Chapter 3: The Plasma Nexus
The Scrambler ascended into the skies, the cityscape of the Red District shrinking beneath a blanket of clouds. Iver leaned against the window for one last look at the sprawling slums he called home before they disappeared from view. The ship's autopilot engaged with a quiet hum, leaving the cockpit in silence except for the faint clicking of switches and monitors.
Iver's internal monologue:
The red district....just hours ago I was doing whatever I could to survive and now I'm on my way to some supposedly otherworldly place, that place treated me well....heh yeah as if but.... home is home....." he dawns a look of repressed anger." When I find you, I will.."
He snaps out of his thoughts as he drops his plasma chip on the floor and picks it up.
Iver sat back, flicking the chip he had taken earlier into the air and catching it with practiced ease, he took a look around at the new faces within the cockpit, the pilot Aoi Buratine, Ryo sitting in the corner with his expression hidden by his goggles, the insufferable Ken gripping the sheathe of his blade, and a blonde young man near the console working on the ships systems probably. Iver pulled his steel gauntlets off, revealing hands marred by burns and scars, and shoved them into his bag. Stretching out, he placed his arms behind his head and closed his eyes, ready to take a moment's rest.
Ken plopped into the seat next to him, breaking the silence. "Getting comfy already, Tanaka? You're gonna need it."
Iver cracked an eye open, his tone sharp. "Don't call me that."
Before Ken could retort, Aoi swiveled her pilot's chair around to face them, a knowing smirk on her face. "Leave him alone, Ken. Only Ryo and Kei know why he refuses to be called by that name. Anyway…" She tilted her head, her smirk widening. "I overheard what you said on the roof about my ship. You recognized my work, didn't you?"
Iver's gaze sharpened, carrying an air of reluctant respect. "…You built this thing?"
Aoi chuckled, clearly relishing his reaction. "Yup. It's not just any old SJ25. I designed and built the SJ26 Model 1—a next-gen jet." She beamed with pride. "Wanna take a—"
A sudden, urgent beeping cut her off. Alarms blared as the control panel lit up like a wildfire. Aoi's grin vanished, replaced by a fierce determination. She turned back to her controls as plasma shots streaked past the ship, narrowly missing their mark.
"Well, well, well," she muttered, her hands flying over the controls. "Looks like the J.O. Enforcers found us. No comms ID? They already know we're Plasma Nexus. Buckle up, folks. It's about to get chaotic."
The Scrambler roared louder as Aoi maneuvered it into a high-speed dive, weaving through jagged canyons with hair-raising precision. The hostile enforcer ship fired relentlessly, plasma bolts flashing like deadly fireworks in the rear cameras. A calm, automated voice from the enemy ship echoed through their comms.
"Plasma Nexus fugitives, exit your vehicle and surrender in the name of the Judgment Order."
Aoi scoffed, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Oh yeah? Bite me."
The next shot grazed the Scrambler, causing a sharp jolt. A vein twitched on Aoi's forehead as she unleashed a colorful string of expletives into the comms.
Ryo's steady voice cut through the chaos. "Focus, Stitcher. They're not letting us off their radar. And by the looks of it, there's a Helios missile locked on to us right about—"
A piercing alarm interrupted him, confirming his grim prediction.
The crew collectively tensed as the missile warning blared louder. Ryo turned to Iver, his tone matter-of-fact. "Since the moment you heard about the missile, you've been thinking of a way off this ship. Good news: I'm giving you your first mission. Take out the enforcer ship and the missile. Or don't and we all die."
Before anyone could react, Iver was already gone, his bag emptied and his gauntlets sparking with blue energy. Through the comms, his voice carried a mix of defiance and determination. "I don't take orders from anyone—especially strangers. This is about survival."
Ken smirked, pressing a button to open a hatch in the ceiling. He followed Iver, tapping him on the shoulder. "Up there, Drifter."
"I know," Iver muttered, climbing up the ladder.
As he emerged onto the Scrambler's exterior, the howling wind and rain hit him like a wall. Activating his friction manipulation to its max, he planted his feet firmly on the speeding vessel, scanning the skies. Ken joined him moments later, his presence steady but electric—literally.
