It wasn't a dream. It was… static. Bits of voices, gloved hands, the faint scrape of metal. I felt movement—being carried, maybe rolled. Someone muttered my name.
"Mercer."
"Get him restrained."
"Commander wants him processed before dawn."
I wanted to curse, to punch something, but even my thoughts felt slow.
The last thing I remember before slipping under again was Ryu's laugh.
And then, nothing.
When I woke up, I thought I'd overslept.
For a solid three seconds, I actually believed I was in my bed, late for class again. Then my head started pounding, and the air smelled sterile—like bleach and machines.
I blinked at the white ceiling. Not hospital white. Government white. The kind that made you squint and question life choices.
"Ugh..."
I pushed myself up, groaning. My limbs felt like they'd been unplugged and reattached wrong. Every joint ached. My mouth tasted like pennies and fucking regret.
The room was small. Clean. Too clean. Polished concrete, table, chair, and a wall made of glass.
Behind it—three silhouettes.
Ryu, of course. Leaning back like he owned the place. The smirk hadn't been smacked off that perfect face. The man had the kind of grin that said I ruin people's lives for fun.
Next to him, the blonde lady from earlier—arms folded, unimpressed. The sharp kind of beautiful that could stab. Her expression screamed: I told you this was a bad idea.
And to her left, the older man.
The one whose presence made the air shift.
White hair. Cut neat. Skin weathered like he'd lived through five wars and didn't flinch at any of them. His uniform was immaculate—black trimmed with silver—and the way he carried himself made even Ryu look like a delinquent in detention.
Commander Harlan.
He didn't need to announce himself as I stared at the name tag attached to his pocket. You could feel authority rolling off him like static.
The glass door slid open with a hiss.
"Morning," Ryu said, all casual. "Sleep well?"
I glared. My voice came out rough. "Where am I?"
"Home," he said, like that was obvious. "Code Seven."
Right. And I was Coraline.
Before I could respond, the Commander stepped forward.
"Ken Mercer." His tone made my name sound like a military file. Not a question. A fact. "You've caused quite a stir."
He flipped through a folder he'd brought, eyes scanning faster than humanly possible. "Adrian Mercer's son."
I froze.
How—how did he know that name?
Ryu glanced my way. The blonde lady didn't react at all.
Harlan didn't wait. "You were filming in an active perimeter. Not smart. The city can't protect you from what you stumbled into. But we can."
He closed the file and set it down. "You have two choices."
Great. Love when life turns into a hostage negotiation.
"Choice one," he said, sliding a plain white card across the table. "We erase what you saw. Memory suppression. You wake up tomorrow in your bed with no recollection of tonight. You live a quiet life. Safer that way."
My fingers twitched. "And choice two?"
He didn't blink. "You join us. Evaluation, training, containment protocol. Code Seven recruits those who survive encounters like yours."
Ryu tilted his head. "Think of it as summer camp. With superpowers and weapons."
"More like forced labor," the blonde muttered, flipping her knife idly.
"Hey," I barked, rubbing the back of my neck. "You did kidnap me. Pretty sure that's illegal."
Ryu chuckled, low and easy. "Relax, kid. We don't do ransom notes anymore."
"Not funny," I shot back. "And stop calling me kid. You literally knocked me out and dragged me who knows where."
The lady rolled her eyes. "You talk too much for someone who could've been dead an hour ago."
"Yeah, well, I process trauma verbally."
Ryu laughed outright this time—bright, amused, like lightning hitting metal. "Oh, I like him."
I looked between them, tired. "You people are insane."
"Debatable," Ryu said, grinning. "But not wrong."
The Commander cleared his throat and strangely we all shut up.
"You're here because you saw what others don't. And because you survived. That means something."
His tone softened, barely. "Your father worked with us once. Lieutenant Adrian Mercer. He was one of the few who understood what we face."
My stomach twisted. "My father's dead."
"Yes," Harlan said. "Because he took on something far beyond protocol."
A muscle ticked in his jaw, a rare crack in his perfect composure. "We don't intend to repeat that mistake."
I couldn't look away from him. The man radiated command, but beneath it—grief. Controlled, measured grief.
He stepped closer. The light caught the faint lines near his eyes. He looked royal somehow. Not elegant, but regal, like he'd once worn medals heavier than his conscience.
"We'll test you," he said. "If you're capable, you'll train here. If not… we erase you."
I swallowed. "Wow. Great pep talk."
"Choose," he said simply.
My throat went dry. Either way, I was trapped. Stay and maybe die—or leave and forget everything, including the truth I'd been chasing my whole life.
'Mom would tell me to run,' I thought. 'Dad would probably say fight.'
I took a slow breath. "You think I'll be safe here?"
Ryu leaned back in his chair, grin curling wider. "Safe's boring. We do purpose."
The blonde—Jade, I overheard earlier—snorted softly. "Purpose gets you killed faster."
The Commander ignored them both. "You've already seen too much to go back. But you might survive this if you learn fast."
Might. Not will.
I stared at my hands. At the faint tremor that wouldn't stop. At the invisible line between the life I'd known and whatever this was.
"I don't really have a choice, do I?"
Harlan inclined his head, precise as ever. "Then we begin."
–––––––––––
They didn't waste time. No dramatic speeches. No blood oaths. Just straight logistics.
Two guards escorted me through narrow halls lined with pipes and flickering lights. The air buzzed faintly with energy—machines, magic, whatever this place ran on.
We passed training rooms, shooting ranges, a lab filled with tanks that glowed faint blue. Inside, people moved like soldiers who'd stopped being human a long time ago.
"This place is insane," I muttered.
Ryu walked beside me, hands in pockets, completely unfazed. "You'll get used to it. Or you won't."
"Not helping."
He smirked. "Didn't say I was trying."
Jade trailed behind us, blades clinking softly against her belt. "Don't trip over your own ego, rookie."
"I wasn't planning to, thanks."
Her eyes rolled again. I was starting to think it was her favorite exercise.
We stopped in front of a door labeled EVALUATION. Thick steel.
Ryu tapped a panel, and it slid open with a hydraulic sigh.
Inside—white lights, humming machines, and a whole lot of cables that looked like they wanted to strangle me.
"Nice," I muttered. "Kidnap someone, then electrocute them. Real PR genius you've got here."
"Don't worry," Ryu said with a grin. "We only fry the cocky ones."
"Good thing I'm charming then."
He barked out a laugh. "Oh yeah. You'll fit right in."
The Commander entered behind us, posture straight, presence heavy. "Strap him in."
The guards moved fast.
I didn't even fight, what was the point? The chair wasn't exactly comforting, all metal and cold restraints. A faint buzz filled the room as wires connected to my skin.
The smell of ozone again. Always ozone.
"Relax," Ryu said, leaning on a console. "It's just a scan. Won't hurt much."
"Define 'much'."
He winked. "You'll find out."