The mission cards left everyone silent. No one said a word for several seconds. The shock was obvious.
"Wait a second… That mission was scheduled for next week. What happened?" Suse asked, breaking the silence with a frown.
"Yeah, cutie, it was. But it looks like Agent R9's research team was wiped out," Slavik replied, his tone now more serious.
"That can't be. If something like that had happened, we would've been notified. What exactly did you do?" Suse said, visibly annoyed.
"I did what any responsible leader would do: I accepted the mission on the spot. Any problem with that?" Slavik shot back without hesitation.
His cocky grin was starting to make everyone uncomfortable. That's when Jasper spoke up.
"What kind of leader puts his team at risk without thinking? To me, you're just a show-off. I didn't know Neo X had someone like you in charge."
Jasper stepped forward, standing firm.
"Wow, the newbie's got some guts. You're Neo 7, right? I heard you showed up four days ago. Well, sorry to break it to you, but this is how we do things here," Slavik replied, stepping forward to match him.
"Hey, hey! Calm down. This isn't the time for a fight—especially not before a mission," said F16, finally coming down from the upper level.
He had noticed the tension in the air.
"Alright, the test is canceled. Everyone, head to your rooms. I'll have some good food sent up. You need to be well-fed for tomorrow," he added, taking a bite of pear.
"Yes! Real food!" shouted Neo 8 with a grin. Apparently, he had just woken up.
Jasper and Slavik held their stare for a few more seconds before looking away.
"Yeah, good call, F16. They can't eat in the mess hall like I do. At ease," Slavik added with a mischievous smirk.
Jasper caught the inderect and was about to respond, but felt Lin's hand stop him.
"Snow, let it go. It's for the best," Lin muttered, shooting an angry glare at Neo 6.
"This place isn't worth it. Especially not when it's full of trash," Suse added, crossing his arms as he walked toward the exit.
"Wow, looks like the rebel XCP is already calming down. I guess the punishment worked," Slavik commented with a smug grin.
Suse stopped cold, fists clenched, but chose to walk out without another word.
Jasper was furious too. He hated guys like Slavik. Without saying anything, he followed Suse, with Lin and Neo 8 close behind.
"Hey, Neo 7!" Neo 6 called out just before Jasper reached the door.
Jasper turned, already disliking the guy.
"You're just a rookie. Hopefully, you'll make a decent shield before you die," Slavik said with a huge grin.
But to his surprise, Jasper smiled right back and fired back just as venomously:
"Wow, I didn't know I had to protect the leader. Must be weaker than he looks," Jasper said, matching his grin.
Slavik's smile disappeared instantly, but before he could say anything, F16 interrupted.
"That's enough. I allow a little rivalry, but this is going too far. Head to your rooms. I'll see you all tomorrow at 6 AM."
With that, Jasper left.
"Hey Lin, is that guy really your leader?" Jasper asked. He still couldn't believe it.
"Yeah, Snow. Even if we hate him, Control 5 appointed him as Neo X's squad leader. They even promoted him," Lin said, clearly bitter.
The two of them entered the teleporter while continuing their conversation. Neo 8 stayed behind—his room was elsewhere.
"But this mission… If we complete it successfully, we'll move up in rank. Even you, since you're new," Lin added, setting the destination.
"I see… I promise I'll give it my best," was all Jasper could say, but deep down, he wanted more.
He wanted to shut Slavik up, and he would.
"Good. See you tomorrow in the command room," Lin said as he stepped out of the teleporter.
Jasper dismissed him and set the destination. But just then, his expression changed.
"Wait... Where is the command room?"
***
"Good morning."
The next day all the Neo X was already assembled in the command room. Jasper, however, arrived 20 minutes late; he couldn't find the place.
The first thing he saw when he walked in was a large purple teleporter in the center of the room.
Several agents were walking in and out of it. To Jasper, it was a spectacular sight.
He spotted the rest of his team in a corner and walked toward them.
"Great. The rookie was 20 minutes late. Even the girl got there before him," Slavik grumbled as Jasper approached.
"Good morning is answered with 'Good morning', you smug bastard," Jasper replied without hesitation.
"Hey, this isn't the time to argue. Jasper probably got lost. Remember, he's the new Neo 6," F16 said, cutting through the tension.
"Let's get to the point. A XCP has been detected in the town of Gallows Creek, in the Old West. We don't know what exactly it is… All the investigation teams sent in were wiped out."
As he spoke, F16 activated a giant screen. It displayed an aerial view of the town and gruesome photos of the victims. All were burned to the bone.
"As you can see, the victims suffered extreme burns. We believe this may be a pyrokinetic XCP. Judging by its behavior, it could be a human XCP. Your mission is to capture it. If we can harness its power, it might be useful."
Jasper's stomach turned. He still wasn't used to seeing corpses like that.
"That said, I, F16, will lead the mission. If you complete it successfully, you'll be promoted and allowed to operate without supervision on future tasks."
He turned off the screen and walked toward the teleporter.
"Team, ready?" he asked with a confident smile.
"Ready, sir!" Jasper and Slavik answered in unison, stepping forward.
They shot each other a hateful glare. But without another word, they stepped into the teleporter. The rest of the team followed.
[Location Detected: Gallows Creek – Old West]
"It's time to prove who I really am"Jasper thought as he began to dematerialize.This was his first real mission, and he couldn't afford to fail.
***
In the town of Ash Hollow, life was going on as usual. At the Red Octopus saloon, locals were drinking and chatting with little concern.
¡Pam¡
"Damn, it's hot!" a man shouted, kicking open the saloon door.
Everyone turned to look at him. In such a small town everyone knew each other, any new face attracted attention, and this guy was clearly not from around there.
"I could use a strong margarita. Can I get one, sir?" he said confidently, either oblivious to the stares or just choosing to ignore them.
"Good afternoon, sir. You don't look like you're from around here… You a sheriff or a cop?" the bartender asked, eyeing him warily.
What made everyone even more uneasy wasn't his attitude—it was his uniform. He wore a wide-brimmed hat and a sheriff's badge gleaming on his chest.
"Is it that obvious? Of course I am. From the next town over," he replied with a smug grin.
"I see... I'm sorry, but..." the bartender began to say.
¡CLACK¡
The sound of a gun being loaded echoed right behind the stranger. Looking into the bar mirror, he saw a man aiming a shotgun directly at the back of his head.
"We don't like cops around here," the bartender finished with a sinister smile.
The stranger scanned the bar. Everyone was armed. They were surrounding him, ready to finish him off.
"I see... I like you guys, actually..." the man said, unfazed by the threat.
Suddenly, the shotgun pressed against his neck began to melt, as if dipped in lava.
Flames erupted from his body. The heat became unbearable. The entire bar caught fire in seconds, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
"I don't get along with thieves," the man finished, revealing pitch-black eyes.