The storm rolled in just before midnight.
Thunder cracked over the broken skyline of Havenreach as Jaden crouched on a rooftop overlooking the ruins of an old Eclipse relay outpost. The structure was half-collapsed, but the dish atop it still pulsed faintly—an active signal node.
Intel said Eclipse used it to coordinate variant drops and redirect scavenger patrols. If Jaden's new faction wanted to move freely, the signal had to go.
And this would be their first mission.
He activated his Lock System.
Faction Members:
Tess — Loyalty: 87/100
Marcus — Loyalty: 59/100
Raya — Loyalty: 51/100
Each name pulsed with faint threads of light—Command Thread in action. Not strong yet, but noticeable. He could feel their energy through it: tense, expectant, alive.
Objective:
Disable the Relay Node
Extract clean
Casualties: Unacceptable
They moved in under cover of rain.
Tess handled recon, crawling along the northern ridge to scout sniper lines.
Marcus stayed with Jaden, wielding his sledgehammer like a thunderclap waiting to happen.
Raya took the flank, quiet as shadow—knife in one hand, sidearm in the other.
Jaden activated Phase Trigger, blinking past a fallen wall and taking out a lone guard with a silent chokehold.
+1 Loyalty: MarcusHe hadn't even realized Marcus was watching.
They regrouped at the relay's outer perimeter.
Jaden knelt by the control panel. "This isn't just a comms node. It's wired to a sub-network. Disabling it could delay Eclipse variant spawns for days."
"We hitting it hard or quiet?" Marcus asked.
Jaden glanced to Raya. "We do it clean. Quiet. In and out."
She smirked. "Didn't think you had it in you."
They breached the compound in formation. Jaden's Loyalty Sense became a guide—highlighting the trust slowly forming in his team.
Marcus led with brute force, clearing the way.Raya eliminated threats like a ghost.Tess remained their eyes, eyes that missed nothing.
But the turning point came unexpectedly.
Inside the compound, two Eclipse guards tripped a silent alarm. Turrets activated, sirens wailed—and then came the sound of shattering glass and inhuman snarls.
A variant.
It burst through the wall from below, emaciated but fast—its movements spiderlike, hungry. Too fast.
Before Jaden could act, it lunged toward him.
A gunshot rang out—clean, perfect. The variant's skull shattered mid-leap, its body crashing against the floor at Jaden's feet.
He turned.
Tess stood there, rifle smoking. But her hands were trembling. Her breath short, her pupils dilated—not with fear, but something else. A low hum filled the air around her, and her skin seemed to shimmer faintly, like the air around a heatwave.
She blinked. "Did... you feel that?"
Raya turned, frowning. "Feel what?"
Jaden stepped toward her. "Tess?"
"I don't know," she whispered. "When it charged at you... something pushed through me. It was like—instinct. And now—" She paused, swallowing. "I feel different."
Jaden narrowed his eyes.
He couldn't see it. Not yet. But the Lock System chimed faintly in his mind.
Notice: Unregistered Power Detected Nearby.Classification: Unknown. Awakening Incomplete.
She was changing.
They made the final push to the relay's control room. Marcus shattered the signal core with a single swing, sparks flaring in the dark.
As Eclipse reinforcements scrambled outside, the team vanished into the tunnels below.
Later, in the skeleton of a crumbled tower, Jaden reviewed the mission.
System Notification:Mission Success: Local Eclipse Relay DisabledMinor Regional Impact: Patrol coordination disrupted.
Command Thread Skill Progressing...Loyalty Sense Updated:
Tess: 89
Marcus: 66
Raya: 58
Jaden glanced over at Tess. She was quiet now, seated on a chunk of rebar, staring at her hands. Her body was still. But the faint pulse of energy was there—undeniable.
"You ever feel… like something's waking up?" she asked.
Jaden didn't answer right away. Instead, he sat beside her.
"You saved me back there," he said.
"Not on purpose."
"Doesn't matter. Power's power. You'll figure it out. And when you do, we'll be ready."
She looked over at him. "We?"
"We," he confirmed.
Back at the hideout, Jaden stood before the cracked wall where names were pinned. Faultline's roster was still small, but stronger now.
Marcus: steel and fury.Raya: shadow and precision.Tess: loyalty and something more—something unknown.
He watched them settle in—resting, repairing, eating quietly.
System Notification:Faction Codename Registered: FAULTLINEFaction Members: 4Loyalty Tracking: ActiveMorale: Stable
Passive Quest Acquired:Solidify Command Threads
Maintain at least 4 active members above 60 LoyaltyReward: Lock Point + Hidden Lock Access
The war was coming.
And Faultline was no longer just a name.
It was a spark.