Will's POV
"The operation is at the final stage." I shifted my focus from my laptop to my assistant.
"Prepare the car. We're going to the HQ." I didn't wait for a response. I stood, already heading for the car park.
For no specific reason, I felt a surge of anticipation. I had spent a decade building this. From concept to prototype, everything was aligning.
"We're here sir." I stepped out of the limo, adjusting my cufflinks. The car was from the latest collection.
"Make ready the next available elevator."
Inside the building, I slowed my pace, taking in the environment with a practiced eye. My gaze caught on a withering flower pot tucked near a glass wall.
Neglect always revealed weakness.
I scoffed quietly and continued forward.
The shift in atmosphere was immediate as I walked in. Conversations died. People stared. Some straightened unconsciously, others pretended not to notice.
Hypocrites
I was approaching the elevator when I saw a familiar figure. She stood a few feet away from the elevator, facing one of my bodyguards. Her posture was rigid, irritation clear in the tight set of her shoulders.
"I don't understand why I can't just use the elevator," she was saying. "I work on the sixth floor."
The guard remained unmoved.
"Miss, the restriction is in effect immediately."
Interesting.
My steps slowed.
She looked young. Too young to be this visibly exhausted. There was something familiar in the way she held herself, like she was always bracing for impact. When she turned slightly, her eyes met mine.
They were blank.
The guard straightened as he noticed me. "Sir."
I waved my hand in dismissal as the elevator doors slid open.
For a brief moment, neither of us moved. Then she stepped back, irritation flashing across her face as the guard gestured for her to leave the area.
Our eyes locked again as I entered the elevator.
Something stirred. An echo of a memory I couldn't immediately place.
The doors slid shut between us and the elevator began its ascent.
Why did she feel… familiar?
The thought barely had time to settle before the doors opened again, spilling me onto the executive floor. The feeling dissolved, buried under years of discipline.
---
The executive floor was quieter than the rest of the building.
It always was. The kind of quiet that came from money and authority rather than courtesy.
As I walked towards the conference room, I was beginning to get irritated by the framed achievements and partnership seals displayed on the wall.
Achievements were only useful when they led somewhere else.
The image of the girl lingered longer than I would have liked. Not her face, exactly. It was the stillness in her eyes that unsettled me. The absence of curiosity and fear.
I was used to people reacting to power in predictable ways. Some in admiration. Others in resentment.
She had simply looked at me.
I dismissed the thought as the doors to the conference room came into view. Whatever familiarity I imagined was coincidence. There was no room for distractions at this stage.
Dr. Aris sat near the center of the table. He looked exhausted.
Old man. His refusal to retire sure was getting to him.
Margaret Hill stood near the screen,awaiting my coming. Around them were executives, advisors, and senior engineers, people who shaped policy without appearing on headlines.
I took my seat at the head of the table.
"Let's begin," I said.
The screen lit up with schematics—clean, elegant lines of artificial intelligence architecture layered over satellite imagery.
"AI has significantly reduced blind zones," one of the analysts said. "Detection speed has improved by forty percent."
"Prediction accuracy?" I asked.
"Near-perfect," Margaret replied. "The system learns in real time. It adapts faster than anything currently in use."
Murmurs of approval rippled through the room.
They all believed the same thing.
That Helios Corporation was simply another private aerospace company. That our collaboration with NASA existed to improve observation, threat detection, and space security.
Only two people in this room knew the truth.
The chairperson.
And me.
"Hm," I said at last, steepling my fingers. "Then we proceed as planned. We commence in three months."
Nods followed.
The meeting ended quickly.
Margaret walked up to me. I've known her since the last decade. Very ambitious soul and cunning to the bones.
"This feels like the beginning of a new phase," she said, offering her hand.
I took it. "Every phase looks revolutionary at the start."
"And you don't think this one is?"
"I think," I said, "it depends on who's steering it."
She smiled faintly. "I'm not interested in recognition."
"That's usually what makes someone effective," I replied. "Fame tends to get in the way."
I caught her expression tightening as she excused herself to leave. I couldn't care less.
Margaret's heels faded down the corridor.
I remained where I was, watching the door close fully before standing. The chairperson was already gathering their documents, expression unreadable as always. Others followed suit, conversations starting in low tones, careful not to linger too long in the same space.
Dr. Aris paused near the exit. He adjusted his glasses and nodded once in my direction before leaving. His shoulders sagged slightly as he went.
Age had a way of dulling caution.
When the room finally emptied, I checked my watch. The meeting had taken less time than anticipated. That was acceptable.
---
I left HQ without ceremony and drove straight to Helios.
My office was silent when I entered, the city stretching endlessly beyond the glass walls. At the center of the room stood the chessboard with every piece placed exactly where I'd left it.
I approached it slowly.
I lifted my piece and placed it down with deliberate precision.
Checkmate.
I studied the board for a moment, then allowed myself a small smile.
"Power," I murmured to the empty room, "is never taken all at once."
I turned away, already planning the next phase.
"And when it comes," I added softly, "nothing will stop it."