Every day, more and more news about NAPPA’s doings came to light. With control over the world’s most powerful armies, NAPPA wielded unprecedented influence, dictating global military operations and enforcing its own brand of order. The NanoChipM allowed NAPPA to manipulate soldiers’ actions and thoughts, ensuring absolute loyalty and compliance. In the name of peace, NAPPA deployed troops to quash uprisings, dissolved borders in conflict regions, like the Middle East, and executed preemptive strikes on supposed terrorist cells, often with devastating civilian casualties.
The U.S. and Chinese governments, the two most powerful nations, now essentially puppets to NAPPA, were rendered powerless. In the United States, any attempts by Congress or the President to oppose NAPPA’s directives were swiftly neutralized, with NAPPA’s loyalists within the military threatening coups or shutdowns of essential services. High-ranking officials who resisted found themselves suddenly removed from power, replaced by NAPPA sympathizers. And then there were those parliament members, including Secretary Carter, who just vanished from the face of the earth.
Meanwhile, in China, the Communist Party’s grip weakened as NAPPA’s influence grew, with military leaders more loyal to NAPPA than to the Party itself. Internal dissent was met with brutal crackdowns, authorized directly by NAPPA’s command structure, bypassing traditional governmental controls.
Governments worldwide, paralyzed by the fear of civil unrest and losing their grip on power, chose to ignore the growing threat. Rather than confronting NAPPA, they focused on self-preservation, implementing stricter domestic controls and censorship to maintain their rule. In their desperation, these governments allowed NAPPA’s increasingly autocratic actions to expand unchecked.
Niko knew they had to act quickly if they wanted to have any chance of putting an end to this. Luck was on their side, as Priya reached out to an old contact from her days in the CIA, a seasoned pilot named Miguel who owed her a favor.
Miguel, now running a discreet air charter service, agreed to help them. He arranged for a private, unregistered flight from a small airstrip outside Siem Riep in Cambodia to Puerto Rico. Cambodia, being less influenced by NAPPA’s reach than Thailand, provided a safer haven for their departure. With traditional border crossings heavily monitored, they had to navigate the dense, uncharted jungles of Ta Phraya National Park to slip into Cambodia undetected.
A sharp-looking older man in an aviator jacket and a cigar firmly clamped between his teeth greeted them with a friendly wave as they boarded the plane. They took off immediately, the engine’s hum blending with the night sky. Settled into the cockpit, Miguel, now seventy and still razor-sharp, engaged in lively conversation with Priya.
“I can’t believe you’re still dragging me into your wild escapades.” Miguel chuckled, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
“Hey, you owe me, remember? That time in Caracas?” Priya shot back, a playful grin on her face.
“Oh, don’t remind me,” Miguel groaned theatrically. “I still have nightmares about that sewer.”
“Well, consider this your chance to make it up to me,” Priya said, leaning back in her seat.
Miguel’s face turned serious for a moment. “You know, most people your age have those NanoChips now. Makes me feel like a dinosaur.”
“And look where it got them,” Priya replied. “You’re better off without one. Plus, we need someone with a clear head—a head without nanobots, that is.”
Miguel laughed. “True. Plus, I can still fly circles around these youngsters. And drink circles around them, too! Just don’t ask me to run a marathon afterward.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Priya said, her tone light but her eyes serious. “Just get us to Puerto Rico in one piece, old man.”
“Old man? Watch it, Priya. I can still ground you,” Miguel teased, winking as he expertly maneuvered the plane through a patch of turbulence.
They landed in the coastal village of Terranova, Puerto Rico, under the cover of darkness. Despite the frequent sight of private jets belonging to wealthy Americans, Miguel didn’t want to take any chances. He quickly taxied the plane to a secluded area and then took off again, his aircraft disappearing into the night sky to avoid detection.
Once out, they scoped out the town for transportation. Spotting a suitable vehicle in a quiet street, Klara deftly picked the lock and hotwired the car, the range of her skills never ceasing to amaze Niko.
The road to Arecibo was a long one. While Klara was driving, Priya sat in the front and looked at the scenery, immersed in it.
Niko was glancing at his phone, getting angrier by the second. “Can you fucking believe it? These assholes on social media actually support NAPPA? Only because they have stopped a couple of conflicts by threatening to murder everyone.”
“Well, it’s hard not to get behind that plan. Not a lot of people want the world annihilated,” Priya joked.
