After the intense meeting with the Princess and the high council, Sahaad and his squad found themselves back in the familiar confines of their bunker, nestled within the Federation's vast military complex. The heavy doors sealed shut behind them with a low hiss, and for the first time in days, they could finally relax.

Their bunker was surprisingly spacious for military quarters, with separate rooms for each member and a large common area where they often gathered between missions. It had the sterile look of military installations, but over time, the Imperators had personalized it, making it more of a home than a holding cell.

Sahaad dropped his armor onto the floor of his room, exhausted. His chestplate, still crushed from the battle, lay in a heap beside his bunk. He made a mental note to visit the armory and have it repaired, but not now. For the moment, he wanted peace. He stepped into the common area, where the others were already unwinding.

Zara was perched on the couch, her boots kicked up on the table as she scrolled through a holographic display of a digital library. She was always reading between missions—historical texts, biographies, even some literature from the old world. She had a particular interest in ancient Earth's history, and Sahaad suspected it was her way of staying connected to their collective past.

Kato, meanwhile, was sitting at the corner of the common room with his portable forge fired up. He had always been a tinkerer, and right now, he was shaping a small sculpture out of some discarded scrap metal. It was impressive how his large, combat-trained hands could be so delicate in crafting something as detailed as the small figurine slowly taking shape—a miniature version of a dragon, wings outstretched. Sculpting helped him focus, especially after the brutal intensity of their missions.

"That looks good," Sahaad commented as he walked by, catching a glimpse of Kato's work.

"Thanks," Kato grunted without looking up, too absorbed in his task.

In another corner of the room, Ji and Nate were seated on opposite ends of a couch, deep into a game of virtual chess. Holographic pieces flickered across a board that hovered above their laps. The pair had an ongoing rivalry, often using strategy games to sharpen their minds for real-life tactics in combat. Ji, ever the strategist, was intensely focused, while Nate, slightly more laid-back, seemed to enjoy goading him with sarcastic comments.

"You're going to lose this one, Ji. You keep using the same opening," Nate teased, leaning back.

"Yeah, well, we'll see. I'm about to pull something unexpected," Ji replied with a grin, his eyes scanning the board like a predator.

Off to the side, Sia had her rifle disassembled on the table in front of her. She was always tinkering with her weapons, adjusting, improving, or just cleaning them. Her obsession with precision in everything she did showed even in how she handled the smallest components of her sniper rifle. Every piece was placed methodically, every adjustment precise.

Sahaad joined her at the table, grabbing his own pistol, which had a few scorches on its barrel from the earlier battle with the Awakened. "You think it's a good idea to keep your weapons constantly modified like that?" he asked casually, beginning his own maintenance routine.

Sia didn't look up from her work. "Perfection, Sahaad. That's what we strive for. If this gun isn't at its best, I'm not at my best."

Sahaad nodded, respecting her dedication. "Fair point, but the Citadel won't be too pleased"

"Citadel can't do shit. We answer to the prime government no more no less"

"Hm", Sahaad approved, getting back into his work.

The holo-projector in the middle of the common room flickered to life, and Zara casually tossed a suggestion to the group. "Who's up for a movie later? I've been wanting to watch The Thing, the one about those pre-space explorers from way back in the 21st century."

Kato laughed from his corner, the sound of metal scraping against metal. "Another historical drama? I'm telling you, Zara, you've got to try something with more action. You know, something that explodes."

Zara shot him a mock glare. "Not everything has to explode, Kato."

"On that, we'll agree to disagree," Kato replied with a grin.

Sahaad chuckled to himself, deciding to join the others near the film. It was a movie he had watched in his previous life, and was pleasantly surprised it survived this long.

As the holo-movie finished, the usual calm of the bunker gave way to lighthearted banter once again. Kato, stretching out with a smirk, turned to Sahaad and Nate. "Alright, we all know who's the real strongest here," he said confidently, flexing his arms in a mock show of strength.

Nate raised an eyebrow. "Sure I'll give you that, but strength is not everything. Its the skill that matters"

Zara chimed in, "That's why I'm the best. Speed and smarts count for something too." She shot a playful glance at Sahaad, daring him to weigh in.

"Alright, alright," Ji said, waving his hand in mock seriousness. "How about we settle this the old-fashioned way? A game of hide and seek. We'll see who's really the best at being undetectable."

The room suddenly grew electric with excitement as the idea took root. Everyone was competitive, and this kind of challenge was a perfect way to blow off steam between missions.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"The rules are simple," Ji began, standing up and pacing like a self-appointed referee. "We'll start at the far ends of the facility and work our way toward the center. First one there wins. No weapons—just your wits, speed, and stealth."

"And Sia," Nate added, nodding toward her, "will be the 'Watcher.' She'll monitor the security cameras. If she spots you, you're out. You get eliminated. Oh, and we can sabotage each other along the way—either expose them or try to slow them down."

Sia leaned back, a devilish grin spreading across her face. "Perfect. I've always wanted to be Big Brother."

Sahaad chuckled at the idea, knowing this wouldn't be a typical game. The idea of them playing hide and seek in a heavily fortified facility with one of their best snipers monitoring the cameras added an edge to the game that made it feel almost tactical.

"So, clothes only, no armor, no gear," Zara clarified, already planning her approach.

"And no going too hard when you 'incapacitate' someone," Nate said, looking meaningfully at Kato, who had a tendency to get overzealous during these competitions.

With everything agreed upon, they dispersed to their assigned positions. The sprawling facility had plenty of places to hide, from storage rooms to training chambers and even maintenance tunnels. The game was about to begin.

