Since returning home she and Mitch had attempted to maintain contact, but time and distance will cause everyone to grow apart. In the last few months they had barely communicated at all. He continued to like her “Miss Science” posts and she had commented on his post about getting a scholarship to Boston college. “Congratulations,” was all that she had written when she saw his announcement. SoHee had been offered scholarships from universities all over the world after what had happened at the mindHIve convention but she couldn’t imagine leaving behind her research at DH labs. Although her mother had insisted that she take any of the offers that she had from the schools in America she had followed her heart and enrolled at Seoul National University. The campus was a short distance from DH and she could continue her research at the lab while she attended university. Her mother was deeply disappointed but SoHee had shown her the “Miss Science” mindHIve account numbers after the incident and her Mother’s face changed instantly. SoHee’s followers had doubled since the event and she was making more off of the advertising than her father. Sponsorship offers were pouring in and SoHee let her mother handle the business side of her media presence. Her mother took up the new position with relish and SoHee had never seen her happier. With her mother occupied SoHee had returned to her research and she been quietly working on her next development, that was until Gerald Tobero called her.

  The SUV lurched to a halt and SoHee’s head snapped up in shock as she took in her surroundings. A tissue appeared in front of her and she wiped away the drool that had formed at the side of her mouth. She looked to her left and nodded an acknowledgement of thanks to her body guard, a Korean special forces operative assigned to protect her that only seemed to speak in simple grunts. He nodded slightly as SoHee took the tissue and turned his head forward. SoHee’s eyes followed his and she could see a large deer standing on the road in front of the SUV. It stood in front of the car for a moment, and it seemed to be looking directly at SoHee. The sun had just crested the trees and its light shone through the deers antlers. SoHee’s hand shot up to shield the light from her eyes. The deer looked over its shoulder and then without hesitation it bounded off of the road into the deep underbrush that lined the highway. The driver looked around to see if anymore deer were coming and spoke into his headset. “All clear, let’s move,” he said and hit the gas. The convoy continued it’s breakneck speed as it ascended into the valley. SoHee watched the first rays of dawn glimmering off of the surface of the river as they crossed the bridge into Kingsford.

  The three black SUVs rolled through several empty streets. There wasn’t a soul around so early in the morning and the convoy crossed the small city without being noticed. They rounded a corner and SoHee could see the white dome of the complex still intact a year later. The crowds had vanished and they had been replaced by an imposing chain link fence and several lookout towers. The gate was heavily fortified and two guards had been stationed in front. The convoy pulled up to the gate and one of the soldiers stepped to the driver-side window of the first vehicle and saluted. SoHee could hear the soldier speaking with the driver, but she couldn’t understand exactly what they said. The soldier saluted again and he shouted at another soldier to open the gate. A button was pressed and the gate slid to the right. The first SUV began to move forward and SoHee saw the soldier peering in at her through the tinted window as the convoy entered the complex.

  The cars came to a stop in a large square opening and the driver got out and opened the passenger door. SoHee’s body guard stepped out first and he indicated that she should follow him. The sun had crested the horizon and SoHee had to squint as she stepped out of the car. She could see a group of men and women standing at the opposite side of the square. She stood motionless beside the car for a moment waiting for an indication of acknowledgement from any one in particular, but she was only greeted by blank stares. The group parted to let a tall man wearing a black suit through, his bald head glistened in the dawn light. SoHee let out a slow exhale as he approached her and she loosened her guard. Her body guard stepped out in front of her and he saluted Gerald Tobero as he approached. “I am Officer Kim, in charge of security for Special Envoy Moon SoHee,” the guard said.

  “Greetings Officer Kim, I am Lieutenant Commander Gerald Tobero of the United States Intelligence Service,” Gerald said. “I trust you had a safe journey. The Republic of Korea’s cooperation in this sensitive matter is highly appreciated.”

  “I must inspect the station before I will allow my ward to enter,” Office Kim said.

