Out of Science Fiction

69.

68.

67.

...

3.

2.

1.

The wait for the elevator to descend from the 69th floor felt endless. But none of them had the patience to stand idle. On their way to the elevator, Neil's team, which included himself, Chad, and Saiko, crossed paths with a lone terrorist heading in the opposite direction.

Without hesitation, Neil slipped behind him and knocked him unconscious. They dragged the body into a dark corner, out of sight. Neil stripped the man of his suit and weapons, handing them over to Chad.

While Chad changed into the stolen outfit and Neil secured the unconscious terrorist, taping his mouth shut, Saiko pressed the elevator button. By the time the elevator finally arrived, their task was complete.

The time it took for the elevator to descend had been just enough. Still wary of an ambush, Neil positioned himself in front of the doors, ready to strike if necessary.

To their surprise, the elevator was empty. Wasting no time, they stepped inside. "That was unexpectedly easy," Chad muttered.

"Don't get comfortable," Neil warned. "There will be more of them once we start moving."

With everyone in position, Neil pressed the button for the 86th floor. The elevator hummed to life, beginning its ascent. However, they are expecting something else to happen.

The elevator suddenly darkens, but the ceiling lights up. It is a digital screen, and as the elevator moves, a video begins to play.

The video shows a time-lapse of the Empire State Building being built from the ground up. A man's voice narrates, "Welcome to the most famous building, and you get to see it built..."

It is an introduction video for the building's top floor, meant for tourists. Every elevator that can reach the 86th floor plays this video automatically.

Neil's team is not surprised. This is not their first visit. What does seem odd is that the terrorists have not bothered to disable the feature.

36...

37...

38...

As they think about this, the elevator continues to rise. They will soon reach the 86th floor. At least, that is what they believe.

"What the!?"

The elevator suddenly jerks to a stop. The lights flicker, and the digital screen on the ceiling freezes mid-video. It has halted at a high floor, and the truth becomes clear. Someone on this floor has pressed the button.

As the doors begin to slide open, all three of them assume their positions, shifting into combat-ready stances. Their hearts pound wildly in their chests as they brace for whatever awaits them.

Rrmmm... Ting!

The elevator doors slowly part, revealing whoever has been waiting outside.

"..."

A man as tall as the elevator itself stands silently in front of them. His presence, combined with the black outfit covering his body, confirms their worst fears. He is a terrorist.

Despite this, Neil does not act, yet.

Unlike other terrorists, whose noses, eyes, fingers, or even entire faces are often exposed in their suits, this man is completely concealed beneath thick layers of fabric.

He wears full-coverage gloves, one-way transparent glasses, and even wraps his nose, allowing him to breathe while staying hidden. Despite being fully covered, his stance, style, and height make it clear he is a man.

No one knows why he goes to such lengths to hide his identity. Perhaps he is someone important, so significant that even other terrorists must not recognize him.

It is also possible he hides his appearance due to a serious medical condition, like severe burns, but no one can say for certain. The mystery surrounding him creates both intrigue and unease, leaving everyone fascinated yet wary.

Still, whatever they may think of him, he shows no signs of hostility. After a brief moment of consideration, Neil makes his decision.

"I don't want to cause any unnecessary casualties, and this man seems friendly enough... well, let's hope this doesn't turn bad."

He signals for them to spread out and let him in. Chad and Saiko are shocked at first, but once they grasp Neil's decision, they follow suit. Now, the mysterious man is one of four people in the elevator. He presses a button for a floor somewhere in the 50s.

As the doors close and the elevator continues its ascent, the group stands in tense silence. Any sudden movement or word could make the man suspicious.

But to their surprise, this terrorist is nothing like the loud, arrogant ones they have encountered before. He is silent, smooth, and highly professional. He does not speak a single word or even make eye contact throughout the ride.

The aura he gives off makes them feel as if he is a machine, programmed to complete a task with no concern for anything else.

Chad, however, feels something strangely familiar about him. His scent, his build, even the way he stands reminds Chad of someone he knows. But no matter how hard he tries, he cannot recall who. Maybe it is just a coincidence, just a stranger who happens to resemble someone close to him.

Despite the risk, Chad's curiosity gets the better of him. He subtly searches for any clues about the man's identity, but aside from his fragrance, posture, and physique, the suit conceals everything.

Then, the elevator reaches the man's floor. Without hesitation, he steps out and disappears down the hall, as if they had never met. Chad feels a pang of disappointment that he has not learned more about him, while Neil and Saiko are relieved.

Without further delay, they resume their ascent to the top floor.

...

...

...

"Dude, why are we even out here? In this cold, dark night, on top of the damn building?"

"In case you forgot, the terrorists promised us twenty grand each just to sit here and watch over whatever they built out there."

Two terrorists sit on the top floor of the Empire State Building, keeping watch over the force field machine. The eerie, chilling night offers little comfort, but at least they have each other for company.

