The Dubai night was a tapestry of stars and smoke, the palace grounds still reeling from the car bomb's chaos. Khalid Al Maktoum moved like a shadow through the gardens, Sultan, the Bengal white tiger cub, stalking at his side. The cub's ivory fur gleamed under the moonlight, his blue eyes burning with a predator's focus, mirroring Khalid's own. The World Impact Matrix (WIM) interface pulsed in his vision, its alert blazing: *Final Watcher Operative Detected. Confront now or risk exposure. Reward: 15,000 points.* With Saeed's betrayal exposed to the king's council and the *Watcher Signal Jammer* active, Khalid had crippled the Watcher's network in Dubai. But one operative remained—a cloaked figure seen outside his window, wielding advanced tech that threatened to unravel his secret system.
Khalid's 31,000 points were a war chest, bolstered by his *Elite Combat Training*, *Counter-Surveillance Expertise*, and *Enhanced Loyalty Aura*. The jammed Watcher signals gave him a 24-hour window to hunt the final operative and bury the WIM's existence forever. Saeed, confined to his quarters, was no longer an immediate threat, but his alliance with the Watcher—and possibly Vikram—meant the danger was far from over. The system's mission loomed: *Eliminate Watcher influence in Dubai. Deadline: 24 hours. Reward: 25,000 points.*
Sultan's growl snapped Khalid's focus to a rustle in the jasmine hedges. His *Enhanced Perception* caught a faint glint—a lens, perhaps a camera, trained on him. The operative was close. "Easy, little king," Khalid whispered, his *Elite Combat Training* mapping an approach. The cub's tail flicked, ready to pounce.
The system chimed, offering a new opportunity:
**Impact Opportunity: Capture the Watcher operative alive and extract their network's origins. Reward: 10,000 points. Bonus: +5,000 points if you destroy their tech without exposing the WIM.**
Khalid's heart raced. The Watcher's tech—decades ahead of 1985—hinted at a future source, possibly tied to his own rebirth. If he could capture the operative and their device, he could end their threat and keep the WIM's secret safe. But one misstep could expose his system to Vikram, the palace, or worse—Meryl Streep, whose letter still warmed his thoughts.
Hamid burst through a garden gate, his face ashen. "Your Highness, the king demands your presence at dawn to finalize Saeed's fate. Vikram's with him, pressing for a trade deal. And… we found a device in the guest wing—same tech as Saeed's lieutenant."
Khalid's *Counter-Surveillance Expertise* confirmed the device's significance. "Secure it in the vault," he ordered. "And triple the guards around Vikram. He's either my ally or a snake."
Hamid nodded, glancing at Sultan. "The cub's a marvel, Your Highness. He's unnerving even the guards."
Khalid smiled, scratching Sultan's ears. "He's my edge. Now, help me track a ghost."
---
The palace gardens were a maze of shadows, their paths winding past fountains and palm groves. Khalid's *Enhanced Perception* traced the operative's trail—a snapped twig, a scuff in the sand. Sultan's nose twitched, catching a scent, and he darted forward, leading Khalid to a hidden alcove behind a marble statue. The operative—a cloaked figure in black, their face obscured by a hood—crouched over a device resembling a futuristic tablet, its screen glowing with data streams.
The system flagged: *Watcher Operative Confirmed. Device contains network intel. Capture now.* Khalid signaled Sultan, who leaped with startling speed, knocking the tablet from the operative's hands. The figure spun, drawing a sleek pistol, but Khalid's *Elite Combat Training* was faster. He tackled the operative, pinning them to the ground, his dagger at their throat. Sultan growled, claws grazing the figure's cloak, ensuring compliance.
"Who are you?" Khalid demanded, his *Counter-Surveillance Expertise* scanning the tablet for active signals. "What's the Watcher's game?"
The operative—a woman, her voice low and accented—laughed bitterly. "You're the anomaly, prince. Your moves—Microsoft, Dubai's rise—they're not natural. The Watcher protects the timeline. You're breaking it."
Khalid's blood ran cold. The timeline? Did they know about his rebirth? The system flashed: *Warning: Operative probing for WIM confirmation. Do not reveal.* He pressed the dagger closer. "Timeline or not, you're done in Dubai. Tell me who runs the Watcher, or Sultan gets curious."
Sultan roared, his tiny fangs bared, and the operative flinched. "No names," she said. "We're a collective, scattered across decades. Our tech comes from… beyond. Saeed was a tool, Vikram a gamble. You're the real target."
