Jack woke up to an unfamiliar voice greeting him, "Good morning, Jack. Would you like a rundown of your schedule?" Startled, he looked around, trying to figure out who the speaker was. He couldn't see anyone in his room, but the voice seemed to be coming from somewhere nearby.

"Who the hell are you? And what are you doing in my room?" Jack demanded, his heart racing.

The voice replied, "My name is Simulation Adaptive Mainframe, or SAM for short. I'm an AI assistant designed to help you manage your daily tasks and schedule."

Jack was uneasy at the thought of an AI presence in his room. He demanded that SAM leave. "Well, listen, "SAM.” I want you out of my room. So, you either go to someone else's room and annoy them or I'll pull your plug!”

Sam calmly responded, "I apologize, but I don't understand what you mean by 'pull my plug.' However, if you're looking for some peace and quiet, I'll happily turn my attention elsewhere in the facility. But before I leave, I would advise you to look over your mail."

As Sam left Jack's room, the latter was left in disbelief that an AI was talking back to him. After a quick shower, Jack accessed his computer, checked his mail, and noticed that he had two new messages, one from his father and the other from Lily.

The message that Lily had left was the results from Jack’s test that she conducted the night before, whereas the message from his father was asking him to come to the control hub, not wanting to waste any time, and Jack headed for the elevator.

Inside the control hub, Harry was busy talking to one of the members of the Tech and Research department.

“If our data is current, sir, then there's a high chance that that area is inhabited by GMs.”

Harry, with a concerned look on his face, began saying how that wasn't possible, and the last recorded GM attack was nine days ago, and that was on the outskirts of District Eight. Just then, the sound of the elevator doors opening revealed Jack.

“Dad,” Jack said before hugging his father.

“Good to see you, son. I'm pleased to say we have our first mission for you and your team.”

Troy overheard this and shot up with excitement. “About fucking time! I was getting bored of letting these common soldiers have all the fun.”

However, Harry broke the news that it would be a recon mission, which annoyed Troy.

“Oh, for fucks sake! You mean to tell me that I've waited for weeks for some action, only for you to have us search over an area? You can forget about it.”

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Harry tried to calm Troy down and explain the mission: “What I need you to do is check for any GM activity, that’s all.”

The look on Troy’s face says it all: he didn't want to take part in the mission and would rather spend his time back at base waiting for a mission that he actually cared about. However, he wasn't given that luxury.

Jack opened his locker and collected his energy sword and holster. Once ready, he joined up with the rest of his squad and entered the helicopter that would take them to the destination.

As the helicopter left, Anakin suggested that they split up into teams of three; he offered to take Troy and Asuka. Jack disagreed with the idea as he was dealing with an enemy that he had no experience with and wanted the team to work together. The only person who disagrees with Jack’s plan is Troy, as he feels that he works much better alone and doesn’t want to be slowed down by a rookie.

As they made their way through the area, they were pleasantly surprised to find themselves surrounded by a peaceful and well-maintained residential neighborhood. The houses were in immaculate condition, with their windows still intact and their interiors looking neat and tidy. Jack couldn't help but express his surprise. "Strange, the houses are still intact," he said.

Troy saw this as his opportunity to take a slight jab at Jack, “What you're going house shopping now.”

As they continued to walk, the group was enveloped in an eerie silence, with the only sound being the rhythmic tapping of their footsteps on the concrete floor. Suddenly, their peace was disrupted by an approaching sound. Jack was quick to ask, "What's the noise?"

Before anyone could respond, Anakin shouted, "GMs!" The rest of the group drew out their energy swords and began attacking the GMs. Troy saw this as an opportunity to mock Jack and insult him for being scared. Anakin, however, was quick to remind Jack of the GMs' weakness: "Jack, the GMs are weak to our green energy swords! So, stop standing there and help us!"

Jack was quick to react and drew out his energy sword, watching it activate and turn a powerful green. With his weapon in hand, he charged towards the GMs. The GMs were no match for Jack's skills, and with one swift slice, they were disintegrated into liquid, leaving the group feeling triumphant and relieved.

However, the group's relief was short-lived as a heavy downpour of rain fell on them, and a deafening sound of something screaming filled their ears. Everyone, except Jack, knew what was coming next and quickly rushed for cover. Anakin signaled to Jack to come over to him, and with his hands, he made a gesture to keep quiet.

"What's going on?" Jack whispered, confused.

The sound of the scream grew louder and closer, making the group feel uneasy. Anakin whispered back, "Don't make any noise. Any noise."

Jack followed Anakin's instructions and placed his hand over his mouth and nose. As they kept quiet and remained still, they were able to see a creature that looked similar to a GM but with bigger ears, longer arms, and longer legs. The creature was searching for the group, and the tension in the air was palpable.

Suddenly, Ellie picked up a rock and threw it towards a window of a nearby house. The sound gained the creature's attention, and it rushed towards the sound, leaving the group alone. Anakin signaled the group to run far away from the area, and they made a quick escape.

As they ran, Jack couldn't help but ask Anakin about the creature they had encountered. Anakin explained that it was a GM hunter, unlike normal GMs. They have increased speed and operate on sound. That's why, when you encounter one, you need to keep quiet. Any noise you make will result in your death.