In Europe, specifically in Russia, Eliot, the leader of Radar on that continent, watched with disinterest as his colleagues at the table faced off against their adversaries in various parts of the world.
"Wow, everyone's having fun except me," he muttered, taking a sip of his energy drink from a glass. His tone was nonchalant, but there was a hint of arrogance in his voice. "Lucky or not, I would have liked to use the gift our lord Zeus gave me on them, not on mere humans." His eyes remained fixed on a screen showing one of his mind-controlled super soldiers finishing off a worker from Odentre, a rival company.
Eliot continued drinking calmly as he witnessed the massacre carried out by his own controlled soldiers against the employees of the enemy corporation. Finally, he set his glass down on the table and rose elegantly.
"The future doesn't wait, and neither do I," declared the young genius with a mocking smile. "This place has no style, not like our lord Zeus." Then, turning to his subordinates, he added, "Alright, wrap everything up and destroy this place. I'm leaving; I'm bored."
As he walked toward the exit, agents from Squad K arrived to confront him. However, his super soldiers quickly intervened, knocking down the intruders without Eliot lifting a finger.
"I don't even need to get my hands dirty," he remarked indifferently, adjusting the cuffs of his suit. Glancing over his shoulder, he observed as the mind-controlled children slaughtered Squad K. "Ah, I forgot to mention I activated their killer mode. My bad," he said casually, as if discussing the weather.
As he made his way to his helicopter, one of his henchmen accompanied him, attentively listening to his words. "Everyone here in the European zones is in that mode for my safety and the workers'. Not like the other leaders… I'm always one step ahead," he stated proudly.
Upon takeoff, the helicopter soared over the enemy facility, which began to explode in a series of bright flashes that lit up the night sky.
Not only had Squad K fallen. Teams L, M, N, and P were also annihilated at various points across Europe where Radar operated under false names. Armies from several countries attempted to intervene, but confronting Radar was like confronting a president or king. Some smaller governments sent troops, but these were obliterated within minutes. To each of them, Eliot sent a clear message: "Stay out of my affairs, or you will be eliminated."
The governments of England and Germany tried to coordinate a response, even seeking help from the United States, but their communications were systematically cut off by Radar's leader in Europe. "I am impenetrable," Eliot said from his operations base in the mountains of Spain. "They must let the future come. Thank you, Lord Zeus, for allowing me to do this."
At that moment, one of his henchmen burst into the room. "Sir, more agents from that organization are approaching."
"Good. I hope they last longer than the last group. Let them land; I want to see what they've got," Eliot replied calmly.
On the descending plane was Team I, led by Olaf, who had been assigned to coordinate the mission alongside Teams F, G, and H. "Alright, everyone, we've been tasked with neutralizing the newly controlled Metalux to free them from whatever is controlling them. Mr. Adrian and his team are working on a solution," Olaf explained seriously. "Be careful, agents. You know your roles."
"Yes, sir!" they all responded in unison as the aircraft descended.
Within the team, Xen, housed in the body of Agent I-5, silently observed his companions. Only Travis seemed to notice something odd about him since his return from that mission where he lost three friends. These had been replaced by three new recruits waiting for their turn.
"Alright, proceed with caution, everyone," Olaf instructed, dividing the forces into four groups. Team F would head to the right, Team G to the left, Team H would cover the rear, and Team I would advance forward.
Unbeknownst to them, they were being scanned by Eliot's drone wasps. "No powers detected," the system reported. "Hmph, more cannon fodder," Eliot muttered disdainfully. But then, one of the scanners picked up something unusual. "Oh? Non-terrestrial material. Fascinating. Leave it alive and bring it to me," he ordered, rubbing his hands together with enthusiasm.
"And the others, sir?" asked his second-in-command, a young man with black hair and a slender build.
"Send my super soldiers to eliminate them," Eliot replied without looking at him.
