Jérémy Chapi :
We finally arrived in France.
After long explanations about the plan Natali had prepared, and several conversations with President Atlas — who spoke to me about his country and the places he hoped to show me someday — this flight was originally meant to be purely diplomatic: the President was supposed to meet his French counterpart to discuss, in detail, the situation of a French citizen being held in his nation.
Later, under the cover of darkness, we were supposed to slip out discreetly and head to the barn, where I needed to recover what I had left behind.
As the plane began its descent, I gripped the armrests tightly, eyes shut, trying to avoid another wave of nausea. I felt the wheels strike the tarmac of Charles-de-Gaulle Airport, bathed in the dim glow of the setting sun. Once the aircraft stopped, President Atlas stood and said to me in a serious tone:
"I wish you the best of luck with what comes next. The next time we see each other, it will be in Atlantis."
He extended his hand one last time. Despite my nausea, I shook it gratefully and replied:
"Good luck negotiating with the French politicians."
He smirked before heading toward the exit, followed by Vivian and Natali, who gave him a final military salute.
After the conversations we had shared, I knew I could trust him.
He had been sent by her, and I felt a deep gratitude toward him for indulging my request.
"Alright, time to get changed," Vivian said, tossing a black backpack toward me. "Put this on. We'll use the darkness to slip out of the airport. Cars are waiting outside."
Inside the bag, I found a black outfit. Natali and Vivian began changing right in front of me, as if it were nothing. Embarrassed, I silently turned away to give them at least a semblance of privacy. To avoid looking like a creep, I removed my jacket and slowly unbuttoned my shirt.
That's when I felt someone behind me.
A hand rested gently on my neck, followed by a head leaning to the left side of my face.
"So… who is this Séléné?"
I barely recognized Vivian's voice.
She had taken on a more predatory air, which only heightened my surprise, especially since she had been nothing but supportive during the flight.
I turned toward her slowly, both intrigued and uneasy.
"It's a long story, and I'm not sure you'd believe me… but you do seem very interested," I replied, feeling uncomfortable with how close she was standing.
Vivian smiled, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.
"Maybe I should be. After all… she might be your link to the President."
Natali, who had just finished changing, cut in immediately:
"Vivian, stop this for now. We have an operation to run. Let him get ready."
Both women were now fully dressed: black military-style pants and jackets, topped with what looked like bulletproof vests loaded with pockets, and sidearms strapped at their hips. Vivian left the room with Natali, but not before giving me a final look — one that sent an inexplicable chill down my spine.
It took me a full two minutes to pull myself together after that unsettling exchange. Still shaken, I finished getting dressed in silence.
When I finally stepped out of the President's private cabin, I saw Vivian and Natali speaking with several soldiers dressed in black, armed and equipped with military gear.
As I approached, Natali stopped me with a quick gesture, signaling me to stay back. She ended her conversation with the soldiers, then turned her stern gaze toward me.
"Gentlemen, I ask you to follow me now. From here on, you obey until we reach the destination. Vivian, take point."
"On it, chief," Vivian replied sharply — nothing like the caring woman who had helped me onto the plane.
Armed and focused, she had become someone entirely different.
Without another word, we slipped out of the airport as discreetly as possible, using a luggage transport van as cover. The run across the parking area was silent — a race against the eyes of local authorities.
Three black sedans awaited us there, engines running.
We spread out quickly: three of us boarded the first two vehicles, while I joined Natali and two other agents in the third. As we settled in, Natali grabbed the radio to issue final instructions.
"Napoleon car, take lead. Asgard car, bring up the rear," she ordered firmly.
Then she turned to me, her expression softening slightly.
"Try to rest during the drive. We have six hours ahead of us."
Exhausted from the long flight and everything that had happened, I needed no further encouragement. I leaned back into the comfortable seat, ready to let sleep pull me under, as we quietly left the airport heading toward an unknown destination.
Beside me, Vivian stared ahead in complete silence.
