"Activate the T-36 and destroy it, fast!" General Orbus screamed.
"It's already activated and doing its work, sir," a soldier replied.
"Then why the hell is it still showing on my radar, you moron?!"
"We… we don't know, sir."
"Then go and destroy it manually. We don't want any interference in the system after all these years."
"Yes, sir!"
Orbus slammed his fists onto the desk.
This couldn't be happening—not after so many years.
The security of The Gem had always been absolute. Untouchable. Perfect.
And yet it had proven them wrong.
The Alpha-Bug was still infiltrating the Jewel Case, bypassing systems that hadn't failed once in thousands of years, placing every soul inside at risk.
"Haven't you gotten rid of it yet?!" Orbus shouted into the microphone.
"No, sir! It's too fast—we can't even keep up with it!"
"What the hell?! Did you at least see where it went after chasing it?"
"No, sir. It disappeared all of a sudden."
Orbus clenched his teeth.
"This is a crisis," he muttered. "If this continues, we'll have to activate the Disinfectant Protocol."
He paced back and forth across the room, barking orders nonstop. Sweat rolled down his half-wrinkled face. He was middle-aged now—his hair slowly turning white—but in his entire career inside the Jewel Case, he had never faced something like this.
Something similar had happened once—many thousands of years ago.
But that incident had been resolved swiftly.
This time was different.
They were far more advanced now… and yet they still couldn't destroy it.
Suddenly—
ALARM! ALARM!
The sudden blaring startled him. Orbus rushed to the screen.
His eyes widened.
"It…" he whispered. "It entered the mainframe."
This required the attention of the higher-ups.
He grabbed the microphone.
"Operator 3-ZX, have you reported the situation to the Supreme Council?"
"Yes, sir. They require your presence in the meeting room immediately."
Orbus exhaled sharply.
"This was expected," he thought.
"Looks like I'm getting fired."
He stepped onto the warp pad, and space folded around him as he was teleported to the upper sectors of the Jewel Case—where the Supreme beings resided.
The Gems of Hell.
Menacing. Divine. Absolute.
He reached the meeting room and slowly pushed the doors open. The moment he entered, every Gem turned to look at him. Their gazes alone were suffocating.
He quietly took a seat.
"So," said Chief Diamond—Dia, her voice cold and sharp.
"Care to explain what just happened down there, General Orbus?"
"This is unprecedented," said Chief Silver—Silva. "How could you let this happen after a thousand years?"
"Supreme Gems, I truly couldn't do anything," Orbus replied. "Even the T-36 couldn't destroy it. How could my—"
Bang!
A hand slammed onto the table, cutting him off.
"We know the T-36 failed, you idiot," a heavy voice growled.
"But don't you dare make excuses."
Chief Ruby—Rubeus.
Short-tempered. Fierce. Even the other Gems hesitated when he was angry.
"You've worked here long enough to know one thing," Rubeus continued.
"I despise people who refuse to take responsibility for their failures."
Orbus flinched, lowering his gaze to the floor.
"Now, now," said Chief Sapphire—Sap, intervening. "You know he didn't mean it that way."
"Hmph! What use is loyalty if he can't handle responsibility?!"
"You're not wrong," Sap replied calmly. "But remember—he is loyal."
"But—"
"Enough," Chief Emerald—Ema cut in.
"But I—"
"Chief Ema is right," Chief Pearl—Pea added. "Why do you always argue during critical discussions?"
"We're wasting time," said Chief Gold, his voice authoritative.
"Save your arguments. Focus."
Silence fell.
Chief Gold leaned forward.
"Now, General—tell us. What happened with the Alpha-Bug?"
"I don't know, sir," Orbus replied. "The alarms triggered when it breached the mainframe. We haven't detected it since."
"Hm," Gold muttered. "This is concerning… but it shouldn't be able to affect the Profiles. Their owners are still—"
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
The entire headquarters erupted in alarms.
Orbus rushed to the nearest control panel and connected the transmission to the speakers.
"Operator 3-ZX! What's happening?!"
"Sir… it's an emergency."
"Emergency?! Speak!"
"The bug… it entered a profile."
"…What?"
Every Gem froze.
"Whose profile?" Orbus demanded.
"…Takeshi Sato."
A chill spread through the room.
"Where is he now?" Chief Gold asked.
"Checking, sir…"
Seconds passed.
Then a minute.
"Operator?" Orbus snapped. "Report!"
After several agonizing moments, the voice returned—shaking.
"Sorry for the delay, sir but…"
"But what?!"
"…Takeshi Sato is dead."
Silence.
"When did he die?" Chief Gold asked quietly.
"Just now," the operator replied.
"The moment the bug entered his profile."
No one had predicted this outcome.