"Hey, what are you doing?" Choy asked Michele as he munched on an apple. "Didn't you hear me? Hello, Earth calling Michele. Your uncle said we should leave. We should listen to him; besides, his gaze was a little scary."
"What? Really? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. What did you say?" she replied, snapping out of her thoughts.
"He said we should go, so get moving," Choy urged her.
"Alright, but first, we need to refuel the plane."
While Michele and Choy were busy with the plane, Jeff and his team advanced in two jeeps toward a location their contact had provided to the sheriff. They stopped at a place that seemed dangerous. "Alright, this is it. Let's go," the sheriff instructed. The others got out and followed him to a red door, where they knocked twice. A peephole opened, and a raspy voice asked, "What do you want?"
"I'm here for Ace."
The man closed the peephole, and a moment later, the door creaked open. A man nearly six and a half feet tall, with bulging muscles and scars on his arms, greeted them. "Alright, come in."
They followed him into what appeared to be a clandestine shop. From there, a man about Jeff's age emerged, wearing a turban, a thick mustache, and a long, gray beard. "Ah, it's you, old friend Jeff!" he exclaimed, pulling him into a hug.
"What can I do for you, old friend?" Ace asked.
"As I mentioned on the phone, I need your help. I need weapons."
Ace pressed a button, and shelves full of weapons, ammunition, grenades, and all sorts of gear rose from the floor. "For you, my friend, anything. Take whatever you need. And I'm sorry about your team, the fallen officers… and your friend, Ana."
Jeff nodded solemnly. "Thank you, my friend." He called over two men to help load everything into the vehicles. Before leaving, Ace grabbed Jeff by the arm and said, "Be very careful. Those people are extremely dangerous."
"Yes, I will, Ace. Thank you," Jeff replied before departing.
"Where do you know that guy from, boss?" Tecro asked as they drove.
"That's a long story," Jeff replied.
"Oh, I see," the young man said, though in his mind, he thought the boss had secrets.
"The short version is that he needed me. I defended him, and because of that, he promised me his unconditional support."
"That's impressive," the young man said, though he still suspected there was more to that relationship.
"Alright, we've arrived in the Nyeri desert. According to this, they were last seen here," Tecro said, holding his tablet. "Look, sir, over there, between those two sand mounds—it looks like a building."
Jeff pulled out his binoculars and confirmed that, indeed, it was a building. "It says 'Radar.' Do you think they're hiding around there?"
"I don't know. We should get closer," the young man suggested.
"Team, we've found a building named Radar. Does anyone know anything about it?" Jeff radioed.
One of the members responded: "Yes, it's a company that manufactures technology and advancements for healthcare."
"Understood. We need to get a little closer," Jeff said, and they began moving cautiously to avoid being spotted.
At that moment, Jeff signaled to one of his men to observe through the scope of the sniper rifle he carried. The man began scanning but saw no movement at the entrance. Suddenly, the two individuals they were searching for appeared.
"Sir, I have them in my sights. Shall I take them out?" the sniper asked.
"It's them, but no. That would be too merciful for those two bastards. It's better to face them head-on. Alright, we need to do something to draw them out. Getting them out will be difficult; that place seems fortified. It's not an ordinary structure," another voice noted over the radio.
"We might as well shoot and finish them off now. We have the chance," the sniper said, irritated. Without waiting for orders, he fired.
The bullet sped directly toward where the two stood, but before it could hit, a security protocol activated, deploying a barrier that repelled the projectile.
"What did you do, Jon?" his teammates demanded.
"I'm sorry, but I wanted to finish them off."
"Yes, but now they know our position, and they'll come for us," the others warned.
"It's best if we don't move," Jeff said firmly.
As everyone headed back to the vehicles, suddenly, they saw the woman standing atop one of the cars. It was Erika Vera.
"Hello. Some of you look familiar. Where have I seen you? Well, it doesn't matter," she said thoughtfully.
"How did you get here so fast if you were down there?" one of the men asked, frightened.
"Well, how did I get here quickly? Through an escape pod that leads outside in case of intruders. Anyway, I'm bored with you all, and now I'll have to kill you."
The men began firing at the woman, shouting: "This is for our friends in Arnoldstein!" They emptied all their bullets toward Vera's position, but when the dust settled, there was no trace of her or the vehicle that had exploded.
"Well, sir, we've taken her out. Now all that's left is the other one," Jeff's companions declared proudly.
Suddenly, Erika emerged from beneath the sand, attacking them mercilessly with short swords. With precise and lethal movements, she cut through and disemboweled those present.
"What do we do? She's just one person! Reload and fire!" one of the men shouted, but she took them all down, leaving only Jeff and Tecro standing.
"Ah, now I remember you. You're the ones from the orphanage days—the ones who ran me over," said Paul, appearing behind the two.
Tecro and Jeff drew their guns, aiming at both of them.