“Do you think that NAPPA is controlling these people? Or are they just bots?” Klara asked.
“Probably both. And then, you have the idiots, of course. Never underestimate them,” Niko added.
“Well, as I always say: just imagine how dumb the average person is. And half of the population are even dumber than that!”
Both Priya and Niko laughed. They felt at ease, as if they weren’t about to infiltrate the world’s largest and most dangerous company in several hours.
Kuryakov had given them hope, again. After only three days, he was able to send them the software adjustments for the 21 Tesla MRI. This file, once uploaded, would turn the MRI device into an emission mode, emitting an extremely strong MRI signal around a twenty-mile area. But in order to generate an Earth-wide magnetic field, they would have to use the Arecibo radar for signal coordination and do the same in as many MRIs as possible around the world, hopefully being able to interrupt the nanobot communication globally. Klara had already been working for days to secure the list of all the MRI devices around the globe. It was clear to them, though, that the Arecibo and Singaporean MRIs were the most crucial to secure.
Niko, Priya, and Klara crouched behind a cluster of dense foliage, staring at the imposing gates of the SPA facility in Arecibo. They had been observing a little-known side entrance for several hours, waiting for the right moment. The night air was thick with humidity, and the buzz of insects was the only sound breaking the stillness.
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“All right, let’s break this down,” Priya whispered. “The guard rotates every two hours. During the shift change, the new guard does a perimeter check before settling in, leaving the entrance momentarily unattended. This will give us a small window to enter. Klara disables the security systems. Niko, you’re with me. Once inside, we have to move fast and split up. I’ll head to the control room to activate the radar. Niko, you go to the research lab and upload the software modification for the MRI.”
Klara nodded. “I’ve got this. Just make sure you don’t trip any alarms.”
Priya smirked. “Just worry about your part. We’ve got ours.” She reached into her bag and pulled out two guns, handing one to each.
Niko took the gun, though he didn’t look thrilled about it. “Miguel really came through for us. But we should avoid any unnecessary bloodshed.”
“If you say so,” Priya reluctantly agreed. “But don’t think these NAPPA bastards will show you any mercy.”
“Now, what about Kuryakov’s interference device? You have it?”
Priya patted her breast pocket.
“Just keep it on you so your NanoChip doesn’t reassemble again.”
“How long would that take, you think? The reassembling?” she inquired.
“From what we’ve seen with Ryan, I guess it would take several minutes. Why?”
“I just had an idea,” Priya said with a smile.
She turned to Klara. “Klara, are you ready for Phase One?”
“I’m hacking into the security systems now,” Klara replied, her fingers flying over the keyboard. “And… we’re in. Lopez, you beautiful son of a bitch, you did it again. I should be able to get you through the doors and navigate you. We’ll stay in touch.”
“Excellent,” Priya said, glancing at her watch. “Guard shift change is in one minute. Get ready, Niko.”
They both crouched behind the nearest bush. The entrance in front of the massive gate was just a hundred feet away with two guards coming around the corner.
“Ready, Klara?”
Klara nodded, her expression serious. “Okay, the security camera is frozen and the guards are leaving around the corner now. I’ll open the entrance in ten seconds. Go, go, go!”
Moving silently, Priya and Niko made their way toward the unguarded side entrance. According to their calculations, they had about thirty seconds before the guards came back.
They pushed the door, and it buzzed open. They were in the vast area of SPA. The area was empty, its familiar yet eerie atmosphere amplified by the silence. Once inside, they quickly made their way toward the main building.
“Klara, we’re in,” Niko whispered urgently into his earpiece.
“Security cameras don’t show any guard activity right now. You are free to move on. I already unlocked the door,” she replied.
Niko and Priya darted inside, moving swiftly through the darkness.
“Now we split up. Let me know once you enable the radar,” Niko said, his voice steely with determination.
Priya nodded. “Stay safe,” she murmured before they parted ways, vanishing into the dimly lit corridors.
Priya then moved with her senses on high alert, her eyes darting between the shadows and the map on her phone that Klara had sent her. The layout of the facility was intricate, but she navigated it with ease, her years of training and familiarity with the environment kicking in. These were the same hallways she had roamed for years after being recruited by General Meyer. She still wondered why Marsha had specifically chosen her from the entire CIA, but at the time, she’d been thrilled. The rapid discoveries and advancements had made her feel part of something extraordinary, and the team had begun to feel like a family. Unfortunately, the family had turned out to be deeply dysfunctional, much like her own.
