Chapter 5 

As the fleet approached the city, the larger cargo ships split off to avoid detection, vanishing into the dense, impenetrable forest. James and Sentra's craft descended, locating a landing pad about a mile away from the imposing Zaetra building. The control center was a tubular structure, approximately 50 stories high, dwarfed by even taller residential towers. Upon landing, two undercover police droids gestured for James to disembark as the ramp unfolded and touched the ground. He unbuckled his seatbelt and started down the ramp, but Damian halted him mid-step.

“Here, kid,” he said condescendingly, extending his palm to reveal a small gray pill. James paused, eyeing it with hesitation.

“What is that?” he asked, taking the pill and inspecting it closely. His AR vision glasses scanned the object, displaying:

<searching the pharmaceutical database> beta-blocker identified.

“The following drug contains 50 mg of quick-release Atenolol, a beta-blocker commonly used to treat high blood pressure. It blocks the effects of chemicals like epinephrine, helping to lower heart rate, blood pressure, and strain on the heart. It is sometimes used to prevent performance anxiety. Side effects include dizziness, fatigue, cold hands, slow heart rate, and nausea.”

Shade hesitated, the pill pinched between his fingers, a doubtful expression crossing his face. Damian ordered him again, “Just take it, kid. Their security droids will detect adrenaline and elevated heart rates. If they sense you’re lying or show any anxiety, we’re all screwed. We can’t have you messing up this operation or getting stage fright.”

“Alright,” James relented, swallowing the tiny pill. He descended the ramp, following the droids. Within seconds, a wave of calm washed over him, although he felt slightly dizzy. His vision glasses flashed a message in the corner of the display: “Heart rate decrease detected - 50 beats per minute, below your normal state.” He adjusted the status bar to keep the heart rate monitor visible in the upper left corner for discreet tracking during the operation.

As the three of them stepped off the landing platform, they found themselves surrounded by trees, bushes, and a few sidewalks branching out in different directions. The area was eerily empty, a common sight in this metropolis. Most citizens of Aeon Prime avoided the streets, preferring the air taxis or skybridges for transport. The streets were usually inhabited by drug addicts and the homeless, but this particular part of the city was unusually quiet and well-maintained. They moved down the sidewalk toward the Zaetra building, which loomed above the treetops ahead.

Suddenly, a strange figure materialized about twenty feet in front of them. It seemed to emerge from thin air, surrounded by a bizarre frequency and energy. A loud, high-pitched sound demanded their attention, causing James and the droids to halt abruptly. The figure was humanoid, clad in an all-black military-style uniform. A white badge featuring an ancient symbol resembling a raven adorned its chest. 

The entity was entirely covered, head to toe, with no visible skin. Most strikingly, it wore a silver metallic helmet with a black visor concealing an abnormally large head, pulsing with powerful green neon lights in a wave-like pattern that stood out even in broad daylight. It stood motionless before them, resembling a statue.

Damian tapped into James's vision glasses, his voice crackling with urgency, “What in the… what is that? Did it just appear out of nowhere?!”

The four of them remained still. James glanced at his vision glasses again, holding his breath for fear of provoking an attack:

“UNIDENTIFIED LIFE FORM. UNKNOWN ORIGIN. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.” The screen flickered as it struggled to obtain a proper reading, the sound waves seemingly interfering with the signal. James noticed his heart rate climbing in the top left corner of the display: “70 beats per minute.” Thankfully, the drug seemed to be keeping him somewhat calm.

The two droids began communicating with the ship before addressing the creature, “Identify yourself.” The masked entity remained silent, the sound frequency slowly increasing in pitch and intensity, agitating the crew. The droids drew their weapons. “Identify yourself now! Failure to comply will result in lethal force!”

James cautiously placed his hand on his pistol, starting to draw it when the creature abruptly silenced the noise. Suddenly, his vision glasses lost power. The entity slowly raised a hand, covered in some form of black material, and formed a peculiar gesture. With its palm facing them, the middle and ring fingers were held together, separating the pinky and index finger, creating a “V” shape. The thumb extended outward. The entity raised the gesture upward, pausing once more, motionless. After a few moments of tense silence, it vanished without a trace.

James’s vision glasses rebooted, and he heard Damian’s frantic voice through the line, “What the hell is going on down there? We lost contact! That thing jammed our communication systems!” In the background, chaos erupted aboard the ship, voices raised in confusion.

