Just past the horizon, the sun was beginning to peak. With brightness in the sky, an unusual, dry wind blew through the empty city.
"Where is everyone?" I said, noticing that the streets were scarce as Soho and I left the building. Just moments ago, the roads were populated. But now, even the vendor stalls throughout the market were vacant.
"The Confinement Status set by A.X.A. has everyone stuck inside." Soho gave me a smirk. "That's all your fault, Mr. Serial Killer."
I stood in the middle of the street. "We're all alone in this city?"
Interrupting my thought, the whir of propellors suddenly flew overhead. When I looked up, scattering across the blue sky were numerous white dots. As they all fell closer towards me, I immediately realized what exactly they were.
They were Angels. Exactly a hundred of them.
An Angel Unit Infantry—?!
My stomach churned at the implication of their presence.
As it stands right now, no commander is left in the Upper Four except for Enzo.
"Seris was right." I turned to Soho. "A.X.A. has sent Enzo after me."
I could tell that the name brought undesired memories to her mind. She shook it off.
"Those are those 'Angels,' right?"
I nodded. "He can control a hundred of them at once."
"Well, you've got numbers of your own now too, don't you?"
Soho had reminded me why I was here. Newfound synapses in my brain had lit up, indicating the presence of 180 new minds—the proxies—that were connected to me via Control. There were three groups of 60 tenant proxies across three separate apartments, all of which I'd regarded by now.
"I have the numbers, but Enzo has multitudes more of experience."
Soho put her hand on my shoulder. "Well, you've also got Coefficient of Friction on your side. I've never had the chance to display it, but both Static and Kinetic can work on a much larger scale than you think, Klyson."
Her words reassured me as always in moments of tension like this. I returned her the smile she deserved.
"Thank you, Soho."
My phone suddenly rang, which was unusual as I had very few contacts of my own. When I pulled it out of my pocket and saw which number had called me, my heart clenched-in on itself.
[ "FIRST" Calling… ]
It was Enzo.