After disembarking from the jet, Lucas and the others crossed to the island by a small ferry. The island was surrounded by top-level security measures from all sides.
Due to these security measures, approaching the island without permission was nearly impossible. The government was monitoring every aspect of this island.
Furthermore, some other nation-states were also aware of what was happening on this island. A diplomatic crisis could easily turn into a military one at any moment.
However, Lucas still hadn't fully grasped the seriousness of the situation. For him, this event was nothing more than a fantastical occurrence.
After entering the island, they were shown temporary rooms where they would stay. Each room accommodated five people and was cramped. The main reason for this was the large number of people on the island.
Then they entered a presentation room where there were already people present.
The first thing that caught Lucas's attention was the other two groups similar to theirs. Lucas thought they were also "important individuals for the mission."
Apart from these selected 15 people, there were retired elite soldier trainers and a few political figures. Lucas immediately focused his attention on the presentation.
"As you can see, the color of UH 001 changes at certain times of the day. Although we haven't fully understood its operating mechanism, no gas or object coming out of it has been seen so far. Furthermore, it is known that only one person has entered inside so far."
Lucas thought, He must be talking about the researcher's daughter.
"We have started to think that the person who entered might be genetically different from other humans. However, when we examined the family and relatives of the person who entered, we confirmed that no one had interacted with UH 001."
The researcher was continuing to speak at full speed. It was evident that he had prepared this presentation.
"While all researchers were focusing on this, I discovered something interesting. UH 001 accepts the blood of individuals who can enter inside. We confirmed this with the blood of the person who entered. We quickly informed this to the government authorities."
The researcher's excitement was evident. He had never seen anything like this in his life. This place was big and important for his career.
"After thousands of attempts, we couldn't find the individuals we wanted. We also didn't have the opportunity to test everyone's blood in the country."
He wasn't wrong. The country's population consisted of millions of people.
"But we had no choice but to try. Through these trials, we reached out to you. You can interact with UH 001 successfully. Our request to you is to control UH 001 from inside."
Before the researcher could finish his sentence, someone started shouting.
"You must be kidding! Is your only knowledge that we can pass through that ridiculous portal? We don't know what awaits us beyond the portal! I don't want to die knowingly."
"I don't want to go somewhere I don't know."
"This is utter nonsense!"
"My life is not a play!"
Some people from Lucas's group and the other two groups had decided to back out of such nonsense.
After all this chaos, a voice rose from the back of the presentation room. The voice belonged to a ranking soldier.
"Silence! This mission is a necessity for you... After leaving here, you will all be dead men anyway. My advice to you is to prepare for all scenarios for three days from now! This is not a request; it's a necessity for all of you!"
A soldier in uniform was shouting at the high school kids. Lucas understood the extent of the situation at that moment. Do they want to send us knowing we'll die? Lucas was right. The government had tried many solutions for UH 001. But all solutions had been futile.
Moreover, pressure from other states had increased. The possibility of the country and the island being annexed was increasing by the moment. This also limited the options available to the government.
The government had chosen to take simple risks for the future of the country. The lives of these 15 students could save millions of lives and even prevent nuclear war.
Lucas wanted to break this silence of death. This silence was pushing everyone back unnecessarily.
"Please, everyone, first say your name and then what you want to do when you come back. That way, we can also get to know each other!"
A girl in the crowd suddenly came up with an idea. Lucas quickly filled this gap and broke the silence in the room.
"Then I'll start first. My name is Lucas, and this year is my last year in high school. When I come back, I want to watch plenty of anime."
Lucas spoke in one breath. Introducing himself made him feel uncomfortable.
"My name is Lara, I'm in the second year of high school. When I come back, I want to travel the world."
"My name is Samuel, I'm preparing for university. When I come back, I want to study at university and become an aerospace engineer."
"I'm Elijah, I'm in my last year of high school. If I come back in one piece, I want to play computer games until I die."
Everyone was briefly introducing themselves. After this short introduction, everyone dispersed.
Over the next few days, they had received basic first aid training. They had learned a lot of things like how to deal with predators in nature, camouflage, and communication with drawings.
The thing that interested Lucas the most was "communicating with drawings." The idea of communicating with people by drawing seemed very clever to him.
Ultimately, they had gained a lot of theoretical knowledge. All military trainers knew that such short training would not be remembered in a panic.
Even if these trainings lasted for years, they could not be embraced by everyone. Moreover, burdening a few high school kids with such responsibility saddened everyone.
Finally, the day had come. Lucas was standing in front of UH 001. It's a bit smaller than I imagined.
It was big enough for two people to comfortably pass through. It looked like a mix of a portal from movies and a black hole. It was also thinner than a piece of paper.
"Does everyone know their turn? We will do it as we practiced before. Lucas, you can start when you're ready!"
The soldier in uniform had started speaking. This place was like a military base. He was the man in charge of this facility.
It looks very interesting. It's as if it's tearing reality apart.
Lucas was at the front. He lightly reached out to the portal. He could pass through the portal. But as soon as he put his hand into the portal, he was pulled by the portal.
After Lucas was pulled by the portal, everyone started moving towards the portal one by one.
All 15 people had entered UH 001. Whether they were willing or not was irrelevant. They were forced to do this.
A few days later, UH 001 would disappear like a mystery. And this event would only remain as a story fabricated by a few "madmen" to discredit the government.