15 January 2110
The GPA Advanced Tech Development Facility in Geneva bustled with activity. Holographic screens glowed with diagrams and data streams while energy conductors shone blue and white lights on the ceiling.
The lab was a monument to human innovation with its pristine white surfaces contrasting with the gleaming metal of prototype weapons and devices.
At a workbench in the corner, partially secluded by privacy screens, Neo hunched over her latest creation. At nineteen, she was already the GPA's youngest lead tech engineer, her genius having propelled her through the ranks at unprecedented speed.
Her brown hair was pulled back in a practical ponytail, and her fingers moved with surgical precision as she adjusted microscopic components in what appeared to be a red metallic gauntlet.
"Still at it?" a deep voice called from behind her.
Neo didn't look up, recognizing Roland's voice instantly. "If you're here to tell me to take a break, save your breath," she replied, carefully locking a power cell into place.
Roland Cindercrest, having just finished military training at eighteen and already bearing the insignia of a GPA Special Operations officer, leaned against the workbench. His deep red eyes and the flame-shaped mark on his right neck marked him as one of the first generation Awakened, those whose powers ran through their bloodline.
He was among the strongest fire manipulators in the GPA, with a two star, B-class rating that made him respected and feared in equal measure.
"You've been at it for eighteen hours straight," Roland said, crossing his arms. "Even geniuses need sleep."
Neo finally looked up, dark circles under her eyes contrasting with the excited gleam within them. "I'm close. Really close this time." She gestured to the gauntlet. "The energy calibration is finally stable. I just need to test the neural interface."
"Whatever that is!" Roland said as his eyes narrowed to study the device. It was elegant despite its obvious lethality. A sleek armored glove extending to the mid-forearm, with subtle glowing lines tracing its surface and a node, a circular glowing area positioned over the palm.
"So this is it?" he asked quietly. "The great equalizer?"
Neo nodded, a hint of pride creeping into her exhausted face. "The Neo-Weapon prototype. If it works the way I've designed it, it will change everything."
"For the non-Awakened, you mean."
"For everyone," Neo corrected, standing up and stretching her stiff back. "Think about it, Roland. Since the day light fell, we've been divided into the haves and have-nots. Those with Lumina cells and those without. The Awakened and the ordinary."
Roland nodded soberly. Both of them had seen firsthand the consequences of that division, the social hierarchy, the resentment, the violence. "And this will help bridge that gap?"
Neo picked up the gauntlet carefully. "That's the idea. Right now it can't create abilities where there are none, but it can amplify, focus, and control what's already there, even latent, minimal Lumina cell activity."
She looked up at him, her eyes suddenly bright with possibility. "Imagine giving the equivalent of C-class abilities to those who barely register on the scale."
"Or making someone like me even stronger," Roland mused, extending his hand palm-up. A small flame danced above his skin.
"Exactly," Neo said, excitement creeping into her voice. "But it's not just about making weapons. It's about giving humanity a fighting chance against what's out there."
Both of them fell silent for a moment, thinking about the creatures that had appeared on other planets during those strange forty-eight hours, four minutes, and eight seconds when the green light had poured from the sky.
While Earth had been transformed by the emergence of Lumina cells and human Awakened, the other planets in the solar system had spawned something far more terrifying.
The beast, as they were simply called, defied biological classification. They could survive in the vacuum of space but couldn't escape the planet's atmosphere. They had overrun Mars, Venus, and almost every other planet known to mankind, slaughtering the early space colonists before Earth even understood what was happening.
The only thing keeping the beasts on other planets away from those living there were the forcefields and domes. These provided the necessary requirements to survive in in space, avoiding problems such as improper gravity, lack of oxygen, water, and other essential resources.
And although none of these powerful creatures appeared on Earth, plants and animals were still able to absorb Lumina energy, evolving into various beast types. Some of these evolved beasts even developed basic intelligence.
"The colonization domes are holding," Roland said quietly, "but barely. Every time we establish a new outpost, the creatures adapt. They're evolving faster than our defenses."
Neo nodded grimly. "That's why this matters. The GPA can't keep relying exclusively on high-level Awakened for defense. There aren't enough of you, and the monster population keeps growing." She set the gauntlet down carefully. "With Neo-Weapons, even F-class and non-Awakened personnel could contribute meaningfully to humanity's survival."
"Ready to test it?" Roland asked, eyeing the device with newfound respect.
Neo nodded, picking up the gauntlet again and extending it toward him. "Would you do the honors? It's calibrated for fire manipulation."
Roland hesitated only briefly before slipping his right hand into the gauntlet. It adjusted automatically to fit his larger hand, the metal segments shifting with a soft vibration. The glowing lines brightened as it sensed his Lumina cells.
"Neural interface activating," Neo said, monitoring a nearby holographic screen. "Try a small flame, maybe ten percent of your usual output."
Roland extended his gauntleted hand and concentrated. A familiar warmth built in his palm, but instead of the expected flame, the gauntlet's circular node glowed bright orange. A heartbeat later, a perfectly controlled stream of fire shot forward, twice as intense as Roland had intended but completely stable, there was no flickering of normal flames, no heat loss, just pure concentrated energy.
"Incredible," he breathed, cutting off the flame. "The focus is... I've never had this level of precision before."
Neo's tired face broke into a genuine smile. "And that's just the beginning. The gauntlet is learning your neural patterns. Try something more complex."
Roland nodded and extended his hand again. This time, he attempted a technique that usually required intense concentration, a spiraling fire vortex that he could maintain for only a few minutes under normal circumstances.
With the gauntlet, the fire sprang forth in a perfect helix, spinning rapidly but remaining completely under his control. He held it for nearly thirty seconds before voluntarily releasing it, not from exhaustion but from sheer amazement.
"This is..." he trailed off, staring at the gauntlet with newfound respect. "Neo, do you realize what you've created here?"
"I have some idea," she replied, already making notes on her tablet. "The energy efficiency is even better than I expected. You used approximately thirty percent less Lumina cell energy while producing nearly double the output."
Roland carefully removed the gauntlet and placed it back on the workbench. "The GPA high command is going to want this deployed immediately."