RT-1 | EARTH | JANUARY 01, 2253 | 17:05
AVALON HQ | THE MOON
The station never settles into a true state of rest. Panels shift along the outer shell in precise, sliding segments to recalibrate alignment against lunar orbit data while the internal hum of systems never breaks. Servers, lifts, field stabilizers, and containment grids move in a layered coordination that hints at the future shape of Aegis Command. Inside this high-access environment, nothing pauses for long.
Director Kaito Newberry stands at his office window with one hand resting behind his back while the other hovers near a floating interface projected just above his wrist. His navy armor plates are reinforced with embedded red lines that track with subtle pulses, syncing to station diagnostics in real time. He is a man of dual lineages, half-Asian and half-African, with features that carry both in equal weight. The sharp structure of his face and his steady eyes suggest that the years show in how he holds still rather than in visible age.
Behind him, the office never stops updating. A wall panel shifts data while a mission queue scrolls through three operations routing through different sectors. A containment alert flickers and then resolves itself before it can escalate further. The door opens with a controlled hiss and the AI voice announces that his grandson has arrived.
Kaito turns halfway before Tyler even steps into the room. Tyler enters like he already belongs in motion, adjusting his pace mid-step to sync with the room rather than interrupting its flow. He does not stop at the threshold, and his presence does not disrupt the active mission feeds or the lab schematics still in iteration. He has been part of this system since before most of it stabilized, yet he is the only one in the room who does not rely on it.
Tyler's skin is a deep brown, evenly lit under the station's artificial daylight, and his build is lean but defined. He stands like someone who can move in any direction without needing to reset first. His eyes are sharp and light enough to reflect the interface glow as he tracks the data. He wears a fitted underlayer designed for field work, dark and flexible with reinforced joints, topped by a lightweight jacket with structural seams along the shoulders.
"Hey old man," Tyler says as he walks past the desk toward the central interface. He doesn't look at Kaito yet, instead noting the three active field ops and the stabilization in Sector Nine. "Are you holding this together, or just supervising it while it holds itself together?"
Kaito exhales once, a faint shift in his expression being the only sign of his internal state. "I'm holding it together. Barely."
"Good, I'd hate to be early." Tyler finally turns to face him. "I want to contact my father."
Kaito does not respond immediately. He steps closer to the desk and adjusts a floating interface with two fingers to stop the rotation of a live data stream. The room seems to tighten around that single action. "If there was a way to contact him, you'd know by now," Kaito says.
Tyler watches the data stabilize on the screen. "I know. I've checked every system you would have used. Every channel, every fail-safe, and every backdoor you didn't bother hiding because you didn't think I'd look that deep. I did. I'm not asking for access, Kaito. I'm asking for confirmation that there's still something to find. I'm turning eighteen tonight."
Kaito exhales through his nose as Tyler gestures toward the room at large. "This doesn't stop. The Division, the labs, the Dartech integration. None of it stops. Neither do I. I've been contributing since I was six because I could, not because you asked. I've built systems the Division relies on for field stabilization and predictive combat. And I'm still here asking for the same answer."
"Orion is still active," Kaito says, his expression tightening. "You're not invisible to him."
"I'm not trying to be. I'm trying to be ready. I don't need protection from him, I need information about him. I'm not a child you're shielding anymore. I'm an asset you're still deciding how to use."
Tyler cuts off any potential argument before Kaito can start. "If you're going to argue, make it something I haven't already accounted for. I'm going to build Aegis Command whether you approve of it or not. When I do, I'm going to need everything you've been keeping from me. Starting with my father."
JANUARY 01 | 2253 | 19:40
THE JANE RESIDENCE | CATAN SUBURBS
The house is never truly still as air circulates through narrow vents to pull in filtered atmosphere from the city's outer grid. The structure adjusts its own temperature in micro-cycles and light shifts across the ceiling in controlled gradients to mimic Titan's slow sun cycle. Every home in this neighborhood is wired into the same lattice of security and environmental control.