The mind-controlled children launched their attack. Two dozen of them charged at the intruders. Team G was ambushed by a collapsing wall that crushed some and sliced through the rest before they could react. "Team G eliminated," Marie announced from her monitor.
Team H was frozen solid and then crushed by a giant hammer. "Team H eliminated."
Team F managed to hold out longer, shooting down some of the enemies, but they were eventually swallowed by a black hole. "Team F eliminated."
Marie watched in horror as the teams fell one after another. She decided to contact the only remaining team still alive. "Olaf, are you there?" she asked urgently.
"This is Olaf, leader of Team I. How may I assist you, Miss Marie?"
"I've lost communication with all the teams sent to Europe. You're the only one still alive. Do you know what's happening?" Marie asked, distraught.
"No, Miss Marie. We split up to meet at the enemy base. Strange… Let me try contacting them," Olaf replied. But his second-in-command informed him, "No one's answering."
"What could it be? Don't tell me they've been wiped out," Marie murmured.
"I'll call you back later, Miss Marie. I think something's approaching."
"Target located. Do not harm that subject," Eliot's second-in-command ordered. "Eliminate the others."
Electric bombs rained down on Team I's agents, who sought shelter among the rocks near the beach. "Fire the stun weapons!" Olaf commanded as he watched his men draw their weapons.
"The targets are moving too much, sir. What do we do?" asked Anais, her voice trembling with nervousness.
"They're surrounding us, sir," Travis reported as he dodged fiery attacks.
"The water is rising," warned Miguel and Bertha.
"Sir, these weapons aren't working. We'll use our real weapons," said the three new recruits, attempting to fire. But their weapons were torn from their hands, disassembled, and thrust directly into their necks.
"Oh no, how horrible!" Patricia screamed in terror.
"Sir, sir, what do we do?" Anais continued to ask, her panic growing.
Travis positioned himself next to Eliot, who remained motionless. "I see they want something with me. That's why they haven't shot at me," Xen murmured from inside Agent I-5's body.
Olaf, surrounded by his men and team, reflected silently. "I need to make a decision. I can't kill children, but I also can't let my squad die. What should I do?" Gathering his courage, he sprang into action.
"Olaf!" his teammates shouted as he threw smoke grenades onto the ground, creating a thick cloud that temporarily concealed them. "Alright, everyone, run! Live to fight another day!" he yelled, tossing more grenades to cover their escape.
"This is my chance," said Eliot, stepping away from the battlefield. Travis called out to him, "Eliot, where are you going?" But both disappeared into the smoke.
The team hid in a rocky area, observing the battlefield once the haze cleared.
"Alright, now that I've gotten my team to safety—but not completely, since I see those guys are still pursuing them—I must do everything in my power to keep them alive, even if it means doing something terrible," Olaf muttered as he dodged attacks of water, fire, earth, and electricity, along with swords closing in at super speed.
"Wow, the boss is really agile," his companions commented from their hiding spot. "And Eliot?" the others asked Travis.
"I don't know. I lost him in the smoke."
The attackers realized there were people hiding on the beach. "Damn it! I can't let them die in vain. They're not just numbers to me; they're my most loyal soldiers!" Olaf roared, his voice echoing across the beach and reaching his team. He grabbed a special grenade from his belt, one labeled: "In case of emergency, pull it." As sword attacks pierced his right arm and leg, immobilizing him, he let out a final laugh. Activating the grenade, he shouted, "Goodbye, everyone!" before a massive explosion sent sand flying like projectiles in all directions.
"No, sir, no. Come on, we have to go. Mr. Olaf gave us a chance," Patricia and Anais urged, pulling their teammate Cris, who wanted to rush back to the site of the explosion. The five of them cried for a moment but eventually left the scene in a small wooden boat they found tied nearby.
Eliot observed from afar. "He took some of my men with him. Well, I didn't expect anyone to do that. How interesting," he murmured. At that moment, he heard someone knocking at his door. It was Eliot—or rather, Xen—inside the body of Agent I-5.