Another mission so soon after the previous one was an unexpected occurrence, but Tom welcomed the opportunity to keep himself busy. Marcus had briefed him about an hour prior, informing him that he was being asked to return to the site of the breach and investigate once more. Since Tom was the only one in the briefing, he naturally assumed this meant it was a solo mission. Another thing he welcomed. After what happened at the last mission, he wasn’t in any hurry to work with the others.

But when Tom arrived in the Nexus, surprise greeted him—not only Marcus, but also Ethan waited. The two Knights exchanged glances that showed neither was happy to see the other. Tom turned from Ethan and approached Marcus.

“Marcus, can I have a word?” he asked.

Marcus drew in a breath and then nodded. He led Tom off to the side, just out of Ethan’s earshot. “What is it?”

“You told me this was just a simple investigation. That’s barely a Level 1. There’s no need for two Knights to go on this job.”

“We also thought the last threat was a Level 2 and it turned out to be a 3. Besides, two sets of eyes are better than one,” said Marcus. “Maybe Ethan will spot something that you miss, or vice versa.”

Tom shook his head. “I’m not comfortable with this.”

Marcus gave a nod and then said, “Well okay, so what are you comfortable with? Should I arrange for a massage? Maybe a spa day?” He slapped the back of Tom’s head. “You’re supposed to be a goddamn Omega Knight. More than that, you’re supposed to be the leader. So start acting like it.”

Tom winced from the blow. It didn’t hurt much, but more the sting of another abusive incident. “If I’m the leader, then shouldn’t I have some say in how things run around here?”

“You’re the field leader. Know your role, Stone,” said Marcus. “That means it’s your job to turn this group from a collection of random misfits into a cohesive unit. The last leader understood that when he took the job.”

Tom felt another stab of pain at the mention of Scott. He narrowed his eyes. “That was a low blow.”

“Maybe, but it’s also the truth,” said Marcus. “You think he got along with everyone when he became leader? He had to deal with personality conflicts and he took that responsibility seriously. Didn’t try to pass it off.”

Tom huffed. He hated Marcus at that moment. Not only because of the unfavorable comparison to Scott, but also because he spoke the truth. Scott had told Tom himself about how he had to find a way to get everyone to trust each other. And now, that job had fallen to Tom.

“Fine.” Tom walked toward the Nexus platform where Ethan waited. He wasn’t sure what to say to him in order to break the ice. “So it’s just us, huh?”

Ethan sighed and then said, “I guess so.” He glanced across at Tom. “That gonna be a problem for you?”

“No, I’m fine.” Tom then hesitated before he returned the question. “How about you?”

“I’m cool. I’ll try not to get too attached or anything,” said Ethan, throwing Tom’s own words back at him. “Wouldn’t want you to feel like I’m trying to bond.”

Tom rolled his eyes and then whispered, “Well, when you put it like that, now I sound like an asshole…”

“Hunh, go figure,” said Ethan.

“Okay gents, we’re just about ready for transport. Time to armor up,” said Marcus.

Both Tom and Ethan activated their Gauntlets. The nanites flowed from the housings on their wrists, swarming over both men. Within seconds, the nanites had completely covered them, interlocking with each other, cladding their hosts in the Knight armor.

“Transport begins in three…two…one.”

As soon as Marcus finished that last word, the Nexus flared to life. Energy crackled from the diodes and flowed toward the platform. Tom and Ethan became bathed in the other-dimensional energy and were transported instantaneously.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

The light of the teleportation effect briefly blinded them and when it faded, the Nexus had given way to the site of their battle with the insect creatures in the Amazon. They weren’t alone this time—other individuals clad in protective gear explored the area, holding various types of scanning instruments.

“So what are we supposed to be looking for?” asked Ethan. “And who are these guys?”

“Quantum sends these guys in after we’ve taken care of a breach to see if they can figure out how and why it occurred and try to seal any cracks in the dimensional walls,” said Tom. “As for us, we’re looking for anything strange.”

“Strange like two guys in matching, color-coded nanotech suits?”

“Yeah, you see anyone else like that, it’d be a cause for concern, if not confusion.” Tom tapped his helmet. “You’ve got environmental scanners built into your suit.”

“Okay, how do I use those?” asked Ethan.

“The suit is fully integrated with your central nervous system. Basically turns you into a cyborg, for lack of a better term. So really, you just have to think it and pay attention to what the HUD says.”

