Chapter 11 Theme: Plans to redeem!

Mark POV 

The city seems to have fallen into a great crisis. Smokes keep ascending towards the sky, demonizing buildings on every side of New York. The air was filled with rage; the enemies are indeed upon us.

Sorrow wasn't left out of the case; some civilians who couldn't hold the pain broke down into weeping and despair. The once bustling streets were now filled with cries of anguish and desperation. Families clung to each other, seeking solace and refuge amidst the destruction. We have failed to protect the people.

Despite our weakened state, our hearts still burned with an unyielding determination to protect and serve. We couldn't physically fight off the invading forces, but we could offer a comforting presence and a reassuring voice in times of darkness.

"Marcus, get the car." I ordered.

As usual, the car came into view out of the tin air, and we all hopped in, heading to the base where Dr. Henry summoned us during the clash.

After riding for what seems like eternity, Star Lab's state-of-the-art headquarters come into view. The air was quite intense, buzzing with both humans and robots working, machines were not left behind, and new improvements and upgrades to our suite all kept making the building busy.

Dr. Henry signals for me and my team to come, and we make our way towards him. The room was quite full of individuals, all thanks to that invader who still lurks in the shadows and has given us a thorough call of duty in all branches.

Before getting to Dr. Henry's office, right on the holograms, I saw different locations being set ablaze by the aliens. I saw some of our men killed brutally, consumed by the alien machines. With the countless footage videos of destruction on the holograms, one caught my eye.

It is still our men who are being killed . In this case, they were all on the same spot, which means they were all ambushed. And being ambushed means one thing: either we have another spy in here or we have fallen prey to their hands! Different thoughts keep flooding my head, but I discard them immediately.

I turn to Dr. Henry and ask, The city has fallen, and the whole world is on the verge of destruction. What should we do? I asked.

He bows his head in defeat. "Do whatever is right in your sight, but this world must be redeemed from the hand of our enemy.'

"Your word is our command." I said, bowing my head.

The blaring of the alarm bell draws everyone's attention in the facility. Dr. Henry leaves his seat and makes his way to the front to have a clearer view of the cause of the alarm.

Right on the holograms is the display of outer space, a gigantic, magnificently huge spacecraft hovering towards the east of our planet.

"What the hell is that thing?" Jenny was the first to question

'

"That must be the alien mothership, I guess." I heard Marcus reply.

"Whoops!" Jenny chuckled. "Like seriously?"

Since we came back, Kaleb and Joy were taken to the medical unit for treatment of injuries they sustained from the clash earlier. I know if Kaleb is here, he would have yelled at them to keep shut.

I turn to them and ask, "Can you please allow us to focus?" I asked.

" Sorry!" Kate apologized.

"Dr. Pierce,Why is it heading towards the east?" I asked her.

"Seriously, I have no idea of it," she said even more surprisedly, shrugging her shoulders. "And this isn't their ship; I mean those I feed information from here."

" Okay, but it's obvious. Where is it heading!" I said, diverting my gaze to the screen.

No, it has stopped moving. I checked its location, and it is in the Black continent, Africa. What on earth could take her to that part of the world? I mean, those parts are just black, nothing more.

I gave Dr. Henry a questioning look, and he replied with a blank expression. Right on the hologram, some ships began to descend out of the gigantic ship into the earth—the African continent, to be precise.

As the tension in the room grew, I could sense the fear and uncertainty among every member in here. But as the case may be, it is my duty to remain calm and composed, offering support and guidance.

"Alright everyone, let's stay focused," I said in a reassuring tone. "We need to gather as much information as possible about these new developments. Dr. Pierce, can you try to establish communication with the other bases? We need to coordinate our efforts."

Dr. Pierce nodded and quickly got to work, typing away on her console. Meanwhile, I turned my attention back to the holograms, studying the descending ships with concern.

"It seems like they have a specific target in mind," I muttered to myself, thinking out loud. "But why Africa? What could be so important there?"

Dr. Henry approached me, his face filled with worry. "I don't have all the answers, but we need to act swiftly. We have to assume that whatever their intention is, it's not something that will benefit humanity."

I nodded in agreement. "We can't waste any more time. We need to assemble a team and head to Africa to investigate. We might be able to uncover something that can help us defeat the invaders."

" Sir, we have a problem here." Matthew, one of the system operators, called our attention.

"What is it?" I asked, walking towards him.

"I just received a message from Star Ul that they have been invaded by some unknown being."

"Seriously? Can you tap into their server? Let's see." I asked, concerned.

"I tried to, but it seems something went wrong with the systems. I tried to do all that, but it kept operating itself," Matthew explained.

I turned to Dr. Henry again, grateful for his presence. "Something isn't right," I said, voicing my concerns.

"I sense it too; things are becoming weird now," he replied.

"It's really getting complicated," I added, feeling overwhelmed and distressed.

"Hey Mark," Dr. Pierce called. "I can't access anything from the satellite. It isn't responding."

"This is really getting complicated," I said, running my hand through my hair. I now understand that the situation is becoming increasingly complicated and intense.

I exhale deeply, trying to calm down. "I hope it's not what I'm thinking." I muttered.

"It's important to stay calm and focused amidst the chaos. We need to gather as much information as possible and work together as an organization," Dr. Henry said, placing his hand on my shoulder, "to find a solution. Remember, we have overcome challenges before, and we can do it again."

