Everyone Is Connected

Chapter 10 switched roles

Elouise woke up to the sound of the clock buzzing, the remnants of last night's haze still lingering in her mind. She shook it off quickly, pushing herself to get up. There was work to do, and she knew she had to keep moving forward. She dressed swiftly, the usual calm, detached look on her face as she made her way to the meeting room.

The mission files were spread out across the large table. She walked over to the screen, scanning the data, feeling the pull of the mission ahead. She was going to dive into the deep web of Umbrella's hidden labs, tracking down the uncharted facilities that could give them the upper hand.

"I'll try the deep dive," she muttered to herself, tapping the desk and glancing over at the team, already busy discussing strategy. The plans were starting to come together, but Elouise knew the real work would begin once they were in the field.

As she prepared herself mentally for the task, Ada suddenly appeared in the doorway. Her voice cut through the murmurs of conversation.

"That's impressive," Ada said, her gaze flicking toward Elouise's chip, before briefly meeting Leon's eyes. "A chip like that... I'm surprised it's not more widely known."

Elouise could sense the subtle tension in the room. She knew the words were meant to provoke something. Leon looked a little caught off guard, his expression fleetingly softening as he processed Ada's words. The comment felt oddly personal, though Elouise couldn't quite put her finger on why.

"Let's keep focused," Leon said quickly, his voice steady but his gaze lingering a little longer than necessary on Ada. "We need to figure out where Umbrella has hidden the rest of their labs."

The others nodded, shifting back to the task at hand. But as Elouise moved toward the lab, preparing herself to plug into the system and get started, she felt a strange tension in the air. Kassandra was beside her, talking strategy, and Ada was right behind them. Leon, of course, followed along too. The team was finally moving, but it wasn't just the mission that had her attention.

In the lab, Elouise slipped on her suit—comfortable, easy to move in. The fabric felt familiar, a quiet reassurance in the midst of the chaos. But as she adjusted herself in front of the mirror, she caught Leon's gaze from the corner of her eye.

His eyes were focused on her. She froze for a moment, a strange unease creeping up her spine as she looked back at him.

"What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

He blinked quickly, caught in the act. "Nothing," he muttered, turning away too quickly, almost as if embarrassed.

Elouise smirked, a bit of her usual coolness returning. She had to admit—it was a little satisfying, seeing him caught off guard.

"Right." She shook her head, heading toward the Netrunner chair. She slid the plug into the connector behind her head, feeling the familiar hum of the connection as her mind linked with the system. She could feel the data flowing through her, feeding her the locations of those hidden Umbrella facilities—places even the most advanced AI had failed to track.

Elouise's fingers twitched with the information flowing in, but her thoughts kept drifting back to the tension she'd felt with Leon. There was something about his reaction to her that lingered, something she couldn't quite shake off. She pushed it aside, focusing on the mission. It was better that way. There was no room for distractions, no time for whatever feelings she couldn't quite name.

The list of facilities came into focus on her screen, and she dove deeper into the system. They would find these places. And then, maybe, she could finally answer the questions that haunted her.

As Elouise continued to dive deeper into the system, the data started to clarify, pinpointing the hidden Umbrella facilities scattered across the globe. The locations were spread out in major cities, each one strategically placed to avoid detection. She could feel the information flooding her mind, her chip syncing perfectly with the vast database.