It took a moment before the last person in the tent, who hadn't spoken up until now but had been quietly listening, finally brought attention to himself.
Saff motioned toward him as she explained, "This is Police Chief Rhyt. His department has jurisdiction in this area, so we've been relying on his help the most. Because of that, he's the one who knows the most about this operation and can answer most questions you might have."
Asher glanced over at Rhyt and gave a brief nod, which Rhyt returned with a gesture of his own before turning his attention to the table. He pressed a button on his side, causing the holographic display to shift into a schematic of the Pale Dawn Initiative building, showing both the upper and lower floors.
"The target building is a fifteen-story structure with two subbasement levels. We have reason to believe the White Fang's headquarters occupies both of those sublevels. The building currently houses around seventy people spread out across all fifteen floors. We estimate that only about ten of them might be non-hostiles."
As Rhyt spoke, he pressed another button, which brought up a map showing heat signatures detected throughout the building.
Asher studied the map, comparing it to what he'd seen from the airship with Penny. It didn't take long for him to notice that almost everyone in the building was positioned strategically, likely to avoid being visible to any snipers stationed outside.
Whoever's in charge here has done their homework.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Penny, who had been unusually focused, asked, "How do we know they're all hostiles? They could just be employees, right? Though seventy seems like a small number for such a big building."
Asher nodded in agreement with her. Saff picked up the conversation to answer what both of them were thinking.
"Before we fully locked down the building earlier today, we issued a broad warning about the perimeter and the potential terrorist threats inside. We allowed anyone who claimed not to be involved to leave the building with their hands up to be detained. Most complied and were released after a background check and questioning, though they're still under observation."
Asher nodded, murmuring, "So anyone still inside after the warning is probably a White Fang member. Got it... but what about the ten potential non-hostiles?"
The focus shifted back to Rhyt, who zoomed in on the holographic display, showing a group of people on the sixth floor, specifically in what appeared to be a lounge.
"We're not entirely sure, but based on thermal imaging, these ten individuals have barely moved. We're not sure if they're hostages—tied up, unconscious, or drugged—or if they're White Fang members pretending to be captured." Asher immediately grasped the issue once Rhyt started explaining.
"So, until we get a clear visual on them, we can't confirm whether the building's filled entirely with hostiles or not," Asher summarized. Rhyt and the others around the table nodded in agreement.
"Exactly. This also rules out a lot of our more direct methods," Rhyt continued, though he didn't have to specify which. It was clear he was referring to just destroying the building and taking out the White Fang with it. The subbasement would hold up if they did it right, and they'd be able to proceed with the operation without major issues.
But the potential non-combatants were a complicating factor.
Asher's mind was working quickly, running through different scenarios and crossing out options as they came. After a moment, he asked, "Alright, how many potential exits and entryways?"
"We sealed off every sewer line connected to the building. Aside from that, there's the rear entrance, rooftop access, windows, and, of course, the front entrance. But all of those are covered, and trying to get through any of them would likely result in casualties on our side since they're already prepared," Rhyt explained.
It was then that the other police chief, the one who had initially spoken to Asher and Penny, Chief Cedric, added, "Right now, one of the best options we've come up with is gassing them. However, the building has a filtration system and a backup generator. Even if we cut the power entirely, we'd still have to wait for the generator to run out of fuel. And who knows what might happen between now and then?"
Listening to all this, Asher finally understood why they hadn't made a move yet—and why Ironwood had requested his Insurgency's help. Right now, they were stuck. Breaching the building would lead to heavy casualties, there were potential hostages that couldn't be verified, and all exits and entrances were covered.
Penny seemed to grasp the situation too.
She snapped out of her thoughts and said, "Hmm... sounds like you're all in a tough spot."
"Yeah, but luckily, we're here now," Asher declared, surprising everyone in the room with his sudden confidence.
"We'll take care of it."
"You'll... take care of it?" Chief Cornel, who Asher was already acquainted with, echoed, clearly confused. The sentiment was shared by everyone else.
"That's right. The main issue is you can't breach without risking heavy casualties on your side or outright failure, correct? So, we'll handle the breach. All you need to do is make sure your men are ready to move in after we clear the way." Asher stepped away from the table after his statement, but Saff immediately spoke up, still processing the plan.
"Wait, you want to go into that building alone? Just the two of you? No way, that's too dangerous."
