As soon as Booker was freed from his dream, I closed the simulation, severing my connection to his subconscious. The moment my senses fully returned to reality, I grabbed my communicator and called in. I needed to explain everything to Rem—everything I saw, everything I learned. More importantly, I needed to check on my brother.
The call barely had a chance to connect before Rem picked up, her voice tense with concern. "What happened? Did you find anything out?"
I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose. "Yeah. I was behind Booker waking back up. Wasn't a normal coma—he was trapped in a recurring dream. I managed to break him out of it."
Silence followed for a brief moment before she exhaled in relief. "Well he woke up"
"Yeah. Can I talk to him?"
There was some rustling on the other end before a familiar voice, groggy and raspy, came through the speaker. "Hey."
I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "Sup, man."
Booker gave a low chuckle, though it was weak. "I feel like absolute hell," he admitted. "Feels like my whole chest got turned into fried chicken."
That made me laugh, even though guilt still gnawed at me. "Yeah, well, that's what happens when you tank a blast like that."
There was another pause, and then Booker said, "I'm gonna recover as fast as I can. We still have unfinished business."
I nodded, even though he couldn't see me. "Yeah. I need you here, man."
"Same," he murmured.
I hesitated before speaking again. "Look, I don't have much time, so I'll just say this—get better, and I'm sorry. Again."
There was no bitterness in his voice when he responded, only understanding. "I know."
And with that, the conversation ended.
I stood there for a moment, staring out of the window into the darkness of the city. The streets below were still, the only movement coming from the occasional flickering streetlamp. It was well past one in the morning. The perfect time to get some work done.
I needed answers.
Leaving the rundown apartment behind, I took to the air, moving through the city like a shadow. I retraced my steps back to where I had last seen the androids stationed earlier. To my surprise, they hadn't moved from their positions. If anything, there were even more of them now. That's when I realized—this wasn't just a random spot. This was a depot. A central hub where these machines gathered.
I activated my watch, saving the location and taking mental notes. Something about this didn't sit right. As I scanned the area, I noticed thick power cables stretching in all directions, each one glowing faintly with blue energy. They all led back to one place—Dr. Apauex's lab.
That meant one thing: Whatever Apauex was working on required a massive amount of power.
I spent the next two hours scouring the city, trying to pinpoint the source of this energy. I followed the cables as far as they would take me, but every time I thought I was close to finding the origin, the trail went cold.
What I did manage to uncover, however, was what the energy was being used for.
The city was divided into four main sectors, each one serving a specific purpose under the Harbingers' rule.
The North side had been transformed into an industrial sector. Several newly constructed factories dominated the skyline, their purpose clear—they were mass-producing the androids. And the workers? The citizens of the city. Forced labor.
The East side was the Harbinger's main headquarters. A heavily fortified area, crawling with security. This was where they operated from, where the real power behind their organization resided. I made a mental note to keep this place under heavy surveillance.
The West side was even worse. It had become a weapons manufacturing district. This wasn't just small arms—these were large-scale weapons of war. Nullwave devices. Advanced machinery. All of it being stockpiled.
The South, however, remained a mystery. From what I could see, construction was still underway, but I had no idea what they were building. It was still a blank slate.
But there was one thing every sector had in common.
Each major building had a core—an energy storage unit. These cores collected and stored the same blue energy flowing through the cables in the streets. They were all connected, all feeding into something much larger.
And then it hit me.
What if the power source wasn't above ground at all? What if it was beneath the city?
If that was the case, then there had to be an entrance somewhere.
The realization sent a surge of adrenaline through me. If I could find that entrance, I could find the heart of their operations. But time was running out—the sun would be up soon, making it harder to move undetected.
I searched the city for an entrance but came up empty. Frustrated, I stopped to think. Maybe I was going about this the wrong way. If Apauex's lab was drawing the most power, then maybe the lab itself housed the entrance.
It was a long shot, but it was the best lead I had.
Returning to the lab, I kept my distance, scouting the area carefully. The androids were still active, their glowing eyes sweeping the perimeter. I had to be smart about this.
Moving around the back of the facility, I spotted a ventilation access point. Perfect.
With a flick of my wrist, I removed the air grill and slipped inside, floating through the ductwork as quietly as possible.
As I navigated through the vents, I heard voices. Following the sound, I came to a stop above a conference room.
Seven people sat around a long table, but only one voice stood out—a deep, commanding presence coming through a communicator at the center of the table.
"Vesper, I know who you are and what you stand for," the voice said.
I tensed. Vesper was here.
Sitting at the far end of the table was a woman in an orange pantsuit with jet-black hair. I had never seen her before. To her left sat a man in an all-black suit—Chrono. I recognized him from the warning video alongside Mr. Magnetic. His ability to manipulate time made him one of the most dangerous members.
Next to him was another unfamiliar man, dressed casually with short brown hair.
Across from him sat Erebos. The infamous figure of legend. No one knew exactly what he was, but his reputation was well-documented.
Beside him was a man draped in a fur coat and wearing an elegant top hat.
Standing in the corner, overseeing everything, was Dr. Apauex.
"I sense you don't intend to stay long," the voice from the communicator—Lucas—continued.
Vesper's grip on the table tightened. "Make no mistake, I don't care how powerful you think you are, but I am not here to be your pawn."
Lucas's voice turned cold. "You are as replaceable as King Kaiju was."
The tension in the room became suffocating.
Finally, Lucas continued, "Now, onto the real reason we're here. Everyone, welcome Dr. Apauex to the Harbingers. He will be known as The Grand Calculus."
Apauex inclined his head slightly, accepting the title.
The woman in the pantsuit—Celeste—spoke next. "Let's get to the real matter at hand."
"The Nexus," Chrono said.
Celeste nodded. "How do we capture the kid?"
Lucas's voice was calm and confident. "I have a plan to make him turn himself in."
I barely suppressed a scoff. That was impossible.
Another man, Cassius, leaned forward. "And what do we do once we have him? How do we strip him of his power?"
"That," Lucas said, "is where Apauex comes in."
Chrono frowned, pacing. "Did anyone stop to consider that the kid is getting stronger?"
"Sit down, Elias," Lucas ordered. "We have contingencies."
Chrono sighed. "Fine. Just don't get us all killed."
The discussion continued, but I had heard enough.
I recorded the entire conversation and sent it in.
The Harbingers had eight key members, each governing a different part of the city, with underground networks of at least fifty supervillains per sector. They weren't just an organization. They were an army.
And now, I had their names.
Matthias. Orion. Celeste. Dante. Cassius. Chrono. Vesper. Apauex. And Lucas.
But one question still haunted me.
Who the hell was Lucas?
By the time I made it back to the apartment, the sun was rising.
I needed to rest. But something told me things were only going to get worse from here.