The system chimed: *Watcher Intel Gained: Collective confirmed, future tech source. +5,000 points. Total: 36,000.* Khalid grabbed the tablet, its screen displaying coordinates in Dubai's industrial district—a possible Watcher hub. He smashed it with his dagger's hilt, the *Watcher Signal Jammer* ensuring no backup signals escaped. The system confirmed: *Impact Opportunity Progress: Tech destroyed. +5,000 points. Total: 41,000.*
"Last chance," Khalid said. "Where's the hub? How do I end this?"
The operative's eyes gleamed with defiance. "You can't. The Watcher sees all. Even your… system."
Khalid's heart stopped. She knew. Before he could react, she bit down hard—a cyanide capsule, her body slumping lifelessly. Sultan growled, nudging the corpse, and Khalid cursed. The system blared: *Impact Opportunity Complete: Operative captured, tech destroyed. +10,000 points. Bonus: +5,000 points for hub coordinates. Total: 56,000.*
Khalid scooped up Sultan, his mind racing. The coordinates pointed to a warehouse near the port—a Watcher base he could destroy tonight. If he moved fast, he could end their influence before Saeed's trial at dawn, burying the WIM's secret forever. But the operative's words—*scattered across decades*—suggested a larger network, one he might face again.
---
Khalid rallied his personal guard, a dozen elite soldiers trained in secrecy. With Sultan in his crate, he led them to the industrial district, the *Watcher Signal Jammer* cloaking their approach. The warehouse was a nondescript steel structure, its windows dark but buzzing with faint energy. Khalid's *Counter-Surveillance Expertise* detected hidden cameras, which he disabled with a handheld jammer from his vault—a relic of his 2045 memories.
Inside, the warehouse was a hive of futuristic tech: servers humming with blue light, screens displaying timelines of Khalid's actions—Microsoft, the film festival, even Sultan's gift. The system flashed: *Watcher Hub Confirmed. Destroy to eliminate local influence. Reward: 20,000 points.*
Khalid's guards spread out, planting charges as he examined a central console. Its data confirmed the operative's claim: the Watcher was a collective, using time-displaced tech to monitor "anomalies" like Khalid. His rebirth, tied to the WIM, was their obsession, but they had no proof of the system itself. He downloaded key files onto a disk, ensuring no trace of the WIM appeared, then signaled the detonation.
The warehouse erupted in flames, its tech reduced to ash. Sultan roared, his presence steadying Khalid as the system chimed: *Mission Progress: Watcher hub destroyed. +20,000 points. Total: 76,000.* The *Watcher Signal Jammer* ensured no distress signals escaped, and Khalid framed the attack as Saeed's treason, planting forged documents linking his brother to the warehouse.
As they retreated, the system updated: *Mission: Eliminate Watcher influence in Dubai. 90% complete. Neutralize final traces by dawn.*
---
At the palace, Khalid prepared for Saeed's trial, Sultan curled by his side. The king's council would convene soon, and with the Watcher's hub gone, Khalid needed only to ensure Saeed's exile and Vikram's loyalty to end the threat. He opened the system shop, his 76,000 points a fortune:
**System Shop: New Items Available**
- *Global Influence Aura: 40,000 points. Enhances presence in international negotiations.*
- *Time Anomaly Shield: 50,000 points. Protects against temporal surveillance for 48 hours.*
- *Desert Star Ventures Blueprint: 30,000 points. Optimizes tech investments for billions.*
The *Time Anomaly Shield* tempted him, but he held off, saving points for the final Watcher strike. A letter from Meryl Streep arrived, her words a spark in the chaos: *Dubai's on fire, Khalid—literally, I hear. My film crew's ready. Let's meet soon.* The system pinged: *Romantic Opportunity: Plan Meryl's film project launch. Reward: 5,000 points.*
Khalid wrote back: *Fire's where legends are forged, Meryl. Come, and we'll light up the world.* The system chimed: *Romantic Progress: +2,000 points. Total: 78,000.*
But as he sealed the letter, a guard burst in, breathless. "Your Highness, Saeed's escaped his quarters! He's heading to the council chamber with armed men, claiming you staged the attacks!"
The system glitched, flashing red: *Final Watcher Trace: Saeed mobilizing. Confront to end influence. Reward: 25,000 points.* Sultan roared, his claws unsheathing, and Khalid grabbed his dagger, his *Elite Combat Training* ready. Saeed's final stand was here, and with it, the Watcher's last gasp in Dubai. As the cub's fierce eyes met his, Khalid vowed to crush his brother and bury the WIM's secret—tonight, or never.