SPACE STATION

A shiver ran down the spines of the workers inside the Multinational Orbital Station, hovering 400 kilometers above the earth. For the first time, the team came across an alien ship. The maximum alert echoed for all military bases of the global space program, while a warning signal cut the silence of the space.

In Houston, the sirens shouted spreading the chaos. The military prepared for a possible attack, the confusion reigning between soldiers and support teams. The Russian Operations Center has prepared two Sukoy-57 fighters and offered to assist in monitoring, with the Chinese space program on the maximum alert, two J-35A stealth fighters in the hangar of a Pacific Ocean aircraft carrier.

In the command room, Raunot issued urgent orders:

"European command of the space mission, confirm the order of destruction!"

"Here is Ramon Fritz from Germany. Two F-35A fighters ready for interception. Awaiting confirmation!"

"Houston, imminent danger! Answer!" Raunot tried to contact the Americans.

"Houston in listening! Military command warned!" General Stheford's voice resonated at the base.

"Lieutenant Colonel Smith, two F22-Raptor on the way to Alaska!"

"Confirmation received! Mission in execution!" Fritz replied, ready for combat.

The fighter aircrafts of all countries raised flight in readiness.

Raunot took a deep breath before giving the final order:

"Capture the ship and the crew! If they are hostile, destroy them!"

SCIENCE SHIP

Deafening alarms cut the air from the alien ship.

"Captain, we were detected! Several fighters approach!" Drako warned Sivoc.

"Jupiter's orbit! Fast!" Sivoc ordered, the tension taking over the ship.

"Nicholas, hold on! We will cross a place full of turmoil." Zara warned the boy.

"There's nothing in my bracelet that can make me teleport home? This adventure is going further than I thought."

"Calm down, Nick! We will be able to escape ... Besides, I have the impression that we will be able to solve the mystery about who your father was."

They both stared at the bracelet and forgot it when the ship began to shake.

The spaceship Science crossed the meteor belt, disappearing near the Ganimedes Moon.

EARTH

"The UFO disappeared!" Fritz communicated to the orbital station.

"Negative! Keep looking..." replied the commander, in vain.

"Smith here. Target lost! Aborting mission!"

In Houston, the officer for extraterrestrial affairs registered the incident in a confidential report.

SCIENCE SHIP

"How did they detect us, Drako?" Sivoc questioned, the frustration obvious.

"Failure in the anti-radar shields, Captain. We are already fixing. It seems llike we were sabotaged to reveal our location."

"It must have been Merko's team. This story is very weird. This does not look like the captain's methods. He is a war hero. Keep me informed. We need to avoid the Star Hunter. Humans are limited, but Merko... He will find us anywhere in the universe."

GULF OF MEXICO

With the damage in the shields of the Ghost Protocol fixed, the ship Science plunged into the sea, camouflaged between the rocks that blocked its signs.

"What noise was that?" Nicholas asked, curious.

"We entered the sea. Our hiding place." Zara explained.

Nicholas watched marine life through the glass wall.

"How wonderful everything is in nature!"

Zara, however, had a sad look.

"An oil leak caused an ecological disaster here. The beauty you see is just a remnant of what it was..." A tear flowed down her face.

Nicholas put the shyness aside and hugged her, sharing her pain.

"Humanity needs to take care of its planet," Zara whispered.

On the command bridge, Sivoc was worried:

"Let's continue with the plan."

"Preparing everything!" Tibor replied as Drako monitored any sign of Merko's ship.

STAR HUNTER SHIP

Star Hunter left Perfectio, the capital of the planet Life.

Captain Merko admired as the base distanced itself, the blue lights and steel domes. The coordinates led to Jupiter's Moon, Callisto, where they would create a wormhole for Andromeda.

In the communication room, counselor Mirov gave his orders:

"Report everything directly to me."

"I will bring the earthling, counselor, according to the orders."

"Live or dead, Merko. If he dies, extract the bone marrow. The blood and his defense cells are what matters."

Merko clenched his fists, determined. Crom, his officer, observed the captain, famous for his courage and determination. Radof, Mirov's advisor, was surprised by the coldness of the counselor. Saving the princess didn't seem to be in his plans.

Radof's hologram flashed in the Star Hunter's command room, his face contorting in surprise as he looked away.

"I will keep you informed," Merko assured, his voice firm. "Soon we will enter warp drive."

"Safe travel, Captain," Mirov's voice sounded cold and distant. "I hope you come back with good news."

The connection ended. Mirov left the communications' room, crossing the royal palace corridors with determined steps. Radof followed him closely, his forehead frowned.

"Enter, you worthless", Mirov growled, opening the door of his room.

Radof entered, hesitant.

"Sir, I... heard your conversation with the captain," he confessed, his voice shaking. "You don't intend to save the princess."

"Obviously, idiot!" Mirov mocked. "Merko would never agree with my plan. He needs to believe that the mission is noble, that the princess's life is at stake."

A cruel smile spread over Mirov's face.

"When the cure gets to the girl, it will be too late. And the King... For him, I have other plans."

"Brilliant, sir!" Radof exclaimed, flattering him. "No one will suspect. Merko is the perfect choice for the mission."

"He never failed," Mirov agreed. "The conviction of being fulfilling his duty will lead him to success. Now prepare the monitoring equipment. I want to follow every step of this mission."

The ship Star Hunter crossed the cosmos, entering the solar system of the Earth. Merko guided it toward Alaska, where a secret base hid under the white snow cloak. A colossal door opened on the mountain, revealing a huge hangar.

"Strategic, no?" Crom commented as the ship landed. "Immune to radars, with weapons and supplies. We can focus on finding the boy."

"We have bases all over the Earth, Crom," Merko explained. "Machu Picchu, Egypt, Siberia... In other ages, we were greeted with open arms. But current mankind just want weapons. We need to be discreet."

The ship Science, with Sivoc and his team, hid somewhere on the planet. Merko knew they would not use their bases, fearing being tracked. It was time to find Nicholas. The Star Hunter team activated their bracelets, assuming human forms before materializing in Los Angeles.

"I found information about the boy's colleagues," Crom announced, displaying the data in a hologram. "Names, addresses, emails, photos in the applications..."

Merko analyzed the information, accessing online conversations between Nicholas and his friends.

"Let's split up," he decided after a few minutes. "Crom, you come with me to the house of the boy. The others will interrogate his friend, Sanches."

Merko and Crom materialized behind a tree in the garden of Nicholas' house. Assuming the identity of police investigators, with impeccable suits and false badges, they approached the door. Lorena, distressed by her son's disappearance, received them with hope. Days ago, she had registered at the police station his disappearance. Her son always warned her where he was so she wouldn't worry.

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Also read #ThePhantomMan Trilogy by #ChaieneSantos chaienesantoswriter