The room was silent for a moment. The tension thickened, like the calm before a storm. Grimm's hand didn't waver as he aimed his rifle at Kessler, his mind running through countless calculations. Kessler sat there, smiling—composed, as always, the picture of a man who had orchestrated everything.
"Still think you have control?" Grimm's voice was cold, cutting through the charged air.
Kessler's fingers hovered over a few buttons on his desk, his demeanor still calm, too calm. "Control is an illusion, Grimm. You're so focused on stopping me, you've missed the bigger picture."
Grimm's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"
"Phantom wasn't just an algorithm for predicting and eliminating threats," Kessler said, leaning back in his chair. "It was only a tool—a means to an end. The world isn't just about preventing chaos; it's about orchestrating order on a global scale. Global surveillance, predictive strikes, economic manipulation—this was just phase one." He grinned, his expression cold and unnervingly confident. "Phase two? Well, you'll never see it coming."
Tanya, standing off to the side, her rifle trained on Kessler, looked at Grimm. "What the hell is he talking about?"
Grimm didn't take his eyes off Kessler. "What's phase two, Kessler? More lies? More death?"
Kessler's grin never wavered. "You'll see, Captain. You'll all see. By the time you've figured it out, the world will already be mine. My plan goes far beyond what you can comprehend. The Protocol… was just a distraction."
Grimm's finger tightened on the trigger. "Enough. I'm not waiting for your speech."
Kessler raised his hands in mock surrender. "Fine, Captain. If you want to end it now, then end it. But know this…" His voice softened, taking on a more chilling tone. "You've been playing into my hands the entire time."
There was a sharp intake of breath from Reyes. He was behind the team, his hands scrambling at his tablet, and Grimm saw the look of realization flash across his face. Reyes turned pale, and for a moment, his confidence seemed to shatter.
"What is it, Reyes?" Grimm demanded.
"He's already activated it."
Before Grimm could process the words, the room plunged into chaos.
Kessler's laugh echoed in the air, even as the room began to shake. The walls vibrated, and the lights flickered ominously. An alarm blared. A warning. A countdown began on every screen in the room—each one ticking down to zero.
Kessler stood from his chair, his eyes glinting with a malicious gleam. "You really thought you could stop me? My final phase is already in motion. There's no going back now. You've already lost."
"What the hell is this?" Bull roared, scanning the room, his hand tightening on his weapon. "What did you do?!"
Grimm's mind raced. He moved in a blur, his eyes darting around, his instincts kicking in. Kessler's setup, his smirking face—something was off. He didn't know what phase two was, but the countdown was real.
Reyes looked up, his hands shaking as he frantically tried to get access to the system. "It's not just an EMP, Grimm. It's worse. He's activating the launch protocols... Kessler's initiating a global blackout, synchronized with missile strikes—he's setting up a worldwide catastrophe."
Kessler stood there, motionless, watching as panic set in among the team. "Goodbye, Captain. You'll never have the satisfaction of stopping me now. Phase two is unstoppable."
Grimm's blood ran cold. He turned to Reyes. "How much time?"
Reyes looked back at him, his fingers flying across the tablet. "We have less than ten minutes before Kessler's satellites realign, and the global strikes go live. Once they're active, we can't stop them. Not in time. Kessler's overriding every defense network across the globe."
Grimm cursed under his breath. This wasn't just about the Kremlin anymore. This was the endgame—the final move in Kessler's twisted vision of control.
"We have to stop the satellites," Grimm said, his mind calculating rapidly. "If we don't, the strike will be unstoppable."
"Where?" Tanya asked. "How do we reach them?"
"There's a satellite uplink station outside the city, hidden in the mountains. Kessler's launch codes are tied directly to it. If we don't break the link, everything's done."
The alarm sounded again, louder this time. The countdown clicked down to five minutes.
Bull clenched his fists. "We're running out of time, Grimm. We go now, or we're all dead."
"Reyes, get us access to the satellite uplink. I don't care how, just do it," Grimm ordered, his voice low and sharp.
Reyes nodded, scrambling to his feet. "On it. If I can hack into Kessler's satellite control network, we can break the link between the satellites and his override system. But I'll need a few minutes."
"Do it, Reyes," Grimm ordered.
They moved quickly, navigating the dim-lit halls of the Kremlin. The walls trembled with each passing second as Kessler's plan neared its apex. The city was already locked in a panic, the streets filled with the sound of sirens and screams. But the team couldn't afford to slow down now.
As they approached the access point to the uplink station, the ground beneath their feet began to rumble again, stronger this time. The sky outside was filled with the glow of drones—unmanned, deadly machines searching for their targets.
Grimm gritted his teeth. "Move faster. Reyes, how much time?"
"I'm in. Just a few more seconds. I'll initiate the kill sequence on his network once I break the final layer."
Tanya dropped to one knee, her rifle raised, eyes scanning the perimeter. "Watch for guards."
Suddenly, the door to the uplink control room opened, revealing a dozen heavily armed guards, led by a familiar figure—Specter.
The cybernetic enforcer, somehow still standing, his body barely human, moved with terrifying speed.
Grimm didn't hesitate. He raised his rifle and fired.
The shot rang out.
Specter's body jerked violently but didn't go down. His arm shot out like a piston, grabbing Grimm by the throat and slamming him against the wall. The force knocked the breath out of him.
"Still think you can kill me?" Specter growled, his voice a distorted mechanical hiss.
Grimm kicked out, knocking Specter back, but the enforcer was relentless. He swung again.
"Reyes!" Grimm gasped. "Now!"
Reyes was at the console, his fingers dancing across the screen. The countdown was at two minutes.
"I've got it!" Reyes shouted, voice strained. "I've broken the link!"
Specter's head snapped toward Reyes. "No!"
But it was too late.
The uplink station exploded in a massive flash of light, and everything went dark.