Devon sat alone beneath the vaulted lights of the command center, Skynet's interface pulsing in hypnotic rhythm. The air was silent but tense like the pause before an execution. He was going deeper into IMF's black vaults, tearing past firewalls and decoys that would break most intelligence agencies.
"Skynet," he muttered. "Pull Project Horizon's deep node files. Priority override. Cross-reference with Eteon's private server hash tags."
A moment passed.
ACCESS GRANTED. MATCH FOUND. FILE UNLOCKED.
Holograms exploded around him layers of security logs, lab footage, encrypted dossiers. His eyes caught the target immediately.
A microchip compact, silver-black, crystalline edges glowing faintly with a faint internal hum.
PROJECT: DAEDALUS CORE Classification: Quantum Nexus Computing ChipProcessor Type: QC-9 Dimensional Stream Engine-Developed by: IMF Black Cell & Eteon (Joint Task Phantom)
Devon blinked slowly.
This wasn't just a computer chip. It was a god-tier artifact. The Daedalus Core had the processing power to rewrite the definition of control. Data, surveillance, weaponized AI, cryptographic systems all would fall to its reach. With Skynet, it could create infinite simulations, neural networks, and counter-systems across the world. A digital empire.
And somehow, the IMF had collaborated with Eteon to build it. A fusion of espionage and terror, with no moral oversight.
Skynet's voice emerged."Quantum signature located. Vaulted storage in Eastern Europe. Infiltration protocol possible."
Devon leaned forward. "Lock onto that location. Prep infiltration model."
Then, another alert pinged in hard one Skynet flagged as urgent.
ALERT: GLOBAL MOVEMENT — SUBJECT: OWEN SHAWActivity: Armed Convoy Intercept OperationLocation: NATO Blacksite Extraction Route – SpainAssociated Threat Detected: Cipher (Unconfirmed)
Devon's pupils narrowed.
Owen. His brother.
He pulled the footage and watched live satellite feed: Owen's team tearing through a military transport route tanks, assault cars, high-speed pursuit. They were hijacking something big. Military-grade. And Cipher's ghost-signature had shown up two minutes before the convoy was compromised.
Devon's heart hardened.
"So you're playing mercenary for Cipher now?" he whispered. "To prove you've still got it?"
It hit deeper than expected. Owen had always tried to outpace him, but working with Cipher after everything was different. Cipher was poison. Manipulative. A ghost in the data. Devon had humiliated her in Tokyo, stolen the AI she wanted, and now she'd crept into his family.
Devon's voice dropped, cold and wrathful.
"You lose to me and then go after my family ?"His fists clenched ."I don't care what you're chasing, Owen. That bitch drags you into this? I'll burn her world down."
He snapped his fingers, calling Skynet to attention.
"Send intercept probes to Owen's route. I want full data chatter, weapon loadouts, heat signatures. But do not engage."
CONFIRMED. SILENT SHADOW MODE ENGAGED.
A second map opened beside Owen's location. It pulsed in red. The Daedalus chip the real prize was being held at a fortified underground vault near Belarus.
Cipher didn't know about it.
No one did.
And Devon was going to keep it that way.
He turned to Skynet.
"Lock the vault's access routes. I want a full blueprint. Tunnel access, backdoor HVAC, and satellite link disruptions. You'll be my eyes."
Then came the personal moment. Devon opened a hidden console an encrypted family line he rarely accessed. The Shaw family files came up. His mother's prison logs. Owen's past operation blur. Hattie's field work. He skimmed over it and stopped cold, no sign of Deckard i will look for him later.
Owen Shaw — Last IM Contact: Cipher Mission: Recover military guidance chip for deep-space launch missile prototype.
"So it's not the Daedalus chip," Devon muttered. "Just weapons-grade tech."
That was a relief and a red flag.
"Cipher's playing everyone on multiple boards."
He slammed a fist lightly against the edge of the table.
"Letty. Owen. Dom's crew. All pieces. All being moved. She's still dancing around me."
Devon inhaled deeply, centering himself. He wouldn't react emotionally. Not yet.
"Skynet," he said calmly, "I want a ghost team ready for insertion in seventy-two hours. I'm going after the Daedalus Core personally."
CONFIRMED. ASSEMBLING LOADOUTS.
He looked one last time at the satellite feed of Owen's battle.
"Tanks, highways, chaos… still showing off."
He cracked a slight smirk.
"I'll deal with you after."
But in the back of his mind, there was a weight. Family. No matter how far they drifted, Owen was still blood. And Cipher?
She'd crossed the line.