In a suburban subdivision, a bungalow house lay silent. Its residents slept in peace. But that peace was interrupted when a buzz permeated from the front door.

Senator Maximillian Gorte is a man known to be kind and loving. Highly intellectual and held a great deal of respect from the community he governed, stirred on his bed. He glanced at the clock hanging on his wall, it showed 1:00 PM. He overslept that day, because he and his co-politicians spent the night before, finalizing the upcoming celebration of their town's inauguration.

The old Senator lazily got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. He had no intention of facing anything related to politics at that moment, but he could tell by the fast and heavy footfalls nearing his bathroom door that there was no escape from his duty, even if he barely had slept.

"Senator! Senator! We have a huge emergency," yelled his trusted assistant.

Maximillian snorted and shook his head. He immediately got out of his pajamas and changed into a comfortable pair of joggers and a shirt.

"What emergency could need my assistance?" he answered from within the bathroom.

"San Fernando Prison is under siege," replied his assistant.

The Senator was an old man. Rarely did he allow his body to move at a pace that might dislocate his joints, but upon hearing what the man from the other side said, he moved like a lightning and got out of the bathroom then yelled, "Why weren't those your first words?"

"I... I thought it would be best to say there's a problem first," his assistant answered nervously.

The Senator immediately went to the phone and called the town's police headquarters. A tired voice answered him, questioning, "What is it?"

This is Senator Maximillian, get me the chief!

The person on the other line immediately scrambled out of his chair and headed for the chief's office. No confirmation was needed on his part about the validity of the person who called. The Senator had a distinct voice, one which was hard to duplicate, besides, the caller I.D already confirmed where the call came from.

"Hel... hello, Senator? This is the police chief Evan Balbosa, how may I be of assistance?"

"Are you aware of the incident in San Fernando Prison?"

There came a pregnant silence after the senator's question. The man in the other line was obviously ignorant of the happening, the Senator deduced.

"Gather your men and send them to San Fernando Prison immediately," Maximillian commanded, before turning to his assistant and asking, "How did you know about this?"

Jeffrey Carmona, a twenty-nine-year-old management graduate was busy eating his lunch when he received a call from his cousin from precinct twenty-one. According to him, a man who introduced himself as a former marine reported the incident. The informant, as his cousin explained, received a distress radio call from San Fernando Correctional, informing him of the incident.

Jeffrey was not a stupid man, so he asked about the validity of the claim. His cousin then explained that the informant was a highly decorated marine. Those words alone worried Jeffrey, but he needed further proof. He went on to ask if there were any confirmation on the marine's claim. His cousin said yes, and went on to explain that they tried to call the prison but weren't able to get a hold of them, so, they sent a mobile to check the vicinity and were shocked to find that the entire prison was surrounded by armed men. Those men though were dressed like thugs, far from the guard's uniform that the police usually saw roaming the grounds of San Fernando Correctional. He also stated that the walls surrounding the prison building have been knocked down.

Jeffrey didn't bother saying goodbye to his cousin, he immediately got out of his small room, situated two meters away from the senator's house, and went to report the incident.

"Jeffrey!" Maximillian screamed when his assistant failed to answer promptly.

"My cousin works at Precinct Twenty-one. He said a marine reported it. He also sent a group to check the prison grounds. It was surrounded by thugs Senator, the walls surrounding the prison building have also been destroyed," the assistant replied.

Senator Maximillian cursed as he walked out of his bedroom. Precinct Twenty-one was the nearest station from San Fernando Correctional. Though the place had less than 5 police officers at a time and was considered a dead precinct due to its location, the senator found no reason to question the truth behind their claim, and those police officers had no reason to create such a lie.

"Did your cousin mention how many men surrounded the prison building?" the Senator asked as they descended the steps of his spiral staircase.

"He said there were a lot and..." the assistant's voice trailed off, then he continued to say, "they said it's a carnage, all the watch guards laid dead on the ground."

The old Senator suddenly stopped in his tracks. He turned to his assistant and with a pale face asked, "Why didn't you say this earlier?"

Jeffrey did not reply. He bowed his head and apologized.

Maximillian was on his phone before his driver could even park the car in front of his home. He called the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) and requested a SWAT team along with skilled snipers. He explained the situation but did not fail to remind them to block all media coverage. He can't allow the news people to create a spectacle out of the situation.

