Elijah opened his eyes slowly, the lingering sleep clinging to his eyelids like morning dew. The cold, neon glare of the bunker lights stabbed at his retinas, making him groan softly. He glanced at the digital clock on the steel wall: 09:00. Damn it, he'd missed morning training. Benedict would usually have woken him with a kick to the ass or, at the very least, a spray of cold water to the face. A small pang hit his chest—the memory of his father, now somewhere unknown, swallowed by the chaos outside.
Elijah rose from his portable bed, folding the synthetic blanket with an automatic motion. He walked to the mini-bathroom and splashed his face with the refreshingly cold water. As he passed through the Main Zone, his eyes caught the silhouette of Evelyn sitting on the white leather sofa, facing a holographic window that displayed fake news about the "city's recovery." Her snow-white hair fell freely, a stark contrast to her wrinkled black silk dress. Before her, a cup of chamomile tea steamed faintly, but her pale blue eyes seemed focused on something far deeper in her thoughts.
"Elijah? A little faster," Evelyn called out, her voice flat but laced with impatience. "We need to continue our discussion about Felicia's offer."
Elijah just nodded, quickening his pace toward the sofa. A few moments later, he was seated beside his mother, his red armor helmet placed to the side, the crescent moon pendant on his neck feeling cool against his skin. Crowe also emerged from the Control Room, his face weary, but his eyes still sharp with vigilance. He dragged a metal folding chair and sat across from them, his hand clutching a cup of cold coffee whose steam had long since vanished.
"Alright," Evelyn began, taking a long breath. "Regarding Felicia Vossard and her offer to join her forces."
"We've already seen what this armor can do," Elijah interjected, pointing to the red bracelet on his wrist. "We're much stronger than before. We even took down a few heavy-class mutants on the road."
"That's true," Evelyn conceded with a nod, her silver bracelet glinting. "But we have to be realistic, Elijah. The mutants are mutating faster than we anticipated. And we still don't know the limits of their abilities. What happens if we run into thousands of them, or even bigger monsters?"
Crowe sipped his coffee. "Besides, there's something off about that Felicia. Her record is too perfect, and her training methods… they're monstrous."
"But she's offering a secure bunker, food, medicine, and most importantly, an army," Elijah argued, recalling Felicia's cold face. "We can't be alone forever. The supplies in this bunker won't last indefinitely."
"And how long will our supplies last?" Evelyn asked, looking at Crowe.
Crowe tapped a panel on his wrist. "If we're frugal, maybe two to three weeks. After that, we'll have to find new resources. Water, food, and especially, batteries for the generator."
"Three weeks… that's a terrifyingly short amount of time," Elijah muttered, a knot of unease tightening in his stomach.
"But can we trust Felicia?" Evelyn stared at Elijah. "She could have ulterior motives. Remember how she leads her troops? Cold, without emotion. She said it herself, 'Weakness is an unforgivable sin.'"
"She might be cruel, but she's effective," Elijah defended, remembering how Felicia had overhauled the military curriculum and increased Sector 9's mission success rate by 300%. "And she doesn't need friends; she needs soldiers who can change the world."
"That's just a slogan, Elijah," Evelyn sighed. "We don't know what she wants from us. This armor... it's probably very valuable to them."
"But she offered an emergency communicator. We can use it as a last resort," Elijah proposed, pulling a small communicator from his armor's pocket. "We can put her offer on hold. We have three weeks to gather more information, hone our skills, and find out what's really happening out there."
Evelyn looked at Elijah, then at Crowe. Crowe gave a slow nod. "It's a calculated risk. We're not in a position to be hasty. At least, this gives us time to prepare better."
"Alright," Evelyn decided, letting out a long breath. "We'll put her offer on hold. We'll stay here, train, and gather intel. If our supplies run low, or if things outside get worse, only then will we contact Felicia."
Suddenly, a deafening emergency alarm blared, shattering the calm they had just found. The neon lights in the ceiling flickered red, casting ominous shadows on the steel walls.
"Threat detected! Threat detected! Unidentified object approaching!" an AI voice echoed throughout the bunker.
Crowe immediately scrambled toward the Control Room, his fingers dancing across the light interface. Elijah and Evelyn followed close behind, their hearts pounding. On the main screen, a large red dot blinked rapidly, moving toward the bunker's coordinates.
"Dammit!" Crowe swore, his eyes narrowing as he read the data on the screen. "A meteor! Medium-sized, but it's going to impact right on top of this bunker in ten minutes!"
"Ten minutes?!" Evelyn exclaimed, her face pale. "How big is the impact?!"
"Blast radius is about five kilometers!" Crowe answered, cold sweat beading on his forehead. "We have to get out now! The hidden armory! Quickly!"
Elijah and Evelyn didn't need to be told twice. They sprinted toward the hidden room where their armor was stored. Within seconds, they had each donned their respective suits. Elijah's red armor pulsed in time with his heartbeat, while Evelyn's silver armor let out a soft hiss as its cloaking device activated.
"We have to go!" Evelyn yelled, pulling at Elijah's arm.
But Elijah had frozen in front of the now-empty podium. His eyes were fixed on the spot where Benedict's black armor had stood. "I can't leave it, Mom," he whispered, his voice distorted by the helmet.
"Elijah! There's no time for that!" Evelyn snapped, her hand gripping his arm tightly. "We can't use it! We can't carry it!"
"But it's Dad's armor! I can't just leave it behind!" Elijah insisted, trying to step toward the podium.
"That's ridiculous! You want to die in here for an inanimate object?!" Evelyn pulled him back forcefully. "Your father wouldn't be happy if you risked your life for something so trivial!"
Their argument was cut short by a violent tremor that shook the bunker. Cracks appeared on the ceiling, and dust rained down.
