Suddenly an alarm sounded, the sky reddened in broad daylight, explosions were heard, and the ground shook. Lino hurried to get to the marked meeting place in crisis situations as soon as possible. On the way, he avoided certain death many times, but still, he managed to reach his destination in one piece. The door opened and he entered a new environment where he was much better protected from outside attack. He greets the person on duty at the checkpoint and goes to his workstation.
- What's going on, since when have we been attacked? - Lino asked his commander in astonishment.
- An unknown object is in a geostationary trajectory, it opened fire to Earth. We are trying to find the exact location, but we can't get confirmation because it suddenly disappears and reappears in another place - the commander explained - we don't have much time, we have to leave this place and consolidate for a counterattack.
- Brigadier Lino, enter the vectors for going to Nignut, you know this place, the agreement is that we will meet with other defense units there - General Talans ordered him.
Lino's spaceship took off expressly to the detriment of rigorous security protocols that were put on hold due to the emergency. He brazenly resisted the dense Earth's atmosphere and for a moment found himself in a critical area which, unfortunately, not all ships from the Earth's fleet successfully passed. When the spaceship escaped an unknown object after crossing the Moon, there was an outpouring of positive emotions so that everyone on the ship stood up and applauded - the first obstacle was overcome - Lino and his team pulled out alive from a messy situation. They move fast, they cross Mars, Jupiter, the solar wind showers them less and less. They are not alone in their journey to Nignut, that distant outpost for which they have been informed that it will soon be populated by various forces for rapid action.
Lino's spacecraft has arrived at its destination, but in addition to Nignut, there are four other hubs on the edge of the heliosphere where spacecraft gather to retaliate against an unknown object that is relentlessly attacking.
While additional confusion was created by the news that the enemy had changed tactics by getting even closer to Earth and starting to snatch it, Lino decided to spend his time talking to Jelena. That fact alone is encouraging because a few years ago it would not have been technologically possible to have a real-time conversation at such a great distance.
- Earthquakes are everywhere, the ground seems to be collapsing, my knees are kneeling, millions have died, but the satellite binoculars are still working - Jelena sadly told Lina about the current situation.
- We need to study their story, where and why they came from, I'm sure we can offer a solution later - Lino comforted her.
- Everything has been on TV so far as a possible prey, a raw material for aliens: from water in the oceans to atmospheric air, but no one would think that it would come to the very core of the Earth, its heart, all that glowing metal - Jelena explained to Lino - Why don't they go to Venus or Mercury?
- Maybe some higher power determined that it must be so, I can not accept that technologically advanced civilization has such low ethical values towards other living beings, killing us like anteater ants - Lino had finished comforting Jelena, now he wants to visualize things so to put them in proper perspective. At Lino, a bell rings, then some visual signal that new orders are coming from superiors puts Jelena on hold. The situation was so chaotic that he worried that the conversation with Jelena was the last goodbye to Earth.
- We will activate all maneuvers and initiate the action "The last atom of strength".
