Jade, still disoriented from the vivid nightmare, tried to activate her special vision, seeking clarity within the ominous black sea. Her eyes, glowing with small white embers, revealed thousands of black indicators swirling in the darkness. Just as before, in what was now a recurring nightmare, a black spike shot towards her. Reflexively dodging in her dream, she woke up with a start.
Covered in sweat, she quickly surveyed her surroundings as the red alarm blared overhead. Her clock displayed "5:00 AM," prompting a groan, "Ugh, so early. They probably won't call , though."
As the alarm ceased, an intercom voice specifically summoned, "Jade, please report to the debrief room."
Yawning, Jade noticed the sharp edges her bed had assud — a clear sign of her powers acting out in her sleep. "I gotta stop doing this to my beds," she sighed, acknowledging the repeat occurrence of her only dream so far. Changing into a white tracksuit with blue lines, she thought, "This could be a little stylish, I guess? I really gotta do laundry, though."
Fully dressed and after quickly splashing so water on her face, Jade rushed out of her door with a quickened pace. To her surprise, she found her way to the briefing room effortlessly, where Victoria was standing outside, waiting.
"G-good morning, Victoria. Surprised to see you up so early," Jade remarked, glancing at her. Victoria looked tired, her hair a bit of a ss, which was uncharacteristic of her usually impeccable appearance.
"Yes, I recall you having trouble finding your way, so I went ahead and waited for you out here," Victoria responded, her voice carrying a hint of fatigue.
"I see, thank you," Jade thought to herself, realizing Victoria probably had been running herself endlessly with all the alerts lately.
Victoria then opened the briefing room door, gesturing for Jade to co inside. "Please co in here so we can discuss the current problem and get you on your way," she stated, indicating the seriousness of the situation awaiting them.
Jade surveyed the room, her question cutting through the silence, "Who will be going with ?"
Victoria's expression remained unchanged as she delivered the news, "You will be going in alone. There are a few other issues coming up right now in other countries, so we're dispatching support there."
Jade's concern deepened. "So, there's no one else that can help out right now?"
"Not exactly," Victoria replied, her voice steady. "But the Director specifically requested you for this mission. That's just how it is."
She then tossed an envelope towards Jade. "This mission shouldn't be like anything you've encountered before. It's a good opportunity to test so things out. And," she paused, pressing a red button on the table, "the Director believes your... 'ugly pet' should accompany you." A small cage door swung open in the corner, and V erged, landing on the table which frosted over at his touch.
Jade, eyeing the creature, began, "Aren't you Vul—" but was swiftly interrupted.
"Just call V. I don't live by that old na anymore; I no longer deserve it. Besides, I no longer want it. Thank you again for choosing not to eat , Lady Jade."
"Whoa, what's with this formal attitude?!" Jade exclaid, taken aback.
"The Director taught how to show respect to those I, uh, well respect," the creature replied, its small and stout form just as Jade rembered. "Nothing more, nothing less."
"I see. Well, I hope to find out how strong you can get and if we can get you back to your original state."
V looked at Jade. "Well, can't you just use those eyes of yours, Lady Jade, to see what you need to do again?"
"Well, no, it doesn't show —" Jade was cut off as Victoria interjected, "That's nice and all, but you can discuss once you get onsite. Just set up the barrier and await the creature to spawn, then kill it. Any questions?"
Jade, opening the folder, saw additional details beyond the basic information:
Risk level: Low (Green)
Attribute: None
Typing: None
IQ: Animalistic
Environnt: Forested Area, Night
Weather Conditions: Misty, with reduced visibility
Known Abilities: Enhanced speed, agility
Weaknesses: Susceptible to high-frequency sounds, light-based attacks
Mission Objective: Capture if possible, neutralize if necessary. Collect samples.
Jade, processing Victoria's explanation, nodded, her mind on the forthcoming challenge. "Okay, I think the only question is, what exactly is the creature I'm fighting, and why is the area set in the woods?"
Victoria explained the operational basis of their detection system, "First off, the machine isn't magic. It just detects similar anomalies that co from the portal and generates the most likely creature appearing. Thanks to the disruption of space and the energy needed for a portal to even open, it gives us ti to get people together and headed out."
Jade, curious about the choice of terrain, inquired further, "Oh, I see. And what about the forest?"
"That's the safest location right now. This setting should make it hard for it to use whatever type of speed advantage it has," Victoria clarified, highlighting the tactical reasoning behind their choice.
"Do you have any other questions? You have about 10 minutes until you need to depart," Victoria prompted, ensuring Jade had all the information needed.
Jade, with a final query, asked, "Just one more. What if soone were able to summon a portal almost right away? Would the machine detect it?"
"Yes, but by the ti it did, it would be far too late to react and get the right team out. But that's only happened once," Victoria acknowledged, revealing a rare vulnerability in their system.
I see, I suppose that makes sense," Jade murmured, trying to shake off the haunting mory of holding Ty in her arms.
"Let's just get this over with. Thank you, Victoria, for the assistance."
Victoria nodded, her deanor professional as always, before leading Jade to a smaller room. "The butler will be by shortly to give you the cross," she inford Jade, setting the stage for the next phase of the preparation.
Left alone with her thoughts, Jade couldn't help but reflect, "I will have to learn how those work one day,"
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