"WHAT?!" Everyone in the room shouted at once, showing traces of panic. The whole scene was madness as many people showed unease. How big of a threat was this Gene Corp?!

"Fuck! Quick, someone call the Black Legion and have them stop their training. They need to head to D-23 right fucking now. If they get their hands on these sloths, we are screwed!" A man from Devouring Panda urgently ordered. 

The Black Legion was the regional army, right? The representative from Tornado then spoke:

"That's not going to be enough! We need to defend the Metropolises too. This could all be a massive diversion. Do you remember the last time they kidnapped some of our people and—" 

"Of course we remember! What about surveillance? We need to get Universal Tech on the line right about now. We need to know their position in real-time!" Someone from Immortal replied. 

"But!—" Someone from Destructoid tried objecting but was dismissed with a wave. 

A man that represented Metropolis-C took a solemn expression as he addressed the whole room: 

"Needless to say, this is all confidential information! A-Rank representatives, please go back and await further instructions. Get your guilds ready for combat!" 

The only random still in the room was Josh. He gave a small smile as he gently waved: "Hello." His carefree attitude didn't fit the atmosphere at all. Some people wondered where the heck he had come from! Markus gestured that he was with him and something else distracted them. 

A huge pink hologram appeared in the middle of the table. It was a youthful girl wearing a long, intricate dress. She surveyed the room with a playful glance, most avoiding eye contact with her. Her gaze stopped on Josh, for he was staring at her. 

The playfulness in her eyes seemed to change for a determined one. Then started a staring contest between the two with Markus on the side facepalming. That wasn't why he had brought him!! He tentatively asked: "Can we talk about Protocol EVE?" 

But she ignored them all as she kept staring at Josh. Hearing his companion cough lightly by the side, he forced himself to divert his eyes away, faking a disappointed expression. That is when the hologram lady gave a slight grin as she began emanating a dignified aura. 

"It seems you guys need my help. Since I'm in a good mood, I'll help in exchange for a few materials from the Tower." As she said that, many winced. How much was this 'few' worth? 

She then grandly raised her arm before declaring: "Let us activate Protocol EVE. We will know everything there needs to be known and more! The target is the Gene Corp guys, correct?" A red button appeared, and she theatrically pushed it. 

Josh raised his hand: "Is the red button an aesthetic choice, or does it really serve a purpose? I mean, this Protocol sounds like a big deal. Wouldn't you usually have the button locked somehow?" He inquired. 

The people in the room almost had a heart attack. Who the Hell was this guy?! Why was he asking such a dumb question at a time like this?! The woman furrowed her brows as she opened her mouth: 

"You dare question me?!" She sounded like an empress that had her majesty questioned. 

"Yes." Why wouldn't he dare? He was genuinely curious. 

"Totally for style! It's pretty cool, right?!" She was beaming with joy, doing a cute pose and a V-sign. Josh just gave her a big thumbs up. 

Somehow, that exchange flabergasted the others. What was so surprising? Obviously, no one overly serious would start staring contests.

"Is it done?" The representative from Metropolis-E awkwardly coughed as he asked. 

"Indeed! From now on, any stranger moving about will be flagged as a potential enemy. Then our AI system will use the data to determine if they are from Gene Corp or not. Of course, this doesn't include any carrying a Jammer." She affirmed. 

"What's this Jammer thing?" Josh asked. 

"There are technological ones and magical based ones, but all protect from technology at various degrees. For instance, anyone with a Jammer would be invisible to the AI or even to combat robots." The hologram lady explained patiently. 

"That's pretty cool." Josh already resolved to find one for himself. How useful would that thing be! 

"Oh yeah, one more thing. Do keep in mind that this operation will use most of our company's processing power. Well, the basic scan is easy, but we'll analyze it many times over to make sure there is no incident this time. Anyway, the U-bots will be down for a short while." She added before disappearing. 

No incident this time? What kind of disaster did these simple words refer to? Then there was the freezing of the U-bots. This meant that the EVE protocol would bring high economic losses. That would explain that one guy objecting. It shouldn't be used on a whim. 

"We understand. Still, it's definitely worth it to catch these slimy bastards. They always hide in the shadows, but this time they won't be able to ignore the slothtrosities. It's their ticket to an instant comeback as a powerful faction." A man representing Solaris said. 

