บท 6: Operation Edenwood (encounter)
Upon touchdown, the Federal Police Intelligence (FPI) scanners swiftly identified the Harmony Vanguard spacecraft, and the threatened missile lock disengaged. Clearance was granted after a brief verification of their badges, and the team disembarked into the crisp Edenwood air.
As they stepped into the town, an unsettling sense of normalcy enveloped them. The streets were immaculate, lined with tidy buildings and manicured lawns. Residents went about their daily routines, oblivious to the Vanguard's presence. Children laughed in the park, while shoppers bustled through the market.
"Edenwood's not as rough as I expected," Matt remarked, scanning the tranquil scene.
"Don't believe everything you see on the news," Ike replied with a knowing glance. "There's usually more to the story."
Ike's thoughts, however, drifted to his family. "I just hope mom and dad are safe," he said to himself, concern etched on his face.
According to Dr. Sting's statistics, over 15,000 Edenwood residents had already received the NEC-15 implant. The remaining population would follow suit within days.
Captain Emily and the frontline team pressed on, tracking the ambushed soldier's body suit as planned. Meanwhile, Damilare and the support team headed to the NEC-15 administration centers. The FPI had briefed them on the protocol: after receiving the NEC-15 injection, citizens would undergo a 24-hour quarantine for monitoring and evaluation.
At the center, Damilare and Ike observed the process from the lobby, their view restricted to the peripheral areas. Citizens flowed in, each receiving the implant before being escorted to the quarantine zone. The Vanguard team's presence drew curious glances, but their questions were met with polite, yet firm, redirection.
As they watched, Damilare and Ike engaged in small talk, discussing everything from the country's turmoil to their favorite memories of Harmonia Heights. Ike, seemingly out of the blue, turned the conversation to a more personal topic.
"Hey, Damilare?" Ike asked, his tone casual. "What's the deal with you and Leia?"
Damilare's expression remained neutral. "We've been friends since high school."
Ike's curiosity wasn't satisfied. He'd tried to connect with Leia before, but she'd always seemed distant, uninterested. That aloofness only piqued his interest.
"How did you two meet?" Ike probed, attempting to sound nonchalant.
Damilare's gaze shifted as he found himself opening up to Ike, recounting how he had once been a timid loner in high school, often bullied by the more popular kids. Leia, on the other hand, was the epitome of confidence. Born into wealth, she had it all – beauty, brains, and charm. Every guy wanted her, but she was untouchable, surrounded by an aura of intimidation.
One particular day at the school's backyard, Damilare was being harassed again when Leia appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Her mere presence was enough to make his tormentors back off. From that moment on, Leia made it her mission to stand by Damilare's side, protecting him and helping him gain confidence. Her unwavering support pushed him to exceed his limits.
Damilare had always harbored dreams of serving in the military, inspired by his childhood idol, Dr. Sting. When he finally applied to join the state's air force, Leia initially reacted with anger, she had thought he was trying to leave her behind. She even went as far as rejecting her university admission to apply to the air force alongside him, against her parents' wishes. Since then, Damilare had never let Leia out of his sight; she became his guardian angel, but in reality, it was Leia who was his protector.
Meanwhile, Swift, Raid, and Jones stood outside the center, engrossed in a different conversation. They discussed the inevitable: their own impending implants, a prerequisite for becoming super soldiers at Harmonia Heights, and ultimately, members of the Harmony Vanguard. While this process seemed routine, they speculated if it marked the beginning of these new developments with the NEC-15.
Amid their discussion, they noticed a young girl pacing nervously in front of the center for some time. Her eyes darting toward the police and state press personnels scattered throughout the area.
Concern etched on her face, she seemed desperate to convey a message, yet hesitant to approach. They sensed urgency in her demeanor.
Swift discreetly signaled Damilare and Ike, prompting them to join the interaction. They conveyed to the girl with subtle gestures to meet them later, once the centers had closed for the day.