"Cover my back," Iver shouted over the roar of the wind. "I'll handle the missile."
Ken's hand hovered over the hilt of his katana, and the air grew charged, a low hum crackling around them. "Let's see if what Kei said about you is true."
With a fluid motion, Ken unsheathed his blade, which erupted with purple lightning. The electricity snaked up his arms and down the blade, coalescing at the tip. Aiming like a marksman, Ken unleashed a bolt of lightning, obliterating the incoming plasma projectiles with surgical precision.
Iver turned his focus to the missile, thinking fast. His internal dialogue raced:
"I need something sturdy and heat-conductive. Metal. If I can reduce friction enough, I can generate the heat to divert the missile…"
Spotting a loose metal panel on the Scrambler's hull, he wrenched it free. He started twisting it until it became rigid. The makeshift weapon glinted in the rain. Iver's gauntlets sparked as he reduced the friction between the air and the metal focusing on the tip of the lance as it started to glow faintly as it started heating it to a bright orange lance.
Ken glanced at him, raising a brow. "Vandalism much? And how exactly are you—"
"Shut up, Lightning Boy!" Iver snapped, his focus unyielding.
With the missile closing in, Iver hurled the blazing lance into its path. The heat signature drew the missile off course, sending it straight into the enforcer ship. The resulting explosion lit up the stormy skies as the Scrambler slowed to safety.
Inside, Ryo watched the screen with quiet intrigue. "Fascinating."
Ken climbed back through the hatch, giving Iver a rare nod of approval. "Good work, Drifter."
Iver smirked, brushing past him. "Don't flatter me."
The cockpit erupted in cheers as the crew celebrated their survival. Ryo's voice, calm yet stern, cut through the noise. "You've met my expectations, Iver. This is what life will be like from now on."
Iver leaned back in his seat, arms crossed. "I know what I signed up for."
Aoi turned to him, her grin back in full force. "Thanks for saving my baby, newbie. If it weren't for you, I might've had to rough them up myself."
A voice from a nearby terminal spoke up, calm and analytical. "Technically, they were drones, not people."
Iver turned to see a blonde man seated at a glowing console. Ken chimed in, "Meet Judah. He's the reason Stitcher here can fly this thing without it falling apart."
Judah nodded. "You'll see me around. I'm the one who keeps this ship running."
Hours pass as the ship travels the earth, Iver fast asleep along with Ken sound asleep in his seat. Judah working tirelessly on the holographic dashboard.
As the Scrambler descended into an empty desert, Ryo announced, "We're here."
The sudden stop of the ship woke up both Iver and Ken.
The ground opened beneath them, revealing a hidden underground Structure. The ship suddenly flies up into the air and loops as it makes a nose dive into the hanger going at dangerous speeds as it reaches the bright light.
Iver snaps " I just woke up and now this"
The ship goes through the light entering a tunnel made of flashing lights and stars as as everything converging into a single point as every one is pushed into their seats as they jump through time and space and soon they are catapulted out of the hole.
As they emerged into the brightly lit hangar, Iver stared into the new environment.
Before him was the Plasma Nexus—a place beyond the stars.
---
The scene transitions, pulling out from the ship to reveal the massive space station they've entered. Aoi lets out an enthusiastic whoop.
"OH MAN, I'll never get tired of that! The nausea, the delirium, the distortion—what a ride!"
The ship docks within the station, passing through a shimmering permeable field that separates the vacuum of space from the station's pressurized interior.
Judah unbuckles from his seat, shooting Iver a pitiful glance before stepping off the ship.
Ryo unfastens his harness, speaking over his shoulder. "Stitcher, if you don't want cleanup duty, I suggest you pass a bucket to the kid before he pukes all over your 'baby.'"
Still strapped to his seat, Iver is pale and trembling. His hands are clamped over his mouth as waves of nausea wrack his body.
"NO, NO, NO!" Aoi shrieks, springing into action. She grabs a small black box from the dashboard and tosses it toward Iver. The box expands mid-air, unfolding into a collapsible bucket just in time for Iver to hurl into it.
