-They have destroyed every one of our warships and now they…
Juan's voice suddenly became unstable.Paul stood completely still inside the command room.
For a second, there was nothing but static.
Then-
-They have destroyed every one of our warships and now they.
The transmission died.
Paul stared at the communication screen.Nobody in the room spoke. A few seconds earlier, they had still been trying to understand what had happened on Bermuda. Now there was no need to guess anymore.Something was there. And whatever it was, it had just destroyed fourteen warships. Paul slowly lowered the communication device.
-Reconnect with them.
The operator immediately began working.
-Sir, no response.
-Again.
-Yes, sir.
The operator tried again.
Nothing.
Another station attempted to establish contact.
Nothing.
The room became strangely quiet despite the dozens of people moving around it. Operators were running from one station to another. Emergency signals were appearing across the screens. Maps of the Atlantic were filled with warning markers.
Paul looked at the main display.
Bermuda was nothing but a disaster zone. The surveillance team had gone there with fourteen warships and a jet carrier because OPESTM believed that whatever had arrived through the portal could still be contained.
They had already lost the original unit. They had already lost contact with the soldiers inside. They had already received a wounded soldier from the island. And now the largest surveillance team had disappeared as well. Paul knew what that meant.
-Prepare another transport.
The operator looked at him.
-Sir?
-I am going to Bermuda.
Several people immediately turned toward him.
-Grand Soldier, we don't know what is inside.
-I know.
-We have lost contact with the entire surveillance team.
-I know.
-Then you cannot go there.
Paul looked at him.
-I didn't say I was going alone.
The operator remained silent. Paul turned toward the soldiers waiting outside the command room.
-Get a battalion ready.
-Yes, sir!
The command room immediately became louder. Emergency preparations began. Weapons were being loaded. Communication equipment was being checked. Aircraft were being prepared. Nobody knew exactly what they were going to face. But everybody knew one thing. Whatever was on Bermuda had already destroyed an entire military operation.And Paul was going there anyway.
The world was already watching. News channels were showing whatever images they could receive from long-range surveillance. The footage was unstable. Smoke covered parts of the island. The sea around Bermuda was filled with burning debris. Several areas of the island had completely changed. Governments were moving soldiers toward strategic locations. Coastal cities were being placed on emergency alert. Some countries had already begun moving civilians into underground shelters. Others were simply waiting for information. But information was exactly what nobody had. The only confirmed fact was that something had happened inside the Bermuda Triangle. And OPESTM had lost control of the situation.
Paul entered the emergency transport with the battalion. Veronica was not with him. She had been assigned to coordinate the mainland response. Paul knew that was where she needed to be. Still, before the aircraft doors closed, he looked at his communication device for several seconds. He almost called her. Then he stopped. There was no time. The aircraft lifted into the air. Paul sat silently. Across from him, soldiers were checking weapons, ammunition and equipment.
Nobody was joking anymore or was complaining. Nobody was talking about how boring their military life had been a week ago. All of them had heard Juan's final transmission. Fourteen warships.
Destroyed.
Not damaged.
Destroyed.
Paul closed his eyes for a moment. He remembered the first object that had come through the portal.
Unu.
Even then, they had barely understood what they were dealing with. Now there were five. And judging by Juan's final transmission, those five were not simply powerful. They were something far beyond what Earth had prepared for. Paul opened his eyes.
-ETA?
The pilot answered.
-Approximately nine minutes.
Paul looked toward the window. The sky was dark. Smoke could already be seen far ahead.
-Keep going.
Nine minutes later, the pilot's voice came through the communication system.
-Grand Soldier, we're approaching Bermuda.
Paul stood.
-Give me visual.
The screen changed. For a few seconds, nobody said anything. The island looked nothing like the place they had seen before. Smoke covered the sky. Fire was scattered across the ground. Several ships were burning in the sea. Pieces of military aircraft were lying across the island. The once-dense forest had almost disappeared. Paul stared at the screen.
-How long ago?
-Approximately eight minutes since the last confirmed transmission.
Paul looked at the burning sea.
Eight minutes. In eight minutes, an entire military operation had been erased.
-Land as close as possible.
The pilot hesitated.
-Sir, the landing zone is unstable.
-Then find one.
-Yes, sir.
The aircraft began descending. The moment Paul stepped outside, the smell of smoke and burning metal hit him. Hot air moved across his face. The ground beneath his feet was still warm. Soldiers poured out behind him. Everyone was armed. Everyone was ready. But nobody spoke. Somewhere in the distance, something exploded. Paul looked toward the sound. A damaged piece of military equipment collapsed into the burning ground.
