"Hello, Michele. Wow, I thought you wouldn't make it," said Melisa as she watched the girl approach hurriedly.
"Yes, well... I had to sneak away from Austria's Secret Service," Michele replied with a weary sigh.
"And why was that?" asked Melisa, tilting her head curiously.
"It's a long story, Miss Journalist. A very long one," Michele began, but before she could continue,
A voice interrupted:
"Not to mention traumatic for some." "But it's related to everything that's been happening, or so Michele told me," said a young man as he entered the room. It was Choy, Michele's friend and copilot from her last mission.
"Something related to what I'm trying to investigate, right?" deduced Melisa quickly, gripping the boy firmly by the shoulders. She fixed him with a serious, penetrating gaze, as if trying to extract the information through sheer intensity alone. "Ah, yes, but first... who are you?"
The boy was momentarily disoriented, as if Melisa's sudden grip had left him dizzy. He blinked a couple of times before responding:
"Oh, yes... I'm Choy, Choy Jox, Michele's copilot and friend."
Michele stepped in to break the tension:
"He's my copilot, as he already said."
Everyone exchanged brief introductions and greetings. Once the formalities were over, Melisa returned to the main topic:
"Alright, now tell me, what exactly happened?"
Choy hesitated for a moment, looking at Michele as if seeking permission to speak.
"Well, I don't know if I should tell you. I'm not sure if I'm the right person..."
"Fine, I'll tell you," Michele interjected, taking charge decisively.
She began recounting the story:
"I have an uncle who is the police chief in a small town in Austria. Recently, the place where he worked suffered a devastating attack. They destroyed the police station, killed many people, and even kidnapped orphans. Everything seems to point to two extremely dangerous individuals who are part of a dangerous organization."
Melisa frowned, processing the information. She pulled out a photo she had in her hand and showed it:
"This person in the photo you sent me... This is your uncle, right?"
"Yes, that's him," Michele confirmed with a nod.
"I need to do something for him," Melisa declared with determination. "From what you've told us, he was completely shattered. Unable to speak, no will to live..."
"Exactly," Choy chimed in. "If it weren't for 'the voice inside the tornado,' as he called it, he probably would have died too. That's what his colleague Tecro told us."
Ian, Melisa's personal driver, raised an eyebrow with an ironic smile:
"A talking tornado... Can you share whatever you're consuming, buddy?"
"Don't pay attention to him," Melisa quickly cut in, glaring at Ian. "He sometimes says nonsense. Please, continue."
Michele continued:
"The secret agency that escorted us back mentioned that there are children with superpowers involved, but they act as if they're possessed or something like that. They're extremely dangerous."
Melisa crossed her arms thoughtfully.
"I want you to continue with the story. Don't leave any clues hanging. Tell us everything you remember. And if you have more evidence, like the photo you already shared, that would be great."
At that precise moment, the door to the room burst open. A calm but authoritative voice resonated in the air:
"Relax, the news isn't leaving this room," interrupted the professor, who entered carrying a tray of snacks. He was accompanied by his assistant, Philip, who closed the door behind them.
The attendees began to sample the treats the professor had brought. Choy and Michele, in particular, devoured the snacks with enthusiasm; they had gone through so much that they hadn't even had time to think about eating.
"Melisa, you shouldn't go after those people from Radar," Michele warned seriously. "They're extremely dangerous. They wiped out trained police officers and nearly killed my uncle. You need to back off."
"Yes, miss," Choy interjected, nodding emphatically. "We had an incredibly hard time escaping their agents. They were watching us like hawks. Plus, we left the poor police chief of Arnoldstein in the hands of his partner and roommate, Tecro. Though he was also devastated... It was clear he was trying to keep it together, but inside, he felt the same pain as my uncle."
"Those from Radar are behind all of this," Melisa said.
Michele took a deep breath before continuing:
"That guy, Tecro, was the one who helped us escape. He said the world needed to know what was happening, but if things got complicated, it would be better to stay away from the danger."
After hearing the account and the warnings, Melisa felt an even stronger determination ignite within her. She lowered her head for a brief moment, processing everything she had heard, and when she looked up again, her eyes shone with unshakable intensity.
"Oh no, here we go again…" muttered Creg with resignation, crossing his arms.
"No, I can't give up. The news is my passion," Melisa declared firmly, looking directly at Michele. "And you—don't you want to know firsthand what happened to your uncle? Don't you want to avenge what they did to him? Come on, he's your uncle… You must care about him a lot to be here now. If not, you wouldn't have accepted my invitation."
