Semira’s voice echoed through the cold, damp prison corridor.

  "My name is Semira, Semira Zen."

  A woman, who appeared oddly kind-hearted, stepped forward and caught Semira’s attention with a small nod.

  "Nice to meet you. I’m Doctor Cra Reed of the Elite Team. I wish we could have met under better circumstances, but, well, at least it’s not worse."

  Semira never liked kind-hearted people; her father had always taught her to be suspicious. Even if the well-intentioned were suspicious, their emotions often led them to make mistakes. So Semira pushed aside the burning hatred inside her — she was doing this for her father and her country. She couldn't allow her personal hatred to get in the way, so she nodded silently. Meanwhile, Cra made some odd, half-comical gestures to prompt her teammates to introduce themselves. An unfamiliar man, clearly uncomfortable with the awkward silence, tried to lighten the mood with a joke.

  "Girl, you must really love traveling… as far as the chain lets you, of course.

  Hahahaha.

  Uh, sorry. I have a bad habit of making awkward situations even more awkward. Anyway, I’m Technology Specialist Ryder Flux. Pleased to meet you, dy chained to the heart of the walls."

  Before Ryder could ramble on any further, a thick-voiced man interrupted him despite his retively refined appearance.

  "Cut the clowning, Ryder. Anyway, I’m Assistant Captain Chris Lex. Let me be clear: I don’t tolerate mistakes under my command."

  Despite the irony of the situation she found herself in, Semira rolled her eyes and spoke with a hint of annoyance.

  "Heh, typical backup. Seems like backups are given too much say around here."

  Chris’s face flushed red with anger, but because generals were nearby, he only shot her a hostile gre. The others didn’t seem to take him very seriously anyway; it was as if this kind of banter was a daily routine among them. A very tall man spoke next, his tone calm and soft.

  "I am Reginhald Stons, Map and Biological Materials Specialist — simply put, a scientist. Pleased to meet you, young dy Semira."

  -Strange-, Semira thought. His voice carried no hostility or disdain. Either he was genuinely na?ve or another devil hiding between carefully chosen words.

  "Security Specialist, Lieutenant Erika Petrova."

  From the back, barely visible, a short, cold-looking woman spoke so ftly that Semira had barely noticed her presence.

  -God, what a mess — putting such different people together and expecting them to work in harmony. How amateurish.-

  Finally, the man standing at the back, arms crossed, spoke.

  "I’m Team Captain Marius Grey. I want you to know that your joining the team was quite an unexpected situation for everyone. However, we do not question the orders of our Generals. You have no training and no real knowledge of our mission. So it would be best for you to follow our orders to the letter. If you disobey, regardless of your nationality, you’ll either be judged by the Military Discipline Committee or end up dead with no grave — just like your father. I’m sure you’re wondering how we know about your father. Let me answer that now to save you from asking stupid questions ter: the Elite Team and our Generals are aware of everything regarding all operations. So keep your mouth shut."

  After saying this, Marius turned his back and walked away from Semira’s cell without waiting for a response. The team followed him without needing any orders or words. As they turned the corner of the corridor, Marius sighed and turned to Lieutenant Erika.

  "Erika, according to the reports I read, this girl’s emotional state is… exaggerated. The Generals seem to think she’s important for the mission, for reasons unknown to me. We have three days until the mission. I don’t want anything going wrong. Take Cra with you and prepare full physical and mental health reports on that wretch. Also, keep an eye on her for the next three days."

  Lieutenant Erika, who hated extra work, simply let out a short sigh and nodded in acknowledgment. After all, they were trained not to question the Captain's orders.

  "Of course, Captain."

  Meanwhile, the rest of the team was deep in another strange conversation.

  Assistant Captain Chris, walking down the corridor with a serious tone, looked over his shoulder, his face lighting up as if struck by an idea.

  "Guys, I have a special request. From now on, we’re going to implement a proper walking protocol on base. Everyone should walk straight, shoulders back, steps at a 45-degree angle. People wandering around casually affect team morale."

  Doctor Cra looked serious but was clearly mocking.

  "Sure… a disciplined posture… must be a real morale booster."

  Scientist Reginhald slowed down to adjust his gsses.

  "Statistically speaking… I’ve never heard of walking angles impacting efficiency before. Fascinating."

  Ryder, with his weird sense of humor, once again turned a somewhat serious moment (well, everyone except Chris) into complete nonsense.

  "Wait a minute — 45 degrees? What are we doing, opening suppressive fire in the hallway? Or becoming shields for the stars?"

  Chris raised one eyebrow, clearly annoyed.

  "This is no joke. Teams that walk in military formation inspire more confidence. Any entities or humans we encounter must take us seriously at first gnce."

  Ryder just kept ughing.

  "Sure, sure. The aliens will say: ‘Ah, look at them walking at 45 degrees — they must be real geniuses!’"

  Cra also joined Ryder’s jokes.

  "Or maybe: ‘Let’s not mess with them, they’re armed with geometry!’"

  Reginhald, with a voice that was far softer than his appearance suggested, chuckled.

  "Perhaps they’ll surrender without a fight… mesmerized by our walking discipline."

  Chris looked around one st time, full of hope.

  "I’m going to draft a walking training pn. Participation is optional."

  Ryder couldn’t resist teasing further — he would probably joke about this for the next four or five hours.

  "I’m definitely in. Might even develop a special software: 'Angle Detection Walking Assistant 3000'… It’ll alert you every step: ‘Hey buddy! You just hit 46 degrees, your career is over!’"

  Yes... you know, sometimes even the most serious steps, when taken at the wrong angle, end up simply as good jokes, a source of morale, and smiles. Life is kind of like that, isn’t it? While you try to walk perfectly, fwlessly, in a straight line, the best stories are always written while falling and getting back up.