The blue circle pulsed in the tunnel like the heartbeat of something ancient and unbending.
Alex clung to Kayden's sleeve, fingers trembling violently.Phineas took one silent step back — not in fear, but to analyze the battlefield with maximum visibility. His mind was already calculating probabilities, escape angles, structural weaknesses.
Kayden stood in front of them.
And from the Citadel's access node…the operative emerged.
Not rushing.Not aggressive.Not dramatic.
Just… stepping forward like gravity obeyed him.
Black sleek armor, segmented and seamless.Blue symbols that shifted light like liquid.A helmet with no visor, just a smooth reflective face-plate that seemed to sculpt Kayden's reflection into fragments.
Alex whispered, horrified:
"…he doesn't have a face."
APEX flickered so violently Kayden felt the glow in his teeth.
"WARNING:Designation: Citadel Recovery Class-II Operative.Threat Level: UNKNOWN.Probability of successful direct engagement: 0.4%."
Phineas inhaled sharply.
"Zero point four?! Kayden, that's not a fight — that's a disaster."
The operative finally spoke.
A calm, modulated voice.Like someone talking from the bottom of an ocean.
"Arclight Variable… halt."
Alex nearly screamed.
"WHY DOES EVERYONE CALL HIM THAT?! HE HAS A NAME!!!"
The operative didn't react.Not to Alex.Not to Phineas.Not even to APEX.
Only to Kayden.
Kayden stepped forward, jaw clenched.
"I'm not going with you."
The operative tilted his head slightly — that small movement felt like an entire room going quiet.
"Choice is irrelevant."
Phineas grabbed Kayden's arm.
"Kayden, LISTEN. He's not threatening. He's stating protocol. That's worse."
APEX pulsed again:
"Commander…recommend immediate evasive action.Recovery-Class operatives have override authority over regional infrastructure."
Kayden steadied his breath.
"APEX — options?"
APEX hesitated.
"No offensive options.One defensive option.Risk level: severe."
Alex's voice cracked.
"SEVERE is better than ZERO POINT FOUR, right?!"
Phineas shook his head."No, Alex. Severe means it could kill Kayden."
The operative took one step forward.
That single step made the entire tunnel vibrate.
A ripple of pressure blasted outward — Alex almost lost balance. Phineas braced against the wall. Even APEX's hologram flickered.
And then—The operative raised a single hand.
The air tightened.
Alex choked."K-Kayden— I can't— breathe—"
APEX screamed inside Kayden's skull:
"GRAVITY LOCK— INCOMING—!"
Kayden moved.
Not from instinct.Not from training.
From the new, terrifying reflex buried in him after the Sync Spike.
He shoved Alex behind a pillar without looking.Grabbed Phineas by the collar and hauled him to cover.Then rolled forward just as the operative crushed the air—
BOOM—!
The tunnel floor dented inward.Concrete cracked in a perfect circular pattern.
If Kayden had been standing there—
Alex screamed,"STOP TRYING TO KILL HIM!"
The operative replied calmly:
"Correction.Extraction requires subject integrity.Lethal force not authorized."
Alex's lip trembled.
"THAT WAS 'NOT LETHAL'?!"
Kayden stood again, panting — the impact had hit his lungs like a hammer.
APEX whispered urgently:
"Commander…I can give you three seconds of enhanced reflexes.But after that, neural strain will—"
Kayden cut it off.
"Do it."
APEX pulsed in warning.
"Three seconds only."
The operative stepped forward again.
Kayden felt time bend —sound dull —vision sharpen —instincts rewrite themselves.
APEX burst inside him like electricity.
Kayden darted left — faster than a human should.Concrete exploded behind him.He pivoted around debris, using it as cover.Phineas watched, stunned:
"Kayden— you're PREDICTING his movements!"
Alex peeked out, horrified and awed.
"He's moving like— like— like the future version of him we haven't even MET yet!"
But Kayden felt something wrong.
His heartbeat was skipping.His fingertips numb.His breathing automated.
APEX whispered:
"Two seconds remaining…"
Kayden lunged toward the operative—
But the operative finally responded.
He moved his hand slightly.
And Kayden's entire body froze.
Not physically.
Resonance lock.
Phineas's voice broke:
"No… NONONO— he locked Kayden's resonance— that's not even TECHNOLOGY— that's—"
Alex sobbed,"LET HIM GO—!!"
The operative spoke:
"Subject resonance captured.Proceed to extraction."
Kayden couldn't even blink.His heartbeat felt like it wasn't his.
APEX screamed:
"COMMANDER— MANUAL OVERRIDE— INITIATE GHOST_TETHER—?"
Phineas shouted,"DO IT! IT'S THE ONLY CHANCE!"
But Kayden felt something else.
A pressure behind his eyes.A memory not his.A voice layered through time—
"Commander… your battlefield is too large for one man…"
Kayden's fingers twitched.
The operative paused.
For the first time…he hesitated.
"Signature fluctuation detected…"
APEX burst,"SYNC SURGE—!"
Kayden broke the resonance lock.
HOW—Even APEX didn't know.
He staggered backward, gasping.
Alex grabbed him instantly.
"KAYDEN— KAYDEN— OH GOD, SAY SOMETHING—"
Phineas shouted,"RUN! REFLEX SPIKE IS OVER! WE RUN NOW!"
Kayden nodded weakly.
"Alex— move— Phineas, with me— APEX, smoke—"
APEX flickered, then detonated a burst of electromagnetic interference —
FLASH—
The tunnel filled with blinding light.
The trio ran.
Hard.
The operative stepped through the fading smoke without hurry.
Calm.Certain.Unstoppable.
"Arclight Variable…You cannot evade extraction."
Kayden didn't look back.
But his voice carried through the tunnel, fierce and trembling:
"Watch me."
The first true clash had begun.