He looked up from a notebook the moment I entered, and his eyes went wide behind his glasses. The thick-rimmed things slid down his nose slightly as his mouth parted in stunned disbelief.
"…Drac?"
"Yeah,"
I said with a tired grin.
"Long time no see, cuz."
Caspar stood, towering at nearly 190 centimeters, and immediately crossed the room. His build hadn't changed, still lean, still wiry, still more brain than brawn.
But the hug he pulled me into had real force behind it. I patted his back in turn.
We pulled apart and he gave me another slow oncem over, as if trying to figure out what kind of science experiment had replaced his oldest cousin.
"So… still single?"
I asked with a smirk.
He snorted.
"Yeah, well, dating's hard when your love language is zeros and ones. You?"
I jerked my head toward Invicta, who stood near the beds, her arms crossed and her ponytail swaying like a predator's tail.
"It's… complicated."
"Hmph,"
Invicta scoffed, shooting a half amused look my way without turning around. Her eyes glowed faintly as she stepped toward my grandparents and began scanning their vitals.
I could tell by the slight tilt of her head and the rhythm of her blinking that her HUD was active probably dozens of windows only she could see.
She frowned slightly.
"It's possible,"
Before I could even ask If she could give my grandparents the genetic cocktail treatment she answered.
"But not ideal. The chance of success is slim. They're… very old. The body's giving out by the second."
I stared at their sunken faces, the faint rise and fall of their chests, and clenched my jaw. Not like this.
Mentally, I flicked open a secure channel through the microchip embedded in my skull linked directly to Centurion 1111, who'd been tailing us in a dropship on silent watch.
"Alright. Get ready. We're leaving with six extras, and two criticals on life support. Over."
The response came almost immediately in my mind.
"Copy, sir. Touching down in one mike. Over."
Silence followed in the room. Caspar blinked, frowning.
"Wait… who are you talking to?"
I didn't answer. I just let out a long breath, stepped around him, and plopped into a nearby armchair like the weight of the world had been glued to my shoulders.
"You'll find out in about two minutes,"
I muttered, reaching into my jacket for another cigarette. Because sh*t was about to get loud.
Not even after two full minutes the doorbell rang with a flat electronic chime that felt completely out of place in a household where multiple generations were dealing with simultaneous emotional breakdowns.
Caspar glanced over his shoulder.
"Wait here, I'll check it out."
"Yeah, no,"
I muttered, already rising to follow.
"I got a feeling you'll want backup."
We passed the living room drama bomb, Sylvy was pacing, Jacob stood to the side with arms crossed like a disappointed Greek statue, and my aunt was holding Morgana and Catherine as if someone had tried to pry them away with a crowbar.
Catherine was mid explanation about something involving "bad touch" and "anime betrayal" when we slid past. Caspar made it to the door and opened it.
Then he just froze. Standing in front of him were twelve fully armored soldiers black camo full body plating, visors opaque and gleaming, weapons holstered but ready, standing with parade ground discipline.
Caspar blinked, then slowly took off his glasses, wiped them, and put them back on.
"Uh… yes?"
He asked it like a man genuinely wondering if he'd died and this was some next level J*hovah's Witness tactic. No answer. Just silence and chrome.
"They're with me,"
I said from behind him. Caspar turned his head slowly.
"Huh?"
I rubbed my face, pinching the bridge of my nose.
"You know what? F*ck it. Just taze them."
There was a pause. Then a click from the centurion's helmet as his vocoder distorted his voice.
"You heard the man. Taze him."
Caspar blinked, then crack. Electrodes latched onto his neck, and his body stiffened before slumping forward like a puppet with its strings cut.
One of the male soldiers caught him mid drop and slung him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
The rest moved with choreographed grace into the apartment.
"What the..."
Jacob started, taking a step forward. One of the female soldiers raised a hand in warning, but Jacob didn't get the memo. He lunged. A brutal judo throw. A boot to the back. Taze. Twitch. Down.
Sylvy barely had time to shout.
"What the fu..."
Before she too was zapped and safely caught. Same with my aunt, and even the girls, though the soldiers showed more care hoisting them up like precious cargo.
