Chapter 9

The extraction team arrived minutes later—black-clad Order operatives sweeping through the wreckage with precise, mechanical efficiency. Their weapons stayed raised, their movements sharp. They were expecting more hostiles.

Roy barely noticed.

His mind was still on her.

Talia Voss.

She had appeared out of nowhere, dismantled an A-rank chimera like it was a minor inconvenience, and vanished just as quickly. And she knew Roland.

That last part unsettled him the most.

Roland was unpredictable, eccentric, obsessive—and if he found someone interesting, it usually meant they were dangerous.

Roy didn't like that.

"Roy!"

Dr. Chen's voice snapped him back to reality as she rushed toward him. Her coat fluttered as she moved, tablet in hand, eyes scanning him with a mixture of relief and frustration.

"You're injured," she said, kneeling beside him, her fingers already pressing the emergency medical patch against his ribs. The cooling sensation numbed the pain instantly.

Roy let out a breath. "I noticed."

Her scowl deepened. "This was not a B-rank mission. That thing evolved mid-fight." She glanced at the chimera's remains, her eyes narrowing. "Did you notice when?"

Roy wiped the blood from his mouth. "Right when I thought it was dead."

Chen's expression darkened. "That's new."

Roy frowned. "You mean… this isn't normal?"

Dr. Chen hesitated. Then shook her head. "No. Chimeras adapt. We've seen mutations before. But mid-combat resurrections? That is something else."

Roy's stomach twisted.

So it wasn't just him getting stronger. They were too.

The Order operatives finished securing the scene, their leader stepping forward. A heavy-built man in a reinforced combat suit, helmet tucked under one arm. "Site secured. Cleanup team en route." His gaze flicked to Roy. "You're lucky to be alive, rookie."

Roy exhaled. "Yeah, well. Wasn't exactly alone."

The operative raised an eyebrow. "Your backup?"

"Talia Voss," Dr. Chen answered for him, standing.

The moment she said the name, the man stiffened.

"She's here?"

"Not anymore." Roy rubbed his temples. "She bailed right before you arrived."

The operative exchanged glances with another soldier. Roy caught the tension in his shoulders.

"She's not supposed to be in Order-controlled zones." His voice was low. "She's been blacklisted."

Roy's brows furrowed. "Why?"

Before anyone could answer—

Roland's voice erupted over the comms.

"Hahaha! Oh, this just gets better and better! My dear Roy, you've already met the elusive Miss Voss? I'm so jealous!"

Roy groaned. "Can someone mute him?"

Dr. Chen sighed. "Roland, not now."

"But don't you see? She's watching him!" Roland's voice buzzed with manic glee. "And if she's interested, then that means—"

A sharp click.

Dr. Chen had actually muted him.

Roy blinked. "Wait, we can do that?"

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I can. You can't."

Roy made a mental note to ask for access later.

The lead operative cleared his throat. "We need to get back. Grandmaster Elliot wants a full debrief."

Roy stiffened. "Wait, Elliot?"

The operative nodded. "This situation just escalated to priority level. You're going straight to headquarters."

Roy exchanged a glance with Dr. Chen.

That wasn't normal.

Most recruits barely saw Elliot—he was the highest-ranked leader in the field. The fact that he wanted a personal debrief meant this wasn't just another mission.

Roy exhaled, pushing himself up. His body still ached, but the pain was fading. He was healing faster again.

And that was starting to scare him.

He turned toward the chimera's body one last time.

It evolved mid-fight. Just like me.

Dr. Chen had said it wasn't normal. That this was new.

But Talia…

She had expected it.

And before she left, she had told him something that wouldn't leave his mind.

"How long before you do the same?"

Roy clenched his fists.

He had a feeling he was going to find out soon.

And he wasn't sure he liked the answer.

****

The armored transport rumbled beneath him, the lights inside dim. Roy sat strapped into one of the side seats, arms crossed, staring at the metal floor.

Across from him, Dr. Chen sat with her tablet, typing rapidly. The lead operative—Commander Reeves, Roy had learned—was reviewing footage of the mission, his face unreadable.

No one had spoken in the last hour.

Finally, Roy broke the silence. "Who is she?"

Dr. Chen didn't look up. "Talia?"

Roy nodded.

Commander Reeves exhaled, setting his tablet down. "She's a freelancer. A rogue operative. Used to be affiliated with the Order years ago."

Roy frowned. "And now?"

"She went off the grid," Reeves said. "Works alone. Answers to no one. She's only interested in high-threat contracts. The kind that even we hesitate to touch."

Roy processed that. "And Roland?"

Dr. Chen sighed. "Roland was… fond of her."

Roy raised an eyebrow. "Like, fond-fond?"

She shot him a flat look. "Not like that. He admired her combat skills. Saw her as a perfect candidate for his little experiments."

Roy shivered. "Great."

Reeves leaned forward. "But here's the thing, rookie—Talia doesn't help people. Not for free. If she saved you…" He studied Roy, eyes sharp. "Then she's expecting something in return."

That didn't sit right with Roy.

She had acted like she didn't care. Like he was just another reckless recruit.

But if what Reeves was saying was true—if she had been watching—

Then she knew something.

Something about him.

The transport jolted as it slowed. A moment later, the doors hissed open.

"We're here," Reeves said, standing.

Roy stepped out onto solid ground, the sight before him massive.

The true Order Headquarters.

Not some abandoned church. Not some underground lab or a base.

This was a fortress.

Towering steel walls stretched toward the sky, advanced defense systems tracking every movement. Armed personnel patrolled the grounds, their uniforms marked with the insignia of the Order's highest ranks.

At the center of it all—

A massive obsidian building loomed, a cold, silent monolith.

