The world exploded with questions.
Within an hour of the Herald's broadcast, every news channel, every social media platform, every government in the world was trying to make sense of what they'd seen. The President was scheduled to address the nation. The UN was calling an emergency session. And Kyla's phone wouldn't stop ringing.
"Martinez, you need to turn that off," Morrison said, looking at the endless stream of calls. "Half of them are probably reporters."
Kyla silenced her phone and saw she had 847 missed calls and over 2,000 text messages. Her mom had called sixty-three times. "This is insane."
"This is what happens when interdimensional beings threaten the entire planet on live television," Dr. Walsh said dryly. She was fielding calls from government agencies, trying to explain the science behind what was happening. "The cat's out of the bag. No more cover stories."
The command center had relocated to NYPD headquarters, where they could have more secure communications. But even here, they could hear the chaos outside—protesters, conspiracy theorists, religious groups all gathering, demanding answers.
"We need to make a statement," Morrison said, hanging up from her latest call. "The mayor, the police commissioner, someone needs to tell people what's happening and how we're handling it."
"What are we handling?" Josh asked. He was sitting with an ice pack on his ribs, looking exhausted. "The King is coming in three days. We barely survived his creatures. How do we fight him?"
"One problem at a time," Captain Rodriguez said. She'd been coordinating with military command. "The Pentagon wants a full briefing on everything we know. They're mobilizing the National Guard in every state, putting military bases on high alert, and pulling resources from overseas."
"That's a start," Dr. Walsh said. "But military force might not be enough. The King is a dimensional entity—we don't know if conventional weapons will even work on him."
"So what do we do?" Stevens asked. He was sprawled in a chair, still covered in soot from the tunnel fires. "Wait three days and hope for the best?"
Before anyone could answer, the door burst open. A man in an expensive suit walked in, flanked by Secret Service agents. Kyla recognized him from television—Marcus Webb, the White House Chief of Staff.
"Which ones are Martinez and Reeves?" he demanded.
"That's us," Kyla said, standing despite her exhaustion.
Webb looked them up and down. "You're kids."
"We're twenty-three," Josh said defensively. "And we've closed more interdimensional portals than anyone else alive, so maybe show some respect."
Webb's expression softened slightly. "Fair enough. The President wants to meet with you. Both of you. You'll be flown to Washington within the hour for a classified briefing."
"We're in the middle of coordinating—" Kyla started.
"The fate of the human race is at stake," Webb interrupted. "The President needs to hear directly from the people who've been fighting these creatures. Everything you know about them, their weaknesses, how to stop them. You have expertise no one else has."
Morrison nodded to them. "Go. We can handle things here. And honestly, you both need medical attention and about twelve hours of sleep."
"Sleep sounds amazing," Josh muttered.
An hour later, they were on a military helicopter heading to Washington DC. Kyla stared out the window, watching New York disappear behind them. The city looked different from above—patches of ice still visible, smoke rising from various locations, but also lights coming back on as power was restored. People were resilient. The city was already starting to recover.
"You okay?" Josh asked, taking her hand.
"I don't know. Everything's happening so fast. Two weeks ago, I was worried about impressing Sergeant Chen on my first day. Now I'm flying to meet the President to discuss how to stop an interdimensional king from invading Earth." Kyla laughed, but it sounded slightly hysterical. "How is this my life?"
"Our life," Josh corrected. "We're in this together, remember?"
"Together," Kyla agreed, squeezing his hand.
The White House was surreal. They were rushed through security, given visitor badges, and escorted to the Situation Room. Inside, the most powerful people in the country were gathered—the President, various cabinet members, military generals, intelligence directors. All of them turned to look as Kyla and Josh entered.
"Officers Martinez and Reeves," the President said, standing to shake their hands. President Elizabeth Chen—no relation to Sergeant Chen, they'd confirmed—was younger than Kyla expected, maybe fifty, with sharp eyes that missed nothing. "Thank you for coming. Please, sit. Tell us everything."
For the next three hours, they did. They explained the fragments, the portal, the creatures, the weak points. They demonstrated tactics on video footage from the battles. They answered questions about everything from the creatures' molecular structure to their behavior patterns to the best ways to kill them.
"And this King," the Secretary of Defense asked. "What do we know about him?"
"Almost nothing," Kyla admitted. "We know he rules the dimension these creatures come from. We know he's been trying to invade Earth for a long time—centuries, maybe longer. And we know he's powerful enough that his creatures worship him."
