The Hovering Hive's protection dome, made of shimmering, golden-hued hexagons, shattered into a million shards of depixelating light.

A Sonic Echo Ranger hit the Control Tower with its ear-splitting sonic attack. The barrier lay in ruins, leaving the city vulnerable to the incoming threat of the largest swarm of phoenixes ever seen. The citizens of the city looked on in shock and horror, as the Ranger's attack reverberated through the air, shattering windows and causing buildings to quake, and as its fellow phoenixes followed it in battle.

But it wasn't just the power of the attack that left the people shaken. This Sonic Echo Ranger was new, so unlike the one they had seen before. Its feathers were an ethereal shade of blue, instead of the orange-gold and red of the other one. The creature soared proud and fierce over the tallest buildings, its eyes blazing with an otherworldly red light, as it surveyed the destruction it had wrought. The Hive had a new enemy, and this one was unlike any they had ever faced before.

The night sky burned. The promise of destruction was whispered in the foul flames scattered all over the Hovering Hive after a group of seven Steelvanes poured their malevolent lava all over the city.

Sky's heart raced as he heard the piercing screech of the phoenixes as he and his fellow Elite members rushed to save the city. So soon after entering the academy and I'm called to arms already. I haven't even had time to practice in the arena like the others! Well, they've been in the academy for a month, unlike me. I hope that the supervisor captain of the team doesn't consider me a dead weight because of that. He grabbed his gear and rushed to the city's defence with other Elite soldiers and his classmates on the streets.

The protective equipment was both strong and light. A steel breastplate protected them from the beak and talons of any phoenix. In order to guard against cuts and kicks, they also donned forearm and shin protection fashioned from the same material. Their faces and heads were covered by a sturdy helmet with a visor. They also wore thick boots with steel toe caps.

His former friends, still resentful towards him, eyed him with suspicion but said nothing.

The sky above turned into a battle zone as the phoenixes descended upon the city, spitting venom and scorching everything in their path. The soldiers fought bravely as they shot at them countless times, but the phoenixes outnumbered them.

Sky was paralysed. The screams of civilians echoed through the air, startling him over and over, and the smell of smoke and burning filled his nostrils. He could feel the weight of responsibility on his shoulders, knowing that countless lives were in danger.

I'm not cut out for this, but I want to try harder, he thought as his fists clenched around a shotgun. I need to do this for the Hovering Hive, for the memory of my father, for Aunt Naomi's faith in me, and... to earn my mother's respect.

Elite soldiers, including Sky, ran through the streets, dodging fire and debris, and trying to keep the phoenixes at bay. Their weapons struggled to make a successful impact past the phoenixes' hard plates and metal feathers.

Sky could see the desperation in his comrades' eyes, but he refused to give up. And he wasn't the only one.

"Come on, guys!" an older student merrily yelled at her peers with a bold smile on her face as she loaded some ammo in her shotgun. The Ironshaft she was battling was hard to beat.

"Have fun out there," the supervising captain said right before he sprang into action himself against a Deepdiver that flew by shooting scalding water at them. "Just don't get killed."

The chaos was overwhelming. The streets were filled with debris, and the buildings were ablaze, casting flickering shadows over the landscape. The phoenixes were vicious, tearing through everything in their path, leaving nothing but destruction in their wake.

The soldiers kept fighting with undeniable courage, using their training and skills to fend off the relentless cybernetic monsters. After killing two Steelvanes, a Fogthicker, and a Bloodrunner, they enjoyed a moment of temporary peace and calm during the battle. They regrouped and checked the damage so far.

In their group of twelve, one died that night—a twenty-something woman Sky didn't know—, while two were maimed on their legs—two guys he had seen in class that morning—, and seven were wounded, but they were just scratches. Among them were Sky's former friends, the supervising captain, and Hazel—who still watched Sky wearily, maybe because he was unharmed.

But something was different about this attack. That new Sonic Echo Ranger leading the charge. It flew high above in the sky, headed for the Control Tower once more, a few blocks away from the area they were standing in.

Hazel, confused and alarmed, spoke up to the rest of the group, "Where is the old Sonic Echo Ranger that usually leads the swarm? This one's different."

Sky knew the truth but kept his mouth shut, watching his teammates as the battle raged on elsewhere.

