For the first time in a long time, the world was silent.
Not peaceful. Silent.
There was a difference. The Bermuda Triangle was no longer visible from the air. Where once there had been an island surrounded by endless water, there was now only smoke, burning pieces of metal and a strange darkness covering the area.
The ocean was still moving. But there were no ships, no aircraft, no communication. Nothing.
The OPESTM forces had stopped firing. Not because they had won.They had stopped because there was nothing left to fire at.
Paul stood inside the command aircraft, staring through the glass window. He couldn't move. The scene below was still inside his head.
Five beings.
Five.
That was all. And yet an entire military operation had been destroyed in minutes. He had faced powerful enemies before. He had fought creatures that could destroy buildings. He had fought enemies that could survive weapons that should have killed a normal human instantly.But those five were different. They didn't look like they were fighting. They looked like they were simply existing. That was what frightened Paul the most. A soldier behind him finally spoke.
-Sir.
Paul didn't respond.
-Sir, we are receiving communication from headquarters.
Paul slowly turned around.
-Put it through.
A voice came through the communication system.
-Grand Super Soldier, headquarters wants your immediate return.
Paul remained silent for a moment.
-How many survived?
The operator hesitated.
-Sir...
Paul's expression became colder.
-I asked how many survived.
-We don't have the final number yet.
Paul closed his eyes.
-Then find out.
-Yes, sir.
The communication ended. Nobody spoke. Paul looked at the soldiers around him. Most of them were staring at the floor. Some were wounded. Some had blood on their uniforms. Some were simply sitting there without saying anything. These were soldiers who had spent their entire lives preparing for threats from outside Earth. They had trained for years. Some had spent decades believing that humanity had finally reached the point where it could protect itself.
Now none of them were saying that anymore. Paul understood why. Because they had just learned something nobody had prepared them for. Humanity wasn't at the top.
It wasn't even close.
Paul looked through the window again. The smoke over Bermuda slowly disappeared into the distance.
-They left us alive.
One soldier looked at him.
-Sir?
Paul continued looking outside.
-They could have killed everyone.
Nobody answered.
-Why didn't they?
That question remained inside the aircraft. And nobody had an answer.
OPESTM Headquarters was already in chaos. The building had never been this crowded. Officers were running through the corridors. Scientists were shouting at each other. Communication rooms were receiving calls from different countries at the same time. The situation had already reached every major government on Earth. And everyone wanted the same thing. An explanation.
Veronica stood inside the main command room. She had been standing there for nearly three hours. She hadn't eaten. She hadn't slept. And she had barely sat down. A large screen in front of her showed the latest satellite image of Bermuda.
Black smoke. Nothing else.
-How many casualties? -Veronica asked.
An officer looked at his tablet.
-We are still calculating.
-Give me an estimate.
-More than four hundred military personnel directly involved in the operation.
Veronica remained silent.
-And the ships?
-Destroyed.
-Aircraft?
-Destroyed.
-Special forces?
The officer hesitated.
-Most of them.
Veronica slowly looked toward the screen.
-And Grand Super Soldier Paul?
-He survived.
For the first time, her expression changed. Just slightly.
Is he injured?
-Yes.
-How badly?
-We don't know yet. The medical team is waiting for him.
Veronica nodded.
-Keep me informed.
-Yes, ma'am.
The officer walked away.Veronica looked at the screen again.
She wasn't thinking about the military. She wasn't thinking about the governments. She wasn't thinking about the reporters waiting outside. She was thinking about Paul.
She knew him. Better than most people in OPESTM. Maybe better than anyone. She knew what he would be thinking right now. He would be blaming himself.
Again.
The same way he always did. Whenever something went wrong, Paul never asked who was responsible first. He asked himself what he could have done differently. Even when there was nothing he could have done. The door opened.
David Fletcher entered.
He looked exhausted. Veronica looked at him.
-How bad?
David gave a small laugh.
-Do you want the military answer or the political answer?-
-Both.