Her impassive expression contrasted with the teasing woman who, only moments earlier, had toyed with me. Now she was back to being the focused soldier, prepared for whatever awaited us.
I closed my eyes, but her words still echoed in my mind.
What exactly did she want to know about Séléné?
A question I would probably have to face sooner than expected.
"Wake up. We're arriving."
I was gently pulled from sleep, my eyes still hazy. Through the window, I barely recognized the silhouettes of farmland illuminated by a half-moon.
We had stopped long before reaching the barn.
"Napoleon, Asgard, clear a path so we can deliver the Archangel to the site," Natali ordered through the radio.
Her last words froze me.
The Archangel?
Was she referring to me?
The name echoed inside me — a mix of shame and embarrassment tightening my throat.
Why that name?
"Excuse me, but why did we stop? I thought we still had a long way to go," I asked, confused.
Natali turned toward me, expression stern yet calm.
"The area is under surveillance by French soldiers. They know something is happening.
We must secure the zone before bringing you in."
My heart beat faster.
"And how exactly will you clear the path?"
Vivian, beside me, was already gearing up silently — transformed into a relentless soldier.
Natali answered with unsettling composure:
"Our teams will neutralize the threats. Once the area is secure, we will escort you.
Be ready."
Vivian stepped out of the car without a word, a smile on her lips, disappearing into the woods like a shadow swallowed by darkness.
The thought that this place — once my peaceful sanctuary — was now a militarized zone sent a wave of anxiety through me. This home of my creations had become a battlefield.
A pressure tightened in my chest, doubts flooding my mind.
Was what I was doing truly the right thing?
But I pushed the thoughts aside.
What awaited me there was more important than anything.
Half an hour passed before the awaited message crackled through the radio.
"The Archangel may proceed."
"Let's move," Natali announced without a trace of hesitation.
"Why 'the Archangel'?" I asked, slightly embarrassed by the strange nickname.
"President's choice," she replied bluntly, as if that explained everything.
I couldn't help but think Atlas chose that name to tease me — one of his jokes… and hers.
As we approached the area, I noticed a checkpoint at an intersection.
The French soldiers — or at least those who appeared to be — let us pass without asking a single question.
"How come they're letting us through so easily?" I asked, suddenly uneasy.
Natali responded sharply, "Our men neutralized the real French soldiers and took their place. We want to avoid raising suspicion."
A chill ran down my spine.
"They didn't… kill them, did they?" I asked, dreading the answer.
She cut in, firm but reassuring, "No. They were only incapacitated. Our mission is to avoid both military and civilian casualties."
I let out a relieved breath.
Even if I refused to let my technology be turned into weapons, I didn't want it associated with bloodshed either.
We finally arrived in front of what remained of the barn.
I stepped out of the car, my legs slightly shaking, and faced a scene of desolation.
The roof had collapsed, the once-white stones were now blackened by flames, and the acrid smell of burnt plastic and charcoal still lingered in the air.
Barriers surrounded the perimeter, most likely placed to keep curious eyes away.
Deep tire tracks marked the soil, cutting through the surrounding fields, while charred beams littered the ground.
The sight of the ruins — remnants of my past — plunged me into a deep silence, where my heart quietly mourned.
I walked toward what used to be the barn doors, now reduced to warped, melted metal, a testament to the heat of the fire.
Inside, just as Natali had said, everything had been emptied.
Only traces remained: a half-melted workbench, a ceramic sink shattered by heat, and the concrete slab still bearing the scars of the past.
At the center, the anchoring marks of Tombo Giri were still visible.
I walked slowly, out of respect for what had once been my creative refuge — the place where so many ideas had taken shape.
The soldiers had already laid out the equipment I had requested.
I approached one of them.
"Hand me a tape measure and some chalk, please," I said calmly.
He nodded quickly and gave me the tools.
With the tape measure, I began marking the dimensions of the area where my lab once stood.
My hands trembled slightly — not from fatigue, but from the flood of memories.
As I drew lines on the ground with the chalk, nostalgia washed over me.
