Dormant

"We've arrived at our destination, Mr. Troy!" notified the pilot.

The new coordinates Xyron gave the pilot are on a Stellar-owned private island. A covert facility known as the Freedom Field Facility (3F) is built on the island. The island is located in the outermost extremities of the continent. The island is located 12 kilometers off the shore of the Galactic Empire. This island is fiercely fortified and will engage in combat with anyone who ventures too close.

A significant number of personnel began to arrive at the landing site as the Starjet dropped from the sky. Securities, scientists, and other staff formed a queue to greet Xyron's arrival. Everyone in the area lowered their heads in respect as Xyron stepped out of the aircraft and onto the ground. Soon after, a man in spectacles and a white coat approached Xyron.

"Thank you for arriving on such short notice, Mr. Troy," the man said.

Xyron walked right by him, and the man quickly followed.

"How are things doing, Dr. Vadelian?" Xyron asked as they stepped into an elevator.

"For the time being, we have complete control. We have eyes and ears all around the continent. Nothing exceptional has occurred thus far," Damascus reported.

"I received the report you sent me earlier, and it looks that you've already taken precautions and made early headway toward our main objective," Xyron asked as the elevator descended without giving a glance to the scientist.

"Yes, Mr. Troy! Everything is going according to plan," Damascus said. "All we have to do now is wait. The second phase of our plan will begin soon, and the target will emerge from its hiding place."

When they arrived at their destination, they went straight to the facility's operations center, where everyone came to a halt and paid respect to Xyron by standing up and bowing to him. Xyron sat in the center of the control room, where everything was visible, and one of the attendees brought him a cup of freshly brewed Black Ivory Coffee.

Damascus began to show Xyron the current status of their operation as he sipped his coffee.

"A sudden burst of unknown energy occurred two hours ago in the midst of Jurah Forest, 55 kilometers away from Morr Empire. The amplitude of the emergence is comparable to the four energy bursts that happened in the previous 31 years. It's most likely the intended target. It is, however, too early to draw any judgments. We will continue to keep an eye on anything that happens in the immediate vicinity."

"The closest location to the point of interest is Morr Empire. What are your thoughts on the target possibly appearing there?" Xyron pondered as he magnified the map presented on the screen using hand motion sensing to navigate the panel.

"The chances are high, Mr. Troy. Making a move in that empire, on the other hand, would be dangerous," Damascus confessed. "They could get wind of it."

As they continued to discuss the matter, the scientist began to act strangely. The abrupt changes in the behavior of the lead scientist are brought to Xyron's attention.

"Doctor, you're acting a little tense. Is there anything else you'd like to tell me? "

"Actually, Sir, I have something else to tell you!" Damascus informed with alarm and hesitation. "There's an activity happening in the Zero Zone! "

Xyron was taken off guard, which caused him to stop drinking his coffee. He quickly turned all of his attention on the scientist, allowing him to continue his report.

"After we detected the energy burst, the subjects got active. We find no heat signatures, yet our motion detectors are turned on. The cameras were also disabled and we can no longer have visuals from inside. I believe the target and the Zero Zone are inextricably related."

Hearing that report causes Xyron headaches. The Zero Zone is a vast territory that has been quarantined due to an inexplicable occurrence. Nobody, not even Stellar's most brilliant scientists, can explain what happened to the location. Three years ago, a study team traveled to a rural community to look for new plant species, but they never returned. The settlement, known as Hylos Village, was visited by a horrible and unexplained phenomenon that annihilated all biological life. The Global Health Organization (GHO) immediately forbade anyone from approaching the town, citing the increased risk of a pandemic. The GHO still lacks a confirmation that it is caused by a bacterium, but they have already assumed that it is. A virus or bacteria that is capable of annihilating anything it comes into contact with should not be overlooked. The GHO promptly seeks assistance from world leaders to quarantine the whole area affected by the mystery organism. Without hesitation, Xyron requested the authority to deal with the situation on his own. That is, Stellar will be the only one with access to the site. His ideas were not universally adopted because there was no benefit to be gained from it. Some leaders were puzzled why Xyron would desire the right to the land and speculated that the hamlet might have a deposit of rich minerals that Xyron is after.

Persuasion and cogency are two skills that Xyron has mastered. Sealing off the entire location is the most effective technique to keep the mysterious organism from spreading over the earth. He reasoned that he did not want a deadly virus to spread because it would be terrible and would have a significant impact on the economic trade between his empire and the others. This would also signal the end of people's daily lives. He also reasoned that Stellar would bear all expenses. Stellar will seek the right to the land in exchange for the maximum level of effectiveness in containing such deadly organisms unless they want to take part in funding a multi-billion project, which compelled the other leaders to accept his request.

