The facility had no windows. Deep underground, insulated by layers of steel and concrete, cut off from the world above. Four figures sat around a circular table, their faces obscured by shadow that clung to their features, fuzzing them out despite the bright overhead lights. A screen facing them showed a world map with four markers at four edges.
All four wore identical dark suits.
The first figure leaned forward. "How are things on your end?"
The second leaned back in his chair. "Not bad. The source is still balanced, but I don't know how long that'll last."
The third voice was high-pitched, female. She leaned forward on the table. "I don't care about anything else. All sources must stay balanced until we're ready."
The second scoffed. "Calm down, 0-2. We've poured everything into this project. It'll go as planned."
The fourth figure sat at the far end, hand resting on his chin. His voice was deep and measured. "Speed up your preparations. The sources are getting restless. We need to finish in time."
"The timeline's already aggressive," 0-2 protested. "If we push too hard"
"Then push smarter," the first interrupted. "The agreement was July. That gives us less than three months. Phase One activation can't be delayed."
The second drummed his fingers on the table. "My sector's showing fluctuations. Small, but noticeable. The resonance patterns are shifting."
"Mine too," the fourth confirmed. "The western source spiked two weeks ago. It settled, but the pattern worries me."
The first turned to 0-2. "And yours?"
0-2 hesitated. "Stable. For now. But there've been anomalies."
"What kind?"
"Brief energy drops. Nothing sustained. My team says it's natural variance."
The fourth's shadowed face tilted. "Natural variance in an unnatural system. How convenient."
"What are you saying?" 0-2's voice sharpened.
"I'm saying we need data, not guesses." The fourth stood. "I recommend full diagnostics across all four sectors. We can't afford surprises."
The first nodded. "Agreed. Run the diagnostics. Report back in seventy-two hours." He looked at each of them. "The Rupture is our insurance, but only if we control the activation. If the sources destabilize early..."
He didn't finish. He didn't need to.
The second cleared his throat. "What about the public preparation? The shelters?"
"On track," the first replied. "The infrastructure's in place. When the time comes, we'll have our sanctuaries."
"And the rest?" 0-2 asked quietly.
Silence.
The first finally answered. "Acceptable losses. We're preserving what matters knowledge, resources, continuity. The rest will adapt or die. That's always been the rule."
The fourth stood. "Maintain your positions. Speed up where you can. And remember absolute discretion. If word leaks before activation, everything collapses."
One by one, their images flickered and disappeared.
0-3 walked down a sterile hallway beneath Palm City. Fluorescent lights hummed overhead, his footsteps echoing off metal walls.
He entered a secured elevator and placed his palm on the biometric scanner. The doors closed. The elevator descended deeper into the facility hidden beneath Nexus Corp's main building.
When it opened, he stepped into a control room. Banks of monitors lined the walls, displaying graphs, charts, real-time data streams. A dozen technicians worked at various stations, faces lit by screen glow.
A woman in a white lab coat approached. Dr. Sarah Chen, his chief analyst.
"Sir. I was about to call you." She held a tablet.
"Report," 0-3 said, moving to the central monitors.
Chen pulled up graphs. "The eastern source. We caught an energy drop three days ago."
0-3's posture stiffened. "How bad?"
"Point-seven percent reduction in ambient resonance. Lasted about four hours, then stabilized."
"Natural fluctuation?"
"That's what we thought." Chen hesitated. "But I ran deeper analysis. The pattern doesn't match anything we've recorded."
0-3 studied the graphs. The drop was sharp, quick. The recovery equally precise.
"Could it be interference? External factors?" He kept his eyes on the grap.
"Maybe. We monitor everything solar activity, seismic events, electromagnetic interference. Nothing lines up with the timing."
0-3's jaw tightened beneath the shadow obscuring his features. "So what's your theories?"
Chen pulled up another screen. "Three possibilities. One: natural system correction the source self-regulating. Two: external extraction someone or something drawing on source energy. Three: resonance leak energy bleeding somewhere unintended."
"Which is most likely?" He turned to face her.
"Honestly?" She hesitated. "I don't know, sir. We've never seen this pattern."
0-3 was silent, watching data streams flow across the monitors. Somewhere far above, people went about their lives working, eating, sleeping completely unaware.
"Run a full investigation," he said finally. "Recalibrate every sensor. Cross-reference the timing with anything unusual power outages, equipment failures, anything odd within our operational radius."
"Yes, sir."
