Tertiary Assault

Chapter 4: The Artificial Predator

   Few days has passed since the sudden raid at Apex, the situation was still grim. The employees were still traumatized from the sudden attack from the Tertiary Assault, none of them were able to focus on their work, multiple employees requested for leaves, some even left the company because of the attack. Due to that, The higher ups made the decision to end the working hours of the employees for the day early and provided them a 3 days paid leave while they resolve the issue. Later at night, the higher-ups, managers of each divisions and other branches of Apex gathered around "The Chamber", a meeting room that only individuals with high rankings are given access to at Apex's main headquarters. In The Chamber,every single seat is occupied, yet there's an unspoken harmony in the way everyone quietly sits there, lending the space an almost meditative quality. The silence is so palpable that you could almost hear a pin drop. 
   The Chamber, once wrapped in silence, suddenly awakens as a single cough pierces through the stillness, drawing everyone's attention. the chief executive officer, who people tend to refers to as "The Crown" spoke in a serious tone :" By now we are all familiar with the notorious Tertiary Assault. The attacks on our branches, the theft of our data, so on and so forth...." He sighed and added :"Their recent attack on the main branch caused us one of, if not, our greatest lost so far......They've took Subject-001."
   In the wake of the Crown's shocking revelation, every individial in the room immediately launched into a fervent chatter as if to digest the unexpected news. Crown let out a long sigh and in the midst of all the chatter, he cleared his throat with a dignified "ahem." The meeting room hushed immediately, like a switch had been flipped. 
   "At this rate, our plans for Project-V0ID will be foiled before our very eyes." said Crown.
"To gather ideas as to how we can take down the Tertiary Assault.....They're getting way to close to uncovering our secrets...it's now or never." He added. He then put some the copy of some kind of contract on the table, then exclaimed: "I've comissioned The Syndicate Calamity to recapture 001 a few days back but they've ceased all forms of communication with us, it's likely they've either turned against us or the Tertiary Assault executed them too..." Second's later , a female figure raised her arm and cleared her throat, saying :"If you're in a desperate need of a plan, i suggest we resort to desperate measures."
   She then says:" I suppose everyone here is familiar with Project-T.R.I.A.D, yes? Some of us seen the project, others even worked on in, but we all know one thing in common— She is created to be the most formidable predator humanity will ever see." She then looks over to the manager of Project-T.R.I.A.D Senzai Takahashi and nods. Soon, Senzai gets up from his seat and heads out The Chamber. Minutes later he returned with a female figure outside the door behind him. "Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to unveil the finest predator the world will ever see— Project-T.R.I.A.D, codename "Keter".

   A female figure walked into the room. Her hair  is tied up with golden hair beads at the end of her ponytail, her commanding figure accentuated by a glowing collar and draped in a sleek black coat, possessed an arresting gaze with her left eye revealing three captivating layers of colors, while a mysterious black and purple battle mask, adorned with a vent-like feature emitting an eerie glow, concealed her countenance, leaving an enigmatic aura in her wake. Within the confines of The Chamber, gasps of astonishment rippled through the attendees. Their collective shock was palpable as they beheld the transformation of what once was a soulless artificial body into a robust and formidable looking individual.
    Among the 2 rows of meeting attendees, one voiced their thoughts, saying, 'She certainly exudes a fierce aura, no doubt about it, but the question remains: are her capabilities genuinely impeccable, or is it all a façade with no substance beneath the surfa-""Before he could even complete his sentence, Keter seemingly teleported behind him, a gun pointed perilously at the side of his head. In a voice that seemed to contain the essence of three distinct individuals, Keter uttered with an ominous yet calm, "You were saying?" At that moment, a collective gasp of astonishment swept through the attendees. The incredible speed at which Keter had appeared behind the individual left them in a state of shock; they had never witnessed a creation with such uncanny swiftness. However, their shock soon transformed into sheer amazement. The atmosphere in the room shifted, and the attendees, now captivated by Keter's extraordinary presence, erupted into applause. They recognized and celebrated the glory of this creation, and Keter acknowledged their appreciation with a subtle nod of acknowledgment. "What you just witnessed is the remarkable outcome of our cutting-edge HyperSPD mk2 cyberware, which we integrated into Keter. This enhancement is specifically designed to harness her capabilities to their fullest potential, particularly in tracking down Origin and other rogue test subjects who dare defy us." said Senzai.
     Expressing his admiration, Crown remarked, "I must say, I am thoroughly impressed by the astonishing capabilities of Keter. With a unit like her, I have every confidence to say that we will swiftly locate and retrieve Origin with ease." Rising from his seat, he collected his scattered papers before continuing, "With that, I conclude our meeting for tonight. Tomorrow, I will issue directives to Commander West and initiate a strategic mission to recapture Origin. That's all for this evening. I extend my gratitude to all of you for attending this meeting. Meeting dismissed."
        As the meeting ended, the attendees filed out, each heading to gather their work materials before departing for the day. In contrast, Commander West walked with back to her office, where she promptly powered up her computer and began composing an email, her fingers moving across the keyboard with precision. Ten minutes later, and she hit the send button. With the email dispatched, Commander West leaned back in her chair, her thoughts drifting. She muttered to herself, "Why did I suggest using Keter for this,the Tertiary Assault are no match for her..." Her gaze turned to the window, and she continued, "Koy... the Tertiary Assault...I can only hope that all of you are ready for what's to come."