-Move carefully.
The battalion spread out. Weapons were pointed in every direction. Paul walked forward. He saw the remains of a tank. Then another. A piece of a warship had somehow been thrown deep into the island.
He stopped.
Rather than a battlefield, it looked like something had decided that the entire island itself was the enemy.
-Keep your eyes open, Paul ordered.
-Yes, sir!
They continued.
The further they went, the worse the destruction became. Trees had been ripped from the ground. The soil was cracked. Large areas were still burning. The soldiers were trying to understand what could have caused such destruction. Paul had no answer. Then one of the soldiers shouted.
-Sir!
Paul turned. The soldier pointed toward the ground. A body. Paul walked toward it. Then stopped. He knew the uniform.
Mason's unit.
Paul looked around. More bodies. Too many.
-Keep moving.
They continued toward the portal. The closer they got, the quieter everyone became. Then Paul saw something in the distance.
Five figures.
He stopped.
His entire battalion stopped behind him. Paul stared. For a moment, he couldn't understand what he was looking at. One of them was sitting casually on the ground.
Another was standing several meters away.
Three more were positioned around them.
They were not hiding nor they were running. They were just standing there. Paul's eyes moved across the clearing. Then he saw him.
Mason.
One of the figures was holding something. Paul's eyes narrowed. It wasn't something. It was someone.
Mason's body.
Dead.
The condition of his body was almost unrecognisable. Paul's breathing slowed. He looked to the side.
Professor Carter.
Dead.
His body was lying several meters away. Paul's jaw tightened. The soldiers behind him began whispering. Mason had been an Elite Class Super Soldier. And they had killed him. It had taken them only minutes. Paul understood something immediately. These five had not come here to demonstrate their power. They had come here knowing they already possessed it. His body suddenly froze. Not because he wanted to stop. Because his body had stopped listening to him. His breathing became heavier. His muscles tightened. His hands became cold. Something was pressing against him.
No.
Not something.
Power.
The feeling was impossible to describe. Paul had fought super soldiers. He had faced creatures that could destroy tanks with their bare hands. He had stood against enemies capable of surviving weapons designed to kill armies. But this was different. This was dominance. The five beings standing in front of him did not need to attack.Their presence alone was enough. Behind Paul, hundreds of soldiers were experiencing the same thing. Their weapons remained raised. Their fingers remained close to the triggers. But fear had entered every mind. Some soldiers were sweating. Some were breathing rapidly. One soldier lowered his weapon without realizing it. Another immediately raised it again. Nobody wanted to be the first person to show fear. But there was no hiding it.
Paul looked at the five.
They were not standing like an army. They didn't need to. One sat casually on the ruined ground.
Another looked at the soldiers as though they were barely worth noticing.
The remaining three watched Paul.
Their expressions were almost indifferent. That was what frightened Paul the most. They were not excited. They were not angry. They were simply looking at humanity. As if humanity was something they had already decided the value of.
Paul swallowed. His instincts were screaming at him.
-Run.
But there was nowhere to run. Even if he ordered the battalion to retreat, he didn't know whether these beings would allow them to leave. And if they attacked, the soldiers behind him would probably die before they even understood what had happened. Paul looked back once.
His soldiers.
His people.
He could feel their fear. He could feel his own. For one brief moment, he thought about Veronica. If she had been here, he would have had only one thought.
Get her out.
Protect her.
Make sure she survived.
But she was not here. And that gave him one less thing to worry about. Paul took a deep breath. His body was still trembling. He forced his hands to relax. Then he stepped forward.
One step. Then another.
The fear did not disappear. He simply stopped obeying it. A soldier behind him whispered,
-Grand Soldier…
Paul didn't turn around.
-Stay where you are.
-Sir, those things-
-I know.
Paul continued walking. The Five Leaves watched him. One of them slowly tilted his head. Paul stopped several meters away. He looked directly at them.
-I assume you're the reason my people are dead.
The one sitting on the ground smiled. He said something. Paul understood nothing. The sound was completely unfamiliar.
The creature spoke again.
Still nothing.
Then Paul noticed the thin layer covering the creature's body. The suit. He had seen technology like this before, though never at this level.
Every advanced realm needed some kind of environmental adaptation system when travelling outside its own territory.
Different realms had different gravity. Different atmospheric pressure. Different temperatures. Different chemical compositions. And different languages.
