The message arrived while Giovanni was sitting in the dim light of his apartment, pouring over the fragmented intel his clones had managed to gather from Sector 12.
The System's interface blinked alive, projecting the warning in stark, official text:
[CONFEDERATION NOTICE: RECENT UNAUTHORIZED ACTIVITY DETECTED IN SECTOR 12. INDIVIDUALS FOUND IN PROHIBITED ZONES WILL BE SUBJECT TO INVESTIGATION AND SANCTIONS. YOU HAVE BEEN ADVISED.]
Giovanni's pulse quickened. The notice wasn't personal—he knew that much. Thousands of people likely received the same warning every day, but it didn't stop the wave of unease that washed over him.
"Calm down," he muttered, leaning back in his chair. His eyes flicked to the Ring around his neck, the metal still faintly warm from his earlier use of the System. "They're not onto you. Yet."
The System's soothing text scrolled across his vision as if it sensed his rising paranoia:
[SYSTEM STATUS: USER SAFE. NO DIRECT THREATS DETECTED. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.]
He let out a slow breath, forcing his hands to steady. It was just another obstacle, another risk in a city full of them. If he let fear stop him now, he'd never get out of Velmont alive.
Velmont was a crumbling labyrinth of concrete and neon, its streets alive with desperation. Every corner hid a story of someone fighting to survive, whether by hustling legal jobs or selling their soul to the underground economy. It was a city that bred resilience—or broke you trying.
The sectors surrounding Velmont were no different, each defined by its own struggles. Sector 12 stood apart, though. It wasn't just another trading hub or a black market hotspot. It was a place where rules were enforced with a sharp edge, and whispers of Confederation labs had kept the desperate and the reckless at bay.
But for Giovanni, Sector 12 wasn't just another danger zone. It was his next step.
The System had been clear—or as clear as it ever got.
[MISSION: INFILTRATE CONFEDERATION LAB IN SECTOR 12. PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: RETRIEVE CLASSIFIED DATA.]
The message had appeared just hours after Giovanni finalized his second contact's deal. Sector 12 wasn't unfamiliar territory; his clones had scouted its outskirts before, and the name of the lab—C-28—had already surfaced during their searches.
But this wasn't reconnaissance anymore. This was action.
He reread the mission details, his mind racing. The classified data wasn't just for his third contact. If the rumors were true, the lab housed information about Rings—how they worked, how they could be manipulated, and what might lie at their cosmic core.
Giovanni's hand tightened around the edge of the table. If he could gain even a fraction of that knowledge, he'd have a tool far more valuable than credits. He'd have control.
"Gio."
He looked up from the scattered notes and projected maps on his table, startled by his mother's voice. Kaori stood in the doorway, her hands resting lightly on her hips, her expression unreadable.
"You've been running yourself ragged lately. You think I don't notice?"
He swallowed, forcing a smile. "Just work, Ma. Same as always."
Kaori stepped closer, her sharp eyes scanning the mess on his table. She didn't ask questions—she never did—but Giovanni could see the worry in her gaze. It was the same look she'd given him when Ayane left for Naris-7, the same quiet concern that weighed heavier than any scolding ever could.
"I don't know what you're chasing, but don't lose yourself in it," she said softly. "Velmont's a graveyard for people who take too many risks."
"I'll be fine," Giovanni replied, but the words felt hollow even as he said them.
Kaori lingered for a moment before nodding. "Just don't forget why you're doing this, Gio."
System Upgrades
Later that night, as the city buzzed faintly outside his window, the System updated itself with a soft chime.
[SYSTEM UPGRADE: CLONE CUSTOMIZATION ENABLED.]
[SYSTEM UPGRADE: PERCEPTION FIELD UNLOCKED.]
[SYSTEM UPGRADE: ANALYSIS TAB ACTIVATED.]
Giovanni blinked as the new tabs unfurled in his interface, each one brimming with potential.
Clone Customization: He could now alter his duplicates' appearances slightly, enough to make them pass as strangers rather than mirrors of himself.Perception Field: A glowing ring expanded in his vision, mapping out nearby Rings and their signatures.Analysis Tab: Though cryptic, the new feature promised strategic insights during missions, though its full functionality remained locked.
He tested the customization feature first, altering a clone's face and build. The process was glitchy, the clone's features flickering back to Giovanni's own every few moments, but it was progress.
One of Giovanni's clones ventured into Sector 12's outskirts, cloaked in the shadows of the Perception Field. The clone's fragmented feed relayed everything back to Giovanni:
Drones patrolling key routes.Confederation guards stationed at checkpoints, scanning Rings for anomalies.The lab itself—a stark, metallic structure surrounded by electrified barriers.
The clone lingered too long near one of the patrols. Giovanni winced as the feed cut abruptly, the faint echo of a warning shot ringing in his ears.
[SYSTEM ALERT: CLONE TERMINATED. PARTIAL MEMORY RECOVERY INITIATED.]
Giovanni gritted his teeth, piecing together the disjointed memories. The lab's security was tighter than he'd anticipated, but it wasn't impenetrable. He just needed a plan.
Giovanni sat in the flickering glow of his interface, piecing together the fragments of intel from his clones. His plan began to take shape, each detail fitting into place like a puzzle.
A decoy operation in Velmont's black market to draw Confederation attention away from Sector 12.A customized clone to infiltrate the lab, posing as a low-level worker.A backup plan to exploit the Perception Field for detecting patrol routes and evading drones.
The stakes were higher than ever, but Giovanni's resolve hardened. This wasn't just about survival anymore. This was about freedom—his and Kaori's.
He closed his interface, his gaze hard. "One step at a time."