Leeches in Debris.

– DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE : THE PENTAGON –

0600 hours. Rhythmic footsteps echo throughout the halls, as men with straightened posture and purposeful strides fill the building. Some high class civilians roam as well, most of them carrying mugs filled to the top with coffee in one hand, and mountains of paperwork in the other. For some reason today at the Pentagon, life was busy. And people were highly stressed.

A man marches throughout the main corridors. 

His stature is tall, and his muscular build nearly as wide as the halls themselves. His eyes were sharp, attentive, and straight. His uniform, even straighter. 

Five golden stars atop both his shoulders gleam in the lighting of the building, and he approaches an elevator.

Enter, General Lyons.

As he walks past, two officers render a passing salute,

"Morning, sir."

"Carry on."

He salutes them back as he passes.

He takes off both gloves that came as part of his dress uniform, and gently taps the down button on the elevator. Without much of a wait, the elevator chimes, and the doors swing open. A mixture of uniformed and civilian folks pour out of the elevator, all of which give him a salute before they leave.

"Good morning, Sir."

"Morning."

He returns their salutes with a tired greet of his own. Entering the empty elevator afterwards.

Facial recognition projects outwards and scans the man's face. Shortly after, the digital face of a robotic woman appears on the screen.

"Good morning, General. Where would you like to go?"

"Floor 37B. Meeting level."

"Understood."

The screen flickers back into a regular panel of information, followed shortly by the machine's sudden descent. The elevator was quick, nearly quick enough to lift the large general off of his feet.

Shortly after, the doors open towards the requested floor.

The man steps out, and rounds a corner. Coming to a stop in front of a glass soundproof door. He opened it up, met with a collection of high ranking officials, sat at a circular meeting table along with... Brett Syphon.

"Syphon. What's the meaning of this?"

He takes a seat, next to the secretary of defense.

Sprawled out across the table, is an abundance of images. All detailing shots of Syphon Tower, the underground laboratories, and most importantly... Lex and Gemini.

Brett, initially relaxed in his chair, sits up towards the table to address the topic at hand. He twirls around a presentation remote on his index finger.

"Good morning, Sir. Allow me to catch you up on the incident..."

The lights in the room dim, as everyone's attention is brought to the projector screen.

"Early this week, Syphon Tower was unfortunately infiltrated by... Terrorist spies."

An image of a brown haired girl with glasses shows up. She was dressed in a lab coat, curiously exploring syphon's laboratories. Conveniently, the footage was distorted and even... Blurred in some areas.

"Stella, is the alias she applied under."

The scene flickers, cutting to a still frame of 'Stella' freeing her natural hair, and... Ears from her wig.

"A fraudulent title she used to gain the clearance needed to get inside the building... She wasn't even an agent qualified to even be down there."

Images are shown of her attacking an agent. And, aftermath markings of what she presumably did to him. That scientist she attacked somehow turned up... Dead. And not only did he show scarring from some unknown burning weapon, but there were cuts and rips along nearly every inch of his flesh.

Disgusted murmuring erupts within the room, as many people turn away from the projection.

"..."

The General however, maintains his glare at the screen. It bothered him not.

"I arrived at the scene shortly after. But, by that time I was too late." 

Multiple images are shown of holes through the building.

"That woman got away... And just as she slipped off, a high velocity missile tore straight through my tower!"

He scoffs.

"Apologies... Excuse my tone, I'm still a little shaken up..."

The lights cut back on, and he spins back to face the gathered crowd.

"So, here's my idea-"

Syphon is cut off by the General's raised finger.

"So, let me get this straight."

Syphon nods, awaiting the man to continue.

"You gathered all of us here, compiled these images, and developed this presentation to... Explain your failures?"

"Respectfully, Dr. Syphon... How are we supposed to trust your tech and weaponry if the main development factory is infiltrated and attacked this easily? By a woman with... Cat ears?"

He leans back in his chair, crossing his arms as he glares at Syphon with disappointment.

"I'm really starting to doubt your company as a producer of this country's weapon systems. All this security, and you tell me something like this happens overnight...? What does that say about our soldiers using your gear overseas?"

"Sir, we-"

"Your program is on thin ice, Syphon. What could possibly save you from the grave you've dug yourself now?"

"..."

Brett sits back, adjusting his collar as he fights hard with his self control. A low chuckle is released from the man as he speaks,

"Dyson Dome... Sir."

The General raises a brow in curiosity.

"Explain."

The screen flickers back on, as an image of Dyson Dome is shown. A spherical case around Petrichor City.

"Ahem, as you all may be familiar with... It is the project my company has been working on around the footprint of my home city. Its intent is to encase the city in a dome of my signature solar power panels."

"Generating upwards of sixteen terawatts of energy daily. Or in other words, two thousand watts of energy per second."

"Enough energy to power the world twice over..."

The General settles back into his chair with a grunt.

"Not only will this secure the Nation a seat in the apex of human evolution... But it will also fuel more ambitious security plans."

"This power won't go without use. Once completed, this project will allow us to be the absolute prime powerhouse of the very globe."

A lady speaks up within the gathering.

"And how do you plan on marketing this... Abundance of energy? Surely this won't just be free?"

"The public doesn't know the true output of what this plant will generate. Allowing me to market to them only a fraction of what's truly available."

"... The rest?"

He glances back at the General.

The man sits up, loosening his tie. With this suggestion, that means the armed forces could see a massive increase in overall capabilities. But, there has to be a catch.

"... And what are you implying?"

"With the threat of terrorists attacking at any moment... The security of the United States hangs in the balance,"

Syphon speaks with confidence.

"... I'm asking for a primary contract with the military. With government funding, the production of this project will skyrocket."