Back at Haven, several hours later, Aldrich stood in V's underground, fortified server room.
A floating screen in front of him played the news, showing off the only light in a vast room of cooled darkness.
A pretty, suited up reporter pointed at a map of the United States where several glowing red patches were marked indicating variant energy signatures.
The title under the reporter read: VARIANTS RETREATING?
"Variant activity worldwide has been on the decline, which comes at a great and much needed surprise after the Locus Raid the week prior," said the reporter. She closed her eyes solemnly. "An attack on a scale that has never been seen since the Monstering itself."
She shuddered at the word 'Monstering', for even now, the generational trauma associated with that word was staggering.