-The military answer is that we have suffered one of the biggest failures in OPESTM history.
-And the political answer?
David placed several documents on the table.
-The world is losing faith in us.
Veronica looked at the documents.
-Countries?
-Everyone.
She opened the first file. A list of government statements appeared on the screen. Requests for investigation, requests for explanations, requests for financial reports.
And some were even demanding that OPESTM be shut down. Veronica slowly closed the file.
-They haven't even waited a day.
-They don't need to.
David sat down.
-They saw what happened.
Veronica looked at him.
-What exactly did they see?
David leaned backward.
-Humanity spent decades building OPESTM.
He paused.
-You know Veronica, how many outer existence it took to wipe out the pride and honor of OPESTM?
David showed his five fingers
-Five. Just Five. Not one more or less. Just Five.
Veronica didn't answer.
David continued.
-And the worst part? They didn't even finish the job.
Veronica looked at him.
-They simply left.
The room became quiet. David looked at the Bermuda image.
-That's what everyone is talking about.
Veronica understood. If the Five Leaves had killed everyone and been forced to retreat, Earth could have called it a victory.
A costly victory. But still a victory.
That wasn't what happened. They had been standing there. The OPESTM forces had attacked. And the Five Leaves had destroyed them. Then they had received some unknown order.
And left.
Which meant Earth had not survived because Earth had defeated them. Earth had survived because someone else had decided that it should.
Veronica finally said,
-Do you think they'll come back?
David didn't answer immediately.
-I think that's the wrong question.
-What is the right question?
-Why did they come?
Veronica stared at him. David continued.
-And why did they leave?
By evening, the entire world had already created its own answer. Some believed the Five Leaves had been sent to destroy Earth. Others believed they were looking for someone. Some believed the mysterious portal was a doorway to another civilization. Others believed it was a weapon.
And there were people who believed that Earth had already lost.
Social media was filled with theories. News channels were broadcasting the same footage repeatedly.
The destroyed ships. The burning island. The unknown creatures.
And Paul.
The Grand Super Soldier. The symbol of humanity's strength. For years, Paul had been presented to the world as one of the strongest soldiers humanity possessed. Now the same image was being used differently. People were asking why he couldn't stop them. Why OPESTM had spent so much money. Why humanity had prepared for centuries only to be helpless against five individuals. Outside OPESTM headquarters, thousands of protesters had gathered. Some were demanding the organization be shut down. Some wanted answers. Others were simply afraid.
And fear was spreading faster than information. Inside the headquarters, David stood beside Veronica. He watched the crowd through the glass.
-We're going to lose funding.
Veronica sighed.
-How much you think?
-Enough to hurt.
Veronica became silent.
-So what happens then?
-We reduce military operations.
-And if they come back?
David didn't answer.
Veronica looked toward the crowd again. For the first time, she felt something she hadn't felt in years.
Helplessness.
Not fear. Helplessness.
Fear was something she knew how to handle. Helplessness was different. Because there was nothing to fight. Nothing to shoot. Nothing to stop. Later that night, Veronica finally returned to her office.
The room was dark. She didn't turn on the main light. She simply walked toward the window and looked outside. The city was still awake. Thousands of lights. Millions of people. People eating dinner. People going to work. People talking. People laughing. People living normal lives. Most of them didn't know how close the world had just come to disaster.
Or perhaps they did. Maybe that was why so many of the lights were still on. Nobody wanted to sleep.
Veronica sat down. For several minutes, she didn't move. Then someone knocked on the door. She looked toward it.
-Come in.
The door opened. Paul stood there. Veronica immediately stood up. For a moment neither of them said anything.
Paul looked terrible. His uniform had been removed. His left arm was bandaged. There were small cuts across his face. His eyes looked tired.
Very tired. Veronica looked at him.
-You're supposed to be resting.
Paul gave a small smile.
-I could say the same about you.
-I work here.
-So do I.
-You nearly died today.
Paul's smile disappeared.
-So did a lot of people.
Veronica looked away. There it was. She knew it. That expression. That voice.