"I don't think this is an ordinary assault," the old man murmured as he stepped inside his vehicle.
***

(Police Head Quarters)

The chief, Evan Balbosa gathered his men in front of the station. He had about forty in total, they were usually enough because nothing ever truly happened in San Fernando, other than the occasional crimes, yet at that moment the chief couldn't help but question if they were enough. If the maximum-security prison was under siege, then that meant big trouble.

Notorious criminals were housed inside that prison building, which implied that an influential prisoner must have instigated the siege.

Thirty minutes after his call, the Senator arrived at the police headquarters. He explained everything to the chief, leaving the man shocked and appalled.

"How many were there?" the chief asked, mimicking the senator's question earlier. Maximillian shook his head and answered, "No confirmation, other than many."

"We need back-up, my men are not enough to... his words were interrupted by the Senator, after the politician said, "I already called for support, now get your team out there."

The shrill distinct sound of police sirens erupted in an instant. Multiple cars drove off towards San Fernando Prison, praying they have what it takes to pacify the situation before their backup arrives.

"Senator, must you come too?" his assistant asked when Maximillian ordered his driver to follow the police cars.

The Senator glanced to his side, where his assistant was seated. He saw the worry written on his face. But Maximillian would be damned if he let some intruders make a mess under his rule. No one messes with San Fernando. Not while he's alive.

"I can handle this," the Senator finally answered. His words did not calm his fidgeting assistant though, the young man acted contrary to it. He kept the frown on his forehead, while his lips quivered, leaving the old Senator worried about his assistant's emotional state.

Maximillian saw Jeffrey as a son. Although he understood the worry he showed for their safety, Maximillian couldn't allow his police officers to enter the lion's den on their own. No, he could never allow such a thing. He was not a politician who would sit inside his office as things went down. He was hands-on with every situation or happening around his governance, especially when it came to incidents within his hometown.

"Call the mayor and the governor, Jeffrey!" Maximillian ordered, amidst his indecision. Those two politicians were far from someone who will extend their help. They were nothing more but money-seeking assholes, but Maximillian needed to let them know. After all, they should have been the first to have made known of the incident.

After an hour, Maximillian found the group of police cars that drove ahead of them, parked, a few kilometers away from the prison building.

His driver immediately stopped the car, and without any word to his companions, the Senator got out and walked toward the police officers who stood beside their cars.

"What's going on?" he questioned the one nearest to him.

The police gave a salute to express his respect before he answered, "A man stopped our car, he said he is a marine, and one of his family members works inside the prison building. He said it would be too dangerous to approach without a plan, he was the one who reported the incident."

"Where is this man?" the Senator asked.

"He is in front, talking with the chief."

Maximillian made his way against the crowd and after a minute, he found himself standing in front of an old-looking man, he was probably in his early fifties, the wrinkles on his face and sagging eyelids confirmed it so. The Senator approached him and introduced himself. In response, the marine bowed his head before saying, "Senator my name is Nathaniel Escobar, a former Captain of the Marine Corps, under the vessel..." Nathaniel did not finish his introduction when the Senator raised his hand. "What is the situation?" Maximillian asked. The Senator understood the man, probably better than any of the police officers present, because he too, was once a marine.

"I was on my way to visit my brother-in-law when I received the radio call, but before that Senator, a weird man answered my brother-in-law's phone. I have reason to believe that not only is the building surrounded on the outside, but the inside is in chaos as well."
Their talk went to a halt, when the chief suddenly screamed, "What the fuck is that!" His question was also followed and mimicked by the other police officers with him.

Maximillian, curious about what they were astounded by, asked, "What is it?"

The chief handed him the telescope and answered, "See for yourself."

When the Senator positioned the telescope over his eyes, he couldn't help but utter the same words as the chief.

Nathaniel too felt curious, so he asked one of the police officers to lend him his telescope. The officer complied, and before long, Nathaniel too was filled with shock. The entire building of San Fernando Correctional was encased in something weird, it looked like metal, but they were too far off, to confirm what it was, exactly.

"What the hell is that building made of?" One of the officers' questioned. No one answered, because not one of them had an answer.