  “I understand that you have orders, but, unfortunately, I cannot allow you to inspect the station. You may inspect your quarters, but most of the grounds are off limits even for those with top security clearances,” Gerald said.

  “It will be fine,” SoHee said stepping forward. “I’m sure our American allies don’t have any tricks up their sleeves. After last years melt down I’m sure they are trying to do everything possible to save face in the international community. Isn’t that right, Mr. Tobero?”

  “An astute analysis from such a lovely young lady, I’m glad to have you on board again, Miss Moon,” Gerald said, his face was an unreadable wall of restraint.

  “And what exactly am I on board for Mr. Tobero?” SoHee said. “Your diplomats were pretty vague on the plane.”

  “If you don’t mind I think it’s best if we head inside. We’ll discuss the situation in a more appropriate setting,” Gerald said and turned quickly on his heel and began to walk back from the direction he came. “follow me, I’ll show you to your quarters. I’m sure you’d like to freshen up before we get started.”

  A wave of exhaustion hit SoHee as she watched the back of Gerald Tobero’s bald head move towards the doorway leading into the complex. She closed her eyes and imagined her bed back home. Her security guard grunted and her eyes shot open. The group of people was slowly filing into the complex and SoHee had no choice but to follow along. She was led into a long hallway which instantly felt familiar — bad memories surfacing. The arched multicolored ceiling of the hallway was still operational, but now it displayed uniform military commands which SoHee could barely comprehend. They were lead through several compartments and finally entered a large dome. SoHee could see the sleep capsules were still in place and in an odd way she felt like she was returning home. She was led to a stack of capsules marked “D.’ She was loaded onto an elevator. A young woman wearing a lab coat accompanied her and her body guard. She smiled as the elevator rose upwards. “We’re really happy to have you here,” the young woman said.

  “I’m not sure if I can say the same,” SoHee said. “I don’t have a clue why I’m here, but I’m guessing that it can’t be good.”

  “I’m not privy to that kind of information, but I’m a huge fan of your work,” the young woman said. “I’m Evie by the way.”

  “Well, it’s nice to meet you Evie. I hope we have a chance to work together,” SoHee said as the elevator came to a halt on floor 7.

  “I’m sure we will. Follow me and I’ll show you where you will be staying,” Evie said and she stepped onto the platform.

  SoHee exhaled softly and followed after Evie. Her guard followed close behind. Evie stopped in front of a door marked 7-23. “This is you here SoHee, and It looks like Mr. Kim is in 7-22,” Evie said and she pressed her id badge against a panel to the right of the door.

  “I’m sure that you’ll need a few moments to get yourself together. It’s 6:17 am now and the lieutenant Commander has scheduled your first meeting at 9am sharp. You’ve got a bit of time to get some rest, we’ll send someone to get you when it’s time. The shower is at the end of the hall and…”

  “I know how it works,” SoHee said cutting Evie off. “You’ve been a tremendous help, but I really need to lay down for a second. I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again, but I’m really just too tired to talk at the moment.”

  “Uh, yes, I understand,” Evie said. “Get some rest and we’ll send someone over when it’s time.”

  SoHee tried to smile, but she was so exhausted she stumbled forward and crumpled onto the bed. “Miss Moon, I need to inspect the room,” Mr. Kim said

  “I’m sure they’re not trying to poison us,” SoHee said and she closed her eyes and went to sleep.

  Her head jerked off of the pillow after what felt like seconds as a bright light filled the room. The console to the left of the bed was buzzing loudly and SoHee rolled over and pressed the flashing red button. Evie’s face appeared on the screen bearing a cheerful grin.

  “Rise and shine! The meeting will begin in a couple minutes. We need to get you to the briefing room as quickly as a possible,” Evie said.