Paul was blaming himself.
-You couldn't have stopped them.
Paul didn't respond.
-Paul.
-I should have been faster.
-You couldn't have been faster.
-I should have…..
-Stop.
Paul finally looked at her. Veronica's voice became softer.
-You don't know what those things were.
Paul remained silent.
-You don't know what they wanted.
-I know what they did.
-That's not the same thing.
Paul looked down. For several seconds, neither spoke. Then Veronica walked toward the small table beside the window. There were two cups there. She picked one up.
-Coffee?
Paul looked at the cup.
-You still drink it without sugar?
Veronica looked at him.
-Yes.
Paul smiled slightly.
-You haven't changed.
Veronica gave a small smile.
-Neither have you.
For some reason, that sentence felt heavier than it should have. Paul walked over. He took the cup. They stood beside each other near the window. Not touching. Not speaking. Just standing.
It had been a long time since they had done something so ordinary.Paul took a sip.
-Terrible.
Veronica laughed quietly.
-You always complained about my coffee.
-Because you make terrible coffee.
-And yet you keep drinking it.
Paul looked at her.
-Maybe I got used to it.
The smile on Veronica's face slowly disappeared. She looked at him.
-Paul...
He knew what she wanted to say. But neither of them said it. There were too many things between them. Too many years. Too many things left unsaid. So instead Veronica simply asked,
-Are you alright?
Paul looked toward the window.
-No.
She nodded.
-Me neither.
And somehow that was enough. For tonight.
The next morning, an emergency meeting of the OPESTM board began. Representatives from several countries appeared through secure communication. The first speaker didn't even bother with greetings.
-We want answers.
David sat at the center of the table.
-You will get them.
-When?
-We are investigating.
-You've been investigating for years.
Another representative spoke.
-You told us Earth was prepared.
David remained calm.
-We believed it was.
-You believed?
The word echoed through the room. Another representative interrupted.
-You have spent trillions of dollars on this organization.
-We know.
-And five beings destroyed your fleet.
-We know.
-Then what exactly are we paying for?
Nobody answered. Veronica sat silently. She listened to every accusation. Every question. Every threat. And slowly something became clear.
The world had divided itself into two groups.
One group wanted to shut OPESTM down. The other wanted OPESTM to become stronger.
But there was a third group.
The most dangerous one. They wanted Earth to surrender. A representative from one of the major powers finally said,
-We should establish communication with the organization behind them.
David looked at him.
-You mean MJC.
-Yes.
-We don't know if they will listen.
-They already recalled their soldiers.
Veronica immediately looked up. The representative continued.
-That means they have authority over them.
Another voice said,
-Then perhaps we should cooperate.
Someone else responded,
-Cooperate?
-Yes.
-And what happens if cooperation means surrender?
Silence.
Veronica looked around the room. Nobody knew. That was the problem. Nobody knew what MJC wanted. Nobody knew who the Five Leaves were. Nobody knew what the portal was. And nobody knew why Earth had been involved in all of this.
Then David spoke.
-We are not surrendering.
The room became silent. Veronica looked at him.
David continued.
-But we are not declaring war either.
He looked toward the screen displaying the destroyed Bermuda Island.
-Right now, we don't have enough information.
He paused.
-So our first priority is simple.
-Find out what we're dealing with.
Veronica looked at the image. Paul was right. The world had just discovered that it was weak. But weakness was not the end.
Not yet.
Because humanity still had one thing.
Questions.
And sometimes... questions were more dangerous than weapons. Outside the building, the world continued arguing.
Inside the headquarters, Veronica looked once more toward the Bermuda image. Somewhere beyond that destroyed island was a portal. Beyond that portal was another world. And beyond that world...
Something was waiting.
Neither Earth nor OPESTM knew it yet. But the incident in Bermuda had not been the beginning of the war.
It had only been the moment humanity finally realized that it had already entered something much bigger than itself.
And somewhere far beyond Earth...
someone was watching.
To be continued...