Rhyt nodded in agreement, his face serious.
"She's right. Most of their forces seem to be concentrated around the building's entry points. If you try to force your way in, you'll be dead before you even make it a meter. I think our best option is to starve them out. I don't think they have that many resources. Eventually, they'll run out of food and water, and either they'll surrender or make a move."
Asher shrugged slightly, his voice steady as he replied, "That's one method, but it'll take too long. And what about the hostages? We still don't know if they're really hostages or not, but if they are, are we just going to let them starve too? Are we assuming the White Fang is going to take care of them for us? Does anyone here plan to take responsibility if they don't?"
Penny spoke up after Asher, raising her hand.
"That's true. If they've been drugged or are unconscious, we have no idea how prolonged starvation or dehydration might affect them—it could be fatal."
"Thank you, Penny," Asher said, his tone genuine. Penny nodded, offering a smile and a wave of her hand.
"In any case," Asher continued, "with those risks on the table, waiting too long is just as dangerous as rushing in. And if we're willing to gamble with the hostages' lives, we might as well blow the building up now. So, does anyone have any other suggestions?"
A thick silence settled as the group exchanged looks, unsure of what to say.
Chief Cornel was the first to speak after a minute, holding up his hand.
"Even if that is the case, and assuming your assault works, what's to stop them from threatening us with the hostages?"
Asher turned to him and asked a simple question, "Have they made any demands or threatened us yet?"
Chief Cornel paused before shaking his head.
"No..."
"Do you know why?" Asher asked, directing the question to everyone in the room, though none of them had an answer.
"It's simple," Asher continued, "it's because they want us to see what we do—how we plan to handle this, considering all the variables. Then, once we make our move, they'll bring up the hostage threat, force us to retreat. That'll tell them exactly what they need to be careful about and let them stall for time, which is clearly what they're after."
Asher didn't even need to rely on the Nexus Space to figure it all out. He had simply isolated the most likely probabilities. His mind already contained so much knowledge that it could be applied to countless scenarios.
However, the true power of the Nexus Space lay in its ability to confirm truths to an all-knowing extent. Any and all knowledge, aside from knowledge about the Nexus Space itself, could be assimilated and simulated once it surpassed fifty percent understanding.
This included information about scenarios or events.
To put it another way:
If Asher were to watch a movie, even halfway through, and absorb all the details up to that point, the Nexus Space would be able to accurately simulate and finish the rest of the movie in Asher's mind, allowing him to know the ending without ever seeing it.
On the other hand, if someone tried to give him a summary of the movie, the percentage of his knowledge about the movie probably wouldn't even breach ten percent. But the Nexus Space worked on all forms of information. While Asher was listening to the summary, it would also compile the data necessary to create the 'perfect' summary.
Knowing the perfect summary of a movie would naturally tell you everything you need to understand about it.
This was why Asher felt the Nexus Space was such a powerful ability. Even knowing half of this perfect summary would eventually lead to the Nexus Space simulating all of it.
That summary would then contribute to Asher's knowledge of the actual movie. And because it was the perfect summary, even if it didn't bring him to exactly fifty percent knowledge of the movie, it would be close enough. He would know enough about the movie to talk about it casually, despite never actually watching it.
It was like a mental domino effect.
Suddenly, after all of that, a new form of knowledge—the perfect review for the movie—would appear in his head. The Nexus Space would use his knowledge of the movie he never watched and the perfect summary he'd created from listening to the bits and pieces of summaries from others, to then create a perfect review.
These kinds of things happened all the time in Asher's mind. Learning something small would impact his knowledge of something grander, which in turn may result in an idea he may have never even considered before, all automatically.
It was also why his mind constantly needed to be organized.
And the best part?
The Nexus Space guaranteed that everything was accurate. Even if he only knew five percent of something, it was guaranteed that five percent was correct.
At this moment, Asher's understanding of the overall situation surrounding the Pale Dawn Initiative building and the White Fang had reached eighty percent.
It wasn't a complete understanding, and "overall" was different from "detailed." But it was enough. That eighty percent told him which parts of his theorization were correct and which parts were off.
This was one of the main advantages of the Nexus Space—something Asher had learned to make the most of.
As long as he kept track of the percentages, he could know when something was true because the percentage would go up. Likewise, if the percentage didn't change, he knew something was wrong. In theory, it kept him on the right track, making sure that even if all he did was theorize, he'd eventually figure it out.
