Chapter 131: Ranged Killings
Lunch came too fast, the cafeteria buzzing with shard users and guards. Elias grabbed a tray—stew again, lumpy and gray—and found a corner table. The air smelled of grease and tension, voices overlapping in a low roar.
His comm buzzed mid-bite, a sharp chime cutting through the din. "Elias Kael," the message read, stark on the screen. "Report to Warden Geras. Now."
He shoved the tray aside, the stew sloshing, and stood. Kikaru caught his eye across the room, her frown asking questions he couldn’t answer. He nodded once, heading for the door, his boots thudding on the tile.
The halls were cold, the sterile hum of the facility pressing against his ears. Guards nodded as he passed, their rifles glinting under the harsh lights. He reached Geras’s office, the reinforced door hissing open at his touch.
Inside, the room was sparse—matte black floor, dim lights, a desk cluttered with files. Geras sat behind it, his gray undershirt taut against his frame, his eyes sharp as he looked up. "Kael," he said, his voice gruff. "Sit."
Elias dropped into the lone chair, the metal creaking under him. His shard pulsed, a faint thump he felt more than heard. Geras leaned forward, his knuckles rapping the desk once.
"Mission’s still on," Geras said, his tone clipped. "You’re infiltrating the Primed Epics—week from now, team of four. But we’ve got a new piece."
The door hissed again, and Elias turned, his breath catching.
Colby walked in.