  “Uh, just a minute,” SoHee said and she heaved her tired body to the edge of the bed. She pressed a button on the console and turned a panel into a mirror. She frowned as she looked at herself. She had fallen asleep in her clothes and her skirt was fully rumpled. She could see a stain down the front of her shirt where she had spilled soup from the ramen she had hastily consumed on the plane. She scratched at the stain for a moment, but it refused to disappear. She tied her hair back and wiped her eyes. She knew it was going to be a long day and she still had no idea why she was back in Kingsford, but something had happened to Mitch and whatever it was, it couldn’t be good. It didn’t seem like Mitch had been killed, but there was no doubt he was involved in something serious. Dread filled her chest as she climbed out of the sleep capsule and headed towards the waiting Elevator. Officer Kim was standing with arms crossed in front of the doors. He looked like he wanted to be there even less than she did.

  The elevator arrived at the ground level and Evie was waiting in the driver seat of small personnel transporter. “Good Morning and hop in. We’re running a little behind schedule and the Lieutenant Commander hates delays,” She said as SoHee and Officer Kim stepped on board. The cart took off with a lurch and SoHee had to grab at a handle or risk falling off as Evie did a quick u-turn. They zipped out of the dome at what felt like a dangerous speed and shot down a long round hallway. After a few minutes they came to a stop in front of a nondescript door marked with an “Authorized Personnel Only” sign.

  “Right this way,” Evie said as she jumped off of the cart and opened the door with her pass. The door opened to a short hallway lined by more doors. As they came to the end of the hall a guard greeted Evie and opened a much larger door. They entered into a wide chamber with a round table in the centre. Several men and women wearing Military uniforms were mixed among more people wearing civilian clothes. They all seemed to be waiting for SoHee to arrive. As she entered the room there was some ruffled commotion and everybody took their seats. Evie guided SoHee to an open seat and backed away silently. Officer Kim stood near the door and he looked in on the spectacle with a look of sour resignation on his face.

  Without notice the lights dimmed in the room and a familiar sphere appeared above the table. A wave of hushed whispers passed around the room and SoHee felt her heart beat quicken as a purple glow washed over everybody sitting in the presence of the orb. She half expected Robert Chapman to walk in the room and start shouting at people. She almost jumped out of her chair when a tall man stepped to the table from out of nowhere, but she was only slightly relieved when she saw Gerald Tobero’s bald head glowing under the light of the inReal orb.

  “I thank you all for attending this briefing under such short notice. We need to get a handle on what has happened as quickly as possible. I’m sure your all aware that a foreign agent is present. Miss Moon SoHee has travelled all the way from Korea and we hope that she can give some insight into what has happened here. The Korean government is cooperating in all capacities and Miss Moon has agreed to help in any way she can,” Gerald said as the orb began to swirl slowly in front of them.

  “That’s all well and good, Gerald. But just what the hell happened here. I thought you had this thing locked down,” A gruff looking old man in military fatigues said from across the table.

  “I can understand your frustration, General Vargas, but there are several factors at play beyond our control. Allow me to begin the briefing and I’m sure we can cast some light on the situation,” Gerald said, maintaining his cool. “I know that some of you have heard bits and pieces of what happened, but I’m going to tell you everything we know about what happened yesterday evening.”

  The orbs pace quickened and a 3d image of a multi-leveled site appeared in front of everybody in graphic detail. “We are looking at a scale model of this location. As you can see we have been able to map and monitor an extensive network of caves surrounding the complex. Unfortunately, even with the most advanced equipment money can buy, it appears we are only scratching the surface of the cave network beneath our feet,” Gerald said as he used a device to fly over the site and zoom in on specific points. “I hate to admit it, but this entire site has so many blindspots it will take years and billions of dollars to stuff every single hole. But we’ve done the best we possibly can with what we have to work with. Above ground we have a drone security system which monitors all movement in and around the site and we also have boots on the ground with their eyes and ears open. The site is surrounded by a suburban sprawl and we have been instructed to be as unobtrusive as possible. So as you can see, things are a little tricky,” Gerald said.

  “Get to the point,” General Vargas snapped. “We know all of this already.”

