In the Operations Hall
Khaled stood before the window, staring out in silence. Across from him, Almy sat at a round table, her expression sharp and unreadable.
Almy: "So… what's your decision? Does this guy—Chris—seem honest to you?"
Khaled: "I don't know. But it's not up to me to decide if we trust him. That's for the council."
Almy: "Some members won't like that you kept this from us."
Khaled: "I did what I thought was right."
Almy: "You hid him for days, Khaled. That means you already trust him—whether you admit it or not."
The door opened. Daisy walked in.
Daisy: "Hey."
Almy: "Where's everyone else?"
Daisy: "No idea. I came straight from the med bay when I heard the call."
Almy: "They're late."
Moments later, Stan entered with Connor, followed by Simon and his sister, Hana.
Khaled turned toward them.
Khaled: "We'll start with the council meeting. Then we'll bring in the rest of the team."
Simon: "Whatever you say."
Simon, Hana, and Connor stepped back outside to wait. As they did, Mosta and Ethan arrived.
Mosta: "What's going on?"
Hana: "Council meeting first, then team briefing."
Mosta: "Got it."
He turned to Ethan.
Mosta: "Wait here with them."
Ethan sat beside Simon and Connor.
Simon: "You can walk now! That's great news."
Connor: "Haven't seen you since we got off the plane."
Ethan : chuckles "Yeah… been a while."
---
Inside the room, the council gathered—Daisy, Almy, Stan, and Mosta.
Khaled remained standing.
Khaled: "A few days ago, I saw something moving between the trees. When I got closer, I realized it was someone—watching us.
I went after him, but when he saw me, he vanished into the forest. I thought he'd run away... but he was waiting.
Waiting for me to follow him in."
He paused.
Khaled: "His name is Chris. Strange guy. The reason I didn't tell anyone was simple—he'd been watching us long before I found him.
That means he wants something.
At first, I thought he was just another mutant too scared to approach. But lately… I'm not so sure. Maybe he's working for someone."
Khaled's eyes darkened.
Khaled: "Today, I learned he's not even human."
Silence filled the hall.
Stan: "What?!"
Khaled: "He said this land was once home to werewolves and vampires—decades ago."
He claims the vampires caused all the chaos we're living in now.
And if we don't stop them, humanity will end up like his own kind."
Daisy frowned. "Does this have anything to do with the nuclear blast?"
Khaled: "He said it was them—the vampires."
Daisy: "Why would they do that?"
Khaled: "Because they want to conquer our world."
Everyone stared at him, stunned.
Mosta: "So… he's the last werewolf?"
Khaled: "I don't know. I didn't ask."
Stan: "He could be lying. Trying to manipulate us. There's no proof any of this is true."
Almy: "And where exactly are these vampires hiding? How do we find them?"
Khaled: "He said the threads of corruption will lead us to them."
Mosta: "And how do we pull those threads?"
Everyone's gaze turned toward Almy.
Almy: "What?!"
Khaled: "Your powers. You can reach places no one else can—even the darkest corners of the world."
Stan: "That would make things a lot easier."
Almy: "You want us to fight corruption itself? Do you even realize how many crimes happen every second?"
Khaled: "We're not fighting corruption itself. We're tracking whoever's spreading fear and hate against mutants."
Mosta: "Politicians. Media. People pushing the idea that the only way to stop us… is to wipe us out."
Almy: "I could try tracing that through the dark web… but it won't be easy. Government data, encrypted networks—it'll take time."
Khaled: "So… what's our call? Do we work with Chris?"
Stan: "Not necessarily."
Khaled: "Explain."
Stan: "We keep him under watch. We work on our own, verify what he says."
Daisy: "He's right. We can't trust him yet."
Khaled: "Then it's settled. Everyone agrees?"
All: "Yes."
---
Outside, Connor stood with arms crossed. Simon and Ethan sat on the ground. Hana leaned against the wall, waiting.
Connor: "What the hell's taking them so long?"
Simon: "You can feel it, right? Something bad's coming."
Ethan: "Maybe our village's been discovered."
Simon: "Of course. Right when we were about to leave."
Ethan : "Leave? Who's leaving?"
Simon: "Me and Hana. We're heading back to the university tomorrow."
Connor smirked. "Great. Boris left, now you two. The team just keeps getting bigger."
Hana: "We don't even know what this meeting's about yet. Let's stay positive."
The door opened. Almy stepped out.
Almy: "You can come in now."
The four entered.
Simon grinned. "Is there a party in here?"
Connor: "Yeah, what's the occasion?"
Almy: "Sit down, please."
They took their seats. Khaled sat beside her.
Almy: "We're entering a new stage of the war."
Connor muttered, "Could've guessed that."
Almy: "Recently, new truths have surfaced—secrets behind the explosion… and worse things still hidden."
Connor: "Please. Skip the drama and get to the point."
Simon barely held back a laugh.
Almy glared at Connor, thinking, Annoying idiot.
Khaled stood up.
Khaled: "Let me handle this."
He faced them all.
Khaled: "A few days ago, I met a werewolf named Chris. He's been watching us for a while. He told me vampires and werewolves lived openly on this planet decades ago.
Now, the vampires are planning in the shadows—to destroy humanity itself."
Connor: "Sounds like a lunatic to me."
Hana: "Yeah. How do you even know he's telling the truth?"
Khaled: "That's why the council decided to investigate.
From now on, we're facing dangerous, sensitive missions.
Are you ready for that?"
Connor said casually : "Whatever . We're in."
Khaled: "That's what I wanted to hear."
Ethan hesitated. "But what if he's lying? We could waste our time chasing ghosts."
Khaled: "Then we'll find out soon enough."
He looked around at everyone.
Khaled: "The mission team will be: me, Connor, Ethan, Simon, Hana, and Boris."
Hana: "Wait—we're leaving tomorrow! That's a problem."
Ethan : "The team's falling apart! Boris left two days ago, now them. Can't someone else fill in?"
Khaled: "No. Everyone else has duties here."
He turned to Hana.
Khaled: "I know. It's fine. Your absence will be temporary. It'll slow us down sometimes—but we'll adapt."
Then, his tone grew colder.
Khaled: "We've moved from survival… to protecting the very existence of humanity."
Simon whispered to Connor, "Well, that's terrifying."