Earth Warriors (Undergoing Revision)

Chapter 71 - Deep into the Code

October 2nd, 2026. 12:01. Fairfax County, Virginia. 

Within a certain unincorporated community in Virginia, there lies the one set of buildings of among the strongest intelligence services from around the world, where most of their operations take place to carry out the deepest and even at times, most secretive operations known or inferred for many people throughout the years. And while some gathered praise from those willing to stand in other countries, others decried them for war crimes. But regardless of one's opinion, the power of this agency is unparalleled by many. 

Near the entrance of a fenced-off checkpoint outside the set of buildings, two armed guards stand outside the entrance with M4 rifles, watching for any sort of authorized arrival, or even potential intrusion from any sort of trespasser. Even during the eve of autumn, geared men with all pouches and kevlar can provide an amount of comfort when it comes to these kinds of activities. Especially from one of the most secretive places in the world. 

"Think someone's late?" a male and fair-skinned guard asks the one next to him. He replies with a shrug without turning to face him for it. "Some urgent calls should lead to people getting here at lightning speed. But I guess in war, traffic comes first." 

"Who knows, just better wait until we can confirm it." After that, they keep watching the road for confirmation of either the arrival or a potential trespassing attempt. Even for an idle atmosphere in a quiet zone, it's enough to make for some to yearn for something interesting to happen at any time soon. 

But then, a black SUV van is spotted in front of them, an unmarked one at that, but the sight is enough to make the guard on the right stand aside while the left one gets in position to address the driver and whether they're the authorized one or not. And just as the SUV approaches the checkpoint, the passenger window lowers down, which shows a particular figure for a particular job. 

Seiner Butch. 

"Authorization code, please," the guard says. 

"69768313," he replies with narrow eyes as he clenches his rectangular case, one reserved for certain laptops.  The other guard checks the logbook to verify if the code is available or not. After checking the page for a moment, he spots the numbers and nods back at the guard. 

"Guess you're right in time after all. You must be the technological master we've been briefed about. Anyway, good luck encrypting those Zlocan files or whatever, genius," he replies with a smirk as he presses a button near the checkpoint. It opens the gate as the vehicle drives once more to enter inside. The guard leans back to his partner with some raised eyebrows. 

"Was that necessary, sir?" 

"Hey, I'm a guard, not a computer genius or that kind of crap." He shrugs once more as he stands on his post once more. Maybe those times to shake off the boredom of a job can be a way of comfort, even though the rest may not answer in kind to it, even if it's good-natured. 

Inside, it's the set of buildings that form the compound of Langley, with the main one that has many green-tinted windows and a rectangular shape, one of many measures taken to ensure the secrecy of said building. There are a few parked black SUVs with some HUMVEES in the back, military-owned even. Even in the middle of a war, it seems that Langley has remained as static and secure as usual, partly from the efforts of certain heroes to make sure the Zlocu didn't come through any further, even near the capital. But right now, there are more important matters at hand. 

Near the entrance of the main building, there are five individuals standing around. One is a middle-aged fair-skinned woman with a red suit, and black hair and eyes. Next to her are another male official with a beige suit and bald-headed. The rest are armed guards with armor vests and holding their M9 pistols at hand. One is dark-skinned, and the others are tanned. All of them observe the SUV parking on the left side with the woman crossing her arms on her back. Their expressions are vacant, yet still, carry a sense of anticipation for what's next.