Chapter 33: Soulless Threat

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Nine days later

The Headquarters, Alpha Earth

KAY/O had just returned from Karnataka, India, a place that had held a mysterious allure. As he entered Killjoy's bustling lab, her unwavering focus was immediately apparent. She didn't look up from her screen as she greeted him, noting that she had been expecting his arrival.

Glancing at the complex data displayed on her monitor, KAY/O's curiosity got the better of him. "A displacement map? What coordinates are you studying?" he inquired.

Killjoy swiveled in her chair, her expression a mixture of intrigue and hesitation. "It's a displacement map of Omega Earth," she replied candidly.

KAY/O raised a question, contemplating the implications. "Did you obtain this data during your visit with Reyna and Neon to Omega?"

Killjoy hesitated briefly before nodding in affirmation. In truth, she had received this valuable information not from her own team but from Omega Glitch, who had agreed to a temporary alliance. However, she hadn't yet disclosed this to Brimstone and the rest of the team, apprehensive about causing internal discord.

Sensing that the topic might be best left untouched for the moment, she redirected the conversation. "So, what did you find?"

The robot operative wasted no time and retrieved a piece of cloth from his hand, unfurling it with a certain reverence. Killjoy observed him, a mix of curiosity and confusion on her face.

With a careful tone, KAY/O explained, "Out of everything my sensors encountered in those ruins, this piece of cloth emitted an unusual energy signature. It's been here for quite some time, yet it radiates energy."

Killjoy accepted the cloth, her sharp mind scrutinizing it. A symbol embroidered on the fabric struck a chord in her memory, though she couldn't quite place it. Determined to decipher its significance, she positioned it on an analyzer and initiated a scan, hoping for answers buried within its threads.

As they patiently waited for the tech to scan the mysterious cloth, Killjoy's little bots buzzed with a curiosity, inching closer to inspect the item more closely.

During this moment of lull, Killjoy turned her attention back to KAY/O, her scientific mind unable to rest. "Was there really nothing there at all? Astra said that there should be a whole 'City of Flowers' or something there."

KAY/O, with his usual mechanical calm, responded, "I ran a full sweep on the site multiple times." He paused, his digital gaze intent. "The whole area was severely damaged, and I ddetected faint traces of Radianite energy scattered everywhere."

Killjoy processed the information. "Maybe because of a natural disaster? Like an earthquake or something?" she concluded, her brows furrowing.

"Incorrect. While the Radianite could have belonged to the infrastructure, the damage was consistent with patterns of intelligent destruction. Someone deliberately destroyed this so-called city of flowers," KAY/O clarified.

"So Harbor was right..." Killjoy's muttered agreement caught KAY/O's attention, and he inquired, "Are you referring to Varun Batra?"

"Yes," Killjoy affirmed, "Sage gave him a callsign. He's officially in the Protocol now."

Their conversation came to an abrupt halt as the analyzer and Killjoy's bots chimed simultaneously, signaling the completion of their analysis. Killjoy hurried over to inspect the results and was met with a significant revelation. 

The symbol embroidered on the cloth turned out to be a rune. It matched perfectly with the ones used by Agent 8, also known as Knightmare.

The weight of this discovery hung in the air as Killjoy expressed her concern. "Her again. Brimstone's not going to like this," she murmured.

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