Dawn came with a storm. Not of lightning or rain—but tension. Neo Tokyo's skyline bled gold and rust as the rebel recon team mobilized across Tenmangu's airfield. Hoverbikes idled with silent intensity, weapons were checked and re-checked, and beneath it all, the undercurrent of looming danger pulsed like a second heartbeat.
Kaito adjusted the EXO-Ω suit's gauntlet, his movements methodical. AICE remained quiet in his mind, cold and reserved, like a ghost that refused to speak. That silence gnawed at him, but there was no time to indulge frustration.
"Team Alpha: Rin and Lio. North tunnels," Luna said, pacing before the holo-map. "Team Beta: Suzuka and Yuisaka—southwest perimeter. Expect old-world security traps and potential drone nests."
"And me?" Kaito asked.
"You're solo today," Luna said. "Remote scout drone uplinks. You'll be guided by our AI analysts from the tower. Consider it a test run."
"Again?" Kaito groaned. "No pressure I guess."
Luna leaned in, voice low. "You've got more at stake than most. I need you ready. Not reactive. Show me that you're evolving."
He nodded.
Everyone mounted their respective bikes and transports. As the gate opened, the roar of engines briefly drowned the weight of silence.
◇
Kaito's hoverbike glided low through the ruined highways east of Sector 12. The city's bones were ancient here—half-swallowed malls, skeletons of transport shuttles, crumbling neon signs that flickered with ghosts.
AICE finally spoke. "Signal range nominal. Scanning perimeter."
"Nice of you to talk," Kaito said dryly. "You still mad at me?"
"I do not possess emotion. But my systems required recalibration. Emotional bleed compromised your stability."
"I saw my mother, AICE. That wasn't 'emotional bleed.' That was memory overload."
"Correct. A classified one."
Kaito gritted his teeth. "You're hiding something. And if we're supposed to be partners—"
"Focus on the mission."
He cursed under his breath. "Unbelievable."
A blip pinged across his HUD. Movement. He lowered altitude, zipping between rusted streetlamps and skeletal infrastructure until he stopped at an abandoned rail yard.
"AICE, scan for heat."
"Three humanoid signatures. Cloaked. Caution advised."
Kaito engaged his suit's silent mode and crept forward on foot. The EXO's micro-fiber adjusted his weight with whisper-soft precision. He scaled a container wall and peered down.
Three Prometheon operatives were securing a data node buried inside a broken junction box. Their armor shimmered with adaptive camo, barely visible in the morning haze.
"Visual acquired," Kaito whispered. "Intercept or observe?"
"Observe," AICE responded. "Gather behavioral patterns. We may trace origin protocol."
He waited.
Then—one of the operatives tilted their head. The visor glowed faint red.
"They've spotted you," AICE warned.
Kaito swore and leapt from the container, landing in a spin that sent one of the enemies sprawling. Plasma bolts sizzled past his head as the other two returned fire. He ducked, sliding beneath their aim and counter-punched one so hard it bent their faceplate.
"EXO core 60%—routing excess power to reflex channel."
Kaito rolled behind cover and returned fire. One enemy fell, another lunged with an electro-blade. The fight was quick—brutal, but clean. Within thirty seconds, the last operative collapsed to the floor.
"AICE, extract any remaining data."
A moment later, a ping lit up.
"Partial map found. Prometheon outpost… beneath Sector 18. Encrypted, but real."
Kaito exhaled. "One step closer."
Back at Tenmangu, the others returned with bruises and tales of their own: Lio's arm wrapped from a hidden turret blast, Yuisaka talking about 'land mines the size of trash pandas,' and Rin silent but satisfied.
Luna reviewed Kaito's report last. Her eyes narrowed.
"Sector 18… That's deep enemy territory. You did well."
Kaito gave a tired smile. "One mystery at a time."
But in the back of his mind, he wasn't celebrating. Not with AICE locking him out. Not with dreams still whispering her name.
His mother.
Something wasn't adding up.
There is truths behind the lies.