The year was 2030, an appearance of rift between Earth and Mars so big that it can be seen from earth. The illuminating sky has lasted for seven days and seven nights. The light faded and showed the space portal, an energy that was unknown to humans. The radiant of the rift consisted of different colors that were beautiful, as if heaven as shown itself.
Twenty years have passed since the portal appeared, and its existence remains a mystery for most people. Some said it was the portal for aliens and others said it was a divine area that was gifted to humanity by their gods. Humanity wouldn't know the appearance of the portal have kickstart humanity to advance further
Kaine, twenty-five years old, was relaxed in the coffee shop he always goes to. Every morning before coming to work and every evening after coming home from work. He was a man with a plan. A plan to seduce the waitress that works there. He always orders the same menu, a black coffee with toast and candy. He deliberately ordered the same menu, so the waitress would remember him. Kaine was an odd man, his appearance was average, and he was always proud with his way. He always failed to make an impression, every time he smiled, he looked creepy and every time he tried to help only ended up with a minor incident.
"I am hopeless," Kaine muttered to himself. He drinks his coffee, and it's so bitter, he always wants to vomit all of it. Kaine genuinely likes the girl, but he knows he will not have a shot with her. He spoke to her only when he wanted to order something, other than that, it's always zero conversation since he started going to the coffee shop.
"They were so cool, right?"
"Yes, they are" Kaine answered without knowing what he heard
"What do you think in the portal?"
Kaine was disturbed by the constant question, he had enough. Every single time he had failed in courting the waitress, he was blown hard by embarrassment.
"I'm sorry but, I don't have any patience to answer your question" Kaine was angry, but the feeling quickly diminished as soon as he saw the waitress he always liked before; her eyes were round and her lipstick was so red and her black hair was beautiful as before.
"Yes, yes, there must be something in the portal" Kaine quickly tried to cover his behavior from before. He tried to see what the waitress saw, while refusing to take his eyes off the girl he liked.
"My name is Irene" the waitress said, "Your name is Kaine right. You always ordered a black coffee, toast and candy" Irene continued. Kaine was flustered, his plan was a success, the girl he liked finally recognized him. "You always look funny when you drink black coffee, your face looks like you want to throw it all out" Irene said with a smile on her face. She is always looking for Kaine, every time Kaine sits, she is always the first to go to him.
Kaine was still lovestruck, he wouldn't care about what she said. He was lost in space, trapped in his imagination.
"Hello" Irene said, "Hello Kaine, are you okay?" Kaine quickly recovered and was finally able to communicate like a normal person. Kaine sat in there for hours and talked with Irene until the time he went home. It was a happy day for him.
Kaine walked through the dark road, leading to his home. His memory of Irene still fresh in his memory, but it was the time to think about something else. Kaine was called to be one of the applicants that was chosen by the army itself. He was one of the ten millions men around the whole world to undergo an operation to become the ultimate soldier that was called Sentinel.
Kaine knew he wouldn't be able to be with Irene, it was just a hope for him to live. The process to become Sentinel will be harsh and those who failed, can lose their lives. He doesn't have the heart to break a woman's heart. He was too gentlemanly for that. Furthermore, he felt arrogant to think Irene would like him, but deep inside his heart, he wished he would be with her.
Nights have passed so quickly, the day has come. Far overseas, Kaine travelled to undergo the procedure. The operation would be made in Southeast Asia, the only facilities that were able to produce a Sentinel. The place was bigger than Kaine thought. The place was like a small city hidden from the rest of the world. He was put in the capsule as soon as he arrived. He was accompanied by thousands of other people. Every second in the capsule has made Kaine's mind melt. He felt unbearable pain. His bones were broken and healed many times, and his skin was tested by poisons, heat and cold so he could survive in any climate. His consciousness was fading, the only thing he could see was the glass of his capsule.
Many days have passed since then, and the operation was a success. A body that was a lot tougher than a normal man and senses were more sensitive than before. Kaine was out of the capsule, his body was more muscular than before, his eyes became dark brown and part of his hair turned white. He vomited as soon as he left the capsule, the pain and stress during the operation made his brain stressed, and he was in high fever. He fainted a few seconds later, a world seemed to collapse, a world seemed new to him. Not only that, but he woke up minutes later. The fever and the stress was gone, he was back to full health.
"What happened to all of them?" Kaine said as he saw people around him vomited blood and died from exhaustion, some of them were so skinny and died from hydration, some were frozen and there were also people whose bodies exploded as soon as they came out from the capsule.
"Congrats for those who succeed, this time the percentage is 12%". Everyone who succeeds, you are now a Sentinel, an advanced soldier for the sake of humanity" a loud woman's voice from the speaker resonated through the building. "Please gather around the main lab for further order" the voice continued.
Kaine felt different, his body was changing, and it still didn't stop.
"I must be lucky" he said to himself without realizing he let his thoughts slip out.
"You are not lucky, your life makes you succeed" A man approached him, wearing a white coat, and synthetic gloves.
"What do you mean?" Kaine asked.
"The process to become Sentinel is not based on the specimen's physical strength but their mental strength. You have survived because you lived true to yourself" the man answered, he sounds old, but his appearance was not.
Before Kaine could continue, they had already arrived at the main lab. "My name is Commander Alexander. As you all know, the space rift has opened the huge portal between Mars and Earth and since then our world has advanced more than before" The commander spoke as soon Kaine and others entered the room. He was taller than others, wearing dark blue armor and holding a helmet in his hand. "What do you think is the reason behind that?" the commander asked. The room fell silent.
"Because we were scared! We were scared of what was inside the portal" the commander shouted, his voice like thunder, striking everyone in the room.
Everyone in the room was suddenly engulfed with fear. Their hands trembled and sweat began to fall from their faces. They all want to ask the same question, they want to know what exists in the portal. A projector appeared before them, a scenery that they think they have seen before. The image of the city, surrounded with buildings and lots of people. A scene that looks normal for them. "Where is that?" Kaine asked. He was afraid, his heart beating fast, and his voice began to crack. He knew the answer to his question, but he tried to deny his answer.
"What do you mean? That is just a city" a man saw Kaine's face turn pale.
"That is not just a city" The commander interrupted. The commander's eyes began to wander through the lab, "That is our enemy. The world inside the portal is the same world as us. The world behind the portal is a threat to us!"
"Twenty years ago, we discovered that the world behind the portal is the same as us, it was occupied by humans like us, who had the same mind as us. However, we were lucky, we realized they didn't know about our existence. It's our chance to invade the world before they invaded us" the commander's words were absurd, they were confused why invasion was the option. Kaine was still in disbelief, he knew his duty from the start, to protect the world he lived in.
"They would attack us because they have the same mind as us, right?" says Kaine.
The commander nodded his head, he set his eyes to Kaine from the beginning. A spirit in Kaine was visible since he entered the room.
"You are right" says the commander, "We need to destroy them before they destroy us. That's all we need to know and to hold"
He knew he was not an angel, he knew he had to kill. He put his loyalty from the start, that's the duty they have been taught for since they were chosen.
"I will fight them for my world" says Kaine, "I will do my duty"