Malric sat in the back row of Class 2-C, his posture straight, his gaze unfocused.
The teacher's voice was white noise.
Outside the window, clouds hovered low, heavy with that dull steel color that always preceded rain. A flock of gliders zipped past, leaving contrails of blue ion mist in their wake. It reminded Malric of the bus from last week—the sound of twisting metal, the silence after the blast, the child's terrified scream just before the fall.
That silence still lived in his head.
"Mr. Grimholt?"
He turned his head slowly. Mrs. Lurette stood at the front of the room with an expression somewhere between confusion and caution. It was always that way with him. People knew he wasn't dangerous. But they didn't know if he was safe, either.
"You're being called to the administrative office. Now."
He nodded once, slid his chair back, and walked without speaking. Students parted as he passed.
They always did.
---
The admin wing was usually cold and dry. Today, it was humid. Heavy.
Two men in gray suits stood near the front desk. They weren't from the school.
One of them—a tall, dark-skinned man with a buzz cut, black gloves, and a single cybernetic eye—stepped forward. His gaze locked onto Malric like a targeting system.
"Malric Grimholt," the man said, voice firm but not aggressive. "Agent Kaelen Vos. National Special Affairs Division."
He flashed a badge that shimmered with a multi-holographic government seal. The title read: Sector Operations Director.
Malric remained still.
"You saved a bus full of civilians last Thursday," Vos continued. "We know it was you."
No reaction.
"I'm not here to arrest you," Vos said. "I'm here to offer you something."
Now Malric blinked. Just once.
---
They sat across from each other in a soundproof room beneath the school. Temporary government installation. Malric leaned forward slightly. Hands on the table. Calm, but ready.
Vos placed a small black case on the table and slid it over. It opened with a soft hiss.
Inside: a thin badge shaped like a shield, a patch of violet and silver fabric, and a contract screen already glowing.
> Sector Zero Recruitment Agreement Applicant: Malric Grimholt
Age: 16
Spec Category: Energy Manipulation - Explosive Kinetics
Status: Provisional Candidate
"I oversee a classified initiative," Vos said. "A government-backed teenage superhuman response unit. Operates off-grid. Cross-national authority. We call it—Sector Zero."
Malric tilted his head. "Why teenagers?"
"Because adults are slow, political, and predictable," Vos said. "Young minds adapt faster, evolve faster. We train you. Equip you. Pay you. In return, you use your abilities when we need you to."
"What kind of 'need'?"
"Urban disasters. Espionage. Spec-related terrorism. Rogue operatives. You name it."
Vos leaned forward.
"In exchange, you'll receive a monthly stipend, housing clearance, academic immunities, legal protections, and full access to Spec-enhancing tech. You'll be given a codename, field uniform, and mission support."
Malric didn't answer.
So Vos added one last thing.
"And if you say yes, you'll also get access to something far more rare—truth. The kind the public never hears. The kind they're too afraid to face."