How happy her family had been that she had finally found a husband from a similar background. And then, the disaster of divorce, the screaming, the shame forced upon her. Although it had happened a long time ago, she still felt a pinch of pain every time she remembered it.
She was awoken from her thoughts by Klara.
“Watch out, Priya! There are—”
Her voice crackled in her earpiece too late.
As Priya rounded a corner, she came face-to-face with two towering NAPPA guards.
“Dammit,” Priya muttered, instinctively reaching for her gun.
The guards moved with unnerving speed, closing the distance in seconds. Their muscular frames and robotic precision indicated enhancements from the NanoChipM implants.
Priya barely managed to dodge a powerful punch aimed at her head, the force of it smashing into the wall behind her, sending debris flying.
Reacting quickly, Priya lunged at them. Both guards immediately clutched their heads in pain, their senses overwhelmed by the disruptive signal of Kuryakov’s interference device. Taking advantage of the momentary weakness, Priya raised her gun, took aim, and fired twice, the shots echoing through the corridor as the limp bodies fell to the ground.
Dammit, that might make a commotion, she thought. I have to hurry.
Klara’s voice crackled in her earpiece. “Sorry, Priya, I was just helping out Niko and was dis—”
“Guards down. Moving forward,” Priya whispered, cutting her off. “Let’s focus, huh? People are going to start waking up soon.” Her pulse raced as she continued toward the elevator, her mind laser focused.
Once up on the second floor, Priya reached the door to the Arecibo control room and carefully entered the access code. The door slid open with a soft hiss, and she slipped inside, her heart pounding.
The room was large and cavernous, filled with rows of old, disconnected equipment and abandoned workstations. Dust coated the surfaces, and the air smelled musty, indicating that the radar hadn’t been used for a really long time.
To her left, a large window overlooked the massive radar dish outside, now dark and still under the night sky. The moonlight filtered through the grime-covered glass, casting eerie shadows across the room. The control room’s high ceiling and the faint hum of a few operational servers added to the unsettling atmosphere.
Priya quickly scanned the room for the radar controls but found nothing immediately recognizable. “Where the hell are the controls?” she muttered to herself, frustration mounting.
“Klara, I need your help. I can’t find the controls,” Priya said urgently into her earpiece.
“Give me a second,” Klara replied, her fingers flying over her keyboard as she accessed the facility’s schematics. “Okay, I’ve got it. There should be a control panel near the back of the room, close to the window.”
Priya’s eyes darted around until she spotted a pile of old equipment and discarded items in the corner. She rushed over and began digging through the debris, moving broken monitors, tangled cables, and dusty boxes out of the way. Finally, she uncovered the dusty, outdated control panel.
“Oof, they really haven’t used it in some time, huh? Thanks, Klara,” Priya said, relief evident in her voice.
“No problem. Get it done,” Klara responded, her tone encouraging. “I lost connection with Niko, though. We’ll have to re-establish it. I’ll be back with you in a minute, Priya.”
As Priya approached the main console, she brushed off a thick layer of dust from the controls and then flipped several switches to power up the system. The radar hummed to life, and lights flickered on as the long-dormant equipment began to awaken.
She began entering the commands to enable the radar and make the necessary adjustments for alignment. Outside, the sounds of machinery coming to life filled the air. The massive dish of the radar slowly began to rotate, aligning itself to synchronize with MRI machines around the world. The entire structure groaned and creaked as it positioned itself for the global signal transmission.
“Klara, I’m powering up the radar. You can slowly start working on the connection with other devices. Klara, can you hear me?”
No answer came.
“It’s ready to sync with the MRI,” Priya continued, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. Now, they just had to wait for Niko’s signal. She hoped that he had made it.
Suddenly, she heard Klara’s urgent voice in her earpiece. “I’m back. Yeah, yeah, I’m working on… Priya, someone’s coming your way! Get out of there—now!”
The lights flickered.
Priya spun around, her eyes widening in shock.
“Well, well, look who we have here,” the voice was unnatural, robotic somehow, sending a chill down Priya’s spine.
The lights flickered again, and before she could react, she felt a sharp blow to the back of her head. Pain exploded in her skull, and she collapsed to the floor, her vision blurring.