239ERYN IS MISSING?
[After Black Halo dropped Argent in GenSyn building]
Argent stepped into an elevator. It descended past the authorized floors, sinking all the way to the lowest basent level. When it stopped, Argent didn't touch the controls. He rely glanced at the panel.
The elevator shuddered—and moved again.
When the doors finally opened, Argent stood within the building's secret basent.
With practiced familiarity, he made his way toward Kail's hidden chamber. Normally, no one was permitted inside when Kail was absent.
Not Liorea. Not even Dan.
Without Kail's explicit approval, the room was forbidden.
Argent entered anyway.
He sat in the central chair, overlooking hundreds of holoscreens streaming live footage from across the facility—and from key locations throughout the city.
"So, this was the boy's control room", he murmured.
Argent smirked, silently passing judgnt on the work of a fellow mastermind.
Then, from empty air, he produced a cylindrical stone.
The Pietre Core.
"What is your secret?" Argent murmured.
The Core began to spin on its own, lifting into the air. Argent's gaze locked onto it. The rotation was srizing…it was music…. and it was hypnotic.
Ti slipped away unnoticed.
Hours passed.
When Argent finally blinked, a faint blue glow flashed across his irises. He turned his attention to one of the holoscreens and magnified the image.
A girl filled the display.
She was Eryn Veyran.
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[Liberty Station]
Dan reached Liberty Station via the fastest express route available.
The mont he stepped onto the platform, he felt it—the aftermath of battle.
The station was in chaos. Sections of the roof and the defensive shields surrounding the structure were visibly damaged, their scars still smoking faintly.
He looked out through the shattered glass panels and froze.
An enormous cha was being dismantled piece by piece, its massive components hauled deeper into the city by heavy transports.
It was Project Hers.
"How the hell did Project Hers end up here?" Dan murmured.
A voice answered from behind him. "I don't know what this Valtor Veyran is thinking. Isn't he supposed to be our partner?"
Dan turned.
Liorea stood there, arms crossed, her expression tense.
Relief washed over him and he pulled her into a brief, tight hug.
As he stepped back, he spotted Kail a short distance behind her.
"Thank goodness you're both safe," Dan said.
"We're lucky this wasn't a full-scale assault on Liberty City," Liorea replied. "Otherwise, this place wouldn't be standing—let alone peaceful."
Dan pointed at the broken Hers.
"That pile of scrap outside?" Kail said as he walked over, grinning. "It was easy job."
He wrapped Dan in a quick embrace. Dan pulled back, eyeing him with disbelief.
"You managed to control Project Hers?" Dan asked.
Kail only smiled and nodded.
Dan didn't press for details. What mattered wasn't how it happened—but that his friends were alive.
"Did you manage to rescue Argent?"
The question ca from Sienna, who approached from across the platform.
Dan nodded. "He's recovering at GenSyn for now. Moving him through the rail system isn't an option… he's wanted all over Silver City…. You may recover him later."
Sienna smiled, relieved. "As long as he's healthy. We'll find a way to bring him back."
Before Dan could reply, a woman in a military uniform approached them.
"The convoy is ready," General Bierra announced.
Sienna glanced at the group. "Everyone's here. Let's move."
They followed the general without delay, boarding the convoy as it prepared to depart for the Palace of Revolution.
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[Two weeks later in a secret facility in Liberty City]
"If this cha were fully operational, it would easily rival a Rank AAA," Kalr said as he observed the reconstruction of Project Hers. "If only Fortress Myrone had access to parts to build technology like this…. Lord Nicaesa wouldn't be so stressed."
"This isn't just any cha," Dan added. "It is designed to resist anti-ta abilitiesand even Quantum Mind attacks….it's one of a kind."
Kalr nodded thoughtfully. "Who would've guessed that reverting to old-school chanical engineering would produce the most resilient cha ever built?"
Kalr ca to Liberty City with Dan after he revived Argent.
In the aftermath, he'd risen to beco the city's chief scientist, now responsible for developing its next generation of defensive technology… he needed to co back to his research.
"the repair isn't going to be easy… not many scientists knows how to operate the complex chanisms in the machine…. And the parts are impossible to source", Green said.
A voice called out from a distance. "That won't be a problem anymore."
Liorea approached them, her stride confident.
"Liorea….how did it go?" Dan asked.
"I secured enough components to repair the Hers cha, plus surplus for a whole year's maintenance," she said calmly.
Kalr blinked in disbelief. "That should've taken months. Coordinating vendors for these rare parts alone would've been impossible in such a short ti."
"We prepared long ago," Liorea replied. "When Valtor Veyran approached us to help fund their project, we secretly copied the designs and commissioned key components through hidden channels. I simply returned to Silver City to retrieve them."
Liorea planned to steal Hers' design and build it themselves. But fortune has shone on them… now they have the real machine for themselves.
She lifted a hand.
Crates materialized in neat rows, each packed with Hers construction parts.
"This is incredible," Kalr said, practically beaming. "I'll begin the repairimdiately."
As Kalr hurried off, Dan turned to Liorea. "How are things at GenSyn?"
Her expression darkened. "It's empty. Argent wasn't there. He's probably gone into hiding."
Dan paused, then nodded. "That's expected. Argent wouldn't fully trust our protection. If he left GenSyn, it ans he believes he can survive on his own in the city."
Liorea hesitated. "I didn't see Eryn either. I tried contacting her, but there was no response. I was on a tight schedule—I couldn't stay to wait for her."
"I didn't contact her for weeks. The lines are not safe for inter-city communication even with Kail's encryption", Dan noted with a tinge of worry.
Dan considers it.
"Should we send soone back to Liberty City to check on her?" Liorea asked.
"We should", Dan replied.
There were many people looking for Eryn- the Veyran and Nuralith…. her disappearance should ring bells…
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