Michele frowned thoughtfully as Melisa continued her impassioned speech:
"Come on, look around you. Who doesn't want to know what happened to those orphaned children and why they now have powers?" The reporter fixed her gaze on Professor Kile, whose serious expression subtly shifted to one of genuine scientific curiosity. His assistant also seemed intrigued, though he thought this probably wouldn't boost his academic grade. Still, Melisa's fervent speech piqued their interest.
"Alright, you've convinced me, former student," Professor Kile finally said, nodding with a slight smile.
"Well, what can we do about it… This is suicide. Didn't you hear, woman?" Ian interjected sarcastically, but then added with a carefree laugh, "I'm coming too. No choice. With you, things always get crazy without needing to smoke anything."
"I also want to know what's going on," Choy declared with determination. "The reporter's speech gave me courage. Wouldn't you like to get to the bottom of all this? Besides, we need a pilot."
Choy looked at Michele with sad puppy eyes, but she glared back at him.
"But you were the one who said it was terrible and dangerous, Choy. What happened to that?"
"Yes, I did say that, but… the reporter's speech inspired me!" he replied with a nervous smile. "Besides, just imagine uncovering the whole truth… It would be incredible."
"If we're talking pilots, I can fly too," Ian interjected arrogantly.
"You only know how to drive cars, and not even well. I remember you crashed one recently because you were being reckless," Melisa retorted with an ironic smile.
"That hurt, boss! Don't you trust me?" Ian asked, pretending to be offended.
"I trust you for other things, but from the moment we met Michele, I knew we'd be in good hands in the air," Melisa responded, looking at Michele with admiration.
"Yes, I think so too," added Professor Kile, adjusting his glasses as he observed the gathered group.
"Fine, alright. So I'm the best pilot, huh? Okay, I'll take all of you, but don't complain later if we die because of those Radar people. They're very strong," Michele stated with a renewed look, filled with determination. However, she added seriously, "But if there's danger, we retreat. We need to be cautious."
"Alright, as you wish," Melisa replied calmly, though her tone hinted at some mischief.
"Swear it," Michele insisted, crossing her arms as she fixed her gaze on Melisa.
"Alright, alright… I swear. If something is too dangerous, we'll abort the mission immediately. It's a deal," Melisa said, extending her hand toward the center. Michele placed hers on top, and soon the others joined in, sealing the pact.
"Alright, now that we've settled that, we'll need a name for this team," Philip, the professor's assistant, interjected. His calm but firm voice surprised everyone since he rarely spoke.
"The one I thought was mute has a point," Choy commented with a smile, breaking the brief silence. "What do you think about 'THE FINDERS'?"
"I also thought he was mute," Creg joked, earning a round of laughter.
"'THE FINDERS' sounds weird, but I like it," Michele admitted, though she thought to herself that naming the group was kind of ridiculous.
"I like it. And besides, if we're going to do this, we need to work off the radar until we find the full story and I can publish it without it disappearing like last time with those agents," Melisa added, slamming her hand on the table enthusiastically.
"Alright, 'THE FINDERS' it is," Professor Kile concluded, nodding with a faint smile.
As they walked toward the hangar to board one of the professor's private ships, Ian picked up a spray can from the ground and began painting "THE FINDERS" on the side of the ship.
"But, how dare you do that, idiot! That ship doesn't belong to you!" Melisa exclaimed, glaring at him.
"Now you owe the professor," she added, pointing to Kile, who was arriving with Philip, carrying several bags on a cart.
"I'm sorry, Professor," Melisa quickly apologized for Ian's actions, scratching the back of her neck nervously.
Far from being upset, Professor Kile smiled kindly.
"No problem. I like the idea. It gives the ship character."
"Alright, we don't have any time to waste. If we're going to chase the story, where do we start?" Michele asked, looking at the others expectantly.
"Well, I have no idea," Choy admitted frankly, raising his hands in surrender.
Melisa looked at them and let out a small laugh before speaking:
"I have a hunch."
At that moment, the news on a nearby monitor caught everyone's attention. Several teenage and child figures, masked and dressed in dark suits, apparently endowed with extraordinary powers, appeared, taking control of various countries across Europe. Midway through the broadcast, they saw Eliot laughing disdainfully before the signal abruptly cut off.
Everyone turned to Melisa, who smiled confidently.
"Don't worry, my hunch was right. And that last image confirms it. We're heading to Russia."
"That's where we're going," Michele confirmed as everyone boarded the ship and prepared for the journey.
No one noticed that, from a distance, someone was watching them intently, hidden among the shadows.