"Bruh, I know this is part of the contract, but aren't we Americans? Should we really be working for the Communists?"

"Are you sure these terrorists are Communists?"

"Isn't it obvious? The flags they brought, the language they spoke, and one of them even straight-up told me they were ordered by Dmitri. The goddamn President of the Soviet Union. We are supposed to be against them!"

"Yeah, I know. I thought about this too. But do you realize that patriotism cannot feed you or your family? I have a mom and a sibling to take care of. Besides, unlike them, we are not killing or hurting anyone. We are just sitting here, making sure no one gets up."

"Yeah, but..."

"Come on, man. It is not like the world is going to end if we do this. The country will heal itself after a while, just like after 9/11 or any other war. Besides, it is twenty grand. Even if we do not take the job, somebody else will. Why risk throwing away a chance to change our own lives just because of guilt?"

"I guess you are right..."

...

"What the?!"

"Who the hell are you—"

...

"Neil! You are back!"

"Yeah. There were two terrorists out there. I knocked them out. We are clear now. Let's go."

They had reached the top floor a few minutes earlier, but Neil told Chad and Saiko to stay inside while he checked if it was safe.

And that's exactly what he did: he sneaked around and behind the two terrorists who were previously chatting and weren't paying attention, and when the opportunity came up, he jumped out and did some movement to knock them out.

Then he returned to the elevator and told the other two to move.

"Remember to keep quiet."

Saiko and Chad move cautiously, while Neil walks relaxedly, knowing that there are no other terrorists on this floor, despite the fact that all of the floor's lights are turned off.

At last, they have arrived at their destination, as they step outside the open air through the glass door, the cold wind blowing through, the temperature of the night, and the atmosphere at this altitude give them chills to the bone.

But something feels off.

'Why is it so bright out here when the entire floor is all lights out?' Chad wondered.

And he also realizes instantly what is shining across the entire ground of the top floor, and he also knows that it is the thing that they were looking for.

He turns around and looks up.

'Hooooleeee Shit.'

Chad couldn't believe what he was seeing. The forcefield machine... was gigantic, towering above their current floor.

The pillar holding the machine was twice the length of a school bus, and the bright blue ray shooting from its tip reached so far into the sky that they couldn't see where it ended.

The neon light emitted by the ray was incredible, casting an eerie blue glow over the entire area. The moonlight gave the scene an astral quality, illuminating the machine and casting deep shadows around it.

It was like something out of a science fiction movie, and Chad was in awe. He stood there, mesmerized by the magnificent, majestic, and seductive blue ray for a few moments, unable to move. The forcefield machine was even more incredible up close than he had imagined.

"Come on, we don't have time to surprise."

Suddenly, Neil's voice abruptly broke through Chad's state of hypnosis, bringing him back to reality. Neil reminded him of why they were here and the importance of their mission.

"Yeah sure sure!"

Chad snapped back into action, his mind refocused on the task. Since the forcefield machine was placed above their floor, so he quickly located the ladder and climbed up, with Saiko behind.

After climbing the ladder, the first thing they saw was a cylindrical giant pillar made of metals and glass; through the glass, he could see what was inside the pillar.

The pillar turned out to be a tank full of water inside, with something alienic in the middle that Chad had never seen before. It appears to be a cubic block of metals linked with some kind of large tube above it, and it emits blue light identical to the color of the blue ray that shoots into the sky, resembling Cherenkov Radiation.

Even from a distance, he could feel the shaking and intense heat radiating from that "block of metals."

And Chad immediately understands that those "blocks of metal" are the real forcefield machine that they seek; he was shocked to see that the machine did not look like something made by humans; it was sharp, rigid, and compact, unlike any things built in history.

The forcefield was already "out of this world" in the first place, and seeing the machine from which it originated gave him more reasons to believe that everything was created... by another, technologically superior species.

But he doesn't have time to think about it because his job here is to find a way to destroy this thing, not to admire it. So, as intended, he takes a small notebook and a pen from his pocket and walks around the machine to observe it.

"Saiko, can you observe and analyze the structure of the pillar?"

He also didn't forget to let Saiko help him.

When Neil hears Chad and Saiko discussing their mission, he confirms that they are doing their job and decides to leave the floor to go downstairs.

He wanted to conduct a recon in the building while waiting for Chad to finish his research, as well as to ensure that no one came up here and disturbs him.

So Neil walks away silently, leaving behind two children who are focused on their profession.

-------------SMALL NOTES-------------

If you're having trouble imagining, try searching Google for "Science Fiction Force Field" and "Top of the Empire State" to get an idea of what this machine looks like.

And get ready for the next chapter, where Chad's true enemy will be revealed, the one who will make him suffer and miserable for the rest of his life. (Or for the rest of the novel)