Chapter 133: Hangar Bay
The silence in Richard’s office was heavy, broken only by the distant hum of the facility and Jack’s ragged breathing. The revelations Lina had delivered—the ancient Krill parasitic nature, their galactic empire, the hidden ’harvest leaders’ manipulating world powers, and the chilling, personal threat to their lives—had shattered Jack’s casual perception of danger. He paced restlessly, occasionally running a hand through his hair.
"Alien overlords," Jack muttered, more to himself than anyone else, his eyes wide and fixed on nothing. "They’re coming for us. Not for ransom, not for money... for... for our blood. Or worse. What if they lay eggs in our stomachs, like in that movie? The Predator?" He shuddered, a full-body tremor. "I’m not going out. Not anymore. Not with those... things out there. Not with them knowing us." The carefree gamer was gone, replaced by a man genuinely terrified.
Estello, though outwardly calmer, had a grim set to his jaw. He understood the stakes far better than Jack. His own world of corporate intrigue and political chess seemed utterly insignificant against an interstellar empire that had harvested humanity for millennia. His gaze drifted to Richard, a silent question in his eyes: What now?
Richard stood by the observation console, his fury a palpable aura, though still contained. The light in his silver eyes flickered, barely restrained, a visible manifestation of the power thrumming beneath his skin. He didn’t acknowledge Jack’s panicked questions, his mind already miles ahead, processing countermeasures, defensive strategies, offensive gambits. The Krill’s operation to kidnap them meant time was no longer a luxury; it was a rapidly dwindling commodity.
"Lina," Richard commanded, his voice low, a razor’s edge beneath its calm. "Prepare our trip to Brazil. We’re leaving next week. Activate our doppelgangers immediately. We’re not waiting for the public launch. I’m not sure when their operations are set to begin. We need a starting point. We need to be proactive."
Lina, ever the paragon of calm efficiency, simply nodded. "Understood, Sir Richard. Everything has already been prepared to protocol specifications. Please, follow me." Without another word, she turned and walked towards a wide, previously unnoticed hallway just beyond the reactor room’s secure entrance.
Jack, ever the perceptive one despite his fear, saw the determined set of Richard’s shoulders, saw Lina’s uncharacteristic promptness. He exchanged a quick, bewildered glance with Estello, then scrambled to follow, unwilling to be left behind in the office with just the crushing weight of the new reality. Estello watched them go, remaining in the office, his brow furrowed in deep thought. He had his own plans to formulate, his own networks to leverage in this terrifying new world.
The hallway Lina led them down was long, pristine, and faintly glowing with ambient light. It terminated at another massive set of reinforced doors, far larger than any they had encountered so far in the base. With a soft hydraulic sigh, they parted, revealing a cavernous hangar that stretched beyond their immediate perception, illuminated by strategically placed floodlights that pierced the engineered gloom.
Richard stepped in, then stopped dead. His jaw, still clenched with fury, loosened. His eyes, now wide with undisguised awe, scanned the colossal space. Lined in disciplined rows across the hangar floor were scores of advanced vehicles and armaments, far beyond anything the public would ever conceive. Vasimr fighter jets, their sleek lines hinting at incredible speeds, stood poised. Hover tanks, their menacing turrets silent, floated a few feet above the ground. Agile hover bikes, sleek and deadly, waited beside them. Standard power armors, formidable in their own right, were dwarfed by the sheer variety of advanced equipment.