"This... isn't right," Ethan muttered as he placed a hand on his chin, "everything went too perfectly."
Most would be celebrating a successful product launch announcent alongside hundreds of thousands of preorders which would make him around tens if not hundreds of millions.
And that was just the public model, the clinical model's price tag alone would add another massive chunk.
But Ethan wasn't smiling.
He wasn't even relaxed and you could see that he was irritated.
He had expected that man to make a move during the launch, after all, what better timing could he ask for?
{The launch announcent might be the greatest opportunity to attack,} Athena, who's avatar was looking at him through the screen, comnted, {but that is also the exact mont when you're on the highest alert. Anyone watching you carefully would know that.}
"Which ans he didn't want to attack during the launch," Ethan muttered. "He wanted expecting it."
{Creating stress, anticipation and doubt,} Athena nodded.
"I see," he nodded and leaned back, "he wants anxious and hyper-focused, he wants to expect an attack and Wait for one, so that eventually… when nothing happens…"
{You relax,} Athena finished gently.
"Right," Ethan said. "And when the heightened vigilance finally fades,"
{They make their move.}
It was one of the oldest tricks in the book..well, the book that involved psychological manipulation.
And he had almost fallen for it.
"Thanks Athena," he muttered.
{Anyti,} she responded.
"Now then," he said as he stood up and started pacing, "when and where will their attack co from?"
Bzzzt!
His phone laying on the table vibrated, pulling his attention towards it. The ID showed unknown number but the timing of the call was everything.
{Are you going to pick up?} Athena asked as the phone continued buzzing.
Ethan didn't say anything in response as he allowed the phone to write a while longer before picking it up and placing it on his ear.
The other end was silent for a while and the only thing that could be heard was slow, calm breaths.
"Ethan Carter," the person said after a while and Ethan imdiately recognized the voice.
Victor Langley, father to Nathaniel Langley aka the man he murdered, but Ethan knew that wasn't the purpose of this particular call.
"Yes?" He answered feigning ignorance, "who's this?"
"I was told that you had a deal with the collector?" Victor continued, "one which you'd provide him information on OmniTech?"
"I have no idea what your talking about," he continued feigning ignorance, almost as if he was playing a role.
"Check your phone," Victor said and a mont later, Ethan's phone let out a ding as he checked it.
It was a ssage from the man, one basically ordering him to work with Victor for now and a second ding, this ti a transfer notification if a million dollars.
"Alright then," Ethan's voice changed, "what do you want to know."
The smile on Victor's face could practically be heard in through the phone.
"Good," Victor said, tone shifting to sothing colder, sothing with teeth. "I was told you're positioned well inside OmniTech, close enough to… hear things."
Ethan made a thoughtful hum, "Depends on the topic. OmniTech isn't exactly loose-lipped company."
"But you are," Victor replied.
Ethan smirked silently, this was fine. He kept his voice flat and almost irritated, "You're asking for a lot, Mr…?"
"Langley," Victor said. "Victor Langley."
There was a pause on Ethan's end as he seed to be thinking tof where he had heard that na before.
"Langley," he repeated, making sure to inject a tone of recognition in it.
"The Langleys, huh… big na."
Victor sounded pleased at the reaction, even though Ethan had faked it perfectly.
"Good. Then you understand the weight behind this conversation."
"Once," Ethan completed calmly, causing Victor to fall silent on the other end.
"…What?" he finally asked, voice sounded as if he was keeping his emotions under control...well, trying to anyway.
"You said the Langleys," Ethan said, tone kept carefully dismissive, "they were a big na once, until they weren't anymore."
There was a mont of silence on the other end as Victor forced himself to calm down.
"You're bold," Victor said slowly, "very bold for a rat."
"So I've been told," Ethan calmly responded, a small smile on his face.
But Victor ignored the response and moved the topic back to why he needed this rat in the first place.
"I need information," he said, "and more importantly, access."
"Access?" Ethan repeated, "I can get information. But physical access? That depends on who you're aiming at."
There was a brief pause on Victor's end.
Then, calmly:
"The COO."
Ethan's brows rose ever so slightly, so this was the plan, how interesting.
