Voss's voice was quiet, almost a whisper as she leaned against the console. "Once training was over, there was no turning back. They were soldiers now — the Black Division. And their first mission… it changed everything."
24's eyes darkened at the memory, but he didn't flinch.
"They were sent into the northern sectors of the city — abandoned corporate complexes, now crawling with raiders and rogue security drones. Six of them, barely older than children, armed and armored beyond their years. Each had their role. Precision. Speed. Chaos. They were unstoppable… in theory."
She looked at Kira and Mara. "But in practice, they were still children. And children make mistakes."
⸻
The Mission Begins
The night was thick with smoke and ash. The city above had already begun to decay — broken streetlights flickered, fires burned in distant blocks. The Black Division moved through the shadows, their black armor almost invisible against the scorched concrete.
Elias led the group, short blade in hand, scanning the corridors with cautious eyes. Moth drifted slightly behind, her half-smile teasing him even in the darkness.
"Stay sharp, pretty boy," she whispered, brushing past his shoulder. "Or I'll outrun you again."
Specter moved like a shadow, silent, precise. Shade's eyes flickered over every machine, every camera, every sensor. Lark hummed a tune to himself, pretending to be calm, while Wraith flexed his muscles, eager for the first real kill.
⸻
The First Encounter
The target was a small convoy of rogue EGI tech — armored drones and a few human operatives. The Black Division split automatically: Elias and Moth to the left flank, Specter and Shade covering the entrance, Wraith and Lark moving in from the rear.
A sudden flash of movement — a drone's sensor locking onto them.
Elias's short blade flickered in a blink of light as he teleported through the air, appearing behind the drone. His blade sliced cleanly through its chassis, sparks flying. Moth phased through the wall beside him, her laughter cutting through the tension as she landed lightly on the floor, her twin blades at the ready.
Lark tripped over debris, knocking a crate into Wraith's path, causing a minor explosion. Wraith grunted but adjusted mid-air, using the blast to vault over the remaining drones and land behind the enemy.
Specter was already moving. His long blade flashed silently, striking with surgical precision. No hesitation. No error. Shade's hands moved with machine-like speed, rewiring the remaining drones to shut down their systems, effectively neutralizing half the convoy without a single fatal strike.
⸻
The Human Element
Moth found herself facing two armed operatives alone. One lunged — she sidestepped, blades flashing, but the other fired a stun rifle. The charge grazed her shoulder. She grinned through the pain.
"Pretty boy," she called to Elias, "a little help?"
Elias didn't hesitate. He blinked through the air, appearing between her and the second operative. The fight was a blur of steel and displacement — one blade slashing, the other flicking to intercept a rifle barrel. Sparks and smoke filled the hallway.
He caught her eye for a moment — and she winked. Even in the chaos, there was a human connection.
⸻
The Aftermath
By the end of the mission, the Black Division had completed the objective. The rogue convoy was destroyed, intelligence secured, but the cost was already visible: bruised bodies, burned armor, a few scratches deeper than the others could see. Lark had a gash along his forearm; Moth's shoulder bled; Elias's nose was split, and his breathing was shallow from repeated displacement jumps.
Voss's voice grew solemn. "That was the first time they killed — really killed. Not training, not simulation. Real people. And for the first time… they saw themselves reflected in the destruction."
She looked at 24. "Elias carried them through that night. His moral compass, his hesitation… it kept them human. But each jump, each strike, left pieces of them behind. They were no longer just children. They were soldiers forged in fire, shadows of what they had been."
Kira shivered. "But they were still… themselves?"
"Barely," Voss said. "Specter had already begun to lose the boy he had been. Wraith's thrill-seeking became recklessness. Shade's silence turned into something colder. Lark tried to joke it away. Moth… she laughed, yes. But it was the kind of laughter that hides screaming."
She pressed a hand to her chest. "By the time the mission was over, I realized there was no turning back. They were weapons now. Perfect… and deadly. And the world above? It didn't care that they were children. It only cared that the Black Division existed."
24's gray eyes were fixed on the floor, remembering every step, every scream, every heartbeat that had nearly stopped in the dark corridors of that night.
"And from that night," Voss said quietly, "the Black Division became more than just a project. They became a legend… a shadow the EGI could use to rule, to erase, to kill without consequence. And they paid the first real price that night — a piece of their humanity."