Chapter 36

In the cold, dank darkness of the basement, Jhonny and Alice stepped slowly, feeling the tense atmosphere that surrounded them. The rusted metal walls glistened in the dim light of the flashing fluorescent lights. They knew that they were at the heart of the system that connected the human world with the aliens-the place where Michael's dream of ruling everything was rooted.

"Are you sure this is the right path?" asked Alice, her voice barely audible in the silence. Jhonny nodded, though a feeling of doubt lurked in his heart.

"Let's keep going. We have to stop that machine before it's too late," replied Jhonny, his voice steady despite the tension in his heart.

They kept moving, each step tinged with the realization that their time was limited. On the way, they encountered various terrifying obstacles. As they approached the corner of the room, they saw laser mines set up along their path.

"Laser mines," whispered Jhonny, assessing carefully. "We need to be careful."

Alice nodded, noticing the red lines stretching out in front of them. "We can avoid them if we move properly."

Cautiously, they moved against the direction of the laser, following the pattern it formed. Alice took a deep breath and jumped nimbly, her body twisting as if she were a ballet dancer, avoiding the threatening mines.

Jhonny followed her lead, making sure every step counted. As they made it past the obstacle, they breathed a sigh of relief, but the pleasure was short-lived. From the darkness, the roar of an engine sounded closer and closer.

"Flying robots!" shouted Alice, seeing two small objects floating towards them, advanced weapons mounted on their bodies.

"Hurry up! Find cover!" ordered Jhonny, pulling Alice aside as the robots began firing at them. Energy bullets thundered, making explosions in the wall behind them.

Jhonny pulled Alice behind a large metal pole, taking cover from the attack. "We need to disable those robots," he said, trying to plan his next move.

"Let me take care of it," Alice replied in a confident tone. She held up a small device she had taken from The Jackal's base, a device that could disable enemy technology.

As the robot approached, Alice aimed the device and pressed a button. Energy waves vibrated in the air, emitting a signal that infiltrated the robot's system. In an instant, the two flying robots fell, powerless.

"Well done, Alice! We can move on now," Jhonny praised, relief washing over them.

They resumed their journey, moving faster once they had cleared the obstacles. However, the tense atmosphere remained, keeping them on their toes. On the way, they came across a large metal door, locked tightly.

"The control room," whispered Jhonny, assessing the markings around the door. "Behind this door, everything is probably behind this door!"

"This is it," Alice whispered, pointing to a large metal door with various complicated locking systems. "We should be able to open this."

Jhonny scrutinized the door closely, sensing that there was more protection than just thick metal. "There seems to be a very sophisticated security system here. We need to be careful."

Trying to compose themselves, they stepped forward, avoiding parts of the ground that looked unstable. The first obstacle came in the form of a network of red lasers that crisscrossed the hallway. The laser mines seemed extremely sensitive, emitting a fiery glow when touched.

It turns out that it's not just outside the control room of these monstrous devices that fantastic security is installed, but also inside. Anything less and lives were at stake.

"I can get through," Alice said, zipping up her protective suit. She scanned the laser patterns, looking for an opening to get past the mine. "Follow me."

Jhonny watched attentively as Alice stepped forward carefully. She moved nimbly, jumping and bending with precision, dodging the lasers that emitted sharp light. After a few tense seconds, Alice made it to the other side.

"It's your turn," she said with a smile, even though she knew that Jhonny had to be more careful.

Jhonny took a deep breath and stepped forward. Keeping Alice's movements in mind, he tried to channel his calmness as he dodged the laser nimbly. He could feel the sweat on his temples when he was almost touched by one of the lasers. With all her strength, she jumped towards Alice and finally arrived safely.

"Well done!" praised Alice, and the two of them continued on their way.

They moved further into the room, discovering a series of patrolling flying robots. These robots had sleek, sophisticated-looking forms, equipped with laser weapons ready to strike. The sound of their whirring engines echoed, creating a tense atmosphere.

"There must be a way to distract them," whispered Jhonny, scanning the surroundings.