"The Herald called it 'the Frozen Realm,'" Josh added. "From what we've seen through the weak points, it's a world of ice and cold. The King seems to control it completely."
"And in three days, he's coming here personally," the President said grimly. "Do we have any way to stop him?"
"Maybe," Dr. Walsh said. She'd been included in the briefing via secure video link. "If we can generate a massive counter-resonance field—essentially a dimensional barrier of our own—we might be able to prevent him from crossing over. But it would require resources we don't have and technology that doesn't exist yet."
"Then we build it," the President said firmly. "Dr. Walsh, you'll have whatever you need. Money, personnel, equipment. Name it and it's yours."
"I'll need at least forty-eight hours just to design it," Dr. Walsh protested.
"You have seventy-two until the King arrives. Make it work." The President turned to the military leaders. "General Morrison, what's our defensive posture?"
General Morrison—also no relation to Deputy Chief Morrison, which was getting confusing—pulled up a map. "We're establishing defensive perimeters around every major city. Mobile units with heat-based weapons are being deployed. We're working with local police departments to train officers on the tactics developed by the Tides PD team."
"What about other countries?" Josh asked. "The creatures have attacked globally. Are we coordinating with international forces?"
"The UN is meeting tomorrow to establish a unified response," the Secretary of State said. "But coordination is... complicated. Some countries are denying the creatures exist, calling the footage fake. Others are using this as an excuse to mobilize military forces in ways that make their neighbors nervous."
"So we're facing an interdimensional invasion while dealing with regular human stupidity," Josh said. "Great."
Despite the gravity of the situation, several people in the room smiled.
"That about sums it up," the President said. She looked at Kyla and Josh. "You two have been fighting this threat since before anyone knew it existed. You've saved thousands of lives and given us the knowledge we need to fight back. The country owes you a debt."
"We were just doing our job," Kyla said.
"Then you're very good at your job." The President stood. "I'm authorizing the formation of a new agency—the Dimensional Defense Initiative. Its mission will be to study, track, and combat threats from other dimensions. Dr. Walsh will head the science division. Captain Rodriguez will lead tactical operations. And I'd like you two to serve as field commanders."
Kyla and Josh looked at each other in shock.
"Ma'am, we're just patrol officers—" Kyla started.
"You were patrol officers," the President corrected. "Now you're the most experienced dimensional combat specialists in the world. This agency needs you. Your country needs you."
"What about Tides?" Josh asked. "Our sergeant, our team?"
"They'll be folded into the DDI. The entire Tides task force will form the core of the new agency." The President smiled slightly. "Sergeant Chen has already agreed. He's being promoted to Deputy Director."
"Chen's going to be impossible to work with now," Josh muttered, but he was smiling.
They accepted, because how could they not? The President of the United States was asking them to help save the world. It was terrifying and overwhelming and exactly where they needed to be.
After the briefing, they were given quarters in the White House complex to rest. Kyla took the longest shower of her life, washing off days of dirt, blood, and ice. When she emerged, she found Josh had ordered room service—actual good food, not takeout or military rations.
"Steak and lobster," he said proudly. "Figured we earned it."
They ate in comfortable silence, too exhausted for conversation. But halfway through the meal, Kyla's phone buzzed. She'd turned it back on to call her mom, and now messages were flooding in.
Most were from reporters, but several were from people she knew. Fellow officers from Tides, friends from the academy, even her old high school classmates. Everyone wanted to know if she was okay, if the footage they'd seen was real, what was really happening.
"Everyone's scared," she said, scrolling through messages. "People are panic-buying supplies, boarding up their homes. Some are fleeing cities, heading for rural areas. The world is terrified."
"Can you blame them?" Josh said. "An ice king from another dimension just threatened to freeze the planet. That's pretty scary."
"We have to stop him." Kyla set down her phone. "Not just for us, but for everyone. For my mom in Arizona, for your family, for all the normal people who just want to live their lives without worrying about dimensional invasions."
"We will stop him," Josh said with more confidence than Kyla felt. "We've got three days to prepare, the full resources of the government, and the smartest people in the world working on a solution. Those are better odds than we had in Tides."
Kyla wanted to believe him. But she kept thinking about that figure she'd seen through the weak point—massive, ancient, radiating power. How did you fight something like that?
Her phone rang again. This time it was her mom.
"Hi, Mom," Kyla answered.
"Kyla Marie Martinez!" Her mom's voice was shaking. "I've been trying to reach you for hours! I saw you on the news, fighting those things in New York! You could have died!"
"But I didn't. I'm fine, Mom. Just tired."
