"You alright Kal?" His concern for her safety clear.

"I'm fine, get in." Kalla ordered, focused on the task at hand.

Xavier hopped into the crate alongside Kalla, squeezing in tight. "What's the situation?"

She debriefs each detail, funneling it into Xavier's mind. His intellect was renowned among the class, able to process information and form logical strategies in real time. When he got the full picture, Xavier's expression twisted into disgust.

"Are you dense?! Why would you guys let the 'Neo' take the lead? How could Nera of all people possibly let that slide?!" The words exploded from him, sharp enough to draw blood.

Kalla shifted her gaze, guilt filling her eyes. "It just played out that way. He's a natural leader, so I guess we subconsciously leaned on him too much."

"Experience plays a role in leadership. Something he does not have." Xavier jabbed, trying to make a point.

Desperate to protect Nera's secret, Kalla pivoted, dropping back to a casual conversation. "Yeah, well, it doesn't matter now. We need your leadership now. So please."

Xavier's arms shot forward, gesturing strangulation. His fingers tensed as if squeezing the life from his frustration. Giving up, he slumped against the crate's wall, exasperated.

"You're such a handful, you know that?" Xavier sighed. "Give me a minute, I'll think something up."

Setting his wrists on his knees, Xavier drooped his hands off them. He uses his unique process to help him think under high pressure. His fingers began tapping rhythmically against his thumb in a sequence known only to him. Beneath closed eyelids, his eyes bounced across their orbits, the movements mimicking the mass calculations unfolding in his mind. His consciousness raced, assembling and discarding strategies at top speed until suddenly...stillness. His eyes snapped open, clarity shimmering within them.

"I got it," he whispered.

Kalla sneered. "You're making me cringe dude, seriously. Can't you find a less stupid way to think?"

"What can I say? If the system runs smoothly, why debug it?" He said with a smirk.

"Save the proverbs for your boyfriend would'ya."

"I guess that makes two of us."

Kalla shakes her head. "Alright alright, quit bickering. What's the plan?"

Xavier's proposed a simple three-phase plan:

Phase 1 - Clear the facility

Phase 2 - Rescue Jai and Nera

Phase 3 - Destroy and Escape

To execute Phase 1, reinfiltration of the surveillance room was top prioty. Kalla is to penetrate their defenses and trigger the alarm, forcing the facility to evacuation without bloodshed. Once done, Phase 2 would commence. Xavier would navigate to the boss's office, guided by Kalla, to free their captured comrades. Finally, Phase 3 would be them hijacking an OPP full of evidence just before obliterating the energy core while they escape.

Despite the margins for error, it was their only viable strategy. Kalla moved in silence, slipping from the crate when watchful eyes turned elsewhere. Tapping a neighboring crate, she activated her ability with her conditions met. Anticipating the enemy's expectation of an escape, she dragged the crate across the room as misdirection to create her window of opportunity. In the confusion, she slipped into the stairwell like a phantom.

Xavier stood by, hacking the security system on his phone. By feeding the cameras looped footage, he kept the guards oblivious to the unfolding infiltration. Kalla ascended the stairs toward the surveillance room, her senses hyper-alert for any sign of opposition. Without access credentials, entry was impossible. Her solution was simple—a knock at the door.

The door soon slid open as an armed guard emerged, finding it empty where he expected a visitor. Suspended above him like a spider, Kalla clung to the ceiling, waiting to strike. Betrayed by a rebellious strand of hair that dangled into the guard's line of sight, she lost the element of surprise.

Left with no choice, Kalla dropped into combat. The guard fell beneath her, pinned down so she could take his access card. Using it to get inside, she neutralized the other guards and surveillance systems, then activating the alarm as planned. Throughout the facility, goons flooded toward the elevator, seeking the quickest exit. Phase 1 was complete.

The boss remained unmoved by the deception, standing vigilant over Nera and Jai. "Your friend may have fooled my men, but you can't fool me. I ain't no idiot, you hear!"

Nera lay unconscious, sedated to prevent her from ruthlessly fighting. The boss positioned himself at the door, a predator anticipating their classmate's entrance.

