The world below was white—endless frost and jagged ridgelines stretching into the northern horizon. The helicopter banked over the Yukon–Koyukuk territory, engines groaning in protest against the freezing winds.
"Touchdown in sixty seconds," the pilot called over comms. "Nothing but ice and static out here."
Grimm adjusted his gear, double-checking his rifle and ammo. Across from him, Reyes hunched over his terminal, a flickering digital map glowing faintly in the gloom. Tanya loaded a fresh magazine into her sniper rifle while Bull finished strapping on his heavy assault vest.
They were heading into the cold heart of the Phantom Protocol.
"Thermal scan's a bust," Reyes muttered. "The subroutine's shielded—either underground or camouflaged. All I can see is a narrow dead zone—perfect place to hide a covert node."
"Then we go in blind," Grimm said. "No drones, no backup."
The chopper touched down on a windswept ridge. Visibility was minimal—thick snowfall and fog made the surrounding terrain a blur. As the team stepped out, the rotors kicked up a flurry of ice and frost. Kessler, restrained and under Tanya's watch, looked around with mild interest.
"You dragged me across the world to chase a ghost," he said, voice muffled by the wind.
"No," Grimm replied. "We're here to bury one."
The team moved out, weapons raised, following Reyes's guidance through the blizzard. The snow crunched under their boots, and every step deeper into the dead zone felt heavier, like crossing into a place the world had forgotten.
Ten minutes in, Reyes signaled them to stop.
"There," he said, pointing toward a jagged outcropping of black rock half-buried in the snow. "That distortion—it's not natural. EM interference is spiking. We're standing on a signal shield."
Bull approached and pounded a fist against the ice-covered stone. It rang out hollow.
Grimm gave the nod.
"Breach it."
Bull planted a thermite charge and motioned everyone back. The explosion cracked the frozen air, sending chunks of rock and ice flying. When the smoke cleared, a hatch stood exposed—steel and seamless, with a biometric lock blinking red.
Tanya shoved Kessler forward.
"Open it."
Kessler raised an eyebrow. "Even if I wanted to help, it won't open for me anymore. Phantom knows I've been compromised."
Reyes moved forward. "Then maybe I can fake it."
He connected a cable from his terminal to the lock, his fingers flying across the interface.
"C'mon, baby… don't fail me now…"
The lock flickered. Red… then yellow… then green.
The hatch creaked open, revealing a long steel tunnel leading downward into darkness.
"Lights out," Tanya muttered.
They descended into the depths, weapons ready. The air was stale, heavy with the scent of cold metal and old power. Faint emergency lights flickered on as motion sensors detected them, illuminating narrow hallways lined with servers and reinforced blast doors.
"This is it," Reyes whispered. "The Phantom Core."
Grimm moved to cover while Reyes connected his gear to the main console. The hum of ancient systems stirred like a sleeping beast. Data flooded the terminal—names, dates, predictive patterns. Wars prevented. Governments destabilized. Civilian casualties "optimized."
"God…" Reyes muttered. "They've been using this for years—deciding who lives or dies with no oversight. We're talking millions of profiles. Algorithms deciding threat potential. Journalists. Activists. Kids."
Tanya scanned the data. "We leak this, there's no going back. Every intelligence agency on Earth will want us dead."
Grimm nodded. "We knew the cost when we started."
Kessler stood silently, observing the collapse of his legacy.
"You think this will bring justice?" he asked. "The world will panic. Governments will deny. People will blame you."
"We're not after justice," Grimm said. "We're after truth."
Reyes initiated the data uplink.
"Routing through three satellites. If I can keep the signal stable, this leak goes live in two minutes."
Then alarms blared.
Red lights flashed.
"Motion sensors just picked up multiple signatures topside," Reyes said, panicking. "Inbound strike team. Not Helix—Langley black suits. They're here to shut us down."
Tanya pulled Kessler toward a corner. "Stay down or I make you a headline."
Grimm looked to Bull. "Set charges. We burn the servers if they get too close."
Bull nodded and moved quickly.
"Reyes, how long?" Grimm asked.
"Eighty seconds!"
Gunfire erupted from above. The strike team had breached the hatch.
"Contact!" Tanya shouted.
The first wave of operators descended the tunnel—silent, faceless, and armed with suppressed carbines. But Grimm's team was ready.
Gunfire lit the corridor.
Grimm moved with surgical precision, dropping targets with clean headshots. Tanya provided overwatch, her sniper rounds punching through armor. Bull's heavy MG thundered in the confined space, shredding through the assault line.
Reyes hunched over the console, fingers shaking. "Thirty seconds!"
A grenade bounced down the corridor.
"Flash out!" Grimm yelled, covering his eyes.
The blast disoriented everyone—except the second wave of enemies.
Bull roared as he slammed into two operatives, taking a round to the shoulder but refusing to fall. Tanya dropped to a knee, firing through the smoke. Reyes yelled something, but it was drowned out by gunfire.
Then—
"Upload complete!" Reyes screamed.
Grimm turned to Reyes. "Wipe the local drive. No backup. No mercy."
Reyes hit the kill command. The server room dimmed as the Phantom Core began a permanent shutdown.
Grimm tossed Kessler a final glance. "This is where your empire ends."
The team pulled back toward the exit, fighting through the chaos. With a final switch, Bull detonated the charges—engulfing the Phantom node in flame and fury.
They emerged into the freezing dawn, bloodied but alive.
Above them, Reyes's signal went global.
The world would never be the same.