Caleb looked on, with hundreds of ideas running through his mind. He jumped up so quickly that his grimace of determination would likely have cracked a couple of windows if he had been aning to do sothing about that. 'What a hassle...'
He snapped his fingers, and the powerful shockwave was instantly set free: a focused burst of energy roaring through the cabin. It was powerful: enough to burst the snakes asunder the mont it reached them, disintegrating their bodies from the force of the shockwave. Silence fell, and the only sound was the panting labored by survivors and the slight whir of the engines. Caleb looked around over his team in the aftermath, then out over the remaining passengers. A heavy silence filled the air following the deadly ordeal.
'Well, at least so survived.'
After chaos, the only thing left for both the passengers and the flight attendants was the conversation, in which feelings of relief, anger, and fear were all mixed."How the fuck this happen!" one of the passengers howled, and his voice was shaking. "Those snakes, it's in thousands. Is not it the work of managent to see whether the plane is safe or not?"Another chid in, her voice really stern, "Sobody's got to be held responsible for this! We can't just disregard it. There were three that died, crushed by these creatures!"
Cruel thoughts of the casualties, but it is a cruel reality.
"Their jaws could crush tal. What chance did those poor souls have?" recounted a flight attendant to another, both with glassy, teary eyes.The group was ready for the call to action.
"We've got to tidy this plane up, get rid of... of all this," one of the crews gestured to the debris of disaster.
"And we owe the Earth team our lives. They saved us from a complete catastrophe."The expressions of gratitude mixed with speculation as the conversation turned.
"You think that was one of the genetic warriors?" speculated a passenger in a low voice. "
One of them could be on this plane, pretending to be just another survivor."
With that suggestion, there was now a ripple of suspicion running through them, as one looked in the other's eyes to see who among them could have plotted such deadly mayhem. Thus, the air was filled with paranoia in such a way that every action and every look seed to be under their constant scrutiny.
The Earth Team cornered Caleb in the VIP section, their faces a mix of frustration and disbelief.
It was Mia who first confronted him. "Adam, why the hell didn't you act sooner? You wiped those snakes with a snap of your fingers. Could've saved everybody a lotta hell!"
Caleb leaned back, looking unbothered, and shrugged. "Why should I care about the life of so passersby? They're only the background characters of the bigger picture. The mission is important. This team is what matters—this, not playing hero for every damn person who needs help."
Leo's face went red with anger. "Passersby? Those were people, Adam! Real fucking people, not extras in your own little personal action movie!"
Normally levelheaded, Zoey scread, "You could have saved those deaths! They didn't deserve to die like that. We're supposed to protect, not just stand by and watch."
Caleb scoffed, "Look, getting dirty for every ss is not in our job description. Yeah, it's tragic what happened, but stepping in earlier could've risked exposure or even compromised the mission. We're not here to save the world on every flight we go."
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Sarah, who had been quiet up to this mont, said, her voice coming out cold, "I think the real issue here is we might have the person responsible for this on the plane. One of the passengers could be behind it. This seems like a trap, probably just a way of testing our psyche or playing with us."
Alex nodded his head, allowing his eyes to range over the cabin. "That makes sense. This can't be an accident of so kind. Snakes on a plane this? It's far too specific and far too focused. We've got to figure out who's behind it."
Caleb looked at them square in the eyes, his look determined. "Okay, we will check, but we will do it my way. No extra risks. Whoever's done this wanted so reaction, a show. We will not give this satisfaction to them by panicking," he told them.
The team still simred with anger, shock, and reluctance but agreed reluctantly. They knew Caleb's ways were unscrupulous but he's so right.
Leaning back against the wall of the cabin, Caleb looked at his team, his glare cold and calculating, and said in a voice dripping with contempt,
"Now let lay down so cold, hard truths for y'all. "Help every sorry soul you co across? That's one way to an early grave, really. It's not heroism; it's self-righteous. You think that you are the big hero now, but in fact, you are only a hypocrite."
He paced slowly, locking eyes with each team mber. "I an, think of it this way: innocence is not ant for this world. Take the case of a pig. You may think it to be just another simple animal, living and letting live. But given a chance, it shall eat up everything in front of it, even its own kind. It's all about survival. It doesn't know right from wrong—it just is, consuming what cos in its way. Just like everyone else, inherently selfish." Caleb stopped, his expression intense. "So, ask yourself, do you really believe that you want to save people because your hearts bleed, or does it really make you feel good? Feel good about yourselves. Because most people look out for themselves, playing the victim or the saint when it suits them."
He sneered, "Those are your drops of heroism into the ocean of self-serving actions. People will use you; drain you, then throw you to the side when you are no longer needed, when it is all right. That's the truth." Caleb's words hung heavy in the air, a stark contrast to the ideals usually upheld by heroes and saviors. "So, I guess you'll really have to figure out what counts more," he sumd up.
"living a lie that you're so kind of benevolent savior or finding a way to co to terms with the truth that in the end, well, we're all just looking out for ourselves."
His teammates exchanged glances full of discomfort, Caleb's pessimism attacking even the very ground of their beliefs and motivations.
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