July 28th 3039 A.D

???

General Arda did not dare delay the report, hastily placing the folder he held onto the table. He sorted out the sheaf of papers into neat little piles before drawing his attention to the pile at the extreme left. "To put it in simplest terms, the base was blown up by a small force," he said as he handed some pictures which displayed the massive pit left behind after the bases' implosion over to Viktor. Noting Viktor's patient gaze, he continued, "Preliminary investigations suggest the act was caused by an expert in demolition and sabotage. No half-assed bomber could have produced such a terrifying result."

Viktor lightly smiled as he placed the picture back on the table. His expression excessively serene, he asked, "What about our cameras? Did we catch any of these culprits on film?"

"Yes Sir," General Arda confirmed as he pulled some pictures from another pile. "Luckily, the off-site backup servers preserved the moments before the explosion." Passing the pictures over to Viktor, he lamented, "Unfortunately, the culprits always had their helmets on. We are unable to get an ID as of this moment."

"That is no surprise," Viktor said with an amiable smile. "Humans cannot survive in the wilderness without their suits. It would be stranger if they did not need their helmets." The overlord gently tapped on the chair's armrest as he pondered further. "However, this suggests they are not experts but a bunch of low-level beginners."

"Sir?" General Arda question, confusion apparent in his gaze.

Viktor chuckled softly at his subordinate's confusion. "Humans are a vain bunch. Most of their higher-level personnel prefer to buy Oxy masks so they don't have to hide their faces." His gaze flashed with thought as he looked at the pictures of Dayle and Arthur confronting vorgs in the hallway. "Do we have video surveillance? We cannot rule out the possibility these are experts posing as newbies to throw us off their scent."

General Arda's expression turned grim, hands trembling slightly as he fished out a translucent rectangular object from within his jacket pocket. He took his time, gently placing it on the table like it was a vulnerable relic from ancient times. With a sigh of relief, he looked up to Viktor who had been watching his movements with an amused expression. Embarrassed, General Arda could only thicken his skin and tap the tablet's translucent surface. He swiftly manoeuvered through the interfaces then selected the pre-edited video. "The Intelligence Department already edited the footage to show the important aspects as well as track the intruders' movements."

Viktor's eyes gleamed as three screens appeared above the tab, projecting the movements of Dayle and company. The screens clearly depicted all of their actions from the moment they fell into the base, to their subsequent detonation of the base. How would Dayle and company feel if they knew all their actions had been caught on camera despite their various attempts to stay out of view (at least in the beginning).

Watching the footage, General Arda could not help but shiver at Viktor's foresight. Viktor was the one who demanded all bases be equipped with two sets of surveillance systems. The first set was open, visible to both the base members and intruders. The second set, however, was hidden from view. In any base, only the highest ranking personnel would be aware of its existence as well as its purpose. This was to create a false sense of security in intruders, who would no doubt feel safe upon avoiding the obvious cameras. Furthermore, most hackers attempting to hack the surveillance systems would be satisfied upon eliminating the first layer without suspecting the existence of the second set of surveillance systems. What's more the real-time off-site backup servers would always ensure no data was ever truly lost.

It had taken a few decades to create and perfect the current systems in all the bases around Karifa with Viktor refusing to launch any aggressive attacks until their intelligence system was fully in place. That far-sightedness and patience were clearly reaping its benefits! After all, how many companies and agencies could have an entire station blown to kingdom come, and not only manage not to lose any data but have complete footage of the criminal's activities in such a short period of time?

A heavy sigh from Viktor snapped General Arda back to the present.

The General's eyelids jumped with shock as Viktor scratched his chin in thought, the overlord's gaze clearly holding confusion and disbelief. Unable to understand the overlord's expression, he could only ask, "What is the matter?"

Viktor shook his head with a wry smile. "I've never seen so many contradictions in one place. If this is the enemy's ploy, he's extremely ingenious. Or else, it's just plain ridiculous."

"Sir?"

Viktor swiped at the middle screen, rewinding the footage to Dayle and Arthur's first bout with the vorgs. "Watch their movements. What do you think?"

