Carter Residence – Early Morning

  The morning sun peeked through the blinds, casting golden streaks across the cluttered battlefield that was Jace’s room. Clothes—both clean and dirty—were draped over the back of his desk chair, a half-zipped duffel bag sat abandoned in the corner, and a lone sneaker lay in the middle of the floor as if dropped mid-step. His desk was a mess of notebooks, snack wrappers, and a physics textbook left open but unread.

  His mother, Evelyn Carter, stepped carefully through the controlled chaos, her gaze softening as she took in the sight of her son, sprawled across his bed, tangled in a blanket. For all his strength, for all the power he wielded, he looked young in sleep, vulnerable. Like the boy she had rocked to sleep all those years ago.

  She hesitated for a moment, then reached down, gently shaking his shoulder.

  "Jace. Wake up, honey."

  He stirred, groaning into his pillow before cracking one eye open. When he saw her, the tension he usually carried in his sleep loosened, and he mumbled, "Morning, Mom."

  She smiled. "Come on, let’s get some food in you."

  Jace stretched, rubbing his eyes before sitting up. As he did, his mother pulled him into a tight hug. He returned it, burying his face in her shoulder for a second longer than necessary. No words were needed.

  They had lost too much time already.

  Carter's Residence – Kitchen

  Jace shoveled eggs into his mouth between words, animatedly recounting his battle at Pantheon Laboratories.

  "So there I was, Mom, fifty stories up, facing off against this psycho with fire powers—Blaze, that was his name. Guy thought he was hot stuff—literally." Jace grinned, chewing a piece of toast. "He threw a chain of fire at me, and I had to dodge mid-air. Nearly lost my eyebrows."

  Evelyn chuckled, but her fingers tightened slightly around her coffee mug. She wanted to be strong for him, but the thought of her son fighting men like that, of nearly falling from fifty floors up, made her heart clench. Still, she let him talk. Let him live.

  "Did you win?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  Jace smirked. "Of course. Sent him flying, but not before he set the whole damn building on fire." He leaned back, stretching. "You should’ve seen the way people looked at me when I jumped 50 floors with the director of Pantheon and two criminals in my arms. It was like an action movie."

  His mother exhaled, shaking her head with a mix of amusement and worry. "Jace, I swear, you're going to give me gray hair before my time."

  Before Jace could respond, a sudden knock at the door made both of them freeze. The lighthearted atmosphere vanished, replaced with something heavier.

  Jace stood first, setting his fork down. He didn’t need to check—he already knew who it was.

  He turned to his mother, his face serious now. "It’s them."

  Evelyn’s breath hitched.

  Slowly, she stood, following him as he walked toward the door. Jace took a deep breath before opening it.

  Kai and Zara stood on the porch, their faces unreadable. Behind them, ten armed operatives in tactical gear waited, their expressions cold and professional.

  For a moment, Jace tensed—ten men? Did they think he’d run? Fight? But he exhaled, steadying himself. This was expected.

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  He turned to his mother. "I have to go."

  Evelyn’s lips parted, her eyes flickering between the strangers at their doorstep and her son. Fear. Hesitation. But in the end, she nodded, reaching out to squeeze his hand.

  "Be careful," she whispered.

  Jace gave her a reassuring smile. "Always."

  Then, without another word, he stepped forward, past the threshold, past the unspoken warnings in his mother’s eyes, and into the hands of the CDE.

  The neon light of the operatives' teleportation devices flickered, and in the next blink—

  They were gone.

  In the CDA

  Jace materialized in a familiarly lit, industrial-style chamber, the air thick with an artificial sterility that made his skin itch. The moment his vision adjusted, someone tossed a bundle at him.

  His spandex suit.

  He caught it mid-air, lifting it with a raised brow. "So, what? I’m back in training already?" he joked, shaking it out. "Not even a ‘welcome home’ or a snack first?"

  Neither Kai nor Zara answered. Their silence was... off. Different.

  Jace frowned but shrugged it off, slipping into the black suit that had come to define his other life.

  The moment the fabric settled against his skin, a whoosh cut through the air.

