The banners hung like victory scars across the silver plaza of District 6's Concord Spire.
Twin rows of holographic columns shimmered blue and gold, each one replaying a dozen angles of the same manufactured glory: Hernan Vale—code-named Rook—slamming his fist into the chest of a rogue Vaskari warlord. A split-second later, the alien's exosuit burst open in a supernova of light and blood, his body flung back like a toy tossed by a god.
The crowd cheered every time the loop restarted.
Hover-cams floated in formation overhead, each feeding clean feeds to the major newsnets, slicing the battle into digestible, heroic fragments. Somewhere in the city, someone was already buying an action figure.
