The power of decision weighed heavily on the minds of the three young bearers as they looked at Commander Ava.
"I'm out," Tahiko declared with a determined look.
Koji quickly stepped in his way.
"What are you doing?" he asked, evident concern in his voice.
"Get out of my way, Koji," Tahiko retorted, pushing him aside lightly.
Saik, who had been sitting, stood up abruptly with a determined expression as he approached.
"You can't decide like this. We're in this together," Saik said, trying to bring reason to the situation.
"Of course I can," Tahiko responded firmly, turning his back on the commander and walking towards the door.
However, as he opened it, his hands were suddenly bound by dark handcuffs with red points, placed by a man who appeared to be a Tower agent.
"Seriously?" Tahiko looked at the agent with a mix of disdain and superiority.
With a strawberry popsicle in his mouth and a subtle smile, the agent replied calmly, "These are Nullite S1 handcuffs, the most advanced. They disrupt the entire body's movement system upon direct contact. At the same time, they suppress and damage non-human actions... Your luck, as bearers, is that this model hasn't been handed over to the Armed Forces yet."
"So, should I be scared?" Tahiko challenged, belittling the man.
Tahiko glanced down slightly and read the agent's badge.
"Tovah, Principal Unit Agent of the Tower."
From the corridor speakers, Ava's firm announcement echoed.
"Agent Tovah, take Tahiko to the Containment Center, please. I'll speak with him later today."
"What? What are you going to do with him?" Koji asked.
"If you do anything to him, there will be no cooperation from us," Saik asserted.
Ava maintained a serene but authoritative expression.
"Calm down. We won't do anything, nor can we. He'll just stay somewhere while we settle the cooperation between us."
Koji and Saik exchanged worried looks, but they knew they had to continue the conversation with Commander Ava. She observed them with a serious but calm expression, waiting for them to settle down.
"Okay," Koji said, taking a deep breath. "Let's discuss this cooperation, but know that we're watching every move against Tahiko."
She gestured for the two young men to sit down again.
"The proposal is simple: you help us fight the Foundation, and in return, we offer resources, protection, and information about your personal enemies."
Saik crossed his arms, skeptical.
"And what exactly does fighting the Foundation mean? Killing them?" he asked.
"Recon missions, expeditions, sabotage, and occasionally direct combat," Ava replied. "We know you have unique abilities that can be decisive."
Koji and Saik exchanged another glance. They knew their abilities were powerful, but this also made them valuable targets.
"We'll help, but we want guarantees. No suicide missions or using our abilities as disposable weapons."
Ava understood the seriousness of the situation.
"I understand your concerns. We don't expect you to do anything without full agreement. This is a collaborative effort. We want you on our side by choice, not by force."
Saik relaxed a little, but remained skeptical.
"And Tahiko? How can we trust that he'll really be safe?"
"He's under our protection. We have no interest in harming him. He's valuable to us, just like you are," Ava assured.
Koji took a deep breath and looked at Saik, who gave a slight nod.
"We need an ally, and this is the best moment to accept becoming one," Koji thought.
Then Koji gave his response.
"Alright, we'll collaborate. But if anything happens outside the agreement, the deal is off."
"You have my word."
After the agreement was settled, Ava led them through the corridors of the imposing headquarters, taking them to the agents' quarters located on the lower floors. The elevator was modern and elegant, with shiny metal walls and a sophisticated control panel. As they descended, the elevator's speaker announced a news bulletin.
"Information relayed from the American Tower to the Brazilian Tower. In Portland, USA, an entirely abnormal event occurred in a city park this morning. Further information and details will be provided to our intelligence."
Ava, noticing the curiosity of the two, initiated a conversation.
"What do you think of this incident in Portland?" she asked, slightly furrowing her brow.
"Seems out of the ordinary," Saik commented, looking pensive.
"I agree," said Koji, raising his eyebrows.
Ava nodded affirmatively, and then the elevator stopped at the designated floor. They exited and were directed to their rooms.
Upon entering, Koji and Saik found a spacious and well-decorated room with two large, comfortable beds. The environment was prepared to welcome the new guests, and they wasted no time sitting on the beds for a quick "test."
"It feels pretty comfortable here," Saik said, laughing lightly as he lay on the bed.
"Very. Much better than motel beds," Koji agreed with a subtle smile.
Ava, observing them attentively, made a gesture for them to prepare for what was to come.
"Tomorrow morning, we'll discuss important matters. It's crucial that you wake up early."