“We’re okay. It’s gone. It just sort of disappeared,” James replied calmly.

“Well, what the hell was that?” Damian shot back.

One of the droids on the ground responded, “It appears to have been using some sort of unknown technology. It blocked our transmissions, and we couldn’t determine if it was human or droid. However, it doesn’t seem hostile.”

“Was it SEA?” Damian asked.

“No,” the police droid continued. “The symbol it displayed was an ancient Aztec representation of a raven. The hand gesture suggested it did not wish to engage aggressively. It’s unlikely to be hostile. I infer it simply wanted to make itself known.”

“Alright, we don’t have time for this bullshit. We need to get inside the building and commence the operation,” Damian urged.

The group holstered their weapons and moved down the sidewalk, crossing the street to approach the building, waiting for the cue to enter. As they stood there, James glanced up at the structure, inhaling deeply, anticipation coursing through him.

“Alright, the cargo ships are ready. Enter inside,” Damian commanded.

James took the lead, flanked by the two droids in a V formation. Upon reaching the main doors, two Zaetra robot guards approached. James retrieved a fake badge from his front pocket and flashed it at them. “We’re here on behalf of the SEA to arrest Ron Silverman. He is to be tried in court for conspiracy against the SEA. Please escort us to his office,” Shade asserted.

The first droid guard responded immediately, “Yes, sir. Right this way.” The Zaetra guard guided them down the hall, while the other remained at his post, reporting over the comm unit, “The SEA has arrived. Code 34403a. They are here to detain an employee.”

They reached the end of the hall, where a droid secretary manned the central desk. On either side stood human and robot guards at the entrances. The first guard addressed the secretary, inquiring about Silverman’s location. The secretary looked surprised before smiling. “Silverman? Let me check what floor he’s on.” After a moment of searching, he continued, “He’s on the 33rd floor, Room 312.”

The doors slid open on the right side, and a human employee ushered them inside. They entered the elevator, where the employee scanned his hand and selected the floor number on the holographic screen. James stood still, maintaining his composure to avoid suspicion; the drug was clearly working, as his heart rate dropped to 50 beats per minute. Everything seemed to be going smoothly. However, as the screen displayed their destination, he watched in shock as one of his police droids exchanged glances with the other. In a flash, one drew his rifle and struck the unsuspecting man across the head, knocking him to the ground with a loud thud.

“Hey!” James exclaimed. “That wasn’t part of the plan!”

The droid lifted the unconscious guard while the other pried open a hatch on the elevator ceiling. They shoved the man through the opening and closed the hatch. “Our radar indicates no other guards on this floor. We’ve temporarily jammed the security cameras. The building's power supply will be cut soon. We need to move quickly. Follow our lead.” James stood dumbfounded as they reached the 33rd floor and exited into an empty hall.

They opened the office door of Room 312 to find Ron Silverman with his hands raised. He was tall, with bright red hair and pale skin, dressed in a business suit adorned with a large golden watch, which he promptly removed and placed in the desk, preparing for handcuffs. “Let’s do this,” Ron said with a grin, extending both arms in anticipation of being cuffed. As one of the droids secured the cuffs on Silverman, a voice interrupted from behind.

“What is going on here? Why wasn’t I notified?” demanded another man in a suit, striding into the office and approaching the droids. James stood to the side.

“We're here to arrest Ron Silverman for conspiracy against the SEA. Step aside, sir,” the droid replied, raising his weapon menacingly.

“Put that down. I’m in charge here, and he’s my employee,” the intruder retorted.

Just then, Damian came over the comm system in the AR display, speaking to James through his vision glasses earpiece. "That’s Nick Jones. He’s the Head of Security and is working with the SEA. The floor is clear, but guards are coming up the stairwell on the other side. Take him out and get back to the elevator as fast as you can."

James moved slightly to the side and positioned himself behind Nick. As Nick began to yell at the droids, he couldn’t see James draw his weapon. Then, the droid holding Silverman moved out of the line of fire. James aimed for Nick’s head and pulled the trigger, feeling a subtle jolt and crack. Blood sprayed across the desk as Nick fell to the ground with a thud.

“Let’s get the hell out of here,” said James.

The group rushed out of the room, and Silverman scanned the door to lock it while handcuffed. They then reached the elevator. As the doors closed, they could hear guards stumbling down the hall on the other side.