I stared at him and could see fear wash over his face. Well, I didn't blame the old man. He had been doing everything in his power to make sure the world never faced the same chaos as in the days of Rico, the Commander of the Legions of Mars.

The battle then was truly tough and vigorous, but with victory and the advancement of our technology, we were able to secure our victory, and it lasted for approximately a month. But in this aspect, it seemed beyond what words could describe. It was as if this invader had gained a lot of information about our world. I gnashed my teeth at the thought of that.

I turned to Dr. Pierce with rage, unable to contain my anger. "What have you done? I yelled at her, my voice filled with fury.

I watched as she flinched back in fear. "Mark?" She looked into my eyes, confusion evident in her face.

"To what extent have you fed them information?" I asked, moving towards her. Jenny and Marcus knew that this wasn't going to end well, so they both blocked my way, giving me a concerned look—a look that asked, "Are you okay?"

I ignored them, focusing solely on Dr. Pierce. "Move out of my way, and I won't have to fight you both!" I said, my voice sharp, and my brow furrowed in anger.

"In my presence, huh?" I heard Dr Henry ask behind me 

"Well, I would be glad if you fight your battles elsewhere," Marcus said, his voice filled with concern. "And mind you, you trusted her in the first place, remember? On the jet?"

"Well, fine!" I signed in defeat. "But you will pay for this! I assured Dr. Pierce before giving Dr. Henry a pained look.

I was about to make use of the exit door when the alarm bell began beeping again.

"Sir, I've discovered an army of aliens spread all over the Atlantic Ocean coast," another system operator from the far end of the room said, his voice tense.

"What's their mission there? Dr. Henry asked, moving towards him.

"Apparently, sir, it's a brutal killing of civilians on the beach," the operator replied, his voice filled with disbelief.

"Distractions!" Marcus exclaimed.

As the news sank in, I felt a mixture of horror and disbelief. How could such a thing be happening under our watch? My mind raced with questions, and I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of the tragedy. I needed to know more, and yet I was afraid of what I might find out. How could humanity have stooped so low? I braced myself and asked the operator for more details.

"What kind of details do you want?" the operator asked. "The reports are still coming in, and the situation is developing rapidly. But I can give you a general overview of what's been reported so far."

I took a deep breath and brace myself for what I was about to hear. "Please tell me everything you know." I said, my voice trembling.

The operator paused for a moment, then began to speak in a measured tone.

I turn to my friends, Marcus and Kate, not excluding Dr. Pierce. "I'm sorry guys, I know I have failed you and acted too rash, but we really need to work together now to stop those monsters." I said, glancing at each one of them. 

"And the same goes to everyone in here; you sacrifice yourself, time, and strength to serve these people that have been killed like animals now. They need our help more than ever before. We can all do it, can't we?" I asked, trying to beckon on their powers.

For some seconds, the room was filled with tension; the rumbling of machines and systems could be heard. I thought they would at least show concern for my speech. I ruffle my hair, feeling the disgrace baptizing me. I was just ranting all this while, thinking they were paying keen attention to what I was saying.

I was about to say a word and then leave them alone, but an applause from behind me held it back. I diverted my gaze to where it was coming from, and it was from Dr. Pierce, and Dr. Henry joined in almost immediately. Same goes for my friends, Marcus and Jenny, and boom, everyone inside Star Lab's state-of-the-art headquarters joins too. A smile creeps into my face. I am glad that we are back together again.

"Now, the teams are going to my office; we need to sort things out." Dr. Henry ordered. "Everyone, get to work."

"A boss will always be a boss. A familiar voice cheers me from behind: Kaleb, and beside him is my genius hacker, Joy.

I smiled at them and gave them a huge hug. "You are awake!" I mumble. 

"Well, it's all thanks to the antioxidants that prevent it from going deep,"Kaleb said.

"Glad to have you guys back." I welcomed them, and the rest of my team joined us.

"I guess the heroes are back in full force now." Dr. Henry teases.

"We are always together, and we will always be!" Marcus taunt 

"I believe you, Marcus." Dr. Henry complimented me.

"And what about me?" I giggled.

"You? You are the boss of the team, so stop whining at us here! " Dr. Pierce giggled back. Everyone laughs out loud as we keep cracking jokes.

Yeah, that is humans for you; they fight yet they make peace; they hate each other yet love still lies within them; war may rise around them, but that doesn't mean they do not enjoy themselves, and they will never give up, no matter what. That is why humans always stand, and together we shall conquer the enemies before us.

"So everyone, here is the plan," Dr. Henry called to everyone's attention. "Based on the situation, we have three current problems right now that must be quenched." He pursues to see if maybe we are all ears. "Now here is the plan: we are splitting the team into three."

"That's what I am also thinking." Kaleb said. 

"That means we are taking more agents from the auxiliary, I guess." I chipped in too.

" Yeah! That is it. Dr. Henry snapped. Mark and Joy would be handling Egypt; Kaleb and Dr. Pierce would handle the coast; and Marcus and Jenny would take on the issue of Star Ul lad. Each group has five more agents from the auxiliary making seven in total assign to each problems 

"Lastly, Mark and Joy, your group should stay out of chaos, stay low, and make your investigation neat!" Dr. Henry warned.

"Good luck, guys; let's dish them what they deserve." I cheer, stretching my hand, and I watch as they all join in; together, we howl out.

"Stay safe, everyone," Dr. Henry told us.

"It will be good if I sit back and watch." Geo said coming online.

"Mtchhhheeeeeeew!" I hissed.

TBC..