An hour later, the Cadres mountain where the temple was located was flooded with different regulatory bodies ranging from the Defense commission to the Emergency response unit. Efforts were being made to retrieve the bodies buried under the debris of the collapse.
Survivors were receiving treatments for injuries sustained. After receiving treatment, Bayne accompanied by Max went to Morgan to narrate to him what happened.
" Good afternoon Captain", Bayne greeted as he he made his way into the tent.
" Good afternoon, and you are?", Morgan asked as he looked up from what he was doing.
" I am Bayne, the leader of the research team which was working on this site before....", Bayne responded.
" So you and your team are the ones responsible for this mess!! ", Morgan interjected looking furious. "Because of your research we've lost lives and valuable equipments".
" I'm sorry you feel that way, but I can assure you it wasn't our fault. I just ask that you hear us out...", Max said trying to make Morgan understand.
" What could you possibly have to say?!, yh , what could you possibly know that I won't?!", Morgan said with anger still written all over his face.
" Well, this wasn't our mission. We were out searching for some raw materials for a project we are currently working on. From our scans we were able to detect some reasonable amount of rare metals in this area, so we came here for confirmation". Bayne narrated as soon as he had gotten the Captain's attention.
" On getting here, our devices started misbehaving, due to the intense radiation coming from what was hiding in the area. We were able to trace the source of the radiation to a cave which led to a temple within the mountain", he continued. Morgan who was now interested then nudged him to continue.
" When we returned, we started work by trying to decode the signs on the temple walls while Bayne and some others decided to do a perimeter check on the area to see what else was hidden in the cave",Max added.
" While I and my team were searching the area, we came across a hall and at the center, we found this crystal", Bayne said as he put the box which contained the crystal on the table, 'knowing that it could be the source of the radiation, I decided that we took it back to the Lab for more research on it. Once I moved the crystal the whole mountain came crashing down. I guess we'relucky to be alive'. Bayne added as he opened the box to reveal it's content.
" I was also able to get the translation data from the system before the collapse although it still requires some finishing touches", Max added.
" So what information have you gathered about this so far", Morgan asked Bayne as soon as he saw the crystal.
" Well we were about to take it back to our Lab for testing to know more about it", Bayne replied.
While Bayne was still briefing Morgan on their status based on the crystal, a man came to tell him that he had a call from the General. So he stepped out to answer the phone. After some minutes, he returned.
" I'm sorry to announce this to you gentlemen, but the crystal won't be heading to your lab any longer. Henceforth, all operations on the crystal would be overseen by us. From now on you and your team are to report to us". Morgan announced as he returned from answering the call.
"But why?, this is not fair", Max protested.
" This is not my fault, I'm just following orders from above", Morgan answered.
" If I may ask, who gave the damn order", Bayne asked with a look of frustration.
" This is from the council. They want to ensure that everything is done according to the book and also supervise the movement of the crystal after testing". Morgan replied.
" And what if I disagree", Bayne asked furiously.
" I'm sorry, but you have no choice". Morgan answered and left to prepare the team for the transportation of the crystal to the Defense and special forces base.
Bayne wasn't really happy about the development, but for the meantime there was nothing he could do. So he decided to play along.
********** ************* ***********
Palmer was delighted by the job well done by his mercenaries. As soon as he saw the crystal suit prototype, his joy knew no bounds but he decided to keep it cool and follow through with his plan.
After the incident on Cadres mountain, all pack leaders were summoned to the Great Hall for an emergency meeting. Most people including Palmer who were in attendance were really anxious to know the reason for the urgency of the gathering.
As soon as all were settled, the General walked into the Hall and the briefing started almost immediately. The General stood up and addressed them.
" I know most of you have heard about the incident at Cadres mountain by now. I must say it was a rather unfortunate event that lead to loss of lives. It's not yet clear how many people lost their lives, but we have some survivors". He started.
" The interesting part is, these men found an artifact of which it's kind we have never seen before. According to their account we can deduce that this artifact holds great power and in the wrong hands, it can cause serious damage". He continued while looking at everyone.
On hearing this, Palmer was keen to know more about it. He stood up and asked,
"If I may, could you go into details about this artifact, I mean shed more light on the situation at hand".
" At the moment, we don't have much information on the artifact. All we know is that it's a crystal with immense power. But as we speak, I have asked to Special forces and Defense Base to take over and oversee all testing and experiments on the crystal. The crystal would be en route to the base by tomorrow". The General answered.
The meeting went on with others giving their suggestions and disagreements based on the matter at hand but Palmer lost in his thoughts .
As soon as the meeting was drawn to a close, Palmer decided to put a call through to his agents.
"Hello Ronan, let's meet, I've got a job for you. We'll rendezvous at the joint". He ended the call and had a sinister smile on his face.