  Before he could react, something slammed into his throat and lifted him off his feet.

  Jace gagged, fingers clawing at the cold, metal grip wrapped around his neck. His vision sharpened as he scanned his attacker—

  Lucian Vendrell !.

  Hovering feet off the ground, standing atop a sleek, black glider, his coat billowed slightly from the sheer force of his arrival. His mechanized gauntlet clamped down on Jace’s throat like a vice.

  Lucian’s gaze was clinical, calculating. "So this is the famous Dynamo," he mused, almost lazily. "Let’s see just how powerful they claim you are."

  Then, without warning, he whipped Jace downward—

  CRASH!

  Jace hit the ground hard, concrete shattering beneath him. Dust and debris rose like smoke.

  Pain flared through his back, but he barely had time to register it before his instincts screamed at him to move.

  "What the hell was that for?" Jace snapped, his body tensing while he was still on the floor

  Lucian tilted his head. "An introduction."

  Jace exhaled sharply, pushing down his irritation. He glanced at Kai and Zara, who stood unmoving at the edges of the room. They weren’t interfering. They weren’t surprised, they knew this was coming.

  Jace cracked his neck as he rose to his feet, rolling his shoulder where Lucian had just slammed him into the floor. The reinforced concrete beneath him was cracked, spiderweb fractures spreading out from the impact. He wiped his mouth, eyes narrowing. "Who the hell are you?"

  Lucian smirked. "Your new boss, you uncouth one."

  Jace’s fists clenched. He already hated this guy.

  "Alright," Jace exhaled, shaking off the pain. His eyes locked onto Lucian, who hovered a few feet above him on his sleek black glider, the neon-blue thrusters humming faintly beneath him. His coat flared slightly from the upward draft as he looked down with an unreadable expression.

  "So this is the famous Dynamo?" Lucian smirked. "I expected more."

  Jace narrowed his eyes. He'd fought enhanced people before, but Lucian... He wasn’t sure. Was this guy enhanced? Or was he just a man with advanced tech?

  Jace launched forward.

  He was fast—faster than most could track—but Lucian reacted just as swiftly, tilting his glider sideways with an effortless lean. Jace’s first punch sliced through empty air. Before he could adjust, Lucian activated a small thruster boost, sending his glider into a sharp backflip over Jace’s head.

  Jace barely had time to react before—

  WHAM!

  Lucian's boot struck him mid-turn, launching him backward. Jace skidded across the floor, rolling into a crouch.

  Lucian’s smirk widened. "Not bad. But you’ll have to do better than that."

  Jace wasn’t listening. His eyes flickered to Lucian’s movements. No bursts of unnatural speed. No aura of power. His attacks felt strong, sure, but... there was no telltale sign of an enhanced ability.

  He shot forward again, dodging the small concussive blasts Lucian fired from his gauntlet arm, each shot whistling past Jace’s ear. Jace ducked, rolled under a hovering sidestep, and twisted behind Lucian’s glider.

  Then he struck.

  Jace latched onto the glider's wing and yanked down with full force.

  Lucian’s body jolted as his glider veered sharply, spinning out of control. Jace used the momentum to swing himself onto the glider itself, gripping the center controls.

  Lucian’s smirk finally faltered—the first sign of genuine surprise.

  "Get off—"

  Jace didn't let him finish. He ripped off one of the stabilizers and jammed it into the control panel. Sparks erupted.

  Lucian jumped off just in time, landing smoothly while his glider spun wildly out of control, slamming into the ground in a fiery wreck.

  Silence.

  Lucian brushed off his coat and let out a small breath before raising a hand.

  "Enough."

  Jace remained tense, breathing hard, his knuckles tight. He wasn’t sure if Lucian was going to throw another punch or—

  Lucian just smirked. "At least he (referring to Axel) gave you proper training, that was not... underwhelming."

  Jace exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "You could’ve just asked how strong I was, instead of slamming me into the floor."

  "Where’s the fun in that?" Lucian mused. Then, with a final glance at Kai and Zara, "Continue." And just like that, Lucian was gone, leaving Jace alone with his next 'fight'.