Washington D.C., White House:
Barack Obama walked into the room with all his staff and advisors. Sitting down at the head of the conference table, the president massaged his temple, resisting the urge to light a smoke. Every time he does and tries to hide, Michelle always discovers it and gives him a mouthful.
"What is it now?"
"There is a preliminary result for Operation Tower Sweep," the Chief of Staff explained.
"Tower Sweep?" Obama asked. With the election and all the tower stuff, Obama was a bit too stressed, which had made his mind a little chaotic over the past few days.
"You ordered us to recruit many of the gifted individuals who are part of governmental agencies, and tasked them to gather information on the tower," the Chief of Staff reminded. "In the latest operation, we tasked them with acquiring magical products from the tower for testing."
"Oh, I remember now," Obama nodded. He had created the Gifted Program as soon as he saw what they were capable of. So far, this new department has recruited 32 gifted individuals from across the nation, including the military, police, the FBI, and other government-related agencies. Although this program or task force hasn't officially been announced to the public, they exist. And after learning the tower allowed the exchange of 100 magic crystals for 100K, Obama immediately green-lit Operation Tower Sweep at someone's suggestion.
"Alright, you can commence with the report."
John Holdren — the Science Advisor — stood from his desk and walked to the screen facing the conference desk. He clicked a remote to switch the large television screen to a report summary.
"We've bought a variety of potions and analyzed them, trying to decipher the science, well, I should say, the underlying logic behind magic. Our analysis hasn't shown any result as of now, but we've been able to verify some of the effects."
The large conference screen changed to an underground and isolated room where a black prisoner was forced to ingest a potion. Less than ten seconds later, the prison began bleeding from all its orifices.
"Potions related to meditation, mental energy, or the soul will result in cerebral hemorrhaging, followed by hallucinations and hysteria."
Obama and everyone else in the room watched the screen calmly. Science, innovation, and progress always have a price, and that truth is even more so when it comes to the safety of the American people. Everyone in this room believes as such. The only difference between them lies in how deep a price they believe that people need to pay for their security.
"Healing Potions have been proven to be effective beyond what modern medicine could ever dream to achieve," Holdren continued. The screen changed to a military hospital full of injured soldiers. "Patients who required life-saving surgeries and months of recuperation were out of danger in less than six hours. After 24 hours, they could operate normally. And after 36 hours, a quarter of the patients were back in perfect health."
The sound of a collective gasp echoed in the room, followed by eyes widening and heavy breathing. Anyone with a basic understanding of human biology could understand how horrific this data was. Using the word miracle to describe these effects is an understatement.
"That can't be true, right?"
"Did they take some kind of stimulant that makes it appear they were alright?"
"No stimulant is that potent."
"Quiet down," Obama said, and the murmurs swiftly faded. "Dr. Holdren, you must understand our skepticism. Although I know we are dealing with magic, this feels a bit absurd." Obama and everybody else were still adapting to how rapidly the world was becoming strange.
"I know it's hard to believe, but the report explains everything, and I just showed you video proof," Dr. Holdren explained. Obama opened the document in front of him and flipped through it. The report was more detailed and explained every step of the testing.
"Continue," Obama said, glancing back at the screen.
"The greatest acquisition of this operation is the Strength Potion," Dr. Holdren explained, his voice slightly raised, his face flushed, and his heart beating faster than normal. He clicked the remote to show a young Latino soldier doing military drills.
"Would you believe me if I said this soldier had just arrived at base two days ago?"
"No way."
"PriBeforeat, he was just a normal person. In fact, he was rejected by the army because he did not pass the fitness test." The screen behind Holdren changed to show the Latino soldier's fitness test. As he said, the latter could barely do 5 proper push-ups.
"Are you telling me he achieved such a level with just one potion?"
"That's right. In just two days, his physical stats increased to be on par with a well-trained soldier," Dr. Holdren nodded. "And according to preliminary analysis, this is not his limit. His body is still transforming. In a week or two, he'll be comparable to the best Navy Seals."
"How much is the Strength Potion?" The Secretary of Defense asked.
"75 magic crystals, or $75,000."
"That's as much as it takes to train a regular soldier," the Secret of Defense continued. "Special forces take between $500,000 to $2 million. If we can train them with just one potion worth 75K, we can drastically improve our military and continue our global dominance."
"Your math is wrong: 75K is just to raise their fitness. We still need to train their skills, feed, clothe, and provide all other necessities, all of which take into account the cost of raising one soldier. Of course, those costs are for years of training and maintenance."
"I'm glad you said that because I have more good news," Dr. Holdren interjected. "The tower has Language Potions, which allow someone to master a language in a matter of days. Although we haven't discovered it yet, there is the possibility that other skills can also be learned and mastered with one potion."
"Really? This can indeed save a lot of money."
"That depends on how much the potion costs."
Countless people offered their opinions, discussing the feasibility of reducing the cost and, more importantly, the time required to train elite soldiers. The US military has the largest budget in the world, and statistically speaking, its budget is not only the highest, but it's several times larger than the country with the second-highest budget.
"Calm down," Obama said in a strong voice, instantly silencing the room. "Don't sell me ideas and unverified facts. Until we verify the tower has potions that can do as you said, don't mention them again."
"I-I understand," Dr. Holdren replied, who realized he had been highly unprofessional by mentioning these non-existent or unverified potions. Obama motioned for him to continue the report.
"Our agents have verified that the Strength Potion is the lowest version of its class. Although we haven't figured out how to acquire higher potions, it's verified that there are better training potions for Knights," Dr. Holdren emphasized.
"Based on the effect of the Strength Potion, our scientists have theorized that the more potent version might contain the key to breaking the limit of the human body. With this information, I've taken the liberty to propose Project Captain America. By using these potions, we can train a group of super soldiers."
Obama frowned. Unlike the previous postulation, this project had some foundation. However, the president also detected the flaws: the potion hasn't even been discovered — they haven't even confirmed if it will work for regular individuals. With his years of experience, Obama could tell that the person who made the suggestion just wanted a large budget and made empty promises to ensure success. However, even if he knows this, he must take it seriously.
The world is about to change. People with extraordinary powers will soon begin to influence all aspects of the world. Humans cannot be trusted with immense power, so to prevent the world from descending into chaos, the government needs to make some changes. A group of super soldiers might be the answer.
"How is the recruitment of gifted individuals proceeding?" Obama asked, putting away the proposal for now.
"We have located 12 new individuals and sent a team to recruit them," the Chief of Staff replied.
"Only twelve?"
"There are too many people claiming to be gifted individuals, and it's taking some time to verify the false from the truth."
Obama pondered for a few seconds before uttering, "Maybe it's time for a public, nationwide recruitment."
"We previously chose to do things quietly out of consideration for the tower's reaction. But so far, they have completely ignored us. So, it may not be a bad idea to go public," someone commented.
"What is China's situation?"Obama suddenly asked.
"I was just about to report to you. Our spies sent news that the CCP has created the Dragon Division to also recruit Gifted individuals."
"Do we know how many they recruited?"
"Unfortunately, no."
"What about our allies and neighbors?" Obama continued.
"Everybody is secretly recruiting."
"A fierce competition for these gifted individuals will soon start," the president uttered. "We need to do whatever it takes to have the edge in this competition." The tower is using gold as a resource, and luckily, the US has the largest gold reserves, which means it will have an advantage in this upcoming race. However, gold might not be the only thing they are after.
"I'll start writing the proposal," the Chief of Staff said. "Sir, do you have a deadline?"
"Aren't the mages starting school tomorrow? Wait a few days to see what information they can bring us. We'll decide on a timetable then."
"As you wish."