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Both squads crouched behind two wind-carved boulders, studying their next targets. Jelani watched the geckos prowl around their den entrance, skin tight bumpy scales catching the false sun's light. The others showed a mix of eagerness and anxiety, but he felt oddly detached. After the mountain trials and what he'd seen in Atlanta's vortex breaks, these creatures barely registered as threats.

"Take time with your approach," Tyson called from behind them. "Just because they're weak doesn't mean you need to be stupid."

'Why does it sound like he's talking to me. I don't always run in head first like a dumbass,'

Memories of Reason and Tobi surfaced unbidden. He'd barely known them, yet their death gnawed at him randomly.

'Then again.. if I'd taken more control of the situation back then, pushed to work together...'

He forced the thoughts away. That was the past and he had a future to grab hold of so he needed to focus on the now.

He studied his current team instead, breaking down what he'd seen. Isaac's shield ability had potential – good for area control if he could get past his hesitation. Pandora's shot placement was precise, and she had the confidence to back it up. Greta's earth manipulation could shape the battlefield, funnel threats where they needed them.

Work with what you've got, he decided. Better than working alone.

"Let me take the front this time," Pandora said, cracking her knuckles to release some tension.

Jelani raised an eyebrow. Not what he expected, but her tone carried determination rather than bravado.

"You'll just steamroll them again if you lead," she continued, a knowing glint in her eye. "Better to have you pick off the extras, catch what breaks through."

"Leaving you exposed," Jelani noted.

"That's where Isaac comes in." She turned to their sentinel with a reassuring smile. "I know it's still new to you but your conjured shields are going to be helpful for the idea I have in mind."

Isaac's fingers traced the pentagon's edge. "Still working out the triggers. It's not consistent yet."

"Theorizing only gets you so far," Greta added, staff tapping thoughtfully against stone. "Sometimes understanding comes through action."

Jelani studied Isaac's shield. "Walk me through how it works. What you actually feel, not what you think you should feel."

"It's... when I really see something, understand what its doing, my shield feels charged," Isaac's voice grew steadier as he explained, "I get this certainty about where protection needs to be and he clearer I understand the threat, the more I can feel the shields."

"Then you keep your eyes on them while you are beside me and learn all you can," Pandora nodded.

"My plan is to pick off the left side as we slowly approach. Last time the Geckos didn't all start attacking until we got close and killed a bunch of them. So I can take down a few as we move in and start an early chain reaction. Isaac, I'd need you to make your conjured shields form in front of me and move the geckos that run in to the right. Greta controls the center with her spikes and will pierce as many as she can that are pushed to the right. Jelani handles anything that breaks past her spikes."

The plan wasn't bad, but a lot hinged on Isaac.

'He seems like the overthinking type and that could cause a stutter in our defense that gets her hurt,'

Still, rolling the dice on this setup might be worth it – if it worked, they'd have something solid to build on. Part of him itched to take control, lay out his own strategy, but he pushed the urge down.

"Let's run it," he said instead. "Like Tyson said – learn by doing."

Greta nodded while Isaac shifted his weight, nervous energy radiating off him but determination in his eyes.

Pandora's ability intrigued Jelani – the mix between the stunning she caused and the poison effects could be useful in bigger raids. He wanted to ask more but kept his tone casual. "You've got a good shot so I'll trust this to work out."

Her face lit up at the acknowledgment, though she played it cool. "And here I thought you were gonna be some cocky asshole who wouldn't listen to anyone else."

"Oh, that's definitely still true," Jelani smirked.

They shared a laugh as they moved from behind the boulder, summoning their weapons. Isaac fell into position, shield raised.

"Time to put on a show," Pandora said, chambering her first round.

The first gecko fell to Pandora's shot fifty yards out, pink mist erupting as dark veins spread beneath its scales. Two more shots followed in quick succession, each blasting holes in the side of another duna gecko.

Jelani noted her precision as another gecko collapsed in apparent bliss before the poison took hold.

'She's reading their movements, predicting where they'll be.'

"They're starting to notice," Isaac muttered, his shield pulsing with faint blue light. "See how the ones on the left are backing up? They're learning."

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"Gotcha," Pandora nodded without taking her focus off her targets. "Keep watching their patterns."

Another shot rang off that hit a gecko that was farther back directly between its eyes.

“Ok deadshot." Jelani says with mild praise

“Right! you are nailing those lizards girl!” Greta adds.

Pandora fake yawned and then smiled mischievously "I wouldn't have spoke up if I didn't think I could do it,"

As if in response to her bravado, a small group of geckos broke from the den and raced toward them in a coordinated rush. Isaac's shield flared – not from panic this time, but understanding. Blue pentagons materialized, redirecting the charge toward Greta's position.

Earth erupted in precise locations, her spikes catching two geckos mid-stride. The others scattered right, exactly as planned. Jelani stepped forward, blade ready.

Don't show off, he reminded himself. Just control the space.

Three quick strikes and he dropped the ones that avoided the spikes. Clean, efficient, nothing flashy. He stepped back, letting Greta's next wave of spikes finish two more.

"Behind!" Isaac's warning came sharp and clear. A gecko had circled wide, launching itself at Pandora. Her shotgun's indicator showed empty, but Isaac jumped to her blindspot, his shield raised without hesitation giving her space to reload.

"Nice save," she grinned, weapon ready. "Duck."

Her next shot passed where Isaac's head had been, catching the hissing gecko center mass. The creature froze on the ground as its eyes flashed pink, expression almost peaceful before it crashed to the ground.

