Callum sat behind a long mahogany desk with his chin resting on his palm and eyes that stared at nothing in particular.
He hated it, he hated this, he hated every bit of what his life had become.
He was an adventurous person, how did he get himself into this mess where he was now responsible for various paperworks.
At 25 he was perhaps the most successful individual among his peers. joining the police at the age of 18 he had dreams of glorious adventures, he dreamt of chasing criminals and cracking cases and calling out corrupt politicians, which he did.
By the time he clocked 23, Callum had solved as much cases in 5 years as had been solved in the entire police department in a decade earning him enough merit to get a higher position in the headquarters.
A supreme detective in every sense of it. With his superior deduction skills and his unrelentless drive he was perhaps unstoppable when it came to sniffing out criminals.
At 23 Callum was called to work at the headquarters where he was to lead a special elite detective squad on "clandestine operations", only to discover this was a scheme by some group of politicians. His post was high enough to be called high but there wasn't any clandestine operation being carried out and he was therefore confined to sitting behind a desk buried under endless paper works and attending long hour meetings on how to curb the increasing number of pickpockets all the while pretending the system isn't broken.
for 2 years he had waited, bating his breath, watching his frustration grow, watching to find a loophole in this broken system, one which he could use to his advantage, and perhaps he would finally get his chance in this fateful meeting.
The door swung open, a middle aged man with grey hair and grey beard flanked on both sides by armed guards walked in leaned on a cane and moved with deliberate grace.
Callum eyes returned to focus as he jumped to his feet and immediately offered his hand.
The man shook it, a slight smile formed on his lips
"Ahh.... Callum. You're a bit early today"he smiled warmly
"It's a pleasure to see you, prime minister melfon" Callum replied
The man, the prime minister sat down as the armed guards took positions in the room
"Sit"
Callum took his seat as the prime minister began
"What do you know about the situation of the Earth, Callum?" He asked
"Well...apart from the fact that the Earth is dying and there being alot of people leeching off the dying planet, is there something else I should know sir?" Callum replied
The prime minister smiled slightly
"We've been conducting tests, Callum"
"Through the infusion of radioactive elements into the Earth's core we've been able to get a read on it's situation"
"And what are the results of the tests sir?" Callum asked
"It's hopeless Cal. The Earth's energy is waning, and it is becoming increasingly unconducive to human life"
"Our monitors have picked up a spike in the level of carbon in the atmosphere, the ecosystem is collapsing, lots of animals are dying and going extinct"
"It won't be long before it becomes a cataclysm and as humans, we have to do what we must to survive"
"Which leads us to the purpose of this meeting"
Callum listened attentively, digesting the information that was streaming from the prime minister. If he had anything to say about what he just heard it didn't show on his face. With a neutral expression, he listened to the prime minister wiggle his way to why he called this meeting.
"The intra-galatic space compression project, have you heard of it?"
"No sir" of course he'd heard of it, but information like that are highly classified and shouldn't be known by unauthorized personnel
"The inter-galatic space compression project nicknamed project Odyssey, is a project that involves testing the boundaries of space"
"To travel through space takes a very long time which would hinder the plans of the government in the wider universe as time isn't something we have in abundance"
"The project is meant to connect two different coordinates to one another and they recorded their first success just yesterday"
"I see. But sir how do I come into all of this?" Callum asked
"Patience Cal. I'm still getting to it"
"To put it in simple terms the project Odyssey is a portal, one meant to transport things to a different place in the wider space and we the government think this might actually be the key to humanity survival"
"A hundred man team has been formed with the aim to explore this new place and you have been shortlisted to be a part of this team"
Callum frowned. He smelt a scheme, an agenda. Someone seems to be plotting
"With all due respect sir, my expertise doesn't cover geology or astrophysics. I'm a detective, nothing more nothing less" he protested
The prime minister smiled
"That's it Cal, that's exactly why you were shortlisted. Your deduction ability is what we need."
"You are to observe and take note of the things you see and what you think they represent"
"Your team would be made up of mostly military personnel with the addition of medics and other forms of support providers"
"Do you understand?" The prime minister asked
"Can I decline this?" Callum asked
"No Cal, you can't"
"You should know better than rejecting this, lot's of sharks waiting, ready to pounce on the smell of blood"
"You reject this, and there'll be lots of blood to attract the biggest of sharks"
Callum sighed. He knew this, he was just pushing his luck.
He had made lots of enemies in the government that he wouldn't be able to find any loophole to escape.
"How long till we take off?" He asked
"You're to prepare yourself for the rest of today, you leave by noon tomorrow"
"And how long will it last?"
The prime minister sighed
"Well....the Earth probably only has about five years or so left, so you have less than that to report back"
And with that Callum was enlisted into the 100 man exploration team that would forever change his life