“Excellent. Head to the production floor. The hangar bay is open, and the cargo ships will be there shortly,” Damian said over the comm system.

The elevator doors slid open, revealing the vast expanse of the production bay. Below, hundreds of Zaetra droids stood eerily still, lined up in flawless formation like an army awaiting orders. Across the room, the massive hangar doors yawned open, framing a vibrant blue sky that seemed almost peaceful in contrast. A sudden gust of wind rushed past James, cooling his face, but before he could take it in, the floor beneath him jolted violently. The ground quaked, and chaos erupted. The crew scattered, desperate for cover, while several deactivated Zaetra droids crashed to the floor with a deafening thud. Then, without warning, everything went dark—the power cut, plunging the bay into shadowy silence.

“Perfect timing, I guess,” shouted James as the tremor subsided. “I’m not sure if that was a tremor or our guys downstairs, but I’ll take it.”

“Where are the cargo ships?!” complained Silverman in a nervous tone. “They’re supposed to be here already!”

Just then, a massive drone emerged from below, soaring through the wide-open hangar doors on the opposite side of the production floor. Its sensors locked onto the crew, and a menacing gun extended from beneath its chassis. Almost immediately, six more drones swarmed into the bay, unleashing a relentless hail of bullets.

“Take cover!” shouted the police droids, urgency echoing in their voices. They bolted toward a nearby crate, while James dove, narrowly avoiding the deadly fire. Sparks erupted around him as he tucked himself behind a metal equipment crate, the air thick with chaos. The two police droids quickly drew their weapons and fired back at the encroaching threat.

James seized his pistol, adrenaline surging through him, and carefully repositioned himself to join the fray. He squeezed off three shots at a nearby drone, each bullet finding its mark, but before he could celebrate, he fell back behind cover, the futility of the situation dawning on him.

“It’s useless! The armor is too strong!” he yelled, glancing over to see Silverman sprawled on the floor, blood pooling around him. Panic surged through James. “Silverman is down!”

The two droids exchanged fire and ordered James to head for the hallway a few yards away. He stood up and sprinted as a line of bullets trailed behind him. One of the police droids exploded into pieces behind the crate. Just as James reached the hallway, he heard a familiar piercing tone. A single high-pitched frequency rang out through the entire hangar bay, increasing in pitch until the firing stopped. He hid behind the doorframe and peeked out at the production floor to see all seven drones frozen in mid-air. Behind them, outside the building, James spotted a disc-shaped craft, similar to the air taxis but much larger. It had no glass dome, instead surrounded by a slightly visible energy field.

The loud frequency then increased in pitch until it became inaudible. In an instant, a pulse of energy rippled out from the ship, and the seven drones simultaneously disintegrated into a cloud of smoke and debris. As the smoke and particles descended over the Zaetra droids below, the craft disappeared in a dash across the horizon.

James stood frozen, overwhelmed by the wreckage, blood, and destruction surrounding him. The chaos seemed to slow as his gaze shifted to the cargo ships approaching from outside. Two of them rumbled into the bay just as Damian’s voice crackled through the intercom. “James? You there? Hello, James! Get inside the craft. We’re activating the frequency modulator. We don’t have much time!”

“I’m heading to the craft! Silverman is dead,” James replied, his voice heavy with defeat as he sprinted toward the ship. The door opened from underneath, lowering a staircase just as he dashed around a cluster of fallen Zaetra droids. As he ran, he noticed the remaining droids lighting up in unison, some beginning to rise from the wreckage. In the distance, he saw a police droid retreating into the hallway, taking cover and bracing for the inevitable retaliation from the Zaetra guards.

James climbed into the smaller craft, his heart racing as he watched the other cargo ships enter the bay. A large congregation of droids gathered around them, and SR soldiers began to descend from the ships, armed and ready, distributing weapons to the droids and preparing the police droid for a final stand. But as he slipped inside, the doors sealed shut behind him with a heavy thud.

As the lock engaged, a wave of exhaustion washed over him, coupled with a searing pain in his left arm. He collapsed onto the cold metal floor, his vision blurring. Just before darkness enveloped him, he felt the craft rumble to life, a last flicker of hope dimming as he drifted into unconsciousness.

“He’s bleeding!” shouted Damian as he rushed over to James. “He’s been hit! Quick, get the med kit! We’ve got to stop the bleeding.”