Mutation Abyss-Chapter 56: Rules Didn’t Always Save Lives

"We also know that anyone with powers they can’t control, they either lock them up, register them, or worse. And now they’re painting all UMS as monsters-in-waiting," Theo continued.

Aries folded her arms on the table. "But they’re still the ones in power, Theo."

"That doesn’t make them right."

"No. But it means they have the authority. That’s reality," she said calmly. "You can disagree with how they do things - hell, I do too - but pretending they don’t have the power to act is just reckless."

He looked at her, jaw tight. "So what? I just fall in line and become their soldiers?"

"No," Aries said, shaking her head. "But if I had your powers... if I could actually protect people beyond this house-"

She paused, her expression flickering with something more vulnerable.

"I’d join AMSO," she said. "Not because I trust them, but because with them, I could go in and out of red zones without sneaking it like you always do. I could save people without hiding. Without worrying about being shot at by both sides."

Theo said nothing, but his stare softened.

"I get why you don’t want to register," she added. "I really do. But if you’re going to keep doing what you’re doing - helping strangers, running into classified danger zones - then what’s the point of fighting them from the outside? All it does is put a bigger target on your back."

He leaned back slightly, letting her words sink in. She wasn’t wrong. But it still felt like a cage either way.

"I just don’t want to be part of something that forces me to kill innocent survivors," he murmured. "The ones who haven’t turned."

Aries nodded slowly, then reached across the table and gently tapped her fingers against his hand. "Then don’t. But at least if you’re inside AMSO, you’ll have a say. Maybe not right away. But more than you do now."

Theo exhaled through his nose, staring down at the water glass like it held answers. He didn’t agree completely - not yet. But the thought of being able to act without always hiding, always being hunted... it was tempting.

Dangerously tempting.

"I’m still not joining," Theo said finally.

Aries nodded in quiet understanding, then gave him a cheeky wink. "I’ll always support your choice, brother."

Theo chuckled, rising to his feet and messing up her hair with a grin. "Now go to bed, Aries. I don’t want you staying up too late and getting caught again with Calix, huh?" he added, narrowing his eyes playfully.

Aries pouted and turned away, her cheeks flushing as she walked ahead of him. "You’re so annoying," she muttered under her breath.

His laughter followed her up the stairs. He didn’t miss the blush, and it only made him grin wider. Truthfully, he trusted Calix. He liked the guy enough to know he’d treat Aries right. So no, he wasn’t against whatever was growing between the two of them.

Still, it was fun to play the overprotective brother. Even if Aries was already twenty, mature, and more than capable of making her own decisions, he wasn’t ready to stop teasing her just yet.

*****

Red Zone B1, Argo Province

Smoke still lingered faintly in the air as Lexa wiped the soot off her cheek, her telekinetic shield flickering for a brief second before fading completely. Around her, the rest of her squad was gathering... tired, bruised, but alive.

Dax leaned against the side of the transport truck, nursing a cut on his arm. "Commander," he asked, glancing over. "What are you going to report about that guy? The one who helped the kids."

Lior frowned as he checked the drone footage. "Yeah. That AMS. He was strong, really strong."

Lexa didn’t answer immediately. Her lips pressed into a thin line.

"He slipped through," she finally said. "Too many lives to save. We were focused on the students. Priorities." She turned toward them with a steady look.

Lexa’s team nodded silently as she kept her eyes on the group of survivors being treated nearby. Her voice was soft but firm as she said, "These people were our priority, not chasing a man who was out there saving lives."

Mira crossed her arms and sighed with a slight pout. "But it was a direct order from the Supreme Commanders. Ignoring it might affect your record... and your efficiency rating as a Commander. You just got promoted to Class 1. Shouldn’t you be proving yourself, especially with special directives like this?"

Before Lexa could reply, Karyle spoke up, tapping her comm device with a faint smirk.

"Commander made the right call, and I’ll back that version. Let’s stick to this: the unknown man slipped away while we were evacuating the survivors from the third floor. Zeke and Lior went ahead to sweep the upper levels, and Commander Lexa stayed behind to assist those stuck under debris. By the time she cleared them out, he was gone."

She looked at the others with a knowing glance. "Same as always, consistent story, no holes. Just like when we let harmless UMS go."

Lexa finally turned to them, her expression unreadable. "We save who we can. If that hurts my record, so be it."

No one argued. They all knew that out there, rules didn’t always save lives. People did.

"But you know him," Mira teased, giving Lexa a pointed look. "So at least tell us his name. You two clearly have history. The bickering, the tension - it’s way too obvious."

Lexa frowned, her expression tightening as a faint blush crept up her cheeks. "Stop talking nonsense," she muttered. "He’s just some fool I crossed paths with during the meteorite incident."

She didn’t mention the part where she was originally assigned to arrest that same man because of a file lodged against him, sexual harassment, no less, filed by the very thugs who had beaten him to a pulp.

Thankfully, the woman involved had quickly come forward to clear his name. The police had dropped the case before it escalated further.

Lexa’s gaze drifted across another AMSO truck and landed on a familiar face, Beatrice Smith, daughter of Metro City’s mayor. The woman from that case.

’I wonder if she knows he’s in here...’ Lexa thought, her mind clouded with curiosity. Or maybe they’re still in touch.