"Half an hour" ago, Sailboat Summer, 22:30.
In the kitchen corridors of the sailboat Summer, the rest of the group still on board was deciding Ari's fate. Hax waited by the door while everyone else filed out.
— So? Did we get any information? — Hax asked.
Michael leaned near the window with his arms crossed, propping himself against one of the metal beams.
— The guy seems talkative enough. He told us about C.E.M and that mystical flower. The interesting part is that he wants to "help" us.
— Seriously?! He didn't need any persuasion? — Hax said, cracking his knuckles.
— No, believe it or not, he’s quite the chatterbox. — Michael stepped away from the wall and sat in a chair. — Gather 'round, please. Let’s work out a new plan.
Everyone began to gather, sitting one by one in the wooden chairs. Someone else flipped the desk lamp on, illuminating the large RPG board sitting on the table.
— From now on, we’re going to use this guy to our advantage. C.E.M has the Relic of the Elements. If we want to retrieve it, we'll keep Ari as our hostage so we can trade him for the relic. If he’s actually on our side, we can use him to betray them later.
— How can we trust his word? It’s much more likely he’ll trick us and ruin our plans! — Hax exclaimed, leaning his arms on the table next to Michael.
— I have an idea... If Ari infiltrates C.E.M, maybe he can stall their plans before another horde of enemies arrives, — Kutro suggested.
— There is currently a 43% chance of the plan working. The biggest flaws are: how will Ari actually get the relic into his hands? If he does get it, he could use it for himself. Even if he obtained it, he would still have to make it past an entire organization before delivering it to us.
— Our plan then will be this: someone will have to pretend they’ve been captured. That way, Ari and that person can reach the facilities. B34, Miguel, and Hax will then stage a "fake" invasion to draw the attention of the heavy hitters. Meanwhile, Ari and the captive will break into the security system and sabotage it using Ari’s authorization card, disabling the system and stealing the relic.
— I HAVE AN IDEA! Maybe if B34, you, and Kutro crashed the security system, Ari and Vierius would have more time to escape with the relic! — Hax suggested, then suddenly raised an eyebrow. — Wait... where is Miguel?
Michael stood up instantly, pushing his chair back. Before he could go after his friend, B34 interrupted him, placing an arm in front of him.
— Michael Winston, to preserve your safety, it is more efficient for you to remain here to coordinate the plans. I will initiate the search for Miguel Abelburg, — the robot said, his mechanical voice lower and more serious, the light in his eyes narrowing slightly. He withdrew his arm and headed up the wooden stairs, which creaked with every step.
"B34 has been acting strange lately. Normally, he would only initiate a function when requested... he has been doing everything on his own."
Kutro moved the pieces on the board before confirming the rest of the plan, steadying his voice:
— Er... so after that, what would we do with Ari?
The boat's lights began to flicker one by one like a prison alarm. A high-pitched hum from the bulbs grew sharper until they began to burst, one after another. From the back doors, Ari started screaming.
— Shut down the engine immediately! The boat is going to explode!!
— What is this brat talking about? — Hax growled in a neutral tone.
The table began to warp inward like folded paper, reaching a point of impossible distortion, yet it still hadn't snapped in half. Everyone fell to the floor, crushed against the wood that remained firm. Their chests were pressed against the deck, making it difficult to breathe.
— Hold... hold on...! — Hax's Yaol arms began to grow from his back, grabbing each of the members and pulling them upward, trying to keep everyone conscious.
The doors slammed shut on their own, and the walls began to close in on each other, shrinking the space. Furniture was dragged and pressed together until it turned into particles, accompanied by the shrill, irritating sound of grinding metal and breaking wood.
The wooden floor began to crack as the pressure increased; even the walls began to buckle against one another. In a moment that seemed like the end, the boat lurched, being tossed in the water. Everyone hit the floor, faces still aching. The lights flickered back on as if they had never shattered. Once everything was illuminated, the surroundings looked exactly as they had before.
— Did you guys... see what I saw? — Kutro asked, catching his breath.
— What just happened? I was crushed into the wood... — Hax questioned.
— It seems... there was an... earthquake? Since everyone here felt the same thing... it couldn't have been a hallucination. Since it all happened so fast... it was likely an attack.
— How’s the one with the neat hair? — Hax asked, heading to the iron door and opening it.
Ari was in the chair, still tied up, without a single scratch or mark, but he was unconscious. Hax began to slip out of the room.
— He must have been compressed against himself and rendered unable to act, — Michael commented.
Kutro approached him, his skeletal hands almost touching him. He moved slower and slower, his blue Yaol visibly flowing from his hands toward Ari.
— Kutro, what are you doing?
— I’m trying to heal him...
— But how?!
— 1486. When I was already part of the cult, Lya taught me a technique that... somehow, could be used by other Yaol users. The Reversal technique. It can replicate the opposite effect of a state or an action just by touching it.
— Techniques that can be used by more than one Yaol user? Vierius told us that every ability coming from a Yaol was unique and personal.
— Vierius is right... He just didn't know about Neutral Abilities. These are abilities that don't belong to anyone specifically, but under specific conditions, can be learned by anyone.
— But... can this technique reverse things, like other abilities?
— No, the ability has to directly touch the state or action of something to reverse it. It doesn't affect time or space... But it can reverse someone’s ability by hurling it back at them.