Each mark reminded me of days spent working on projects that had once seemed so full of promise.
I closed my eyes for a moment, reliving those precious moments.
My heartbeat quickened, piece by piece.
"We need to dig here," I announced, pointing to the spot.
Natali's voice brought me back to reality.
"What do you expect to find?" she asked, her piercing gaze fixed on me.
"The future of humanity — nothing less.
And the ones who are waiting for me," I replied without hesitation.
The soldiers soon arrived with jackhammers.
I instructed them precisely: dig about fifty centimeters down and stop immediately once the soil became softer.
The sound of the jackhammers echoed around us as I cleared debris from the growing hole.
Gradually, I began to see a layer of insulating foam — a sign we were close.
I removed each chunk of foam with urgency until my fingers touched a metal box.
"Finally… I found you," I whispered, overwhelmed.
I requested lifting equipment and welding tools to extract the box safely.
The pain in my left arm grew sharper, but I ignored it; nothing could stop me now.
As the box — about the size of a small fridge — was lifted out of the earth, three thick cables hung from its side.
I had it set gently on the ground nearby.
A door was clearly outlined on the front — no lock, no handle — and only I knew how to open it.
I retrieved the strong magnets I had requested and placed them at precise locations around the metal casing before kneeling in front of it.
Silence fell around me.
I was entirely focused, shutting out the world.
When I placed the final magnet on the side, a click echoed softly, and the door opened a few centimeters.
A brilliant light spilled out, flooding the darkness around us.
I fully opened the container.
Inside was a system resembling a server, powered by the Celestial Ring.
Above it rested a wooden box, no bigger than a cookie tin.
"Hello, little sister.
Sorry for the wait… and thank you for taking care of her," I murmured, barely audible.
"I need someone trustworthy. Bring the suitcase, please," I requested.
Vivian stepped beside me, the suitcase already open.
I took the wooden box and gently placed it inside, then handed her the handle — but before letting go, I locked eyes with her.
"What you're holding… is the future of humanity.
Feel the weight of what you're carrying," I said firmly, closing the suitcase to emphasize the gravity of her task.
Her smile faded, replaced by a serious expression.
"I'll take care of it," she said, standing up with the case firmly in hand.
What remained inside the metal box was everything I treasured — more precious to me than anything.
Next, I removed the server from inside the container.
The Celestial Ring — Evangelyne — sat in its center, supplying constant energy to the device.
Despite its considerable weight, I handled it as delicately as possible.
Several soldiers approached to help, but I refused with a simple gesture.
This was my creation, and I wouldn't let anyone else touch it.
I lifted the server by its side handles and carried it toward the car, placing it carefully on the passenger seat.
Then I turned to the soldiers and declared:
"We can go back now. There's nothing else left to recover here."
Natali approached, her expression serious.
"We've fulfilled our part of the deal. I hope that once we return, you'll keep your promise."
"Don't worry," I replied calmly.
"But… may I ask one last thing?"
She looked straight into my eyes.
"What is it?"
"Could you stay near the server for a moment? I need to retrieve something."
Her gaze sharpened, almost accusatory.
"Are you hiding something else?"
I shook my head.
"No. It's just… a memory I want to take with me."
She gestured for me to proceed.
While the soldiers packed the equipment and prepared for departure, I walked toward the half-collapsed brick wall.
There, I picked up a single brick from the barn — a symbol of this place filled with memories.
This piece of stone carried everything I had lived here: joy, pain, hope, and failure.
I wanted to keep it so I would never forget what this place had meant to me — past, present, and future.
I returned to the car, where Natali had resumed her place as co-pilot.
Vivian stood outside, on the opposite side of the vehicle, scanning the surroundings.
Before getting in, I took a final look at the building that had sheltered so many memories.
The sun was rising at the horizon, bathing the fields in a gentle golden glow.
A tear slid silently down my cheek — a reflection of all the emotions I had held back.
Before too many memories resurfaced, I climbed into the car and closed the door.
It was time to focus on the future ahead of me.