The countdown ended, and the game was on.

Sahaad started on the far eastern side of the bunker complex, his eyes scanning the corridors. His heart rate was calm, steady, trained for stealth under pressure. He moved silently, sticking to the shadows and avoiding open spaces. His strategy was simple—stay low, avoid Sia's watchful eyes, and avoid any confrontation. The stakes were low, but his instincts kicked in as if this were another mission.

He already had a mind map of the entire facility and the location of all the cameras. The problem was everybody else also had it. They all spent a century here training.

On the other side, Nate and Ji had started near the western sector. Ji was moving slowly, pausing to check every corner and listening for footsteps. Nate on the other hand, was more reckless, darting from cover to cover with almost too much confidence. It was only a matter of time before they encountered each other.

Meanwhile, Zara was using her smaller frame to her advantage, slipping through the blindspots and accessing tight spaces where the others couldn't follow. She was fast and methodical, but Sia would no doubt be actively operating the cameras to check the blindspots first.

Kato, as always, was bold. Instead of hiding right away, he moved deliberately, intending to draw attention to himself and act as bait, hoping to throw everyone off their game.

Sia, seated in the security hub, was monitoring the cameras with a keen eye. The screens flickered as different sections of the facility came into view—empty corridors, storage areas, maintenance shafts. She watched for movement, for any hint of a shadow or a misstep.

"There," she muttered, her eyes narrowing as she spotted a flicker of movement on one of the feeds.

Thanks to her enhanced vision she could tell it was Ji, darting down a corridor. However the camera could not pick up on it, and Ji vanished into the shadows. Clever, but not clever enough.

Just then, her attention shifted to another monitor. The cameras were picking up noise, indicating that someone was approaching.

Sahaad was making good progress, sticking to side paths and maintenance tunnels, when suddenly he heard a faint sound behind him. He stopped, pressing himself against a wall. Footsteps. Light but unmistakable. Nate.

He grinned to himself, ready to spring a trap. As Nate rounded the corner, Sahaad lunged, tackling him to the ground. They wrestled for a moment, a flurry of punches and grappling moves exchanged, each trying to gain the upper hand.

It was clear that out of the two men, Nate was clearly stronger, easily placing Sahaad in a series of headlocks. Sahaad could barely keep up with Nate's strength, remaining on the defense and blocking blows. However, the goal of the game was not a contest of physical strength.

Sahaad quickly aimed an elbow with all his might at Nate's liver, producing a small shockwave from the blow. Nate recoiled back in pain, and Sahaad quickly kicked him away and out into the open.

"Got you Nate. You're done", Sia's voice echoed through the earpieces each of the Imperators wore.

Kriik!

Nate's ribs rapidly healed from the blow, as he begrudgingly left to the out-zone.

Sahaad smirked and slinked back into the darkness.

Elsewhere, Zara was having her own trouble. The blindspots were a good idea until Sia focused on them. Zara could hear the hum of the cameras adjusting their focus, narrowing in on her position. She needed to find another route, fast.

She timed as the camera began to whirl around to check her current position and quickly ruched out into a dimly lit storage room.

"Yes", this was the main room where supplies were kept and distributed. She was getting closer to the goal.

Just as she was about to move out toward the next room, Kato appeared. He had been waiting.

Thud!

He dropped down like a hawk catching its prey, shaking the ground with his heavy body.

"Gotcha," he said with a grin, charging toward her.

Zara narrowly avoided his tackle, slipping out of his grip and into the corridor. She bolted down the hallway, with Kato bullrushing at her.

The chase continued, and soon it was clear that everyone was either in the open or closing in on each other. Ji, somehow still in the game, managed to avoid detection long enough to make a dash for the center.

Zara found it harder and harder to avoid the cameras and make it to the goal as Kato continued to chase her around the facility.

She attempted to fool him several times by setting up decoys, but Kato was simply too smart for such tricks.

Sahaad, meanwhile, moved silently, approaching the final zone from the rear.

He moved slowly, but carefully making sure no one could get behind him. He was one of the weaker ones in the squad, so he had to make it up by simply outsmarting the others.

He could hear Zara and Kato's chase, but he stayed low, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Sia, ever vigilant, scanned the cameras, but Sahaad was too careful. He knew her patterns, knew when she would switch feeds.

He heard footsteps. They were flighty and fast, indicating that Ji was approaching his position.

If he could barely compete with Nate, Ji was out of the question in taking on in a pure physical battle, but Sahaad knew exactly how to counter him.

The areas where Sahaad and Ji were had incredibly dim lighting, meaning that Ji was most likely relying on his hearing to avoid danger.

He pulled out his earpiece and shoved his two fingers into his ears, rupturing them and temporarily deafening them.

The Imperators had prodigious control over their bodily functions, and if they wished they could control their own healing factor to weaken it.

As warm blood began to drip out his ear, Sahaad tinkered with the earpiece. The earpieces used electrical energy to produce sound and be heard by a single person but he had rigged it to instead convert the electrical energy to produce mechanical energy and act as a speaker.

"Kato you're out", Sia announced through the earpiece. What followed was an immense ringing sound as the Sia closed the mic.

RIIIING!

"Argh", Ji screamed in pain, clutching his ears trying to hide from the intense noise. Sahaad could smell the cold palpitations emitting from Ji's body as he continued to wriggle in pain.

Finally, with a burst of speed, he made his move, crossing the threshold into the center.

"Sahaad wins!" Sia's voice rang out again, marking the end of the game.