Shade: Unbound

Were it not for her well-honed sense of professionalism, Serena Fielde would have breathed an audible sigh of relief upon hearing the ping announcing the blissful release from this insufferable elevator ride.

Finally, the doors of the transparent elevator opened. Maintaining a stony expression, her heels clacked against the floor as she walked toward the meeting room. She might have enjoyed the view if not for a certain pest.

But alas, even if she had more space now, that pest was coming with her.

“You know they’re only offering coffee and tea this time around?” he was saying.

“I am fully aware of that fact, Director Sands.” How he’d managed to attain that position was beyond her. “I would recommend that you elaborate on your opinion in four minutes.”

“You’re not seeing how much of a disaster this is! How do they expect me to get through this without my hot chocolate!?” Sands gesticulated wildly.

Serena resisted the urge to massage her forehead and kept walking through the corridor. It was rather high-end, as would be expected of such a place. Biometric scans that didn’t slow them down at all, portraits of past government achievements exuding the subtle pressure she had been acclimated to over the course of her career, everything was in place.

“Talk about frugality,” Sands huffed as they entered the meeting room. “People think my job is easy just because I make it look easy. Well, let me tell you, it’s not. I need my sustenance.”

Inside, she could once again lay eyes on the neatly ordered district from the window. It gave the illusion of safety, of peace and prosperity. In some sense, that might even be true.

However, it was always accompanied by the constant mayhem of the monsters who clashed in these parts. The reason she couldn’t see any of that from where she stood was because signs of collateral damage never lasted long, here in district A10A.

Or, as it was colloquially referred to, “Central.”

As a crisis management specialist, she appreciated the illusion of normalcy. The sanitized perfection of Central belied the chaotic underbelly that Serena was all too familiar with. And because of her job, she knew that perceived calm was mostly beneficial to the general populace.

The conference room itself was bathed in natural light, its floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of the meticulously planned cityscape. The meeting table was a sleek, polished surface, and the chairs were as comfortable as they were utilitarian. Overall, that sense of authoritative pressure was amplified here, though she wasn’t altogether opposed to it.

A satisfied groan to her right told her Sands had found his seat. But of course, they weren’t alone in the room. International Liaison Martin sat opposite him, and on the next chair over, Cornelissen, the psychological analyst, worked quietly on her tablet.

To Serena’s dismay, the Minister of Finance, von Lieren, was sitting in the spot she’d been hoping to claim. Which forced her to sit between Sands and the person who would be facilitating the subject matter of this meeting, including the presentation thereof.

Well, person might be a strong word.

At the head of the table sat a figure made almost entirely of blue metal. Its hands, each closely jointed to the rest of its body yet not physically attached, were folded on the wooden surface. Besides floating limbs, its form gleamed with a delicate network of sleek plating, simultaneously aesthetic and efficient.

In Serena’s eyes, it looked like some kind of post apocalyptic mannequin-turned-doomsday-bot, but she naturally kept that thought to herself.

Synthetic Envoy Nexus, or SEN for short, was officially said to have been born the same way as everyone else, from flesh and blood parents. Though she wasn’t sure she believed that. While she didn’t find much credence in the conspiracy theories surrounding it, she knew there was more to the story of how this entity had become the leading representative of the Global Accords.

The soft, white glow from its optic sensors passed over each of the members in turn, ending on her. “Good afternoon, Agent Fielde. Would you prefer to conduct this meeting with a beverage at hand?” SEN projected the words into the air without moving that steely face.

Its voice sounded perfect, which made it more eerie to her. No robotic undertone. It sounded so human that it didn’t sound human at all. “No thank you,” she replied curtly.

“Acknowledged. Then, let us proceed.” Its head swiveled to address the assembly once more. “I shall commence by offering a comprehensive overview of the ranking lists, after which we can review the implications. Is everyone in agreement?”

Nods and verbal assent around the table.

That was the purpose of this meeting. To go over the latest assessment of the most powerful superhumans.

Those who stood at the peak.

SEN poked a slender finger into the air, and a moving holographic image of a man garbed from head to toe in black leather materialized above them. His only distinctive feature was the skull mask he wore on the lower half of his face. Which worked well, for someone specializing in covert operations.

