342 Operation Stygian Crossing (part 1)

In a barracks on Avalon Island.

A red warning light flashed and a siren sounded. It was a call to general assembly, and all of the soldiers in the barracks immediately dropped what they were doing and ran to the armory. There, after they formed up, they waited for instructions and Athena appeared before them in their AR glasses.

"One minute eleven seconds," she began. "I'm disappointed. SOP calls for assembly within 60 seconds of the alert sounding, but you lot," she gestured, sweeping her arm across in front of her, "thought it was more important to get dressed than to get here!"

If they hadn't been standing at attention, the soldiers in front of Athena would have hung their heads in shame. Theirs was no normal barracks and they were no normal ARES soldiers. This was home to a Reaper battalion, and only the elites among the elites were housed there.

"We'll do better next time, ma'am!" they chorused at the top of their lungs.