"But the project continues. Phase One stays on schedule. We can't delay, whatever we find."
Chen nodded. "Understood. What about the others? Should we tell the council?"
0-3 considered. "Not yet. I want confirmation first. If this is just a sensor glitch or natural variance, no point alarming them. But if we find evidence of actual interference..."
He trailed off, turning back to the monitors.
"Keep this compartmentalized. Essential personnel only. And Chen"
"Sir?" She looked at him.
"Finding the source of that energy drop is priority one. If someone or something is tapping into the network, we need to know before activation. The balance must hold."
"I'll make it top priority."
0-3 nodded and turned toward his office adjacent to the control room. "One more thing, Chen. The special projects division any irregularities in personnel behavior?"
Chen checked her tablet. "Nothing flagged by security. Standard operations."
"Good. Keep monitoring." He paused at the door, turning slightly. "Actually, send me the current roster for special projects. I want to review it myself."
"Of course, sir."
...…
Back in his private office, 0-3 removed his jacket and sat behind a minimalist desk. A large one-way window overlooked the control room below. He could see Chen coordinating with her team, pulling up data, running diagnostics.
His computer chimed. The special projects roster appeared.
He scrolled through names, credentials, recent activity. Most were veterans, carefully vetted. A few newer hires, all thoroughly background-checked.His eyes stopped on one name.
Jules Brighton - Junior Analyst - Special Projects Division
He clicked on her file. Young, talented, recruited six months ago. Excellent performance reviews, currently working on climate adaptation infrastructure modeling.
Nothing unusual.
But 0-3 had learned long ago that the most dangerous anomalies often looked completely normal.
He made a note in her file: Monitor closely. Report any deviation from standard protocols.
A knock at his door.
"Enter."
A young man in a Nexus Corp uniform stepped inside. "Sir, your 3 PM briefing with the infrastructure team."
"Cancel it," 0-3 said, pausing slightly. "Reschedule for tomorrow. I have more pressing matters."
The assistant nodded and left.
0-3 turned back to his window, watching the technicians below. The source energy drop. The unexplained pattern. Somewhere in this city, an unknown variable.
His instincts honed by years of managing the impossible told him something was shifting. Something beyond their models and predictions.
But the Rupture was coming. That was certain. Whether they would control it, or it would control them.. That remained to be seen.
Across the city, Markus sat in his car outside an upscale mall, phone pressed to his ear.
"The lawyer filed the paperwork this morning," he said, voice tight. "Jake's moving faster than I expected."
On the other end, Diaz's gravelly voice responded. "Want me to move?"
Markus drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, watching well-dressed people enter and exit. Hailey was inside shopping with Angela. They thought this was just another normal day.
"Yes," Markus said finally. "Do it now. I want this handled before the hearing. And Diaz make it clean."
"Understood, boss."
"Also, make sure he understands. This isn't negotiation. It's a lesson."
"Crystal clear, boss."
Markus ended the call and stared at his reflection in the rearview mirror. His eyes were cold.
Jake thought he could just walk away. Thought he could claim what was never meant for him.
"Wrong move, brother," Markus muttered. "Very wrong move."
He stepped out of the car and headed into the mall, his expression shifting to a pleasant smile as he spotted Angela and Hailey at a corner.
At the Moonshine Motel, Jake sat cross-legged on his bed, laptop open as he reviewed market data. Vertex Solutions had closed at $47.89. Still climbing on hype.
Five more days.
His phone buzzed. A text from Richard.
Richard: Sent the papers this morning. Angela called my office three times. Expect pressure.
Jake typed back: Let them pressure. I've come too far to back down.
He set his phone aside and stood, stretching. Through his window, he could see Tracy at the front desk, talking to an elderly guest. She laughed at something they said, her expression bright.
Jake's chest tightened. He'd pushed her away for her own good, kept his distance. But watching her now, he couldn't shake the feeling that distance wouldn't be enough to keep her safe from what was coming. Especially now, with his moves on Carlson's.
Outside, hidden in the parking lot shadows, Diaz sat in his gray sedan, camera pointed at the motel entrance.
He checked his watch. 6:47 PM.
Tracy's shift ended at 10. Plenty of time to prepare.
He opened his glove compartment and checked the contents: zip ties, chloroform, a burner phone with a pre-typed message ready to send.
Everything he needed.
Diaz settled back in his seat, cigarette in hand, watching the motel lights flicker in the growing darkness.
He was ready to make his move.