I settled back into my chair as cleaning drones swept away the last traces of ash from my office floor. The sniper's assassination attempt had been a stark reminder of a problem I'd been ignoring for far too long.
"Eve, initiate Protocol Seven. Time to clean house."
Protocol Seven was a complete security check I'd designed but never used - find all the traitors and remove them. Clean and legal.
"Understood."
Data immediately cascaded across my monitors. Eve's capabilities as an advanced AI that was centuries ahead, meant that nothing could remain hidden from her digital reach.
She penetrated foreign banking systems, classified government databases, and encrypted communication networks spanning multiple continents. Within minutes, her processing power had traced every financial transaction, decoded every secret message, and mapped out entire conspiracy networks.
She had gathered complete documentation of massive corruption networks operating within the governments that had ordered my assassination. Financial records proving systematic theft, evidence of illegal weapons transactions, documentation of human trafficking operations - enough damning material to topple entire administrations.
But documentation and political scandal would only go so far. Men who ordered assassinations understood only one language ultimately. The same language they had chosen to speak when they sent that sniper to my office window.
At the same time, the scope of the betrayal was staggering. Seventeen employees had been actively selling company secrets. Twenty-three others showed suspicious patterns requiring investigation. But Eve's investigation had uncovered something far more extensive - a web that stretched back to oil ministers, intelligence directors, and arms dealers operating across multiple nations.
The evidence she compiled painted a damning picture. These weren't merely energy officials desperately protecting their profits. They were career criminals who happened to occupy government positions, running corruption networks that included bribery, illegal arms trafficking, and human smuggling operations spanning decades.
Security began moving through the building with silent efficiency. The confirmed traitors were escorted out within the hour, their access revoked, their personal belongings packed into cardboard boxes. Legal had prepared generous severance packages accompanied by ironclad non-disclosure agreements and non-compete clauses.
The employees who had been flagged as suspicious found themselves transferred to mundane departments, their security clearances permanently revoked. Several of the terminated individuals requested personal meetings with me.
I denied every single request. These people had chosen to betray not merely their employer, but potentially the future of human civilization itself.
To any outside observer, it appeared to be nothing more than routine corporate restructuring. Professional, clean and entirely legal. The terminated employees departed with their severance checks, undoubtedly believing they had escaped any serious consequences for their treachery.
They were gravely mistaken.
Accidents need to happen.
While I couldn't afford to have any scandals attached to my company's name. But I also couldn't permit traitors to continue breathing, the solution was elegant in its simplicity.
There were countless ways for people to die accidentally in modern society.
The cleaning would be both thorough and permanent as I would not allow short-sighted greed and treachery to derail that future.
A soft knock interrupted my thoughts.
"Come in."
The door opened. Rossweisse stepped inside.
Her silver hair was a little messy. Dark circles under her eyes. She looked tired but tried to hide it behind her usual professional mask.
"I'm back,"
I leaned back in my chair. "You're late."
"There were complications."
I got up from my chair. There was something strange about her.
"Are you alright? Are you in pain? I inquired, worried.
"Nothing serious."
"That's not what I asked."
She looked right into my eyes. "A few bruises. Some cuts that have already healed. I'm fine, Leon."
"What happened?"
She sat down on the couch in my office and sighed.
"It was Hel."
I frowned but stayed quiet while she continued.
"The goddess of the dead attacked us. Several of my fellow Valkyries died."
"Any idea why?"
She paused, then looked at me.
It hit me.
"Me."
She nodded.
"The Allfather said Hel might be seeking revenge for the death of her brothers."
"Whom I killed..."
She nodded again.
"Odin warned us to be cautious. He knows Loki and Hel. They won't stay quiet."
"I know..." Loki was on the move right now, but I kept that to myself. Rossweisse didn't need that burden at the moment.
She stared at her hands. They trembled slightly.
"I couldn't save them."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
Her composure cracked.
Tears streamed down her face. Her shoulders shook.
Her voice broke. "I'm so useless."
I pulled her into my arms.
She buried her face against my chest and sobbed.
I held her. No words. No empty reassurances. Just my presence.
Her fingers clutched my shirt. Each sob tore through her.
"It's not your fault," I said quietly.
"But they're dead—"
"It's not your fault," I repeated, firmer this time.
She cried harder. The mask was gone. The strong Valkyrie was gone. Right now, she was just Rossweisse, broken and hurting.
I tightened my hold on her and let her cry.
Minutes passed. Maybe longer.
Her grip on my shirt loosened. Her breathing steadied into something slower, deeper.
She had fallen asleep crying.
I looked down at her face. Tear tracks stained her cheeks. Her expression was peaceful now, but exhaustion showed in every line of her features.
She must have been carrying this weight since the attack. The stress. The guilt. The grief over her fallen sisters.
It had crushed her.
I carefully adjusted my position so she could rest more comfortably against me. I didn't want to wake her.
She needed this rest.
I leaned my head back against the couch and closed my eyes.
But my mind was with Loki. And now his daughter too.
They hurt my girlfriend. Not just once, but twice. First at the Alps, then now.
Anger burned in my chest.
I looked down at Rossweisse's sleeping face. She looked so tired. So fragile.
My jaw tightened.
Looks like I need to adjust my priority manifestation queue.
It's time to cut off the root.
No more waiting. No more playing defense.
Loki and Hel wanted revenge? Fine.
I'd give them something to regret.
I pulled up the manifestation queue.
The interface materialized in my mind, Aquarius Hendekatos sat at the bottom, still more than a month through its development cycle.
I decided to pause it for now and replace it with something else.
It was a mechanical spherical device I named Oracle. It would show me anyone I wanted to see. Gods or humans, didn't matter. No wards could hide them. No magic could block it. Pure surveillance at its finest.
It was a device that would allow me to track anyone in the world. A stalker's dream, if I was being honest.
The cost appeared beside the blueprint: twenty days to prepare.
I paused, considering.
Twenty days was reasonable, especially with its capabilities. But I couldn't wait that long. I had a feeling Loki might make a move soon. Every instinct I had screamed that he was planning something.
Unless...
I pulled up my other slots.
The Asauchi was still more than a week away. The Dimensional Cube even longer.
Both were important. Both would be useful.
But none of them mattered more than finding Loki and Hel right now.
I paused them all and redirected everything to Oracle.
The timer recalculated, numbers spinning down rapidly.
Five days.
Better.
Still not ideal, but manageable.
No more waiting for them to strike first.
It's about time I strike back.
They'd pay for what they did to her.
====
If you'd like to read ahead and support me, feel free to check it out: [email protected]/VashFF