Facing the door, he spoke his grievances. "Damn Saviors and your false righteousness, you people have no concept of what it means to truly struggle." Cleching his fist in contempt.

Meanwhile, Xavier emerged from the box, his phone pressed to his ear. "Excellent work sis, I'll take it from here."

Ending the call, Xavier identified his way into the office. The ventilation shaft mounted high above the warehouse. Working quickly and carefully, he stacked crates to reach the access panel. Pulling it open, he placed his hand on the ledge. Kicking away his improvised ladder, he left himself dangling precariously. His pupils bisected as he activated his Circuit ability, his body rapidly shrinking. Once he had achieved the perfect size, he pulled himself up, disappearing into the building's circulation.

He navigated the vents like a mouse—sliding, jumping, and scaling obstacles until he reached the grille above the boss's office. The formula for density is mass over volume, which allows Xavier independent control over both variables. By manipulating his size and weight, he became the perfect spy. He slipped through the cracks, returning to normal size just before landing and catching the boss completely unprepared.

Startled, the boss turns to Xavier. "Sneaky bastard, there was a 4th! Damn you!" The boss charged forward, rage incarnate.

Had this been a normal person, the boss may have prevailed. Except, Xavier is a Savior. One amongst those whose abilities are an unstoppable force in this world. With a single enlarged punch, the boss was taken out instantly. Without hesitation, Xavier untied Nera and Jai from their bonds. Finding Nera unconscious and Jai unresponsive, he decided awakening Nera early could be dangerous. Slapping Jai, he knocked some sense back into him.

"Tough first day, Neo? Well, it's only gonna get harder from here, so pull yourself together. I need you alert."

Though Jai remained silent, he still rose to his feet ready to help. Xavier hoisted Nera over his shoulder, leading them out of the office to the elevator. Phase 2 was complete, leaving only their escape. Stepping from the elevator onto the warehouse floor, they found Kalla had already secured their getaway vehicle—an OPP full of Spirit Energy Cells and Spirtual Artillery. They boarded as Kalla got the craft into the air with improvised piloting. Threading the OPP through the tunnel and busting out of the gate into open sky.

Xavier approached the cockpit to check on his sister. "You're doing good, just get us to the nearest Circuit Center. One preferably not corrupt."

"I'll try," Kalla responded before pausing, suddenly realizing a missing piece. "Wait, aren't we forgetting something?"

Xavier held up his phone with a smile. "Already on it."

Back within the facility's heart, an improvised explosive comprised of tied Spirit Energy Capacitors stood primed and waiting. With a simple command sent through his device, Xavier triggered the detonation, obliterating the energy core. The team of students soared away as a thunderous explosion marked the end of the illegal weapons trade.

Their victory was short-lived when a sudden flash of red light flushed the inside. The termination of the facility activated an override command to all existing OPPs. Coordinates were changed to the Theta Sector, abruptly altering their path. In an attempt to retake control, Kalla inadvertently opened the side doors. The boxes of evidence began to slide, falling open everywhere. Xavier and Jai rushed to keep them inside, but failed to keep a single Spirit Energy Cell from falling out.

Kalla finally pressed the correct button, sealing the doors.

"Sorry to say this, Kalla, but you need to open those doors back up." Xavier's voice was grave.

"What? Why?" Confusion was clear in her cracked voice.

"We lost a cell. They're too dangerous to leave out for the public."

Jai stepped forward, determination replacing his previously vacant expression. "I'll go get it. It's the least I can do now."

"Redemption huh? Good to see you're back with us," Xavier nodded in approval before taking command. "We'll split up. Jai, you retrieve the lost cell and get it back to us in the Theta Sector. As for us, we defend this cargo with our lives."

"Right!" Their voices united.

Jai grabbed a parachute mounted on the OPP's wall, designed for an emergency. As Kalla reopened the cargo doors, he stood at the ledge, gathering the courage to jump. Leaping into the air, he pulled the choot open. The parachute bloomed above him as he descended into the Nu Sector, the missing cell his only objective.

Time for a recovery!