When he raised his head, the wind hitting glass echoed through the room. The storm outside grew stronger, as did the relentless rumbling of thunder.
Had this been any other organization, it would have undoubtedly collapsed under winds reaching 1,500 mph. However, this was no ordinary organization; this was Site NA-6, one of the planet's largest facilities.
Ting!
Suddenly, a mail icon appeared in his vision. Gray took one glance and immediately saw the contents.
Unknown entity on Earth, Philippines?
His previously indifferent expression shifted to confusion. Why would there be an unknown entity on Earth? Then again, he wasn't a sovereign, so he connected to the pathway and sent the message.
Sixteen hundred miles away from NA-6, inside a meeting room, four men sat before a man at the head of the table. His silver eyes scanned them as he opened his hand, revealing a holographic mail icon.
"I assume you are all aware of its contents."
The four men nodded, though two of them appeared perplexed.
The man at the front glanced at the pair across and smiled. "Then we'll be expecting a response in a few minutes."
The two men exchanged glances before chuckling, their expressions gradually brightening, while the others watched in confusion.
***
"Now I know why you were late getting back to the park," Zach said.
Beside him, Danica chuckled as they strolled down the corridor.
"Yeah, Mom can be a bit more sensitive to clothes than Mother."
As they arrived at a large door, the rich aroma of food wafted through, making Zach's stomach growl slightly.
Danica smiled and pushed the doors open.
A long table covered in dishes from around the world stretched before them, half of which were Zach's favorites.
His throat tightened as he swallowed. Memories of his mother cooking adobo, his family gathered around the table, and lively discussions about school, friends, and life flooded his mind.
A gentle pat on his shoulder snapped him back to the present.
Danica's beaming face appeared as she led him to a chair.
Sinking into it, Zach marveled at how soft it was—it reminded him of the ones in the Ola Corp dining hall.
The rich scent of adobo filled his nostrils, making his mouth water.
Suddenly, the doors on the right burst open, and chefs pushed in carts loaded with various dishes and drinks.
At the same time, Selina and Charlotte entered opposite them, both elegantly dressed in evening gowns.
"Welcome to our dining hall!" Charlotte announced, spreading her arms.
Zach stood and bowed politely. "Thank you for having me, Mrs. Everharts."
Selina and Charlotte smiled as they took their seats at the front. Selina reached for a wine glass and gestured for a maid to fill it.
Once it was filled with a wine Zach didn't recognize, Selina stood and declared, "Today, we have a special guest. Everyone, please welcome our young lady Danica's first friend!"
Polite applause filled the room.
Even though the Everharts were the most prominent family present, the chefs and maids were all young ladies from other distinguished families around the world, sent here to train.
Despite his experience in countless missions, Zach's shy nature remained, flushing his face as he shrank into his seat.
When the maids placed the plates and utensils before him, it took all his willpower not to start eating immediately, no matter how hungry he was.
***
Clark entered the dimly lit room.
At the center sat a long table surrounded by the other commanders, who briefly glanced at him before returning their attention to the middle.
A man stood at the center, a metallic chain stretched across his mouth in a permanent grin. Beside him, a holographic figure flickered—Atlex, his white hair and bright blue eyes scanning the room.
"Take a seat, Clark," the man commanded.
Clark nodded and sat beside Zhang Hao, the army's vice commander.
"I assume you all know what Lincoln here did," the man continued.
Everyone nodded, some turning toward Lincoln. His actions had gone against the founder's orders, yet his foresight and intuition were well respected. Because of this, Atlex had granted him some leeway.
"At the moment, field officer Zach Galior is… eating at his girlfriend's house," Atlex said, a grin spreading across his holographic face.
The room erupted in chuckles. As commanders of their respective armies, none of them had the time for family except for one.
"You, as his friend, I assume you'll be the godfather of his child," Lincoln teased, crossing his arms with a smirk.
Zhang Hao turned to him. "Speaking of which, Lincoln, when's your wedding with Ronnie Anne?"
A flush of red crept up Lincoln's cheeks as the others turned to him expectantly.
"Shut up, Zhang," he muttered.
Zhang chuckled and looked away.
Ting!
Atlex suddenly looked up, his expression shifting. Though the others couldn't see it, a WARNING alert flashed before his eyes.
"What's wrong, Atlex?" The man beside him asked, his tone laced with concern.
Though only Atlex could see the alert, everyone had heard the notification.
"We've received a top-level warning," Atlex announced, his expression grim.
The room fell silent. A top warning signified an impending world-class catastrophe.
"Looks like we're going to have to crash the party," one of the commanders muttered.
Atlex, being an AI, had already pinpointed the source of the alert. Without hesitation, he dispatched a message to every comm unit and turned to the commanders.
"All of you—prepare yourselves."
His words carried weight, and every commander in the room nodded.
***
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Zach moved cautiously through the dimly lit corridor, carefully avoiding the cameras and sensors as he approached a well-concealed trapdoor.
While eating earlier, he had noticed Selina subtly nudge Charlotte. The two had excused themselves, and shortly after, Zach received a call from Oliver instructing him to follow them. Waiting until they were out of sight, he had excused himself to the bathroom.
Creak!
He slowly pushed open the trapdoor and tiptoed down the stairs.
As he reached the bottom, the sight before him was breathtaking.
The room was adorned with chandeliers, their warm glow illuminating the space. 3D screens covered every inch of the walls, displaying breathtaking scenes of the Philippines, America, Indonesia, and beyond.
"Man, if we hadn't seen the Ola Corp headquarters, this place might've been the best we've ever seen," Oliver said through the comm.
"Yeah, but you have to admit—it rivals Ola Corp's lab," Zach replied, sneaking toward an opening bathed in a purplish glow.
Carefully peeking inside, he took in the scene.
The room was covered in screens, leaving no exposed walls. At its center, Selina and Charlotte stood, facing a screen displaying an audio call.
Zach instinctively activated the recorder in his comm.
"Wait, you're suspecting us of inviting an unknown entity to Earth?" Selina's anxious voice broke the silence.
They hadn't even known an unknown entity was present, let alone that it had appeared in their household. But there was something suspicious—Anna. She not only shared the name and surname of the suspected individual but had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
"Well, our sensors say so."
A deep, emotionless voice responded.
Zach suddenly felt an eerie sensation, as if the person on the other end of the call had turned their gaze directly toward him, even though it was an audio call.
Selina and Charlotte stiffened, their eyes slowly shifting in his direction.
Zach froze.
His heart pounded as he realized his mistake.
He had accidentally stepped into the sensor's range.
An alarm blared.
At that exact moment, his comm emitted a red glow, displaying an urgent announcement:
"ALL OLA CORP PERSONNEL, RETREAT IMMEDIATELY AND RETURN TO YOUR DEPARTMENTS!"