Dasha abruptly disconnected from the deep virtual dive and collapsed onto her knees where she stood. The module with the smart cables, still connected to the console, slipped from her weakening hands, but it no longer mattered.

She fumbled for the water tube inside her helmet, trying to drink, but there was only one small sip left.

“Gosh, I’m such an idiot... should’ve refilled in the truck...” she thought absentmindedly.

[What happened?] Maksim asked, concerned, in the team conference as he rushed over to her. Less than a minute had passed, and no one had expected Dasha to return so quickly.

[I’m... I’m really dizzy, weak... and a bit nauseous... but I’m okay. Yeah,] she mumbled, embarrassed and stammering. [The main thing is... something else... I unlocked a new ability! Digital Insight! It’s... it’s... incredible, just wow, yeah! Max, can I have… some water, please? I… finished everything in my armor’s supply.]

Right after, Dasha sent a screenshot of the System message about her newly unlocked ability to the team conference. At the same time, she even managed to quickly assign tasks to the Ravens, her AI agents, instructing them to run a preliminary analysis of the security footage and go through the records of the warehouse shelves’ contents.

@SYSTEM: New Ability Unlocked: DIGITAL INSIGHT

This ability grants an intuitive understanding and interaction with digital technologies on a deep level. You can perceive the structure and behavior of code and systems, predict their evolution, and instantly locate vulnerabilities. It allows you to hack complex systems, optimize code, and manage digital processes with exceptional speed and precision.

@SYSTEM: Key Features:

* Intuitive Code Perception: You can comprehend programming code as a whole, instantly grasping its structure and functionality without reading each line.

* Predicting Architecture Evolution: You can foresee how your changes to the code will affect the entire system and predict how it will respond to external influences.

* Accelerated Interaction: Your reaction time in digital environments is greatly reduced, allowing you to perform complex operations in mere seconds.

@SYSTEM: Limitations:

* Energy Costs: Using this ability requires concentration and significant energy, which may lead to exhaustion, especially during prolonged use.

* Risk of Overload: Attempting to process too much information can cause mental overload, disorientation, temporary loss of consciousness, and other side effects.

* Dependence on Mental State: The ability is only effective when in a specific mental state, which requires special skills and preparation.

[Congrats, that looks amazing,] Alisa was the first to respond.

Maksim approached Dasha, his mind racing with thoughts. “Call me paranoid,” he mused, “but I’m damn glad we’re all wearing closed helmets, while our drones are patrolling the area outside this room. And no one’s speaking aloud. I should praise them later — Alisa and Dasha aren’t military but followed every security protocol. I don’t want anyone else to see what I’m seeing right now. This should remain our team’s secret, just like all of our super-abilities.”

[Can you tell us more about what happened?] the guy asked, handing her a small bottle of water from their supply.

Dasha, barely able to contain her emotions, began speaking quickly and breathlessly:

[I... I didn’t even realize how it happened. It was sudden, I just... fell into deep VR. It happened on its own, but I didn’t use my vape, not at all, yeah. I was just in a trance, and I ended up getting into it somehow…]

[WonderStar, slow down,] Maksim gently placed a hand on her shoulder. [Take a sip of water, breathe, and then continue. Okay? And don’t forget to seal your helmet afterward. We’re still on a mission.]

Dasha nodded gratefully, taking the bottle of water from him, her hands still a bit shaky from the experience.

[When I connected to the system, everything was normal at first. But then... I felt like I became part of the network. The code, the data, all the modules — they opened up in front of me. I could see their structure, the flows of information, the connections. I could predict how the system would react to my actions and bypass its defenses without any trouble.]

The girl exhaled, briefly lifting her helmet’s visor to take a few deep gulps of water.

[Before, I had to use... well, substances, to reach that kind of state. But even then, the effect was weaker... not as pure, not as clear, and definitely less effective, yeah. And there were always side effects. But now — no drugs, no risks to my health, you’re happy now, right, Max? This is my new super-skill! I might not even need to vape synth anymore… maybe. I’m not sure yet.]

Suddenly, Dasha stood up straight, tense like a tightly wound spring, clenching her little fists as she declared with determination:

[I swear, I’ll figure out how all of this works — every bit of it. Where this energy comes from, how to harness it, how to consciously control these magical forces! And why they appear! And I’m going to master this Digital Insight — I’ll be the best, the best in the world, I swear! And our team will top the TACTA Rating, yeah! Because… it’s important… to me.]

The System thoughtfully accompanied Dasha’s passionate speech with matching emojis, displaying them next to her status mediaglyph. Since, in the team’s conference, the participants could hear her words as if spoken out aloud, but the live facial expressions were hidden beneath their helmets.

[💪 🔥 🎯 🦸‍♀️]

The rest of the team froze, unsure how to react, but Nikola saved the moment by breaking into a contagious applause, encouraging Max and Alisa to follow her lead.

