The Gloomy Cave

The three entered the dark cave, cautiously advancing along a path that soon forked. They wouldn't separate, as Eliot thought that in movies, everyone dies if they do. While the agent hesitated about which path to take, one of his companions accidentally stepped on a hidden alarm in the cave.

The artificial intelligence at the base of the black alien transmitted brain waves to its master, informing him that the creatures sent had been exterminated. This triggered a mental roar filled with fury from the creature inside the capsule. Surprised by how such a defeat was possible, he decided to intervene personally. However, the artificial intelligence named Xen reminded him that he had not yet fully recovered, being only at thirty percent due to the mortal wounds inflicted earlier. "Damn subject!" he shouted in his mind, consumed by rage. "Then send out the second group," he ordered, to which Xen nodded, though adding, "Sir, there are intruders in the cave, and they are not forest animals like in previous occasions." Xen showed mental images of the intruders, and the alien recognized one of them. "Ah! That subject was present on the day of the accident. Capture him; apparently, he doesn't work for my associates. And what should I do with the other two?" he asked with a sinister laugh. "Do whatever you want; they don't interest me," replied the master, who continued recovering while Xen prepared his next move.

Xen activated the second group. He observed a large cage beginning to move and ordered, "Bring me the youngest subject. You can eat the others." An evil laugh echoed as the cage opened, and thunderous growls emerged, leaving a large hole in the ground before disappearing.

When Eliot was about to decide which path to take, a deafening roar echoed behind them. Turning around and shining their flashlights, they saw two enormous furry figures resembling giant moles. One of the companions pointed his flashlight upward, revealing two black beasts, larger than a professional basketball player, with razor-sharp metallic claws capable of cutting steel as if it were butter. When the light hit the face of one of them, the mole let out a sharp squeal and attacked with its claws.

Eliot instructed them to focus the flashlights on the creatures' eyes, as that was their weakness, and ordered them to open fire. The two men fired repeatedly, but the bullets bounced uselessly off the armored chests of the moles, who shielded themselves with their claws. "Reload!" shouted Eliot, visibly frightened, as he kept the flashlights focused. However, to their misfortune, the batteries began to fail. The creatures took advantage of the darkness to disappear underground. With only one working flashlight, the three grouped together in the center, but when this last light went out, blood-curdling screams were heard. The moles emerge again, capturing the two companions and brutally tearing them apart. Eliot, terrified, fired randomly without success.

Surrounded by darkness and paralyzed by fear, Eliot thought about running but didn't know where to go. Suddenly, a sphere was spat out by one of the monsters and encapsulated him. Both beasts carried the sphere underground.

Back at the starting point, the moles saw a humanoid robot approaching, nearly their size, who said, "Good work," handing them several pieces of bear meat that had once inhabited the cave. "We need to retrieve the master's artifact," they instructed, and the beasts returned to the hole.

It was Xen, now transferred into the body of a metallic robot with a monitor for a head. He approached the sphere and opened it with a laser blade from his arm, revealing the terrified agent inside. "Who are you, or what are you? What do you want from me? Why did you leave me alive and not the others?" Eliot asked in a trembling voice. The robot with the monitor face responded coldly, "You, well, your memories." Before Eliot could reply, Xen knocked him out with a blow to the back of the neck. An evil smile appeared on the monitor, accompanied by a chilling laugh.

As they made their way to Adia's house, Gat commented that it seemed strange for Elena to be named Aiden, as it was generally a masculine name. However, he added to soften his remark, "But these days, anything is possible." Both followed Podbe, who was leading them to the place where he and Aiden had been staying.

Adia hadn't slept all night, waiting for Aiden and Podbe to appear at the door. "What should I do?" she thought anxiously. "Should I go look for him?" Just then, she heard a bark. She ran to the door, opened it, and thought it was Aiden and Podbe. She was ready to scold them for being late but also to give them a big hug. However, when she opened the door, she only saw Podbe, a girl, and a muscular young man.

The young man recognized her—or thought he knew who she was. He hinted, "You're not." He looked her up and down and added, "I can't believe it; you're a legend among us from the..." But before he could finish, he stopped himself. "Though you look too young to be her, maybe you're her daughter or something, because otherwise, you should be older," he concluded. Adia, annoyed, quickly moved toward him and hit him on the head with a broom. "Learn to respect your elders, you rude boy. I'm Adia Lard, but I have good genes, which is why I look young." Podbe let out a chuckle as he approached her and began licking her face.

Gat rubbed his head, where a bump was starting to form, just like in cartoons. He apologized for his boldness. Adia didn't dwell on it and turned to him and the girl, asking about Aiden. "I was about to go look for him," she said, crossing her arms. Podbe let out a sad sound as Elena lowered her head and began crying again.

Adia lost her patience. "I can't understand anything if you're going to act like this. You, the muscular one, tell me what happened, because I see that the girl you brought isn't going to say a word." She was right, as Elena feared what Adia might do, having seen how quickly she had leaped from the entrance to where they stood. Gat responded, "My name "isn't muscular;" I'm Gat, and the girl is named Elena." "I don't care," Adia snapped. "Tell me what happened to the boy, because he hasn't returned, and only the dog is here." "Alright, I'll tell you," said Gat, but before he began, he asked his robot to prepare coffee and invited them inside.

Once in the house, Gat recounted everything Elena had told him. Adia listened attentively, her gaze fixed on the girl, who lowered her head every time Adia looked at her. When Gat finished his account, Adia understood everything and declared, "Let's go to your father; what are we waiting for? We need to save the boy."

Before leaving, Adia called Gat and told him to come upstairs to her room. Gat grew slightly nervous at the suggestion but obeyed. Adia told Elena and Podbe to wait downstairs.

Upon entering her room, Adia closed the door and cornered him against the wall. "How do you know about me? You were about to mention the agency but decided to stop. You can't go around saying things lightly," she warned. Gat quickly responded, "Calm down; if you're who you say you are, then you're an agent like me." "Like you?" Adia asked, confused. "Yes, I'm Gat Tales, better known as Agent B-Five."