In the nighttime, the city skyline resembled a fortress, lit up by many lights that illuminated its tall skyscrapers. From her vantage from above, Emily could see the chaos she was about to unleash. In a cramped, dimly lit room in a deserted office building, she stood with her laptop propped up on a table cluttered with cables, cell phones, and radio gear. The city's media networks flickered on her screen, as if they were prepared and being watched.
They considered this to be the most crucial part of their plan. Not only did Emily gain knowledge, but she was also the city's ignition point, sowing chaos and uncertainty that Aidan and his team required to plot their next move. Working as a writer and tech specialist for a long time, she had built ties in the media, which allowed her to influence publications when necessary and pull strings behind the scenes. This evening would put all of their skills to the test.
She moved her headphones and skimmed the keyboard to activate the first element of her strategy. The city's media networks were buzzing with activity as she connected to the secure channels of a few of influential journalists she trusted. She was confident that they would follow her directions to the letter as they had worked together before.
It's live now, Emily. What's the story? One of them, speaking over her earpiece, asked with a trembling voice.
She warned, "Get your cameras ready." Her voice was commanding. "We're going big." You are going to talk about the biggest storm this city has seen in a long time.
After the diversionary attack caused a complete lockdown and fire at Victor's facility, she went to get the feeds. The sound of explosions and gunfire made her realize that the story will be covered by the media eventually.
Declaring, "This is it," she broadcast live footage from Victor's compound directly to the news outlets. The industrial district is the scene of a major incident. updates regarding gunfire, flames, and detonations. This should be carried by every network.
The video was live-streamed on the city's top news stations in minutes thanks to her contacts' swift action. Authorities rush to contain situation following big explosion in industrial district, she watched as the news flashed. As the movie kept playing, she could immediately sense the domino effect.
The police scanner was a whirlwind of activity as emergency services rushed to the area. As distant sirens wailed, the city's attention turned to the chaos brewing in the heart of its industrial district.
For a brief while, Emily allowed herself to be content. This was only the beginning. To distract people from Aidan's true objective, she wanted the city to go insane. On her laptop, she launched a separate program that allowed her to access the city's digital infrastructure.
After planting the seeds of digital overrides for several weeks, she said, "It's time to turn up the heat," and proceeded to plant them.
In an abrupt turn of events, the city's traffic lights turned red. Intersections were jammed due to vehicles coming to a sudden halt, their horns beeping in frustration. Due to the emergence of a bottleneck, all vehicular traffic in the city ground to a standstill. Things were getting even more chaotic.
Proceeding, Emily linked up with the power grid of the city. She left entire blocks in total darkness after turning off the power in critical areas. The city was in a state of chaos as people fled into the streets in a state of panic. The emergency services were already stretched enough between responding to power outages and the industrial area. At this point, Emily's media connections were covering every single development, which was just adding fuel to the flames.
In the midst of seeing the events unfold on her screen, Emily listened in on the private channel that linked her to Aidan. As they took their positions, she knew they were taking advantage of the chaos. With her actions, they were extending the clock, but the clock was ticking.
Interfering with Victor's personal correspondence was the second part of her plan. She had spent weeks studying his network and finding its flaws. With the single press of a button, she inundated Victor's encrypted channels with ghost messages and fake distress signals, triggering a blackout. Because they would be too overwhelmed, Victor's soldiers would not be able to distinguish between real and false orders.
One of the intercepted feeds carried Victor's irate voice. "You need to own this! Get to the bottom of it!
A smile spread across Emily's face. Best of luck to you with that undertaking. Already she had a leg up thanks to the multiple layers of concealed servers and encrypted networks that she could use to bounce her signal. No one on Victor's IT team would be able to find her in time.
Staying glued to the news channels was her habit. City in Crisis—Downtown Is Paralyzed by Power Outages and Traffic Gridlock became the headline as the chaos persisted. Fear and anarchy were spreading across the streets, and she could see it all unfolding before her eyes. It was the perfect cover.
In Emily's headset, she heard, "This is Marcus, Emily." "Our position is solid. Your distraction worked.
"Good," she remarked, maintaining her gaze fixed on the screens. Tell me when there are any changes. There's a lot of hubbub about me on their networks. We have a very little window of opportunity while Victor's forces are feverishly rebuilding.
Resolved but pressing, A voice from Aidan cut in. Next steps will be taken by us. Keep up the chaos.
With deft touch, Emily navigated to a new set of systems. Several areas had their emergency warnings triggered by her false reports of fires and unrest. As police and emergency services flocked to the location, Victor's resources were already stretched thin. She made it such that Aidan's squad could stay undetected by Victor's forces by constantly erecting new obstacles in their path.
