? They got out alive when most wouldn't have."
"Best? Please. I could name ten Evolvers from other sections who are tearing through parasites while these two babysit civilians like we're running a damn charity."
"Then why don't you go join them, you mouthy prick? Oh wait—you wouldn't last five minutes out there. No one wants a weak-ass liability with more bark than bite."
The bickering escalated, but Ash, Valker, and the agent kept walking—unbothered, untouched.
Valker (thinking):
"They never shut up, do they? Guess being an Evolver really goes to some people's heads."
A group of four approached from the left. A woman with sharp eyes and a relaxed but alert stance—young, but with the weariness of a veteran. Two younger men flanked her, mid-20s, light armor, practiced confidence.
And then the man leading them.
Tall. Imposing. Mid-30s, with broad shoulders and a muscular frame. Brown skin. A thick black beard and long hair tied back tight. He stopped inches from Ash.
Ash had been staring at the floor as he walked, but when The man stepped into his path, he raised his gaze.
Ash (neutral): "What?"
The man took a step forward, his voice low and rough with restrained pain.
Man: "One of the Twelve you failed to bring back… was my cousin. Hind. A dear one to me."
Ash held his stare. Silent. Steady.
Then, his expression shifted—just slightly. A softness behind the eyes. He looked down for a beat.
Ash (quietly): "If that's true… I'm sorry. I didn't know her. But if she was out there with us, she mattered. That makes her important to me too."
One of his young men stepped forward, fists clenched.
Young Operative: " 'If that's true'? What, you think the captain's lying?"
The hallway fell into silence. Heavy. Sharp.
Ash looked at him calmly.
Ash: "I don't really know, since when did you care about people, Bilal?"
Bilal was the captain, the imposing man.
Bilal stepped closer—close enough that Ash could feel the heat of his breath. Eyes locked. Trying to rattle him.
Ash didn't move. Unfazed by him.
Ash (flatly): "If you'll excuse me, I have a meeting with the Commander."
He turned a little and started walking past the group. Valker and the agent fell in behind him.
But just before they reached the stairwell, Bilal's voice cut through the air like a blade.
Bilal: "Maybe if you spent less time playing savior of humanity and more time doing your damn job saving people that actually need saving in this world, you know, people with abilities to stand up, my cousin wouldn't be lying in a shallow grave."
Ash stopped mid-step.
Turned—slowly.
His gaze landed on Bilal like a weapon unsheathed.
Ash (cold): "You really know how to get under my skin, don't you?"
A pause. Silence thickening.
Ash (sharper): "I may be a human supremacist who values life… but I wouldn't mind tearing off a few fingers right now."
The air turned brittle.
Bilal: "Try it, small guy. 'Best of our section'—give me a fucking break. Always thought you were a fraud who got lucky. Step forward. I'll make it quick."
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
"Wait, isn't that Bilal? His squad's one of the most lethal in the section."
"Then why don't they have a higher success rate?"
"Because they don't prioritize civilians. The Commander barely assigns them to ops."
Ash exhaled sharply.
Ash: "Oh, fuck me then."
He took a swift step forward—
Valker's arm shot out, blocking him.
Valker (calm, razor-edged): "You're Bilal Filali. Your cousin was Hind Filali."
He stops for a moment and gives a mocking look.
Valker: "Tell me, Bilal… if she meant that much to you, why didn't you volunteer for the rescue mission?"
Bilal's posture stiffened. His lips parted, but no words came.
Valker stepped closer.
Valker (low): "What was it? Were you scared?"
Bilal's face twitched—shame and fury flickering in his eyes. After a long, tight pause, he uttered:
Bilal: "What did you just say?"
Valker: "I mean, we were tight on people when the Commander gave us this mission. We opened up for volunteers who would go with us for this dangerous expedition because we needed more people for a broader search, but no one answered. It got so bad I had to call my fiancée to help us."
He shifted his gaze towards the people in the building.
Valker: "None of you mouthful pricks offered to help us. Maybe we could've managed to bring them back if we didn't have such cowards in our section."
Shame spreads through the room. No one meets his eyes.
Valker then shifted his gaze to Bilal.
Valker: "So tell me, Bilal, why didn't you volunteer to join us?"
Bilal's face tensed.
Bilal: "I… I had something to take care of."
Valker: "Oh? More important than your cousin's life? Tsk, what a fine family man."
Bilal's jaw tightened up, his face was down from shame. He couldn't say another word.
He then relaxed his face and turned around and started slowly walking away with his group without saying another word.
As he was walking, he started talking a bit.
Bilal: "This isn't anywhere near over."
Ash's gaze lingered a second longer. Then he turned and walked on, expression unreadable.
Valker slowly turned away and followed him.
They walked until there was a stairway.
They climbed the stairs in silence, the agent a few steps ahead. Valker moved closer to Ash.
Valker: "You weren't serious down there, were you?"
Ash answered without looking at him.
Ash: "What do you know about me?"
Valker studied him for a moment.
Valker: "What the hell is going on with you lately?"
Ash then faced him quickly.
Ash: "Do you really want to know?"
Valker's expression tightened, as if bracing for something irritating
Valker: "No I don't."
Ash exhaled sharply, then let it all spill out regardless.
Ash: "People are dying. Starving. No food, no medicine, winter coming, fuel shortages. Twelve damn Evolvers just died, and now we're stretched thin against these parasites. And my best friend's engaged to a Crimson Sight fanatic—"
Valker rubbed his temples.
Valker (thinking): "Oh god, he's spiraling."
Ash kept ranting as they entered the Commander's office—a spacious room overlooking the city. A middle-aged man stood by the window, his back to them. Tall, broad-shouldered, with a trimmed beard and an air of quiet authority.
Commander Naciri.
Beside him, a young woman—early 20s, blonde, striking in a fitted suit—stood poised, a datapad in hand. The Commander's secretary.
The agent cleared his throat.
Agent: "Commander, Ash and Valker are here."
No response.
Ash and Valker, still mid-argument, didn't even notice.
Valker: "Okay, okay, I get it. Can you stop talking?"
Ash: "So now you want me to stop? Why start this if you won't finish it?"
Valker: "Start what? I was just checking on you because you're acting out!"
Ash: "Acting out? What are you, my mom?"
Five minutes passed. The Commander's grip on the windowsill tightened.
Ash: "And what the hell was that at the building's door? You and that woman—way too much."
Valker: "What's it to you? Jealous I get more action than you?"
Ash: "I'd rather be single than be with that freak—"
Commander Naciri (roaring): "CAN YOU TWO SHUT THE FUCK UP? I'm trying to enjoy my damn break!"
Silence.
Ash and Valker blinked, finally registering where they were.
Valker: "Oh. Hey, Commander. Didn't see you there."
Ash: "Hey."
Naciri pinched the bridge of his nose.
Commander Naciri: "You two come back from a failed mission, stir up a scene in the corridors, and then barge into my office arguing like schoolboys. Tell me—do I look like I have time for your drama?"
The commander then turned around and slowly sat in his chair.
Commander (exasperated): "Just sit. We have urgent things to discuss."