The room remained immersed in silence after Dr.
Frost finished explaining Aether.
Not the awkward kind of silence.
The heavy kind.
The kind created when people realize the world is far larger than they ever imagined.
Several of the holographic projections still floated faintly through the lobby, dim blue particles drifting slowly like artificial stardust before dissolving into the air.
Nobody spoke immediately.
Honestly, nobody seemed to know where to even begin.
The information they had received tonight was enough to completely destroy a normal person’s understanding of reality.
Superhumans.
Aetherverse.
Infinite energy.
Human experimentation spanning centuries.
And somehow the craziest part was that Dr.
Frost explained everything so casually.
Like he was discussing weather forecasts instead of rewriting humanity itself.
Adrian finally broke the silence first.
“So let me get this straight,” he said, leaning back into the couch.
“We’re basically genetically engineered super-evolved humans powered by cosmic energy from another dimension.”
Ria glanced at him.
“When you say it like that, it sounds even worse.”
“Worse?” Adrian grinned.
“It sounds awesome.”
“You would think that.”
“Because it is.”
A few people quietly agreed.
Others looked disturbed instead.
One of the men near the back rubbed his forehead slowly.
“I genuinely don’t know if I’m having a psychological breakdown right now.”
“You’re taking it surprisingly well,” another woman commented.
“I mean, what else am I supposed to do? Go home and pretend this conversation never happened?”
Nobody answered that.
Because they couldn’t.
Not anymore.
Damien stayed quiet.
His thoughts moved elsewhere.
Back through everything in his life.
The strange durability.
Never getting sick.
Learning things too quickly.
Always feeling slightly disconnected from ordinary people without fully understanding why.
For years he had ignored those things.
Now suddenly all of it had context.
And somehow…
That bothered him more than comforted him.
Beside him, Ria leaned slightly against the couch.
“You’re thinking too loudly again.”
Damien glanced sideways.
“You can hear thoughts now too?”
“No,” she replied calmly, “your face just looks like you’re fighting invisible philosophy demons.”
“That specific?”
“Very.”
Damien looked away again.
Ria smirked faintly.
At the center of the room, Dr.
Frost clasped his hands behind his back again.
His expression returned to its usual composed state, though Damien still occasionally noticed those tiny moments where the man seemed to observe him differently from the others.
Especially after the crystal incident.
“You shouldn’t all forget something important,” Dr.
Frost said calmly.
The room immediately refocused.
“The fact that you are Superhuman changes many things.”
He paused briefly.
“But it does not change everything.”
The holographic projections shifted again.
This time displaying military-style organizational structures.
Squad formations.
Combat divisions.
Mech deployment systems.
“You are now part of Verdancy.”
Several people stiffened slightly at hearing that stated so directly.
Adrian looked completely fine with it. The source of this chapter is g.com.
One of the women, however, frowned immediately.
“You’re just deciding that for us?”
Dr.
Frost looked toward her calmly.
“I already explained your alternatives.”
The woman clicked her tongue and looked away.
Not happy.
But also aware she realistically had no leverage here.
Dr.
Frost continued.
“In Verdancy, we currently maintain eight operational squad units.”
The holograms displayed heavily armed teams alongside mech deployments.
“These squads consist primarily of humans, android support systems, and mechanized warfare units.”
A massive combat mech appeared rotating slowly above the floor.
Honestly, it looked terrifying.
Damien noticed several people staring at it with obvious fascination.
Adrian especially looked ready to volunteer for war immediately.
“However,” Dr.
Frost continued, “your talents would be wasted in standard Verdancy squads.”
The mech projection disappeared.
Then a new symbol appeared.
A black insignia surrounded by blue energy rings.
“So,” Dr.
Frost said calmly, “a special division has been created specifically for you.”
The symbol brightened.
“The Superhuman Unit.”
The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly again.
Even the name sounded important.
Dangerously important.
The holographic structure expanded further.
“Within the Superhuman Unit,” Dr.
Frost explained, “there will initially be two squads.”
The sixteen glowing silhouettes separated into two groups of eight.
“Eight members per squad.”
Adrian smirked immediately.
“Sports team draft arc already?”
Ria sighed.
“You process world-changing information like a child raised by action movies.”
“And yet I’m still coping better than most of you.”
Unfortunately…
He kind of had a point.
Dr.
Frost walked slowly around the floating projections.
“As head of the Superhuman Unit,” he continued, “I retain authority over squad appointments.”
Several people straightened slightly now.
Because they all knew what was coming next.
Dr.
Frost raised one hand toward Adrian.
“For the first squad…”
The hologram highlighted one side.
“The appointed captain will be Adrian Vale.”
Adrian grinned instantly.
“Well obviously.”
Several people immediately looked annoyed.
One guy muttered, “This is going to become unbearable fast.”
Adrian heard him.
“You’ll survive.”
“Debatable.”
Dr.
Frost then turned toward Ria.
“For the second squad…”
The opposite side illuminated.
“The appointed captain will be Ria Valen.”
Unlike Adrian, Ria didn’t react dramatically.
She simply blinked once.
Then nodded calmly.
“Understood.”
Adrian pointed toward her immediately.
“See? That’s captain energy right there.”
Ria stared at him blankly.
“You literally got appointed three seconds before me.”
“Still counts.”
“You are exhausting.”
Dr.
Frost ignored the growing side conversations.
“I expect both captains,” he continued, “to choose seven squad members each.”
The room immediately became tense again.
Because now things became personal.
Selection.
Division.
Teams.
Instantly everyone began subtly evaluating everyone else around them.
Damien noticed it immediately.
The quiet calculations behind people’s eyes.
Who looked strongest.
Smartest.
Most useful.
Most trustworthy.
Human instinct adapted frighteningly fast.
Dr.
Frost continued.
“Once your squads are selected, report back to me with all member details.”
He paused briefly.
“You will also appoint vice-captains.”
Adrian leaned back casually.
“Already building little kingdoms.”
“Squad structure improves survival probability,” Dr.
Frost replied.
“That sounded suspiciously threatening.”
“It was.”
The room went quiet again.
Dr.
Frost looked toward the holographic squad names.
Then sighed faintly.
“And finally…”
His silver eyes narrowed slightly with mild annoyance.
“You will create squad names.”
Adrian immediately lit up.
“This just became significantly cooler.”
Dr.
Frost ignored him.
“Calling you Squad One and Squad Two is not especially convenient.”
“Can mine sound terrifying?” Adrian asked.
“No,” Ria answered before Dr.
Frost could.
“You haven’t even named it yet.”
“I’m brainstorming.”
“That’s what concerns me.”
A few people laughed quietly again.
The tension in the room loosened slightly now.
Only slightly.
Because underneath the humor, everyone understood what this really meant.
Their lives were changing permanently.
And quickly.
Dr.
Frost finally turned toward the exit.
“Very well,” he said calmly.
The holographic displays began shutting down one by one.
“I’ll leave you to it.”
Then without another word—
Dr.
Frost walked toward the massive lobby doors.
The metallic entrance slowly opened before him with a deep mechanical sound.
Several people watched silently.
Some nervous.
Some excited.
Some clearly overwhelmed.
And just before the doors fully closed behind him—
Dr.
Frost glanced back once.
His silver eyes briefly passed over the room.
Then stopped on Damien for the smallest fraction of a second.
Before the doors sealed shut completely.
Leaving sixteen Superhumans alone together for the very first time.