Sound the alarm. A B-Class Colossus has breached the east gate.
The voice cut through every comm in the district.
Torran's father was already running, rifle slung over his back, boots hammering against the metal walkways. He didn't wait for backup. He knew the danger. He just ran.
Then the alarms started screaming.
WOOOHHH—WOOOHHH—WOOOHHH
Red lights flared across the streets. Shelter gates dropped. Loudspeakers barked warnings. Families grabbed their children and sprinted for cover. But this time, it wouldn't be fast enough.
The gate had already failed.
Torran crouched behind a reinforced wall, arms wrapped around his younger sister. Sera trembled in his arms, biting her sleeve to keep from crying.
Their mother's last words during drills echoed in his head: Stay quiet. Stay down. Wait for the Wardens.
But the Wardens weren't here.
And the Colossus was.
It stepped through the broken gate like it belonged there. Fifty meters tall, pale and twisted, bones jutting out at odd angles beneath stretched muscle. Its face had no eyes—just a long slit of a mouth, like a scar across its skull.
It didn't roar. It didn't charge.
It just walked.
Their father was already in position, crouched near a broken vehicle. He raised his rifle and fired.
A sharp blast of blue energy cracked through the air. It struck the Colossus just under the jaw. A clean shot.
The monster flinched.
Then swatted him like an insect.
Torran saw his father hit the wall, fold in half, and crumple to the ground.
Gone.
Their mother was higher up on the platform overlooking the street. She shouted something, drew her rifle, and opened fire, trying to pull the monster's attention away from the kids.
She succeeded.
The Colossus leapt.
It landed on the platform and drove its arm straight through her.
Torran couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe.
He felt Sera shaking in his arms, face buried in his chest.
Then he saw the rifle, his father's, lying not far from the body.
He didn't think. He ran.
Sera screamed after him. Torran, NO
He grabbed the rifle. His hands were shaking, blood slipping under his fingers. He turned, aimed at the Colossus's back, and fired.
CRACK.
The shot hit. It staggered, just a little.
Then it turned.
It started walking toward him.
Torran stood his ground, teeth clenched, holding the rifle like it could protect him. Like anything could.
The Colossus raised its hand.
BOOM.
A thunderclap shattered the air.
The monster jerked to the side—something had slammed into it.
Torran blinked.
Five figures dropped from the sky.
Black and silver suits. Strange weapons. Calm, confident movements.
The Warden Squad.
About time, one of them muttered, sliding to a halt beside Torran and Sera.
B-Class? This is what we got pulled out of bed for? Another laughed, already firing a rapid pulse rifle without even looking.
Eh. Warm-up.
The squad moved like it was a training exercise.
One leapt and swung a glowing chainblade through the Colossus's leg. Another used a cannon to blow chunks out of its shoulder. They weren't rushing. They weren't scared.
They were smiling.
The Colossus roared and flailed, but they didn't let up.
Cut the knees, Venn
On it
Watch the core.
Then one of them, taller, blade in both hands, walked calmly into the Colossus's blind spot, took a breath, and slashed once through its chest.
The core cracked. The beast shrieked and started to fall.
Finish it, said the leader.
A final shot rang out.
The Colossus collapsed, body dissolving into black mist.
Torran didn't move.
He just stared at the place where his parents had stood. Where they'd died. The blood was still fresh. The smell filled his nose. Sera sat beside him, hugging her knees.
One of the Wardens walked over, lowering their weapon. Their helmet slid back.
She had short silver hair, warm brown eyes, and a faint smirk on her face.
Hey, she said, voice calm. You're still breathing. That's a good sign.
Torran didn't respond.
She looked down at the rifle clutched in his hands. Your dad's?
He nodded.
I saw the shot you fired, she said. Nice aim.
She crouched. I'm Kira. Squad lead.
Although he was very sad and his mentality was unstable, he still recognised the leader of one of the three strongest Warden bases in the world, and also the leader of one of the top ten squads in the world.
Look, I get it. You've had a hell of a day. But I need to ask one thing, do you want to stay in this place, or do something about what just happened?
Torran looked up, then at his sister.
Don't worry, we will take charge of her fully if you accept, Kira said, seeing the reluctance in his eyes.
Hearing her words, Torran looked back at Sera, then at Kira. When do I start?
You've got the drive, she said, and guts. That's enough to start.
She stood and tapped her comm.
We're enlisting him to Nova 9 as aew cadet.