20: 23
Watson Estate, Pound Hill, Crawley
Annabelle's room looked the same as before. Dark, wires and half-dismantled electric devices lying all around, a PC set up with multiple monitors on one side. Annabelle sat back up straight and said in a serious tone, "You know, Sohel, it might not be my place to say this, but you should at least talk with them once. They, especially Mei, have been searching for you like her life depends on it."
"What will happen once she finds me? Both of us know that she would either try to pull me back into SNA or she herself would leave SNA to be with me. And when she suddenly resigns, that's going to raise some eyebrows. And you know what happens next."
"Why not just go back then?"
Sohel chuckled. "Both of us know that our time in SNA is over. You wouldn't have founded Watson Industries otherwise. You may have cleared our names by outing the mission report, but it doesn't change the fact that we were used as scapegoats."
"That's true. But…"
"But?"
"Ok, I got it. So, now tell me, what do you need this time? You never call me to just chitchat."
"I need you to look into something for me. Can you hack into the CIA's main servers and see if something's wrong? It is clear that they're planning something big, but I can't figure out what exactly is going on."
Annabelle sighed out of disappointment and said, "First, SNA's servers and now the CIA. You do realise that if I get caught, it's going to be a huge scandal, right? Think about my position for once."
"Please?"
"Ugh, ok. You're going to keep asking me until I agree anyway. I'll look into it. Give me some time."
"Thanks, Ann. You've been a big help these past few years."
"Just doing what I can. Talk to you later."
"Yeah. Good night."
Annabelle leaned back on her chair as she let out a big sigh. A female voice came through a speaker somewhere in her room: "Princess, an unexpected error occurred in your Model-A14 simulation. Please take a look."
Annabelle slowly got up and walked towards a table with a touch screen attached to its top as she said, "Project it on my table. I'll take a look. And tell Andrew to build a few proxy firewalls for me."
"Is it for the captain's request?"
"Yeah. But I believe I changed his designation in your logs. He's not in the army anymore."
"I'm sorry, Princess. There seems to be some errors in my logic flow."
A holographic rifle model appeared on top of the table. Annabelle scratched her temples as she looked at it and said, "It's fine. Go brew me some coffee. Don't drop it this time."
"Yes, Princess."
12th June
06:38
Female Dormitory Building - 2, Housing district, New Eden
On the 10th floor, in the door to room number 1002, the nameplate read,
"Sergeant Elena Parker (14th Infantry Regiment, Specialist Candidate)
&
Sergeant Arina Sergeevna Kuznetsova (2nd Armed Field Medic Squadron)."
The room was simple. A washroom to the left of the entrance, a cabinet with a TV on top beside the washroom door, a bunk bed opposite to the cabinet, and a window facing a large study table with two chairs opposite to the entrance.
Elena finally woke up after snoozing her alarm 3 times. She slowly got up, climbed down from her bunk bed, and removed the curtain from the window. Her smiling face disappeared the moment she looked out the window. There was a storm outside.
She picked up her phone, logged into the SNA database, and went to the noticeboard. The frown in her face deepened as she saw the 1st priority notice. It read:
"TYPHOON ALERT NOTICE
ISSUED: 03: 00; 12 June 2037
TO: All Personnel, SNA Headquarters, New Eden
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED
A TYPHOON Arashi has been classified as approaching New Eden with sustained winds of around 84 mph and potential for a tsunami. All personnel are directed to adhere to the following protocols effective immediately:
TRAINING DRILLS SUSPENDED
All outdoor/field training exercises, drills, and non-essential operations are CANCELLED until further notice.
Unit commanders must secure equipment, vehicles, and weapons systems to prevent storm damage.
SHELTER-IN-PLACE ORDER
All personnel are to REMAIN INDOORS except for mission-critical responders or emergency details.
Barracks, quarters, and designated shelters are to be occupied until the "all clear" is declared.
Avoid windows, balconies, and exterior structures.
CRITICAL PREPARATIONS
Secure loose outdoor items (e.g., signage, debris-prone materials).
Stock emergency supplies (food, water, flashlights, batteries) in living areas.
Charge communication devices and monitor base-wide alerts.
COMMUNICATION CHANNELS
Updates will be broadcast via the official SNA communication systems.
Do NOT attempt direct contact unless reporting emergencies.
EMERGENCY CONTACT:
Operations Centre: Academy BUilding, Administrative District
Medical Emergency: SNA Medical Complex, Administrative District
COMMAND DIRECTIVE:
"The safety of personnel is our top priority. Compliance with this order is mandatory. Maintain vigilance and readiness for post-storm recovery operations."
Signed,
Major General Rahat Ahmed
Commanding Officer, New Eden
THIS NOTICE REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS.
STAY INDOORS. STAY SAFE."
Elena screamed in frustration. The scream woke Arina up. She rubbed her eyes, lifted her head a little bit, and looked at Erina with drowsy eyes. As she saw Erina standing next to the window and looking at her phone with a frown on her face, she laid back down as she said, "Go back to sleep, Elena. We ain't getting out of this room building."
Elena quickly went to Arina and started shaking her by her shoulders as she said, "Come on. How can this not bum you out? Stuck in this room all day with nothing to do. I'm gonna die of boredom."
Arina shook her off and said, "You'll be fine. Now let me sleep. I had to pull an all-nighter yesterday, covering for ma'am."
Elena gave up and threw herself on a chair as she said, "Ahh, must be nice, working with an undead. How's she?"
Arina didn't answer. Elena looked at sleeping Arina and thought, "Damn it. What do I do?"