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The silence of the dark room was broken by the squeak of hinges as the heavy door swung open. The rooms’ automatic light raised though just barely to a dimness, the room after all not meant to be illuminating. A single figure entered, a man of average height and build. He wore a black pinstripe suit with a red tie and atop his head was a black felt hat. He pushed the door closed behind him with little regard of the metallic slam it gave. 

The man stepped further into the room and turned to his left, coming to face with thick, glazed glass that looked into another room. Unlike the one in which he stood this opposing room was brightly lit with a group of chairs situated in three neat rows in the middle of it; nearly every chair was occupied, the occupants men and women of a diversity of appearances and ethnicities. Some sat up straight and intent looking ahead at the glass before them while others were slouched over with deadened expressions or had their heads in their hands - the man in black did not blame them for why. What they had just been shown was something that the rest of the world was not ready to see, or rather [i]had[/i] not been ready to see. But if his prediction was right then soon enough the world would [i]have[/i] to see it, ready or not.

As was standard there was a small desk against the wall beneath the glass and a metal chair to go with it, the man in black having sat in it many times before. Wasting no time he reached down and pulled the chair back and had a seat. Several of those on the other side slumped forward in their chairs looked up, the glass was not sound proof and while somewhat grainy to see through even with the dim lighting the man’s shadow could be spotted. The glass had a small speaker built directly into it with a slight modulator meant to warp the voice of the speaker just enough to further conceal their identity. Not that it really even mattered, the man had done this whole process countless times before and always it was the same. Those on the other side of the glass, the recruits, had just been shown the unspeakable and were caught in some mental whirlwind or another. Perhaps not “unspeakable”, but certainly difficult to process. He could see it in their faces as he made himself as comfortable as he could in the cold, hard chair. The shock, the denial, the fear, by now he had learned to spot it all painted on the faces of the “newly initiated”. Even now it still never failed to unsettle the man in black, seeing hardened career soldiers, government operatives, and special agents shaken to the core. Seeing the corpse of an extraterrestrial lifeform up close and verifiable would do that to nearly anyone of course.

“Greetings, recruits…” the man in black began, leaning in close to the microphone, his voice crackling and fried to those on the other side. “It is good to see you here. You no doubt have questions and are most likely feeling… quite jolted by what you have been shown less than an hour ago. It is regrettable the impact it has most likely had on you all psychologically, but you must understand the secrecy of such… things.”

The man gauged the room as he paused momentarily. Some dropped their faces back into their hands, some shook their heads, most just stared straight at the glass listening. 

“You were recruited and brought here cooperatively of your own will, you were all chosen because you were deemed fit and ideal for duty in Minerva Force. From your skills in the field to your abilities of judgement and your diligence. You are here because you are needed. Earth - humanity - is in a grave peril, one that we believe has been culminating for some time.”

Another pause, and then continuation, “In nineteen ninety-two, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Minerva Force was founded after members of the scientific community logged an increased percentage of UFO sightings in space as well as relatable phenomenon on Earth in the years prior. Many of which were kept hidden from the societies of the world. The United States, Russia, China, and additional nations later on poured much effort and funding into Minerva Force. That was twenty-four years ago and since then the sightings and activities have only further increased and containing their exposure to the world has only grown more difficult in this digital age. But that is not the worst of it.”

“Recent events have lead us to believe that something immediate is afoot, that the… [i]otherworlders[/i] are moving to action.”

The man took a breath and let his words settle on the room, as best they could anyway. The reactions were more or less the same, a few added head shakes and sideways glances between recruits. The man had done this routine many times already, little variation other than choice phrasing and words. He wondered how much of what he said stuck in these short briefings after exposing the truth to the new recruits. Nevertheless, it was necessary.

“You will all be immediately transferred to Alpha Sentinel, the central hub of Minerva Force operations and given your assignments. To say that this is a lot to take in is indeed a vast understatement, but we do not have the time to sit about and collect our thoughts. Minerva Force is closely monitoring global events and on the lookout for [i]further[/i] heightening of extraterrestrial activities. You will receive additional briefing once you have reached Alpha Sentinel.”

As always the man in black ended on the most uplifting note he could offer, which was not much, “The fate of humanity depends on the success of this project, this force, and you were all chosen because our organization deemed you to be among the best humanity had to offer. It will be a difficult struggle to come but we are sure you will not disappoint and will be at the forefront of a victory to come.”

Methodically, the man in black stood back up from his seat, the last of him to be heard was the scrape of his chair and the heavy slam of the door from whence he first came, the recruits meanwhile would be immediately ushered out and prepared for flight to Alaska.