“Darkshiv,” SEN announced. “Situated in North America. Elevated to hero rank five automatically following the unfortunate demise of Novastra.”

Martin burst up from his chair. “Novastra is dead!?”

“Indeed, that is accurate. However, I urge you to reserve any grievances you may harbor about this revelation until you've had the opportunity to examine the remaining nine entries.” SEN scanned the room once more, perhaps to see if anyone else would say something, and continued with the list.

“On the villain side, the fifth position persists unaltered. It is still occupied by Dollhouse, situated in Solvarna,” it said, gesturing for the image to change to that of a slender woman wearing a ridiculously oversized doll head. Her figure would have been accentuated nicely by that blue dress, if it didn’t have so many blood stains on it.

This was bad. As one of the other two megacities in the European Federation, Solvarna was the home of some of the strongest people on both sides of the law. And with Novastra meeting his end, Serena knew the heroes there were going to have a very difficult time ahead of them, fending off the likes of Dollhouse and her toys. If Solvarna fell…

No. Best not to think about that right now. She needed to maintain her composure.

“The fourth-ranked hero is the former number three, Noor. Situated here in Apexia,” SEN explained when the image changed again, this time to a woman dressed in form-fitting white armor. Her face was bare for the world to see, and it wouldn’t have been out of place on an average college campus. Really, she looked to be in her early twenties, but her true age was over three times higher. Indefinite lifespans were just one of the benefits of the Unbound. Evolved abilities were another. And Noor’s was particularly fierce.

Yet she’d been demoted, somehow. That could only mean someone had taken her spot. And Serena already had a good idea of who that was.

“Next, we move on to Novastra’s killer. Promoted to villain rank four: Omega. Situated primarily in Apexia. Known to roam the world often.”

In the wake of that bombshell, the tension in the room was palpable. Omega had traveled to one of the other megacities and taken out the top hero there, plunging the whole area into chaos.

“Is his current location known?” Martin asked, in a more subdued tone this time.

“The latest sighting was three days ago, but I will provide you with more context later,” SEN informed him.

Almost unconsciously, Serena leaned back and stared up at the image of this headhunting monster. His hulking body had red scales all over its back, and light gray hide in the front, rippling with muscle. Those massive arms ended in giant, bony white claws.

His face contorted into a fearsome visage, with sharp, ursid features completed by a pair of predatory yellow eyes. A row of razor-sharp teeth protruded from his snarling mouth, completing the terrifying countenance. Smaller, sinuous scars criss-crossed his scaly exterior, with a huge scar running across his chest.

From the top of his bear-like head, a ridge of coarse, dark spines ran down the creature's back. Every inch of his body seemed built for violence, from the powerful limbs to the massive tail that flicked with restless energy.

As Serena took in the image, she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched by a creature that existed beyond the bounds of mere instinct, a being that had honed the art of predation into something both savage and strategic.

And this was after having seen it often in the past. The first time she saw it, as a young girl, his appearance had given her nightmares. She wondered how many more young Serenas this event would create.

At least the media would have time to prepare, since the news likely wouldn’t make it to the public for another few days. After all, Omega liked to isolate his victims before brutalizing them.

“At third position from our side,” SEN broke the silence, “we have Phantomurge. Promoted in recognition of his recent triumph against a horde of colossal-class primebeasts. Situated in Domini.”

There wasn’t even a recognizable creature, human or otherwise, being displayed here. It was just a wild mix of floating rocks, lightning, metal, water, trees, and many more things Serena couldn’t identify. But that was within expectations, given Phantomurge’s power. It was good to hear that the last of the three megacities was safe, for the moment.

Coming up after him was someone who looked perhaps even more out of place than all the rest. SEN materialized a person wearing a long mantle which dragged over the ground because it was far too big for him. A crown of white mental force floated over his head, and a crowd of people was following him, all of them with a glazed-over look in their eyes.

It was a dark-skinned boy, who didn’t even look old enough to attend middle school, smirking at the camera which presumably captured this footage.