"This one seems more vicious and powerful than the other one," Luca commented while he tore a sleeve off his black cotton shirt to make a tourniquet for one of the guy's legs which had been amputated.

Uneasiness took over Sky. His mind was preoccupied with the knowledge he held, the knowledge that could turn the tide of the war.

"I know what's going on here," Kenji said with venom in his voice. All eyes turned to him. "According to Sky, he brought the old one down the other night," he added with sarcasm.

Many rolled their eyes, but Hazel was watching Sky with suspicion.

I can't share what I know, he thought as he pretended to be ashamed. I can't risk the consequences.

Hazel's gaze bore into him, making him feel as if she could see through his facade. He averted his eyes from hers, trying to avoid any confrontation. He needed to keep his head down and focus on the task at hand, but it was hard to shake off the feeling of guilt that weighed heavy on his chest.

Why am I so guilt-ridden all of a sudden? I'm proud to be defending my city against those monsters even though I'm just a rookie who doesn't really know what he's gotten himself into. But... Haywire is one of them. No! He's different. There was a behaviour-monitoring chip in his brain. I wonder whether the rest have got it too. I just assume they do.

Hazel took some more neuro-enhancing vitamins right before getting hold of her shotgun. Many of his fellow soldiers did so too.

I wish everybody stopped doing that. He sighed.

Out of the blue, a Thunderbreaker appeared flying round the nearest corner. Its shrill cries deafened the soldiers for a moment, who, like Sky, put their hands on their ears while shutting their eyes in pain.

That big and sturdy-looking eagle had got grey and white metal feathers and red eyes. By flapping its large wings, it created strong wind currents and a thunder-like noise. It usually used those to crush its victims under the buildings it destroyed.

"Get cover!" Charlotte yelled.

All the members of the group did but one—Winona. She stood defiantly in front of the Thunderbreaker and aimed at it with her shotgun.

"Robotic parts are vulnerable to shotguns and fire!" Hazel yelled with concern from behind a large block of debris from a fallen building. "Aim at the canisters on its tail and its body parts made of flesh and bone for maximum damage!"

"Eat that, motherfucker!" Winona yelled while she fired several times, but she missed. Eventually, she ran out of ammo.

When her low-pitched whimpering started, Sky clenched his jaw and stepped into action with a racing heart.

He dropped his shotgun and rushed to stand between the cybernetic monster and Winona. His hand trembled as he aimed his sonic gun at the Thunderbreaker. I hope this works. I meant it to interfere with the sonic attack of the Sonic Echo Ranger, not a random phoenix, but...

He could feel the weight of his duty on his shoulders, the expectation of his peers and the desire to make his family proud. But despite all that, his forefinger froze right before pulling the trigger.

As he looked at Thunderbreaker, he couldn't help but think of Haywire, the phoenix he had released and spared from doom. The memory of his trusting eyes and grateful chirps flooded his mind, making him question whether he could really bring himself to take a life, even if it was a monster.

"He's an idiot," Charlotte yelled, pissed off. "Give me your shotgun, Kenji! Mine's out of ammo."

His peers were quick to voice their anger and disappointment, their eyes full of distrust and contempt, like Luca when he yelled at him, "Get out of the way, you moron!"

They didn't understand his hesitation, his reluctance to kill. To them, it was just a duty, something that had to be done, no matter the cost. His heart pounded in his chest as he realized he had failed—again.

Charlotte got out of cover and pulled the trigger several times at the Thunderbreaker while shouting at Winona, "Go! Take cover!"

Sky stood near Charlotte as she shot, but the beast kept blocking the onslaught with his bulletproof wings.

He wanted to prove himself, to show them that he was worthy of being an Elite soldier, but he didn't know if he could do it. It's as if I don't belong among them. I'm alone.

As he looked at Thunderbreaker, preparing to attack once more with his sonic gun, he knew he had to find a way to overcome his hesitation and fulfil his duty, for the sake of his city, his family, and himself.

That time, he aimed and pushed himself to shoot. The sonic echo emitted by his gun hit the beast's head.

The Thunderbreaker let go a shrill cry of pain while it momentarily lost its balance in the air. Sky's teammates had not even time to gasp that the cybernetic monster was already falling down with a loud thud. A thick cloud of dust spread in the area, making it difficult to see properly.

