The city of New York lay beneath a darkened sky, clouds twisted and contorted as if the heavens themselves trembled in anticipation. Rain poured down in icy sheets, its weight mingling with the distant echo of sirens and the muffled rumble of approaching war.
Manhattan was a fortress on high alert. The GPA had made its presence known with the arrival of endless airships and armored transports that flooded the city. Heroes lined the streets, their faces set with determination as they prepared for the onslaught. Barricades of hardened steel and glowing energy fields blocked key access points, and the civilian population had been evacuated — those who could be.
Through the storm's veil, Seraph stood upon the rooftop of a crumbling skyscraper. The Nexus Syndicate had scattered themselves across the city, their members clad in sleek combat rigs, powered suits gleaming like predatory shadows in the rain. Even from her vantage point, she could hear the echoing bark of commands, the clash of weapons being prepared.
Her new armor fit like a second skin, the nano-fiber weave of the bodysuit flexing with her every movement. Plates of high-density armor hugged her form, segmented to allow for fluidity while providing defense against even the most devastating attacks. She could feel the power thrumming through her body, amplified by the advanced servo-motors that enhanced her speed and agility.
Luminara's presence was steady within her mind. ["I've completed another diagnostic. The suit's systems are functioning at optimal levels. I must admit, Max's design is impressive, even by my standards."]
Seraph smirked. 'Good. I'm going to need every edge I can get.'
The city roared with life and death. Explosions ripped through the air in the distance, followed by the frantic clamor of gunfire and the guttural howls of those too slow to react.
["Incoming targets."]
Seraph's eyes snapped forward. Her enhanced HUD displayed incoming signatures, the familiar energy readings tugging at her memory with the viciousness of nostalgia.
'Them.'
They came through the sheets of rain like ghosts. Tempest, Inferno, Echo, Cryo Titan, Phantom, and Warden. Her old team. Her old friends.
Tempest hovered about them, lightning crackling around her hands like coiled serpents. Her face was a mask of fury and betrayal. "Seraph."
"In the flesh." Her voice was cold, indifferent. But deep down, something twisted within her.
"Why?" Tempest's voice trembled, the thunder in her chest tempered by pain. "After everything we've been through... After all we've fought for... Why join Knox? He killed Vanguard, He killed Bolt."
"He did," Seraph acknowledged, her tone unyielding. "And I'm not going to stand here and justify their deaths. But you wouldn't understand. Knox sees something beyond all of this. A world where we're not just used and discarded when we're no longer convenient."
Inferno stepped forward, flames dancing around his fists. "At what cost, Seraph? How many people have to die for this 'better world'?"
"As many as it takes," she replied, her eyes locked on his. "You think you're the heroes here, but you're just playing your part in a system that was never meant to be fair."
Warden's voice was low, thick with disgust. "You're justifying genocide."
"And you're too blind to see the truth."
They stared at her, a wall of judgement and grief. But she was beyond their words. Whatever bonds they'd shared had long since frayed and snapped. And when Titan stepped forward, his massive frame blocking out the rain, she knew it was time.
"It doesn't have to be this way, Seraph." Echo pleaded, his voice rippling through the air like a haunting melody. "Come back with us. We can figure this out together."
Seraph's gaze hardened. "I've made my choice."
Tempest nodded grimly. "Then you're no better than him."
The battle erupted like a hurricane.
Tempest's lightning speared toward her. red-hot tendrils lashing out to eviscerate. But Seraph danced through the bolts, her enhanced reflexes and Luminara's combat analysis guiding her every step.
She retaliated with wrist-mounted plasma blades, their edges burning as they sliced through the air. Titan roared and charged, his armored frame barreling toward her like a freight train. She sidestepped with impossible grace, her enhanced servos granting her speed far beyond human limits. Her gauntlet slammed into his chest, a shockwave generator releasing a concussive blast that sent him sprawling into the wreckage of a crumbling building.
Inferno's fire lashed at her, waves of searing heat that would've incinerated lesser beings. Her armor absorbed the heat, dispersing the energy before it could reach her skin. SHe closed the distance in an instant, her first meeting his jaw with a sickening crunch.
Phantom flickered in and out of visibility, but Luminara's readings kept track of him. She caught him by the throat and slammed him into the pavement, leaving him writhing in pain.
Cyro's ice snaked toward her, shards like jagged knives. She responded with a kinetic blast that shattered them before they could reach her.
Echo tried to disorient her with his sound waves, but Luminara's filters neutralized the attack, leaving Echo defenseless.
One by one, they fell. They weren't weak. They simply weren't enough.
They were outdated.
By the end of it, they lay beaten and broken before her.
Echo whimpered, blood trickling from his forehead. "What happened to you...?"
Seraph looked down at her, eyes cold. "I got stronger."
Luminara's voice was calm. ["You've defeated them. But this is just the beginning."]
Seraph nodded. 'I know. It's time to move on.'