  “I’m sorry sir I just want to make sure that everybody has all the information,” Gerald said.

  “We all know that your security measures failed and we are all here to clean up the mess. Now get on with it and enough about the goddamned drones,” General Vargas said through gritted teeth.

  “Very well, sir. At approximately 17:00 hours yesterday evening our drones picked up movement in an off grid sector. Normally this would have been funneled to master control but several power failures have clogged up the system causing a delay in the feed,” Gerald said as the 3d image of the site disappeared and grainy infrared video of a small group of people standing on a pathway surrounded by trees appeared in the orb. “As you can see in this video, 6 individuals can be seen standing on a pathway. They appear to be discussing something and you’ll notice 4 of the individuals are carrying weapons,” Gerald continued and the video zoomed in on the group on the path. “They then move towards this storm drain and vanish from site. Due to the power fluctuations, our system wasn’t alerted for approximately 23 minutes. As soon as the activity was picked up by our system, I initiated a code red and deployed a tactical squad to contain the area. I accompanied the team to the location in order to observe the breach first hand. The team arrived at the entrance point at 17:23 and followed the trail into the cave system.”

  The video footage changed to the helmet cam of a soldier moving down a steep tunnel. “We haven’t seen this place before, I thought we had all of this mapped,” the soldier said under his breath.

  “Keep quiet, and get moving. We want these individuals alive,” Gerald’s voice said in the video.

  Through the helmet cams the soldiers could be seen making their way down a long cavern. Piles of old equipment and a ragtag encampment of some kind could be seen to the side of the cavern. The cavern was illuminated by an unseen source of light emanating from a deep recess in the distance. The soldiers continued ahead and the light got brighter. A strange wind pushed through the cavern and the soldiers all ducked and covered when a blast came form up ahead. “What the hell is going on up there?” another soldier whispered as the cavern shuddered and debris began to fall all around them.

  “We need to move now,” Gerald ordered the soldiers in the video and he could be seen charging up the path as more blasts of light came from beyond a rise a short distance ahead. The soldiers charged up the hill after Gerald. Their ragged breaths could heard in the video as the light intensified. They came to the top of the hill and they all seemed to stand in awe for a second. Below them in a massive pit stood a large structure of scaffolding centered around a strange looking mechanism. The machine was blasting an intense ray of energy at the structure and a large black circle ringed with a strange glowing light stood before it.

  “What is that thing?” another soldier said in awe.

  “Whatever it is, We need to get in there and shut it down. This whole place is unstable,” Gerald shouted before he charged down the steep slope leading to the structure. Figures could be seen scrambling among the equipment as they noticed the soldiers approaching. Several more explosions took place and large rocks began cascading down from the ceiling of cavern.

  “Fall back,” Gerald shouted as he dodged away from a falling rock. The soldiers all retreated a safe distance and they watched from cover while more explosions took place. The figures could be seen charging at the black circle and then disappearing into its mouth. A single individual was left amongst the rocks and he seemed to hesitate while large boulders crashed around. At last he charged forward as massive chunks rained down upon him. The structure collapsed under a barrage of stones and became buried in rubble. The intense light had vanished and all that remained was a pile of smoking stones and twisted metal.

  “That was nuts,” one soldier could be heard saying off camera and then the video feed ended.

  Photos of 6 different people popped up in the sphere and SoHee could see Mitch’s pixelated head hovering above her. His face was filled with terror. “These are stills taken from the video feeds. We were able to enhance then video, but we were only able to positively identify two of the six individuals. The first individual has been identified as Mitchell Mythic, a key individual in the events of last year,” Gerald said bringing up Mitch’s photo. “The other individual we were able to identify is this person, he goes by the name Drakon Trendago and he is an undocumented refugee. He was also present at the incident last year. The state department has him registered as citizen of the Republic of Congo. He was granted residency a year ago based on the testimony of the local school, but there are several red flags in his file.”

 

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