As the Vice CEO sat down, the room fell into a deeper silence. All eyes shifted to Mr. Brandon Rane Johnson, the CEO and the face of the organization. He rose from his chair slowly, every movement deliberate, as if he knew that just by standing, he had the power to shift the energy in the room. His sharp, calculating gaze swept over all of us, lingering for a moment on the empty seat where Leo should’ve been, before returning to the center of the table.
"Let me get straight to the point," he said, his voice cutting through the room like a blade. No pleasantries, no hesitation. "We are facing something far more dangerous than any one of you realizes."
He pressed a button on the touchpad in front of him, and the screen behind him changed. Now, images of destroyed facilities, cyber attack reports, and high-level leaks flashed one after the other. Everything from arms deals going south to entire networks being wiped clean. A chill spread through the room as he continued.
“The attacks we’ve been experiencing... they aren’t random. They aren’t just the result of a few well-timed hacks or covert ops gone wrong. This is an organized, targeted assault on the very foundation of our system. And it’s global. Every single region under our jurisdiction has been compromised in some way.”
I leaned forward slightly, my heart pounding in my chest. Everyone was on edge, waiting for him to say what we all knew was coming. There was no point in skirting around it any longer.
Johnson took a deep breath, and for the first time, there was a crack in his composure. The weight of the truth was heavy, even for him.
“There’s one name behind all of this,” he said, his voice low, but carrying enough weight to make the room hold its breath. “The Shadows.”
A murmur rippled through the room, but it was quickly silenced by Johnson’s raised hand. I clenched my fists under the table. Of course. The Shadows were the most dangerous threat we’d faced in years—an organization so covert, so brutal, that even speaking their name sent ripples of fear through the underworld. But until now, they’d always been a looming threat, not an active one.
Johnson continued. “They’ve been working in the dark, undermining our operations for years, but now they’re fully mobilized. And they aren’t just targeting us. Governments, corporations, intelligence agencies—everyone is at risk. The Shadows have no clear motive that we’ve been able to identify yet, but they’re relentless. We’re dealing with a force that’s capable of destabilizing entire regions overnight.”
He paused, letting his words sink in, his eyes scanning the faces of every team leader, every specialist in the room.
“And make no mistake,” he said, voice steady, “they are coming for us. This organization has been built to maintain order, to preserve peace through whatever means necessary. The Shadows want to tear that down. This isn’t just an attack on our systems—it’s an attack on everything we’ve built.”
The tension was palpable. Everyone around the table was dead silent, processing the gravity of what he was saying.
Johnson motioned to the head of the board of directors, a man just as stoic and commanding as him, but with more silver in his hair and a cold, precise demeanor. Mr. Lionel Graves stood up, his hands clasped in front of him as he addressed the room.
“As you’ve heard,” Graves began, his voice cold and calculating, “this is no ordinary threat. The Shadows have the ability to cripple entire governments, economies, and organizations, including our own. And while we don’t yet fully understand their ultimate goal, we do know this: they are gaining ground. Fast.”
He stepped closer to the screen, pointing to a map now showing highlighted regions where attacks had been the most severe. “Our intelligence teams have traced their activities to several key locations around the globe. They’re using advanced technology, infiltrating networks we once thought were impenetrable.”
The map zoomed in on different hotspots—Hong Kong, Berlin, New York, Moscow—all places where there had been catastrophic breaches recently.
“We’ve had informants within their ranks,” Graves said, his voice lowering. “But as of this week, every single one has gone dark. We have no way of knowing how deep their influence runs, or how compromised we’ve truly become.”
I swallowed hard, my mind racing. No wonder the UN is breathing down our necks. If the Shadows could infiltrate us this thoroughly, we were already at a massive disadvantage.
Graves gave Johnson a slight nod, signaling for him to take over once more.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Johnson said, his voice regaining that razor-sharp edge. “Each team will be assigned specific high-priority targets. We’re splitting resources, and we need complete cooperation across every division. Specialists from each field will convene after this general session to coordinate their strategies with the team leaders.”
He glanced at me for a brief second, then back to the entire group.
“And this will be the most critical part. The Shadows have stolen something—a device. A chip or more than that an Aegis Core in the form of a chip that holds information far beyond anything we’ve seen. We don’t know how they intend to use it, but if they succeed... let’s just say the consequences could be catastrophic.”
A heavy silence filled the air. Everyone knew what he was referring to, even if no one dared say it. The chip was the stuff of rumors, whispered in the deepest parts of the organization. A tool that could tip the balance of power entirely. And now it was in the hands of the enemy.
Johnson straightened, his gaze hardening. “Failure is not an option. We take back control, or we risk losing everything.”
He phrases himself into silence for a few seconds and then speaks. "This is my first request to each and every person present in this hall. We have to save ourselves and the world from this disaster. Everyone is counting on us. Everyone please don't fail...." He breathes, "The specialists are now requested to meet at the other end of the room. He then speaks "And there is a 25 minute short break for everyone to get dressed up well. As we will be having a meeting with representatives of several other organisations too." He and along with everyone glance up at me. I mean I wasn't looking too bad. Or was I?
With that, the meeting was set into motion. Instructions would follow, but one thing was clear: we were now officially at war with the Shadows. And this time, it felt like the fight would be unlike anything we had ever faced before.
After that we started towards our chambers. But I stayed there till everyone left. And as I was proceeding to leave, I bumped into a rock solid 🪨 figure. Ouch!
"Ahhhhhhhhhh man". Then I glance up at the figure. It was none other than the most annoying person I had ever expected to see. Leo.
YOU ARE READING
Aegis Core
General Fiction"Beyond the veil of morality, where desire knows no bounds, Xena and Leo find themselves ensnared in a deadly game of seduction and betrayal. As the stakes rise, the Aegis Core comes together with shadows and the world burns around them, they must c...