It was like having a lie detector for objective truth.
So, he was confident that he had a clear enough picture to make a move. The percentage of his plan to deal with the White Fang had steadily increased with every word he spoke, every idea he dismissed, and every part of the plan he confirmed.
"So, are there any disagreements about me and Penny taking the lead? Technically, I don't need any of your permission, but it'll make our chances of success higher if I do," Asher said through his mask.
"And how high are those chances?" Saff asked, her gaze locked on him with focused intensity.
"Right now? Eighty-three percent," Asher answered. They might trust that percentage, or they might not, but it was the truth.
Saff sighed at that, placing a hand to her forehead for a moment before nodding in agreement.
"Alright, fine. But since this is your decision, if anything goes wrong, the consequences will fall on the two of you. Understood?"
"Of course," Asher replied.
"Yes, Ma'am," Penny added with a partially overdramatic salute to accompany her words.
"Alright then. You heard him—get your men ready! If we're doing this, we're doing it right," Saff commanded, addressing the police chiefs who were still mulling everything over. With Asher's reasoning and Saff backing him up, it was clear this plan would move forward whether they liked it or not, so they fell in line.
A few minutes later, after going over the more intricate details of Asher's plan, he and Penny left the tent. The two Atlas soldiers assigned as their pilots stepped out with them, flanking them on either side.
"You two planning on tagging along?" Asher asked, glancing back at them.
"We were ordered to accompany and protect you two at all times, unless you order otherwise," one of the Atlas soldiers replied, his tone as straight-laced as you'd expect from someone with military training.
"Hmm, alright then," Asher said, not objecting. Instead, he turned his attention to Penny, who was walking just beside him.
"What about you? How are you feeling about all this?"
Penny looked at him, humming to herself for a moment before responding, "I'm not sure. I've never done anything like this before. But I'd say I'm both excited and nervous."
Asher let out a soft chuckle, his voice a little mechanical through his mask.
"I sign us up for what pretty much everyone would consider a suicide mission, and all you feel is a bit nervous and excited?"
Hearing that, Penny's steps faltered for a moment, but she quickly regained her stride, glancing at Asher with a slight tilt of her head as she asked, "Is... is that weird? Is that not how a normal girl would act?"
"Well... probably not." That answer caused Penny's head to dip slightly, her expression following suit.
"Oh..." She replied, her voice carrying a touch of dejection.
"But," Asher added suddenly, continuing, "That's not necessarily a bad thing."
Penny lifted her gaze to him, curious. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you said it yourself. It's precisely because of who you are—artificial or not—that you came down here with me. To help the normal people who'd be in more danger than you if they got involved. In that case, being a little different isn't something to feel all that bad about. Wouldn't you rather be a little odd if it means you get to make the world better?"
Penny's eyes widened just slightly at that, before she looked down at her hands. They flexed and moved just like a normal person's would, but she could hear the sounds of her frame shifting. It had always been jarring to her—being so close to normal, yet never quite there, always caught somewhere in the middle.
But now, Asher's question lingered in her mind. If being different meant helping people, would she rather stay like this or become completely normal?
"I... I don't know," she muttered, her uncertainty evident. Her gaze shifted from the ground back to Asher, the question unresolved.
"Well, luckily, you're still young," Asher said with a reassuring smile.
"No worries. You've got plenty of time to figure it out. And in the meantime, we can keep trying to help people. Agreed?"
Penny looked at him, blinking once, before nodding with a small smile.
"Agreed!"
After that, things at the command center started to get chaotic. Orders were being sent out to both law enforcement units and the military.
Armored military vehicles were stationed around the front and back entrances of the building, with barricades set up as well. Until a moment ago, there had been a quiet tension in the air, but now everyone was in motion, gearing up for what seemed like an impending firefight.
Standing at the center of it all were Asher, Penny, and the two Atlas soldiers assigned to guard them. They were all standing just beyond the barricade on the street, the line that separated the rest of the city from the Pale Dawn Initiative building.
Naturally, the officers present couldn't help but wonder who the two of them were, especially considering there was a young girl among them. But they quickly received orders from their superiors not to interfere, just to stay ready.
"Are we really sending only four people in there? This is a suicide mission," one of the officers said, clearly uneasy about the whole situation.
"Yeah, what the hell are the higher-ups thinking?" Another officer added, echoing the same sentiment.
