The worst thing about the Obelisk was how quiet it was.
It felt like a lie, like everything was being covered up. It was like the world stopped before things got really bad. For three whole days, that thing just sat there, not moving... like it was telling them they were wasting their time. Back in the command center, everyone was just waiting for the inevitable. Rostova's deadline had come and gone, and the spheres' enigmatic pulse was still an unbreakable code. Their simulations spat back only one certainty: failure.
"It's picking something up", Kaito said, his fingers gripping the console so hard they were white. "The screen is full of squiggly lines going crazy. But what is it? It's not reacting to anything we know. It's on its own. Or maybe it's talking to something we can't see."
Aris was looking out the window, his arms crossed. He could feel the heat from the strange rock, like holding a burning coal. The ringing in his head was getting louder, matching what was happening outside. He just knew this silence. It wasn't peaceful; it was like something was about to explode.
"The models are just guessing", Aris said, still looking at the Obelisk. "We're seeing things that aren't really there. The answers aren't out there; they're in here."
Rostova stood up straight, giving him a sharp look. "Thorne, I'm ordering you to stop. The limit is five kilometers. That's it."
"Five kilometers is just a guess", Aris said, turning to face her. "Obelisk? Spheres? We don't have a clue. We're walking around in the dark here, Commander, and you're telling us not to use a light.:
"I'm telling you not to get us all killed", she said, her voice tight. "Watch. Keep it contained. Survive."
"Or maybe we should try something else?" Kaito asked, his voice excited. "What if the distance is the problem? What if we're supposed to do something? Show them we're here, not just running away?"
"You're making excuses for the end of the world", Rostova shot back. "That thing destroys anything that gets close."
"And you're calling something amazing just 'dangerous junk'!" Kaito yelled, jumping up. "This is the most amazing thing that's ever happened to humans, and we're just watching from the sidelines?"
The room was filled with tension, everyone was scared but also wanting to know more. Aris saw it in Kaito's eyes. That same crazy look he had before Jakarta. The trauma had put it down, but this thing, the ringing, the waiting. It brought it back.
"He's right." Aris said, making up his mind. He went over to the lockers and grabbed two sensor tripods, heavy and strong. He threw one to Kaito, who caught it, his eyes wide with excitement and worry. "We're not just soldiers, Rostova. We're here to figure things out. And this thing isn't dying; it's cutting itself open."
"Thorne, that's an order. Stand down." She reached for her gun--more of a habit than anything else.
They looked at each other. Jakarta flashed between them: the destroyed streets, the awful silence, his screams disappearing. "You picked me because I survived, Aris said quietly. Let me survive this."
He opened the door and walked out. Kaito ran after him, scared but also ready to do something.
Outside, things felt unreal. The air was buzzing, and the grass sounded like bones breaking. The Obelisk was huge, taking up the whole sky, its size like a crushing weight. When they were one kilometer away, Aris pushed the tripod into the ground. Kaito did the same, his hands shaking.
"The data's going crazy", Kaito said, looking at his screen. "The gravity's all messed up. Like waves in a storm."
Aris didn't need a screen. The ringing in his head was like a knife, shapes and colors exploding in his mind. The rock was burning hot.
"It knows we're here."
Then, everything changed.
No warning. The top of the Obelisk suddenly jerked into motion.
It wasn't just spinning; it was like it was breaking the rules. The quiet was gone, and the top was moving so fast it became a blur, the air screaming around it. The noise wasn't just a sound; it was like getting hit by a truck, throwing them to the ground. The earth shook, but not like an earthquake.
Kaito was trying to say something, pointing up. The spinning thing released them: not hundreds, but thousands of spheres, like liquid metal pouring out, hitting the ground with amazing accuracy. They were being buried, like some weird kind of treatment.
Aris curled up, his head feeling like it was going to break. This wasn't just a memory; this was now. In the middle of all the noise, it appeared: like something was watching them. Not looking at the ground. Not at the base.
"Me."
Then, just as fast as it started, it stopped.
The silence was deafening, replaced by a ringing and the sound of air rushing in. The Obelisk was still again. The spheres were underground. It lasted ten seconds, but it felt like forever.
Aris threw up, his stomach burning. He looked up at Kaito, who was staring at him, not the tower. The excitement was gone, replaced by a look of understanding.
"You knew", Kaito said, his voice rough. "You felt it was pulling you here."
Aris nodded, gasping for air. He could feel Rostova's angry look from far away. But something else was more important now.
"This wasn't an attack."
"It wants to talk."
"I had made contact."