Season-1: Echoes From Abyss
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-"The moment this boy regains consciousness, you'll ask if Charlotte spoke in front of them. If needed, force the words out. And that Charlotte—hang her upside down over the acid container, just to scare her so she never dares to escape again. Don't throw her carelessly, be careful. After interrogation, you'll drown this Rex in the same acid—that's the boss's order. I'm taking a private jet to California at 1 a.m. The boss will bring Charlotte to California by morning. Do exactly as I said."
After saying this, the man walked away. Seven or eight men stayed on guard. Four or five others quickly moved in another direction. They had tied Rex to a chair. For about ten minutes, Rex pretended to be unconscious. His eyes were closed, but his ears were open. He heard everything but did nothing, because first, he had to free his hands.
He carefully tore off a small patch of synthetic or plastic material on his palm and drew a tiny blade. His hand pricked a little in the process. Slowly, he started cutting the ropes. At that moment, he heard a scream:
"No, let me go! I'm telling you, I won't run again! Let me go!"
Then it went silent, only a faint whimper remained. Rex recognized the voice.
-"Sherry, is that Charlotte? Charlotte Henson?"
He connected the dots quickly. His suspicion never failed. Yet his neurons were signaling imminent danger. He swiftly cut the ropes and pulled out a knife hidden under his shoe to free his feet. Immediately, the guards rushed toward him.
-"Why hasn't Commander Rex of Rapid Force-001 arrived yet?" asked Rapid Force-054's commander, Eric.
-"He'll be here soon," said Louis, though he was worried.
Under the Alfex Organization, there are seventy Rapid Forces. Louis leads Rapid Force-002. But at the very top is Commander Rex—he's both the leader of Force-001 and the overall commander of all Rapid Forces.
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An urgent meeting had been called by 3 a.m., and all leaders and commanders had to be present at the organization's headquarters. Yet even at eleven, Rex hadn't arrived.
Louis remembered Rex's watch—it has GPS and a connection to the organization's tech corner, allowing any message to be sent easily. Without delay, Louis contacted the tech corner to check on Rex and learned that Rex's watch was sending a red signal. Instantly, Louis left with Forces 001 and 002.
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Rex drove his knife straight along the throat of the first approaching person. The man collapsed. Another tried to load a gun, but Rex threw a chair at him. Meanwhile, the gunman at his side loaded the weapon and fired, but Rex was unharmed. They were unprepared, so his sudden attack caught them off guard.
Hearing the gunfire, more guards rushed in, but Rex ignored them and ran toward the sound of Sherry's voice. A strange unease had taken hold of him.
Suddenly, there was a loud crash. Someone had broken into the abandoned chemical factory. Rex immediately looked toward the source.
"Louis."
Behind Louis were several armed agents. From the upper floor of the factory, more men were coming down. Chaos had engulfed the factory.
"Handle the situation," Rex ordered. Gunfire erupted. Rex risked it all and descended via the basement stairs of the adjacent room, revealing a scene unlike any other.
The basement had two floors! Around it was a two-hand-span-wide walkway. Beneath the railing, only a five-hand-span width with a large container, about eleven hands in length, contained bright green acid—highly active and dangerous. Four or five men were standing around it. Rex entered, shot three in the head with his shotgun, killing them instantly. Seeing his ammo run out, he grabbed a knife to free his own hands from danger.
At that moment, one of the remaining men aimed at Rex. Rex barely dodged, lunged forward, and struck him with a knife at the throat. His eyes caught Sherry above the container. Her mouth was gagged, and she whimpered in fear, hands tied above her head, suspended over the acid.
Rex's calm mind instantly filled with panic. He scanned the area and saw a control table with various switches. One precise button might seal the container's top. Sprinting, he pressed the button—the container slowly closed from the open side.
Rex relaxed slightly. As he descended to Sherry, two more men arrived. With no other choice, Rex threw his knife at one, hitting him in the chest. The other aimed at Sherry but was shot in the leg by someone from Rex's side. Sherry's ropes held strong, but the force of the impact sent her falling near the container.
Without thinking, Rex leapt over the railing.
"Commander!" shouted several voices.
-"The situation in Ashville village is dire," said Mahasin with urgency. He worked under the Alfex Organization as a doctor and biologist.
"But we've barricaded all dangerous areas so that the monsters cannot infect anyone. Survivors have been moved to safe zones," replied Aran, another biologist.