This was where the real power was.

Where the Table ruled.

Where the Judge sat.

And Roy had just been summoned inside.

He exhaled slowly.

Whatever was waiting for him in there—

It was going to change everything.

Roy stepped through the towering entrance of Order Headquarters, the weight of the moment settling over him. The sheer scale of the fortress was overwhelming—reinforced steel, watchful sentries, state-of-the-art tech humming beneath his feet.

But the real pressure came from what waited inside.

The Table.

The governing body of the Order. The ones who decided what missions were assigned, which operatives lived or died, and—more importantly—who was too dangerous to keep alive.

And now, they wanted to see him.

Not just a debrief. Not just a routine report.

This was something else.

Commander Reeves led the way, his stride brisk. Dr. Chen walked beside Roy, her face unreadable as she scrolled through her tablet.

They passed through security scans, multiple reinforced corridors, and finally, a massive set of doors guarded by two high-ranking operatives. Their uniforms bore the insignia of the Judge—an entity Roy had only heard rumors about.

One of the guards pressed a hand to his earpiece, then nodded. The doors hissed open.

Roy swallowed.

No turning back now.

He stepped inside.

The chamber was dimly lit, the only glow coming from a circular console in the center. Around it sat eighteen high-backed chairs, each occupied by a figure cloaked in authority.

Grandmaster Elliot sat at the forefront, his sharp gaze studying Roy with an unreadable expression. To his right was Dorian Vale, head of intelligence—his silver hair and calculating stare making him seem more like a predator than a strategist.

And at the far end?

A woman clad in obsidian armor, her face obscured by a smooth black mask.

The Judge.

She didn't speak. But Roy could feel the weight of her gaze.

Off to the side, standing with far too much amusement, was Roland. He gave Roy a small wave.

Roy ignored him.

The rest, he didn't know about.

Grandmaster Elliot finally spoke. "Roy. You survived."

Roy exhaled. "Wasn't exactly planning to die."

Dorian Vale smirked. "Interesting choice of words."

Elliot's expression didn't change. "Your mission was a containment sweep. Instead, you encountered an A-rank chimera that evolved mid-combat."

Roy nodded. "Yeah. Not exactly my fault."

Silence. Then Dorian tapped a console, and a hologram flickered to life.

It was footage from his fight.

Roy watched himself battle the chimera, struggling. Bleeding. Then—

Talia.

The moment she arrived. The effortless way she tore the creature apart.

Elliot's gaze sharpened. "And then there's her."

The Judge finally spoke, her voice smooth. Emotionless.

"Talia Voss."

Roy's stomach twisted. He didn't like the way she said the name.

Elliot leaned forward. "She saved your life."

Roy crossed his arms. "And?"

Dorian tapped the screen, zooming in on Roy himself. "And we need to discuss this."

The footage rewound.

Not to Talia.

To him.

To the exact moment he had started adapting mid-fight.

His movements becoming sharper. His reflexes adjusting in real-time.

His body processing damage too efficiently.

Roy's breath slowed.

Dorian glanced at him. "How much of that felt conscious?"

Roy hesitated. Then, quietly—"All of it."

Silence.

Then Roland laughed. "Oh, I love this."

Roy gritted his teeth. "Okay, someone explain."

Elliot exhaled. "Roy. You weren't supposed to develop this quickly."

Dr. Chen stepped forward. "Your body isn't mutating, isn't becoming… something else." She hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "It's optimizing."

Roy frowned. "Optimizing?"

Roland beamed. "Oh yes! Your nervous system, your reflexes, even your pain receptors—they're adjusting dynamically to stress. Most people take years of training to develop combat instincts like yours. You're doing it mid-battle."

Roy's stomach twisted. "You're saying… what? I'm learning faster?"

Dr. Chen nodded. "Faster than any S12 subject before."

Elliot's voice remained cold. "And faster than we can predict."

That settled in Roy's gut like a stone.

He knew he had been pushing past his limits. Felt the way his body responded to combat differently.

But if they were saying it was beyond normal…

Then what was he?

Dorian leaned forward. "That leads us to the real question, Roy."

Roy swallowed. "Which is?"

The Judge finally spoke again.

"How far will it go?"

That silence returned.

Elliot folded his hands. "For now, we will allow you to continue operations. But you will be monitored."

Roy exhaled sharply. "Meaning what?"

The Judge's voice remained steady. "Meaning if your body develops beyond what we can control—"

She didn't finish the sentence.

She didn't need to.

Roy got the message loud and clear.

If he became something outside their understanding, the Order would eliminate him.

Like any other unpredictable variable.

Elliot stood. "Debrief is over."

Roy clenched his fists. Then turned and walked out.

Back in the halls of the facility, Dr. Chen caught up to him.

"Roy."

He didn't stop.

She grabbed his arm. "Roy."

He exhaled sharply. "What?"

She hesitated. Then, quietly—"We'll figure this out."

Roy studied her face. Unlike the others, there was no fear in her eyes.

Just determination.

After a long moment, he nodded. "Yeah."

But deep down, a single thought gnawed at him.

What if it wasn't his choice anymore?

What if his body kept adapting whether he wanted it to or not?

And what if Talia was right?

****

Elsewhere

Talia Voss leaned against a rooftop railing, gazing down at the city below.

Her comm crackled.

"You found him," a voice said.

Talia smirked. "Told you I would."

"Is he ready?"

She exhaled, glancing at the small screen on her wrist—displaying a paused image.

Roy.

His body adjusting in the middle of combat.

She smiled.

"Not yet. But getting there."

A pause. Then, "Stay on target."

Talia chuckled. "Always do."

She ended the call. Stared out at the horizon.

And waited for the chaos to begin.