They fell into a rhythm after that. Pandora's shots creating openings, Isaac's shields directing traffic, Greta's spikes punishing anything that tried to break formation. Jelani picked off stragglers, watching how his team's confidence grew with each successful exchange.

The remaining geckos emerged from their den with newfound aggression, moving in scattered patterns that showed they'd adapted to the team's strategy.

"They're spreading out," Isaac called, shield glowing brighter as he processed the new formation. "Trying to overwhelm our zones."

Pandora's shotgun cracked twice, but the geckos were moving erratically now, making her perfect headshots harder to land. One shot clipped a gecko's shoulder, the creature stumbling but not stopping.

"Getting cocky with those shots," Jelani noted, keeping his tone light.

"Just keeping it exciting," she fired back, but adjusted her aim for center mass.

Greta's staff swept in wider arcs, her spikes forming patterns rather than single strikes. "They're trying to read our timing," she said. "Watch your gaps."

Three geckos slipped through their defense, angling toward Pandora's blind spot. Isaac started to shift his shield, but Jelani was already moving.

"Hold position," he called. "I've got these."

His blade found the first gecko's spine, the second's throat. The third tried to circle back but met Greta's spikes instead. No wasted movement, no showing off – just clean execution of his role.

"And that," Pandora said as the last gecko fell, "is how you run a coordinated clear."

From across the mesa, they heard Malik's voice rise in celebration, though his group was still finishing their stragglers. Jelani noticed how much cleaner their formation looked compared to the first wave.

"Everyone did well," Mary smiled, approaching with Tyson. "Some actual teamwork for once,"

"Better than expected," Tyson agreed, studying their formation. "Pandora, good shooting but mind those reload windows. Isaac, shields are coming together – just need more conviction behind them. Greta, solid field control. Jelani..." he paused, "decent restraint, all things considered."

"What about my side?" Malik called out. "That triple combo was clean!"

"I saw you almost eat dirt twice, but you did better," Tyson replied teasingly. "Your cousin's getting better at keeping you alive, so that's progress too. Charles, nice crowd control. Davi, work on your timing."

"Thank god! You're all showing real promise," Mary added warmly. "It's refreshing to see new awakened who can actually take direction."

"Don't go getting their hopes too high," Tyson warned, but his usual edge was softer. "Though I guess you guys have done better than average. Couple more dens like that and we will be done here. We'll get you home with some stats under your belt, ready to handle actual raids."

"Speaking of stats," Mary gestured toward the scattered cores, "Lets go ahead and collect those before we move on."

Jelani moved to gather his cores, finding himself next to Greta. She studied one of the crystalline objects, turning it in the strange light.

"Funny how something so small can make you stronger," she mused. "Dont take this the wrong way but I can understand your impatience. Were in the final fight for our lives out there and we need huge change, physically and spiritually.."

"Are you ready to deal with all that comes with this? Shits light now but there's a lot of death on our path," Jelani asked, keeping his tone neutral.

"Someone has to," she replied. "All this power floating around, but the same neighborhoods keep suffering. Same people keep getting left behind."

Jelani nodded slowly. "Need to be strong enough to actually change things though. Can't help anyone if you can't control the situation."

"Control's an illusion these days," Greta said, but smiled slightly. "Doesn't mean we give up when forces that want to oppress us appear out no where, I know the creator hasn't left us for dead,"

"Creator?" Jelani's voice carried a hint of bitterness. "You think some higher power is watching out for us while monsters pour through rifts in reality?"

"I dont see the creator in the same way most religious folk do," Greta traced the adinkra symbol on her staff. "I see the creator more as... a force that pushes toward balance and connects us all. Look at history – evil might win battles, but good tends to be the long arc. The universe course-corrects."

"That's a nice thought," Jelani kept collecting cores, his movements precise. "But right now we're fighting for survival. We are the ones who have to decide what needs to get done and for what purpose."

"And who decides what needs to get done?"

"The ones who survive to tell the story." He met her gaze. "Everything else is just wishful thinking."

Greta studied him for a moment. "That's a cold way of seeing things. Though I understand that being practical might be what we need right now." She paused. "Just hope when it really matters, you'll be someone who stands for something."

"I want to be," Jelani said quietly, surprising himself with his honesty. "But first we have to live long enough to make those choices matter."

Several yards away, Pandora was chatting with Isaac while Malik paraded around his group on the opposite side of them with an embellished version of his fighting stance, like some mace wielding samurai knight. The atmosphere felt lighter, more cohesive than before.

Then a red scroll materialized in their vision:

[SYSTEM ANOMALY DETECTED WITHIN VORTEX]

[INITIATING SCAN FOR VERIFICATION]

"The hell?" Tyson straightened, all casual pride vanishing from his posture. "Mary, you ever seen this?"

"Never," she replied, staff materializing in her hands.

The sandstorm above began to change. The swirling patterns lost their golden luster, darkening to deep amber as the central orb pulsed with increasing intensity. Its light swept across the mesa like a searchlight, washing over each person in turn.

[SCANNING...]

[MULTIPLE ANOMALIES DETECTED]

[ADJUSTING DIFFICULTY AS A PENALTY FOR EXPLOITATION]

"What's happening?" Isaac's voice carried barely controlled panic. "What anomalies?"

The light lingered on Jelani longer than the others. He felt Azaron's power stir within him, responding to the scan. Not good.

[VORTEX RANK INCREASING]

[SYSTEM PROTOCOLS ENGAGED]

[PREPARE FOR RECALIBRATION]

The false sun above them deepened from bright yellow to blood orange. Then the wind picked up, carrying omens of the unknown.