"Definitely trained experts," General Arda observed, drawing his conclusion from Dayle and Arthur's precise strikes and calmness. "It would seem you were right sir. They are experts in disguise."

"Maybe not," Viktor said as the footage fast-forwarded to the duo's time in the armory. "Look how excited they are to pile in as many weapons as possible. They are not even bothering to pay attention to what they are carrying exactly. Top experts would be utilizing their time, prioritizing information over loot. Most likely, these two are experts from the other world, just starting brand new in ours." Viktor knew the general still had some misgivings about his conclusions so he once again switched the screen to the explosive battle that occurred later on. "Watch how these two are so eager to blow everything around them up without qualms. These are not the actions of intelligence agents but adventurers who stumbled into something way over their heads, and would rather destroy everything than risk death." Viktor was still not done. Fast-forwarding slightly, he pointed at Dayle who was busy uprooting cores from a Nadea Wasp. "If all of that was not enough evidence, I highly doubt any top-level expert would have a need for these low-level cores."

"If there is someone we have to look out for," Viktor's gaze sharpened as he raised the other screen which displayed Eli's acts of hacking the database and setting the charges. "Unlike the others, this man came here with a purpose. He knew we were here, or at the very least had a vague idea of our presence." Drawing up another screen which showed Arthur hacking the security mainframe, Viktor pointed out the discrepancies. "One came prepared with high-grade hacking software, managing to cut through the strongest firewall in the base in mere moments. The other only had the basic hacking tool, and required several minutes just to hack the primary surveillance systems." Viktor smiled at the opposite General. "I don't think even the best spies would go as far as using such low-grade hacking tools to deceive our eyes."

General Arda trembled slightly, shocked by Viktor's insight. The more the General considered Viktor's words, the more sense they made. Furthermore, many questions he had asked himself were instantly cleared up. The General was far from stupid. With Viktor pointing the way, he had more than enough to fill in the gaps. The mist in the proud vorg's eyes instantly cleared as a formidable aura leaked out. "So, we ignore this incident?" Though his tone suggested a question, both men knew he had already come to a decision. At this point, he was only confirming his thoughts.

Viktor let out a loose smile. Indeed it was a man's blessing to have capable subordinates. He did not need to micromanage everything. "Yes, we ignore this incident," Viktor confirmed. "We cannot afford to lose sight of the forest because of a few dead trees. Luckily, that was a research facility. They only had the location of a few supply bases. Have our people in the compromised locations relocate immediately."

General Arda nodded. "And the bases?"

Viktor's lips curled with a crafty smirk. "Leave them as is. I know I said we should ignore this incident, but that doesn't mean we won't get payback for our fallen brethren."

General Arda trembled as understanding dawned. Indeed, a destroyed base was worthless but those humans would not be able to resist exploring an abandoned base. The more they left intact, the more humans would be sent to explore. Better yet, with the secondary surveillance systems, the vorgs would be able to glean plenty of information from the humans. When the humans outlived their usefulness, the vorgs could just as easily crush them all. General Arda clenched his fist with excitement. His breath quickened, imagining the puny humans dancing to their tune, their lives and deaths to be decided by their mood. He could not help but marvel at Viktor's wit.

Indeed, this was what the vorgs needed! Although the vorgs were quite powerful, much more powerful than humans, they had always lacked someone who could direct all that power at a common goal. Hence, these powers, too afraid to go to the surface, had resorted to attacking each other for centuries as they fought for food, water, and resources. However, just over a century ago, a vorg, seemingly from nowhere, rose up and quickly united all the scattered clans under a single banner. A feat most had considered impossible had been accomplished by a young vorg in a little over a decade, a fact which had been hammered into the ears of many a vorg for the past century.

General Arda sharply inhaled, forcing himself into a state of calm. He kept Viktor's order close to his heart, swearing to complete it to perfection. He rose to his feet and saluted sharply before making his way to the door. Just as his hand was at his hilt, Viktor called out.

"How're preparations for Operation Trident?"

