(This will probably be the shortest chapter.)
I awoke groggily to the sound of my phone ringing. Sitting up, I grabbed my phone to check if it was anyone important. It was Jayden, a fellow soldier. I tapped the answer button and put the phone to my ear. "Wha-"
"CHECK THE NEWS RIGHT NOW."
I damn near throw my phone as I pull it away from my ear. "OW! YOU BITCH THAT HURT!" Now fully awake, from the pain in my ear, I put the phone on speaker and start getting dressed.
"DAVID, YOU WON'T FUCKING BELIEVE IT!"
"If you don't calm the fuck down, I'm hanging up and going back to bed. I'm on vacation, remember? I ain't gotta deal with whatever is happening." And then it registered that he said to check the news. "Wait, what the fuck happened? Did they find out about the group chat?"
To my surprise, Jayden doesn't respond immediately, which isn't like him. Glancing at my phone, I make sure the call is still going. It is.
"You still there?" I say as I grab my phone and begin making my way to the living room.
By the time he responds, I'm already in the living room. "Yeah, sorry for the silence, just had to stop some dumbass from trying to touch it."
"What is 'it', Jayden? What is 'it'?"
"Check the news, and you'll find out. I don't have time to explain. Don't think I could even if I tried."
With a sigh, I gesture for the projector to boot up. Within moments, footage from several helicopters floods the room, my eyes straining against the sudden brightness.
As my eyes adjust, my breath hitches as I stare into the projection, unconsciously walking several paces closer. In the 3d projection, there it is. What can only be described as a hole.
A hole in reality.
"What in the...?"
And then I see him, Jayden, standing a few dozen feet away and wrangling some dumbass from approaching it again. Whatever 'it' is. Not to say that I blame him, the thing is beautiful in a way I can't describe.
With shaky limbs, I sit down on my couch. I put my phone on the small table beside me. "Ain't no fucking way," I mutter to myself.
"Jayden," I say, my voice rising an octave. "Tell me this is a joke. Please, one bro to another, tell me this is a joke. Or I'm dreaming, something. Please?"
A few seconds pass as I gaze into the projection, and my brain completely stalls. It was almost enchanting to look at. A tapestry of colors and indistinct patterns.
"Sorry, but this is real. And you are coming down here to help me with this."
"No."
"Direct order from command, our squad is assigned to this."
"FUCK!"
"Stop bitching and get down here. You've got 30 minutes."
"..." I just stare at the projector, mouth opening and closing. "... What about my vacation?"
"David. What can only be described as a hole in space-time just opened, and you're still worried about your vacation?"
"Fair enough. Do I need my suit?"
"Not enough time, just get down here."
"Bullshit. I need to bring my best for... whatever this is."
"You can get it once the others get here, now stop talking and GO!"
Hanging up, I just stare into the projected hole. "I worked 8 years for this vacation... God fucking damn it."
I stand slowly, grab my phone, and gesture for the projector to turn off. It's time to get back to work.
The walk is short, it's not even 2 minutes before I reach my armory. It's small, barely enough to hold my rifle, pistol, combat knife, ammo, and armor.
With haste, I don my armor. It's jet black and only slightly tedious to put on. It has three layers: a fire-resistant skin suit, a layer containing non-Newtonian fluid, and a shell of hard armor.
The helmet comes on as easily as always, the HUD flashing to life, displaying ammo count, general armor status, and squad status. Apparently, only Jayden and I have activated our armor.
Glancing at the clock on my HUD, I estimate that I have about 22 to 23 minutes left to get over to Jayden. I grab my rifle, pistol, knife, and ammo, sending a signal for my car to start powering up as I do so.
By the time I get to the roof, my car's already warmed up. Hopping in, I pop off my helmet and do a retinal scan, confirming my identity. I quickly pull up Jayden's location on my phone, only to find that he's on the other side of the city, because of course he is.
With a practiced movement, I take my car out of park and into drive, my car beginning to hover off the ground. I slam the gas, and the car launches into motion and into the neon-filled skyline.