"I have an idea," Alice said, opening her bag and pulling out several small devices. "These are trigger devices that can divert their signals."

He placed the device near one of the robots, and in an instant, a noise emerged from the device. The flying robots instantly turned their attention towards the sound, flying away from Jhonny and Alice's position.

"Now!" shouted Jhonny, and the two of them ran quickly, passing through the area previously filled with dangerous robots. After successfully avoiding the obstacle, they breathed a sigh of relief, but they knew that bigger obstacles lay ahead.

Arriving at the door to the control room, they found a more complicated security system. A large screen displayed various algorithms and codes that kept spinning, looking like an unsolvable puzzle.

"What do we do now?" asked Jhonny, staring at the screen in confusion.

Alice watched the screen with concentration. "I can try to hack into the system. I need a few minutes."

"Alright. I'll be watching around," replied Jhonny, straightening up. He could feel the tension in the air, knowing that every second counted.

While Alice worked, she opened the interface and tried to understand the algorithms. Alice's hands moved quickly over the screen, trying to enter some of the codes she had learned before. However, the system was very complicated and seemed to have several barriers that she had to cross.

"If I can't open it within five minutes, we may need to find another way," she said, remaining focused on her screen.

Jhonny nodded, continuing to keep an eye on the surroundings. He heard rumbling sounds in the distance, a sign that the battle was still going on outside. In his heart, he hoped his friends above could hold out long enough for them to stop this threat.

"I can do it," Alice whispered to herself, trying to calm herself down. However, as she attempted to hack away, she heard a noise from behind. Jhonny immediately turned around and saw a shadow moving closer.

"Jhonny!" cried Alice, realizing that they were not alone. Michael emerged from the darkness, his face showing an angry and hateful expression. Behind him, the robots that were previously tricked by Alice now returned and surrounded them.

"You thought I wouldn't find you guys?" Michael smiled broadly, revealing his white teeth. "This is the end of all your stupid plans!"

Alice and Jhonny faced Michael, knowing that they had to act fast. "We're not going to let you have your way, Michael!" shouted Jhonny, preparing to fight back.

However, Michael just laughed, raising his hand. "You've already lost. Right now, the mutants I've prepared are preparing to take over this world. This machine will stay connected, and no one can stop me!"

Quickly, Alice decided to distract Michael. "You can't control everything, Michael!" she exclaimed, grabbing a small device from her bag and throwing it at Michael.

The device exploded with a thunderous noise, creating thick smoke that took Michael by surprise. In the chaos, Alice continued her attempts to hack into the security system.

Jhonny took the opportunity to come forward, stepping close to Michael. "You may be able to control some people, but you'll never control Alice!" he shouted, trying to encourage Alice behind him.

"Asshole!" shouted Michael, pointing his gun at Jhonny. "You're going to pay for this!"

Alice tried to shift her focus back to the screen. Within seconds, she entered the last few codes. "I'm almost done!" she exclaimed, her hands moving quickly.

In a panic, Michael looked at Alice and tried to attack, but Jhonny was faster. He jumped at Michael, stopping the attack that could have crushed their hopes.

With one swift movement, Jhonny managed to drop Michael's weapon. "You'll never win!" shouted Jhonny, knocking Michael aside.

Alice, focused on the screen, finally found an opening. "I've gained access to the system!" she shouted excitedly.

"Quick, open the door!" Jhonny shouted back, helping Alice withstand Michael's attack.

But Michael didn't give up. He pulled out another device and started firing lasers at them. Alice managed to lock down the security system and open the door to the control room.

"Now, Jhonny!" she called, running to the wide open door.

Quickly, they stepped inside the control room. Jhonny closed the door with an automatic lock, but they knew there wasn't much time. They had to destroy the linking machine before Michael could strike again.

Inside the control room, they found various gleaming control panels and a wealth of information about the alien world's link. Jhonny observed the giant machine in the center of the room, feeling the strong vibrations of the energy source flowing inside.

"I'm going to shut down this system!" said Alice, rushing to the main control panel.

Jhonny nodded, preparing to help. "Come on, we don't have much time!"