"Goodbye, I love you. Be safe. Take care,"Shake said as he ended the call.

"Who's on the line?" Stick asked, perplexed by Shake's increasingly contorted expression as they spoke.

Max, too, sensed a growing unease and had a gut feeling about the caller's identity.

 

After steadying himself with several deep breaths, Shake finally revealed, "It's my sister."

 

As Max's worst fears materialized, his primal instincts kicked in, urging him to,

 

RUN

 

"Alright, you guys handle it from here. My girl's waiting for me," Max hurriedly announced, rushing towards the back kitchen door.

 

"I'll let her know this is your party," Shake declared loudly.

 

Just as Max had one foot out the door, he halted abruptly, sighed, then retraced his steps back towards Shake.

 

"Snitch," Max muttered under his breath, glaring at Shake, who remained impassive as if nothing had occurred.

"From this moment, the party's over. My sister's arriving at 9 pm, and she's not leaving until 4 am. She's told me to order dinner, which means we've got less than 3 hours to clean up. If she sees the house like this, I'm dead, and I'm taking you guys down with me," Shake announced without any shame.

 

The entire gang stared at Shake with shocked expressions, except for Max, who simply muttered, "Fuck you." None of them had ever met Shake's sister except for Max.

Despite being aware that Shake had a sister, he had never uttered a word about her, even though they had been visiting his house for over three years. Every time they came by, she was nowhere to be seen. What puzzled them even more was the fear apparent in Shake and Max's reactions. After all, Shake was a local gang leader, feared by many, yet here he was, afraid of his own sister.

 

Shake continued, "We can dim the lights and use the same tricks we use for the cops, but we'll need to do more since she'll be coming inside. The biggest problem is that damn holes in the wall. Max, any ideas for the walls?"

 

"And the second biggest is getting rid of the filth in the rooms," Shake added. He had already arranged for a cleaning crew to come tomorrow, but now they had to deal with the mess immediately. He had no idea what he was getting himself into here, but he knew it was not gonna be good.

A few seconds later, Max replied, "Thin wood sheets, paint, duct tape, and a whole lot of luck."

 

"Stick, go buy them, let’s hope luck is on our side," Shake commanded without hesitation.

 

"King, Max, get things started here. I'll go and throw them out of the house," Shake declared, already moving towards the door.

 

"I need to find my girl. I'll come with you," Max interjected. "My girl's there. I just need to talk to her and I'll be back quickly."

 

"Okay, come with me," Shake agreed, gesturing for Max to follow.

 

After Shake and Max arrived at the house in the back, Shake halted the music and announced that the party was over due to an emergency situation. The crowd was not happy, but after promising another party on a different day, Shake managed to persuade the grumpy-faced teenagers to slowly leave. Meanwhile, Max searched all over the house but couldn't find Aarya. He asked some people, but what kind of answer could drunk teens give him? Finally, he concluded that she must have left. Max only knew her first name.

 

"She's not here," Max informed Shake.

 

"Alright, go back. Show and Rock went home. Go there," Shake said, leaving Shake to control the crowd while Max returned.

 

First, they cleaned the entire floor of white powder residue and bullet casings. Then, they tackled the broken wood pieces, clearing them away. Next, they took thin wood sheets and duct-taped them to cover the entire wall, extending their efforts to the door, which was missing pieces.

 

After covering the surroundings to paint, they applied the original white colour and dried it with air dryers. However, drying the duct tape proved challenging as it easily crumbled into powder. To resolve this issue, they resorted to using spray paint to ensure a smooth finish.

 

After completing their task, the once-hole-ridden wall was now seamlessly repaired and presentable. With the addition of dim lighting, it was unlikely she would notice any imperfections.

 

Deciding to focus solely on cleaning Shake's sister's and Shake's rooms, they all donned gloves and got to work. Using bleach to clean the floors, they replaced dirty covers in those two rooms.

 

By 8:30 pm, they were exhausted, both mentally and physically but they were done. Taking some bites from the reheated food Max had brought earlier, they gathered around the dining table. It felt like one wave after another as they joked around sharing the meal.

 

Max, being the furthest from Shake's house, bid his goodbyes after dinner and headed home.

 

Just after Max left, Shake's joking and smiling demeanour vanished from the dining table.

 

"What the fuck just happened? We knew there were drive-bys, but military-style attacks? What the hell?" Shake exclaimed..

 

Pulling out his phone, Shake dialed his boss, one of the three drug lords in the city. Shake was only responsible for overseeing just seven blocks.

 

After three unanswered calls, the tension in the room escalated significantly.

 

Shake then attempted to contact his second-in-command, but received no response. The same was true for the third and fourth in command, leaving the dining room enveloped in an eerie silence.

 

Finally, he dialed the fifth in command, and to his relief, there was an answer.

"Shake, Shake, you guys alive? Good, that's good," came the relieved voice over the phone.

 

"Russ, Shake is alive too," Shake heard his fifth-in-command report to his boss.

 

"What the fuck is going on? There were four people, military style, who came inside my house and we barely escaped" Shake said.

 

"Moscobar died," Nick dropped the bombshell, and Shake stood up, stunned.

 

"What?" Shake was taken aback. Moscobar was the original drug lord in California, a figure of immense power for years. In his last years, his influence had waned, creating an opportunity for relatively new drug gangs like theirs to thrive.

"Yes, he was assassinated at a funeral two days ago by a damn sniper. We only learned about it today. We were hoping to jump on the chaos, as the Mexicans are also fighting for the chair, but those damn 4BW bastards beat us to it. I'm sure those motherfuckers are the ones who killed Moscobar as well," Nick explained, his frustration evident.