General Arda froze in his steps. A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes, lips parting to reveal a ferocious grin. The general's muscles tensed, aura strangely calm, yet simmering with violence, like a monster on the verge of pouncing on its prey. "Preparations are complete. The Humans won't know what hit them."

Viktor let out a soft smile. "I trust your judgment." His gaze turned heavy, looking to an unseen location beyond the walls of the room. "Our people have hidden beneath the ground for too long. It is time we returned to our rightful place." A sinister grin crept up the sides of his lips, his gaze sharp as swords. "We must make sure our first impression is a grand one. What better way to announce our return than in a fight to the death?"

******

June 6th 2024,

2338 Hours,

The Black Box.

The sweet smell of freshly brewed coffee pervaded the silent room, its only source of sound the periodic beeping of machines monitoring the three large 'coffins' at the corner. Just opposite the door, a tired brunette took a sip from her cup, the bitter, biting sting of the dark beans serving to buy a little more time for her tired eyelids.

Whoosh

Lt. Watson, dressed in a pair of casual slacks looked away from the monitoring screens to the Virtual Drives which opened up with tell-tale hisses to release their prisoners. A pair of ocean-blue eyes studied the three occupants as they stumbled out of the machine. As expected, there was a short readjustment period after spending a lot of time in an advanced skin. Luckily, the reports stated that over-time most players would be able to drastically reduce that readjustment period to as little as milliseconds.

Dayle was the first to fully recover. He looked interestedly at his right arm as he waved it back and forth. "Damn, I can understand why people get addicted to the virtual world. It can suck to feel so weak after tasting all that power."

"If you feel that way, imagine how the average person feels," Raines commented as she walked passed him to Watson's side. "Hey Watson, how you been?" She greeted the lieutenant with a warm smile as she accepted the coffee held out to her.

"As good as you'd expect watching a bunch of screens for forty-seven hours," Watson replied with a wry smile. "Bullets aren't flying over my head so I guess that's a good thing."

"You were a field agent?" Arthur questioned as he too walked up to her and accepted another cup.

"A long time ago," Raines replied with a sharp nod, her curt tone transmitting her lack of enthusiasm towards the topic. Eager to switch the topic, she swiveled on her chair and typed in a couple of commands. "More importantly, I got something from the file you guys got from that base."

"Important enough to draw us out of the game," Dayle said as he came up behind Watson. He sighed inwardly when he realized there was no coffee on the table for him. "What'd you find?"

"A video file," Watson replied. "Already attempted to make a copy of the file, but I couldn't no matter how hard I tried. Had a hunch, so I decided to call you guys over before playing it."

"A distinct lack of popcorn," Dayle chuckled as he looked at his empty hands. "Let's hope this movie's good enough to distract my stomach from the hunger."

Watson rolled her eyes, but nonetheless, brought up the file and played it. A half-second later, four sharp intakes of breath echoed out within the room as the quartet gaped at a familiar figure casually angling his golf club against a small white ball in his office. As if feeling, their gaze, the blond man looked up from the club to face the camera, lips spread out in pleasant surprise.

"Hoo, Team America eh?" James Shouyou joked as he grinned through the camera. "You guys are more capable than I thought, managing to find this before the due date." His brows furrowed gently as he rested his chin against the golf club. "What to do? You guys need to be rewarded, but I told the rest of the world the blueprints won't be available till June 23rd. That's a three-week advantage you've got there." With a sigh, James shook his head and lightly shrugged. "Oh well, best laid plans and all that. You guys have the honor of being the first to get this data which should have been impossible to get before the specified date. As a result... yeah, fuck it. Here's the blueprint you got."

Lt. Watson's eyes were wide with fear and shock as she was unable to ascertain whether the file before her was truly a replay or if it was being broadcasted live. A file popped up on a sister screen at James' prompt, but no one paid it any attention.

James released a wide grin. "What you choose to do with that data is up to you. Oh, and as a reward for being the first, I'll give you guys a little hint. The ke to your mission lies in the Nexus and the vorg. But only a united world can survive the threat to humankind."

"What the hell does that even mean?" Dayle cursed softly.