Inside the Jane residence, the kitchen holds its shape like a living interface with sage-colored cabinets and Moroccan tiles that stay warm under bare feet. White marble counters run clean and uninterrupted, their surfaces catching the faint blue glow from embedded diagnostics beneath.
Tyler ignores the automation units and sits in front of an easel in the adjoining space. The canvas is blank and the stand is adjusted lower than optimal, forcing a posture he hasn't bothered to correct. He stares at the canvas like it is resisting him, his fingers shifting along the edge of the reinforced composite frame.
Footsteps approach from the kitchen as Juno enters. She wears a soft, fitted top and dark pants, her features relaxed but alert. She looks at the blank canvas and then at Tyler. "Hey there, champ. Maybe you don't need to force it. Just let it flow." She reaches up and ruffles his hair without asking first.
Tyler exhales through his nose and leans away to reset the distance. "That's the problem. It already is." He stands up, his height now clearly above hers, and turns his palm upward. Energy gathers there, not as a flare, but as a condensed pulse of blue light. The air around it vibrates and the marble counter reflects the energy in soft gradients.
"I get that you want me to have a normal life, but I'm pretty sure I'm the only one in the neighborhood with these abilities. This is normal on Titan, Ma. It isn't normal on Earth, especially not in a suburb like this."
Juno pauses with the ingredients in her hand stopping mid-motion. "What are you trying to say exactly?"
"I need to find a way to contact my father. I know it sounds crazy, but there are so many questions that neither you nor Grandpa can answer."
Tyler lowers his hand and the energy dissolves into nothing. Juno exhales a slow, heavy breath and turns back to the counter to ground herself in the routine of meal prep. "Your father isn't who you think he is, kiddo," she says.
"Last I checked, you carried his child. I don't believe he's some deadbeat who didn't want me. He's a god, or something close to it, right?"
Juno doesn't answer. She tells him to take a break and mentions making Samlar Kari tomorrow, but Tyler isn't helping her move past the topic. "I'm going to train in quantum space," he says. "I need to get out of this house."
As he walks away, the easel lifts from the floor to follow him, tracking his movement and aligning with his position as if following invisible instructions. Juno watches it move and mutters about raising the child of a literal god while making curry.
She waits until he is gone before walking to the first door on the left. After confirming the room is empty, she descends a narrow, reinforced staircase into the basement. The air here is cooler and the walls are layered with shielding far beyond standard construction. She looks at the television mounted into the wall and speaks the unlock code. The screen flickers with blue lines before a section of the wall slides back to reveal a secured cradle.
Resting inside is the Key of Gods, a leaf-shaped blade with a surface that bends ambient light. Juno reaches for the hilt and her fingers close around the grip. The room shifts immediately as light bends and energy traces through her veins. Her body fractures into a forced stillness and she drops the sword. The sound of metal striking the reinforced floor is sharp.
Tyler's voice comes from the stairs as he watches her. A blue tumbler rolls across the floor and stops near his foot. "What the heck was that? Is that a secret vault?" He doesn't look at the cup, his eyes staying locked on her as she stabilizes.
Juno exhales sharply and looks at the mess on the carpet. Tyler raises his hand and the liquid lifts in a controlled stream, reforming before dissolving. He catches the tumbler and places it on the table. "Why is there a hole in the wall? I told you I want to remodel this place when I turn eighteen so I can have some privacy. Which happens in seven minutes, by the way."
Juno rolls her eyes and asks if he noticed the glowing sword or just the architecture. Tyler studies the blade and his expression shifts to one of recognition. He lifts the sword and the glow strengthens. "It feels like it recognizes me. It feels warm."
Juno tells him to put it down, but the warmth deepens into a surge that buckles his knees. A scream tears through the space as the energy syncs with his nervous system. The energy throws Juno back and she hits the floor hard. Tyler stands with his eyes shut, both hands locked on the blade while veins of light branch across his skin like activated circuitry.
The room adopts a violent intensity before exploding into a vacuum-like silence. The light snaps back to normal and the sword is gone. Juno scrambles up and calls his name, but Tyler is no longer in the room. She runs up the stairs and searches the house, but the only answer is the quiet air vents.
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