The soldiers shared similar doubts, their weapons ready as they were ordered to keep watch on the building's windows and entrances. However, a few of them had different reactions—specifically, the Atlas soldiers who had been involved in the crater raid.
On the back of Asher's trench coat was a sigil: an arrow with a hollowed-out head and a single dot at its center.
A few Atlas soldiers recognized that mark. They'd seen it before—on the suits of armor that seemed to single-handedly take down entire operations without any assistance. They weren't sure if Asher and Penny were connected to that, but the symbol was enough to keep them silent.
After a couple of minutes, Asher and Penny both heard a voice over their comms—Saff's voice.
"Alright, we've made the preparations, as you ordered. Are you sure you're going through with this?"
"It's a bit too late to call it off now, Lieutenant Colonel," Asher replied over the comm link.
"Yes, I know, just making sure. Alright then, good luck." With that, the communication ended.
Lieutenant Colonel Saff and the other police chiefs watched from the Command Post Tent, monitoring everything through a video feed. They saw Asher, Penny, and the Atlas soldiers moving forward, heading straight toward the Pale Dawn Initiative building.
As they got closer, Asher made a series of gestures to the two Atlas soldiers, who immediately broke from his and Penny's sides. They moved to flank the building, positioning themselves at the left and right walls of the glass door entrances. Most of the building's power had been cut, but the automatic doors still reacted to their approach.
The doors slid open almost silently, and the moment Asher and Penny stepped inside, crossing into the open lobby, the sound of guns clicking echoed in the air. The White Fang members, who had been hiding behind corners, desks, and crouched behind the stone railing that let them look down from the second floor, all revealed themselves.
They were dressed like office workers, but the guns in their hands made it clear they were anything but. Every one of them trained their sights directly on Asher and Penny, though they seemed surprised when they saw only the two of them—especially the young ginger girl.
"What the hell?" One of them muttered.
Asher's eyes swept over them, and he muttered, mostly to himself, "Just as many as we expected."
Asher was about to make his move, but just then, Penny stepped forward, positioning herself in front of him. It was then that Asher noticed, for the first time, that Penny was wearing a silver backpack. Well, it wasn't exactly the first time he'd seen it, but he'd never questioned its function until now.
"Allow me," Penny announced as the backpack moved on its own, splitting down the middle and sliding open. What looked like a collapsible blade, folded into two parts, suddenly floated out from her backpack. But in fact, it wasn't a single blade—it was twelve, so neatly and symmetrically packed together that they looked like one until they separated and unfolded.
The blades floated behind her almost like wings, and the moment the White Fang saw them, they froze, stunned.
Then, one of them shouted, "Open fire!"
In an instant, all hesitation vanished. Triggers were pulled, and gunfire erupted around them, muzzles flashing. Penny moved both of her hands, and the floating blades sprang to life, spinning like a whirlwind, controlled as if by telekinetic force. Six blades moved to each side, spinning rapidly in perfect circular formation.
Asher stood behind her, watching as the incoming bullets deflected one after another, even with shots being fired from over six different angles. A few bullets ricocheted off the blades, hitting the ground and causing tiles to explode beneath their feet. The fragments were immediately cut into dust by Penny's blades.
This continued, bullet after bullet being blocked, until both Penny and Asher were completely obscured by the growing dust, hidden from the view of both the White Fang and the soldiers and officers waiting outside.
The firing stopped only when the White Fang began running low on ammunition.
Then, an order rang out: "Cease fire!"
The sharp sounds of gunfire abruptly ceased, replaced by the eerie quiet, broken only by the crackling of tiles and the shattering of glass as a few bullets had passed by where Asher and Penny stood.
One of the White Fang members, who had just finished reloading his assault rifle, stared into the dust, muttering to himself, "Did we get them?"
The answer came a moment later.
A beam of light shot out from the dust, cutting through both it and the air. The White Fang member didn't even have time to react before the laser shot straight through his skull, burning clean through it. His wide eyes stared at hole in the dust cloud in disbelief before his body slumped forward over the stone railing on the second floor, crashing to the ground below.
His gun clattered beside him.
The remaining White Fang members stared in shock, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
As the dust cleared, Asher's voice rang out calmly, "Good work, Penny."
And then, in a jarringly cheerful tone that didn't quite match the situation, Penny responded, "Thank you!"
Followed by a lighthearted laugh.