“Think it…okay…” Ethan tried focusing his thoughts on the idea of turning on the suit’s environmental scanners. After a few moments, he threw his arms out to the side. “I’m thinking and nothing’s happening.”

“Takes some time for the suit to fully bond with you and correctly interpret your commands,” said Tom. “Just keep trying. It takes some people a little more practice than others.”

Tom activated his suit’s scanners and started looking around the environment. He attempted to locate any signs of tachyonic activity. There were some residual readings from the breach, but nothing that seemed unusual given the situation.

“Is that a dig?” asked Ethan.

“What are you talking about?”

“That whole ‘some people need more practice’ thing.”

Tom sighed and turned to face him. “That’s not at all what I meant. It’s just a fact that not everyone adjusts to this at the same pace.”

“Yeah. Sure. And I bet you were the golden child right from day one, huh?”

Tom shook his head. “No, that was Rachel.”

Ethan paused and then cocked his head to the side. “Really?”

“Yeah, she’s the legacy around here. Family has a long history of serving the Group, even had a Knight somewhere in her own ancestry,” said Tom. “Basically, she grew up on Sanctuary.”

“Well, that makes sense. Explains why she was on the ball last time we were here,” said Ethan.

Tom stopped and sighed. “Yeah, because I fucked up. I get it.”

“Hey, I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Tom glanced back at Ethan and pointed a finger. “Yeah, you did.”

Ethan relaxed his posture. “Okay, so maybe I did.”

“And for the record, I know she should be the leader,” said Tom. “No one was more surprised than me when I got tapped.”

“Why didn’t you say something?”

“That’s not how things work around here. We don’t question the Heads.”

“The ‘Heads’?” asked Ethan.

“That’s what we call the Tribunal. Y’know, because they’re basically just floating heads to us.”

“Why can’t you question stuff?”

Tom shrugged. “A lot of stuff with Quantum is compartmentalized. So we don’t have all the facts to know what’s behind a decision.”

“I can get that in terms of mission secrecy…but this is about who works best in the field,” said Ethan. “Seems like we should all have a say in something like that. Or at least be allowed to question it.”

“I don’t disagree, but that’s not the way it is,” said Tom.

Something flashed across Tom’s HUD. He jerked his head in the direction it came from.

“What’s up?” asked Ethan.

“I don’t know, some sort of spike in the tachyons,” said Tom. “As if something just breached.”

“If it were a breach, wouldn’t they know about it on Sanctuary and tell us?” asked Ethan.

“Maybe the sensors haven’t communicated the message yet, or maybe the breach was too small to be of any significance,” said Tom. “Either way, we should go check it out.”

They walked from the area where the Quantum team continued to gather readings and investigate the scene. The tachyonic trail of the energy spike Tom detected led them deeper into the rainforest. After about twenty minutes of walking, they came to a rushing river that led over the edge of a cliff into a waterfall. Tom searched the area, trying to find some sign of the energy signature.

“I don’t get it, this is where the trail ends. But I don’t see anything.” He looked at Ethan. “How about you?”

Ethan scanned the area and shrugged. “I got no—ARGH!”

Tom immediately went to Ethan’s side when he suddenly and mysteriously keeled over. The way his back had arched forward made it seem like he’d been attacked from behind. Tom examined Ethan’s back and found there was a gash in the armor that the nanites were desperately trying to seal up. But Tom couldn’t see any sign of the assailant.

“We’re not alone…” said Ethan.

“Yeah, kinda figured as much.” Tom stood and held out his hands, generating the Flameblade in his grip. He raised the fiery weapon and moved into a defensive stance. “Whoever you are, best come out right now before I get pissed!”

A laughter echoed through the forest, almost like the sound of a brook. The light seemed to catch something moving swiftly across the landscape. Tom tried to follow the movement, but it was too quick for his scanners to detect or for his eyes to spot.

And then Tom felt a searing pain across his own back. He fell to his knees and rolled, getting back up and facing the threat.

A figure shimmered into view. Lithe and covered from head to toe in a black suit that seemed to reflect the sunlight. Long, raven hair hung in a tight plait. Her eyes, shark-like and predatory, fixed on the two Knights. A mask covered the lower portion of her pale face and she held a crescent-shaped sword in each hand.

“I think we just bumped up a level,” said Ethan.