As Ava was closing the door, Cole Fuller, the young intern from the Tower's intelligence team, appeared holding a paper. He approached Ava and handed it to her.
"Ava, I received another report on the deaths in Dynami. Captain Williams was officially found dead at the military bases in the southern part of the city."
Ava, with her exemplary professionalism, received the news without altering her demeanor. She nodded slightly to Cole, thanked him, and turned to Koji and Saik.
"Good night," she said, closing the door.
Koji sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the floor with a blank expression. Saik, noticing this behavior, deduced that he already knew what had happened to Williams.
"You knew, didn't you?" Saik asked, looking at Koji.
Keeping his serious gaze on the floor, Koji responded.
"Tahiko was defeated when I arrived at the bases. He had lost to a bearer from the Foundation. The only human who survived was a little boy named Riley, whom Tahiko tried to protect. But the same enemy bearer who killed the civilians and Captain Williams took Riley too."
Saik took a deep breath, his expression a mix of frustration and anger.
"I thought we had managed to save those people... How foolish of me."
Koji stood up, walked to the large window in the room, and looking at the view, he said to his partner.
"I think I've never felt so much responsibility in my life as I do now, but that doesn't matter. Unfortunately, we'll see more people dying, but we can't let that become normal. I think it's time to fix the world."
"Hm. Indeed," Saik replied, with a sad smile.
- - -
At the completely destroyed military bases in southern Dynami.
Walking over the devastated ground of the bases under a dark sky was Nikki Williams, an athletic and disciplined soldier of the Tower's Special Forces, and the son of the late Captain Williams.
He walked among countless lifeless bodies in a scene where life, peace, and hope had been desperately abandoned by the people who died.
With a machine gun in hand and slow steps, he looked around and saw a horizon of destroyed houses and blood everywhere.
"This is hell," he said, looking coldly at the corpse of a disfigured child with severed limbs.
"I think it always has been," affirmed another soldier, more robust, bearded, and cleaning the lenses of his sunglasses.
"Luke?" Nikki turned and greeted his colleague and friend, asking, "How do you think they're going to remove all these bodies? There are millions throughout the city. It sounds insane to me."
"But nobody expects the government to do anything," Luke said, smiling as he put on his sunglasses.
Still looking down, Nikki resumed walking, this time moving away from the bases and approaching the collapsed residences. Luke followed him, and with a slight pause, he said.
"They told me about your father... Mr. Williams was amazing, man. I'm really sorry."
"My father didn't die. He was killed."
Nikki continued.
"And I know who's to blame, but I don't need to rush," he said, stopping in front of a room of a house still standing. "And Luke, by any chance, do you know the name of the bearer who was with my father here at the bases?"
"Tahiko. That's his name. It seems he's in Brasília, at the headquarters. They said they're trying to get him to cooperate with us."
"Tahiko... I hope he helps. It wouldn't be fair to kill those creatures alone."
Nikki was apathetic, his eyes blinking less than normal, expressing nothing but intense coldness. He stopped and stared at the room that, admirably, hadn't collapsed yet. Luke rejoined him and stood beside him, also looking at the room.
On the back wall of the residential compartment, there were several graffiti with crooked letters signaling the desperation of the people who wrote them.
"Let's go west"
"Help!"
"God is coming back"
Luke, in a humorous tone, said, "You have to be pretty crazy to write 'Help!' inside a house and not on the street."
But a pertinent question was then asked by Nikki.
"Luke, do the creatures... Gyakus, prove that God exists?" Nikki asked, his voice calm but genuinely curious.
"Of course. It's the greatest proof of all," Luke responded, with a satisfied and joyful smile.
"But why? What's the idea behind it? A devout person probably died wasting time writing about God's return, but nothing changed."
Nikki was pensive, his attention completely on the graffiti. Luke, on the other hand, looked at his friend
and replied.
"We humans know many things, but there are also many we don't. From simple things like yawning to the grandest. Many things are based only on theories. We don't know all the behaviors and meanings of such actions of animals, insects, pests, viruses, bacteria because we can't think exactly as they do, it's impossible. We can't even measure anything in space; our brain doesn't have that capacity. God is the same thing."
Nikki reflected on Luke's words.
"So, we're just trying to understand something beyond our comprehension," Nikki murmured, more to himself than to Luke.
"Exactly. And in the midst of it all, we do the best we can," Luke said, patting Nikki's shoulder. "Let's go, we still have a lot to do here."
With a final look at the graffiti, Nikki nodded and followed Luke, determined to continue, even if the answers weren't clear.