Two days later, Anne and her team had mostly recovered from their ordeal, except for John, who still suffered from the aftereffects of the snakebite. The command center buzzed with tense energy as the team huddled around the dimly lit table covered with scattered maps and documents. Shadows clinging to the corners of the room heightened the sense of isolation within their temporary sanctuary. Anne’s heart pounded as she gripped the edge of the table, listening to Tristan outline their recent findings. He spoke quickly, his words punctuated with animated gestures.
“Based on our latest samples,” Tristan said, “I believe we can all agree that the creatures in the crater are unlike anything we’ve ever encountered before. All the smaller ones seem to be no threat, and though they appear to be crystal, they’re not.” He held up a vial of greenish liquid they had collected from one of the small creatures. “Their shiny pale skin merely resembles crystal. It’s the giant robot we need to concentrate on and get rid of.”
Anne looked at the vial, dread coiling in her stomach like a snake ready to strike. She tried to focus on their need for answers, which pressed heavily against her thoughts. “So, what’s our next move?” she asked.
Murmurs of uncertainty rippled through the group as each team member tried to process the gravity of the situation.
Suddenly, the door slammed open, startling everyone in the room. Jack strode in, his salt-and-pepper hair disheveled and his jaw set. Conversations came to an abrupt halt as all eyes turned to him, sensing the seriousness in his demeanor.
“Listen up!” he barked, his voice cutting through the silence like a knife. “I’ve thought long and hard, and there are things you need to know right now.”
Anne felt a sense of unease as she took in Jack’s resolute expression. He was a man who had faced countless dangers throughout his career, yet something about the way he carried himself now suggested this was different.
“Agent Madden,” she began with caution, “what’s going on?”
He gazed around the room, lingering on each member of the team before settling back on Anne. His eyes looked haunted, as if something had shaken him to his very core. “We’ve been operating under false assumptions, and now we’re running out of time. Everyone, take a seat,” he commanded, his voice firm but weary. “This is going to be hard for you all to hear.”
The team exchanged wary glances but did as they were told, their tension amped by several degrees.
“From the beginning of this mission, I’ve been under strict orders from the president not to reveal what I’m about to tell you, and I’ll lose my head for revealing it now.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “I’ve known about the alien presence all along.”
The room erupted into a cacophony of disbelief, anger, and confusion. Anne clenched her hands into fists at her sides, trying to process Jack’s betrayal. She may not have fully trusted him, but this revelation was beyond belief.
“Madden, how could you keep something like this from us?” Tristan demanded, his voice shaking with fury and disappointment. “We trusted you!”
“Silence!” Jack bellowed, desperation seeping into his tone. “I had no choice! My orders were clear, maintain secrecy at all costs, keep it classified.”
“Enough!” Anne shouted, burning with rage. “You lied to us, Jack, manipulated us. How can we ever trust you again?”
Jack looked pained, his jaw tight as he struggled to meet her gaze. “I understand your anger, and I’m truly sorry. But right now, we need to focus on stopping that robotic creature before it causes any more damage.”
She narrowed her eyes as she advanced on Jack. “You knew all along?” her voice cold and biting. “You knew about the alien presence before you even joined us, didn’t you, Agent Madden?”
Jack tensed and nodded hesitantly, his hands balling into fists at his sides. “Yes, but like I said, I was under presidential orders to keep it a secret.”
“Orders?” Anne scoffed, her anger boiling over. “Whose orders take precedence over our lives, our trust?”
“Top brass.” His jaw clenched. “If the world knew about this, there would be widespread mass panic and chaos. I had to keep it quiet.”
Anne’s mind reeled, images of the rampaging alien creature vivid in her memory. How could he have kept this from them? She searched his face, seeking answers, but found only guilt etched in his features.
“Was deceiving us like this worth it?” she asked, trembling. “And how did the president know there was an alien presence in this region? If it had been Area Fifty-One, I’d understand. But here?”
He met her gaze with determination flashing in his eyes. “President Daniels never told me how he knew. And I did what I thought was right. I made a choice to protect people. If you were in my position, wouldn’t you do the same?”
Her thoughts churned, torn between anger and understanding. Would she have made the same choice if the responsibility had been hers? She shook her head, unwilling to give him the benefit of the doubt. “If it’s all that classified, I find it strange the president contacted me to investigate the reported phenomena seen in the crater. But none of that matters now,” she said, struggling to regain control. “We have to stop that creature, with or without your help.”
“Let me help,” Jack pleaded, sincerity shining through his desperation. “I want to make things right.”
Anne hesitated, staring into his eyes as everyone in the room sucked in their breath, their tension palpable. Finally, she nodded. “Fine,” she spat, her tone brooking no argument. “But you’ve lost the team’s trust now, Jack. I doubt we’ll ever trust you again.”
Jack had broken their trust, but he could still be of immense help...
The dim glow of flickering monitors cast eerie shadows across the team’s faces, each etched with a mix of anger and disappointment. Whispers of betrayal filled the command center, punctuated by the occasional hiss of frustration.