Michael swallowed Kutro’s words and explanations like a surprise gift; he was still processing the possibility of being wrong. Before the healing could finish, Hax returned, throwing a bucket of water on Ari, soaking both him and Kutro.
— Wake up, you miserable brat!
— Hax! Why did you do that?
Ari began to cough, breathing heavily as if waking from a nightmare, his pale skin returning to its normal beige.
— All right, C.E.M member, what do you know about that "earthquake" that just happened? Were you setting us up? — Michael questioned.
— Earthquake? There hasn't been an earthquake in Spain since April 21st.
— We’re talking about that distortion that just happened, where everyone was shoved to the floor and everything started behaving strangely. Right before that, you yelled for us to kill the engine.
— Oh, right, fine. I’ll tell you everything I know. In the Atlantic Ocean region, there is a spatial distortion. Most of the Atlantic doesn't even exist anymore, and when you try to cross it, you're thrown out the other side.
— A spatial distortion? Like a black hole?!
— Exactly. What I know is that some ironclad ships had to go on a mission there. Probably some of the people involved are using a "barrier" around it to prevent any unsuspecting civilians from passing through.
Hax and Kutro looked at each other, confused. Hax gave Michael’s shoulder a light tap. As Michael looked over, Hax gave a quick wink with his right eye, silently saying, "Get straight to the point."
— All right, thanks Hax. Ari, if you’re truly willing to help us, I have a proposal for you. It might not be to your advantage, but if you want to prove your loyalty, you’ll have to do it. — He took a moment to sigh. — You’re going to infiltrate C.E.M and retrieve the Relic of the Elements.
Hax released the ropes and safety locks on the chair, freeing Ari from his tight restraints. He began to stand up slowly, checking the red marks on his skin.
— But of course, we’ll be tracking you. If there’s even the slightest detour, you know the consequences, — Michael said.
— Fine... I’ll do it without any detours, — Ari concluded the conversation.
Now, Albany, New York, 08:20.
Vierius wakes up in one of the C.E.M vans. The air is a mixed scent of ozone, carpets treated with flame retardants, and a faint hint of hospital-grade cleaning supplies. The thick layers of glass muffled the outside noise, and the leather seat was very hard and uncomfortable.
— Hah? What...?
He looks around, surrounded by reinforced black steel walls in the middle section of the van. In front of him is a multi-layered metal grate separating him from the drivers. Behind him is another layer of steel grates and two more armed guards staring fixedly at Vierius and B34. One of the guards had the mark of a reptilian punch on his face. He tries to open a portal but fails due to weakness.
— Subject Vierius, you are in containment and will be taken to the C.E.M agency, where they will decide your penalty for your acts against humanity, — said Agent Vargas, who was in the back of the van.
— I didn't try to do anything against humanity. Even if it seems ironic because of the incident in Boston, we were trying to defend the city from the invading creatures, — Vierius defended himself, maintaining his composure, almost returning to his natural tone of voice.
— And do you have proof?
— . . .
— Then remain silent, — Vargas finished.
B34 suddenly powers on, the blue lights of his eyes and joints flickering to life. He stands up in a manner that seems polite and then turns to Vierius.
— Current situation... Abduction. Activate defense protocol?
— No, B34, cooperate with them. We can't hurt more people. This is my fault for leaving the boat... I know it seemed like an unusual move, but at that moment, if we hadn't left, we would have died.
— I detected a high level of radiation as soon as we arrived in Albany. You appeared to be absorbing more radiation than normal.
— At that time, I was trying to manipulate the space we entered so it wouldn't close shut.
The vehicle brakes suddenly, the engine cutting out and nearly throwing Vierius against the grates.
— Exit the vehicle. We have reached our destination, — the driver said.
The front and rear doors of the van open. A hidden door in the grate is revealed as one of the guards opens it with a key, leading the three of them to the judgment hall. They pass through a reception area filled with cameras and guards at every corner; the polished white floor reflected the icy blue light, and the doors were made of reinforced camera glass with keypad locks.
Passing up the grey staircase and reaching the second floor, the guards open a metal door revealing a massive courtroom where low and high-ranking agents were separated. Vierius was led to the middle of the room and bound with chains alongside Galactor and B34.
A tall, well-dressed man approached the altar, aligning some papers and organizing them on the desk.
— We will await the return of the Council before commencing the trial.
Two floors above, far from the bureaucracy of the courtroom, the Council room smelled of smoke and dried blood. The members had recently returned. The atmosphere was tense and silent; everyone bore marks of the recent battle. Keon had red burns all over his body, while Ari adjusted hurried bandages. Lira, however, remained unscathed, without a single scratch.
— The counter-mission was a success. As expected, the Founder will come to speak with us. What is your status? — Lira asked.
— The alien ambushed me with a mountain of traps. I managed to disarm them, but I was caught off guard by the minotauro’s attack. I only took one punch, — Dax said.
— I’m fine. Fire can’t hurt me, after all, — Keon said.
— I ended up losing to a blast of physical Yaol. Regardless, I have terrible news. Kai did not survive the attack.
Everyone stopped talking for a moment to look at Ari.
— I am sorry for the loss. We must move forward for his sake, — Keon said.
The glass door suddenly slides open. A tall man with grey hair and a modern white overcoat enters the room, walking slowly with his gloved hands behind his back.
— I have read the report of the last mission. Failure will not be tolerated.
