Chapter 94: Four Across the Line
The extraction gate required two separate triggers. At ground level, a pressure latch had to be held down to release the lock, while the second mechanism sat high on the frame and needed to be struck almost at the same time. If both activated together, the barrier would open briefly—long enough to get Lucian and the supply case through, but only if they moved without hesitation.
Glitch could manage the lower latch, and the Falcon could strike the upper release.
Jin only had authority over one of them.
He kept the explanation basic, using short commands and clear gestures while dividing his focus between an impatient lizard and a bird with no obligation to obey him.
"You stay on this," he told Glitch, indicating the ground latch. His hand moved to the Falcon, then up toward the release. "You hit that. Same time."
The Falcon stared back without a cry or movement, offering Jin nothing he could treat as agreement. He had no guarantee it would act when the moment came.
Glitch had the opposite problem. He was already gathering himself to spring at the latch, and Jin could feel the urge building through their bond.
"Wait," Jin said. "If you press it before the Falcon moves, the opening is wasted. Go when I tell you."
Glitch stayed in place, but only just. His whole body trembled from the effort of holding back, claws flexing against the ground as he fought his own momentum. For Glitch, that counted as real progress.
Jin braced himself under Lucian’s weight, then positioned the supply case directly behind Glitch. One last glance went to the Falcon, still watching from above.
There was nothing else to wait for.
"Now."
Glitch drove his hardened claws onto the pressure latch and kept them there. At nearly the same instant, the Thunder Falcon folded into a dive and slammed both talons against the release above.
Metal groaned as the barrier opened.
Jin rushed through first with Lucian across his shoulders, his steps uneven but fast. Glitch stayed on the latch until the opening was large enough, then let go and hauled the case after them.
Their timing was off, but perfect timing had never been a realistic option.
The gate started closing while half the case remained on the wrong side. Its thick lower edge dropped straight toward the tow strap, fast enough to pin or sever it before Glitch could drag the case clear.
The Falcon turned in the air and hit the upper release a second time.
The barrier jolted upward. They gained half a second, perhaps less, but it was enough for the case to roll clear and Glitch to cross after it.
Jin stumbled over the extraction line with Lucian still on his back. Once he was safely across, he finally let his legs give out.
[Course Complete—Extraction Achieved]
He dropped onto one knee and eased Lucian down with as much care as his shaking arms could manage. Jin remained there afterward, dragging in breath as though the course had taken him across the whole wasteland.
The red colour vanished from the band around Lucian’s wrist, leaving it clear.
[Casualty Condition—Released]
Lucian began moving before he said anything. He sat up, and the Thunder Falcon landed beside him at once, its sharp gaze travelling over every part of him. Lucian raised one hand and whispered something too quietly for Jin to catch. The bird leaned in, resting its head against his palm for a brief moment.
Once the Falcon appeared satisfied, Lucian turned his attention to Jin.
"You need to improve your casualty carry."
"You were unconscious."
"Simulated unconscious. I still felt all of it."
"Then you also felt that I almost dropped you only once."
"It happened twice."
"The second one was controlled."
A small twitch pulled at Lucian’s mouth. He didn’t quite laugh, but he came close.
He stood, checked his balance, then studied Jin and the Falcon in turn. His eyes narrowed slightly, as though he were trying to fit what he had seen into rules he already understood.
"How did you make him follow your instructions?" Lucian asked. "He doesn’t accept commands from anyone except me."
"I didn’t make him do anything." Jin stayed where he was, one knee still on the ground. His legs had no interest in supporting him yet, and pretending otherwise served no purpose. "I couldn’t command him. I showed him why choosing the same thing made sense."
Lucian considered that in silence. After a moment, he gave a single nod.
"That’s more difficult than giving an order," he said. "For whatever that’s worth."
Glitch had been waiting for someone to recognise what he’d done, and his expectation had become impossible to miss. He shoved himself forward with his chest raised, pride pouring off him so strongly that Jin could almost hear it demanding attention.
Lucian looked down at the small Iron lizard.
"He’s powerful," he said, careful but sincere. "His control at the end was better than it was at the start. He also protected someone who wasn’t his handler. He did well."
Glitch immediately became insufferable.
Jin let him enjoy it for exactly two seconds.
"He nearly tipped the case over within the first thirty feet."
Glitch’s pride visibly deflated, his raised chest sinking as he looked away.
"Ninety-two percent," Jin continued, looking toward Lucian. "He owns the missing eight."
Lucian breathed out softly. It might have been a laugh.
The results appeared a moment later.
[Casualty Extraction: Complete]
[Handlers Extracted: 2/2]
[Registered Beasts Extracted: 2/2]
[Emergency Supply Case: Intact]
[Case Stability: 92%]
[Declared-Skill Compliance: Confirmed]
[Team Result: Pass—Strong]
Strong, but short of perfect. Jin had frozen briefly when Glitch and the Falcon gave conflicting warnings, and his stamina had almost abandoned him twice. Glitch still struggled to control how much force he used, while the Falcon’s cooperation had not come quickly.
Even so, all four had crossed the line. The supply case finished above the required threshold, and Glitch had revealed none of the abilities Jin needed to keep hidden.
Lucian’s coordination earlier in the course had mattered. So had the Falcon’s ability to make its own decisions. They had contributed as much to the result as anything Jin had managed.
Three assessment days were finished, with strong results on the last two. Jin’s hands shook too badly for either fact to feel like a victory.
Glitch was exhausted all the way through, and the work had made his injured shoulder ache more. Jin examined it once, then checked it again, tracing carefully around the joint while Glitch endured the inspection with fading patience.
The result was what he needed. The bruise had not become anything worse, his skin was unbroken, and the joint still moved smoothly. There was no fresh damage and no improper healing.
Glitch was simply sore and worn out. He had earned both.
Jin made sure he drank, then measured out the evening feed from a supply that looked more alarming each time the lid came off. After that, they began the slow trip back toward the dorm, Glitch staying close enough that his side brushed Jin’s ankle every few steps.
His phone vibrated.
[Assessment Day Four]
[Component: Sustained Field Deployment]
[Duration: Six Hours]
[Registered-Beast provisions must be supplied by the handler.]
Jin stopped walking, his eyes returning to the final line.
Provisions must be supplied by the handler.
Six hours outside meant six hours of feeding a 3-Star body while it burned through energy. Glitch’s actual growth relied on that fuel, and the same fuel came from a container that had already been reduced by two-thirds after the Sync and continued to empty every day.
There was enough for tomorrow. Jin forced himself through the numbers anyway, checking each portion against the days that might still remain.
He hated the answer.
Day Four would take a serious share of what remained, and that remainder still had to last through every assessment day that came after. Tomorrow’s test was possible.
Feeding Glitch properly once it ended might not be.
At Jin’s side, Glitch leaned his sore, tired body against his leg. He showed no concern at all. As far as Glitch was concerned, his handler would find an answer.
Jin always had before.
He looked down at the notice and then at the beast trusting him to fix this. Tomorrow’s assessment would not begin when they entered the field.
It had begun already.