Konrad was never fond of people intruding on his thoughts and learning his secrets.
Even if he didn't have any.
But his wives, a greater demon and an archangel, could read his mind on a whim. And when a stranger, in fact, a terrifying enemy, could do the same—
No. How about it occupying part of his mind?
And while it started as a desperate retreat to avoid death, his parallel brain was now getting out of hand. Whatever he found in that lab earlier—
His range and capabilities became way too overpowered.
Broadcasting his mind to others, or reading theirs as well? Yeah, no problem.
Heck, even overwriting minds was a breeze as long as they didn't wear Psyonic protection.
And thinking that he could have done the same to him terrified Konrad to no end.
But at the same time, it sure made planning as a group much more streamlined.
'So here's the optimised operation,' the brain announced. 'After gathering all available info and evaluating your individual inputs. I'm calling it Operation Triple Revenge.'
Ugh. Was he an edgy teenager?
'Age-wise, not yet, but let's focus on the topic at hand,' the voice scoffed.
Because—did I mention the non-stop surveillance?!
Konrad couldn't even have an individual thought without that parasite knowing about it.
And lately he also loved to rub it in his face.
'Anyway,' he projected into all their minds—Strelok, Dmitry, the three rescued aircrews, and him. 'Our best chance to move out is past midnight, using the darkness as cover.'
Okay, because turns out, making six people invisible was too much for him.
Thank the spirits—even this overpowered beast had its limits.
'I'll ignore that for now,' another scoff. Yeah, those limits didn't exist when it came to reading his mind, though. 'Assuming their patrols are punctual, there'll be a gap here at around—'
Oh, and by the way, he also projected maps and images into their minds.
Almost like Konrad used his illusions back in Kasserlane.
Actually—he must've stolen the idea from him, as he had already processed all his memories. But these images existed only in their minds—sharper than anything he could ever produce.
'And once we're past the perimeter, we can finally split up without any risks.'
Now, this is where the participants began to disagree.
"I promised Konrad to help until the end," Dmitry protested. "Why do I have to escort the aircrew, rather than going to the Powerplant with you guys?"
'Um, because you have no stake in whatever is going on there?' the voice schooled him.
Which might have been true from his point of view, but as a patriot—
"This entire nightmare is happening within my country," the Captain snapped back. "And we're already at war. What do you mean no stakes?! At the very least, I must find out the details—"
'Which I can give you via telepathy,' the brain shot him down.
"We don't know what to expect," Strelok noted. "But I've a good hunch, and believe me—you'd want none of that. Those mutants and the Monolith would be the least of our problems."
His theory—which Konrad learned via the parallel brain—was that Lucifer had a hand in this.
Whether to further torment Strelok, or as an unrelated part of his plan to take over the world, he couldn't tell. But considering the forces involved—
Konrad also thought they shouldn't involve anyone but the fallen angel's puppets.
'Besides, someone has to rescue these airmen,' the voice pointed out. 'And they're in the same army as you are, right? So you should be the one to do it, Captain Bandera.'
"Yeah, and what makes you think I can?" Dmitry grunted. "I'm no Stalker, and the Anomalies—"
"I've uploaded my personal map to your PDA," Strelok interjected. "You can have my prototype detector, too. With this brain thing, we won't need it inside the CNPP, anyway."
'Can't believe I still don't have a proper name,' the said brain grumbled.
"It's not like I'm your mother to give you one," Konrad pointed out while the others argued.
"Why not give those things to the soldiers instead?" the Captain demanded. "I could be a big help against—whatever you're about to fight in there. With my Gepard—"
'Which you no longer have,' the voice interrupted, then Strelok did as well.
"They don't have PDAs, nor the experience you gathered in the last few days."
Yeah, Konrad had to admit.
Hate the plan all they wanted, it was rock solid so far.
'Besides. Triple Revenge refers to my humble self against the researchers,' the brain explained. Not that anyone asked. 'Plus Strelok's revenge for his sister, and Konrad—'
"Okay, the name won't define the plans," he grunted. "But I agree with them, too. Sorry, pal."
Ugh. Didn't that sound almost like the parallel brain had brainwashed him already?
'I did no such thing,' the voice claimed. 'These are your responsible duke instincts kicking in.'
Nope. That only made it worse.
But it was true.
"Remember what happened to the Wolves," Konrad muttered. "They got caught up in our business for no reason. But these soldiers are your comrades. You have to get them to safety."
"Don't worry, this kid and I will be—"
"Outmatched," Dmitry scoffed at Strelok. "You saw Pripyat. What d'you expect in the CNPP?"
'We've no reason to assume security would be tighter,' the voice interjected. 'They have this whole Anomaly field protecting the place—and I'm still not sure how to breach that.'
Yeah. Crossing the Teleportation Anomalies was the weakest part of the plan so far.
The brain has been probing every Monolith soldier's mind he could, but—
Turns out those guys hadn't been to the Powerplant since the Second Incident.
And their veterans had their own shielding from Psyonics.
So it wasn't even sure they could get inside.
"Some plan, this is," the Captain still seethed—but Konrad knew it would have been much worse without the brain. "So you go in on a suicide mission, and want me to run away."
"On the plus side, if we all fail, I'll get the voice to give you the details anyway," he offered.
'Then, it would be up to you to kick off Operation Quad Revenge,' the brain said.
Because it had to butt in again, of course—
"Gather as many Stalkers as you can, or let the brass know what's going on here, and take 'em all down. Avenge us if you have to," Konrad pleaded. "We can't go all-in right off the bat."
Strelok nodded, too.
"I've long given up on life, and know that our chances are grim," he said. "But even if I die trying to free my sister—yours might be the honor to do it once I'm dead."
Well, no. Konrad wanted him alive, and of course, he'd rather survive, too.
But that finally seemed to calm the Captain down.
"Fine. So my part is to get these guys away from the Monolith," Dmitry summarised. "Lay low and observe. And in case you fail, I'm leading the second wave."
"Yeah, let's go with that," Konrad nodded, feeling relieved but also tired.
And it was already midnight.
About time to set things in motion, while—
He still had his greatest issue unsolved.