“Still ranked at number three on the villain list, we have Mansa. Situated in the African vassal kingdoms.” SEN’s tone remained completely neutral.

Statistically speaking, his power made sense. Africa had the highest psionic population in the world. It was a double-edged sword, as advantageous for them as it was detrimental. On the one hand, it made many of their superhumans highly coveted by international government agencies and allowed them to maintain the most secure prison system in the world.

On the other hand, their reputation suffered for it, making people more wary of them. And even though they managed to hold the primebeast threat at bay without external aid, the continent was rife with internal power struggles for supremacy.

“Equally unbending is his nemesis, Saio-Queen. Hero rank two. Likewise situated in Africa,” SEN swiped, and the image switched to a woman wearing a red-orange and yellow patterned cape over a vibrant bodysuit, gemmed bracelets adorning each of her wrists.

Silently exhaling, Serena let the relief flow through her. No more surprises. The situation was worrying, but not unsalvageable.

“The second-ranked villain, Skaldvaldr. Situated in primebeast territory. Known to have fought Domini’s military forces.” The accompanying visual displayed a bearded man that could best be described with a single word. Unkempt. Aside from patchy clothing made—presumably—of primebeast hides, he’d made no effort to dress up, a mane of wild blonde hair covering the upper part of his face.

Out of all the savages shown to them so far, this was the one Serena was least worried about. Not because he was lacking in strength or ferocity. Rather, it was because he, by all accounts, simply had no interest in attacking humans. Even those run-ins with the military hadn’t necessarily been caused by him. Yet that, combined with a few other ill-fated encounters, had been enough to put him this high. Truly a force to be reckoned with.

And then there was the gap.

Separating number one from everyone else.

Long, black hair flowing past his shoulders. Porcelain white skin with glowing, narrow cracks all over. Two horns curving up from his head, above the twin embers in his eyes. A thin tail, ending in an arrow-like point. No clothing obscured his wiry frame, save for a pair of singed shorts that may have once been full-length pants.

“Standing in first place, the most powerful hero in the world, Yama,” SEN declared, to the surprise of nobody. “Also referred to as Yán Mó by his fanatics and countrymen. Originally situated in China. Currently hunting down any titanic-class primebeasts nearing human civilization.”

As the strongest shifter in the world, and probably the strongest living being period, it was no surprise that Yama was bearing the burden of keeping humanity from being overwhelmed.

Shouldering the weight of the world. Without waver.

Despite that, he was not omnipresent. He could not cull every threat at once. That left room for weak points in humanity’s defense against extinction.

SEN seemed to linger for a bit longer before moving on. “Concluding the list, we have Seraphim. Villain rank one. Situated in South America. At present, her summons and followers are at war with North American forces.”

An auburn-haired woman walked with bare feet, leaving white imprints everywhere she stepped. Her gaze, like the rest of her face, was soft. Wrapping around her body was a sleeveless dress made of snow, two massive wings extending from the back, formed from crystalline feathers. In her right hand, she held a grail, water streaming out of it and into nothing, never reaching the ground.

Serena had always thought she looked delicate. But appearances could be deceptive. This psychopath had ruined an entire continent, and planned on devastating many more. Responsible for a horrible conflict, reaping over one billion lives.

North America’s use of cutting edge technology was the main reason they hadn’t perished already. Not too long ago, they had claimed to be preparing something decisive to push the war in their favor, but they’d been spreading similar sentiments for forty-six years now.

Though Darkshiv had helped before, his ability was limited in what it could accomplish against creatures without an organic nervous system. Serena guessed that was also the reason he rarely engaged in domestic combat missions.

Seraphim could push harder, of course, but there was the eventuality of primebeast contention, and that of external aid.

She had fought Yama. Once.

If that battle made one thing clear, it was that they were in a league of their own. The Pacific still hadn’t fully recovered from that terrible clash.

Ever since, neither of the two had made a real effort to go after the other, apparently content to keep to themselves.

Maybe it was no coincidence that the two strongest individuals on the planet had no true competition in their respective regions, whether it was through elimination or deterrence.