James chuckled, his gaze suddenly turning eerily sharp like it could peer through the camera directly to their souls. Dayle shuddered, unable to shake the feeling he had just been seen through. A slight grin curled up the side of James' lips, "Goodnight Dayle Butcher, Nina Raines, Arthur Yount and Hailey Watson. Happy Hunting." The transmission mercilessly shut off before they could come to terms with the meaning of his words.

"He... he knows who we are." Arthur's fingers shook, knuckles turning white. He had never felt as unsettled as he did at that moment. If Shouyou had only identified the three of them, they could have attributed it to a surveillance system from the game itself. But he also directly identified Lt. Watson. That could only mean he knew everything! Most likely including where they were.

"Fuck!" Raines spat out in rage. "This place is most likely compromised. What do we do now?"

"Nothing." Dayle replied, drawing incredulous looks from his team. With a light shrug, he said, "If he could find us here, he can find us anywhere. We're talking about a man who was able to steal top-secret information from the world's leading powers in Information Technology." Dayle let out a careless smile. "Besides, he hasn't done anything so far to suggest he would attack us or leak out our position. The people who matter, our competition, still remain in the dark. At this time, unnecessary movement might only alert them to our presence. I say we stay put and continue with our mission. At least we now have an idea where to search." Turning to Lt. Watson, he enquired, "The buck stops with you, Lieutenant. What do you think we should do?"

Lt. Watson revealed a troubled expression for a couple of seconds, before ultimately falling on a decision. "We stay. I'll ask HQ to put out a few feelers to see if we were compromised. But like Special Agent Butcher said, any unnecessary movement right now will only draw unwanted attention."

Raines looked from Watson to Dayle then let out a small sigh. "Okay then. Since the decision's made, if you don't mind, I'm gonna go treat myself to a shower and a long nap."

"Not too long," Dayle said with a smile. "We gather here at seven a.m."

"Fine," Raines replied with a shrug. "Goodnight Watson."

"Goodnight," Watson replied as Raines left the room.

"Ah, um, I think I'll hit the sack too," Arthur meekly announced, slightly embarrassed by his previous state. "Goodnight Lieutenant."

"Sleep well." Watson nodded, her gaze measured as Arthur left the room. The cold orbs turned to face the only other person in the room. "Not sleeping?"

Dayle shrugged then proceeded to walk to the door. "Gonna get myself a drink first." He opened the door, then threw over his shoulder, "Feel free to join me if you want." The door closed with a soft click, leaving Watson alone with the indifferent beeping of the machines.

Perhaps as a result of spending too much time with the unfeeling machine sounds, Lt. Watson soon found herself walking into the living room. As expected, she saw Dayle at the bar with two glasses on the counter. Both glasses were filled with a rich brown liquid, the young man who poured them adopting a knowing smirk as he corked the whiskey bottle. Watson only shook her head as she sauntered passed the bar, to pick up a local beer from the fridge.

Dayle's brow rose with mock-shock. "You would choose that piss over this glass of whiskey?"

Watson ignored his remark. She twisted the bottle cap then took a seat on a stool opposite Dayle. She took a swig, wincing slightly at the familiar scorching burn then looked up at the man opposite her, finally taking the time to really look at this agent. Just like the reports said, he was a handsome man in that dark-haired, square-jawed kinda way. His eyes had held an intoxicating confidence and self-assuredness that made him seem quite reliable, an attractive quality only enhanced by the slight deviousness on his lips that promised a little irresistible danger. Watson slightly frowned as she remarked, "I can understand why women trip over themselves for you."

Dayle's brows rose even higher, a flirtatious grin spreading on his face as he leaned over the counter, "Starting to see my charms?"

Watson rolled her eyes and took another swig from the bottle. She placed it on the counter then matched Dayle's gaze with a frosty one of her own. "An objective assessment. You are not my type."

"Hoo..." Dayle murmured with interest. "What is your type?"

Watson made a gesture with her left hand, prompting Dayle to hand over an empty glass cup. "One day, if you prove to be more than a brainless playboy, I just might tell you." Watson replied as she emptied the rest of the beer into the cup.

