Chapter Seven: Flares and Grudges

"Something happened here." My Commandant said, surveying the surroundings.

There were broken pieces of machineries, fresh trail of blood, and destroyed corrupted traces all around the area. The camp that we were supposed to stay at for this upcoming week was empty, the small building looking as though it has been attacked with the boulders falling apart. The Flare Virus signal was higher than normal, which means there definitely had been an attack.

The cadets were looking around nervously now, knowing depending on the situation, it might just be their first time in a live battle site. It would be nice if things were to go smoothly from now on, but I doubt otherwise.

As I have mentioned before, the areas surrounding the Ainswein Colony—the colony we came from before—is already within the Safe Zone, we even have fences built around the areas that are already considered safe, and that applies to the entire radius around the Colony.

This isn't even the Frontline yet, for the frontal area keeping track of the Danger Zone is four more hours away. But for our base here to get destroyed like this...even if the enemies were mechanoids, there's no way this place would fall.

Every colony has the Eastern, Western, Southern, and Northern Point. In each of these four directions, we have three bases. Currently, we are at the west and for our third base to have fallen like this means the the second and the first base might have already fallen beforehand for the enemy to advance up to this point. However, on our way here, we haven't encountered any enemies so far so there is a possibility this might just be a coincidence.

"Where are the sentinels in this base?" Commandant Yeona asked, dropping her usual playfulness.

"None. My watch picks up no such signals other than us." Alter Zielle answered, showing her watch's hologram screen on the air for everyone to see.

Our watches can not only be used for communication, it can also detect both life and core signals in a ten-meter radius. Red dots show corrupted cores from droids, green dots apply to life signals coming from humams. While there are Tracking Devices, Nexus pairs are instead given our specific watches that has GPS and also tracks mental and health state. It's helpful in tracking down sentinels, especially in a chaos.

"Should we go explore?" One cadet suggested. "Our Tracking Devices might pick up something."

"Normally, we wouldn't allow cadets but who cares about regulations now?" Commandant Yeona sighed. "Team up in two, you can only advance fifty meters beyond."

"Nexus Yeona-Zielle should stay here and try to contact other bases." My Commandant spoke.

"Already on it." Alter Zielle said, already opening her tablet's holographic keyboard and began typing profusely.

"You," Commandant Yeona pointed at Safaron. "You'll stay here with us and keep watch."

"That's unfortunate since I would have preferred going around, but it cannot be helped then."

"Do not engage in any battle, cadets. Send out a message if you encounter an enemy no matter what it is."

"Yes, Commandant Alestrandra."

Going along with that plan, the cadets grouped themselves and spread out while I naturally followed my Commandant from behind as we ventured further from the destroyed base. There should be a Class A Nexus pair meeting us here along with other pairs who were assigned to take care of this base.

This area point being destroyed or even possibly compromised by the enemy could lead to them getting closer to the Colony. Which is why we must make sure things first before reporting to the JADES Organization situated in the Ainswein Colony.

JADES Organization is so far spread that we have our own headquarters in every colony, and depending on the sitation, Nexus pairs are usually assigned to different colonies which means they are constantly on a move without any specific colony they originally belong.

We have been assigned to the Ainswein Colony for a year now, specifically to investigate the strange rising of Flare Virus in random areas, only for the virus to decrease back to its previous state a few hours after. Despite that strange phenomenon, nothing so far has happened that JADES isn't really that alarmed but this situation might just trigger them to think otherwise.

Humans obviously cannot see the virus since it's literally just air, only certain devices can track the virus' level on a specific area, and even then it's not a perfect evaluation. Humans can only truly feel it once they're actually affected or corrupted, but then they'd already be Ferals at that point.

They can only notice it when the virus has reached to a dangerous level which enhances the possibility of being corrupted. A dangerous level is when the air becomes a yellow mist or referred to as the Yellow Flare. It lasts for hours or possibly days before disappearing, and it's dangerous enough that a Yellow Flare can potentially revive any dead or already destroyed cores around the area since the virus is basically a strange energy.

However, when the air turns red, it's at that level that humans must not touch the air because gas masks or not, the Red Flare is simply too powerful that it would corrupt absolutely anything. The only advantage humans have is that it doesn't usually last long and would disappear after a while but still dangerous either way.

"Commandant." I called out, stopping on my track as I looked over a distance.

"What is it?" She followed my line of sight, but a human as she is, she definitely doesn't feel it.

"I think I might have an idea what happened to the base or the rest of the sentinels."

I lifted my wrist and opened my watch, showing the topographic map of the surrounding area according to the signals it picks. Seeing nothing on the map, what I thought was a mere coincidence wasn't the case after all. With that in mind, I glanced back at Commandant who seemed to have understood the changes in my stance, now preparing for enemy engagement.

"Commandant, the energy is rising in a fast pace." I warned. "It seems to be originating from that point," I pointed at the distant dead trees with some dead machineries stuck around them.

She nodded, pressing something over her own watch. "I've sent out a message to Yeona. She should handle the cadets back into the truck for safety."

Due to my bodily constitution, I can sense these strange energies more accurately than any devices that a tracker can only detect energy when it's already in a dangerous level but me, I can detect even the weakest state that I can wholly predict how big it would end up being. Other than Yellow Flare, there's another level considered as the most dangerous.

The Red Flare. It happens when the air turns red, it's at that level where humans must not touch the air because whether they have gas masks or not, the Red Flare is simply too powerful that it would corrupt absolutely anything. The only advantage humans have is that it doesn't usually last long and would disappear after a while but still dangerous either way.

"No, Commandant. They should get out of here." I frowned. "It's going to be a Red Flare, and it's growing fast." I could tell from the large amounts of energy being accumulated, like a vacuum absorbing the surrounding virus that would form into red.

"We should head back fast." She ordered as I followed behind her back to the camp. "If what you said is true, then there is no hope for those missing sentinels. But if there's a tiny chance that some of them may still be alive...." As though to add power to her words, she eyed me shortly to see me nod.

"Certainly, Commandant."

Commandant may seem like a cold person with her usual expressionless façade, but her actions mostly show what her words cannot. She is the kindest person I have ever been graced to serve to. I cannor imagine what could have become of me without her kindness and compassion which is why no matter what happens, no matter what path she'll end up choose—I will always be behind serving her every step of the way.

"You two are finally here." Alter Zielle said, acknowledging the situation. "We have already ordered the cadets back in the vehicle, but a pair wandered off too far that Yeona is currently getting them herself."

"Elirah judged the energy to be a red." My Commandant let her know, not failing to notice the Alter's surprise.

"Then, the sentinels..."

"You know they might have as well been corrupted."

"But I don't understand. If the energy is still building now, why did the sentinels already disappear?"

"They've been attacked." Suddenly, we turned behind to see Commandant Yeona's grim expression through her mask. "I've retrieved the two remaining cadets, they're in the truck now."

"What do you mean they've been attacked? If the attackers were androids, they shouldn't pose a threat that would cause this base to be abandoned."

"The attackers weren't just androids, Zielle. The two cadets wandered off too far to see an entire area of freshly broken cores and literally some dead bodies." She clicked her tongue. "You all understand, don't you? It's them, those bastards."

"Why make a move now? They've been off the radar for years and even if there were traces of them, they wouldn't do something so painfully obvious unless..." Alter Zielle looked around.

My Commandant clenched her fist, staring at me as though seeing something that wasn't there—the usual impassiveness I see from her eyes were replaced by a distant cold I wish I couldn't recognize. But it's there, that long-time grudge and hatred... it's still there as she spoke the words I knew not only directed to our said enemies but also to me.

"They finally have gone tired of hiding."