Habitat-429 is a warzone, its industrial sprawl littered with shattered pipes and smoldering crates, the air thick with smoke and Graxon roars. I'm Alex, my upgraded suit snug as I dodge a plasma club swung by a ten-foot Graxon, all boulder-muscle and bad attitude. My shout—"Last chance! Surrender!"—hangs unanswered, their leader's scarred face snarling as Squad Zero faces a dozen of these low-IQ hulks. Fiona's staff hums beside me, Dmitri's shield flares, and Lyra's Veltari armor gleams, her green-skinned agility a blur. Our S-level bracelets hum, mapping the chaos, but this fight's gone from diplomacy to disaster.
"Spread out!" I yell, raising an earth-flux wall to block a charging Graxon. "Like a zone defense!"
Fiona's staff shifts to sword mode, slashing flux arcs. "Keep 'em busy!" she calls, dodging a club.
Dmitri's spear scorches, his fire-wind vortex blasting two Graxons back. "Burn, you rocks!" he roars.
Lyra darts through, kicks landing like meteors. "Too slow, big guys!" she taunts, toppling one.
I'm swarmed by five—no, seven—Graxons, their clubs swinging like wrecking balls. My power fist cracks one's hide, a glowing boulder slamming another. "Like a CrossFit gauntlet!" I grunt, ducking a blow. My pistol sparks, disabling a third, but the numbers are brutal. I can't see Fiona.
"Fiona!" I shout, glancing over. My heart stops. Two Graxons corner her against a wrecked pylon, a third joining with a club raised. Her staff's down, flux fading as she slumps, blood streaking her suit.
"Fiona!" I yell, but a Graxon slams me back, my earth wall crumbling. I'm pinned, fighting to break free.
Dmitri's voice cuts through. "Hold on!" His shield spins, a fiery vortex blasting my attackers aside. He charges the Graxons on Fiona, spear slashing. "Back off!" he roars, shield slamming one, spear piercing another's arm. The third swings, but Dmitri's vortex engulfs it, dropping it cold.
Lyra's at my side, her Veltari speed a whirlwind. "We've got this, Alex!" Her kicks topple a Graxon, my power fist finishing another. "Focus!" she snaps, dodging a club.
We fight like demons, neutralizing the pack—my boulders crushing two, Lyra's spins disabling three, a few left twitching but alive. The leader's down, out cold from Lyra's final kick. "Night-night, rocky," she mutters.
I sprint to Fiona, heart pounding. She's breathing, barely, her suit torn, face pale under her mask. "Fiona, stay with me," I whisper, cradling her. My bracelet pings: Emergency detected. Guild aid?
"Guild, now!" I bark, tapping it. "Medical evac, Habitat-429!"
Lyra grabs my arm. "No, Alex! Not the Guild hospital. They'll scan her—our human cover's blown."
Dmitri nods, hoisting Fiona gently. "Elder's hospital. Better tech, discreet."
I hesitate, then nod. "Right. Elder's it is."
We tap our S-level bracelets, teleporting to the elder's high-tech hospital—a sterile dome with floating med-drones and glowing pods. A Veltari medic, her amber eyes like Lyra's, rushes over. "Injuries?" she asks.
"Critical," I say, voice tight. "Blunt trauma, maybe internal."
They whisk Fiona into a pod, its holo-scanners humming. Lyra grips my shoulder. "She's tough, Alex. She'll pull through."
Dmitri's jaw clenches. "I should've been faster."
Lyra nudges him. "You saved her, shield guy. That's enough."
Hours crawl by, my mind racing—Fiona's grin, her staff spins, our late-night talks. The medic emerges. "Stabilized. Fractured ribs, concussion, but she'll recover. Rest now."
We teleport Fiona to our penthouse, her in a med-sling, us in regular clothes—me in a T-shirt and shorts, Fiona in a loose tee, Dmitri in a tank, Lyra in a crop top. The elder's voice crackles through a holo-call. "Squad Zero, take all the time you need. Fiona's care is on me. No missions until she's ready."
I nod, throat tight. "Thanks, Elder."
Fiona stirs, eyes fluttering. "Alex… did we win?"
I grin, squeezing her hand gently. "Yeah, babe. Squad Zero's unbeatable."
Dmitri smirks. "Thanks to me."
Lyra laughs. "Dream on, fire man."