The thin coating suit solved those problems. It adjusted the user's physical environment around their body. But the communication function was even more advanced.
It did not simply translate one language into another. It studied the signals coming from the speaker's brain. The meaning behind the words.
The intention.
The thought.
Then it converted that signal into something the listener's brain could naturally understand. That was why the creature could speak in a language Paul had never heard and still communicate with him. The machine wasn't translating words. It was translating meaning.
The creature spoke again. But this time the sound became understandable to Paul.
-You are the commander.
Paul stared at him.
-I am.
The creature smiled.
-You are not afraid.
Paul almost laughed.
I'm terrified.
The five became silent. Paul continued.
-But being afraid doesn't mean I'll run.
One of the Five Leaves stepped forward.
-You know you cannot defeat us.
-Yes.
-You know your soldiers cannot defeat us.
-Yes.
-You know that if we decide to attack, this island will become your grave.
Paul looked around at the destruction. Then he looked back at them.
-I know.
The creature's smile became slightly wider.
-Then why are you standing?
Paul took another breath.
-Because I'm a soldier.
The creature said nothing.
Paul continued.
-A soldier is born to die while serving his purpose.
He looked toward his battalion.
-If this is where I die, then so be it.
The creature's expression changed slightly. Paul's voice became harder.
-But I won't let my death become meaningless.
The Five Leaves looked at one another. For the first time, Paul noticed something different in their expressions.
Interest.
Not fear. Not respect exactly.
But interest.
The one in front of him slowly stood.
-You would stand here knowing you cannot win?
Paul answered,
-I've already lost.
The creature raised an eyebrow.
-My people are dead. My soldiers are surrounded. I have no idea what you are capable of.
Paul clenched his fist.
-So yes. I've already lost.
He looked directly into the creature's eyes.
-But losing doesn't mean surrendering.
Silence. The creature stared at him. Then he gave a quiet laugh.
-Interesting.
Another one of the Five Leaves spoke.
-You believe your resistance has meaning?
Paul answered immediately.
-It does to me.
-You are one man.
-I know.
-We are five.
-I know.
-You are standing between us and nothing.
Paul looked at the corpses behind them.
-No.
He looked back at the creature.
-I'm standing between you and everyone behind me.
The creature's smile slowly disappeared. For several seconds, nobody moved. Then Paul noticed something. A faint vibration came from the coating suit of one of the Five Leaves. The creature touched the side of his neck.
His expression changed.
The others noticed it immediately. Paul's instincts became alert.
-What happened?
No answer.
The creature looked toward the others. Another signal came. The five suddenly stopped paying attention to Paul. Paul tightened his jaw.
-What is happening?
The creature looked at him again. Then the Wegen-compatible system produced a sentence.
-We have received an order.
Paul's eyes narrowed.
-From whom?
The creature stared at him for a moment. Then answered.
-MJC.
Paul's expression changed. The next message came immediately.
-Abort the mission.
For a moment, Paul thought he had heard it wrong.
-What?
The Five Leaves turned away.
-Wait.
They did not stop.
-You came here to attack us.
No response.
-You killed my people.
Still nothing.
-You're just leaving?
The creature finally looked back.
-That is the order.
Paul's eyes narrowed.
-Why?
The creature's expression was unreadable.
-That doesn't concern you.
Then the five began to move.
The soldiers behind Paul tightened their weapons. Paul immediately raised his hand.
-No one fires.
The Five Leaves continued walking. Within seconds, the entered the portal and then disappeared. No attack. No explanation.
Nothing.
The same beings who had destroyed fourteen warships and an entire military operation had suddenly abandoned their mission because of a single order from MJC. The island became silent. Paul stood there, staring at the empty sky. Behind him, hundreds of soldiers were still frozen. Nobody knew what to say. Paul finally lowered his hand.
-Stand down.
The soldiers slowly lowered their weapons. But their fear did not disappear. It had simply changed. A few minutes earlier, they had been afraid that the Five Leaves would kill them. Now they were afraid of something else.
"Why had MJC called them back?"
What was happening on the other side? And what could possibly be more important than finishing an attack that had already begun? Paul looked at the destroyed island.
Fourteen warships. Hundreds of soldiers.
Mason, Professor Carter. Countless lives.
All gone.
And the enemy had simply left. Paul clenched his fist. This was not over. Not even close.
In fact, for the first time, Paul realized that the battle on Bermuda might not have been the beginning of the real danger.
It might only have been the warning.