"Phew!" Aoi wipes sweat from her brow, relieved. "Crisis averted! My Scrambler remains unscathed."
Ken crouches beside Iver, patting his back as he wretches. "Sorry, kid. Warping through space and time does that to you. First time's always the worst."
Iver wipes his mouth and yanks his mask back into place with a defiant glare. He grabs his bag, storms off the ship, and hurls the bucket into the void of space. Then, he stops.
Staring out into the endless expanse, Iver's thoughts swirl.
"How did we not get vaporized by that... thing? Their pilot... this ship... it doesn't make sense."
Before he can dwell further, Aoi storms off the ship and freezes when her eyes land on a familiar spot: the gaping hole where a metal plate once sat. Her face contorts, and she whispers a horrified, "No. No, no, no."
She spins on her heel, closing the distance to Iver with deadly intent. The moment her needle-like spear touches his Adam's apple, Iver freezes, staring into her cold, furious eyes.
"What did you do to my ship?" she growls.
Iver's hands remain at his sides, his voice calm but firm. "Relax, will you? All I did was rip off an obsolete piece and repurpose it into a lance. It hurt me as much as it hurt you, but it had to be done. Besides..." He shrugs, his tone softening. "I'll help you fix it if it needs repairs."
Aoi glares at him, studying his expression. The hint of sincerity in his voice seems to diffuse her anger. She withdraws the spear, muttering, "...Whatever. I'm holding you to that." Without another word, she walks toward the large blast doors ahead.
Now alone, Iver takes in the sight around him, marveling at the docking bay's sheer scale and the stars beyond the station's protective field.
"So... this is it, huh? The final frontier."
He removes his mask, the hiss of depressurization faint. Taking a deep breath, he exhales slowly, savoring the moment. A rare smile tugs at his lips.
"It's been so long since I've felt... excited."
Sliding his mask back on, he hears Ken's voice behind him.
"First time?" Ken grins. "Yeah, it's amazing. Hold onto that feeling... while it lasts. Oh, and by the way—she's never that kind to anyone who damages her ship. You must be insane to offer fixing it. Guess you got lucky, Slider Boy."
Iver's eye twitches at the nickname. Swallowing his annoyance, he follows the group at a steady pace, his demeanor serious as he adjusts his bag straps. Standing beside Ryo, he observes the imposing blast doors labeled BASE-01, their mechanisms whirring as they slowly open.
A new, unfamiliar scent hits him as light spills through the gap, illuminating his masked face. His body tenses, anticipation crackling in the air.
Ryo's voice cuts through the hum of machinery.
"From this point forward, your entire world's about to turn upside down. Welcome to the Plasma Nexus."
The light grows brighter, framing Iver in its glow.
---
Meanwhile, at a Judgment Order Enforcer Base...
The scene shifts to the top floor of a towering structure. Shouts echo through the hall.
"DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT LUNATIC!" Gara's voice is shrill, his slimy alien form pacing frantically. "The Masked Drifter! He desecrated my penthouse, stole my belongings, assaulted me, and trespassed! That's at least FIVE charges! JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, YOU INCOMPETENT FOOL!"
In the shadows of the room, a dark figure sits in a high-backed chair, his silhouette radiating malice and authority. Facing the window, his voice rumbles, low and menacing.
"A man like you does not deserve justice."
The chair swivels, revealing the enforcer's imposing form, his eyes revealed glinting red as a sparkle appears. Gara stumbles back, his slimy face contorted in terror as the figure rises.
"But rest assured," the enforcer continues, his tone deadly calm, "... Iver Tanaka you will pay for your crimes... and so will you Gara."
The man take taps a button on his desk making a light flash and he speaks into the comms." Come and take care of this alien scumbag and after you do.....find Iver Tanaka...once you do, take his life"
The doors of the room open revealing a silhouette outside the door dragging a strange weapon on the floor, their eye's open wide and the room closes behind the silhouette Gara's screams are heard echoing throughout the corridors and tremors arise in the area.