The cold night air was thick with anticipation as Alexander and his shadows prepared to strike. From a rooftop overlooking Midtown Manhattan, he observed the HYDRA intelligence facility—disguised as an unassuming financial firm, its towering glass exterior reflecting the city's neon glow. But beneath its corporate facade, it was a fortress. Armed security patrolled the perimeter, surveillance drones hovered above, and the streets surrounding it remained eerily empty despite the late hour.
HYDRA was preparing for something.
Alexander smirked. And so was he.
Noctis materialized from the shadows beside him, his violet eyes scanning the building's structure with practiced precision. "Their defenses are standard but effective. Security checkpoints at all major entrances, biometric access for high-ranking personnel, and multiple underground levels. If we trigger an alarm, reinforcements will arrive in under five minutes."
Alexander folded his arms. "Then we won't give them the chance."
Vasili's form emerged next, his presence barely perceptible even to Alexander himself. "The rooftop entry is lightly guarded. Two men, easily removed. Internal security consists of tactical response teams on rotating patrols. If we are silent, they will not know we were ever here."
Alexander nodded. "Noctis, infiltrate first. I want eyes on their main server room. We need access to their intelligence network."
Noctis inclined his head. "Consider it done."
With a flicker of darkness, Noctis dissolved into the shadows, becoming one with the abyss. Alexander watched as his most tactical shadow phased into the rooftop below, moving unseen as he weaved through the structure like a phantom.
Next, Alexander turned to Vasili. "You handle the sentries. No alarms. No noise."
A ghost of a smile flickered across Vasili's lips before he vanished into the darkness, his presence merging seamlessly with the night.
Alexander exhaled, the thrill of the hunt coursing through him. He turned to Strauss, his newest shadow. "You take the front entrance. Make them believe you're still one of them. Get us into restricted levels."
Strauss's glowing eyes flickered for a brief moment before he bowed his head. "As you command, my king."
The building's sterile, modern interior was a stark contrast to the ruthless organization that operated within its walls. Rows of analysts worked under the glow of monitors, feeding intelligence to HYDRA's many global branches. Armed guards stood at every corridor, their presence a silent warning to anyone who didn't belong.
At the front security station, a team of operatives reviewed the latest surveillance feeds. One of them glanced at a monitor displaying the main entrance. "Commander Strauss? I thought he was deployed."
The lead officer frowned as he studied the screen. Strauss was approaching the building, his uniform pristine, his posture authoritative. The only thing off was his expression—calm, unreadable, unlike his usual sharp demeanor.
The officer activated the intercom. "Commander Strauss, state your business."
Strauss stopped before the checkpoint, his hands resting behind his back. "Priority clearance. I need immediate access to the lower levels. There's been a security breach."
The officer's frown deepened. "We haven't received any alerts."
Strauss leaned forward, his gaze locking onto the man's. "Because I'm containing it. Let me through. Now."
There was something unnatural about his tone—something commanding, almost hypnotic. The officer hesitated, then nodded to the guards. "Let him pass."
Strauss stepped forward, his movements steady, calculated. The moment he crossed the threshold, Alexander's shadows slipped through with him, unseen by mortal eyes.
The infiltration had begun.
Noctis moved like a specter, his form flickering between shadows as he maneuvered through the dimly lit corridors. The security in this section was heavier—motion sensors, automated turrets, biometric locks. But to him, they were mere obstacles to be bypassed.
He reached the main server room door and placed his palm against the steel panel. A faint hum resonated as abyssal energy seeped into the locking mechanism, disrupting its power source. With a soft hiss, the door slid open.
Inside, rows of servers blinked in eerie synchronization, their data streams running through HYDRA's vast intelligence network. Noctis wasted no time, stepping inside and placing a small abyssal shard onto the central console. The shard pulsed, latching onto the network, siphoning information at an alarming rate.
A notification flashed across the screen. Accessing classified files…
Then something unexpected happened.
The system resisted.
A red warning flashed as HYDRA's firewalls engaged, sending a surge of countermeasures through the network. Noctis frowned as encrypted data attempted to purge itself.
"They were expecting us," he muttered.
Then the alarms blared.
Alexander and his shadows emerged onto the rooftop just as the first HYDRA reinforcements arrived. The streets below flooded with armored vehicles, soldiers pouring into the building like an invading force. Helicopters hovered overhead, spotlights cutting through the night.
Alexander turned to Noctis. "Did you get it?"
Noctis nodded. "Everything. But they knew we were coming. Someone inside HYDRA is aware of us."
Alexander's smirk didn't fade. "Then we make them regret it."
As the first HYDRA helicopter moved into position, Vasili raised his blade.
And the abyss consumed the night.
HYDRA had declared war.
Alexander was simply finishing it.
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