The darkness in the room at Khuiten Peak was absolute, broken only by the cold glow of holographic screens projecting the anonymous silhouettes of The Light's members.
L-1 spoke, his voice betraying contained irritation. "So, the mission to acquire the Atlantean machine was a failure. Ocean Master proved to be an... unstable asset."
L-5, whose synthetic voice resonated oddly, offered a nuance. "Not a total failure. Our agent, Black Manta, scanned the machine with his helmet's sensors while Orm was activating it. He has transmitted the energy and structural schematics to us. Atlantean technology is now in our possession."
A murmur of interest ran through the virtual assembly.
L-2, more cautious, pointed out: "But we lost a future associate. Orm Marius had potential."
L-3 let out a short, contemptuous laugh. "He was a madman. An idealist broken by his own pride. Let him rot in the dungeons of Atlantis with his trident. Emotions are a weakness."
L-1 took back control, his natural authority restoring silence. "Moving on. Our projects are multiple. And the Project in Kandahar? What is the status of operations?"
L-4, whose voice was always veiled, responded. "Intergang is following our directives to the letter. Their heavily armed teams have established a bridgehead in the mountains. They have already made contact with our... local guide."
L-7, whose presence seemed to distort the air around his signal, added in a voice that seemed to come from elsewhere. "They must find the relic, at all costs. What it contains is far more than a mere weapon. It is a key. A key to open doors this world has forgotten. Its power surpasses that of a simple tsunami machine."
A silence heavy with meaning settled. They were no longer speaking of territorial conquest or political manipulation, but of something far older and more profound.
"Very well," concluded L-1. "Monitor the operations closely. And concerning 'Project M'?"
L-5 displayed a series of data on a screen. "Utopian survived the irradiation. His abilities even appear to have been enhanced by it. He has become a symbol, a hero in the eyes of the public. His elimination has become more complex."
"Elimination is not the only solution," retorted L-1, a calculating glint in his distorted voice. "Orm's failure taught us a lesson: it is sometimes more profitable to corrupt a hero than to break him. Continue surveillance. Identify his weaknesses, his attachments. Everyone has a price. Or a breaking point."
The shadows of The Light dispersed virtually, leaving the room in darkness. They had lost a piece on the chessboard, but the game was far from over. Their tentacles now stretched towards the desert, searching for a far greater power, while they were already preparing their next move against the hero they had accidentally created. Their light did not illuminate; it burned.