"It's useless," Paul stated coldly.
"So, it was you two who ran me over that day. Well, I'll finish you off once and for all. How's mommy doing?" Erika sneered, referring to Ana, her gaze deranged.
"You wretched woman, you'll die!" Jeff shouted, opening fire, but she dodged every bullet.
"Surrender, and I'll end your lives quickly. Or better yet, I enjoy it when you put up a fight," she taunted, closing in on them.
"This is the end, sir. I'm glad to have been part of your team," Tecro said solemnly.
At that moment, something took them by surprise, hurling both enemies far away. An unfamiliar voice echoed: "Well, I think I arrived just in time. Go, get in your vehicle and leave as soon as possible if you want to live." The voice came from what appeared to be a swirling vortex.
They passed by the corpses and loaded the bodies of their fallen comrades into the back of the vehicle. "Come on, sir," Tecro urged, seeing that Jeff wasn't responding. He was stunned, lost in thought, mourning the loss of more people he cared about.
"Sir!" the young man called out repeatedly, but Jeff didn't react. Finally, the voice from the vortex pushed him quickly into the car.
"Start the car, kid!" the voice instructed as they watched five figures, their faces completely covered, spewing fire and kicking up sand. From their height, they appeared to be young.
"Could they be orphans?"
"No, I don't think so," Tecro replied, starting the car and speeding away from the scene.
The voice from the vortex said, "Good luck. We'll meet again." For a brief moment, they glimpsed a robust man preparing to face whatever was coming.
Jeff, seated in the passenger seat, murmured to himself, his gaze lost on the horizon. "I failed everyone. They trusted me, and I led them to their deaths. How can I do this again?" the man lamented, his thoughts tangled in deep guilt. He couldn't believe he was the sole survivor. His mind was caught in a whirlwind of emotions: pain, anger, helplessness.
"Sir, pull yourself together. React. At least you still have me. We need to get out of here as soon as possible," Tecro said firmly, trying to pull his boss out of that mental abyss. The young man kept his eyes fixed on the road but continued to glance at Jeff out of the corner of his eye. The tension inside the vehicle was palpable as a massive cloud of sand began to form behind them, as if something—or someone—was chasing them.
When they arrived at the airport, Jeff no longer spoke. His silence was deafening, a reflection of the internal storm consuming him. Tecro, on the other hand, hurried to seek help among the crowd. They needed to return home after that bitter situation. Just as the young man began to grow desperate, a female voice called out to him from a distance.
"Hello, Tecro," said Agent Mina, approaching a group of armed men. Tecro turned quickly and recognized her instantly. She was a familiar figure, though not exactly welcome at that moment.
"We were able to trace your communications to see if you'd do something reckless," she explained calmly, crossing her arms. "And I was right. I would've done the same for Carlo. That's why I came. But I don't think it'll be possible now, seeing the bodies you've brought in the back of the car."
Tecro lowered his gaze, unable to face her directly. "No, ma'am. I don't think we can stand against them. Those people are too powerful. Besides, I noticed they came from a company called Radar."
The mention of the name made Mina frown. "Radar, ah… those bastards. They're involved in this. There's nothing we can do about it."
"Why?" the young man asked, confused.
"Because those bastards control everything. It's going to be hard to lay a finger on them. We'd better leave here. We have a plane waiting nearby. Follow me."
The agents accompanying Mina began moving efficiently, placing the lifeless bodies into black bags. Jeff, still in shock, knelt before the corpses, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. At that exact moment, someone took a photograph. It was the same image that would later appear on the bulletin board managed by Melisa.
When he looked up, Jeff noticed that the plane in front of them was Michele's. She had come to fetch her uncle, who was now in a catatonic state. Chong, one of those present, asked worriedly, "What happened to him?" But upon seeing the black bags, he could imagine the worst.
"Everyone, get on board," Mina said with authority.
Meanwhile, once the plane was airborne and nearing Arnoldstein, Michele received an unexpected call. It was the professor who said at the other end of the line, "Hey, girl, do you have time? There's work waiting for you."
In another place, far from there, in the villains' secret base, Maos returned to Aiden once more. His friends tried to stop him, arguing that the young man was exhausted.
"He's tired, leave him alone," Elena protested, but her words fell on deaf ears. Regardless of their pleas, Aiden was taken back to the machine. This time, Geros, the dark entity, was ready to receive him. All the combined liquids were transferred into his body, provoking a heart-wrenching scream of pain. When the process ended, Geros felt his body restructure, but it did not destroy him.
"This is excellent. I feel power flowing within me," Geros declared with an evil smile.
"The downside is that it's temporary, sir," Maos pointed out cautiously.
"Do you think I don't know that?" the dark entity responded arrogantly. "Let's go through the portal for the damn black stone." Both entered the portal, while Aiden remained connected to the machine, helpless and vulnerable.