Incomplete Data, Mission Failed
1374 Words
On the other side, Andreas managed to throw Ethan to the floor, but a laser shot sliced right between them, making both of them jump to the side.
“You're making a mess you can't control yourself!” yelled Andreas, running across the crumbling platform.
“Chaos is the beginning of true peace!” Ethan retorted, his sly smile never fading. He seemed to be very satisfied with the mess he had made.
Suddenly, the exit changed shape. The platform they were on moved like a giant puzzle separating Andreas from the team. What was once an open passage was now a narrow pathway filled with laser traps and blast throwers.
“s**t!” Andreas grunted in annoyance.
“Andreas, how now?” Kane spoke on the communicator.
“Hold your positions! Don't take any steps!” Andreas shouted over the communicator. He immediately ordered his comrades.
Victor cursed between explosions. “That's easy to say! This is a deadly maze, Andreas!”
Tania focused her mind. She ignored the gunfire that shook the floor and focussed on the fast-moving algorithms. Her fingers flew over the console, altering energy paths, shutting down several laser arms one by one. But a new signal made the screen flash red.
“They're reprogramming the system from the main room. We have to stop the signal or we all die here!” Tania informed.
With time running out, and every hallway filled with deadly threats, Andreas faces a life-threatening choice: save the world or save his team-but there's only one right way out.
The red lights in the control room begin to blink faster. Time is running out, and warning sirens echo as the floor continues to collapse. Andreas ran between the shards of the collapsed platform, occasionally glancing at Tania who was still struggling at the main console.
“Tania, how is it? Is it still long?” Andreas asked to check again.
Tania gritted her teeth, her fingers moving faster than ever.
“Come on... come on... one more number....” she muttered, eyes focused on the complex patterns spinning on the screen.
“Gotcha!” She pressed the last button.
The blue energy pulse turned into a faint glow. The Prometheus Device shook once, then shut down with a loud bang.
“The codes have been cracked!” Tania shouted in a triumphant voice, but the smile on her face soon faded as the screen in front of her showed the truncated data. Several lines of code were missing, leaving large holes in important information.
“No... this is incomplete. We need more data to stop their entire network.” Tania was somewhat disappointed after opening the code.
Andreas ran over to Tania, his breath caught in his throat. “What happened? You've turned off the Prometheus Device. The world is safe, right?”
Tania shook her head, her eyes still glued to the flashing screen. “Temporarily, yes. But this only stopped one part of their plan. The entire nuclear network is still connected. We need another source-the central server that stores all the control algorithms. Without it, Shadow Ares can activate devices from other locations,” she explained at length.
Victor and Kane approached, shaking off the residual smoke from the grenade that was still floating in the air. “Good news, we're alive. The bad news is, it looks like we're not done here,” Victor muttered.
Suddenly, Ethan's voice came over the speakers throughout the room. “Good work, Andreas. You've always been able to ruin other people's plans. But, do you know what comes after destruction? Chaos. And that chaos is mine to control.”
Andreas looked around, his eyes narrowed in alarm. “Ethan, I will find you. And I will stop you.”
Laughing softly, Ethan continued, his voice growing colder. He tried to provoke Andreas again.
“What do you think Andreas? Can you find me now? Actually, I only wanted to get you on board not out of pity, but because you know the truth of this world. You know that war is the only way to rebuild.”
Andreas' hands clenched into fists, his eyes burning with anger that he tried to suppress.
“I've seen war many times, but in war there are no winners. There are only survivors. And I will not let you ignite a global war for any reason.”
“That's not an answer,” Ethan snapped, his voice turning sharp. “Think about my offer, Andreas! Everyone has a weak spot, even heroes like you. I'll find it. Or I'll go to those you care about and give them the same choice,” he threatened.
Andreas held his breath, his hands shaking for a moment before he gathered himself.
“I will stop you before you can touch them. You only have your words, while I have my resolve. We will see who is stronger.”
With the building beginning to crumble around them, Tania closed the last screen.
“We have to leave now! This structure won't last long.”
The team ran towards the exit that had turned into a winding path after the security system paralysed the main corridor. Concrete shards fell from the ceiling, broken mechanical arms whipping the air with a loud noise. Andreas took the lead, holding the last door open with his body as Tania, Victor, and Kane made their way through.
As they finally reached the cold night air, the building behind them collapsed with a deafening roar. Andreas stared at the destruction with his jaw clenched shut.
Tania stood beside him, patting his shoulder gently. “He won't stop. We need all the data we have left before this is really over.”
Andreas nodded, his gaze distant. “I'll find Ethan. And we'll put an end to all this.”
***
The next day.
Their headquarters hidden under layers of old concrete and reinforced steel, a state-of-the-art bunker with walls full of flashing monitors displaying world maps, intelligence reports, and analyses of global threats. The sound of machinery and the hum of communication devices fill the air, creating a thick tension.
In the centre of the room, Andreas stands with his arms crossed, his eyes fixed on a large screen displaying the Shadow Ares logo and a blurry photograph of Ethan Cross. Tania sat in front of the console with a crumpled face, her fingers typing fast but frustrated. Victor leaned his big, burly body against the table in the corner, while Kane crouched, examining his weapon without really paying attention.
“So, is this all we get?” Victor started the conversation first, breaking the silence, his tone full of disappointment. He pointed at the data on the screen-scraps of code and fragments of files that were hard to understand.
“We almost died for this mission. That's only half the map. What if we face the whole map next?” Victor complained, sarcastically to Tania.
Tania stopped her work, her shoulders tensed. “You think I don't see through your sarcasm? I did everything to get this data. Their security system is like a rubik's puzzle that changes every second. I even had to temporarily switch off the Prometheus Device.”
“Temporarily!” Victor cut in with a high tone. “Shadow Ares can still activate the entire network at any time. That means we didn't stop anything. We failed, Tania!”
Andreas raised a hand, trying to defuse the situation. “That's enough. We knew the risks from the start. This mission is the first step. We never expected complete victory in one attack.”
“The first step that almost got us killed!” Victor gave Andreas a sharp look. “And what did we get? Empty promises that we'll find the next path. How much longer until Ethan unleashes the nuclear war he's planning? How long can we keep chasing him without a clear lead?”
Tania stood up, her face flushed. “I'm not asking anyone to blame me. I work as hard as anyone else. If you have a problem, face the enemy, not me.”
“All of you, stop it!” Andreas snapped, his voice hard as a whip.
- Writer
