The air in the garage hung heavy, thick with the smell of stale air and the ozone from the rapidly running servers. Maya stood at the center of the fugitives' command post, the focal point of four intensely expectant gazes: Jax, the relentless operative; Zoe and Kael, the accused idealists; and Ethan, the nervous guardian. She was the one civilian, the only one who wasn't wanted by every security organization in the sector, yet she was being asked to perform the riskiest task.
Zoe's words, indirectly asking Maya as "The Lure," echoed in the silence. The weight of the plan settled on her shoulders—the weight of her career, the life of her father's memory, and now, the freedom of these two people.
She stared at the floor, the polished chrome of her prosthetic arm glinting in the monitor light. The choice was stark: walk away and be instantly fired by Director Robert, or risk prison by collaborating with alleged criminals. But the moment she'd felt the satisfaction of exposing Nexus Corp's lie to Jax, the path had become clear. She had to see this through. This wasn't just a story; it was a moral imperative.
Maya lifted her gaze, meeting Zoe's suspicious stare first. She gave a single, firm nod.
"I'll do it," Maya said, her voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through her veins. "But this is not a favor. This is an exchange. I get the evidence, and I get the exclusive story on the Nexus Leak Case—the real one, the corporate cover-up."
Jax nodded slowly, a flicker of approval in his eyes. "Deal. You get the truth you earn."
"Right," Zoe conceded, quickly moving to the practicalities. "Then we need a plan. Marcus is smart. You can't just call him into a meeting."
" That's right "Jax nodded.
The next hour was spent meticulously mapping out the plan on a sprawling holographic interface projected onto the garage floor.
"How do you get in?" Kael asked, his anxiety about his impending link delivery clearly visible.
"I go in as a journalist," Maya explained. "My director, Robert, gave me the Nexus Leak Case file. I can use that to request a high-level interview with Marcus to get the 'official Nexus Corp perspective' on the hack."
"He'll give you five minutes in his office, maximum," Jax countered, leaning over the holographic map of the Nexus Corp office tower. "He's too busy managing the PR disaster to entertain a mid-level reporter."
"No, he won't," Maya insisted, tapping a point on the holographic map of the Nexus Corp tower. "His PR team is spinning the narrative that Kael and Zoe are 'ideological terrorists.' Marcus will take any chance to reinforce that narrative in the media. I won't ask for a quick chat; I'll ask for an immersive, walk-through interview—a profile on the CEO who 'heroically saved the company from hackers.'"
Zoe's eyes lit up. "That's brilliant. It feeds his ego. He wants to control the optics."
"Exactly," Maya confirmed. "I tell him the piece is about his leadership during the crisis, a 'Day in the Life of Marcus.' It requires him to leave the desk, show me the command center, the secure server room—anywhere but his private cabin."
Every agreed to Maya's plan. Now the team needed to secure the other half of the mission: Lyra, the Clicker.
Zoe used Maya's Ear-Com, voice-scrambled line to call her former friend. The rest of the garage listened in tense silence.
"Lyra, it's Zoe," she began, the fear and desperation evident even through the voice filter.
"Zoe! Oh my gods, where are you? Your Poster's have been everywhere!" Lyra's voice was sharp with terror and relief.
"I need your help, Lyra. I didn't steal anything. Nexus Corp framed me," Zoe pleaded, quickly explaining the core facts—the Marcus CUBE connection, the ideological framing.
Lyra hesitated. "Zoe, I can't. If I get caught—"
"You won't get caught," Zoe cut her off. "It's simple. You have access to Marcus's floor. You don't know me, you don't know the plan. You just have to enter his cabin when he's gone and click one link on his main CORE screen. It will look like a system update."
"A link from an unknown source? I'll be flagged," Lyra argued, her fear escalating.
It was Kael who stepped in, speaking into the comms. "It won't be from an unknown source, Lyra. It will be a link disguised as an internal Nexus Corp Security Protocol Update. The system will register it as a routine maintenance task. You have less than one minute of total risk."
"What about the security" Lyra hesitated.
"Don't worry about security, Lyra," Zoe continued. "I will handle the digital side. Your only job is the click."