At the other end, Captain Emily, Leia, Matt, and Baygon had been tracking the suits of the captured soldiers for hours, slicing effortlessly through the wind with their jetpacks. The hum of their propulsion systems echoed faintly as they navigated the urban landscape below. As the journey wore on, the fuel indicators on their jetpacks flickered, signaling imminent exhaustion.
At the rear, Matt and Baygon engaged in hushed conversation, their gazes drifting to the two women ahead. "Man, can you believe our luck? Flying with these ladies?" Matt whispered, his eyes fixed on Captain Emily's athletic frame.
Baygon chuckled. "Yeah, and they're both out of our league."
At the forefront, Captain Emily and Leia maintained a subdued silence, their thoughts seemingly preoccupied and their interactions marked by tentative glances and careful avoidance of prolonged eye contact.
Emily's mind, however, was consumed by a nagging question. She felt guilty for dwelling on it, especially during a mission. Yet, she couldn't shake the curiosity. What was the nature of Damilare's relationship with Leia?
Finally, summoning courage tinged with unease, she posed the question to Leia, her voice betraying a hint of awkwardness, "Who's Damilare to you?" Leia's expression flickered with surprise and confusion, her mind racing to comprehend the unexpected query.
Before Leia could clarify, Matt's excited shout pierced the air. "Captain! I think we've found something!" Matt's voice erupted from behind, drawing attention to a narrowing alleyway ahead. The GPS signal had spiked sharply in that direction, prompting them to descend towards the marked area. As they approached, the narrow alley revealed itself as a dead-end, enclosed by weathered brick walls adorned with layers of graffiti, and littered with debris scattered across the ground.
Captain Emily's gaze swept the area. "This can't be right. There's nothing here."
Meanwhile, Damilare and Ike, accompanied by Swift, Raid, and Jones, had arrived at the designated meeting point, a dimly lit alleyway shrouded in an eerie silence. Instead of the lone girl, they were met with a sea of faces – thirty or more. Men, women and children, spanning ages and backgrounds. Each bearing expressions of fear and uncertainty on their faces. Damilare signaled his team to remain calm and observe, mindful not to provoke any sudden reactions from the anxious crowd.
Approaching the young girl cautiously, Damilare gently inquired for her name. Her eyes darting nervously around, she shook her head from side to side before retrieving a pen and paper from her pocket. With trembling hands, she scribbled a message:
"They are watching!"
Her eyes locked onto Damilare's, a silent warning to remain quiet. She continued writing, her words spilling onto the page.
"My name is Anna. Parents received the NEC-15 jab. A week ago...never returned from quarantine. Others here have similar stories. Authorities claim everything's fine."
Others in the group nodded in agreement, recounting similar stories of loved ones mysteriously detained in the quarantine wards without explanation or contact.
Ike's voice was barely audible. "Do you know where they're being quarantined?" Anna hesitated, shaking her head again, but this time her movement abruptly halted, freezing in place with only a slight tilt to the left. "Anna, Anna!" Damilare whispered urgently, but it was too late. Swift observed nervously, "Stop, it's everyone."
Damilare lifted his gaze to survey the scene, his heart racing as he witnessed the surreal tableau before him. Anna and the gathered citizens stood frozen in time, each caught in a moment of despair or urgency, their bodies motionless as if their souls had suddenly vacated – a statue garden of terror.
Backing away slowly, Damilare and his team returned to the main street, only to confront an even more unsettling sight. The entire city of Edenwood had fallen into eerie stillness—state police officers, journalists, pedestrians, market vendors—all suspended in a bizarre state of suspended animation. The billboards flickered and moved, stark contrasts to the frozen populace below.
Before they could fully comprehend the gravity of the situation, the sudden beep of their wallie-talkies shattered the silence. Captain Emily's typically composed voice now tinged with urgency and fear.
"We need backup, we need backup...we've been ambushed!"
Damilare's team exchanged grim glances. The city's unsettling tranquility was about to erupt into chaos.
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