G.O.D Complex// Earth Prime

Linus surrendered immediately, lifting his gun into the air with a smile. Levi looked at him in shock.

"Be serious. We have no means to win in such a fight, and it would be a waste of time," said Linus. Levi nodded, putting away his blade.

"...By the way, this was a gunfight. Why did you take out your blade?" Linus asked, shooting Levi a judgmental look.

"..." Levi had nothing to say and remained silent.

Beatrice quickly seized Linus's gun and pinned him against the wall.

"Whoa, be careful. No need to be rough. It's my first time," said Linus sarcastically. Beatrice's grip tightened, seemingly triggered.

"Be a little soft, lady. I might think you're trying to force yourself on me," Linus added, glancing at her. For a moment, she felt as though cold water had been poured on her soul. That chilling sensation came from the murderous look in Linus's eyes. She glared back at him, unafraid.

"I see. So both of you are Red Flags," Cross said, arms crossed, deep in thought.

"Bingo!" Linus replied with a smile, though he was slightly surprised that his status had been so easily identified.

"The system must have notified you all," Linus said. Cross observed him silently, then smiled. This surprised the others; Cross rarely smiled.

"Good. Even though Red Flags aren't highly demanded, bringing you back might turn out to be useful," Cross said.

"Sir!" Beatrice began, but Cross waved her off.

"How many of you are out there?" he asked.

"That's a hard question to answer in my current position," Linus replied, glancing at Beatrice. Cross understood immediately.

"Let him go," he ordered. Beatrice was reluctant but obeyed as Cross glared at her. Once freed, Linus massaged his wrist and smirked at Beatrice. "Thanks."

"Speak," Cross commanded.

Linus looked around the facility, still smiling.

"It's complicated. We came in numbers, but the majority of us were wiped out. Some didn't even make it to the ground. It seems predator birds and plants caught them mid-air," Linus said.

"And those tagging along with me... There are six of us, I think," he added.

"What do you mean, 'you think'?" asked Cross.

"Mainly because we encountered some problems on the way here. Two of us were separated. One or both may already be dead. And those we left behind might already be killing each other," Linus replied, completely indifferent.

"Aren't you worried about your teammates?" Paul asked, surprised by Linus's carefree attitude.

"Why should I be? I don't know them, and they don't know me. We're only together because of our circumstances. We're all on the same sinking boat," Linus said flatly.

"What a twisted way of seeing things," Beatrice muttered, keeping a close eye on Linus, ready to strike if needed.

"Accept it or not, that depends on you. For now, we have a bigger situation to deal with," said Linus.

Bang!

They all turned toward the elevator. The sound had come from below. Something was climbing up.

"It seems our friend is almost here. Why don't we prepare for his arrival?" Linus said, arms spread nonchalantly.

Cross turned to Paul. "Figure out the reason behind the catastrophe and why its creator is a black hole formation. Download the remaining data when you're done."

Paul nodded and returned to his work with the others. Linus's curiosity was piqued.

"If I may ask, what's a black hole formation doing here?" he questioned.

Cross looked at him, his tone more serious now. "It is said that when a star dies, it collapses into a black hole formation. In short, that's what is going on here."

"Not always," Linus countered. Levi nodded beside him.

"What do you mean?" asked Beatrice.

Only three remained to monitor Linus and Levi: Charlotte, Beatrice, and Cross—the most proficient in weapons and close combat. They were prepared for anything. Red Flags were volatile and classified under the 'psychopath level.'

"Not every star becomes a black hole when it dies or collapses. Usually, only big stars do. The smaller ones often turn into white dwarfs and eventually dark dwarfs," Levi explained.

"More importantly, if that were a real black hole, the entire area—and more—would already have been swallowed up. Black holes are cosmic catastrophes," Linus added.

He looked at the trio. "Before we prepare, may I have a look at it?"

His face was unreadable. Charlotte and Beatrice exchanged uncertain glances. What was he planning?

"Follow me," Cross said without hesitation, turning away.

Linus and Levi followed. Beatrice and Charlotte trailed behind with weapons ready.

They didn't walk far before reaching another sealed door. It opened, revealing a massive structure. Linus and Levi came face to face with a complex-built core where a solar nuclear reactor should've been—but something else was there.

Linus smirked. It was a mix of surprise and dread.

"What kind of technology are we using to generate something like this?" he thought.

He pointed at the center.

"Your confusion is understandable—it looks black, so you thought it was a black hole. But that's not a black hole," Linus said.

"Then what is it?" asked Cross.

"It's a Black Dwarf," Levi answered, amazed. Its existence was mostly theoretical and unconfirmed.

"It usually takes an extremely long time for a black dwarf to form—it's the final phase of a dead star. That only means..." Linus paused and looked up at Cross.

"This colony has been falling apart for a long time. Their star was already sick," Cross frowned.

"This doesn't seem like an isolated problem," Linus continued.

Cross nodded. "This issue is affecting all colonies."

"What are you doing?!" Nathalie cried out as she was shoved aside.

"I can do it. Let me control it!" Petty shouted.

"Move! I found it, and I know how to use it," Petty insisted, trying to wrest control of the machine.

"Besides, you don't even seem like someone who plays video games. Let me handle it."

"What nonsense are you saying?!" Nathalie pushed back. "This isn't a game!"

"What else could it be? Look at the machine!" shouted Petty. In truth, she was just excited—the controls looked like a virtual reality game. Nathalie, on the other hand, was focused solely on finding Linus and Levi.

They were operating the machine from the dropship's interface panel. In the dark tunnel, the screen light bounced erratically as they fought over the controls.

After much effort, the bot they operated entered the same door Linus and the rest had taken earlier. It flew through and emerged into the city, ascending towards the dome ceiling.

An oval-shaped drone scanned the area for vital signs. A high-tech battle bot—round in shape with two side-mounted guns—extended its arms. Red lights lit up.

[Numerous vital signs located,] the bot declared, then dove rapidly toward the closest signals:

Two red targets speeding away, desperately trying to outrun a strange, monstrous creature.

—To be Continued.