The Director's voice took on a more urgent tone. "For now, let's focus on the broadcast and how it will be rolling out in about an hour."
Jade's eyes widened in shock. "An hour?! Where exactly are we nuking this crystal, anyway? Doesn't that pose a threat to everyone else?"
The Director shook his head, reassuring her. "No, it won't be a conventional nuke. We're using a specially designed missile, the AGM-129 Advanced Cruise Missile, capable of reaching the very edge of the stratosphere. The explosion will occur at that altitude, and the crystal will be shattered into tiny fragnts."
He continued, "As for the fallout, we've developed a new type of technology that will push all gasses and debris toward space, preventing any harmful effects from reaching the Earth's surface. Essentially, a controlled vacuum effect will be created, ensuring that any potential threats are pulled away from the planet."
Jade nodded slowly, the explanation making sense but still leaving her with a sense of unease. "And after it's shattered? How long until we start seeing effects?"
The Director glanced at his watch, calculating. "I'd estimate roughly 30 minutes after the detonation before we start seeing the full effects. But it's difficult to say with certainty. We have over 1,000 personnel on standby across the country to scout and test people for signs of abilities erging."
He looked around at the group. "We'll be heading back to Arica shortly for our own broadcast. Any other questions can wait until after, but our primary focus will be assisting key areas and cities in Arica as effects start to show. Jade, you'll be assisting the National Guard and the Marine Corps 2nd Division, 11th Marines, in scanning folks down in San Diego, California.
Anyti soone is seen to exhibit abilities, you'll attach this bracelet to their arm, and they will be instantly transported to a quarantine area for further testing."
The Director handed Jade a small, sleek device that looked like a cross between a smartwatch and a dical bracelet. It was light but felt sturdy in her hand.
"I'll debrief the rest of you when we arrive back," he added.
Everyone nodded in agreent, the gravity of the situation sinking in. Twenty minutes later, Jade and the others arrived back at the compound in the New York district, the weight of the impending broadcast and the mission ahead heavy on their minds. They had just enough ti to prepare before the world would change forever.
Jade walked through the corridor, her thoughts spiraling with uncertainty. *I wonder if this will help us in the long run. Will the world even look the sa when Ty makes it back… He will make it back, won't he?* The mory of the white skeleton's words echoed in her mind: *a few weeks,* he had said. But here she was, awake four weeks later, and Ty was still nowhere to be found.
*What's the deal?* she wondered, frustration bubbling up. *Maybe it's a ti thing… but…*
Her thoughts trailed off as her eyes suddenly widened. *Maybe I could figure out so answers if I got a chance to go back to the Vale realm,* she considered, her pace slowing as she approached a stainless steel window that looked out over the bustling New York City streets below. The sight of the city, so full of life and movent, contrasted sharply with the dark thoughts that clouded her mind.
*Oh well, sothing I can focus on later, I suppose…* she tried to push the thoughts aside. *As soon as the broadcast ends, I have to report to the compound in California and begin the process of checking for people showing signs of powers.* The enormity of what they were about to do weighed heavily on her. *To think they're going to destroy the crystal high over Beijing… I surely hope this works…*
Her musings were abruptly interrupted by a sharp tapping sound against the window. She blinked, pulling herself from her reverie, and looked up to see a black crow with bloodshot eyes staring directly at her. At first, she dismissed it, looking past the bird, but the crow pecked at the glass again, more insistent this ti.
Jade's gaze narrowed as she noticed sothing unusual: an engraving on the bird's right eye, etched with the word "Demon" and a single kanji symbol. Her heart skipped a beat. *Wait… this is the sa crow I saw when Rosa and I went out for drinks. What could it want?*
Before she could dwell on it further, the crow's beak opened, and a deep, relaxed voice echoed from it. "Danger is near," it intoned, sending a chill down her spine.
And with that, the crow spread its dark wings and took off, disappearing into the sky, leaving Jade standing there, more unsettled than ever.
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"Insanely vague..." Jade muttered as she watched the crow ascend higher into the sky. It turned back to glance at her once more before vanishing from her sight.
*I wonder...* she thought, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. As she exhaled, white flas enveloped her entire eyes, igniting her vision with an otherworldly intensity. For a brief mont, she saw the world through the eyes of the crow. But as she did, a searing pain tore through her chest, as if her heart was being ripped apart.
Her vision blurred, then sharpened as she glimpsed a glowing line stretching all the way to Beijing, China. Another line shot off into space, and before she could comprehend it fully, a voice echoed in her mind. "I don't appreciate my caras being hijacked, but for Ty's girlfriend, I suppose it's acceptable."
The voice was calm, almost casual. "I have almost located him and will be freeing him soon, sending him back to Earth. It will be a large-scale spell, and hundreds may be caught in the crossfire, so prepare yourself. But before that, know this: the Vale monsters have embedded this planet with creatures that feed on its energy. One of them is about to erge."
Jade's heart pounded as the voice continued, "The first few are weak, but they will grow stronger, and they will hunt whoever holds the core."
"Wh-what?!" Jade stamred, her mind reeling. "Why didn't you just say this at the window?"
"I can't speak clearly through a crow from this distance. I am, after all, the Demon King," the voice responded with a hint of amusent. "So I suggest—"
Suddenly, Jade snapped back to her body, her breath catching in her throat. She fell to the ground, gasping for air, her lungs burning as if she'd forgotten to breathe the entire ti. She glanced down and noticed the white flas had spread down her arms and across her chest, forming what looked like a half-dressed fla dress, shimring and alive, the fire flickering with a life of its own.
It was both beautiful and terrifying, a raw display of power she didn't fully understand.
And just as quickly as it appeared, the flas faded away, leaving her trembling on the floor, still trying to process what had just happened.
She crawled to her feet and thought to herself. . That's a lot of shit to unpack as she dusted herself off and her pocket began to ring as she dung into her pocket and the Master Gojaro stated "Hey girl, it's about ti for you to move and get ready.
Uhhh, I have so worries, I just had one of those.. .let's say visions that we might be getting a Kaiju spawning soon and so critical information about the crystal.
Jade heard a brief silence as Gojaro took a mont and stated "Sounds good, I will have you co over to the west wing right now to et with the Director. Please make haste."
Jade Hung up as she hurried toward the west wing and found Gojaro and got situated in the eting room as the Director walked in.
What's the deal?
Jade then spent the next 5 minutes breaking down what happened with the crow and stated "Before I lost connection with the crow it ntioned the crystal and the Kaiju's wanting what cos out of it."
I'm not sure what it will be or look like but it's important we recover it.
The Director tapped his chin thoughtfully. "That's important… We could also just blast the crystal off into space, and it wouldn't be an issue, but... hmm." He paused, considering the possibilities. "It could be sothing strong that will help us fight the Kaijus."
Jade nodded, the idea making sense. The Director raised his head, his decision clear. "We'll prioritize recovering whatever it is and then go from there. But rember, the creature the Angelic killed—" He was interrupted by Jade raising her hand.
"While we wait for the broadcast to start," she said as the TV flickered on, displaying a countdown from five minutes, "I wanted to know what's going on with Master Ashaiki."
Crow
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