The White Palace, the supreme underground war room.
On the massive screen, that raised middle finger conveyed silent, utter mockery.
It was like a resounding slap delivered from ten thousand meters in the sky, striking the face of every elite in the room who fancied themselves a ruler of Earth.
Dead silence.
A dead silence maddening enough to drive anyone insane.
Clatter!
The coffee cup slipped from the hand of the sitting president, Donald Trump.
It fell onto the expensive carpet, dark brown liquid rapidly spreading across it, but he did not even notice.
He stared fixedly at the figure on the screen.
The figure whose clothes had not even been rumpled amid the blazing ruins.
His face, usually a picture of arrogance, was now pale, crushed by reality.
His lips trembled, his Adam's apple bobbing violently. At last, he forced a few dry, hoarse syllables through clenched teeth, each steeped in absolute terror.
"Is... is he even human?"
That question shattered the last psychological defenses of every senior official present.
"Mr. President!"
McAuff, the hawkish general with four stars on his shoulders, shuddered violently.
The rage and brutality in his eyes had long since been replaced by an unprecedented fear rising from the depths of his soul.
He sprang from his seat, turned toward the president, and let out something close to a roar.
"That is no human! That is a devil!"
"Conventional weapons are completely useless against him! We must reassess the target's threat level immediately!"
Fear made his voice so shrill it barely sounded like his own.
CIA Director Cliff looked ashen. Trembling, he added, "I recommend... immediately ceasing all offensive action! Against him, our men are simply... going to their deaths!"
Donald Trump's expression shifted between terror and fury.
In the end, every emotion was swallowed