CHAPTER 14: CHAPTER 14: PRESIDENT

In a dark underground base, hidden far beneath the surface, the silence was unnatural, too complete.

The air was still, the concrete floor stretched for dozens of meters, and the far walls vanished into shadows.

Towering in the center was a massive structure, half ship, half machine.

Its smooth surface reflected the soft blue lights that flickered like breathing lungs.

A low mechanical hum pulsed beneath the quiet, constant and alive.

Footsteps echoed across the chamber. A man emerged from the far corridor, dressed in plain jeans and a windbreaker.

He walked with purpose, calm, as if the chill of the underground didn’t reach him.

Then, without warning, his skin shimmered, flickering like ripples across water.

It peeled away like static.

Gone was the human guise. In its place stood a tall, muscular humanoid with metallic blue skin and faint glowing lines across his arms and neck.

His eyes were pitch black with a soft, vibrating blue iris at the center.

His jawline was sharp, nose defined, and his hands bore circular nodes embedded into his palms.

He approached the machine in the center, resting his hand against its surface.

The ship responded with a faint glow, scanning him through unseen sensors.

A chime echoed across the chamber, followed by a soft female voice from the ship’s core.

The ship’s internal systems pulsed with low lights as the voice continued.

[General Ra Zel, there has been an energy interruption detected on Earth. It matches the profile of the energy beings known as the Serakai.]

Ra Zel kept his hand against the ship’s core as he listened.

"Yes, I heard. That’s why I’m here." He stepped back and looked up toward the main interface. "What can you tell me about this Serakai? As far as I know, they should be extinct. Unless... one of them was imprisoned in the Dox Nova ship." He paused. "No. If a Serakai had been captured, it would’ve been across every universal feed."

[Correct, sir. There are no records of Serakai being imprisoned. The imperial races use alternative punishments.]

He scoffed. "Imperial race," he repeated with disgust.

The room was silent except for the hum of the ship. He looked up again.

"Can you find its location? Gender? Anything?"

[Unfortunately, no. Only the energy signature. If it uses a racial ability again, I might be able to trace it.]

Ra Zel’s jaw tightened. "We’ve waited too long."

He walked across the floor, slow and deliberate.

"If this is a newborn, we stop it before it finds its strength. If it’s old..." He smiled faintly. "Then I finally get to kill one of those entitled bastards."

[Sir... do you want to activate Operation 296111?]

"It’s the only way."

[This may compromise your current position. The specimens are unstable. Most of them only seek destruction. Earth could be annihilated.]

He turned back toward the ship, gaze cold.

"Earth has its heroes. If they fail..." He looked at the glowing panel. "We’ll make new ones."

Ra Zel pressed the activation switch.

A dull beep began counting down from the ship’s core interface. He started to float, lifted by a field generated beneath his boots.

He looked forward.

"Do you know why the Imperial races are hated?" he asked.

[The Imperial races have ruled over the known universe for centuries. Their power structure is rigid, with few checks. Many of the lower systems claim oppression under their governance.]

He smiled faintly. "That’s close. But not complete."

He floated higher, arms behind his back.

"The Imperial races treated most life like garbage. They destroyed planets without warning. Wiped out entire populations whether they were a threat or not. They did it to prove dominance, or just to keep order."

His gaze narrowed.

"Everyone hates the Imperials."

Suddenly, the alarm blared.

DWEENG. DWEENG. DWEENG.

Red lights flashed across the chamber.

[ALERT. ALERT. INMATES HAVE ESCAPED THEIR CELLS. LOCKDOWN INITIATED IN FIVE SECONDS.]

A secondary voice echoed from a robotic AI node that floated in from above.

"Stop the lockdown," Ra Zel ordered calmly.

[Yes, sir.] The lockdown timer froze. Lights returned to blue.

He moved toward the edge of the observation deck and looked down through the reinforced glass.

Creatures of all kinds were pouring out into the main level of the Dox Nova segment.

Some flew. Others crawled. Most ran.

He watched silently.

The Dox Nova wasn’t just a ship, it was a prison. A mobile intergalactic containment vessel used to house dangerous entities from across the universe.

Twenty years ago, a portion of it had broken off during a galactic transport malfunction and crashed into Earth. Since then, it had remained buried underground, hidden from the surface.

Until now.

Ra Zel kept his eyes on the chaos below.

"Let them run," he muttered. "Let’s see what Earth’s defenders are made of."

"Hopefully one of them kills the Serakai," he muttered again.

[That’s highly unlikely, sir.]

Ra Zel exhaled through his nose. "Thanks for the positive thoughts. Shut down."

[Understood.]

The AI’s presence faded. Ra Zel’s body shimmered again, the metallic blue vanishing beneath a layer of synthetic human skin.

His facial structure softened, features becoming more generic, skin tone evening out. His suit appeared next, perfectly tailored, replacing the casual windbreaker he’d worn earlier.

He stepped into a narrow hallway near the ship’s edge. The floor opened, and he flew upward through a vertical shaft, vanishing through the ceiling.

Moments later, he landed silently in a back alley behind a tall glass building. He looked around, adjusted his tie, and smoothed the front of his blazer.

A man in black approached, holding a tablet. "Mr. President... the plane is ready. We’ve arranged everything. Your vacation retreat is fully staffed, and the Vice President will manage affairs during your absence."

Ra Zel nodded without speaking. He walked toward the waiting limousine parked nearby. The vehicle door opened automatically, and he stepped in without looking back.

Inside, the glass tinted immediately. The car pulled away, and the man behind the curtain of power leaned into the leather seat, eyes calm, posture composed.

He was ready to play both roles, alien commander and Earth’s most trusted leader.