"Well, that shouldn't be too hard to prove," Dayle chuckled as he poured himself another glass. He raised the shot glass and clinked it against Watson's. "To me proving myself and a successful mission."

Watson snorted. "Typical that you would put yourself ahead of the mission."

"Of course" Dayle laughed then downed the shot. "Haven't you heard I'm a bit of a narcissist?" No sooner had the glass hit the table did it begin to fill up once again.

"A bit huh." Watson nursed her drink as he watched Dayle nonchalantly down the third shot since she entered the room. "Quite an understatement."

"Cheers to that," Dayle cheered as he downed another with increased gutso.

Watson shook her head, the edge of her lips tilting ever so slightly. For a time, silence ruled the night, two agents relishing the rare joy of a quiet drink in the presence of amiable company. Who knew how much time passed? By the time Watson looked up, she was on her fifth bottle, her eyelids beginning to droop ever so lightly. "Hey," Watson called to the man who'd been steadily drinking opposite her, a slight edge to her voice. "About this mission. Aren't you scared at all?"

"Scared?" Dayle questioned, a bit confused by the suddenness.

"Yeah well, don't you think this mission is a little weird?" Watson murmured. "I've been an analyst for a few years now, and I've never come across a mission with such unclear parameters." Watson frowned, her bunched brows, together with her cold expression causing her to resemble a disgruntled cat. Dayle was forced to down another shot just to prevent himself from laughing. Oblivious to Dayle's predicament, Watson continued, "What do we have to do to get mission clear? Find our missing intel? Gain the intel of other countries? Somehow track down Shouyou? There are no deadlines, no mission failure consequences..." Watson grabbed her mug and quickly emptied its contents into her stomach. "What about the intel we do get? Since we have to check every last one to ensure their validity, what are the chances the brass will just let us go when it's all over with a pat on the back and a 'job well done.' We're likely talking highly classified intel here if it's got the entire agency scrambling like this."

Dayle revealed a soft smile as he helped fill her mug. "It's good to worry. It's smart in fact to be worried. Means you've got a good head on your shoulders and in our line of work, worry is a good way to keep it on." Dayle uncorked the whiskey bottle and began filling a number of shot glasses. "However, though worry is good," he stated as he closed the bottle and raised a shot glass. "We've got to live in spite of the risks, and not for them."

"What fortune cookie did you get that from?"

"A Dayle original if you can believe it."

"I don't."

"Fair enough," Dayle conceded with a laugh. "Point still stands," he reiterated as he downed another shot. "In our job, there will always be risks, some deadlier than others. We ain't got a choice. We gotta live with these risks. What can choose though is if we're gonna let those risks control our lives." A shadow crossed Dayle's lips, his gaze hardening. "Every day I wake up, I accept there is a chance I won't see the end. Too many enemies who would like nothing more than to see me six feet under." Dayle rushed down two shots, squinting as the alcohol burned his throat. "Don't mean I'm not gonna hit on the cute bartender or try my luck with the feisty hostess." Dayle chuckled at Watson's apparent disgust. "Hey, everyone's got their own thing. Point is despite the risks, you ensure you live your own life. Plan for the worst, but take things as they come instead of drowning in your worries."

"Heh," Watson drawled. "Looks like you aren't as brainless as I initially thought. You've actually got some good advice in you."

Dayle's lips spread to reveal a toothy grin. "Proven myself?"

"Congratulations on spoiling the moment," Watson said with a roll of her eyes. She tapped the counter then got off the chair... almost straight to the floor. Luckily, she quickly grabbed the counter to regain her balance. "Looks like I had one too many there." She let go of the counter then stumbled to the door. She paused at the doorway, looking over her shoulder at the dark-haired agent who was currently cleaning up. Barely audibly, she whispered softly, "Thanks."

"My pleasure."

Watson shot the widely grinning Dayle a hateful glare before she stomped off to get some badly needed rest.

Dayle watched the lonely back disappear into the hallway, the joyful eyes suddenly turning cold as ice, a sharp edge to them like a sheathed dagger. "Classified Intel huh?" His lips curled up, menacing and dark. "They'd better behave themselves..."