Gp-1151.

Military Command Barracks.

Inside the transit area, Cap. Brad along with Jason and Lieut. Ray stood on the open ground basking under the strong flood lights which illuminated the surroundings.

“So, how long before the pick up is here?” Cap. Brad asked, gazing towards the distant horizon beyond the walls.

“Relax captain. It will be here soon.” Jason said unhurriedly, looking at the troops with I-CA logo moving along the lines carrying supplies and the transport aircrafts departing one by one carrying them outside.

“It seems the situation is quite bad at the frontlines, is it?” He mumbled.

Frontline, a general term used by the I-CA to define a battlefront at the borders of the territory of the current Human civilization.

“Due to the construction of the I-CA Central Command in the northern hemisphere, the majority of the survivors were relocated close to the construction site. The Military Command was forced to re-establish their base of operations at the Central Command and a defensive parameter was constructed with the Central Command as the center bordering the current human domain.” Cap. Brad explained.

“Hmm, that shouldn’t be a problem, right?” Jason asked.

“There it is!” Cap. Brad said as he spotted a vessel moving through the air towards them.

As it neared, it’s shadow descended on the barracks. After it hovered for a few seconds the engines roared as it moved outside the walls.

“Where is it moving?” Lieut. Ray shouted.

“The space here is not suitable for it to land. I guess it's moving outside the walls.” Cap. Brad said, roaring on top of his lungs as his voice drowned under the noise of the four state-of-the-art propulsion engines mounted on the ship.

“Let’s go!” Shouted Jason as he gestured to them to enter the GMV-N which soon moved outside the walls.

As the GMV-N screeched its wheels towards the exit, a different world opened up.

The sky seemed to be embedded with glittering stars. The light from them paved the way ahead for the transport which was barricaded with skeletons of huge creatures, rusted vehicles used by the refugees and lots of different wild vegetation.

The transport had to move in a crooked manner to avoid hitting the skeletons and the rusted vehicles.

In spite of being such a big hindrance to them, no one in the transport said a word, after all the safety of the guard post was determined by these weird structures.

“Sometimes when people from the higher zones arrive at guard posts, they often frown at the arrangement of the defense line which consists of various skeletons and rusted vehicles, to them it is disgusting. Seeing their attitude makes my blood boil in anger. But I don’t sense any such disdain from you, vice-captain.” Lieut. Ray said, gazing at the distance.

“Heh. Actually the people now are very lucky to be protected by the I-CA. Back in our time, the situation was much more dangerous and you were considered to be blessed by the gods if you could even breathe without any fear.” Jason said.

Just then the transport hit its breaks and came to a halt.

Ahead of them was the location where the transport aircraft had landed.

Modified on the basis of the pre-world V-22 Osprey, the beauty was a semi-stellar aerial transport retrofitted with prototype C-Drive propulsion engines and latest in the line defense and communication systems. Such type of semi-stellar transport was rare even in the I-CA, as it could not hold large resources and thus would lead to just being a baggage.

Jason boarded the transport from the cargo doors followed by Cap. Brad.

[Welcome aboard, Vice-Captain.]

The voice with the combination of male and female sounded.

“Good to hear your voice, Aria.” Jason said, conversing with the voice which belonged to an entity named ‘Aria’.

[Ready to depart.]

Two huge prototype propulsion engines powered by a unique fuel roared to life, lifting up a cloud of dust. Jason took a seat by the open side doors as the transport launched itself up in the air and moved with a boom.

Lieut. Ray, who was just about to turn back and return, covered his ears in dismay at the sonic boom as he gazed at the trail of purple in the air.

Swinging his legs Jason was humming a song while enjoying the breeze and the view of the surroundings. Cap. Brad on the other hand was glued to his seat as he clutched the handle on the top tightly. After all, the speed at which the transport moved was enough to induce motion sickness. Not that Cap. Brad was not used to this, the speed at which the I-CA Naval Command vessels traveled was a lot faster, but that was in outer space where everything was black.

Jason noticed his dilemma as he responded.

“Sheesh Aria, reduce the speed, Cap. Brad isn’t used to it.”

[Acknowledged.]

Stabilizing and moving at comfortable speed the transport zoomed out from the sky.

Cap. Brad now felt a lot better and thus he too sat beside the doors, enjoying the view.

“Hmm, is that what I think it is?” He asked himself.

Jason turned his gaze at the horizon at his mumbling, gazing at the same thing.

“Ah yes, that is what a city would have been like before the Reboot or at least whatever is left of it now.”

Before their eyes was a forest full of green vegetation filled with tall structures which seemed like buildings. These structures were so concentrated that it looked like a cluster of mountains.

“How grand were those cities with huge skyscrapers and their enormous population! But look at them now, the last vestige of that era covered in dust and vegetation.” Cap. Brad spoke subconsciously.

The aerial transport passed through the city and entered the ocean region. Unlike the continents, the ocean region covered ninety percent of the planet. Even before the Reboot when Humankind dominated the planet, oceans were a dangerous area much less in this era where Humankind ranked last on the land.

“It’s been a long time since I had the privilege of feeling the sea breeze.” Cap. Brad said, reminiscing about the past.

