The storm outside had not yet passed. Rain hammered against the reinforced glass walls of Kael's command center as lightning illuminated the city skyline in jagged bursts. Inside, the atmosphere was tense, every shadow seeming to hold a secret.
Kael sat before his array of screens, eyes narrowed as lines of code and intercepted communications scrolled relentlessly. The beacon found at the supply depot had led him down a winding trail of encrypted messages and dead ends — but now, a faint pattern emerged. Someone with deep clearance was quietly feeding intel to the Serix Consortium.
His mind raced over every ally, every trusted lieutenant. Betrayal tasted bitter on his tongue.
"Run a background check on everyone who had access to the supply depot logs in the past month," Kael ordered, voice cold and precise.
The AI assistant responded instantly, compiling dossiers, access logs, and recent communications. As the data poured in, Kael's gaze caught a discrepancy — a name that shouldn't have access but did.
A smirk flickered briefly across his face. Finally, a thread to pull.
Before he could act, the secure line crackled to life. A distorted voice whispered, "You're closer than you think, Kael. But be careful. The Consortium's reach goes deeper than you know."
The line went dead.
Kael's fists clenched. Someone was watching, testing him. This was no longer just a battle of strength—it was a deadly game of cat and mouse.
His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp alert — multiple breaches detected simultaneously across his network. The Consortium was launching a coordinated attack, trying to cripple his operations before he could strike back.
Kael rose, determination blazing in his eyes. Tonight was far from over. The web was tightening, but so was his resolve.
He prepared to face the coming storm head-on.