Chapter 533 - Day MMCXXIII, Part III

- W... What the... What the fuck? - Will finally squeezed it out. - You were spying on us?! Peter, you didn't fucking check this room?!

I jumped on my feet and immediately turned to face Vikram.

- I did - at first, I responded to Will, but then I switched to my assistant. - You really fucking spied on me? You wiretapped the room?

- I'm a government worker, what did you expect? We spy on everybody! Besides, you are a one-man army! Do you really think the world would just let you do everything you want?

- I should fucking beat yup your ass!

- For what? For doing my job?!

- Calm down goys - Will stepped in, physically getting between us. - Both of you calm down. Take a few deep breaths, and let's discuss this without yelling because this is the only way we will get somewhere. Ok?

Vikram sighed and nodded. He didn't really have many other choices but to agree, I on the other hand had plenty of options, but since I considered the guy my friend, it wasn't that easy to just leash out at him.

- The place was bugged from the beginning, but our guys got here before your arrival and cleaned it up - he explained. - Then I used a moment when you were not here, and placed few things, but as for now, it was only me who was listening to that.

- See? - I said to Will. - I checked the place when we arrived.

- Ok, Vikram... What do you want to know? - he then asked my assistant.

- Everything?

I shook my head, as I really didn't believe that I'm gonna say it, but I did.

- In a nutshell, there is an army of mindless aliens somewhere, that also have the access to the saplings as we do, and they are growing in power, and spreading throughout the multiverse, which means they will eventually arrive here, but I doubt that those are the same guys, that just showed up. From what The Great One explained, they wouldn't be talking with us, but rather went straight to the enslavement process. Oh, and The Great One wants to join forces with humanity to eventually fight those aliens and stop them. There is more but this is the essence of it.

Vikram nodded slowly.

- I will have to report this to the higher-ups - he said straight away. - But it might wait. I just was told that they sent ships, and planes to whatever that is above the Atlantic ocean to communicate with that messenger. I should know more soon. I'll keep you notified.

With those words, he left.

- Fuck! - I shouted, and then immediately activated 'Eyes of the Void' to locate the wiretapping and get rid of it.

Will watched me in silence, as I was doing that, and when I finished he said:

- It had to happen eventually. Maybe it's better that it happened today.

- I'm more pissed at the fact that I thought of him as a friend, and he pulled this shit on me.

- It's not his fault, Peter. It's literally his job, and you should know that. You should be expecting him to do stuff like that.

- Fuck! - I shouted again.

- Calm down. Your anger won't help.

- It's kinda hard to not be angry, you know? I feel betrayed, but also I feel fucking stupid. I should have known better after everything that happened, and yet I didn't.

- It's good that you realized that, but you should also realize that what is done, is done. You can't turn back time, which means you shouldn't dwell on the past, even if it's a very recent past. Just let it go, and let's focus on something that is important. A fucking spaceship on our lawn. We should talk with the other hunters, just in case. After all, that alien mentioned a conquest.

I nodded.

- Just give me a minute. I need a breath of fresh air.

- Ok. I'll assemble people downstairs, in the restaurant - said Will. - Don't take too long though.

I went straight to the terrace, as he left my room. My stomach hurt, and I felt nauseous. I fought off the urge to puke, and took a few deep breaths. Then I spent a minute figuring out my own feelings. I felt betrayed. I felt stupid. But the strongest feeling was the feeling that I just lost something I cherished deeply.

I slapped myself in the face two times, growled, and went back to the room, just to leave it. I was not the only one, as the news of gathering in the restaurant spread among the hunters, and everybody was moving through the corridor.

- What a mess - I heard a familiar voice next to me.

It was Nil. His face expressed concern, and worry.

- Yeah - I agreed.

- I hope there won't be some kind of war with those aliens - he continued. - Many people might die.

I didn't really know how to respond, so I just said:

- Yeah.

- That alien seemed quite civilized, so maybe there is a chance to talk this out? I hope so. The world is not ready for an invasion like that... I think.

- The world has us. We will help. If they want to fight, we shall give them a fight, but let's hope it won't go this way - I said.

Sander's worries affected me, and I could feel the anxiety growing in my brain. A strange tingling in my body, like I was subconsciously expecting something to happen right then and there, but all of us just went down.

People chatted among one another, expressing their concerns, and looking for answers among other people, who clearly didn't have them. It was strange, since they kept whispering, or suppressing their voices like it would matter if the rest heard. We were all in this mess together after all and despite the previous conflicts we had to unite to face the problem.

There was simply no other choice. After all, we were all humans, and the Earth was our home.