Episode 23: Authorization Granted
The International Spy service had never behaved like this before.
One by one, sealed doors throughout the facility slid open.
Access Granted.
Authorization Granted to Sam Brooks.
Authorization Granted to Sarah Brooks.
Authorization Granted to Sandra Brooks.
The announcements echoed through every corridor.
Agents stopped in their tracks.
Security officers stared at their terminals in disbelief.
No one had issued those commands.
No one even had the authority.
Yet the system obeyed.
Across the station, chaos erupted. Personnel were suddenly logged out of command systems. Others found themselves granted access to restricted areas they had never been cleared to enter. Secure files appeared and disappeared. Security protocols activated and deactivated without warning.
No one knew who was in control anymore.
No one knew who to trust.
---
Meanwhile, inside the Presidential Office, the crisis had finally reached President Dan Vega's desk.
His assistant, Peter, stood before him, reviewing an endless stream of reports.
"The situation is escalating, sir," Peter said grimly. "Several members of the World Government Council are demanding an immediate audience. There are already discussions regarding impeachment."
Dan clenched his fists.
The entire world seemed to be slipping through his fingers.
And somewhere behind it all was one name.
Laspa.
---
Deep beneath the ISS, Sam followed the strange trail of unlocked doors until she reached a heavily secured underground chamber.
The final door opened.
Inside stood Laspa and a team of scientists surrounding the Malkietor.
Screens flashed red.
Warning alarms pulsed through the laboratory.
The scientists worked frantically.
"Stabilize the core!"
"We're losing containment!"
The Malkietor appeared perfectly normal from the outside, but beneath its metallic shell something was going horribly wrong.
It was becoming unstable.
Laspa stared at the machine with growing frustration.
Then he noticed Sam.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then Sam acted.
She rushed forward, seized the Malkietor, and escaped before anyone could stop her.
Laspa shouted after her.
But she was already gone.
---
Elsewhere, Sander examined the mysterious box recovered during the operation.
Hidden beneath several layers of false compartments, he discovered a flash drive.
The contents shocked him.
Photographs.
Research logs.
Blueprints.
Evidence.
Proof of Project M.
As the files loaded, Miss Bani began explaining their significance.
Years ago, Alex Brooks had designed the original blueprint for the Malkietor.
What began as a revolutionary technological project had evolved into something far beyond anyone's control.
Something dangerous.
Something alive in ways it should never have been.
---
Inside a secure conference room, Miss Bani, Sarah, Amanda, and Gabriel continued meeting with senior agents.
The agenda was simple.
Stop Laspa.
Expose the anti-agents hidden within the organization.
And determine whether President Dan Vega should remain in power.
The room was filled with tension.
Then Sarah's communicator vibrated.
A message from Sam.
"I'm home. I have the Malkietor."
Sarah and Sandra exchanged stunned looks.
Without another word, they rushed from the meeting.
---
At the Vega Mansion, the Malkietor rested on a workbench.
Sandra stared at it in fascination.
The machine was unlike anything she had ever seen.
Its intricate mechanisms seemed almost impossible.
Every component appeared decades ahead of modern technology.
"If this thing works the way Alex designed it..." Sandra whispered, "its potential is limitless."
She began examining the damaged systems.
Then she attempted repairs.
At first, everything seemed fine.
Then warning indicators appeared.
One.
Then another.
Then several more.
Sandra stepped back.
"What did I just do?"
Instead of fixing the damage, she had unknowingly created even more complications.
The Malkietor's internal systems began behaving unpredictably.
And somewhere deep inside the machine, something awakened.
---
Back at the ISS, Amanda, Gabriel, and loyal agents launched a coordinated operation.
Anti-agents were identified and arrested.
Several conspirators were captured within hours.
Laspa's network was collapsing.
But Laspa himself refused to fall.
Using the confusion spreading throughout the station, he escaped custody.
His destination was obvious.
The Vega Mansion.
The Malkietor was there.
And he intended to reclaim it at any cost.
As darkness settled over the city, Laspa raced toward the mansion.
Inside, Sam, Sarah, and Sandra remained unaware that danger was already approaching.
The battle for the Malkietor was about to begin.