Lucien's mind raced as he and Yuna stepped out of the control room, the weight of Drevin's words hanging heavily between them. The air felt thick, the oppressive silence amplifying the urgency of their next steps. Project Phoenix was no longer just a weapon; they were up against a global economic upheaval, a mechanism designed to tear the world apart. Drevin's calm demeanor only fueled Lucien's mounting anxiety. They had to stop this, and they had to do it now.
Yuna's fingers were already dialing a number as they made their way down the sterile hallway, her expression taut with focus.
"We'll need a full database," Yuna muttered, her voice tight. "Something to trace every move Drevin has made, every encrypted system he's touched."
Lucien's gaze lingered on her as they walked, watching her fingers work with a precision he had come to respect. She was more than just the woman he had grown to care for she was a force of nature. And right now, her mind was laser-focused on one thing: stopping Drevin.
"I know someone who can help," she added, her words sharp, eyes flashing with resolve. "But we need to move fast. The network's already up, and it won't be long before Drevin pulls the strings. If we don't act quickly, his financial control will be absolute."
Lucien nodded, his grip on his weapon tightening as they passed through a reinforced door. The building was eerily quiet, the only sound their hurried footsteps. The rest of the team was already on standby, waiting for the next order, but this time, there were no clear answers. No easy solutions.
A buzzing sound broke through the tension. Yuna raised her phone to her ear, listening intently as her face hardened further.
"I'll do what I can," she said abruptly, before hanging up and turning to Lucien. "My contact can get us access to Drevin's financial hubs. He has the intel we need to find out where the other Project Phoenix sites are located."
"And he trusts you?" Lucien asked, the suspicion creeping into his voice.
"Trust is earned, not given. But he owes me," she replied. "And right now, that's the only thing we've got on our side."
Lucien didn't press her further. They both knew that time was their greatest enemy. The longer Drevin's systems were left intact, the more entrenched his power would become. The entire world was about to be put under the thumb of a single man with the means to control it all. If they failed, everything they had fought for would crumble.
They reached the secure elevator, and as the door slid open, Lucien looked over at Yuna. Her phone vibrated again in her hand, her eyes scanning the screen.
"I've got the location," she said with a fierce determination. "It's in South America, hidden under layers of encryption, but it's there. We're going after Drevin's vault."
Lucien's eyes narrowed. "South America. That's... closer than we expected."
"It's not just a vault, Lucien." Yuna's voice was low, tinged with the kind of urgency that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. "It's a financial nexus. A place where all of the assets from Drevin's network converge. It's the heart of Project Phoenix."
Lucien's gaze locked onto hers. "How do we get in?"
"We'll need a way to bypass their defenses. This is no ordinary vault. Drevin's security is next-level. We'll have to go dark, keep under the radar until we're inside. No alarms. No time to waste."
The elevator descended with a soft hum, and as it reached the basement level, the doors slid open, revealing the rest of the team gathered around a large table. Maps, blueprints, and digital screens lit up the space with the sharp glow of intelligence and technology.
"Everyone's ready," Lucien said, his tone steady, but the urgency in his chest was unmistakable. He walked toward the table, eyeing the screens, the strategic maps, the digital grids that pulsed with intelligence.
Yuna moved quickly beside him, her phone still gripped tightly in her hand. She tapped a few buttons, and a map of South America appeared on the screen. A location marked with a bright red dot stood out like a glaring beacon. It was the vault.
"This is it," Yuna said. "Drevin's vault. We hit it, we take out the financial core of Project Phoenix."
Lucien stared at the map, his mind working rapidly. The vault wasn't just a physical structure it was a node in Drevin's entire system, a piece of the puzzle that connected to the broader financial infrastructure. Take it down, and they might have a chance to cripple the network before it could fully integrate.
"How do we approach?" Lucien asked.
"We'll need to infiltrate under the radar," Yuna explained, leaning over the map. "The vault's underground, surrounded by multiple layers of security. But there's a weak point here," she said, pointing to a small opening on the map, a ventilation system that could be used for entry.
Lucien studied the map closely. "Once we're inside, we disable their primary defenses. I'll handle the tech while you..."
Yuna shot him a glance, her eyes sharp. "I'll take care of the physical access. You do the tech."
"Agreed," Lucien said, his voice firm. He knew that with Yuna by his side, they stood the best chance at pulling this off. Her expertise in both physical and financial sabotage made her the perfect partner in this mission.
The tension in the room was palpable. The mission was clear: infiltrate the vault, take down Drevin's financial control, and dismantle Project Phoenix before it could spread further. But they couldn't afford a misstep. The security was impenetrable, and the slightest mistake could mean the difference between success and catastrophic failure.
As the team prepped for the mission, Lucien could feel his nerves taut like a drawn bowstring. There was no room for error. Drevin's empire was on the verge of being unshackled, and if they didn't act quickly, the world would soon fall under his control.
Yuna turned to Lucien, her gaze unyielding. "We're doing this. No turning back."