The blue sky being reflected by the ocean along with the faint breeze and the waves, such serenity was a luxury to the current Humankind. Gently closing their eyes, Jason and Cap. Brad indulged themselves in this luxury.

The semi-stellar transport moved at a comfortable speed towards its destination when suddenly--

--ROAR

A heaven defying roar echoed through the surroundings. Jason and Cap. Brad gazed towards the source in hurry.

Shock was visible in Cap. Brad’s eyes and worry in Jason’s.

“Aria, report.” Jason said.

[Detected Class-5 anomaly. Currently at a distance of about five kilometers towards the north of our current location. The target seems to be moving towards our location.]

“What! It could even be heard at such a distance?” Cap. Brad said in dismay.

“Threat level.” Jason asked.

[Threat Level estimated to be zero. The anomaly is an aquatic creature, considered to be a non-aggressive type.]

“That’s a relief.” Jason said.

Cap. Brad seemed to be scared.

“There is no need to worry, rarely do we get such a chance to enjoy the beauty of nature and its creation.” Jason said, glamorizing the beauty part.

“It’s easy for you to say. There is a reason why we are not able to move even an inch towards the oceanic region, despite possessing such power.” Cap. Brad explained with a scared tone.

--ROARRR-

This time the roar sounded more like an echo, as if just near them.

“Look there!” Jason said, pointing towards the horizon.

Cap. Brad turned his gaze towards the location.

“Where?” He asked.

“Look down.” Jason said.

And there it lay, a humongous shadow moving swiftly below the ocean surface. The sheer size of the creature made a human look more like an ant before it. Despite it being deep in the ocean it’s silhouette was visible from the sky.

--ROOOOAAARR-

Jason and Cap. Brad hurriedly placed their hands on the ear, as the creature roared. Even the semi-stellar transport shook as if inside a turbulence zone, due to the sound waves.

The creature left as fast as it arrived. It wasn’t that it traveled fast but more like due to its huge size that it seemed fast. Like how a human would seem moving to an ant.

Cap. Brad would never forget such a scene in his life. As for Jason it wasn’t the first time he had experienced such a thing.

“I guess it’s enough for now. Let’s hurry towards the base before any dangerous creature attacks us.” Jason asked, turning his head towards Cap. Brad who nodded vigorously while strapping himself tightly on the seat.

“Then let’s go Aria.” Jason said laughing.

[Affirmative. Increasing velocity.]

-BOOM-

With a booming noise, the semi-stellar transport displayed its velocity zooming through the surface at a breakneck speed.

After what seemed like an eternity for Cap. Brad, who was tightly stuck to the seat as if about to melt inside, the transport slowed down and a silhouette of an island could be seen forward at the horizon.

“There it is.” Said Jason.

Once the transport slowed down, Cap. Brad left his seat and looked at the so-called base of the famous team.

On the coast of the island on a piece of huge plateau like rock, lay the base. Covered in the color of white and gray, it gave an ancient vibe. Center of the base had a stadium-like building with a spherical dome and various other structures surrounding it. There was a huge docking station on the right with two spaceships which looked like a smaller version of I-CA battleships, docked. On the left was another station which seemed to be for the conventional transport aircrafts used by the I-CA Military Command. Huge railguns were placed strategically at certain locations guarding the base from any type of attack. Two huge transceivers were placed at the southern side of the base, capable of connecting to any I-CA frequency and much more. On the northern side there was a bridge connecting the base to the main island, indicating that this was just the periphery of the actual base and there was much more of the base on the main island.

The semi-stellar transport landed on the landing pad to the left of the base. Cap. Brad and Jason alighted from the transport.

Jason felt as if he had reached home. Looking at the structure he remembered when all this was still under construction and the team members could be seen moving around these structures.

“I must say, there is a reason why even the current I-CA fears angering any one of you. Just any one of the railguns here could blast an I-CA battleship to smithereens, much less about the other hidden defense mechanisms.” Cap. Brad said, his gaze moving around trying to figure out the hidden power of the base.

“I-CA could hardly fathom our power. If it wasn’t due to your own arrogance, the current I-CA could have been much more powerful. Anyways, let’s go. The Captain should be waiting in the central area.”

Jason said which felt as if he was just stating facts and it was the normal thing.

Cap. Brad did not refute his words and just quietly followed Jason.

Soon they boarded a transport pod, which took them to the center of the base towards the structure which seemed like a stadium.

Both of them alighted from the pod in an area which seemed some kind of training ground. Cap. Brad noticed that the walls were reinforced with kinetic impact absorbers, the kind which the I-CA Navy used to make their ships from. In the center there stood three people standing side by side looking towards them.

The one on the left was a slim middle-aged man with shoulder length black hair and glasses on. There seemed to be an air of arrogance from this man, which he noticed. On the right side was a bulky man with silver hair and a thick beard wearing a butler uniform, if not for the bulky muscles he could be very well misunderstood for a servant. The old man radiated an air of patience and pride. And lastly in the center was a middle-aged man with a pale face. His pupils had a tint of redness and as one looked at them they could feel the hidden violence and bloodlust within. This man was the Captain of the legendary seven person team which carved a piece of land for the Humans during the era of the Reboot.

