Chapter 2: The Men in Black
1061 Words
The train glided through the sky without a sound.
From the window, Lyra watched the capital awaken beneath the morning light. Towering crystal buildings reflected the rising sun while streams of flying vehicles moved in perfect formation between them. Cargo drones carried supplies through the air, and enormous holographic billboards displayed the smiling face of Jenny.
"Good morning, citizens of the Void," the familiar voice echoed through every district. "Current air quality is optimal. No major security incidents have been reported. Please enjoy a productive day."
The passengers barely looked up.
Jenny had been part of everyday life for as long as anyone could remember. She controlled traffic, monitored hospitals, coordinated rescue operations, and maintained peace across the Void.
Some people trusted her more than they trusted other humans.
Others feared what would happen if she ever disappeared.
Lyra adjusted her backpack and stared out the window.
Beyond the city walls, enormous steel barriers stretched toward the horizon.
Far beyond those barriers...
...was the Unknown.
Her father once told her the walls weren't built to keep humanity inside.
They were built to keep something else out.
She never forgot those words.
Nova Academy floated above the city on massive anti-gravity platforms connected by transparent bridges.
It was the most prestigious scientific academy in the Void.
Every student dreamed of graduating from Nova.
Every parent dreamed of sending their children there.
Every teacher dreamed of producing the next great scientist.
Lyra dreamed of escaping it.
"Earth to Lyra."
A hand snapped in front of her face.
She blinked.
Her best friend, Kian, laughed.
"You've been staring into space for five minutes."
"I was thinking."
"Dangerous hobby."
She rolled her eyes.
"You should try it sometime."
"I'm already smart enough."
"You wish."
They laughed as students streamed through the enormous entrance gates.
Above them, hundreds of surveillance drones drifted silently.
Nothing escaped Jenny's eyes.
Nothing...
...or so everyone believed.
Their first lesson was History of the Void.
Professor Orion entered the classroom carrying nothing except a thin metallic pointer.
He never used digital notes.
He claimed history deserved better than holograms.
Without speaking, he wrote six numbers across the board.
5020
No one needed an explanation.
Every student recognized the year.
"The beginning of the Void Age," the class answered together.
Professor Orion nodded.
"What happened?"
A girl in the front row stood.
"The Comet arrived six years earlier than predicted."
Another student continued.
"The Sun and Moon disappeared."
"The Earth's surface became uninhabitable."
"Nuclear fire consumed the planet."
"Humanity survived underground under Jenny's guidance."
Professor Orion smiled.
"Excellent."
He erased everything except one word.
WHY?
The room fell silent.
"Two hundred thousand years have passed."
He slowly turned to face the class.
"Humanity has mapped distant galaxies."
"We've cured diseases that once wiped out civilizations."
"We've built cities above the clouds."
He paused.
"And yet..."
He tapped the board.
"We still cannot answer the simplest question."
"Why did the Comet arrive early?"
No one spoke.
Because there was no answer.
Professor Orion folded his hands behind his back.
"Even Jenny—the greatest artificial intelligence ever created—lists the cause as..."
The class answered automatically.
"Unknown."
A strange silence followed.
It was unsettling.
The idea that humanity's greatest mystery remained unsolved after nearly two hundred thousand years made Lyra's stomach tighten.
For the first time...
Science didn't seem to have all the answers.
The bell rang.
Students poured into the corridors.
Kian stretched dramatically.
"If I hear the word 'Comet' one more time, I'm going to launch myself off the academy."
"You'd survive."
"Barely."
They laughed.
As they crossed the glass walkway between buildings, Lyra suddenly stopped.
High above the academy...
A formation of aircraft streaked across the sky.
Unlike civilian transports, these ships were completely black.
No lights.
No markings.
No visible engines.
They moved with impossible precision.
Students around them stopped walking.
"Who are they?" a first-year whispered.
An older student answered quietly.
"The Night Watch."
The conversation died immediately.
Everyone had heard stories.
Nobody knew the truth.
"They only appear during national emergencies."
"My brother says they answer directly to the High Council."
"I heard they don't."
"They answer to Jenny herself."
"No..."
"They answer to no one."
Lyra watched until the aircraft disappeared into the clouds.
Something about them felt...
Different.
Cold.
Purposeful.
She couldn't explain why.
The afternoon lesson had barely begun when every light in the classroom flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then darkness.
Students gasped.
A second later, emergency lights flooded the room with a deep crimson glow.
Every holographic screen shut down simultaneously.
Even Professor Orion looked confused.
Then Jenny spoke.
Her voice no longer sounded warm.
It sounded... urgent.
"Attention."
The entire academy froze.
"Priority Black authorization confirmed."
A chill swept through the room.
Professor Orion's face drained of colour.
Someone whispered,
"...Priority Black?"
Another student shook his head.
"That protocol was retired decades ago."
Outside...
A deafening roar echoed across the sky.
Students rushed to the windows.
Three enormous black aircraft descended through the clouds.
The academy trembled as they landed in the central courtyard.
The doors opened.
Figures dressed in long black coats stepped onto the ground.
Their silver masks reflected the crimson emergency lights.
No insignias.
No names.
Only a single symbol on each shoulder.
A crescent moon surrounded by seven stars.
The Night Watch.
The academy, usually filled with conversation and laughter, became completely silent.
The classroom doors slid open.
One of the masked officers entered.
Behind him stood four others.
The principal hurried in after them.
"Commander," he said nervously. "If you'd informed us, we could have—"
The commander walked straight past him.
As though he hadn't spoken at all.
He walked between rows of terrified students.
His footsteps echoed through the silent room.
One.
Two.
Three.
Then...
He stopped.
Directly in front of Lyra.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Every eye in the classroom was fixed on her.
Finally, the commander broke the silence.
"Lyra Solis."
She slowly stood.
"...Yes?"
The commander's voice was calm, almost emotionless.
"Come with us."
The room erupted in whispers.
Kian stared at her in disbelief.
Professor Orion looked as though he'd forgotten how to breathe.
Lyra's heartbeat thundered in her ears.
She had no idea why the Night Watch knew her name.
But something deep inside her whispered a terrifying truth.
Her ordinary life had just ended.
- Writer
