Leon sat in the backseat of a discreet electric sedan, the type reserved for private clients and high-ranking professionals. It wasn't luxury, but it was invisible. That's what he needed now—silence in motion.
The city blurred past the tinted windows. London's familiar chill hung in the air like a phantom clinging to him, trying to pull him back. But his course had been set. Departure protocols were in place.
Back at the house, the last of his redundant hardware was being destroyed—an automated wipe-and-burn sequence ensuring no physical trace of his activities would survive the week. The Modular Data Vault, nearly finished, had already been sealed and hidden beneath a false floor panel in his soon-to-be-vacated room. The rest? Scattered signals, fake leads, and a digital carcass that screamed: hacker, not architect.
SYSTEM: Region Departure Protocol — Phase Two Complete.
Final Passive Trace Residue: 0.9%. Acceptable Risk.
UK Activity Archive Locked.
Leon exhaled slowly. This was the hard part—not escaping, but ensuring they never knew he was there in the first place.
The sedan rolled to a smooth stop at a private terminal near Heathrow.
No press. No security theater. Just the digital hush of wealth.
He stepped out, dressed plainly: black jeans, a grey hoodie, nondescript sneakers. The only thing notable about him was how unnotable he looked.
Two caretakers followed with his checked luggage. They wouldn't be joining him; they were part of the narrative he'd spun for anyone curious. A student. A promising one. Off to Caltech for early admission research. A rising talent in simulation sciences. A paper trail had already been fabricated months ago.
His parents hadn't questioned him since that initial conversation. They assumed this was about ambition.
They weren't wrong.
Just... not entirely right either.
SYSTEM: Transcontinental Transition Engaged.
New Regional Access Node Available: North American Sector.
SP-Weighted Algorithms Updating for U.S. Political-Cultural Infrastructure.
Leon glanced at the terminal boarding gate. Four minutes until pre-clearance.
He pulled out his phone, flicked to a private news wire. Tactica was still dominating international discourse. But the real benefit was no longer SP. It was misdirection.
The world was too busy searching for a nonexistent studio to notice a single teenager leaving the UK.
He opened the system's latest notification.
SYSTEM: Long-Term Geo-Sociopolitical Strategy Required.
Recommendation: Begin U.S.-Based Strategic Embedding.
Suggested Fronts:
Political Think Tank Infiltration
Educational Reform Pilot (Digital Cognitive Tools)
Data Policy Influence via Youth Lobby Arms
He skimmed the options, then minimized the prompt.
Too soon. First, he needed to assess the new terrain. America was louder, more fragmented, more volatile—and paradoxically, easier to manipulate.
The boarding call echoed softly.
He stood.
Leon wasn't leaving home.
He was entering the battlefield.