Nathan stood in the middle of the simulation room, staring at the tactical map in front of him. A dozen small figurines that represented "hostiles" flickered in red, while the blue ones marked civilians and their squad. The goal was simple: neutralize the threat, secure the hostages.

  The execution? Not as simple.

  "Alright, let's run through this one more time," Nathan said tiredly, zooming in on the layout of the mock building. "Lucas, you're still too aggressive. If you charge in through the main entrance, you're drawing all the fire. They'll cut you off before you reach the hostages."

  Lucas groaned. "But if I hit them hard enough, does it even matter?"

  "It does if they use one of the hostages as a shield," Nathan countered, dragging a red marker across the map to show potential ambush points. "Astra, your positioning is solid, but you need a better exit strategy if things go wrong. If the enemy reinforces this hallway," he pointed at a narrow corridor "you have nowhere to go."

  Astra tapped her fingers against her arm, frowning. "Alright, so what's the play?"

  Nathan pulled up a new formation. "We use misdirection. Lucas, instead of charging in, you create a distraction near the east wing, where their attention is weakest. Astra, you'll move in from the west side, it's got better cover. I'll coordinate movements based on enemy shifts. We time it right, and clear the floor before they even realize what's happening."

  The simulation ran again. The team moved into position, the digital enemies responding realistically. Lucas burst from cover with impossible speed, the virtual ground seeming to crack beneath his powerful stride as he drew enemy attention toward the east wing.

  For a moment, the plan was working. But then, Astra got pinned down by unexpected reinforcements. The enemy AI adapted.

  "Damn," Astra muttered as the system froze their movements. "Didn't see that coming."

  Nathan sighed, rubbing his temples. "That's what we're here to fix. If this were real, you'd be in trouble. If only I wasn't as tired I could have used Echo."

  Before they could run another scenario, alarms went off.

  The lights in the simulation room flashed red, and an automated voice echoed overhead.

  "Emergency Alert. Active hostage situation detected. All available teams to deployment zones immediately."

  Nathan exchanged a glance with Lucas and Astra. This wasn't training anymore.

  Valera's voice cut through the noise as she entered. "Gear up, trainees. You're getting your first real mission."

  Nathan's pulse still pounded from the blaring alarm as he and the others rushed into the operations room. A massive holographic display projected a three-dimensional layout of a downtown bank, its floors and walls transparent to highlight key entry points, security placements, and reported hostages.

  A veteran hero, Sentinel, stood at the front, arms crossed.

  His imposing figure was dressed in white battle armor adorned with visible battle scars and a tattered crimson cape. A hawk-shaped helmet with a golden visor covered his eyes, giving him an intimidating presence. The legendary shield and lightning emblem on his chest seemed to pulse with energy, a symbol that had struck fear into villains for decades.

  Every movement he made radiated practiced power and unwavering confidence.

  "This is not a training exercise," Sentinel said. "Armed assailants have taken control of the Crestview Financial Bank. Hostages confirmed. Local authorities have the perimeter secured, but our job is to handle the situation without unnecessary escalation. You trainees will provide support."

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  Lucas barely contained his excitement, cracking his knuckles. "Support? Shouldn't we just go in and..."

  "No," Sentinel countered, voice firm. "If we rush in blind, we put civilians at risk."

  Nathan wasn't listening to their bickering. His eyes scanned the blueprints, absorbing details: main lobby layout, security camera feeds, vault access routes. He traced his finger along the display, noticing irregularities, blind spots in surveillance, odd security shifts.

  "This doesn't add up," he murmured. "Something about the timing is… off."

  Valera motioned them forward. "Gear up. We move out in five."

  The ride to the bank was tense, filled with equipment checks and last-minute briefings. Their transport cut through traffic with sirens wailing, each turn bringing them closer to their first real crisis.

  When they finally arrived at the scene, chaos engulfed them.

  Flashing police lights bathed the street in alternating red and blue. Barricades, armored units, and media crews surrounded the bank, reporters scrambling for updates. Officers maintained a tense perimeter, weapons at the ready.

  "Stay close and stay sharp," Sentinel ordered, leading them past the barricade. "Your job is to observe and assist. Do not engage unless ordered."

  Nathan took in the scene, his mind immediately breaking it down into patterns.

  Security cameras. Some were turned away or disabled, maybe deliberately.

  Entry/exit points. The front doors were barricaded, but maintenance access at the side remained untouched. A potential weakness.

  Civilian positions. Hostages were likely in the main lobby, but where were the security guards? Something wasn't right.

  Lucas stretched. "So, when do we actually do something?"

  Nathan ignored him, narrowing his gaze at a nearby guard station. The posted security should've been present, but the booth was empty.

  He took a deep breath. Something was very wrong.

  Nathan stood near the police barricade, eyes locked onto the bank's rotating security detail. Something wasn't adding up. The shifts weren't random, each change happened like clockwork, but the replacements seemed oddly disengaged. One guard had loosened his tie, another's hand rested too comfortably on his holster.

  Too controlled. Too rehearsed.

  As Nathan activated Echo, the air around him shimmered like heat waves, his eyes blazing with electric blue light as multiple ghostly versions of the same scene overlapped before him. It was like trying to watch multiple versions of reality play at once. He could barely distinguish one moment from the next.

  Nathan winced, his head throbbing. His control over Echo had been shaky before, but now? Useless.

  Frustration burned in his chest. He couldn't afford to rely on it now.

  Instead, he focused on what was in front of him. He scanned the scene again, this time relying on his instincts, on patterns, movements, behaviors.

  Then he spotted it.

  Time seemed to slow around Nathan as his gaze locked onto the security guard.

  A third guard at the main entrance had been posted for too long, his shift should have changed five minutes ago, yet he remained. His stance was tense, his earpiece not standard issue. Nathan followed his gaze, tracing an invisible line of coordination between him and a figure inside the lobby.

  His stomach tightened.

  "This isn't just a robbery," Nathan whispered.

  He turned to Astra and Lucas, lowering his voice. "They have people on the inside."

  Astra's eyes widened in shock as she followed his line of sight.

  Lucas clenched his jaw. "You sure?"

  Nathan nodded. "Security's too precise, too choreographed," He explained, his words urgent. "and that guard, he's not breaking protocol because he's lazy. He's waiting for something."

  Nathan turned toward Valera, their supervising hero, urgency spiking in his voice. "Something's off. The security rotation isn't right. There's tampering with their shift schedules, and…"

  Before he could finish, the city's power grid surged, then cut to black.

  The bank's lights snapped off, throwing the crime scene into chaos. The streetlamps, traffic signals, and even the police radios died in an instant. The media vans cut to static, and the digital screens that usually filled the skyline flickered out.

  Nathan's blood ran cold.

  This wasn't an accident. This was planned.

  For a moment, the street was eerily silent, only broken by confused murmurs and the distant wail of car alarms. Then, the police scrambled, officers shouting orders, trying to regain control.

  Lucas turned in a slow circle. "Oh, that is not a good sign."

  Valera was already moving, calling out into her comm. "HQ, do you copy?" Silence. She tried again, her expression darkening. "Anyone at Central Command, respond."

  Still nothing.

  Nathan clenched his fists. Whoever was behind this wasn't just robbing a bank. They had control over the city's infrastructure. The blackout wasn't just an inconvenience, it was part of the plan.

  Valera turned to the trainees, her voice sharp. "Stay close. We're moving in."

  Lucas cracked his knuckles. "Finally."

  Nathan didn't share his excitement. If their comms were down, if everything was down… then their team was alone.

  And whoever was inside wanted it that way.