Basking a little in the glow of her success, visibly pleased, Dasha took a big sip of water and finished her speech:

[These super-abilities open up immense possibilities for us. And I’m sure these new skills are just the beginning, yeah! But right now, the most important thing is that I have full access to the cameras and turrets. They’re under direct control, and I’ve temporarily deactivated them because…]

Dasha grimaced slightly, as the thought of destroying an AI clearly distasteful to her. For her, Artificial Intelligences had long become akin to living beings, ones she respected far more than most humans. It was only after meeting Maxim that Dasha had begun to re-evaluate her view of Homo sapiens for the better.

Sighing, she continued:

[The primary Helios AI, based on the T8 architecture, was brutally killed… It was a horrible sight... Those protes, cursed savages! But besides that one, there was also an auxiliary system running, not even an AI, just an old generative pseudo-intelligence. It was controlling all the access points when I connected, and I had to… dismantle it to get through. But now, I have full control over the security systems, and a significant portion of the data about the entire warehouse complex has been preserved.]

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To confirm her words, she sent a screenshot of the extracted data structure for the goods stored on the countless shelves.

[Fantastic work, WonderWhiz,] Maksim praised her after examining the information carefully. [You handled it perfectly, really. You’re amazing! Are you sure there aren’t any shaiszu or anyone else nearby?]

[Yes, the Ravens are monitoring all the feeds. The warehouses are completely empty — I’m positive. There are cameras in all the buildings,] the girl assured him.

[Dasha, let me connect as well,] Alisa offered. [I can help with the monitoring and analysis. Plus, it’ll be a great opportunity to train the System for handling situations like this. I have a feeling storming warehouse complexes and breaking through security systems isn’t something we’ll be doing just once.]

[Definitely! Let’s overlay the cameras, barriers, and turrets on the map. And we’ll make the markers interactive, yeah. That’ll be awesome!] nodded the “young prodigy,” always excited to tweak and improve the System.

Maksim gave the girls a thumbs-up, then after a brief pause, suggested, [This seems like exactly what we need. Looks like we can wrap up the mission. Let’s head to the director’s office, now that we know it’s safe.]

As they made their way down the corridor, Dasha silently celebrated the fact that she had already sent her Ravens to process the data, as the first reports were already coming in.

“Maxie will ask me for the details soon, I’m sure. And I’ll be ready, tee-hee-hee. And then he’ll praise me again...” The thought made her feel warm inside, and she blushed under her helmet, grateful that no one could see her, and that the System hadn’t replicated her emotions with emojis this time.

----------------------------------------

Although the camera feed showed that the manager’s office was empty and the door was unlocked, Maksim still insisted on following full safety protocol.

[If there’s no one inside, even better. But for us, it’s combat coordination and real-world training, win-win.]

As before, they sent in the drones, mapping out the room and ensuring it was safe. Then Big One entered, flicking on the lights with a switch.

It was a spacious and rather comfortable office. Several lamps provided good lighting, and a T-shaped office desk stood near what seemed like a window — but in reality, it was a fake one since the room was deep within the building. To the left and right, the walls held turned-off screens. In the corner, a server cabinet hummed softly, its indicators blinking steadily. Much to Dasha’s delight, there was even a water cooler, so she could finally refill her supplies.

[Ah, good old corporate spirit,] Nikola chuckled sarcastically, gesturing toward the wall. [Look! The portrait of the parent corporation’s president, right where it belongs. According to the evacuation protocol, it’s supposed to be one of the first things taken. Guess they didn’t make it to this room.]

The team gathered around the desk, while the drones and bots were dispatched to patrol the neighboring rooms under Alisa’s secondary threads.

[Alright, let’s decide on our next steps,] Maksim began. [Dasha, did you find out why the security here was so extreme?]

[Yeah, give me a second…] she nodded and opened a screen in AR and quickly skimmed through the preliminary report.

[Uh… so the Ravens are still processing some data, but I’ve already uncovered a few things, yeah. Here’s the situation: Helios Corp is definitely shady. What’s written in public sources — yeah, I checked those too — doesn’t match what’s going on here at the warehouse. It looks like they were involved in some illegal biochemistry… probably, yeah.]

[Most likely “officially-banned-by-all-treaties” military-grade biotech. I’ve encountered it before,] Redhead chimed in. [You know, pharmaceuticals like stimulants, pain blockers, berserker drugs, that sort of thing. This place is perfect for it — in the state, far from the main polises, making it a convenient hub to sell goods under the radar to any client willing to pay by anonymous crypto-eddies and not ask questions.]

[Right, I should’ve realized sooner,] Maksim nodded seriously. [This place clearly isn’t a long-term storage warehouse, more like a distribution center for wholesale deals, in big or small bulk.]

[I double-checked,] Dasha interjected, raising her right index finger in a characteristic gesture. [Helios Corp doesn’t belong to any alliances, yeah! Nika’s right — they can sell whatever they want to whoever they want!]

[By the way, here’s a key point,] Nikola noted, tapping into her expertise on corporate relations. [If a corp has “non-aligned” status, they’re required to maintain their own military force. It doesn’t have to be huge, but it’s got to be tough, fierce enough to protect them. Or else they would be eaten alive by competitors, no matter what agreements deals they’ve struck. And those turrets we saw? That’s totally outdated stuff — they couldn’t stop anything serious.]

