The world took notice.
The Cold Core Heist had been labelled impossible. Military-grade sonar parts, stored under ice, guarded by private security drones and an ex-special forces detachment in the Arctic Circle. Yet somehow, the shipment vanished without casualties, without a single trace of who did it.
Whispers spread like frost.
A ghost crew. Technology beyond standard grid surveillance. Vehicles that outpaced drones. A war rig that shouldn't exist. Some said it was a PMC operation. Others blamed rogue elements of Eteon.
But those truly in the know?
They were watching.
From a conference room in Langley, a bald man in a three-piece suit tightened his grip on a pen. "This isn't cartel. Not MI6. Not CIA blackbag. Someone else is playing the board."
From a secure chamber beneath Moscow, a cold voice spoke: "They're not playing. They're building."
From a data fortress in Tokyo, hidden within a robotics conglomerate, a woman with platinum-blonde hair replayed the footage again and again, the edge of her lips twitching into a grin.
Cipher remembered that code signature.
It was him.
The one who bested her in silence, years ago. The hacker who entered the digital ring and didn't flinch.
"Found you again," she whispered. "Let's see how far you've come, Devon Shaw."
Underground Base, Classified Location
Devon stood at the centre of the command hub as the system interface pulsed. It was evolving again. Adapting. Feeding off his exploits.
Global Awareness Threshold Crossed.Hidden Mission Unlocked.Class: Omega Black.Objective: South America—Secure Nano-Virus "Nyx Particle" before Eteon.Threat Level: Apocalypse-class.Reward Tier: Ultra.
He studied the mission file. A forgotten lab, buried beneath the Andes. Its cover long blown. The scientists? Dead or fled. But the virus remained a micro-scale organism born from advanced nanotech, capable of breaking down atomic bonds and multiplying by consuming any matter it touched.
The wrong hands would weaponize it. The worst hands Eteon would feed it to the world and watch the pillars of civilization dissolve into dust.
The reward flashed:
+$100,000,000+Prototype Vehicles: Quantum Drift Z9 / Helix Interceptor Mk2+AI Core: SKYNET [Dormant - Locked until integration]
Devon stared at the final line. Skynet.
It was just a name. Wasn't it?
But then again, this world wasn't just the Fast & Furious world anymore.
He tapped the command console.
"Get everyone ready. We're going to South America."
Logan grunted. "Jungle op?"
Rayen raised an eyebrow. "You really think this nano-virus exists?"
Devon turned toward them, eyes hard. "I've seen what Eteon's willing to sacrifice just to test their tech. If they get this, cities burn. The crew we're building? We're the firewall. Not heroes. Not villains. Just the only ones capable of playing in the dark without drowning."
Lacy nodded once. "We'll need EMP blankets, neutral field generators, and stealth rotors. I'll source from the Cuban black market."
"I'll scan for satellite windows and wormhole comms," Rayen said. "We'll ghost this run. Not even God should see us."
Logan cracked his knuckles. "I'll prep the armory. Claymores and plasma bursters. Jungle ain't forgiving."
Devon grinned.
"Neither are we."
Meanwhile...
A man in a suit sat in a chrome chair within an obsidian room. Monitors covered every wall wars, traffic, satellites, financial systems. He watched the mission load into the dark web system.
He did not smile.
"Deploy the Shades," he said to no one in particular. "If Shaw wants to play with gods, let's see if he can outrun demons first."
The screen blinked red.
And so the shadows began to move.