"Your mission is clear," Ganymede said, her voice sharp and calm, and made for giving commands. "Find RS-07 and bring it back alive. Do not engage lethally unless the threat escalates to Level Four or higher."
Deputy Haturii nodded grimly. "That's going to be difficult. We'll need enhanced capture units and fourth-gen suppression gear. At minimum."
Dr. Stane, tall and thin, stepped forward like a horror villain who'd stuck around too long. His lab coat bore the crimson insignia of the ARGUS Department of Biocryptic Studies. In his hands: a thick black dossier marked with an obsidian triangle. THE ARGUS HIGH THREAT CLASSIFICATION.
"These are RS-07'S containment files," he said. "Codename: Penumbra. Study them with extreme scrutiny. All known data, however limited, is contained herein be it behavioral tendencies, migration patterns, anomalous surges, and its prior breach logs."
Haturii flipped through the folder. Half the pages were redacted like someone had rage-quit a red marker across them. The remaining images were a blur: A monster wearing the face of a human—or, as anime watchers might describe it: "the one with tragic backstory incoming."
A large screen blinked on, bathing the briefing room in cold blue. Strange deep-sea creatures danced across the display. Chimeric predators from the abyss.
"Nature deceives," Ganymede began. "It lies, coils, and waits. In fact, there are many creatures in the wild that go to great lengths to deceive, disguising themselves as something entirely non-threatening or even enticing to lure unsuspecting prey, targets, or hosts without detection. This phenomenon is known as aggressive mimicry, where predators or parasites adopt the appearance of harmless entities, or even attractive mates, while harboring predatory intentions. Regardless of their guise, they are wolves in sheep's clothing.
"Take the anglerfish in the depths of the ocean, for instance, dangling a seductive light to lure unsuspecting fish into its waiting jaws. Similarly, the alligator snapping turtle wiggles its worm-like tongue to attract hungry fish. Fortunately, humans are far more discerning than aquatic life. We remain safe from such trickery. No creature has evolved to resemble something familiar, something everyday, just to ensnare unsuspecting people into their grasp."
"Atleast, that was what we thought."
She tapped a button. The image morphed into a bizarre, almost cartoonish rendering of RS-07. It looked absurd. Innocent. Almost laughable.
"Don't let the form fool you. RS-07 is no mere biological curiosity. Its design is intentional. It mimics vulnerability to invite proximity. Victims often describe it as 'familiar' or 'comforting' moments before it tears through reinforced steel and bone."
Dr. Stane stepped forward. "RS-07 is not simply a threat. It's a paradox. We've observed evidence of sapience... a capacity to learn, to strategize. Our preliminary classification is shifting. It may no longer be simply a Biocryptic Entity but a possible Systemic Wraith-Class anomaly."
Ganymede nodded solemnly. "Which means we're dealing with more than a creature. We're facing a 'Pattern Entity'. All the more reason why we believe this ties to the Requiem System."
A stillness filled the room.
"…The Requiem System?" Haturii asked, already regretting asking.
"One of many, it seems," Stane replied gravely. "No known origin. Ancient, possibly pre-Foundation. We don't control it. We simply observe. And when it emerges, we know only one thing: bad things tend to follow."
Ganymede's voice was quiet now. "The anomaly's activity syncs with readings from the Requiem System. Specifically, Pattern-Eight: Death Is My Guide. Every time it manifests, local biospheric life force in the area drops. We believe it feeds on it."
She walked over to a cabinet and unlocked a small container. Inside were shimmering canisters of liquid light. Energy amplifiers.
"You'll be issued these. Use only if absolutely necessary. High energy output draws it in. Think of these like glowsticks at a rave for murder monsters. In particular, this murder monster. In other words, If it senses a spike, it will come."
"And what happens if it feeds too much?" Haturii asked.
The doctor didn't answer. Ganymede did.
"Then it will no longer need to hide."
