Chapter 113 Three Minutes

Chapter 113 Three Minutes

"Link is solid; target locked in. The missile is tracking northeast, bearing 0-8-5 degrees, cutting through the air at Mach 3 and holding steady at an altitude of 600 meters. Impact is projected in three minutes," Sara intoned with precision, her voice steady as she relayed the critical information. Beside her, Richard's gaze was unwavering as he scrutinized the monitor, his eyes following the missile's trajectory as it blazed across the sky, a lethal messenger in the night.

Her fingers danced over the keyboard, executing a symphony of commands as she maintained the drone's connection, ensuring that the missile's path remained true.

Richard's gaze flickered to another monitor screen, this time watching Andrea. She was deftly maneuvering between and around abandoned vehicles as she tried to stall for the missiles to arrive. The two unknowns were relentless on their pursuit, like they had some intuition guiding them. They weren't letting up, and they were closing the gap fast.

"Status on missile ETA?" Richard's voice cut through the tense atmosphere, demanding an update.

"Two minutes out," Sara responded without missing a beat, her focus unwavering as she continued to track both the missile and Andrea's situation.

Richard's mind was racing, calculating distances and times, trying to create a mental map of how this would all play out. "Andrea, you need to find cover, now. You've got less than two minutes before the missile hits."

"I know, I know," Andrea panted through the radio, her breath heavy with exertion. "I'm trying, but they're right on my tail."

"Shit, what's the blast radius of the Brahmos missiles again?" Richard turned to Mark as he asked.

Mark quickly accessed the missile specifications on his computer, eyes scanning the data rapidly. "Brahmos has a blast radius of approximately 200 meters."

Richard nodded, processing the information. "Andrea, the blast radius is massive. You need to be at least 200 meters away from the impact zone. Do whatever you can to increase your distance."

"I'm doing my best!" Andrea responded, her voice strained. She was clearly pushing herself to her limits, maneuvering through the debris-strewn road with agility and speed.

Sara, still intently focused on her screens, added, "One minute and thirty seconds to impact."

Time seemed to slow as everyone in the command center focused on the screens, watching as Andrea continued her desperate sprint for safety. The two unknowns, seemingly undeterred by the impending explosion, continued their relentless pursuit.

"Location update, now!" Richard's voice was firm, demanding immediate information as he kept his eyes glued to the monitor displaying Andrea's precarious situation.

"She's approximately 150 meters from the projected impact zone, and still moving," Sara quickly reported, her eyes darting between different data points on her screen.

Richard clenched his fists, feeling helpless as he watched Andrea run for her life. "Andrea, you need to push harder. You're not out of the blast radius yet!"

"I'm running as fast as I can!" Andrea's voice crackled through the radio.

Sara interjected again, her tone urgent, "One minute to impact. She's almost 200 meters out, but it's going to be close."

Richard felt a knot form in his stomach, the tension in the room reaching its peak. He knew that every second counted, and Andrea's life was hanging in the balance.

"Andrea, dive for cover now!" Richard yelled into the microphone, hoping that she was far enough away from the impact zone.

"Covering!" Andrea responded, her voice almost drowned out by the sound of her heavy breathing.

"Ten seconds," Sara announced, her eyes fixed on her screen.

The command center fell into a hushed silence, everyone holding their breath as the final seconds ticked down.

"Impact in three, two, one..."

***

Meanwhile, on the TPLEX, Seo-Jun felt something closing on them as her hairs behind her neck stood on end. She glanced at her partner, Violet, who seemed to sense it too.

Violet gave Seo-Jun a nod, as if beckoning him to do her thing. Seo-Jun replied a nod before turning around and looking over the horizon where she saw a streak of light in the sky, fast approaching. It was clear that it wasn't just any aircraft; it was moving too quickly, and the trajectory allowed her to deduce what that is.

"Missile huh?" Seo-Jun said in a composed tone. She extended her hands relative to the missile's direction, her palms facing upward as she concentrated. Violet, trusting in Seo-Jun's abilities, kept a watchful eye on their surroundings, ready to act if needed.

As the missile drew closer, hundreds of pinkish thorns materialized in the air, swarming around the incoming projectile. The thorns buzzed with energy, moving with a life of their own as they converged on the missile.

The command center, now filled with confusion, watched as the missile's signal started to flicker on their screens.

"What the...?" Richard muttered, his eyes wide as he tried to make sense of what was happening.

Sara, equally baffled, rapidly typed on her keyboard, attempting to regain control and understand the situation. "The missile... it's gone. Signal lost."

Back on the TPLEX, Seo-Jun kept her focus, her hands steady as the thorns devoured the missile, leaving nothing behind. As the last remnants of the missile disappeared. The thorns however continued to hover above.

"What just happened?" Richard asked, visibly confused.

Sara, still at her keyboard, continued to try and re-establish a connection or get any kind of data that could explain what had just occurred. "I...I don't know, sir. The missile just disappeared. There's no signal, no debris, nothing."

"Eagle Actual to Excalibur, please confirm if the missiles detonated," Richard ordered.

"No explosion detected," Excalibur reported, his voice reflecting his own confusion. "Radar shows no sign of an impact or explosion. It's like the missile just vanished."

"Andrea, what happened over there? The missiles that we launched were nowhere to be seen."

"I saw it too, the missiles just vanished," Andrea confirmed, her eyes widened in confusion.

"Oh, it didn't completely vanish," Violet grinned. "Show it to her Seo-Jun." n-(0VelbIn

"With pleasure," Seo-Jun obliged as she manipulated her thorns to circle above Andrea.

Andrea looked at the thorns as it congregated, forming an ominous mass in the sky. She watched, baffled, as the thorns started to reshape and reconstruct every part of the missile, meticulously assembling it in mid-air.

"What in the world..." Richard murmured, his eyes fixated on the screen. The missile, once a blazing projectile hurtling through the sky, was now being recreated piece by piece right above Andrea.

Sara, equally stunned, stammered, "Is this...is this even possible?"

On the TPLEX, Violet nodded at Seo-Jun, signaling her to proceed. Seo-Jun, with a smirk on her face, made a swift motion with her hands, and the recreated missile plummeted straight down, aiming directly at Andrea.

Andrea, still on the ground and out of breath, looked up just in time to see the missile descending upon her. Her eyes widened in shock, and she froze for a moment, paralyzed by the surreal sight.

"Move, Andrea! Move!" Richard yelled.