"Fine? You're fighting monsters! When you said you wanted to be a police officer, I thought you'd be giving out parking tickets, not saving the world from ice demons!"
Despite everything, Kyla found herself smiling. "My job description changed pretty quickly."
"I saw that boy you're always with. Josh. He's cute. Are you two dating?"
"Mom! Really? That's what you want to talk about right now?"
"A mother worries! You're out there fighting monsters, I at least want to know you've got someone watching your back. Someone special."
Kyla looked at Josh, who was pretending not to listen while very obviously listening. "Yeah, Mom. He's special. And he watches my back."
"Good. Bring him to visit when this is all over. I want to meet the boy who's keeping my daughter alive."
They talked for another twenty minutes, her mom alternating between worry and pride. When Kyla finally hung up, Josh was grinning.
"Your mom wants to meet me?"
"Don't let it go to your head."
"Too late. I'm already planning what to wear." Josh's expression turned serious. "You think we'll make it through this? Honestly?"
Kyla thought about their pinky promise, about all the times they'd almost died but hadn't. About how they'd saved two cities and closed a dozen weak points and survived things that should have killed them.
"Honestly? I don't know. The King is powerful, and we're just two people. But we've got help now. Resources, support, smart people working on solutions. And we've got each other." She moved to sit next to him on the couch. "Whatever happens in three days, we face it together."
"Together," Josh agreed, pulling her close.
They fell asleep like that, exhausted and scared but not alone. Outside, the world prepared for war. Scientists worked through the night on dimensional barriers. Military units trained on new tactics. World leaders argued about response strategies.
And somewhere in the Frozen Realm, the King prepared to cross over.
The next morning, Kyla woke to find the world had changed overnight. The President had addressed the nation, confirming everything the Herald had said and announcing the formation of the Dimensional Defense Initiative. Other world leaders had followed suit, some promising to fight, others calling for peace negotiations with the King.
"You can't negotiate with someone who wants to freeze your planet," Josh said, reading the news on his phone over breakfast. "That's not really a compromise situation."
They were called back to the Situation Room for another briefing. Dr. Walsh had worked through the night and actually looked excited.
"I think I've figured it out," she announced, pulling up schematics on the screen. "We can't build a dimensional barrier to keep the King out—that would require technology we won't have for decades. But we can build a resonance amplifier."
"In English?" the Secretary of Defense requested.
"Think of it like this: the King is trying to tear open the dimensional barrier. It's like trying to break through a wall. We can't make the wall stronger, but we can make it elastic—so when he pushes, it pushes back. The resonance amplifier will detect his dimensional energy signature and generate a counter-field that opposes it. The harder he pushes, the harder the barrier resists."
"Will it work?" the President asked.
"Theoretical probability of success is around sixty-five percent," Dr. Walsh admitted. "But it's the best option we have."
"Sixty-five percent," the President repeated. "Better than nothing. How long to build it?"
"The device itself? Twenty-four hours. But we need to place it at the exact location where the King will try to cross over. We need to know where he's coming through."
"Can we predict that?" Captain Rodriguez asked.
"Based on the celestial alignment data and dimensional energy readings, I've narrowed it down to three possible locations." Dr. Walsh pulled up a map showing points in Alaska, Greenland, and Antarctica. "All in polar regions, where the barrier is thinnest. The King will choose the location that gives him the best strategic advantage."
"So we set up defenses at all three locations," the President decided. "Martinez, Reeves, I want you coordinating the field teams. Rodriguez, you'll command the military units. We put everything we have into those three locations and pray we guess right."
"And if we guess wrong?" Josh asked.
"Then the King breaks through unopposed, and we lose before the fight even starts." The President's expression was grim. "We get one shot at this. Let's make it count."
The briefing continued for hours, planning every detail of the upcoming confrontation. By the time they finished, Kyla's head was spinning with logistics and contingencies and backup plans.
But one thing was clear: in two days, the fate of the world would be decided. Either they'd stop the King, or everything would freeze.
As they left the Situation Room, Josh took Kyla's hand. "Whatever happens—"
"We face it together," Kyla finished. "I know."
Outside the White House, they could see protesters, reporters, and ordinary citizens gathered, all looking scared and desperate for hope. These were the people they were fighting for. All the normal people who didn't have dimensional combat training, who didn't know how to fight ice monsters, who just wanted to live their lives.
"We have to win," Kyla said quietly.
"We will," Josh promised.
And for the first time since the Herald's broadcast, Kyla almost believed it.
End of Chapter 21