Haturii exhaled slowly. "Understood."
As Ganymede turned to leave, Haturii's voice followed her. "If you're warning us to be cautious, we get it."
She stopped. "You misunderstand. I'm not warning you to be cautious."
She turned her head slightly, just enough for him to see her eyes.
"I'm telling you to be afraid."
Haturii's expression hardened. "Then all the more reason you're coming with us."
Ganymede stopped in her tracks.
"What?" she asked, her voice suddenly sharp.
"You wouldn't mind, would you? You've spent years on this case you're practically part of it. No partner. No family. This thing is your life's work."
She looked at Dr. Stane, who sighed like someone realizing he just lost a bet.
"You want boots on the ground?" he said finally. "She knows more than the rest of us combined. Hell, she built half the tracking software we're using."
Ganymede's face didn't budge, but something behind her eyes shifted.
"You're asking me to follow a monster into the dark. Fine. But don't ask me to drag you back when it decides you're prey."
And with that, she left.
Haturii watched her go.
"Sure do hope it's worth it."
***
"…If we're dealing with ridiculously OP monsters now," Yukira muttered under her breath, "I highly doubt we're making the cut for this one."
Orenji arched a brow. "Guess we're benched, huh? Damn. And I was really looking forward to getting vaporized. Thought it'd be a great character development moment too."
"Could you be serious for five minutes?"
"Probably not," he said with a shrug. "My contract clearly states I'm the comedic relief."
Yukira rolled her eyes, the motion sharp with annoyance but then she crouched suddenly, her expression shifting like a light switch toggled from "sarcastic" to "ominous foreshadowing."
"Oi. Come look at this. You seeing this?"
"What? What's wrong?" Orenji walked over, already bracing for the worst. The blast door wasn't blown outward. It was crushed inward like a soda can, as if something massive had hit it from the outside.
"That's tungsten alloy," he said quietly.
Yukira ran her fingers over the twisted metal. Her eyes narrowed.
"There's something on it. Burn marks… but they're faint."
"That doesn't make sense. Metal like this doesn't just give out. Not unless something really powerful hit it straight on."
"No heat signature. No clear pattern. Just force," she murmured. "Raw, direct, and heavy."
Orenji stepped back a little. "You're thinking an ergokinetic?"
"Maybe," Yukira said, not sounding convinced. She stood up. "Whatever it is, it doesn't leave behind much. It just… breaks things."
"We should tell Haturii," Orenji said quickly. "This could be serious. He'll know what to do."
As he turned to leave, Yukira caught his arm. He paused, blinking, and met her gaze. She was smiling. Just a little. But it wasn't the reassuring kind.
The 'I-just-wrote-us-into-a-side-quest' kind.
"Whoa now, jumpy. And where do you think you're going?"
"…To tell Haturii," he said flatly. "Because that is the responsible thing to do. You know. Protocol. Orders. Safety. Not dying."
"I've got a better idea."
"Oh good lord…" he knew what was coming.
"So how about we not do that," she offered, flashing the most suspiciously charming smile since the fox in Zootopia. "All I'm saying is, why don't we take a quick look ourselves to make sure. Just a quick look. 'cause if we report this wrong, we'll look like total idiots."
"That's your concern? Looking stupid?"
She tilted her head. "This could be the first Wraith-Class anomaly in years. We screw this up, we're done. And I'm not watching another squad get body-bagged because we waited for permission."
Her voice dropped, her pride slipping aside for just a second. "Listen. I'm not saying we go rogue, okay? We'll just do some visual verifications, lay eyes on the target, and then we call in Haturii. You wanted to matter, right? This is how."
Orenji hesitated. Then sighed. "One quick look. Then we call it in. I mean it."
"Oh," she replied sweetly, hands behind her back, her fingers most definitely crossed like a gremlin making mischief, all the while very well telling the lie, "Well, all right then. I promise…"
< Chapter Three > Fin.