Zoe delivered the final blow. "They are going to find us, Lyra. And if we get caught, the full truth about what Marcus is hiding goes with us. You're the only one who can save us and expose this corporation from the inside."
A long silence followed. "Zoe, I don't know what happened Zoe," Lyra finally whispered. " But me instinct telling me to help you, So tell me the time". The entire garage collectively exhaled.
With Lyra secured, the team scheduled the infiltration for the next morning. It had to be executed precisely when Marcus was at his desk but before his most secured meetings began.
"We strike at 11:00 AM," Jax declared, tapping a specific point on the clock. "The main network traffic is at its peak, providing maximum cover."
Zoe laid out the required timeline, tapping the holographic interface with her finger:
11:00 AM : Maya secures her meeting with Marcus and enters his office. The Nexus Corp security will log her in as an approved media visitor.
11:15 AM : Maya initiates the "walk-through" interview, successfully getting Marcus out of his chair and away from his desk.
11:20 AM : I will hack security robots and Camaras, but I can hold it just for 5 minutes. In that time Lyra (The Clicker), utilizing her security access, enters Marcus's unoccupied cabin, disguised as routine maintenance personnel.
11:22 AM : Lyra executes the click on the disguised link. This establishes the Marcus CUBE to NODE bridge. This window must be held just for 3 full minutes.
11:25 AM : The download is complete. Lyra is out of the cabin. Maya ends the interview and leaves Nexus Corp.
"Maya, you have to hold him for twenty minutes minimum—from the moment you lure him out until the moment Lyra is clear," Zoe stated, her eyes demanding certainty. "No matter what he says, you keep him moving, you keep him talking, and you keep his focus off his screen. And" She she continue." After twenty minutes make some drama and escape from there".
"I can do twenty," Maya confirmed," And leave that escape think to me", the journalistic adrenaline already planning the perfect, ego-stroking questions.
Zoewasn't just directing; she was the logistical anchor, providing the necessary security to minimize risk for Maya and Lyra.
"The biggest danger isn't the data link; it's the physical exposure," Jax explained. He pulled up the live security feed map of the Nexus Corp neighborhood—a feed he clearly still had access to from his Phantom Division days.
"I will clear the immediate CORE log for Lyra's entrance and exit from the 40th floor. For that brief window, her access will look like high-priority, black-level maintenance. It won't flag any security systems until after the download is complete—and by then, she'll be gone."
"Maya, I need you to attach your Ear-Com," Zoe said. Use your own vehicle to get there". She continued "And now send a mail to Nexus corp requesting for a interview with CEO Marcus, and send the questions in the same mail you prepared." "Once we get the accept mail, our plan was 50 present completed"
"Ok! But I don't have a person vehicle" Maya said.
"Hmm. Jax will be there for you," Zoe replied. Jax shook his head. "I will not be near the building," he corrected.
"But I will have a vehicle positioned three blocks away, ready to meet you. You walk out, you keep your head down, and you walk straight to the pre-designated extraction point. Do not run."
Kael and Zoe worked furiously on preparing the digital payload—the disguised link and the receiving NODE.
"I am setting the link to connect only one time," Kael said, his voice strained. "If it fails, we don't get a second chance. The system will flag the intrusion immediately."
As the plan solidified, Maya's initial terror faded. The journalist in her was now fully dominant. She wasn't an emotional pawn; she was the most crucial piece on the board. The fear of prison was replaced by the fierce, cold resolve she felt when Robert tried to humiliate her.
I am going to get the story, Robert, she thought. And you are going to regret doubting me.
She spent the remaining hours not practicing the click or the escape route, but memorizing Marcus's public history, his known vanities, and his most cherished achievements. She crafted a list of ego-stroking questions designed to keep him talking and moving through the Nexus Corp hallways for exactly twenty minutes.
She looked at her metallic right arm, remembering her father. She never saw it as a disability or a reminder of a bad past, but as a past which proves the integrity of his journalism still.
Jax looked at Maya."You're walking into the heart of the beast, Maya. You're the most exposed person in this operation."
Maya nodded, a calm she hadn't felt in days settling over her. "I know. But I won't lose this job. Not to Robert, and certainly not to Marcus."
The deal was sealed; the roles were accepted.
The infiltration was scheduled for 11:00 AM. They had only a few hours left.