"Wouldn't it be funny if we started some gene research ourselves? With the sloths, we would definitely make progress way faster than they ever did working on normal animals or pets. After all, a real magical creature should be in a league of its own." An Aeris representative chuckled. 

"About the pet part, I don't think it works that well. Only their four commanders seem to have genes from pets, and it's their own. There is probably a limitation with the taming emblem. They definitely need those sloths," Dario explained. 

Josh couldn't help but chuckle. They seemed more talkative ever since the hologram lady had left. 

"It remains that whoever gets these creatures under control will have an advantage research-wise. It would allow a group to become the leading gene experts in one go. It's that big of a deal!" 

"Actually, what about the mana coming out of D-23? What if animals start evolving because of it? What if we end up evolving?" 

"Maybe, but how long would such a process take? They need the sloths for sure for the short term. We know for sure this information isn't a bluff. They will 100% send most of their troops there. There will be a confrontation!" 

"It's fine. This time we'll kick their asses! Especially their bastard leader!" A representative from Eclipses confidently declared. They were the ones that had failed that very task before, right? 

"Perfect! The Nightmare is extremely dangerous. Make sure you call for reinforcement if you encounter him. He cannot be tackled alone, is that understood?" The guy from Immortal added. 

The representative from Metropolis-C addressed them all. 

"Alright, everyone! So, the guilds will be defending the Metropolises and remaining on standby in case anywhere needs reinforcements. The Black Legion will protect D-23, and the Black squad will oversee the civilians. We will rely on Universal Tech for information. End of meeting!" 

They all powerfully moved out. As much as they were panicked at the beginning, people were now fired up. They couldn't help but be eager to destroy these Gene Corp bastards. Markus brought him out of Arcadia. 

"What do we do now?" Josh asked. 

"I'll go back to Metropolis-D. They are my people, and I have to protect them. This is one huge farce. I wasn't expecting them to make a move this quickly. It's good that we've managed to get the information in time. I wonder how many spies died for it." Markus sighed. 

"There is one thing I don't understand. There were so many at the meeting. Won't our opponents somehow learn about it all?" 

"Oh, they will, for sure. But it won't change anything. They'll need to mobilize tons of troops if they want to accomplish their objective. Even if they wanted to be sneaky and hide, it wouldn't be possible." 

"What if they send a few elite warriors instead?" 

"That's the thing. They can't. Their experts are both extremely annoying to fight yet weak. They seldom exit Metropolis-H, and even when they do, they survive. Their whole area of expertise is mass-producing foot soldiers by changing their DNA." Markus explained. 

"Are they that resilient?" Josh asked. 

"Their leader is the scariest one, codename: Nightmare. He is a typical warrior except for his ability to incapacitate anyone with a touch. His ability uses the target's own mana to generate an illusion that makes them relive their worst nightmare over and over." 

"Let me guess, that is not that great in the actual Tower but overpowered against humans?"

"Exactly. Then the others are just a whole bunch of undying annoyances. One has extremely sturdy scales that are extremely hard to penetrate. One can emit poison around himself, making approaching him difficult. Another has an insane regenerative ability. The last one is a literal slime mutant. One need to destroy his core to kill him, but it's always in movement." 

"That sounds like a pain. I can't imagine what would happen if they do manage to get the genes of the sloths. Would they become godlike, or would they just sleep all the time?" Josh curiously asked. 

"I'd rather not find out. We've historically been their enemies for a long while now. Even before the MTAs became a thing. If they do attain great power, the first ones they will attack will be us." Markus somberly declared. 

"Did they swear to take revenge against this place or something?" Josh questioned. 

"Nothing of the sort. It's just that their research always causes deaths left and right. They need human test subjects, and they are using the old enmity as justification to target us, that's all." 

"That sounds both very logical and shitty." 

"Indeed, very shitty. What about you? Are you coming back with me or not?" 

"I definitely won't miss it!" Josh couldn't help but grin. 

This would be his first big fight IRL, right? He could already feel his blood boil in excitement as he pictured what was to come. Actually, was he sick or something? 

That was probably the result of hanging with the Draconic peeps...

Creator's Thought

Ah, I was young and innocent. I didn't realize how scary the owner of Universal Teach was. Then again, is there anything more harmless-looking than a pink playful hologram? It's only later that I realized why the others were so tense around her.