Jason's lips curled into a smile as he moved slowly towards them. The Captain too moved towards them, at first they were just walking but then suddenly they started running towards each other at full speed.

The air seemed to crackle with their speed. Just when it seemed like they both would crash into each other, everything turned silent. The air which was crackling and howling as if a prelude to a storm stopped, even the atmosphere turned a bit sombere.

In the center of this disturbance and silence stood Jason and the Captain, their palms clenched into fists which were connected to each other.

Then it happened--

-BOOM-

As if someone had detonated a ballistic missile, an explosive shockwave radiated with both of them in the center.

Cap. Brad hurriedly moved towards the other two people in order to shield himself from the aftermath.

“Sheesh, are they still kids or what?” The man said, pushing his glasses back on his nose, with his loose long jacket fluttering in the intense air current without affecting his body.

“Hahahaha. That’s the Vice-Captain and Captain for you.” The man with silver hair commented while laughing. The winds ravaged his face and body but he was totally unaffected.

‘Monsters. All of them are Monsters.’

Cap. Brad looked at the two of them as he thought.

“Ahem, excuse myself. Let me do the introductions, this is Lucifer and I am James. I believe we met during the time when the Commercial League was still known as the League of Traders.” The man with the silver hair, James, introduced himself and Lucifer, the man in the glasses.

“Ah yes, hello. I am Brad, Captain of the first fleet under High Command of the I-CA Naval Command.” Cap. Brad said, introducing himself and saluting them in the conventional Naval Command fashion.

*****************

Inside the meeting room in the same building.

Everyone had moved here after the introductions. Percy, the Captain of the team, was seated in the center with Jason, Lucifer, James and Cap. Brad seated around him.

“So you mean to say, Diane and Sophie both took Oracle in order to explore this place?” Percy asked with a calm tone pointing at the location displayed on the map.

“Yes, according to the current intel it seems to be the case. Admiral Diane was recommended to send a recon squad before the I-CA mobilized its troops, but Admiral Diane insisted on taking the role herself. ” Cap. Brad said with an apologetic tone.

“What do you think?” Percy looked at Jason and asked.

“If we look at her personality, she would never have done something so reckless. She even took the Oracle on this mission despite the threat to the members. There can be only one reason behind such a movement.” Jason explained his analysis.

“Can you still not contact her?” Lucifer, who was seated silently asked.

“Just when the Admiral entered the zone, every form of communication was cut-off. We believe the region has been turned into a black zone.” Cap. Brad said, emphasizing the fact that the I-CA was doing its best to help them.

“Heh, with the current communication technology of the I-CA, I don’t think it would be possible for you guys to establish a real-time communication line with Oracle.” Lucifer snickered with a sarcastic tone.

“Can you open a direct communication line with Oracle?” Percy asked Lucifer.

“Depends, we would have to give it a try. The Oracle was installed with a prototype quantum communication equipment. If everything is fine with it, then using the EDS as a relay point I should be able to create a stable channel for us to communicate, but since it is just a prototype I doubt the accuracy of the equipment.” Lucifer explained.

“Then get to work. Once we establish a channel let me know. Meanwhile Aria, prepare the Interstellar transport.” Percy commanded.

[Acknowledged.]

“As for Cap. Brad, you shall be present here in order to act as a messenger for the I-CA. I do not want to contact anyone else. Is that understood?” Percy ordered, his tone authoritative and dominating.

“Understood, Captain.” Cap. Brad said loudly, saluting.

“Good. Uncle James, you are responsible for the hospitality of Cap. Brad here. Jason, come with me, there is something we need to talk about.” Percy said as he stood up and walked towards the exit along with Lucifer and Jason.

Cap. Brad watched as the Captain of the legendary team left the room along with Jason and Lucifer.

“Cap. Brad, please proceed this way. I shall guide you towards your room.” James said politely.

Meanwhile Percy and Jason stood outside gazing at the blue sky. Lucifer took the transport pod to the command center, indulging in his work.

“How is he?” Jason asked, sorrow could be felt in his tone.

“Still the same. All we can infer is that his condition is not deteriorating. As long as the foreign source could be eliminated his body would recover rapidly. But he is still with his family. Those old fossils still refuse to transfer him to us.” Percy explained with a neutral tone.

“That girl Diane, she did not need to take such a risky decision herself. She should have asked us for help.” Jason changed the topic as there was no need to carve out the old wounds.

“It’s not her fault. After all, she still blames herself for that incident. There might be a chance that we might be able to find something which can help him recover.” Percy said, this time there was a tinge of hope in his tone as a glint flashed in his pupils.

“Yes, there might be a chance to save him. We cannot lose this chance. Also looking at the current situation of the I-CA, those in the senate might try something stupid again. What do you think our stance should be at such a time?” Jason asked, there was a hint of anger in his tone.

“This time, there shall be no variable. No matter who it might be, they shall be purged if they block humanity’s path to supremacy.” Percy said. The amount of neutrality in his voice seemed to be threatening and suffocating. It must be known that the destruction they were talking about was on the scale of the I-CA factions which consisted of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of lives.