“Jack, why didn’t you say something after witnessing what happened in Flagstaff?” Anne muttered, seething with barely contained fury.
Jack’s stance shifted uncomfortably, but he set his jaw rigidly. “I’ve already explained my reasons,” he said, gruffly defensive. “Orders are orders. Especially when straight from the president.”
“Orders be damned!” Laura snapped, slamming her fist onto a table. “Lives were and are at stake!”
“Enough!” Anne shouted, cutting through the rising cacophony. The team fell silent, their gazes turning toward her as she collected herself. “What’s done is done. We need to figure out how to move forward, not dwell on past mistakes.”
“Past mistakes? This was a deliberate deception and betrayal!” Tristan stepped forward, his tall frame imposing even in the dim light. His face contorted with anger as he jabbed an accusing finger at Jack. “We trusted you! You were supposed to have our backs. Instead, you withheld vital information that put us all in danger!”
“Tristan, I—” Jack began.
Tristan cut him off. “Did you ever think about what your precious orders would do to us?” his voice cracking with emotion. “How can we trust anything you say now?”
Jack’s gaze drifted to the floor, but no further words of remorse or explanation came forth.
“Anne’s right,” Tristan muttered. “We need to focus on stopping the creature. But I don’t know if I can ever have faith in you again.”
Anne clenched her fists, struggling to hold back her own wave of anger at Jack’s betrayal. She had to pull the team together because they had more important things to worry about. “Enough!” she snapped, her voice cutting through the tension like a knife. “We can’t afford to be at each other’s throats right now. We have a job to do!”
She glanced around the table, still sensing the anger crackling in the air, but her words seemed to jolt the team from their heated emotions. They looked at her, awaiting further instruction.
“Listen,” Anne continued, lacing her words with urgency. “I know we’re all angry, but our priority is stopping that robotic monster.”
She paced back and forth. “Tristan,” she said, turning to face him. “I need you to continue monitoring its movements. If it shows any signs of heading toward populated areas, we must act immediately.”
Tristan nodded. “Understood, Anne.”
“Good.” She leaned against the table to address the others. “As for the rest of you, I want everyone to focus on finding a way to neutralize it permanently. We still don’t know the full extent of its capabilities, but we’ve learned enough to know we need to be prepared for the unexpected.” Her gaze swept over the team, pausing briefly on Madden before moving on. “Are we clear?” she asked, leaving no room for argument.
The team exchanged uneasy glances, their tension still evident, but one by one, they nodded in agreement.
“Let’s get to work,” Anne said, keeping her voice steady despite her internal turmoil. “We have a mission to complete before our armed forces show up.”
As they dispersed, each team member glared at Jack with lingering anger and mistrust.
“Anne,” Jack murmured, stepping forward hesitantly.
She looked up, narrowing her eyes as she regarded him with a mix of anger and wariness.
“I know I’ve given you all reason to doubt me, but I truly want to help. I realize now that I made a mistake by not being honest with you from the beginning.”
“Damn right you did,” Tristan muttered, casting a dark glance in Jack’s direction.
“Please, let me make it right,” Jack pleaded, meeting each of their gazes in turn. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to stop the monster and protect the people I’ve sworn to serve.”
Anne stared at him for a long moment, weighing his sincerity against the hurt his deception had caused. Finally, she nodded curtly. “As I said before, we need all the help we can get. But don’t think for a second this erases what you’ve done. We’ll be watching you like a hawk.”
“Understood,” Jack replied, relief flooding his face.
She saw the team exchange hesitant glances before turning back to their tasks. “Listen up, everyone,” Anne said, her voice firm. “Every person in this room is part of the team. Let’s put all our energy into figuring out how to neutralize the creature.”
As the team delved into research and brainstormed strategies, Anne couldn’t help but notice the continuous wary glances cast Jack’s way. She knew he would have to work twice as hard to regain their trust.
“Jack,” Anne said, approaching him with a stack of papers, “I need you to go through these reports and see if there’s any mention of similar incidents or encounters. If we can find a pattern, it might help us predict the robot’s next move.”
“Of course.” He took the papers without hesitation.
“Time’s running out, folks,” Anne called. “We need answers. Now.”
“Let’s get cracking, people,” Tristan barked, his voice laced with bitterness.
She turned to Jack. “We need to talk. I don’t know if I, or any of us, can trust you anymore, but we can’t do this without your help. You need to tell us everything you’ve known all this time, each detail you’ve hidden from us.”
“Anne, I don’t know what to say. President Daniels didn’t tell me a whole lot,” Jack began. “Only that he’s known for a long time there could be an alien presence in the crater. I’m so sorry I—”
“Enough. We’ll deal with the rest of it later. Right now, we have a mission to complete.”
But Anne suddenly realized... it wasn’t only Jack who had betrayed them... The president himself had been very aware of a possible alien existence in the crater and never said a word.