Chapter 3: Artifact

"A-Adam...what are we going to do now...?"

"Claire, just...just lay low for now, okay? I'm sure everything will turn out fine..."

Adam calmed down his friend Claire who tugged onto his shirt, shaking.

"How can you be so sure?"

"They said they're just looking for something...as long as they find it, they'll leave. That's why just bear with it for a while, okay?"

"U-un..."

Claire nodded and appeared a bit calmer now after Adam reassured her.

What he said made sense.

If the aliens are only here to look for something, they'll definitely leave after finding that thing.

The others around them also heard their conversation and calmed down a bit as well.

["Hm? Hey! What's all that chatter about eh!? You better not be planning something!"]

The alien leader noticed their small interaction and shouted at them.

Instantly, the bit of calm that they had was gone and they all tensed up in fright once more.

Adam hesitated for a bit before speaking out.

"U-umm..."

"Adam! Don't!"

Jason grabbed Adam's arm, afraid that he might get shot for speaking out.

Adam smiled at him to reassure him but his smile wasn't very convincing.

"We just want to know...what are you all looking for? M-maybe we can help..."

Adam didn't really want to help these alien invaders, however, someone needed to speak up when that alien asked just now. Else, he might really start shooting at them if no one answers.

At the same time, he could maybe buy some time or learn a bit more as to why they are here.

The alien leader frowned.

["There's nothing you can do to help! Now keep quiet or I will shoot!"]

"O-okay..."

Adam raised his hand and slowly sat back down.

This alien seems a bit too suspicious of everyone and didn't even let out anything useful at all.

Just as he was about to give up as well, the female alien spoke up.

["Sir, it won't hurt to let them know. They know this area better than we do so maybe they know where it is. We can just kill them all later if they don't prove to be useful!"]

["Hmm...I guess that's true. Fine."]

The alien leader scowled again and pulled out a device from his pocket.

He clicked onto a button at the side and a holographic image appeared above.

The image looked like a strange orb with glowing lines engraved around it strangely and seemingly without a pattern at all.

["Has any of you seen this orb before?"]

The humans looked at each other as they shook their heads.

None of them knew what that thing was.

Adam looked at the orb and felt that he had seen it somewhere but couldn't remember where.

["No one!?"]

The alien leader frowned and pulled out his gun, pointing at the crowd.

Suddenly, Adam shouted.

"W-wait!"

"Adam!?"

Claire and Jason tried to stop Adam but he had already shouted.

["Hm? You again. Speak!"]

"I...I think I know..."

["You've seen this orb?"]

Adam nodded.

Although he wasn't quite sure, he thought it would be best to still speak up before they started shooting people again.

"I'll lead you to it...so...don't shoot anyone else..."

["Hmph! You are in no position to make demands! However, if you can indeed show me where the artifact is located, then there is no reason for us to be here as well. Take him!"]

["Yes!"]

The female alien saluted and went to grab Adam.

Jason, Claire, and the others tried to pull Adam back but Adam shrugged them off, afraid that they would get taken with as well.

After bringing Adam to the leader, the alien leader tossed four small orbs onto the corners of the area.

Suddenly, a barrier appeared, trapping all the humans inside it.

["None of you better think of escaping! Let's go! You, human! Take the lead!"]

The leader pushed Adam in front and pointed a gun at his back.

Adam raised his hands to show that he wouldn't fight back as he started to walk.

He walked slowly at first in an attempt to buy more time but the leader pushed him to walk faster so he could only do so.

Soon, they reached a small church located at the corner of the Sector.

Adam remembered this place as his parents used to bring him here when he was younger.

He could vaguely remember there was an angel statue placed behind the altar, holding an orb in his hands.

Although the orb he remembers didn't glow like the one the alien showed, the shape, size, and engravings were similar.

Sure enough, when the aliens saw it, their eyes widened in surprise!

["It's here!"]

["Bring it to me, now!"]

["Yes sir!"]

The aliens began to move. They didn't care whether this was a sacred place or not and simply smashed the statue into pieces in order to get the orb.

Adam can only silently watch them at the corner as he tried to make his presence as small as possible, intending to slip out when the time comes in order to go back and save the others.

When the alien leader finally held the orb, he grinned and rotated it along with the engravings.

As he finished turning the last piece, the orb began to shine brightly, almost blinding everyone in the area!

Adam saw this as an opportunity and quickly fled as he tacked the alien standing guard at the door.

["Brat!"]

["Ignore him! We got what we came for! Call the others and let's leave now!"]

The alien leader ordered as he stashed the orb into his bag.

The female alien nodded and pulled out the communicator.

["All groups return to the ship! Mission accomplished!"]

...

The female alien frowned.

["All groups, please respond!"]

["...What's happening?"]

The alien leader asked.

["I don't know...none of them are responding..."]

Suddenly, a voice rang out of the communicator.

The voice was cold and seemingly devoid of any emotion.

It felt like death's whispering in their ears.

"No one will answer. They are all dead."

["W-who is this!?"]

"The dead doesn't need to know."

["You-!"]

Before the female alien could even shout in anger, a thin blue line appeared at her neck and the next moment, her head fell to the ground.

The alien leader's eyes widened.

["Xenea!?"]

He looked around but saw nobody else with them.

["A-all of you! Shoot!"]

"They are all dead as well."

More heads fell onto the ground.

The alien leader gritted his teeth and quickly wore his visor to turn on other modes of vision.

Thermal vision...x-ray vision...infrared vision...even sonar vision made using echolocation, there was no one around him at all.

However, he was able to catch a glimpse of something else.

A very thin thread...

Without knowing it, his whole body was already covered with such threads.

Meanwhile, from another street away, a man with a faceless mask held onto a communicator.

He wore a special glove with threads coming out of his palm.

He grabbed onto the threads and pulled slightly.

"This is for holding my students hostage."

["Who-!?"]

Back in the church, pieces of alien meat fell off the ground.

A faceless man entered the scene and looked around.

He took the alien leader's bag and picked the glowing orb inside.

"What is this?"

Although he didn't know what it was, it was clear what these aliens wanted so desperately.

Since that was the case, he took it for now and decided to study it later.

His figure disappeared again and soon reappeared in the open area where the hostages are.

Adam had also gotten back and destroyed the small orbs to get rid of the barrier in order to get everyone out.

After making sure they were all safe, the faceless man disappeared again.

Adam seemed to have felt something and looked around him but wasn't able to see anything.

He shook his head and quickly helped everyone.

"Come on! Let's go to the station! The police or military should've breached through by now!"

"Let's go! Let's go!"

"Quick!"

Just in time, the military had breached through the debris and finally cleared the area.

They saw the hostages and quickly escorted them down to Sector 16 while the rest of the soldiers moved out in an attempt to get rid of all alien invaders.

After some time, they could only look at each other in confusion as they saw the numerous dead bodies of the aliens in the Sector.

They had all come in high geared up and ready for a fight but...it seems the fight is already over?

Then, just as they were all about to deal with the alien spaceship outside...

*BOOM*

The whole spaceship exploded.

"Just what...is happening?"

Everyone was confused.

Did they win?

It certainly feels like they won.

But...how???

Sector 20, in a certain apartment.

Lucas tossed a remote controller into the couch and he sighed.

"I must be getting old. I almost forgot to blow up their ship. Sigh..."