The dimly lit command room of the GDN headquarters buzzed with tension as Orion Blake briefed his newly formed task force. A dozen elite officers stood around the central holo-display, which projected a three-dimensional map of Kronos. Blips marked the locations of Nexus assets, GDN resources, and most importantly, Ilara Voss's last known position.
"Alright," Orion began, his voice low but commanding. "This is bigger than anything we've handled before. Marion's uncovered proof that Ilara Voss is tied directly to Nexus, and she's been siphoning Aetherium for years. We suspect she's involved in at least one murder—her husband's—and that she's not going to go quietly."
He turned to Marion, who was seated at the table, her eyes sharp and focused despite the weariness of the last few days. "She's our key to dismantling Nexus. We get her, we get the proof, and we can bring them down."
The team nodded in unison, understanding the gravity of the situation. The clock was ticking.
"Ilara has contacts throughout GDN," Marion added, tapping a few buttons on her tablet to display the list of names. "We need to assume she knows we're onto her. She could be preparing her exit as we speak."
Orion clenched his jaw. "Then we move now. Lock down every exit from the city. I want eyes on her, and I want backup ready in every district."
Meanwhile
Ilara Voss paced her luxurious apartment, the weight of the situation closing in around her. She knew Marion was dangerously close, and Nexus had started to distance themselves from her. The once-ironclad control she had wielded was slipping through her fingers. She glanced at her comm device, the screen flickering with an incoming message from Marcus.
"Move now. Nexus is cutting you loose. I'll meet you at the extraction point."
Her heart raced, but her mind remained cold and calculating. Ilara had always been a survivor. She had outmanoeuvred her rivals for years, always staying one step ahead, and this would be no different. She grabbed her coat, a pistol, and the encrypted data chip containing the last of the Aetherium siphoning records—the records she could use as leverage.
As she exited her apartment, her heels clicking against the marble floor, she felt the weight of inevitability settles on her. The city outside was a maze of power plays and deception, and she knew the task force would be closing in. But she had one last card to play.
The Task Force Strikes
Across the city, Marion and Orion rode in an unmarked vehicle, the GDN task force vehicles trailing behind them. Marion's eyes flicked between the streets outside and the monitor displaying Ilara's movements through the city.
"She's heading toward District 7," Marion said, tension in her voice. "That's where Nexus has some hidden assets."
Orion nodded. "We'll cut her off. Units, converge on District 7, and lock down the area. No one gets out."
The radio buzzed with confirmations as the task force began to swarm the district. The game of cat and mouse was nearing its climax.
***
Ilara pulled into a dimly lit alleyway in District 7, her car screeching to a halt. She stepped out, glancing around warily. The extraction point was supposed to be secure, but something didn't feel right. She could sense the net tightening around her, and a wave of panic threatened to break through her composure.
Suddenly, Marcus appeared from the shadows, his face grim. "We have to move now," he said, his voice urgent. "The task force is closing in. I've arranged transport—Nexus isn't offering protection anymore."
Ilara narrowed her eyes. "You betrayed me, didn't you?"
Marcus hesitated, the guilt flickering across his face for a brief moment before it disappeared. "Nexus made their choice. But I can still get you out of here."
She studied him for a long moment, the weight of their shared history and dark dealings hanging between them. Then, with a cold, calculated motion, she lifted her pistol and shot him in the chest.
Marcus staggered back, shock and betrayal etched on his face. "Ilara…" he gasped, collapsing to the ground.
Ilara's eyes were cold, unfeeling. "No loose ends."