Homecoming | sequel of "Home" [✔️]

Chapter 18

Ali, ever since he accepted the future of immortality, had forgotten the anxious fear of expectations. As he learned to live life off all grids, to breathe even after death settles into the ones around him, he was forced to accept that dreams and hopes were nothing more than items on a checklist, waiting to be completed in future times.

He now sat in the Command Centre, legs swinging in the air as he kept his eyes on the holographic globe, hovering at the table welded at the center of the room. His bench was located at the corner of the room, easily hidden from outside view. He breathed cold air into his nose, his lips parting to let his tongue sense the seething taste of metal and ionized air.

His palms pressed onto the cold surface of the bench, back slouched, as if he preferred to keep his posture tight and battle-ready. He hung his head low, his bangs hanging over his face like a veil at a funeral. He heard only silence, which responded to the quietude in his mind; a place that once upon a time, had been overcrowding with insecurities and faith, now a desert, with no voice in his head.

For moments, there was no one, no sound, nothing around him. Then soon the door opened, and he heard pairs of footsteps entering, with one pair standing out particularly, mainly one accompanied with the clash of metal, the creak of mechanical joints.

Ali looked up to face his new team pouring into the cramp room, their leader the oldest of them all, a woman with curly hair, clad in a blue Combat uniform. Her arms were hung tensely by her side, her eyes calculating his size, his presence, and his appearance warily.

"Ali?" Nikki tested.

Ali shrugged, getting to his feet. "That's me," he responded numbly, gaze falling onto her teammates. The Neuro, which was Alicia, who glared daggers at his overly casual response; the Invisio, Rudy, who shared equal amount of hostility with Alicia; and the Techno, who was an agent that Ali didn't recognize, even if he looked to be Alicia's age, his head hung low in either shyness, wary, or embarrassment.

Nikki frowned, her tone taking on a silent edge. "Aren't you the one I saw when we fought the giant robot?" she quizzed, crossing her arms in confusion. "But where were you?"

Ali ignored her, rather keeping his eyes on the unnamed Techno agent. He looked familiar, though with his expression one of disbelief, Ali faced difficulties combing through his timeless memory.

"Don't think I've seen you here before." Ali stepped closer to the Techno agent, who stiffened with his advance. He held out his hand for a handshake, his gesture welcoming, though his neutral expression said otherwise. "Nice to meet you."

Unexpectedly, the Techno agent's expression contorted to a combination of horror, surprise and disbelief, his arms plastered tightly to his sides. He leaned away from Ali, as if he was looking at a feral beast, not a human being.

Alicia glanced over, her glare dissolving into an unreadable one. "Ali," she said carefully, raising her arms in front of the boy in defense, "you don't know him?"

Ali turned to her, retracting his hand. He stuck his hands into his pockets, his gaze looking more tired than anything else, despite his emotions nullifying months before. He cocked his head, his mouth twitching as he glared at her, irritation filling his chest like an overflowing balloon.

"In case you haven't been told," he seethed, glare cutting freely into her, "I have been outside Earth for at least a year. If you think I would spend my free time stalking MATA's databases, then I'd suggest you go back to primary school and read your stupid social study textbooks."

The Neuro agent stood tall, unfazed by his insults. "Ali." She grabbed the Techno agent's shoulder, her free arm on her waist as she met his glare. "This is Viktor. Your best friend."