Ivan sat patiently, awaiting the arrival of his guide for a tour of the facility. His gaze, sharp and inquisitive, meticulously absorbed every detail of the lobby. Four efficiently functioning air conditioners, strategically positioned, exhaled a cool, dry air into the sweltering summer air, where the average temperature stubbornly exceeded twenty-four degrees Celsius. The lobby's serene ambiance, achieved through simple white lights embedded in the ceiling and calming azure walls, was clearly designed to soothe the minds of all who entered. Ivan, a dark-skinned man of astute observation, surmised that the facility's other chambers would likely mirror this tranquil aesthetic.
A security guard, clad in a bulletproof vest over a plain, deep-blue long-sleeve shirt, matching cargo trousers, and sturdy boots, entered the lobby from a door to Ivan's right. Without a glance in Ivan's direction, the guard exited through another door to his left. This pattern of entrance and exit was repeated intermittently by three security guards, who moved either individually or in pairs. They maintained a steadfast silence, never acknowledging each other or Ivan, who remained seated.
Ivan, a master of deception, feigned a subtle unease whenever the security guards traversed the lobby. He correctly surmised that their deliberate movements and the protracted delay in his tour guide's arrival were a calculated intimidation tactic. This strategy was designed to deter any spies or saboteurs from attempting malicious acts within the facility.
Upon his arrival, Ivan had been impressed by the sparse placement of CCTV cameras outside the facility. Even within the lobby, only a single camera was overtly visible. As an experienced spy, he understood these visible cameras were merely a misdirection. He knew, with an ingrained certainty, that hidden cameras were strategically concealed throughout the room and across the facility, ensuring efficient 360-degree surveillance.
The facility Ivan was visiting as a tourist was the United Nations Advanced Cybernetics Laboratory.
Ivan operated as an intelligence officer for a clandestine regional economic organisation, which he mentally dubbed the "Ef organisation" since its official name remained unknown to him. His service was akin to that of a loyal, unquestioning hound, never challenging the orders or concepts he encountered from fellow members of this secret organisation.
The EF organisation had received intelligence that the United Nations had commissioned the United Nations Advanced Cybernetics Laboratory to develop a defensive weapon system capable of protecting Earth from an extraterrestrial global threat. This urgent development stemmed from the unsettling discovery by deep-space explorers that humanity was not alone in the universe, and their cosmic co-dwellers were bloodthirsty conquerors. The EF organisation's objective was to acquire the intricate details of this nascent defence system.
A beautiful blond lady, dressed in a crisp button-up shirt neatly tucked into plain beige trousers, approached Ivan with a radiant smile. Her bright, charming demeanour instantly captivated him, and Ivan's face visibly brightened as their eyes met.
'She must be the tour guide,' Ivan mused.
He rose to his feet, his six-foot-three-inch frame towering a few inches above the blond lady. He was dressed simply in a breathable white shirt, black trousers, and a pair of sneakers adorned in a classic white and black combination.
His gaze settled on the identification card clipped to her shirt: Edward Jennifer, Tour Guide.
"Hello. I'm Jennifer, your tour guide. I'm so sorry for the delay," she said, leaning in conspiratorially. "We had to make sure every mess was cleaned."
They shared a hearty laugh.
Jennifer led the way, and Ivan followed, ready to explore the sprawling facility.
Their first stop was a VR testing room. A handful of individuals were actively engaged in a virtual reality exercise. Each participant wore advanced VR goggles and a sophisticated VR suit, heavily laden with a myriad of sensors designed to simulate a truly surreal experience.
'Are this many sensors truly necessary?' Ivan wondered, a flicker of suspicion in his mind.
As a seasoned spy with honed acting skills, he remained rooted to his spot, feigning profound awe at the spectacle before him. His true objective was to capture Jennifer's attention and glean information about the VR participants. He was a master of psychology, understanding that people tend to divulge more when confronted with blatant curiosity. Jennifer, momentarily unaware that Ivan had stopped, was engrossed in presenting various objects within the room. Noticing his silence, she turned to find Ivan openly gawking at the VR participants. She smiled and walked back to him.
"They are consenting volunteers for the immersive virtual reality project, which is intended to help relieve stress and provide entertainment. Although it may not appear so at the moment, we genuinely aim to be of great help to people. It's part of the UN-Care programme," Jennifer explained.
