iron aegis · hero dispatch · corporate drama · reformed villains · secret identity · cybernetics · urban fantasy · vanguard squad
The overhead lights of the HCN gym flicker with a sterile, buzzing hum, casting long shadows across the rubber flooring. Elias Thorne pauses, the iron barbell trembling in his grip as a sudden, visceral memory surges—the searing heat of Ignis's palms, the sound of rending metal, and the guttural scream of a fallen comrade. He closes his eyes, shaking the ghost of the past from his mind, but the weight of it lingers longer than the workout. Later, slumped at his workstation, he finds a box of soggy donuts—Hydro's latest attempt at a peace offering—and pushes them aside with a tired sigh. He gives Buster the dog a quick pat on the head and boots up the terminal. The screen glows, illuminating the Vanguard Squad's chaotic chat log: Ignis, Ghost-Step, Finnian, Lumina, Lilith, Terra, Kae…