But she knew this was only the beginning. This would not sit well with Victor, a violent man. When he got even, he would go after her as well. She was ready for Emily to have to double-check that her efforts were enough to buy Aidan the time he needed.
As the minutes ticked by, Emily saw her idea materialize. Everyone in the city was on edge, and the media's coverage just made things worse. The chaos would ultimately become normal for Victor, though, and she knew it. In order to tip the scales, she needed one final push.
She broke inside Victor's compound and transmitted live footage of the chaos, overwhelming the city's emergency broadcast system. As the sound of gunshots echoed through the air, the screen showed flames and smoke billowing out of the west wing. On top of the footage, she inserted a voiceover that read, "This is an urgent alert." A city-wide assault is underway. People should stay indoors if possible.
While the show was airing, she watched the reaction of the city. People fled into the streets in terror as police were overwhelmed and traffic was backed up in every direction. The multiple false warnings caused Victor to scatter and reroute his forces, leaving the eastern approach to his fortress exposed.
"Emily, it's clear," Aidan's voice said. "We're relocating."
She felt a surge of calm wash over her as she exhaled. "Very well. I'll keep them distracted for the longest time I can.
But on one of her feeds, she could see an encrypted message coming from Victor's facility as she spoke. Her pupils contracted as she made the realization. Instead of Victor's usual channels of contact, the message arrived by a direct alert, a signal she had never encountered before.
It broke her heart when she realized what it meant. A group of elite soldiers, which Victor rarely deployed until absolutely necessary, were dispatched by Victor. A plan to halt Aidan's gang was in the works.
She echoed, "Aidan, you have company." in a panicked tone. Victor is sending out his strongest forces. Your strategy is known to them.
"Don't worry, we'll handle it," Aidan responded. "Just keep their messages jumbled."
With lightning speed, Emily's hands flooded Victor's channels with made-up commands in an effort to distract his soldiers from Aidan's position. She knew, though, that this was only a stopgap measure. The elite units were trained to operate independently, so they would be difficult to fool.
With her ear to the ground, she watched as Victor's army drew up behind Aidan. Her pulse was pounding. She needed to devise a plan to halt them before they could reach his squad.
She re-entered the city's electrical system and zeroed in on the blocks surrounding Victor's building. A series of blackouts, caused by her pressing a few keys, rendered the surroundings completely dark. The compound's exterior security systems went down, and the lights went off. The power outage would buy Aidan some extra time.
"The lights are off," she informed Aidan. "To proceed, use the cover."
The scope is extensive. The building is almost in sight.
While she stared intently at the screen, Emily's breaths were shallow, deliberate gasps. The success or failure of the mission depended on her every move at this particular moment. The tension was growing, but she chose to disregard it. A mistake could not be tolerated.
Out of nowhere, one of Aidan's surveillance cameras caught her special warriors charging into the night toward her team.
It's happening faster than expected, she whispered. "Fuck it."
By activating a second set of emergency warnings, Emily hoped to divert more resources away from Victor. She knew that people were starting to tire of her antics. If she was unable to redirect Aidan's forces, they would catch up to him before he could reach his mother.
Anxietiessively, she said, "Aidan, you need to move faster." "They're nearly upon you."
Aidan said, "Copy that," as distant gunfire echoed past. "We're making progress."
As her fingertips caressed the keyboard, Emily's thoughts were racing. She compromised Victor's emergency response database and caused multiple more strategically placed alarms to go off across the city. It was a desperate attempt, but Victor's troops had to split up again, which slowed their reflexes.
A new warning appeared, and the screen flickered, shattering her hope that they might yet have a chance. As a form of reprisal, Victor's technical team attempted to disregard her messages. They had located her interference and were now pressing down on her digital trail, which she could feel.
"Status update, Emily," Aidan shouted under his breath. "We're at the building."
She clenched her teeth. Get in and out fast, but don't worry—I'll keep them at bay. On the verge of being there....
She was utterly frightened by Aidan's subsequent statement. We are at the door now. The clock is ticking—prepare for extraction immediately.
Unfortunately, her body did not respond because it froze. An alert stating "Remote Override Detected—System Compromised" appeared on the screen.
A member of Victor's tech team had managed to breach her defenses.
"Emily!" Amidst her already deteriorating communication skills, Aidan's voice broke.
Desperately trying to regain control, her fingers were a jumble on the keys as the screens flickered and went dark. The din and sirens of the city diminished as her connection failed.
Someone cut her off.