"Seven minutes left!" Crowe shouted from behind them, his voice thick with panic. He was already wearing a gas mask and carrying an emergency backpack.
Elijah took a long, pained breath. He looked at his father's armor one last time, then nodded in resignation. "Alright," he whispered, full of regret. "Let's go."
They rushed out of the hidden room, running through the bunker's corridors, now echoing with the shriek of the alarm. Crowe threw open the emergency exit, and they burst onto the surface.
The sky outside had turned into a terrifying gray canvas. Thick, inky black clouds hung low, streaked with flashes of orange lightning. The air was hot and smelled of sulfur. Within seconds, they saw it—a gigantic fireball hurtling from the sky, roughly the size of a small mountain, with a tail of burning smoke trailing behind it.
"Run! Hide behind that hill!" Crowe yelled, pointing to a fairly large mound of earth in the distance.
Elijah activated the plasma thrusters on his armor's back, shooting forward with incredible speed. Evelyn, with her cloaking device, moved like a shadow beside him. Crowe followed behind, panting, his old body struggling to keep up.
They reached the hill just in time. Two minutes later, the meteor struck.
'BOOOOMMMMM!!!'
The sound of the explosion was beyond all description. The earth trembled violently, as if the planet itself was crying out in agony. The shockwave hit them, tossing them around like rag dolls. Trees in the distance were ripped from their roots and thrown into the air like brittle twigs. Dust and debris rose into a colossal, reddish-orange mushroom cloud, swallowing the entire horizon. The blast radius stretched for about five kilometers, annihilating everything in its path. The ground around them cracked, rocks were sent flying, and a searing heat penetrated their armor.
Elijah squeezed his eyes shut behind his visor, feeling the immense force of the blast. If it weren't for the armor, he knew they would have been torn to pieces. When he opened his eyes again, the scene before him was a literal hellscape. A tower of black smoke billowed from a newly formed, gigantic crater, completely obscuring the sun. The air was thick with hot particles and dust, making it hard to breathe. Toppled trees were everywhere, and the remains of once-standing structures were now shapeless rubble.
"Are you two okay?" came Crowe's breathless voice from behind his mask.
"Yeah," Elijah replied, his voice trembling slightly. "The armor saved us."
Evelyn nodded, her silver armor fading back into a bracelet. Her face was pale, but her eyes held a fierce resolve. "We have to check the bunker."
They moved slowly toward the former site of the bunker. The sight was worse than they had imagined. The once-level ground was now a giant, smoking crater. There was no trace of the bunker left, just a gaping hole radiating heat and the smell of sulfur. The symbol of VOSS Industries' triumph, their last refuge, was gone.
As Elijah's gaze swept over the crater, he saw something strange. Amidst the swirling smoke, an electric-blue sphere pulsed with a faint glow, seemingly unaffected by the cataclysmic explosion. It was about five meters in volume, floating a few inches above the scorched earth.
"Look at that," Elijah whispered, pointing toward the strange orb.
Evelyn and Crowe followed his gaze, their eyes narrowing behind their helmet and mask.
"What is that?" Evelyn asked, stepping forward cautiously.
"I don't know," Crowe muttered, his hand instinctively reaching for the plasma pistol at his hip. "I've never seen an energy formation like that."
Elijah stepped closer, his curiosity getting the better of him. The crescent moon pendant on his neck grew warm, pulsing in sync with the glowing sphere. Evelyn and Crowe followed, remaining on high alert.
As they drew nearer, the surface of the sphere began to tremble. Tiny cracks appeared on its surface, emitting a brighter light. Then, with a soft hiss, the sphere opened like the petals of a flower, revealing its contents.
Inside, a young girl lay, appearing completely unharmed. She looked to be about 18, the same age as Elijah. Her hair was as white as snow, fanned out around her like a cloud. Her skin was pale, but her lips were slightly parted, as if she were in a deep sleep. She wore strange clothes, made of a material that shimmered like starlight.
Elijah was stunned. He had never seen such beauty, especially not in the midst of this devastation.
"An alien?" Crowe whispered, his voice full of disbelief.
"Or maybe… she's from NASA?" Evelyn murmured, recalling rumors of secret government projects that surpassed human technology.
"Whoever she is, she survived that meteor blast," Elijah said, stepping even closer. "And she looks… human."
"Looks can be deceiving, Elijah!" Evelyn warned. "We don't know what she's hiding. She could be dangerous!"
"But she's unconscious," Elijah countered, now right beside the girl. He reached out a hand, hesitated for a moment, then touched her forehead. Her skin was cool, yet a faint energy pulsed beneath it.
"Our bunker is destroyed," Crowe sighed, looking at the crater behind them. "We have no other choice. We have to take Felicia's offer."
"But are we taking her?" Evelyn asked, eyeing the girl with suspicion. "What if she's part of the mutant invasion?"
"We can't just leave her here," Elijah insisted, looking at his mother with a pleading gaze. "She's helpless. I'll guarantee her safety. I'll take care of her."
Evelyn and Crowe exchanged a look. They knew Elijah was stubborn, and once he'd made up his mind, it was hard to change it. Besides, he was their only son.
"Fine," Evelyn finally relented with a sigh of resignation. "But you are fully responsible for her, Elijah. And if she shows the slightest sign of being a threat, we will... take care of it."
A faint smile touched Elijah's lips behind his helmet. He lifted the girl carefully; her body felt light in his arms. She didn't react, remaining fast asleep.
"Let's go," Elijah said, looking north, toward where Felicia Vossard was waiting. "We're heading to Felicia's. And we're bringing our guest."
Crowe just shook his head, but he didn't argue. The three of them began a new journey, leaving the meteor crater and the ruins of their bunker behind them.