Magira and his team had finally settled into their snowy fortress in Antarctica—or as Finch proudly called it, "Igloo Prime."
It was cold, remote, and practically invisible to Earth's satellites unless someone sneezed with too much heat.
Inside their glowing domes of alien brilliance, the Elixr squad was more than just comfortable—they had thermal pods, anti-frost boots, and a cafeteria that served Finch's slightly radioactive pasta.
Magira, however, was not in the mood for carbs or comedy. He stood before a holographic screen that displayed flickers of global activity.
"Nilgiris has gone too quiet," he said, narrowing her eyes like someone reading a suspicious email.
Santy, munching on what looked like a freeze-dried carrot, replied,
"Quiet for him probably means he's just watching reruns of his evil TED Talk."
Alice Fox, ever the style queen in thermal gear, said,
"Or knitting a cloak made of binary code. Villains have hobbies too, you know."
But then it happened.
The central AI, TESSIE, chimed in with a voice like a tired librarian:
"Movement detected. The Secret Architects are active again. Source: Himalayan region. Altitude: Cold enough to freeze your hopes."
Stanley, who was halfway into programming a weather drone, spat out his tea.
"The Himalayas?
What are they trying to do?
Build a villain base in a yoga retreat?"
Magnet, ever the tech nerd, zoomed in on the data.
"Confirmed.
Base is tucked inside an isolated valley, shielded by snowstorms and what looks like a cloaking dome shaped like a—wait, is that a lotus flower?"
Finch squinted.
"That's not a lotus. That's a terrible rendering of a lotus. Even our emergency 3D printer can do better."
Magira, tapping her fingers thoughtfully, said,
"Let's not underestimate Nilgiris.
If he's hiding in the Himalayas,
he's planning something old...
outdated...
possibly dramatic."
Meanwhile, in the Himalayas...
Nilgiris stood atop his icy throne, dressed in his usual dramatic all-black robe that screamed "midlife villain crisis."
Behind him, screens flickered with data, lines of code, and an occasional pop-up ad (which Asher forgot to block).
Asher, clutching a tablet, said,
"Still no signal from Rhea, sir.
Perhaps the transmission is delayed due to solar interference... or her excessive eyeliner."
Nilgiris turned slowly, each step echoing like thunder—or at least very firm snow crunching.
"Rhea is... taking her time.
That's good.
The best spies are patient.
Besides..." he smirked,
"I told her to blend in, not rush in."
Just then, one of the junior Architects walked in with a blinking USB stick and an awkward face.
"Sir, we've launched the retro phase."
Nilgiris, eyes twinkling with a nostalgic evilness, whispered:
"Ah yes... the Old School Game."
Flash to Jake, Mike, and Rhea...
Back in Halewick, the town where milk freezes in seconds and nothing interesting ever happened until now, Jake and Mike were tweaking lines of code in their hideout (read: Jake's garage converted into a tech lab with a leaky ceiling).
Jake, idealistic as ever, had a new guest: Rhea.
She leaned over his laptop, feigning interest in some encryption loop Jake was debugging.
Jake (grinning):
"See this?
It's a quantum-layered firewall bypass.
Pretty basic once you understand binary trees."
Rhea nodded like she totally understood.
**"Cool... so like... is binary tree something you plant on a blockchain?"
Mike, sitting with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow, leaned in.
"You sure she's ready for this?"
Jake beamed.
"She's eager.
She asked me how coding 'tastes.'
That shows curiosity, right?"
Mike sighed.
"No, that shows she's never touched a keyboard before today.
Let her learn first.
Then maybe we let her in."
Rhea, still smiling sweetly, said:
"I'll get better.
Just need a bit of... hands-on experience."
Jake didn't notice the strange gleam in her eye.
Back at Elixr Base – Enter Laughing
After learning of Nilgiris' "old school game," the Elixr squad nearly fell out of their thermal suits from laughter.
Santy, barely able to breathe:
**"Wait—wait—he launched a retro strategy? Is he trying to send Morse code using pigeons next?"
Magnet nodded solemnly.
"Apparently, he's running disinformation campaigns using floppy disks."
Finch, who'd just invented a marshmallow-fusion gun, said,
"We're dealing with a man who thinks dial-up sounds are a war cry."
Alice Fox added,
"Maybe he's training Rhea to infiltrate with a typewriter and a trench coat. How vintage."
Magira, while amused, knew better.
"Don't be fooled by the drama.
Nilgiris doesn't play games for nostalgia.
He plays them to confuse.
While we mock him, he plots."
Stanley, still chuckling:
**"Even his font choices scream 'I'm stuck in 1998.'"
Now the war has become extended into three poles.
Three angles.
The Elixr team based in Antarctica,
On its own way to reset the earth.
The secret architects, headed by Nilgiris, strategically located in the distant Himalayas.
They have given up coding and programming forbthe moment.
Focusing on the spy work from Rhea, who managed to build a friendship with Jake.
And lastly, the Null Frank - which is still working from the old town of Halewich, is unaware that they are being watched by a wolf within the goat skin. And are currently enjoying a leisure time from major missions.