Carter drove on, the familiar roads stretching ahead until they blurred into nothing.
Suddenly, his phone rang.
Jake.
Carter listened in silence as Jake explained everything. For the first time in a long while, his calm, steady demeanor cracked.
"What?" Carter said.
"Carter," Jake said urgently. "Turn your car toward the NACHIO Organization. I'm heading there too."
The call ended.
Jake stood up from his computer and walked toward his car.
It was his newest design — built specifically for speed, with several weapons and advanced systems installed.
He slid into the driver's seat, pulled the lever, and tapped a few commands on the car's touchscreen.
Suddenly, the ground beneath the vehicle shifted upward.
A hidden tunnel opened.
Jake pressed down on the accelerator.
The car's turbo began to glow.
In an instant, it shot forward like a streak of light.
A location appeared on the dashboard screen.
"To NACHIO's headquarters," Jake muttered.
As he covered some distance, a thought crossed his mind.
Jake abruptly turned the car and sped in another direction.
The city blurred past him in seconds.
Soon, he arrived at Locki's house.
The door was locked.
Jake made quick work of it — his skills bypassing the lock in moments.
Inside, the house was silent… and unsettlingly empty.
It had two bedrooms, two living rooms, and a kitchen.
Jake searched both living rooms first — nothing.
Then he moved toward the bedrooms — still nothing.
Jake wasn't careless. He knew Locki wouldn't leave sensitive information unprotected.
"If I were Locki… where would I hide it?" he thought.
He closed his eyes, trying to focus — when his phone rang.
Carter.
"Jake… where are you?" Carter asked.
"I'm standing outside NACHIO's building," Carter continued.
"Go ahead without me," Jake replied. "I'm at Locki's. I want to find everything he gathered on this mysterious organization."
There was a pause.
"Alright," Carter said.
The call ended.
At NACHIO's Headquarters
Carter stood in front of the towering building and exhaled slowly.
"I don't know what really happened in the past with our predecessors…" he murmured to himself. "If anyone knows the full truth… it's probably Locki."
He straightened, then stepped inside.
At the reception desk stood a woman.
She noticed him immediately.
"Yes, sir. How may I help you? Are you one of our clients?" she asked politely.
"No. I'm Carter Klien, from the Hero Town Space Department."
He showed his official ID.
For a split second, the receptionist froze — a cold tension flickering across her face — but she quickly masked it with professionalism.
"And how may I assist you, sir?" she said with a practiced smile.
Under the desk, her left hand moved — pressing a hidden button.
In another room, a guard monitoring security cameras was jolted awake by a sudden ringing alert.
The man stood up, frowning. What's happening? he thought.
He picked up a device that showed activity on the other side.
"I want to meet the head of this organization," a voice said.
The man didn't recognize it. He turned to the live feed — and saw Carter standing there. What is he doing here?
He quickly grabbed his phone and dialed.
"Yes? This is Connor speaking," came the voice on the line.
"Sir, Carter is here," the man said.
"Carter? Who's that?" Connor replied.
"Carter Klien," the man answered.
"Carter Klien… who?" Connor's voice rose with alarm. "What is Carter Klien doing here? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
At the reception, a woman received a message.
"Take him to Manager Connor," she was instructed.
"Sir, it's late, and we were about to close. Manager Connor is available," she explained to Carter.
"Okay. Take me to Connor," Carter said.
She led him to the manager's office. The door opened, and Carter stepped inside.
Connor rose to greet him. There was something unsettling about him — his pupils seemed almost… fake.
"Sir Carter Klien. I can't believe I'm seeing you in person," Connor said.
"I feel the same," Carter replied calmly.
"Please, have a seat," Connor gestured toward the leather couch. Carter sat while Connor moved to his desk, dialing a phone to order tea and some food.
"Mr. Connor," Carter began, "there's something I want to ask you."
"Yes, sir?" Connor replied.
"You know about Locki?" Carter asked.
"Yes. We know," Connor answered.
Carter stared at him.
"Locki aside… tell me something. Nachio has three heads now, but some time ago, there was only one leader. Why?" Carter asked.
Connor's blood ran cold. He forced himself to stay calm.
"Sir… our previous leader's son made that policy," Connor said cautiously.
"What is his name? And the names of the three heads?" Carter pressed.
"I'm sorry, sir. I'm just a manager. I don't know the real names. They're referred to as Number 1, Number 2, and Number 3. Only higher-ranked members know their identities."
Carter nodded thoughtfully.
"And the previous leader's son's name?" Carter asked.
"Eric. He's above the current three heads. He commands them," Connor explained.
"Where can I meet Eric?" Carter asked.
Connor hesitated. "I don't know. One day, our previous leader became seriously ill. His son stepped in the next day and reorganized the leadership. That's all we know."
Carter's eyes narrowed. "Okay. Now, tell me about Locki's wife."
"Sir… I'm afraid we don't know anything about other people's spouses," Connor said nervously.
"You don't know? Wow. Fine. Tell me about the CPU and CRU organizations."
"Sorry, sir… never heard of them," Connor admitted.
Carter sighed and nodded. "Alright. I'll leave."
As Connor escorted him to the door, Carter embraced him briefly — then subtly planted a tracker. He had also placed a voice recorder in Connor's office.
Outside, Carter got into his car and checked his phone. A message from Jake flashed on the screen:
Come to my base immediately. Alone. No devices.
Carter's brow furrowed. He started the car and drove toward Jake's base.
Suddenly, he saw a massive ship in the sky — advanced, alien, and terrifying. Then, just as suddenly, it vanished. Not a second later, it was gone.
"What the…?" Carter whispered. Alien spaceship? I've seen plenty of ships, but this… this is on another level.
He pressed the accelerator, speeding toward his destination.