Starting out as a Dragon Slave
Chapter 146: Crisis Unit (Part 1)

Chapter 146: Chapter 146: Crisis Unit (Part 1)

One hundred meters beneath the Hôtel des Invalides, hidden behind three levels of biometric security and reinforced alloy walls designed to withstand even category A dimensional assaults, the Operational Center for Interdimensional Threat Response (OCITR) buzzed with frantic activity. This bunker, built in utmost secrecy after the first breach of 2017, represented France’s ultimate strategic bulwark against disasters beyond human comprehension.

The main room, dubbed "the Hexagon" in reference to both its shape and the territory it was meant to protect, was dominated by a complex central holographic device projecting a real-time three-dimensional reconstruction of Paris. Around this representation, six sectorial command stations were methodically organized: Intelligence, Tactics, Logistics, Communications, Dimensional Analysis, and Hunter Coordination.

The atmosphere, usually controlled, now vibrated with electric tension. Wall screens continuously broadcast images from observation drones and still-operational surveillance cameras. Predictive algorithms displayed vertiginous escalation curves on lateral monitors, while operators, with pale faces but precise gestures, transmitted code sequences to field teams.

At the exact center of this setup, Adrien Valcourt observed the strategic map, his perfectly still body contrasting with the surrounding chaos. At fifty-six, the man embodied authority with an almost supernatural economy of movement. His graying hair, cut short to military standards, framed a face chiseled by decades of confrontations with the unspeakable. But it was especially his eyes polar blue, abnormally clear – that commanded attention. These eyes had stared unflinchingly at abominations from other worlds, and retained a particular gleam, recognizable among thousands by those who knew.

Adrien hadn’t been just a simple rank A hunter. For twenty-three years, he had led the legendary Lazarus Section, a specialized intervention unit for major dimensional incursions, before three broken ribs and prolonged exposure to the corrupted energies of the Lyon Breach forced him to accept this administrative position. National Coordinator of Dimensional Operations NCDO a title he had always regarded with a hint of bitter irony, until today.

Because today, for the first time since its creation in 2019, the Charlemagne protocol had been triggered.

- "Sir," came a clear voice to his right, "the new projections have just arrived."

Adrien turned his head slightly. Captain Léa Moreau stood beside him, tactical tablet in hand. At twenty-nine, the liaison officer was the living antithesis of the prejudices some veterans harbored about the new generation. Graduating with honors from the Advanced School of Dimensional Analysis, she had renounced prestigious research positions to join the operational unit. Her black bob-cut hair framed a face with fine but determined features, where shone a keen intelligence that even the obvious exhaustion of the last forty-eight hours couldn’t dull.

- "Present them, Captain," Valcourt ordered simply.

With an expert gesture, Léa Moreau manipulated her tablet. The holographic map of Paris instantly reconfigured, revealing areas colored according to a precise spectrum: green for secured sectors, yellow for contested zones, red for territories under hostile control, black for zones where all communications had been lost.

Black now dominated nearly a third of the capital.

- "Sectors 4, 7, and 9 completely lost, sir," she announced in a professional voice that barely betrayed the gravity of these words. "Dimensional signals indicate an abnormal concentration of Alpha-class entities in the 7th arrondissement. Our analysts suspect the formation of a major telluric node, possibly an anchor point for the third wave."

Adrien slightly narrowed his eyes, studying the data flows accompanying the map.

- "The flying entities?"

- "Behavioral modifications observed since 04:37 this morning," continued Léa, bringing up a new data set. "The Wyverns now operate in structured tactical formations, unlike the first wave which acted according to classic predatory patterns. They seem coordinated, sir."

This information provoked an icy silence in the immediate vicinity of the two officers. The implications were terrifying: dimensional creatures that adapted, learned, coordinated their attacks this exceeded all scenarios anticipated by emergency protocols.

- "And our forces?" asked Adrien, his gaze still fixed on the map.

Vincent Delcourt then approached, his measured step contrasting with the urgency of the situation. Tall, discreetly elegant despite his wrinkled shirt and loosened tie, the Deputy Director of Civil Security was the very embodiment of a French senior official: brilliant, methodical, and unflappable. A former diplomat reconverted after the public revelation of the first dimensional breaches, he had quickly climbed the ranks thanks to his exceptional ability to coordinate disparate resources in extreme situations.

- "We have consolidated the civilian fallback zones according to your instructions, Adrien," he began, automatically adjusting his thin-framed glasses. "The underground infrastructure of Greater Paris has allowed the sheltering of nearly four million people. Unfortunately, pockets of isolated inhabitants in contested zones still represent approximately eight hundred thousand individuals."

He paused, briefly consulting his notes before continuing with clinical precision.

- "As for our hunters, the situation is... concerning. Fifty-seven operational rank A remain, down from the eighty-three in our last report. Losses among rank B approach 40%. The AEGIS mana regeneration system is overloaded at 87%, and we estimate complete failure within six to eight hours, depending on combat intensity."

Léa Moreau then intervened, displaying a new series of tactical data on the central hologram.

- "We’ve identified three major points of resistance, Mr. Valcourt. Here, near the National Library, Amélia Leroy maintains a defensive perimeter thanks to her spatial containment spells. She’s currently protecting a shelter containing nearly two thousand civilians."

A video sequence appeared, showing a middle-aged woman in combat uniform woven with silver filaments, her hands tracing luminous symbols in the air while a semi-translucent barrier repelled winged creatures with reptilian bodies.

- "At La Défense, Victor Tréjean and his apprentices have been fighting relentlessly for eighteen hours." Another screen lit up, revealing a bald man projecting successive waves of elemental energy against swarms of flying creatures. "And finally, Arnaud Favre coordinates the defense of the Halles district, where the most massive offensive is currently converging."

Adrien’s face remained impassive, but those who knew him well might have perceived the fleeting shadow that crossed his gaze at the mention of this last name. Arnaud Favre – his former second-in-command within the Lazarus Section, the one who had succeeded him. The one who, according to certain rumors, had never accepted his mentor’s "operational retirement."

- "Mr. Coordinator," suddenly intervened a voice from the Communication pole. "We’re receiving international assistance requests. Washington, London, Berlin, Moscow, Beijing... All report simultaneous breaches and are requesting our expertise. The UN Security Council is requesting an emergency video conference."

Vincent Delcourt drew closer, instinctively lowering his voice although every word exchanged in this room was recorded and analyzed.

- "Adrien, we must consider the possibility that Paris is just one epicenter among others. Satellite data confirms similar anomalies on all continents. This isn’t a simple localized breach – it’s a coordinated offensive."

A heavy silence fell over the Hexagon. Everyone, even the youngest analysts, understood the implications. Since the discovery of the first dimensional rifts fifteen years earlier, the world had lived in fear of such a scenario: a simultaneous, global, orchestrated attack. The nightmare of military theorists.