Victor continued, oblivious.
"The one the Collector believes is… important to the CEO."
Ethan's hand twitched.
Important was an understatent.
Lillian was his.
Sadly for Victor, he had no clue the 'mole' he was calling was the man he was being tasked to sabotage.
"And what exactly do you want from ?" he asked, his tone remaining completely calmly and controlled.
Victor's tone changed a bit.
"I'll send you sothing and you'll plant it on her, as simple as that."
"Plant what?"
"You'll receive it when we et."
Ethan humd again, "Fine, when and where?"
His phone let out another ding and he looked at it, only to be t with coordinates.
A rundown parking structure on the outskirts of Atlanta. It was isolated with low surveillance, the kind of place soone like Victor would think was discreet.
"Tonight," Victor said. "11 PM, don't be late. I don't tolerate incompetence."
Before Ethan could end the call, Victor spoke up again.
"One more thing," he added, "fail , and our agreent ends… unpleasantly."
The call cut.
Ethan looked at the phone for a while before chuckling, "I guess there isn't much figuring out left to do, is there?"
{Do you intend on eting him?} Athena asked.
"Of course," he nodded, "I'm curious about whatever he plans for to plant on Lillian."
{What if it's a tracker?} Athena asked, {would you still plant it on her?}
"If I go against his instructions right now," Ethan started, "I'd loose my only lead against the collector...well, only direct lead and I'll also risk them finding my identity out."
{So, yes?} She asked again, looking at him.
"Yes," he nodded, "I need Victor to believe I'm cooperating."
"If he suspects I'm feeding him misinformation, he becos cautious. If he becos cautious…" he continued, taking a small pause, "the Collector becos cautious."
{And if the Collector becos cautious,} Athena finished softly, {he might try to cut you out of the picture and make you disappear.}
"Exactly," he nodded, "their attention cannot drift, not yet. I need them focused on this 'mission' of theirs."
{I see} Athena nodded.
Ethan then proceeded to stand up and proceeded to walk towards his bed where Lillian lay asleep.
"Let's prepare to et Victor, shall we?" He muttered, standing by the door and looking at her sleeping figure.
She had been completely drained after the launch, hence the reason why she was still asleep by this hour and he didn't intend to disturb her.
***
[10:59 PM]
Ethan's car pulled up in the run down parking structure as he had been guided by the map.
He parked at the third floor and stepped out, noticing how dark the place was, especially due to the fact that most of the lights weren't working anymore.
The mont he stepped out, a pair headlights turned on, illuminating Victor Langley who standing beside a black sedan, coat draped over his shoulders, expression cold and unimpressed.
The man was just as Ethan rembered, just that he seed to have lost a couple of pounds and all the hair on his head had turned grey.
But none of that dimd the aura of control that radiated from the old man.
"You're late," Victor said, a bit of his annoyance evident in his voice.
"You said eleven," Ethan replied. "It's eleven"
Victor studied him for a mont before tossing a small tal object his way.
Ethan caught it easily.
A small, matte-black device. The device was no bigger than a coat button.
"A tracker," Victor said, "Military-grade, it's near undetectable and its job is to transmit location in real ti."
Ethan glanced at it, turning it between his fingers.
"And you want it on the COO."
"Yes," Victor replied, "on her or anything she always keeps with her… but the closer, the better."
Ethan placed the tracker into his pocket like it was nothing more than a coin.
"You plant it by tomorrow," Victor said, his voice was low. "And after that… I'll have more tasks. More information I need."
"Paynt?" Ethan asked casually.
Victor chuckled, "you'll get more than money if you stay useful."
He understood exactly how greedy the human mind was, and that greed was what the collector was using to control this rat before him.
Ethan didn't respond.
They stared at each other for a few seconds as Victor seed to be searching for so kind of weakness, Ethan not bothering to hide the fact that he wasn't intimidated.
Finally, Victor turned away and walked into his unassuming Sedan, but not before saying.
"Don't disappoint , Carter."
Ethan's lips lifted into the smallest smirk as he headed back toward his car.
"Oh, trust ," he muttered to himself, "I won't."
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