 

4BW was the second drug ring to rise to power more than 10 years earlier than Russell's group. They were shrouded in mystery, boasting excessive wealth and employing top-notch weaponry and personnel. But they only had a few people, that’s why there was a balance and the origin of their new army remained a puzzle, as they seemed to pop out of nowhere.

 

Each of the three drug rings controlled different areas of business. Russell's group operated in the lowest-income areas, having entered the game last. 4BW dominated the high-income districts, while the Mexican cartel led by Moscobar controlled the middle-income areas, which generated more revenue than the other two combined. The other two factions were dissatisfied with their share and sought a larger slice of the pie. However, 4BW maintained their lead, causing tension among the rival drug rings.

"The whole city's a war zone right now. They're trying to take down both the Mexicans and us at the same time, man. How much power do these guys have? We had to face five military men here, man. Ten of us are gone, including Micky, Ron, and Simon. Russell is fuming. We're trying to count how many we lost. They attacked all head places right sharp at 6:30, man. This is like a damn movie," Nick relayed, his voice filled with disbelief and anger.

 

Micky, the second-in-command to Russell, was now gone, which explained Russell's fury. Shake realized Micky hadn't answered his phone.

 

"What should we do?" Shake asked urgently.

 

"For now, nothing. There might be a second wave. Always carry, alright? I have to go. Don't die on me," Nick instructed before ending the call.

 

Shake stared at the phone with a solemn expression, his mind racing with the gravity of the situation. The looming threat of a second wave clashed with his anticipation of his sister's return.

 

"Call everyone. Tell them to come here loaded," Shake finally spoke, his voice heavy with responsibility.

 

"Because of me, so many people could have died if Max wasn't here," he muttered to himself.

The rest of the gang swiftly pulled out their phones and began dialing their homies, 

 

Meanwhile, Max walked along the road, lost in his thoughts, oblivious to the world around him.

 

"Damn it. Damn it. Because of me, Shake and the others almost died," Max cursed himself, grappling with the weight of his actions.

"Good morning, class! Today's lesson will delve into the history of the heroes of the Galactic Federation."

 

Excited cheers erupted from the students at Medford Elementary School, their enthusiasm palpable as they bounced in their seats.

 

"Now, now, settle down, everyone," the female teacher chimed in with a playful tone. "I can see you're all eager, but let's keep the noise level in check. Otherwise, I might just have to pause our lesson."

The energetic bouncing ceased as each child settled into their chairs like well-behaved kittens, their eyes fixated on the front of the classroom.

 

With a click, the teacher activated the AR projector, casting an immersive display across the room.

"Welcome, everyone, to our exploration of the super heroes of the Galactic Empire."

 

The soothing voice of a female narrator filled the classroom, drawing the students into the story.

 

"Let's journey back to the very beginnings, where humans embarked on their extraordinary voyage. All humans originated from a single world known as Earth, nestled within the Orion Arm of the Milky Way galaxy."

 

An AR visual projected in the middle of the room.

 

"In those ancient times, humanity's civilization was primitive, and space exploration was a costly endeavor. They could only venture so far into the vast expanse of the universe. However, in the year 2030, two groundbreaking inventions revolutionized their capabilities."

 

"The first was the advent of nuclear fusion technology, which provided a cheap and efficient source of electricity, fueling their endeavors. The second was the invention of the iron engine, capable of carrying payloads over five times its own weight. Together, these innovations propelled humanity towards faster and more efficient space travel, igniting the era of space exploration."

 

"Just as we have different regions of space for various species, humans once had divided territories on our home planet Earth known as countries. Similar to the present day, other races were competitive with us in technology, military, and economy. They were the same. One notable aspect of this competition was the space race between countries, which fueled the rapid evolution of those previously mentioned technologies and intensified competition."

"For the next 800 years, it was a relentless race among countries to establish the largest galactic empire, each striving to emerge as the ultimate space victor. However, this competitive pursuit was abruptly interrupted when we encountered a formidable enemy: the Vertz aliens."

 

"These extraterrestrial beings engaged us in direct conflict across all countries, overpowering humanity with their superior technology. Despite our efforts to extend peaceful messages, any attempts at negotiation were met with violence. As we struggled against their dominance, humans also experienced a significant leap in technological advancement through the capture, replication, and enhancement of their damaged spacecraft."

 

Nevertheless, the reality remained grim: humanity suffered a devastating defeat, losing control over more than 10 planetary systems within the span of 50 years. Centuries of progress were swiftly undone, leaving us confined within our own solar system. Faced with this dire situation, the governments of various countries set aside their differences and abandoned their arrogance, recognizing the urgent need to confront the alien threat unitedly.

 

In response, they established a unified world government, known today as the Galactic Government, with a singular command center. To aid in their efforts, three artificial general intelligences were created to assist in both the war against the aliens and the governance of humanity, 

 

Aurora - she was entrusted with overseeing the daily needs and logistics of normal humans, took on responsibilities ranging from child education to medical care.

 

Athena - she was designated for governmental and justice affairs, as well as internal security, ensuring the stability and integrity of the newly formed Galactic Government.

 

Valkyrie - designed solely for warfare, specialized in strategizing and executing military operations, becoming a crucial asset to humanity's fight for survival.

 

The establishment of these three Artificial General Intelligences (AGIs) marked a significant turning point for the world government. With their assistance, humanity began to fight back more effectively against the alien threat. However, even with their aid, our armies continued to struggle.

 

Eventually, humanity found itself pushed to the brink of collapse, retreating to an asteroid belt that served as a natural barrier against the alien onslaught. It was a time of desperation, a fight for survival with little hope in sight.

 

Then, emerging like a beacon of light in the darkness, came the first hero: 

 

STAR PRIME.