Visitors from Terra

Prologue

It was a cold and dark night. The streets of New York had fallen silent, there wasn't a single soul walking through them. The towering skyscrapers of Manhattan sat in the dark, nobody was left working inside them... but, in one of them, a light remained turned on. In the main headquarters of World Beyond Labs, a man was still working at his desk.

He was a robust, good-looking man. His hair was auburn, while his eyes were brown. He also had a moustache, although it wasn't very prominent.

Without taking his eyes off from the documents he was working on, he took a sip from his coffee mug. He left it on his desk and continued his labor. It seemed like he couldn't be distracted by anything. But then...

-*Creeek* - The doors of his office opened, giving way to a young boy clad in a suit. The man, leaving what he was doing, looked at the boy.

-Ok... What do you have for me? – It was like his eyes were saying "You dare to interrupt me?".

The boy, regaining his composure, set out to answer.

-Yes... yes, Mr. Highstew. I only came to tell you that Senator DiAngelo is waiting for you at the reception room, should I tell him to...

-No, I'll take care of it. – He cut him with a wave of his hand. Then, he stood up and walked towards the door, but just before he reached them, he turned around and threw his keys for him to catch. – Please, do me a favor and park my car in the garage. I won't need it tonight.

-Yes... yes sir!. – He caught the keys and disappeared. Highstew, for his part, headed towards the reception room.

When he arrived, there was already someone waiting for him, sitting in the couch. He greeted him.

-Good afternoon, Michael.

-Same, Senator DiAngelo.

DiAngelo was a tall and robust man. His eyes were icy blue, with a cold look on them. His brownish hair was straight, with some fringe.

After what felt like an eternity, DiAngelo stood up and came closer to Highstew.

-Well, I've heard you've got something for me, right? – A small smile spread on his face. It made Highstew uncomfortable. It was him or that smile just felt... too odd?

-Michael~... is everything ready?

That brought him back to reality. – Sorry, I got distracted. Yeah, everything's ready. The only thing we've left is to test it.

-Good to hear that. – Said DiAngelo. – He began walking towards the exit of the building. Outside, a black limousine was waiting for him. – Allow me to go with you. I would love to see the test with my own eyes...

-Ok, understood.

The two men got inside the limousine. The driver started the vehicle and headed to the outskirts of New York. After an hour or so, they finally left the last suburbs behind, leaving way to the darkness of the night. The road was very lonely, and was surrounded by a thick forest. While the limousine drove through the road, DiAngelo and Highstew began to talk.

-So, how was your day, Senator? I've heard that the president was almost butchered by the Senate...

-Yeah, it was a shame they didn't do it. He wants us to withdraw from Taiwan... You know what that means? That means 12.000 of our boys will have died in vain, and it also means letting the Chinese destroy the peace we've built for decades... - He raised his fist. – But I won't let that happen! If I had been there, the Chinese would have been defeated a long time ago...