"Are they really monsters?"
"Who knows? Tests are impossible. I doubt Ashville can be recovered; if attempted, risks remain."
"We've submitted the report. Let's see what the night meeting decides. Your friend Commander Rex and leader Louis spoke?"
"No. Let's see what happens."
Fortunately, the container was half-closed. Rex reached Sherry. Both rolled safely from the top of the glass container. Some acid splashed on her hair and gown due to the movement, touching Rex's hands slightly. Pain was felt, but he maintained control, protecting Sherry.
Near a nearby table, Rex grabbed a pair of scissors and carefully cut the acid-stained parts of her gown and hair, avoiding sparks.
Sherry was still in shock and terror.
"Are you okay?" Rex asked, removing her gag.
"Tell me you're okay," he repeated. Finally, Sherry regained some composure, and she burst into tears in his arms.
Just then, Louis arrived from above. Sherry was almost unconscious from fear, and the man who had aimed at her earlier tried to escape silently.
"Louis, take Sherry to the doctor. Help anyone injured," Rex commanded.
"Where are you going?" Louis asked. Rex immediately chased the man, allowing Louis to continue toward headquarters with the others.
The man gasping at the street corner thought he had escaped. Suddenly, Rex appeared with eyes full of rage. He struck the man unconscious with an iron rod. Within ten minutes, two black cars arrived. One car's masked men took the unconscious man away; Rex drove the other to headquarters.
"Prepare a report of this incident. After the meeting, it goes to Commander Jacob," Louis ordered an agent.
"Will Commander Rex arrive on time?"
"There's no reason he won't."
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Moments later, Rex arrived. Louis's face lit with relief. He wanted to hug him, but there was no time.
"Where were you? Who took you there? Why did they capture Sherry? Did you get the man who attacked her?" Louis fired questions rapidly. Rex, emotionless, headed to his locker to collect his jacket and gear for the meeting.
"What happened? Who is Sherry? Why did you risk yourself for her in that factory with all those illegal chemicals?" Louis pressed.
"Brother, sometimes you just don't recognize me," Rex said, catching Louis's attention.
"Why? Can't you recognize me?"
"You're always so indifferent. Look, Aran and I grew up together for ten, eleven years. Aaron works in another sector, so we don't speak often. But you and I have always been together."
Rex forced a smile.
"Look, nothing happened. Sherry is under my responsibility—that's why I acted. Nothing else. I want you to investigate it, but everything is fine now. And there's no distance between us; I'm fine as always."
Yet all of Rex's neurons shouted in unison: No, Ren, you're not okay. He ignored the thought.
"Fine, I'll investigate. You really don't know," Louis said.
"I told you—I was just on the street. Before I realized, the attack happened. You didn't see anyone. Trust me." Rex hid everything, unhesitant even to lie.
"Where's Sherry?"
"At the doctor's. Alright, let's go. Meeting at 2:30."
"Hmm."
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The large meeting hall was filled. Screens on the walls displayed the Alfex Organization's flag—a silver half-face of a lynx and a fox on a blue background.
A table six meters wide and nine meters long had three seats on one side; the opposite side had two rows of eight and twelve chairs, respectively. Along the length, two rows had 14 and 15 chairs each. Armed guards were positioned throughout for security. Eighty-one key members of the Alfex Organization attended.
The chief general, Elif Aydin, presented the issue: declaring the Ashville village area a dead zone and discussing with the U.S. government whether to destroy it.
The assistant general presented arguments for the proposal. Opinions were sought from all; most supported the general's decision, some stayed neutral, and Rex remained neutral. Eventually, it was decided to abandon Ashville as a dead zone, with selected Rapid Forces under Commander Jacob to carry out the operation the next morning.
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-"Drop all the containers. Now."
A command crackled over a walkie-talkie.
As a result, 19 aircraft worldwide, positioned over the sea, dropped large containers into the water. Inside were countless strange insect-like creatures. No one knew the catastrophic disaster that was about to hit Earth.
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Rex and Louis sat in the cafeteria, drinking coffee. Rex was deep in thought. Louis noticed and asked,
"Mr. Ren Elion Xovier, tell me, what happened? I know you're hiding something."
"I might know who tried to kidnap me."
Louis almost choked on his coffee.
"Tell me—who had the courage?"
"Dr. Barnes."
Louis was visibly shaken. Coughing, tears came to his eyes.
"What did you say? That man died last night."
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