Chương 39: Chapter 38 - The White Rooms (Arc I - End)

August 2, 2024 - Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas"It's from them," Stephen interrupted.

"Yes," the tech confirmed.

"So, what does it say?" Stephen asked.

"It looks like Unicode again. What is the message this time?" The tech clicked on another tab, and the message appeared on the screen, causing Stephen to frown. [First tier ascended. Second ascent in 77 days.]"This... but then?" Stephen stared at the message, confused. What was the first tier? Was it the challenge after the Dark Room? And then… what about the second ascent? Was it like the second set of trials for the challenger, or… were a new set of climbers going to be summoned to The Tower?

He turned to face the technician who had brought him.

"When did we detect this, Matt?"

"Less than five minutes ago." Stephen looked down, gathering his thoughts. He then took the phone from his pocket and opened the link. He quickly filled in Chiara's information. But when he did, what appeared wasn't just the usual black screen. There was an additional message in the middle. It was a countdown:" 76: 23: 54: 26""The 77 days," Stephen murmured as he quickly pieced things together. This meant, in the most likely case, that he would receive no information regarding Chiara for at least 77 days.

His gaze froze as he stared at the seconds ticking down. It wasn't until the minute counter decreased that he turned to face Matt.

"Contact the other bases." Without waiting for a response, he turned around, intending to go back to his phone, but he remembered that he couldn't exit this screen without turning the phone off. He cursed under his breath but kept walking toward his office as his phone was forced to shut down and restart. If whatever this is lasts long, they better design some tech to make this easier. After entering his password again, he dialed a number. It rang several times before being picked up on the other side.

Without waiting for a greeting, Stephen began:"Uncle George, we detected another signal." August 2, 2024 - Washington, D. C., US In his dimly lit office overlooking the Potomac, Senator David Caldwell leaned forward in his leather chair, eyes locked on the large television screen mounted on the wall. The room, with its heavy drapes and polished wood floors, was quiet—a stark contrast to the tension simmering within Caldwell.

A seasoned politician with a background in national security, Caldwell had spent decades navigating the corridors of power. His influence reached deep into the military and intelligence communities, where his reputation as a strategic hardliner was well-earned. As Secretary-General Elena Morales spoke, Caldwell listened intently. He had been briefed on The Tower's developments more times than he could count, but the unease in Elena's voice caught his attention.

Her subtle hesitation, the flicker of something unspoken in her eyes—it all suggested she was venturing off script. When she mentioned the loss of communication with those who passed the Dark Room, Caldwell's hand tightened on the armrest.

"Until now." The words hung in the air, sending a ripple of tension through him. He couldn't believe she was going to mention that. Only a couple of hours had passed since he was briefed about the new signal, but the speech had already been prepared, and there had been no notice of last-minute changes. This meant one thing only: Elena was going off script. And that… that was not how things worked. This speech was paramount, addressing the entire world.

Every word would be scrutinized, representing the collective will of those in power. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. He didn't like it. Not at all. But what could he do now? Canceling the speech, with its global hype and live broadcast, could lead to great unrest. At this point, stopping it wasn't an option, no matter how much he wanted to. The situation was beyond his control. Caldwell clenched his teeth, forcing himself to take a deep breath.

Elena had played them all, but she would pay for this. Who did she think she was? She had been chosen as the spokesperson because of her title and because other nations, especially those damned Chinese, were strongly opposed to them speaking. And so, it had come to this—a background character taking the global spotlight and saying what she wanted. Elena's gaze was intense as she resumed, her voice calm but resolute.

"In the last few hours, we received a signal. A signal we believe to be from those who set these events in motion. Those who summoned The Tower. It's the first contact we've had since the Dark Room."

"And… this signal stated: ' First tier ascended. Second ascent in 77 days,'" Elena paused, swallowing hard before continuing.

"After this happened, as some of you may have noticed, the link that previously showed a black screen—just for a very select few Climbers—has changed. It now shows a countdown. A countdown of 77 days, starting from less than two hours ago."

"We do not know anything beyond this, but we have strong reasons to believe..." She hesitated, aware of the weight of her next words. Meanwhile, Senator Caldwell was breathing heavily in his office, fury boiling within him. You will pay for this, dearly, Elena. You. Will. Pay. Elena sighed and pressed on.

"We believe this means another set of Climbers will be chosen in 77 days. Possibly another million, maybe more, maybe less, will be teleported inside The Tower to face its trials once again."

"Nonsense!" Caldwell couldn't hold back any longer, shouting at the screen. Where the hell did she get this information? This was pure speculation! How could she say that in front of the entire world? What the hell is happening here? Elena continued, undeterred.

"I repeat, this is our hypothesis, but it is the most likely outcome. This means we—all of us—must prepare for the second summon, the second ascent of The Tower. We will do everything in our power to guide everyone in these 77 days. We will make strategies and training methods accessible to all. We will provide step-by-step guides to each of the challenges. We will be with you every step of the way. Because, in 77 days, the next Climber could be any of us. It could be our friends, our family, or even ourselves.

We do not even know if the age range will remain the same. For that, we must all put forth our best effort."

"And yes, it's true that if you die inside, you return unscathed. For some, that may seem like a way out—a feasible exit if you're chosen against your will. But for the rest, we ask something more. We ask you to climb. We ask you to represent humanity in these challenges. To stand as our defenders in front of the alien civilization that has put us to the test. Let us show them what humanity is capable of." Elena's voice grew stronger, her resolve clear.

"If you seek power beyond your wildest dreams, if you crave fame that spans the globe, if you want to be a hero for all of humanity—then put everything on the line and climb The Tower." She took a breath, her face flushed with emotion, and then stood up from her chair, her eyes locked on the camera.

"Dear citizens of the world, I make you this promise: We will persevere. We will face this challenge together, with the strength of every one of you. We will climb. You will climb. I will climb!" The transmission cut off, leaving a moment of silence in its wake. Senator Caldwell glared at the screen, fury simmering beneath the surface. This wasn't just going slightly off script; this was... Damn you, Elena. He exhaled slowly, realizing that the course of the world had been altered in that moment.

Berating her now would achieve nothing. The die had been cast. Now, all that remained was to navigate the new reality she had thrust upon them.

"What is this?" Alonso glanced around, taking in his surroundings. The smell of the sea, the bright blue sky, the sand beneath his feet. He looked back and noticed the stairs had disappeared. He crouched and scooped up a handful of sand, pressing it and watching calmly as it ran down his fingers. It was fine sand, perfect for a beach. And so it was. He saw the water stretching out to the horizon as far as he could see. He was on a beach.

And if he had to guess based on the surroundings and the setup, he would say he was on an island.

"What do you reckon of this, Houston?"

"Well, there was a significant possibility that the scenario would change after the last trial."

"So, what is this—another challenge, or are we finally going to meet our host?" He looked around but noticed nothing out of the ordinary. He then started walking along the coast, not quite ready to venture into the interior of the island, or whatever this mass of land was. As he walked for a bit, he noticed some coconut trees. Food and water!

"Nice!" he hurriedly approached the trees. But just as he reached them, something in his peripheral vision caught his attention. He quickly stopped and tightened his grip on his sword. His vision was extremely sharp at this point, perhaps better than that of any human alive. He could make out the silhouette, even though it was indeed more than a kilometer away. It was moving. And… It was a human. END OF ARC I: THE WHITE ROOMS