The atmosphere in the control room was tense, every team member feeling the weight of the decision that Nathan had to make. The servers hummed ominously behind the reinforced steel doors, waiting for them to act. Zara continued working on disabling the remaining locks, her fingers moving quickly over her keyboard. Nathan paced the room, his mind churning over Lucien's chilling ultimatum: bring his network down and risk millions of lives or allow him to maintain control over the world.
"We need a plan," Rylan said. "If Lucien has a secondary protocol, there has to be a way to stop it without triggering global chaos."
"Do we even have time for that?" Sana asked, her voice edged with frustration. "Lucien's forces are closing in, and every second we delay gives him more control."
Nathan nodded grimly. "We don't have the luxury of time. But rushing in blindly isn't the answer either."
It was then that Zara froze, her eyes widening as she stared at her screen. "No," she whispered. "It can't be…"
"What is it?" Nathan asked, moving to her side.
Zara hesitated, her face pale. "There's a backdoor in the system—a code embedded deep within the network. Someone on our team gave Lucien access. Someone… betrayed us."
The room fell silent as the weight of her words sank in.
"What do you mean someone betrayed us?" Elias asked, his voice sharp. "We've been working together since the beginning. None of us would side with Lucien."
Zara shook her head. "The code is unique. It couldn't have come from an outsider. It was planted by someone who knew our strategies, who had access to our plans."
Nathan looked around at his team, his heart sinking. Could one of them really have betrayed him? He didn't want to believe it, but Zara's discovery left little room for doubt.
Sana stepped forward, her gaze sharp. "If someone betrayed us, we need to figure out who it is. Right now."
"It doesn't matter," Rylan said, his voice cold. "We don't have time for a witch hunt. We need to focus on stopping Lucien."
"It does matter," Nathan said firmly. "If there's a traitor among us, they could sabotage everything we're trying to do."
Tension hung heavy in the air as the team exchanged wary glances. Zara's hands hovered over her keyboard as she pulled up the backdoor code, cross-referencing it with the team's communication logs.
"It's… encrypted," she said. "But I can trace it back to its source."
"Then do it," Nathan said, his voice tight.
As Zara worked, the sound of distant footsteps echoed through the corridors. Lucien's forces were closing in, and time was running out. Elias and Sana moved to secure the entrance while Rylan stood near Zara, his expression unreadable.
Minutes ticked by, each one feeling like an eternity. Finally, Zara let out a gasp. "I have it. The source of the betrayal."
Everyone turned to her, their breaths held. Zara's hands trembled as she turned the screen toward Nathan.
"It's… Rylan," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
All eyes snapped to Rylan, who stood unmoving, his face a mask of calm. Nathan's heart twisted as disbelief flooded his mind. Rylan had been by his side since the beginning, a loyal ally and friend. How could he be the traitor?
"You're wrong," Rylan said smoothly. "There's no way that's accurate. Zara must have made a mistake."
"It's not a mistake," Zara insisted, her voice steady. "The code matches your communication logs. You've been feeding Lucien information."
Sana stepped forward, her weapon raised. "Why, Rylan? After everything we've been through, how could you do this?"
Rylan's calm facade cracked, and he laughed bitterly. "Why? Because Lucien is right. The world needs order, not chaos. You all think you're heroes, but you're just fighting for an illusion. If we take him down, millions will die. I couldn't let that happen."
"You could have told us," Nathan said, his voice filled with anger and hurt. "We could have found another way."
"There is no other way," Rylan snapped. "You're too blinded by your ideals to see the bigger picture. Lucien's vision is the only one that makes sense."
Before anyone could react, Rylan lunged for Zara, his hand striking her tablet. The device flew across the room, shattering against the wall. Nathan moved quickly, grabbing Rylan and throwing him back. The two men crashed to the floor, grappling for control.
Sana and Elias aimed their weapons, but the struggle made it impossible to get a clear shot. Rylan managed to throw Nathan off, grabbing a nearby metal rod and swinging it with precision. Nathan dodged the blow, his training kicking in as he countered with a swift punch to Rylan's jaw.
"Stop this!" Sana shouted, her voice echoing through the room. "Rylan, it's not too late. We can still fix this."
Rylan laughed, blood dripping from his lip. "You still don't get it. This isn't about fixing anything. It's about survival."
He pressed a button on his wristband, and the room's lights flickered. Suddenly, the screens displayed Lucien's face, his cold smile taunting them.
"Ah, the truth is out," Lucien said. "Rylan has served me well, but his usefulness has come to an end."
Before anyone could react, the floor beneath Rylan opened, revealing a hidden escape hatch. He smirked at Nathan one last time before jumping through it, disappearing into the darkness.
"Stop him!" Nathan shouted, but it was too late. The hatch closed with a loud clang, leaving the team staring at the empty space where Rylan had been.
Lucien's voice crackled through the speakers. "Well, that was entertaining. But now the real fun begins. I've activated the secondary protocol. You have thirty minutes before it triggers global chaos. Good luck."
The screens went dark, and the hum of machinery grew louder. Zara retrieved her broken tablet, frantically trying to salvage it.
"We can't let him get away," Sana said, her voice filled with determination.
Nathan clenched his fists, his mind racing. Rylan's betrayal had shaken them to their core, but there was no time to dwell on it. They had thirty minutes to stop Lucien's plan and save the world.
"Elias, secure the entrance. Zara, see if you can regain control of the system. Sana, you're with me. We're going after Rylan."
As they moved toward the hidden hatch, Nathan couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning of the end. Rylan's betrayal had changed everything, and the clock was ticking down faster than ever.
Would they catch Rylan in time? Could they stop Lucien's secondary protocol before it was too late? The stakes had never been higher, and the team was about to face their greatest challenge yet.