Lucien Mordred sat in his penthouse, eyes narrowed as he surveyed the city of London, its skyline aglow with lights. This city, like New York, was ripe for the taking, and now that his foundation was secure, it was time to take the first step in his plan. The System was efficient—almost too efficient—but Lucien knew that power could not be won without careful manipulation. Control was an intricate dance, and he was the master choreographer.
He looked across the room at Serena, who was sitting at the digital command station, her eyes glued to her screen as she sifted through data. The glow of her monitors reflected in her glasses, a sharp contrast to the night outside.
"Serena," Lucien called, his tone measured but filled with purpose.
She turned her head, her fingers pausing over the keys. "What's the next move?"
Lucien leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping rhythmically on the table. "We start with the government. The foundation of this city. We weaken the leaders, then we control the strings they pull."
Serena raised an eyebrow. "You think we can just walk into Westminster and make them follow us?"
Lucien's smile spread slowly across his face. "Of course. With the System, there's no need for force. We won't need to make them follow us—we'll make them believe they're the ones making the choices."
He wasn't wrong. Absolute Influence could bend anyone's will, but there was something even more powerful: perception. A carefully crafted illusion of autonomy could be more effective than any brute force. The key was to identify the weaknesses, to find those secret vulnerabilities that even the most powerful figures couldn't escape.
Lucien's fingers danced across his own device, calling up data streams. "I've already identified the key players. The Prime Minister, key ministers, and certain influential members of Parliament." He pointed to a screen displaying portraits of the city's political elite. "Each of them has a flaw. Corruption, greed, fear—these will be our tools."
Serena nodded, typing away. "So, we dig into their personal lives and use that to manipulate them?"
Lucien's gaze hardened, but there was no malice in his voice—only the cold precision of a master planner. "We won't just manipulate them. We will own them. The System will give us access to their financial records, their secrets, their weaknesses. Once we have them in our grasp, their loyalty is assured. We'll create situations where they feel they have no other choice but to obey."
For the next several hours, the two of them worked in near silence, setting the wheels of their plan in motion. Serena accessed confidential records, pulling up hidden transactions, illegal deals, and the skeletons in their closets. Lucien's system knew no bounds—it could hack into secure government systems, bypass encrypted firewalls, and unearth information that had been long buried.
By the time the first light of dawn broke through the clouds, the targets were ready. Lucien stood before the large glass window, looking at the city, his reflection merging with the city's lights.
"Tonight," he murmured, "we begin the takeover."