"Hey, kid, watch your mouth," Thomas snapped, clearly annoyed. "I'm only in my thirties. How the hell does that make me old?"
"He's not part of our team," Vivian cut in, her tone flat.
Ethan rolled his eyes. "Then why are you dragging around dead weight like this? He's not even Awakened—just a Tier 3 Enhanced. What's he gonna do, moral support?"
He'd already sized Thomas up with a glance. No aura, no edge. Just another mid-tier Enhanced with a government badge and a self-important attitude.
Thomas, trying to salvage the moment, stepped forward and offered a hand. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Thomas, assistant to Mayor Marks of Starlight City."
Ethan didn't take the hand. Instead, he looked at Vivian.
"Government?"
"Technically Safe Zone Authority now," she said.
Ethan turned back to Thomas, unimpressed. "Safe Zone Authority's got time to burn, huh? So many people out there still need rescuing, and you're tagging along with a student squad?"