I stood in the center, arms crossed, watching the silent, efficient chaos. Finally, the medics moved in, gentle but fast, sliding my grandparents onto modular stretchers with full body support harnesses and portable life support units already attached.
The soft hiss of oxygen. The beep of vitals stabilizing. Then, the quiet lift of the old man and old woman who'd somehow lived through a century, on their way to a second shot.
We made our way to the elevator in near silence. Descended. Then up another lift to the rooftop, where the dropship sat waiting, its vertical thrusters humming low, ramp already lowered like the maw of some steel beast.
I lit another cigarette as we boarded It.
...
Two sixth generation fighter jets cruised at high altitude, their advanced sensors scanning the terrain below. Inside the lead jet, Captain Elena "Hawk" Ramirez monitored the displays.
"Control, this is Hawk. We're picking up a minor anomaly on our radar, barely a blip, but it's persistent. Coordinates: 54.6872° N, 25.2797° E. Requesting permission to investigate over"
"Roger, Hawk. Proceed with caution. Keep us updated over"
The jets adjusted their course, descending slightly to get a better visual. As they approached the coordinates, Hawk's eyes widened.
"Control, we have visual on an unidentified aircraft. It's on the ground, and people are boarding it. But here's the kicker, we can see it with our eyes, but it's practically invisible on radar. Just a faint glitch over"
"Copy that, Hawk. Forwarding to high command. Stand by over"
...
Alarms blared as the data streamed in. The already nervous and Itchy because of the current world high tensions analysts scrambled to interpret the information. General Thompson entered the room, his face stern.
"What's the situation?"
"Sir, we've got an unidentified aircraft. Visual confirmation from our pilots, but it's nearly invisible on radar. Advanced stealth tech, possibly beyond our current understanding."
"Could it be a new R*ss*an or C*in*se prototype?"
"Unlikely, sir. The design doesn't match any known models. It's... different."
General Thompson picked up the red phone.
"Get me the President."
...
President Davis listened intently as General Thompson briefed him.
"Mr. President, we have an unidentified aircraft. Advanced stealth capabilities, unknown origin. We recommend immediate action."
"Authorize a strike?"
"Yes, sir. Before it disappears."
President Davis nodded solemnly.
"Proceed."
...
MC POV
The dropship's engines roared to life, lifting us off the rooftop with a smooth ascent. Inside, the hum of advanced systems and the soft beeping of medical monitors filled the cabin.
My grandparents lay secured on stretchers, their vitals stable for now. Suddenly, the pilot's voice crackled through the comms.
"Sir, we've got company. Two unidentified aircraft approaching fast, attempting to lock on. Orders?"
I took a drag from my cigarette, exhaling slowly.
"Ignore them."
"Understood."
...
"Control, Hawk One. No joy on the lock. It's like this thing isn't even real, barely a ghost on radar over"
"Copy that, Hawk. Go visual. Switch to guns. Manual targeting. You are clear to engage over"
"Roger. Switching to guns."
She toggled her fire mode, the 20mm autocannons locking into position under her wings. The target was in sight now, just a pitch black utalitarian shape hovering impossibly still in the sky.
No ID markings. No heat signature. No f*cking explanation. She squeezed the trigger. Her wingman followed suit.
"Guns, guns, guns."
Bright tracers ripped through the air… and then stopped. Like rain hitting a some kind of force field.
A soft blue shimmer bloomed across the aircraft's surface, forming a spherical barrier that deflected every round without so much as a dent.
"J*sus… our rounds just bounced. I saw it. Dead on hit zero effect over!"
"Say again, Hawk Two?!"
"Target has some kind of active energy shield. I repeat, energy shield over."
...
Back at the military command center, chaos erupted. Monitors displayed the live feed from hawk one and hawk two, showing the mysterious dropship and its impenetrable shield.
"What in G*d's name are we dealing with?"
General Thompson asked not bellieving his eyes.
"Sir, this technology is beyond anything we've encountered. It's not one of ours, Its... Its aliens?!"
One the of the analysts said or more like asked because that was the only way he could explain what he was seeing.