[Neo-Atlantis - Sector 7 (Industrial District)]
The time was 02:00 AM. The city was asleep, bathed in the soft neon glow of the streetlights. But in the shadows, the rats were moving.
Team Alpha (Mossad) consisted of six elite operatives. They were currently crouching on the roof of the Fusion Power Plant. Their objective: Plant EMP charges to disable the city's shield.
"Target in sight," the Team Leader whispered. "Security is nonexistent. I don't see any guards."
He was right. There were no human guards. "Plant the charges," the Leader ordered. "Let's turn off the lights."
They rappelled down the wall. Their boots touched the ground silently. They moved toward the reactor core.
CLICK.
The lights in the facility didn't turn off. They turned red. A deep, mechanical voice echoed from the walls.
"UNAUTHORIZED BIOLOGICALS DETECTED."
The Team Leader froze. "Abort! We are blown!"
Suddenly, the floor shook. From the shadows of the reactor, three massive shapes stepped out. They were Praetorian Guards. Their void-black armor seemed to suck in the light. Their red eye-slits burned like lasers.
"Open fire!" the Leader screamed, raising his silenced submachine gun.
PFFT-PFFT-PFFT.
The bullets hit the Praetorians. They sparked harmlessly against the nanocarbon armor. The soldiers didn't even flinch. They didn't take cover. They just kept walking.
"THREAT LEVEL: TERMINAL," the lead Praetorian buzzed.
It raised its Pulse Rifle. ZWOOM.
A beam of condensed plasma hit the operative on the left. He didn't scream. He simply vaporized. There was nothing left but a scorch mark on the floor.
"Fall back!" the Leader yelled, terrified. "They are tank-proof! Run!"
They turned to run, but the exit door slammed shut. The Praetorians blocked the path.
"Please!" the Leader dropped his gun, raising his hands. "I surrender! I have diplomatic immunity!"
The Praetorian walked up to him. It towered over him, looking like a god of death.
"IMMUNITY: REVOKED," the machine said.
It reached out a massive hand. CRUNCH.
[The Royal Palace - The Throne Room]
Alex sat on his throne, watching the screens. He was drinking a glass of vintage wine.
On the main screen, a live feed showed a map of the city. Red dots (Spies) were disappearing one by one.
Sector 3: A CIA team tried to hack the server. Status: Eliminated.
Sector 8: A sleeper cell tried to poison the water supply. Status: Eliminated.
Sector 1: An assassin tried to snipe Alex from a hotel window. A Cyber-Hound tore him apart before he could pull the trigger.
"Report," Alex said calmly.
"The Purge is 99% complete," Dawn's voice replied. "498 hostiles neutralized. 2 captured for interrogation."
"Good," Alex took a sip of wine. "What about the bodies?"
"The Praetorians have incinerated the remains. The streets are clean. The citizens did not wake up."
Alex smiled. This was the power of money. A human king would have to deal with prisoners, trials, and headlines. A Tycoon King just pays to have the problem deleted.
"Send a message to the Council," Alex ordered. "Send them the video feed of their best agents being crushed like insects. And add a caption."
"What caption, Sir?"
Alex stood up, his eyes glowing.
"No Refunds."
[The Council of Five - The Boardroom]
The General (Seat 2) stared at the screen. His mechanical hand was shaking. He had just watched his best strike team vanish in seconds.
"He has machines," The General whispered. "S-Class War Droids. Their armor is impervious to small arms. Their weapons are tech we haven't even invented yet."
"He is not just a bank," Isabella V said, her face pale. "He is a superpower."
The Elder (Seat 1) coughed, the blue fluid pumping rapidly into his veins. "We cannot fight him militarily," The Elder wheezed. "If we invade, he will print more soldiers. He has infinite money. He can buy an army larger than China's."
"Then what do we do?" The Bishop asked.
"We change the game," The Elder said. "He has a city. He has soldiers. But he has a weakness."
The Elder pointed to the map of Neo-Atlantis.
"He has citizens. Millions of them. And people... people are greedy. We don't need to kill him. We need to turn his own people against him."