Unlike regular planes, the jet made almost no noise as it landed. It really was something else...
We got off right away.
I blinked...
The scale was on a whole other level here. I'd never seen anything like it.
Huge hangars with different types of aircraft. All military-grade.
There were at least a dozen hangars on the right side of each of the five runways...
Damn... I wasn't sure if there were really only five runways. That was just what I could see...
"See? I told you the jet wasn't anything special"
I heard Bianca's voice beside me, but I ignored it, lost in what I was seeing... A helipad...
It was a little farther away and also higher than everything else...
I saw at least dozens of people going about their business as far as my eyes could see.
"Shit..."
I felt like a bum walking into some fancy place...
I didn't know where to look as we walked, constantly turning my head. What was I seeing here?
I'm not exactly a total loser, but this was really on another level.
... I was definitely drawing stares the way I was acting and dressed, given the giggles I heard here and there, but I didn't care...
Think whatever you want...
"You're more greedy than you look..."
... I blinked at the soft murmur...
Who?
I told them to think it, not say it... Haa.
Looking ahead, I saw a subtle smile. Almost imperceptible...
Bianca.
"What are you talking about? Me? Greedy?"
I asked, trying to keep up with her pace, something no one else was trying to do...
"Yes. That look isn't surprise"
"What can I say? It's not exactly easy to surprise me... Want to try?"
"... You really don't think I'm going to fall for that, do you? It's no use. I'm not going to fall for your little spiel that, even if I were naked, it wouldn't surprise you"
"..."
"So that really was it"
"... Wow... Congratulations, I guess? You've been paying a lot of attention to me, haven't you? Now you even know what I'm thinking... Don't tell me, are you my soulmate?... It's not really greed—well, it is, but that's what happens when a poor guy walks into a place like this, you know?"
"I see. Ambition, then"
"Yes"
Our brief conversation ended there, as we passed through a gate...?
I don't even know what to say; it was way too big to be just a gate. How unnecessary...
Who designed this?
The old man always said that the bigger and more unnecessary something is, the more they're trying to compensate for the size of something else...
I'm rambling. Anyway, after passing through the gate, we got into a black van...
Someone really likes the color black around here, huh? Everything came down to black, white, and green...
There literally weren't any colors other than those three.
... Strategic? It really could be for strategic reasons. No. That's the only reason that wouldn't be strange.
... Or is it an América fan? This is the headquarters, not a military base... Not to mention we're in Minas Gerais.
It's not possible, right? Or maybe it is. I'll be sure if there are old guys in charge of this place.
... If that's really the case, I don't blame them. Grandpa would have done the same, but in blue and white...
... And I would have gone with red and black...
Anyway, the old guys have really been down since sports ended, especially soccer...
My grandpa talked to me so much and made me watch how soccer used to be, trying to turn me into a Cruzeiro fan, but I ended up becoming a Flamengo fan.
Sorry, Grandpa — My DNA is red and black.
Cruzeiro was an aggressive, giant team, but Flamengo was on another level... Zico, Arrascaeta, Leandro, Gabigol, Júnior Capacete, Bruno Henrique...
These guys made me a Flamengo fan. My heart pounded along with the massive crowd, cheering through the good and bad times...
They were just recordings, but it was absolutely insane...
An inexplicable and irreplaceable feeling.
Not to mention that we almost signed the greatest player in history back then, too. What a shame Robozão didn't come...
Just as I started getting lost in nostalgia, I looked out the window...
Why did everything go dark?
Pushing Lydia aside, I stuck my head out the window...
At first... I was scared, with no idea what it was, but since no one reacted, I didn't say a word...
And only when we landed did I manage to see...
A titanic block...
A black cube of proportions... Too unreal...
... How did I not see that?
It was something I should have been able to see even from the jet...
"It's a barrier, idiot... Everything in here and where we were is surrounded by barriers. Think of something like domes. One inside the other"
Bianca said, answering my question...
Question?
"How?"
"It's right in front of you"
... Hearing her words, I put my hand to my face, realizing my expression...
What the hell...
Why did I get so worked up over a magic cube?
Taking a deep breath, I composed my expression...
Suddenly, I started to feel tense. An indescribable atmosphere took hold as we approached the cube... I wasn't the only one hesitating.
The rest of the group was too; only Bianca showed no reaction...
And, as if sensing this, she said:
"Stay here. I tried..."
... Her voice grew softer, so much so that only I heard the second part of what she said, and I also felt that the first part was directed more at me than at the others...
What?
Her gaze... It seemed disappointed.
By the time I processed that, she was already far away...
Even so, I ran after her, ignoring whatever my brain was warning me...
Even as I felt the heat rising, I didn't care. I had to see.
To see how the world was even bigger than what I had already seen — almost nothing.
I think that's what she wanted, judging by the smile on her face when I reached her side...