Shanghai Branch of the Kaiju Control Headquarters. A heavy tension hung in the massive conference hall, shielded from any eavesdropping. Representatives of all world powers had arrived here: Russia, the EU, the USA, Canada, Brazil, India, the Arab countries, Korea, Japan, and the hosts—China.

  Mira stood in the shadow of the corridor, studying the lists of arrivals. Her assistant approached her.

  "Everyone is assembled, Lady Mira. They are waiting only for you."

  Mira smiled bitterly.

  "So, they came..." She looked at her palms. "You know, if Zen were here, he wouldn't waste time on protocols. He was never afraid to show power. When did I become so soft?"

  She adjusted her collar and stepped into the hall. Dozens of gazes—evaluating, greedy, frightened—converged on her.

  "Ladies and gentlemen," Mira began, and her voice, amplified by speakers, filled the hall. "You have noticed the surge in activity. This year alone, six Dragon-level threats have been recorded worldwide. The latest being Los Angeles. Kaiju are evolving. They are crawling out from the deepest bowels of the earth, from zones of extreme radiation and oceanic trenches."

  She brought up a map of deep-water rifts on the screens.

  "We propose to join forces. Not to defend, but to attack. To explore the Depths and destroy the source of the threat once and for all. We need your resources, your technologies, and your best squads of Exterminators."

  A heavy silence hung in the hall. The representative of Russia was the first to break it.

  "We agree," he nodded curtly. "Russia is indebted to Sector 'Zero'. Subject 'Zero' has saved our cities more than once. But..." he squinted. "We would like to shake his hand personally. To thank him face-to-face."

  The representative of India immediately interrupted him:

  "What's with the pathos? And why should we send our people to their deaths in the Depths? Let's just send Subject 'Zero' on the exploration. Let him do everything alone."

  Mira turned sharply toward the Indian delegate. Her gaze turned icy.

  "This year alone, Mr. Delegate, your country has requested our organization's help forty-three times. If you think that Subject 'Zero' is your personal servant, you are deeply mistaken."

  The Indian instantly fell silent, turning pale. The EU representatives spoke up:

  "We support the idea, but we agree with our colleague: why risk our elite units if we have him? And in general, we would all like to speak with him directly. We have the right to know who we are dealing with."

  Japan and Korea stood up almost simultaneously.

  "We will help with whatever we can. We agree."

  China concisely confirmed:

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  "The PRC will provide all necessary equipment and training grounds."

  Brazil hesitated:

  "We will support the idea financially, but we cannot give up our fighters—we need them to protect the Amazon."

  America added:

  "We need to deliberate this decision in the Senate, but most likely, the answer will be positive."

  The Arab delegate sighed heavily:

  "These creatures are terrible. This year they destroyed three of our tankers. We agree to any measures."

  The hall buzzed as they discussed the details, but the representative of Russia raised his hand again, cutting through the hum:

  "I have one question, Lady Mira. The most important one. Will Subject 'Zero' himself participate in this operation?"

  Mira froze. Everyone in the hall held their breath. This was a question to which she had no simple answer. If she said "no"—the alliance would fall apart. If she said "yes"—she would have to throw Arkgrim into the very thick of it before his mind recovered.

  Silence reigned in the hall. Everyone awaited the answer to the Russian delegate's question. Mira slowly swept her gaze over the faces of the leaders—mistrust, greed, and fear could be read on them.

  "Subject Zero..." Mira paused, and her voice became low, almost a whisper. "He will participate. But only if the situation escalates beyond critical. Right now his presence is needed elsewhere. Let's just say... he is observing the world from a different angle."

  She answered as vaguely as possible.

  "However," Mira took a step forward, moving to the center of the hall. "I will be leading the operation in the Depths. Personally."

  A chuckle rippled through the hall. The representative of India, adjusting his glasses, looked at her with disbelief:

  "You? Lady Mira, with all due respect... You are in second place. We need the power of Subject Zero, not your coordination. What will you be able to do down there, where the Kaiju..."

  Mira didn't let him finish.

  She didn't make a single movement, but the lights flickered. Those who were sitting felt a weight crash down onto their shoulders. It became hard to breathe. The electronics on the tables sparked and died.

  Mira's eyes flared. It was an insane radiance.

  "I will," she uttered.

  The word struck their eardrums. Those who were standing collapsed into their chairs. The Indian delegate choked on air, his face turning deathly pale, and the glass of water in front of him shattered into shards.

  Mira's aura filled the entire space, suppressing the will of every person in the hall. In that moment, they all remembered: she is second only to Subject Zero.

  Five seconds later, the pressure vanished as suddenly as it had appeared. Mira stood in complete silence, her eyes slowly dimming, returning to their normal state.

  "Any questions?" she asked calmly.

  A dead silence stood in the hall. The Russian delegate was the first to recover. He wiped the sweat from his forehead.

  The Indian representative just sat there, staring into space, afraid to even take a breath.

  Mira slightly bowed her head.

  "Good. Then let's move on to the details."

  "So," Mira began.

  She brought up a date on the central screen, highlighted in red.

  SEPTEMBER 27TH.

  "This is the starting point," Mira stated. "On this day, the first joint reconnaissance group... blah blah blah (unimportant details)."

  A whisper ran through the hall, but this time no one dared to interrupt.

  "We have eight months until September," she continued. Mira looked at the representative of Japan.

  "Blah blah blah blah blah blah..."

  The representative of America raised a hand:

  "Eight months of training? Do you think the Kaiju will give us that much time?"

  "They are attacking more and more often," Mira cut in. "But that is exactly why we need a unified mechanism, not fragmented armies. If we descend into the Depths unprepared, we will simply feed the best fighters of humanity to the Kaiju. September is the deadline. By that time, we must be ready."

  She closed the folder with the documents.

  "The reconnaissance on September 27th will show... blah blah blah blah..."

  Mira swept a cold gaze over the hall.

  "And remember. Subject Zero is a reserve in case of total collapse. Do not count on him in your plans. Consider that he does not exist."

  She turned around and exited the hall, leaving the world leaders to discuss the logistics details.

  Stepping into the empty corridor, Mira exhaled heavily. Eight months. She had given Arkgrim eight months of "normal" life.

  "Let him enjoy it while he can," she whispered to her assistant. "I hope he won't be needed."