Location; Underground Council Bunker, Geneva – Switzerland
The air beneath Geneva was unnaturally still, thick with tension and veiled intent. No clocks ticked. No outside light pierced the bunker's walls. It was a sanctuary for shadows—a place where the world's true decisions were made.
The Council sat around a hexagonal table, faces cloaked in partial darkness, holograms flickering mid-air with maps, data, and names. At the center was a single empty chair—reserved for the final vote.
One of the senior voices spoke, crisp and cold.
"Damien Lancaster's interference has cost us six years of stability. Dr. Nora Lancaster's unauthorized projects threaten asset containment. And Caelum—our greatest creation—now operates autonomously."
Another voice added, "All assets must be reacquired or terminated. Project Dominion must proceed without interruption."
They all turned to the tall man in a deep-gray coat seated at the far end. His name: Director Zeth Varon, one of the original architects of the Council.
"If you push forward without controlling Lancaster," he said, voice even, "he will burn us from the inside. Let me deal with him. Personally."
They agreed.
None noticed the silent ripple of code that ran through the bunker's digital defenses.
None suspected they were already being watched.
---
Location: Surveillance Blind Spot – Geneva Summit, Bunker Level 2
Damien adjusted the collar of his sleek suit, hiding a thin layer of armor beneath. Charles stood beside him, gloved hands tightening a micro-comms link behind his ear.
"Once we pass the second tier of security," Charles whispered, "you'll be standing ten feet from the people who erased your mother's life. Who turned your brother into a pawn."
Damien didn't blink. "Then it's poetic I get to be the one to end them."
The hallway ahead was guarded by retinal scanners and voice-coded entry. From her location near the ventilation shaft, Nora's voice crackled softly through comms.
"Override in three… two… one."
A hiss, then the door slid open.
They entered.
---
Location: Observation Deck – Geneva Bunker, Level 1
Nora lay prone, sniper-grade tranquilizer rifle aimed at the boardroom below. Beside her, Caelum filtered through the feed intercepts with cybernetic precision.
"They're voting on global asset reintegration," Caelum muttered. "They want to initiate Dominion worldwide by the end of this quarter."
"And override every existing tech infrastructure with theirs," Nora added.
He pointed to the central console. "That's the neural key point. If I inject a virus into their central system now, we can corrupt every one of their uplinks."
"Do it."
Caelum's fingers flew across the tablet. "Engaging Echo Protocol."
Below, alarms started flickering on the boardroom's perimeter screen.
"What is this?" one of the Council members barked.
Another stood. "We've been breached."
Zeth Varon rose, his hand lifting an emergency override control.
Then the lights cut.
Location; Boardroom – Geneva Bunker, Main Chamber
When the emergency backup flickered on, Damien was standing in the room, directly across from Zeth.
"You," Zeth hissed. "You dare come here?"
Damien stepped forward, unbothered by the dozen Council guards drawing weapons.
"I'm not here to make a deal. I'm here to expose every last one of you."
He tossed a small black disk onto the center of the table. It whirred, then emitted a 3D display—footage, documents, audio recordings of years of Council crimes: mass manipulation, human experimentation, covert assassinations.
Every face turned pale.
"You'll never get out alive," Zeth warned.
Damien smirked. "Then I'll make damn sure you don't either."
Suddenly, shots fired.
But they weren't from the guards.
From above, Nora's sniper rifle took down two armed men with electric darts.
Caelum dropped into the room like a phantom, disabling the internal security system with a portable EMP.
Chaos erupted—but it was orchestrated chaos. Damien's chaos.
Location: Bunker Exit Tunnel – Geneva Mountainside
As explosions rippled through the underground facility, Damien, Nora, Caelum, and Charles emerged through a hidden service shaft, lungs heaving against the cold alpine air.
Behind them, flames roared upward, muffled by distance but unmistakably final.
Caelum turned back once. "Echo reports 82% corruption on their networks. They'll never recover their systems in time."
Nora took Damien's hand. "We exposed them to the world."
Damien nodded, lips tight.
"We ended their secrecy. But that doesn't mean they're finished."
Charles looked up at the distant stars. "Then we stay ready. Because they will come back."
Damien exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing at the horizon.
"Let them."