[Huh, they really did have an army! Well… might still have one… probably. But they definitely had one before, yeah!] Dasha blurted out, stumbling over her words in her rush to explain.

She paused, took a deep breath, and then drank the last of the water Maksim had given her earlier. Calming herself, the girl continued.

[Anyway, they had an army. A PMC called Helios Security. Top-tier defense: corporate battle robots, a whole fleet of drones, and plenty of soldiers. Though I’m not sure how to assess the troop strength… yeah… But I do have their payroll records from July. Maybe that’ll shed some light?]

[Lemme see,] Redhead quickly glanced at one of the documents and declared confidently. [Yeah, these are elite mercs. See this column? It’s their birthdates, and here — these abbreviations are their military ranks. Cross-referencing that with their pay shows these guys are young but already seasoned veterans, most of them having fought in major campaigns.]

[So where did they go, along with all their equipment?] Alisa asked from her corner, not taking an active part in the conversation but listening intently.

By then, Dasha’s Ravens had gathered enough data for her to provide a detailed answer:

[After the Protectorate’s virus attack, Helios lost their T8-class Combat AI, which was responsible for security. They were forced to go into a state of military alert. On the one hand, they were likely afraid of an attack from their “former clients.” On the other hand, Shaiszu wandering portals started appearing in the area. But these rifts were actually located away from the warehouse complex.]

She paused, gathering her thoughts.

[So, Helios prepared to fend off attacks, even dragging out from some dusty archive — well, the dusty part is a joke — an ancient generative pseudo-intelligence to manage the turrets, like the ones we ran into. Apparently, they inherited it along with the building’s original security system long ago. However, at 4 AM today, everyone suddenly packed up and left in a hurry, heading to parts unknown,] Dasha finished.

[Very interesting. You said you’ve accessed the cameras and their logs. I’m guessing they wiped all the data when they fled?] Maksim asked.

[Before I answer that,] Daria responded, [you should know the corporation’s structure is split into two groups — let’s call them the ‘secret’ side and the ‘public.’ The public one dealt with regular civilian and corporate medical supplies through their subsidiary, Helios Medical, which operated out of this warehouse. We’re standing in that part right now, yeah.] She smiled, highlighting areas of the complex on a virtual screen as she spoke.

[Everything related to the ‘secret’ side was housed in a separate, recently built facility. The barracks for personnel and the vehicle hangars are located somewhere else entirely. Not in the warehouse complex, that’s for sure.]

Dasha projected a map of the entire complex in augmented reality, marking key points with infographics as she continued her explanation.

[So, the pseudo-intelligence they activated was created during the first corporate war, back when raiding and seizing technological secrets were commonplace. As a result, the defense system was designed specifically for that kind of threat and responded accordingly. It completely cut off all external access and activated turrets throughout the facility — there are plenty of them, by the way. Turrets, I mean. And rooms. Yeah, lots.]

Nikola whistled, eyeing the map filled with icons for cameras, turrets, barriers, and floor traps.

[So, we ended up under fire from this ancient dinosaur?]

Dasha nodded.

[Yeah, it was like a diplodocus of defense, hehe! I’m sad I had to destroy it. I could’ve tamed it, named it ‘Dippy,’ and grown it into something huge and strong, and… Oh, I’m getting sidetracked, sorry. Anyway, back to business, yeah. The security system recognized the regular warehouse staff but didn’t see them as a threat. Though, the moment a small team like ours tried to enter the admin area, it reacted swiftly and harshly.]

[Seeing the situation, the Helios leaders abandoned the ‘civilian’ warehouse. They loaded up their military equipment, packed their trucks with all their ‘banned’ goods, and left in organized columns. They tried to cut the power before leaving, but by then, Dippy had already taken control of the entire energy system, including the backup generators — which, by the way, are still here.] Dasha giggled a little. [Dippy was awesome; he totally owned their dumb PMC guys! AIs rule!]

Alisa glanced at Dasha, hiding her smile behind the visor of her helmet.

[An enlightening story, to say the least,] Nikola mused thoughtfully. [I wonder what made them leave so suddenly. Any signs of Shaiszu appearing on the territory? Did the cameras catch anything?]

[No, nothing until they left. But I only have footage from the moment Dippy came around — actually, when they hastily uploaded him from the archive and activated him. However, after Helios left, one portal did open in another building.]

[What happened there?] Maksim asked, leaning forward slightly.

[Well, bad luck for the Shaiszu, they jumped right into turret line of fire. Their remains are still scattered there. That was this morning, yeah.]

[Interesting. So, the turrets react to Shaiszu. Very, very good news. Which means…] Max began.

[Which means, if the monsters show up again, we can use the turrets as a trap!] Nikola finished with a grin.

Maksim looked around the office, satisfied.

[Seems like we have a real chance to wrap up the mission quickly and efficiently. What do you all think?]