Ishida and Kiyoshi stepped cautiously inside the UFO. A thick cloud of smoke curled through the air, distorting their vision. Shapes flickered in and out of the haze—futuristic gadgets hovered mid-air, defying gravity, while a large, sleek touchscreen table stood at the center, protected by a glass panel, marking it as the main control hub.
The source of the smoke was a half-open door to their left. Ishida hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and pulling it open completely. A sudden gust of smoke rushed out, filling the entire room in an instant. Both of them coughed violently, struggling to breathe.
Through the dense fog, they stumbled forward, barely able to see beyond their outstretched hands. Then—without warning—an attack from behind.
Ishida whirled around, but it was too late. A sharp sting shot through his back as an injection gun pressed against his skin. Kiyoshi collapsed instantly, his body hitting the floor with a dull thud. Ishida's vision blurred, his limbs growing heavy. The world around him dimmed, but just before darkness consumed him, he caught a glimpse of something—or someone.
A girl.
She had stark white hair, piercing red eyes, and was clad in an all-black soldier's uniform. Standing over him, she pressed a finger to the earpiece in her right ear and spoke in a calm, commanding tone:
"Distractions eliminated, sir. I'll proceed with the mission as planned."
Ishida struggled to keep his senses, but reality was slipping away. His ears rang with strange, distorted sounds, the real world fading like a distant echo.
The last thing he saw was the girl crouching beside him, her face drawing close. She tilted her head, smiled, and grabbed his hair.
"Well, aren't you a tough guy?" she mused.
And with that, she drove her fist into his face.
---
Unknown Location
Light.
Blinding light.
Ishida's eyelids fluttered open, his vision hazy. His head pounded as he struggled to adjust to the brightness.
Then, suddenly—
"Hey, guys! He's awake!"
A voice—shrill, excited, way too close.
Ishida squinted as his vision cleared, revealing a girl leaning over him, her face mere inches away. She looked about sixteen, with pink hair, deep black eyes, and pale, flawless skin. Beautiful.
Panic shot through him.
With a startled yelp, he sprang to his feet, scrambling backward. His arms flailed as he blurted out the first thing that came to mind—
"Personal space! Ever heard of it?! Or are we in some kind of sci-fi rom-com where strangers wake up to anime girls hovering over them?!"
Silence.
The girl—Hiromi—tilted her head, blinking in amusement. The others in the room exchanged glances, clearly unimpressed.
Now that Ishida had some breathing room, he took in his surroundings. Six people, roughly his age, all clad in the same white uniform as him. The walls were lined with high-tech gadgets and weapons, glowing faintly under the sterile white lights. No doors. No exits.
"Great. Either we're in a secret lab or a really sketchy reality show."
Hiromi, still unfazed, bombarded him with questions. "Hey, what's your name? Where are you from? Do you remember anything?"
Before Ishida could answer, another voice cut through the conversation.
"Hiromi, how many times do I have to tell you? Stop getting so close to creepy guys."
A tall, well-built guy with matching pink hair stood with his arms crossed, looking exasperated.
Hiromi pouted. "I was just checking him out. Besides, I don't think he's a bad person…"
As the siblings bickered, Ishida scanned the room's other occupants.
In the corner sat a guy with black hair, slightly shorter than the rest. He had his arms wrapped around his knees, his head buried between them. "He looks like he lost a fight with life itself," Ishida thought.
Another girl stood near the weapon racks, her long black hair cascading down her back. She seemed deep in thought, completely ignoring the chaos around her. "She's either really focused… or just doesn't care."
Before Ishida could observe more, the tall pink-haired guy turned to him.
"Hey, space cadet! I've been calling you forever. Where's your head at?"
Ishida, still piecing things together, exhaled sharply. "Okay, seriously—where the hell are we? And why am I here?"
---
The group sat in a circle—well, most of them. The depressed guy in the corner stayed put, uninterested.
Hiromi, practically buzzing with excitement, leaned closer to Ishida. "So, you actually saw them?"
Ishida leaned back, visibly uncomfortable. "First of all, boundaries. Second, yes. There was a girl with white hair, dressed in black. That's all I remember before blacking out."
The quiet girl near the weapons finally spoke. Her voice was calm and confident. "We should introduce ourselves properly first. I'm Divya."
The pink-haired guy followed. "Name's Ryo, and this is my sister, Hiromi."
Ishida sighed. "Ishida."
Divya turned to the silent guy in the corner. "What about you?"
No response. Just a long, empty silence.
Hiromi tried again, her voice gentle. "If we're going to survive, we need to work together. Please, cooperate with us."
The guy shifted slightly but didn't lift his head. "I don't care."
A collective sigh of disappointment passed through the group.
Breaking the awkwardness, Ryo spoke up. "So… everyone here saw a UFO before waking up here, huh?"
A chilling realization settled over them.
"That means… we could be in possession of aliens."
Ishida suddenly recalls Kiyoshi and wonders about his whereabouts.
"Hey, have any of you seen Kiyoshi? He's short, slightly overweight, and quite talkative."
The room falls silent as everyone turns to look at him.
---
Elsewhere…
Beyond the white-walled room, hidden behind an array of monitors, a mysterious figure watched the group through CCTV feeds.
"Everything is going according to plan."
---