General Anderson’s Office

  Mike Anderson sat at his desk, surrounded by papers and important documents. He was signing them with a focused expression when suddenly, like thunder from a clear sky, there was a knock at the door.

  "Come in!" Anderson called out loudly and clearly.

  The door swung open, and Lieutenant Herbert Lee entered. The lieutenant saluted and, addressing his superior, said:

  "Comrade General, the 3rd Combat Battalion of motorized infantry is ready for deployment! What are your instructions?"

  Anderson, not taking his eyes off the papers, nodded.

  "Excellent. Send them to the training ground. By the way, have you prepared the documents I asked for?"

  Lieutenant Lee took out a folder and handed it to the general.

  "Yes, Comrade General."

  "Good. These are needed for the army’s budget reports," Anderson said quickly skimming through the papers. "Well done."

  "Yes, Sir," the lieutenant replied.

  Lee was about to leave when suddenly the general stood up from his desk and walked to the window. The lieutenant watched him, about to ask what was happening, but then something completely inexplicable occurred.

  The floor beneath them, where both the lieutenant and the general stood, suddenly vanished. Everything around them darkened sharply, and the space began to blur. A void formed beneath their feet, and in the next moment, the ground beneath them simply disappeared.

  Before they could begin to fall into the darkness, the lieutenant managed to shout:

  "Comrade Gen…!"

  The sound of his voice faded, and the lieutenant felt his consciousness begin to dim. Everything around them spun and vanished. The fall was instantaneous.

  Meanwhile, the general, hardly having time to comprehend what was happening, also felt his body pulled by this strange force, and he lost consciousness.

  Darkness consumed them.

  Russian Air Force General’s Office

  General Sergey Borodin sat in his chair, deep in thought. Complex flight plans and air defense strategies raced through his mind. Outside, the rain poured heavily, with lightning occasionally illuminating the dark sky, filling the room with bright flashes of light.

  The general muttered to himself:

  "So, that's how it is…"

  But his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden flash of bright light that filled the entire room. Borodin immediately felt a strong dizziness, and before he could understand what was happening, he lost consciousness. A bolt of lightning illuminated his face, and the world around him disappeared into darkness.

  Minutes later, the door to the office opened, and a soldier in green uniform entered. He scanned the room, his gaze moving over the desk covered with scattered papers and the chair where the general had been sitting. But the general was gone.

  The soldier approached the desk, examining everything with curiosity, unable to comprehend what had happened. He walked around, but there was no clue to be found. Everything looked normal, except for the absence of Sergey Borodin.

  Frowning, his eyes narrowed, the soldier walked to the window, trying to see if anyone had noticed anything strange. But all that could be seen outside was rain and darkness.

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  The silence in the office was almost tangible. The soldier, not finding an answer, thought that perhaps the general had gone to make coffee, and left the office.

  Japanese Navy General’s Office

  General Mari Matsuda sat at her desk, carefully reviewing reports. She was going through documents about errors in data submission, and all her attention was focused on the mistakes made by Private Yumika Fujimoto. Matsuda always maintained high standards, and such a slip from her subordinate could not go without consequences.

  "How could she make such a mistake?" the general thought, her gaze fixed on one of the reports. "She’s an experienced soldier, what happened to you, Yumika?"

  At that moment, the office door opened, and Private Fujimoto entered, looking worried and hesitant.

  "Comrade General," she began, "I want to explain my mistakes in the report. I... I didn’t mean to…" Her voice trembled.

  Matsuda lifted her eyes from the paper and looked closely at her subordinate.

  "Yumika, I don’t care for explanations, only results. You know that mistakes in reports can cost us more than you think. But…" The general paused, studying the young woman, "I want to understand what happened. You’ve been in service long enough to not overlook such things. What was the cause?"

  Yumika slowly lowered her head, her hands clenching into fists as she tried to gather her thoughts.

  "Comrade General, I… I’m not sure. There were problems at home, and I just couldn’t focus. I apologize," her words were quiet and almost inaudible.

  Matsuda looked at her with understanding, but there was still resolve in her eyes.

  "You’ll be punished, Yumika. But I believe you’ll learn from this. Keep working," the general said, her voice firm but not without empathy.

  At that moment, the door to the office opened, and Captain Takashi Nishida entered. He saluted, quickly assessed the situation, and without interrupting the conversation, said:

  "Comrade General, I need to leave to report on the current situation at the headquarters. May I continue later?"

  "Alright, Takashi. You know what to do," Matsuda nodded, and the captain left.

  Once the door closed behind him, Matsuda turned back to Yumika, about to continue the conversation.

  But at that moment, as if by fate, the entire office was illuminated by a brilliant flash of light. A bolt of lightning struck the heart of the building, and bright radiance engulfed the entire room. All the objects, all the space around them, seemed to vanish in the light.

  A powerful wave of energy surged outward, and both the general and Yumika lost consciousness.

  Moments later, silence once again filled the office. Everything returned to its usual state, but now the office was empty, and those who had been inside were gone, leaving no trace of their presence.

  Secret Materials Research Laboratory, Germany

  Professor Laura Kantor and her assistant Marlon Jackson were leaving the office when he suddenly stopped.

  "But professor, the papers... they’re missing," Marlon said anxiously, holding a folder of documents.

  Laura furrowed her brow and turned to him.

  "What do you mean, missing? Which ones?" she asked, a hint of irritation in her voice.

  "The documentation for the new tank corps. They’re gone," Marlon shook his head, flipping through the remaining sheets.

  "They might be in my office," the professor said quietly, glancing toward the door.

  "Alright." Marlon confidently stepped toward the office, grabbed the handle, and pulled the door open.

  At that moment, a sharp shout stopped him.

  "Stop!"

  But it was too late. The door suddenly flew open, and before him appeared an abyss of ink-black darkness. Marlon froze, unable to even ask what was happening. The dense darkness seemed alive, drawing in his gaze.

  A sudden push from behind — and he was sent flying forward. The professor, unable to stop in time, collided with him. Both of them fell into the unknown.

  The air whistled in their ears, their bodies plummeted, and their consciousness dissolved into the blackness. The last thing Marlon heard was the muffled sound of the door slamming shut.

  Mali, Liptako-Gourma Region

  French Military Operation "Birhon"

  Dark clouds gathered over the French forces' camp. The air was heavy, thick with moisture before the rain. In the distance, the deep rumble of thunder could be heard.

  Major Dominique Bernard stood by the map in the command tent, pondering the strategy. Outside, a voice called out:

  "Commander, the rain is starting!"

  Bernard lifted his gaze. One of the soldiers, Corporal Duval, stood at the entrance, shielding his head with his hand from the first raindrops.

  "Stay in position!" Bernard ordered firmly.

  The corporal nodded briefly and ran back to his group, while Bernard let out a tired breath and turned back to the map. He was deep in thought when suddenly something changed.

  It became unnaturally bright inside the tent.

  A blindingly white, piercing light filled everything around — there was no lightning or sound, just an endless light expanding, devouring the shadows.

  Bernard staggered, grabbed the edge of the table, but his strength rapidly drained. A pounding in his temples started, his breath became erratic. The space around him began to spin, and the floor seemed to collapse beneath his feet.

  The last sensation he felt before plunging into unconsciousness was a faint electric crackle in the air and a strange feeling as though his body was… dissolving into the light.