More anguished cries from the fallen beast echoed through the nearest streets. The harsh sound of metal being forced to rub against the pavement followed.

Sky and the rest of the team coughed due to the cloud of dust. Once the cloud dissipated, they witnessed how the Thunderbreaker twisted and turned on the ground until it made one last, long cry and stopped. Its body lay there, apparently lifeless.

"Is it... Is it over?" Charlotte asked with bewilderment.

Both Charlotte and Sky approached the beast first. Hazel and the rest soon followed.

All human eyes were wide open and fixed on the Thunderbreaker's face. They stood all around its body.

Then, Hazel said with an odd kind of respect in her voice, "You did quite well—for a slotted-in nitwit."

Sky simply nodded in response.

Suddenly, the Thunderbreaker's eyes were shot open, staring straight at Sky. Everyone gasped and shrieked.

Its red light vividly burned in them as it began to speak with a rusty, metallic voice lower than a baritone that seemed to come from beyond the grave, "The Entity has defied Endurance. The Entity brought down PHOENIX10, ceasing communications by force. This affront proves enmity towards Endurance—and loyalty to Anti-Ageing Inc. despite its lack of ethics."

Hazel was the only one who wasn't too thunderstruck to speak, "A phoenix that talks?! How is that possible?!"

In its dying breath, the Thunderbreaker added, "Endurance will not tolerate failure. The Entity will not succeed."

A short circuit fried its brain all of a sudden. They shielded their eyes with their hands due to the bright flashes of light emerging from its brain. A pungent scent of burnt flesh, silicone, and metal filled the air.

"Disgusting," Hazel whispered, covering her nose and mouth just like the rest of them.

Then, the beast lost the vibrant red colour in its eyes and regained its normal voice to let out one last cry. Its eyes closed while its head leaned to one side, losing any strength to keep it straight. Its body lay lifeless on the ground—for good that time.

"What was that voice?" Winona asked, whispering in terror as Sky squatted beside the beast's head.

"I don't know," Kenji replied as horror-stricken as her while Sky opened up its brain to get a look.

"What was it talking about?" Hazel asked with a puzzled look on her face. "Who is the Entity? Who is Endurance? What affront is it talking about?"

"This is so weird," Luca said right after a nervous chuckle.

I don't know the answer to any of those questions. But it stared straight at me, that's for sure, Sky thought as he stared at the corpse of the Thunderbreaker with a deep frown. The brain looks fried and useless, but I don't think my sonic gun did it. It wasn't designed to kill. Something else did this. Remotely. This phoenix was killed from afar and on purpose. Maybe before anyone could open this brain out and examine it? I wonder what's this all about.

He turned away from the group as he looked at his sonic gun and put it in its sheath. Once he had done so, he realised Hazel was looking at him with suspicion and a furrowed brow.

This is starting to get annoying, he thought. Is she gonna always look at me like that? She used to be cool towards me in high school, but now she's all tough and uncaring. What happened to her? He chuckled. I wish those neuro-enhancing pills helped her brain realise I'm not an idiot.

A loud alarm consisting of three long notes echoed through the streets, indicating the end of the hostilities.

"It's the 'end' notice," an older soldier in the group said. "All phoenixes which were still alive have left. It's over, guys. Let's go home."

Hazel let everybody else walk away while she remained rooted where she stood, staring at Sky. When he was about to say something, she said, "It said someone brought down a PHOENIX10. That's the code in a Sonic Echo Ranger's nameplate and its tracking code. The old one is gone and a new one has appeared tonight instead. Right after you allegedly brought it down. Coincidence?"

He let out a nervous chuckle. "This is nonsense. I didn't–"

"You know something, Sky Falcon," she insisted with a deadly glare.

Sky's mouth was unable to produce any normal sounds to speak, just an exasperated breath while he made it clear he had no skills to keep a poker face.

"We... We have just survived another attack," he managed to say, stuttering a bit. "Th-There are more pressing matters to attend to, like h-helping the wounded and burying the dead." He made a crucial pause as he stared into her eyes with disappointment while he recalled how nice she used to be. "Leave me alone."

Hello, my sugar cubes!

Who do you think the Entity and Endurance are? Any guesses?

Stay tuned!

XOXO

Mar