The Narrow Escape

The scents of ozone, dust, and decay filled the air in the abandoned warehouse next to Istanbul's famous Golden Horn. Alex and Kenji Tanaka were getting ready to prod the dragon that was dozing off at the Pacific Ocean's bottom six months into the countdown. They had built a shaky digital beachhead using borrowed time and diminishing resources in the hopes that Tanaka's deep familiarity with Victor Aurelius's more ancient AI systems would allow them to breach the Aerie's strong defenses.

Their bold plan—a targeted digital infiltration—was the result of Tanaka's reluctant genius and their desperation. Tanaka had discovered a possible weakness: a diagnostic subroutine that was hidden deep inside the original Chimera bio-interface code. He hypothesized that Victor might have missed this or thought it was too antiquated to be adequately protected within the complex network architecture of the Aerie. They could be able to obtain brief, low-level access if they could remotely activate it. This would allow them to plant a passive listening device, collect information on the internal state of the Damocles Protocol, or just verify the precise operating settings of the Aerie.

Tanaka whispered, his fingers gliding over the keyboard of their substantially modified terminal, "It's like finding a hidden postern gate in a fortress made of diamond." The faint, constant pulse of the Aerie's camouflaged energy signature, transmitted over Thorne's overloaded satellite network, was visible on screens surrounding him, along with network topology charts and cascading lines of code. "Probably imprisoned. most likely observed. "However, it's the only theoretical entry point that doesn't shout 'frontal assault'."

With his hand always close to the battered Sig Sauer tucked into his waistband, Alex stood guard by the dirty windows that overlooked the expansive, historic cityscape. The wild energy of Istanbul felt like a menace as much as a place to hide. A continual reminder that the world outside is holding its breath, the sounds of distant ship horns, the thunder of traffic on the Atatürk Bridge, and the call to prayer resonating from invisible minarets permeated the warehouse. Victor's terrifying satellite photo communication demonstrated that he could watch Alex's activities, and rival agencies remained a threat. This has to be a quick, clean, and undetectable operation.

Tanaka said, "Initiating sequence," in a tense voice. "We are currently navigating the Icelandic relay. IP masking via the academic server farm in Brazil is good. The Chimera handshake protocol is being used.

The dusty air coiled with tension. Their probe was navigating layers of digital protections as lines of code scrolled on the main screen. Like mist, firewalls parted. Tanaka helped design the keys that were used to go around encryption methods years ago. It appeared to be working for a few gasping minutes. Internal network directories with the enticing labels "DAMOCLES_SYS_MONITOR," "AERIE_LIFE_SUPPORT," and "GEO_POWER_CORE" were glimpsed.

Tanaka murmured, "I'm in," his eyes bright beneath his glasses. "Low-level access has been verified. In fact, he kept the old diagnostic port operational. He began typing furiously in an effort to install their passive surveillance worm or increase privileges.

The trap then sprung.

The screen wavered. A single, pulsing icon—a stylized ouroboros, a crimson-glowing serpent eating its own tail—replaced the directory access. The words WELCOME BACK, DR. TANAKA, flashed beneath it. It is not advisable for your health to be curious.

"It's a honeypot!" Tearing his hands from the keyboard, Tanaka sobbed. "He was aware! He opened the door for us.

Alarms went off at the same time, but they came from their system rather than the warehouse. Their network was overrun by counter-intrusion methods, which were more quicker and more advanced than Tanaka had expected. Data streams were inverted in an effort to download their files and locate them physically. The warehouse's lights flickered wildly. From their primary server rack, sparks flew.

"He's tracing us!" Alex shouted as he started to cut the main power wire that supplied their apparatus. "The actual place! How quickly?

"Seconds!" In a desperate attempt to delete their local drives, Tanaka yelled back. "His AI is learning and adaptive." The relays are being mapped back pretty immediately.

Alex slammed the hefty circuit breaker, leaving their section of the warehouse nearly dark, with just the ambient glow from the city outside and the emergency lights on their failing battery backups for illumination. "Take the drives! We're blown away.

Alex heard it while Tanaka wrestled with the heated server casings: the distinct sound of fast-moving cars outside, sirens abruptly joining the background hum of the city. Police in the area? Or worse? It would have been easy for Victor's AI to fake an emergency call that said there was shooting or a hostage scenario at their location.

They scurried to a rear exit that opened into a tangle of small lanes. In the darkness, Tanaka stumbled over loose debris while carrying two rescued hard disks that contained pieces of their attempt. Just as strong flashlights slashed through the warehouse entryway, Alex pulled him up. Commands were shouted and echoed in Turkish.

"Polis! Dur!"

The abruptly cold air slapped their faces as they exploded out into the rain-soaked alleyway. People appeared from the warehouse behind them; some were dressed in local police uniforms, while others were moving in a professional, tactically precise, and ordered manner. Alex recognized them right away.

"Split up!" With a shout, Alex shoved one of the valuable drives into Tanaka's backpack. "Arrive to the ferry port, the meeting place! "If you can!"

They ran off in separate directions. Alex ducked to the left, into a still smaller passageway that smelled of trash and wet stone. Behind him, he heard cries and the thud of running feet. He sprang over a stack of piled-high bins, his boots splattering in puddles. He took the chance to look back and saw two black-clad people advancing, oblivious to the uniformed police officers spreading out behind them. Not police officers, for sure.

Alex's lungs burned as he forced himself harder. He had scouted escape routes, so he knew these streets a little. He turned a bend, skidded on damp cobbles, and struck a wooden cart with force, scattering vegetables. Ignoring the swarm of people huddled under dripping awnings, he clambered up and dove into the relative shelter of a busy, covered market street nearby, hoping to chase his assailants away.

He kept his head down and pushed through the throng, disregarding irate cries. He saw Tanaka across the crowded room, clutching his side and attempting to blend in as well. Had he been hurt in the fall? Or worse? Tanaka was swiftly and brutally taken down by one of the black-clad pursuers before Alex could react. Alex witnessed Tanaka's fall, the drive satchel being kicked away, and the second pursuer coming straight at him.

No time. Alex pulled out his Sig Sauer, crouched behind a cheese and olive stall, and fired two shots into the metal awning above him rather than the man. Sparks were flying. There was immediate commotion as people yelled and ran for safety. Alex whirled around in the pandemonium and ran off again, toward the river.

A few seconds later, soaking and battered, his heart pounding, he arrived at the Eminönü boat docks. Amidst the tumultuous whirlpool of commuters and cops attracted by the close disturbance, he failed to spot Tanaka or their assailants. By sending Thorne a single coded text message that read CONTACT BURNED, he took a chance by utilizing a burner phone. Asset loss or compromise. APPLY FOR AN EMERGENCY EXFIL. INSTANT.

He threw the telephone into the turbulent waters of the Golden Horn and melted onto a packed ship as it was leaving the dock, vanishing into the wide waterways of Istanbul.