NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 2: Plans
[A.N: This quote came to me while I was writing since it perfectly describes what happens. 'Know thy enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated' by Sun Tzu a Chinese military general and strategist. This also perfectly describes what happened in Dexter. Like bro knew all their moves because he works with them.]
*Command Centre*
*A few minutes Earlier*
Sylas stepped into the dimly lit command center. His boots clanked softly against the metallic flooring as he approached the main surveillance console.
Around him, the faint hum of machinery resonated in the silence, broken occasionally by the muffled snores of the base's personnel who were still recovering from their leader's lavish party the night before.
Sylas's face remained neutral as his eyes darted across the room ensuring everyone was asleep.
After confirming that everyone was asleep, he immediately began his work.
He seemed to move around randomly but that could not be further from the truth.
From earlier experience both here in the command centre as well as in the surveillance centre and even Sera's help he had already mapped out every camera angle and coverage zone.
As he worked, he made a show of running diagnostics, muttering occasional observations to himself.
'Five… four… three… two… one… now.' Reaching the surveillance system's blind spot, a corner tucked away from the prying eyes of the cameras, Sylas's demeanor shifted subtly.
From the invisible spatial ring on his finger, he released Sera, his personal droid.
Sera was a masterpiece of engineering, crafted by his family when he was young.
She came inform of a spider-butterfly hybrid. Floating silently, her sleek, matte-black frame almost blending into the shadows.
[A.N: Spider with wings.]
Not waiting a second after releasing her he went on with his work.
A few minutes later Sera voice came.
"Master, I am done, we have five minutes."
"Good job Sera."
He had anticipated the base's protocols and the paranoia of its staff especially the Sergeant in charge of the surveillance squads.
Over the past few weeks, he'd orchestrated Sera's hacks to be sporadic and seemingly random.
Sylas could almost see the drama that played out in the surveillance centre.
He had played his role well, although being captured and enslaved was never part of his plan.
The ordeal nearly drove him to despair, especially since it came just a year after narrowly escaping the genocide that wiped out his clan.
When the slave chip was implanted, he feared his plan for revenge was doomed.
However, upon discovering that the chip didn't affect him due to his Aetherian status, he swiftly adapted to the situation.
By displaying just enough engineering skill to be deemed valuable but not indispensable, he was assigned to this base as part of the maintenance team, where he seamlessly blended in and contributed to repairs.
His contributions although far from extra ordinary was impressive for his age.
As he worked, he'd discreetly installed remote-activated explosives into the very devices he was "repairing."
The same strategy allowed him to plant charges throughout the base during routine maintenance.
"Phase one complete," Sylas murmured to himself, his gaze steely. "Now for phase two."
Sera beeped softly, indicating her task was done. The surveillance feeds were hacked and Sera was feeding a generated image, creating the perfect window for Sylas to proceed.
He moved swiftly but methodically, inserting a Quantum data storage device into the central console.
As the device began copying the base's classified information Sylas returned back to work as he contemplated on the potential value of the data.
Military intelligence always had its uses, whether for personal leverage or trade with the right buyer. For now, he planned to sell it to the one of the enemies of Crimson Empire.
While the data transfer progressed, Sylas placed another explosive device beneath the command station's primary control panel.
Its design was unassuming, indistinguishable from a standard component to all but the most discerning eyes.
Everything was progressing according to plan.
He returned back to work while monitoring the progress bar on his wrist console, silently willing it to move faster.
A few minutes later a soft groan broke the stillness, coming from a cot at the far side of the room.
One of the personnel stirred, shifting under a thin blanket.
Sylas froze, his fingers hovering over the console, his breathing shallow.
The man shifted again, sitting up slightly and rubbing his eyes. "What time is it…?" he mumbled, his voice groggy with sleep.
The progress bar reached 90%. Sylas exhaled slowly, his heart pounding. 'Just a little longer.'
However, the man was not showing any sign to going back to sleep.
Sylas frowned as he immediately rushed to his side, 'Hopefully this works.'
Sylas came close to his face, took a deep breath and said slowly while waving his fingers infront of the man. "You should go back to sleep; it is not time to wake up."
[A.N: Obviously, Star Wars; Jedi's mind tricks.]
"I should go back to sleep; it is not time to wake up." The man mumbled before falling back asleep.
Sylas sighed in relieve. Although he was exceptionally talented even in his clan, he knew it would not have worked if the man was not tired and just waking from his sleep.
As the final bytes of data loaded onto his device, Sera's soft hum alerted him to the completion of her task.
She returned to his spatial ring as silently as she had emerged.
Sylas shoved the Quantum data storage into his ring, straightened his uniform and exited the command center with is equipment, his expression neutral just as he had entered. By the time the base's personnel realise…
'How would they even realise when they are all dead.' Sylas thought.
The command center's silence seemed to hold its breath, unaware of the storm that would soon engulf it.