Stellar then encased the entire area with a gigantic and one-of-a-kind dome. It was installed in less than a week, providing respite to the GHO. The entire globe was informed of Stellar's dome; but, as time passed, people began to concoct conspiracy theories and beliefs as to why Stellar locked the location. All of them weren't good.

Stellar discovers something horrible after weeks of monitoring and research. There was no virus present. There are no bacteria or fungi. The entire community had devolved into a lifeless wasteland incapable of supporting life. There is nothing organic left. There's literally nothing left. The reason behind it is yet unknown, but they can assure that there is nothing to worry about. Not until they uncovered something in the center of the community. To investigate, a team was dispatched to the center of the village, where there used to be a temple that is now nothing but ruins and ashes. The temple was destroyed by fire, but no other evidence was discovered. Finding some clues on the ground was difficult due to the big dome's darkness. Not until they examine the footage from the drones they launched. As the drones flew higher and higher, strange scorched patterns encircled the entire settlement, as if it had been sealed with fire. The entire village was deafeningly quiet until the team was annihilated. Everything was recorded by the drones before it was shot down.

The wisest decision Xyron had taken was to seal up the entire settlement. Because it saved the world from a monster who resided in the village. Xyron strengthened the dome and ordered the abolition of the aforementioned beast. Because it is the best course of action, he has stopped sending human soldiers and replaced them with machines. They were successful in subduing the beast and capturing the being. It took a year for them to finally weaken the entity and catch it in order to understand its nature. All they know is that it is a monster capable of wiping out a large population. The creature's discovery and confinement were kept secret for three years. It's something you can't tell anyone about. And, throughout the creature's confinement, it stayed inactive until today's report from Damascus.

"At this time, it is too early to make assumptions and send units, but I want you to investigate this occurrence and report back to me. Never, however, overlook anything suspicious, no matter how minor," Xyron instructed. "I am afraid that our plan will be jeopardized if those people find their way towards our target. Doctor, I want you to find the target before they do!"

"I'll do that, Sir!"

"Doctor, I'm returning to Stellar right now. Please inform me as soon as possible if anything happens."

"I'll see to it, Mr. Troy!"

As Xyron prepared to leave the island to Stellar, he received a call through his earpiece. After learning that it was the Galactic Empire's leader, Albert Matthews, he responded promptly.

"Hey, Xyron!" Albert said. "Please accept my apologies for calling at such a late hour."

"Don't be concerned. I'm not particularly busy right now," Xyron reassured. "By the way, why did you call in the first place? Is there a problem?"

"I'm just checking in to see whether you're all right. You're all over the news after what happened at the Vhyla Empire."

"Did something happen at Vhyla when I left?" Xyron inquired in surprise thinking that something bad had happened in the place.

"Well, you made an uproar across the globe and broke the internet," Albert said with chuckles.

"I don't recall anything ordering to break the internet. Wait, did I?" Xyron replied as he tried recalling everything he did earlier.

"Wait, you can do that?" Albert quickly asked in surprise.

"What did happen at Vhyla? I haven't received any reports about the incident you are referring to," he inquired as he scan all reports sent to him.

"The footage of you waving and smiling is all over the internet. People are going crazy and would pay serious money to get the highest and clearest quality of both photo and video."

"Oh, I thought it was something serious," Xyron heave a sigh of relief. "Well, I act out of the usual and thought that it would be nice to show them a little appreciation. I felt a little bit of guilt after discovering that the majority of them came from other empires. That's the least I can do."

"People always tell me why I can talk and reach you out so casually. People have this cold and rude impression of you. They never knew how tender you are…. Well, at least your fans still love you no matter what you do. Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"I don't really understand them but I don't hate them."

"Hey, kid!" Albert called. "I understand that you are extremely busy at work, but if you have any spare time, please take a break. Spend time with your friends, have fun, and enjoy your youth, okay?"

"I'm in my late twenties. I'm not as young as I used to be!" Xyron responded.

"What are you talking about?" Albert chuckled, "You're still our little Xyron."

"You and dad sound exactly alike!" Xyron let out a laugh. "I do miss them... Mom and dad."

In his final hours, Albert assured Xyron's father, Alexander Troy, that he would take care of him and treat him as if he were his own son. He vowed to Alexander that he would never abandon Xyron. Xyron is the last living member of his bloodline after his father's death.

"I'm sure they're very proud of you. We're always here! Please don't forget that, okay?" Albert expressed. "I nearly forgot! Next month, we'll have a celebration here. I was hoping you might be able to come?"

"I can't make any promises, but I'll see what I can do," Xyron replied.

"Be careful!"

As the phone call comes to an end, Xyron glances out the window and allows his mind to roam to divert himself. He takes out a gold double-lid pocket watch from his suit and stares at the photograph on the lid. It was a family portrait.

"I assure you, Father, that your effort will not be in vain!"