“Now, transitioning to the discussion segment,” SEN intoned, projecting all five entries concurrently on both lists. “What topic shall we delve into first?” It queried, knowing full well what everyone would be focusing on.

In fourth place, Apexia’s pillar now faced mortal danger.

“Based on the established behavioral pattern, I believe Noor is Omega’s next target,” Cornelissen vocalized what they were all thinking.

“I was going to say we should send her to Solvarna, but I am now hesitant,” Martin added.

“So we are in agreement regarding our top priority,” SEN confirmed. “What would you propose as the optimal course of action?”

Its true message was clear: if you do nothing, Noor is going to die.

Omega had been known for many years now, steadily climbing the ranks. He was notoriously hard to defeat, and harder still to capture. Most everyone would have expected him to have died or been stopped by now, but this menace had managed to pull off yet another upset, and this time one that could have disastrous consequences on the national scale.

She’d been trying to avoid the thought, but if any megacity fell, primebeasts would collapse on the others, suffocating and overwhelming them until they fell, too.

“What are her chances?” Serena asked, unable to stew in her mind much longer.

“Are you referring to Noor’s odds of survival?” SEN responded. “My calculations, rounded up to one decimal, predict a thirty-four point six percent chance that she will be alive in one year’s time. Our team of precognitives obtained similar results. If you’re considering her chances of victory against Omega, they are lower.”

Heavy silence descended on the room for the second time. It was worse than she had hoped. They could try to enlist help from abroad, but Omega had the initiative here. And with his modus operandi, it was unlikely to help. They couldn’t babysit their top hero.

To her surprise, it was Sands who came up with the idea. “If it’s a fight we need to avoid, why not circumvent the possibility completely?”

SEN turned to him. “Could you elaborate, Director?”

He straightened. “I’m saying, if we need to make sure Omega never gets near Noor, can’t we just toss him out of this world?”

“Surely you don’t mean…” von Lieren said. “Do we even have the facilities to make that happen?”

“I am intrigued,” SEN tilted that metal head, its tone becoming the slightest tinge more animated. “You propose we utilize Wanderlust’s dimension to effectively contain Omega?”

Serena’s eyes widened. Wanderlust’s power, which had persisted after his death, was famous for two things. The first was that it served as an automatic network for securely transporting goods from the Aegis Corp store to its buyers. Probably even producing them, some theorized.

The second was that no person who entered it had ever managed to escape. But that wasn’t because there was a lack of spatial distortion and teleportation powers. It was because of the thing that lurked there.

Information on it was scarce, as their world had only established remote contact with it a handful of times, but if what she heard of it was true, then stopping Omega was well within its capabilities.

Sands nodded, prompting SEN to say, “Are you not concerned that you could potentially be dooming all the people there to their end?”

This time, Serena actually sighed. Someone had to make the hard call. “We can’t afford to seriously prioritize the potential people who might be alive there at the cost of all the citizens we know for certain are living in Apexia.”

SEN bobbed its head. “Considering the gravity of the situation, we must weigh the known against the unknown. If the sealing of Omega is feasible, and the potential risk to the inhabitants of Wanderlust’s dimension is, while regrettable, secondary to the imminent threat Apexia faces, it might be a strategy to consider.”

Serena supported it. “We need to act swiftly. Lives hang in the balance.”

It was Cornelissen, of all people, who objected. “I’m not comfortable with the idea of unleashing a power as dangerous as Omega’s on a dimension we don’t understand.”

“It's a risk,” Serena admitted, her voice steady. “But we are also risking our own safety by keeping Omega in this world. Apexia's survival is at stake, and we can't let him wreak havoc here.”

SEN processed the information, its luminous eyes shifting as it accessed its vast database. “The potential threat to the alternate dimension is indeed a concern. However, given the current circumstances, it might be the most viable option to prevent catastrophic consequences.”

“But Omega won’t just come to us,” von Lieren pointed out.

“Won’t he?” Sands countered. “We know what he’s after, so we know how to bait him out. Not like we have to defeat or capture him. Just get him through a portal.”

There was more back and forth, but at length, they settled on the idea Sands came up with.

Once this was over, they couldn’t waste any more time.

They had a monster to catch.