🌘

You try to reach ÆON. Your sensory input is being blocked, but maybe you can get a signal out.

The static flooding your vision turns to a shimmering gold light. You feel ÆON’s protection surround you, and the world around you starts to reappear. You feel the pull of spin-gravity again. Noise returns to your ears as you hear Zeta’s voice.

“Aydan! Stay with us!” It’s shaking your body.

“I’m okay,” you say. “But how the hell did they penetrate Synth’s shield so eas–“

The pale blue glow of occular implants seems to materialize out of thin air, and from around it, the body of Synth, radiating signals you can almost touch in the air through your interface.

Akiko steps in front of you protectively. You can see the faint outline of her defensive barrier when your eyes blink, like an afterimage of bright light.

“Careless, Aydan,” they say. “You need to consider your threat model better! Use that shield more situationally.”

“Is this really the time for fucking senior mentoring?” you say.

Synths fixes their neon blue eyes on Akiko and you can feel æthereal pressure impacting your shield as hers absorbs most of the weight of Synth’s attack. She stumbles backwards, off balance.

“Don’t mock the Evocation school so much, CommSpec,” Synth signs in JSL. Then they approach you, staring you down. The little mechanical butterfly comes to a landing on their shoulder.