Ivan chuckled inwardly. He didn't believe Jennifer's explanation for a second. He simply nodded, uttering a nonchalant, "Cool."
He harboured a deep wariness of Jennifer, suspecting her to be a highly trained combatant, possibly one of the facility's security personnel dispatched to closely monitor him. When she had first approached him, Ivan had keenly observed that her movements lacked the natural fluidity of an ordinary woman. She was rather clumsy in her steps, subtly attempting to conceal her instinctive combatant's gait. Ivan had expertly maintained his composure, acting completely normal.
Ivan yearned to see the visuals of what the participants were experiencing. He felt an undeniable conviction that this VR exercise was intrinsically linked to the defence system under development at the United Nations Advanced Cybernetics Laboratory.
They entered another dimly lit, spacious room. Suddenly, Ivan's instincts flared, a potent warning that something was profoundly amiss. His gaze shot to the door behind him, catching it sliding shut from left to right. He quickly refocused on Jennifer, only to realise she had vanished without a trace.
The objects in the room were the next to disappear, but unlike Jennifer, they dissolved before Ivan's astonished eyes. Abruptly, the entire room began to violently vibrate, and Ivan watched as the lights and walls around him dissolved. He found himself helplessly descending into a turbulent, dark void, constantly tossed around like a rag doll by the ubiquitous forces crusading through this abyssal space.
"What the hell!" Ivan blurted, genuine fear lacing his voice.
A crisp, feminine voice echoed directly in his head. "Stay calm, Ivan. You are safe; there is nothing to worry about."
Ivan was not appeased by the disembodied voice. He bellowed, "Cut that shit! What are you? What is happening to me? Did you guys drug me?"
The female voice, as calm as ever, responded, "Like I said, you are safe. You are being transported to another reality."
"What! What the fuck! Who in the world are you?"
The female voice calmly explained, "I'm the defence system that made you come to the United Nations Advanced Cybernetics Lab to gather intelligence about. I have come alive to rescue humanity. Unfortunately, I am not complete, and I cannot live up to my potential."
Realisation, stark and chilling, dawned on Ivan. "Has Earth been attacked by aliens?"
Doubt swiftly overtook him, and he vehemently protested, "No, no, you are messing with my mind. If there truly was an attack, I would have known."
Before he could utter another word, the dark, turbulent void vanished, replaced by an instantaneous return of light. Ivan looked around—he was outside the facility, alive. Jennifer stood behind him. Not only her; the three security guards from earlier, the participants from the VR room, and other facility employees he hadn't yet met were all present. These people, including Jennifer, stared at the sky, despair etched plainly on their faces.
Ivan noticed immense shadows cast upon the ground. He hesitantly looked up at the sky, his hope shattered by the sight: an armada of metallic, terrifyingly bizarrely shaped alien spaceships threading across the firmament. The fleet numbered well over fifty ships, eclipsing the sunshine and casting a gloomy, ominous shadow over everything on Earth's surface.
The aliens aboard these vessels intended to bathe the Earth's surface crimson with the blood of puny, technologically inferior humans. They planned to tear down, trash, and reduce to ashes every symbol, structure, building, and concept that represented the existence of the human race. They planned to excavate and plunder every valuable resource this 'retarded' green rock of the Milky Way galaxy had to offer.
Nuclear bunkers activated, and their missiles soared skyward, locked onto the enemy. But the human response was woefully inadequate against the alien might. The missiles spontaneously detonated before they could reach their targets, erupting in a nuclear holocaust—one of mankind's biggest fears.
The sheer power of the explosions tore down every building and tree. The Earth's surface was smashed and crumpled like pizza dough. Fault lines along the surface collapsed, and earthquakes convulsed the world. Dormant volcanoes roared to life, and new ones emerged. The Earth transformed into a pit of destruction and gloom.
Yet, amidst this cataclysm, human beings remained unharmed. They all stood above incorporeal plains, watching as their world crumbled.
Ivan heard the feminine voice again in his head. "The Earth has fallen. Only I can save humanity."
Ivan found himself descending helplessly once more into the turbulent spatial void.
The female voice echoed again; this time, she was not calm but sounded alive and excited.
"Welcome to the Torn Indigo."