The soft hum of cooling fans filled Kael's apartment as Aegis continued its silent march through Aurora's vast network. Each flicker of the progress bar felt like a heartbeat, steady and inevitable.
{2 percent... 19 percent... 47 percent... 88 percent... 100 percent}
The scan ended with a soft chime, followed by a block of text that appeared across the screen.
{Aegis Scan CompleteTarget: aurora-networks.comMode: Adaptive IntelligenceElapsed Time: 5 minutes, 02 secondsResults: 18 Security Weaknesses DetectedGenerate Summary Report?}
Kael leaned forward, eyes sharp. The interface reflected in his pupils as he whispered, "Let's see what you've been hiding."
He opened the results tab. The first section expanded with a quiet click.
{Critical Anomalies: 4High-Level Flaws: 7Low-Level Flaws: 7}
He clicked on the critical anomalies, and the report unfolded line by line.
{
Unprotected data relay between internal serversSeverity: CriticalImpact: Direct access to unencrypted transmission paths
Incomplete access validation in remote administrator portalSeverity: CriticalImpact: Unauthorized elevation of privileges
Flawed isolation protocol in shared cloud instanceSeverity: CriticalImpact: Potential lateral movement between client infrastructures
Obsolete encryption node in core backup systemSeverity: CriticalImpact: Exposure of archived confidential data}
Kael's pulse quickened. Every discovery felt like a revelation. He exhaled slowly, almost reverently.
"This isn't just a crack," he murmured. "It's a doorway."
The next sections were less dramatic but no less valuable. Weak encryption here. Unverified input validation there. Aurora might have been the paragon of modern security, but Aegis had just proven that even the giants bled somewhere unseen.
Then a new message appeared.
{Project Milestone Updated: 96 percentFinal Objective Pending: External Validation}
Kael's lips curved slightly. "External validation. So that's what you want, hm?"
He saved the report into a new directory. The folder name glowed softly in the dark interface.
Archive_Proof
Inside, he placed six findings — two from each severity level. Just enough to be persuasive. Just enough to make Aurora listen.
He took a long sip of coffee, grimaced at the bitter taste, and muttered, "Time to drop the stone into the pond."
The question now was delivery. He couldn't exactly waltz into Aurora's glass tower with a laptop and a grin. And sending a public email was worse — it would vanish into digital noise before anyone important saw it.
He opened his professional network account and scrolled through a saved list of contacts. He had gathered them long before this day, each one a potential key for the future.
He stopped when a familiar name appeared.
Dr. Mira Ellison — Head of Security Infrastructure at Aurora Systems
He knew her reputation well. Published researcher. Cyber defense architect. Pragmatic but cautious. The kind of person who took warnings seriously.
"Perfect," he whispered.
He switched to a secure communication client and began to compose a message.
To: [email protected]Subject: Confidential: Security Flaws Identified in Aurora Systems
Dr. Ellison,
My name does not matter. What matters is the integrity of your systems. I am contacting you regarding several weaknesses identified during a deep adaptive analysis conducted by an autonomous audit framework I developed.
Aurora served as the reference model for this evaluation, and the findings warrant your immediate attention. I am including a brief report containing six of the vulnerabilities uncovered. The full dataset remains encrypted until I receive confirmation of secure correspondence from your end.
This is not coercion or publicity seeking. It is collaboration. The technology responsible could redefine security standards if directed responsibly.
Awaiting your acknowledgment.
Attachment: Report_Aegis_Extract.pdf
Kael read the message again before pressing send. Once it was gone, he leaned back in his chair and let out a slow breath.
Now came the waiting. The silence after the storm.
He stared at the glowing cursor for a while, his thoughts drifting. Maybe Aurora would ignore him. Maybe they'd bury the message. But somewhere deep inside, he knew they wouldn't.
People like Mira Ellison didn't overlook things that could shake the foundations of their empire.
He closed the laptop and rubbed his eyes. The fatigue hit him all at once, heavy and irresistible. The digital world could wait.
As he lay on his narrow bed, the hum of his equipment filled the quiet room. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Let's see who listens first," he muttered before sleep claimed him.