Ethan sat at the restaurant for twenty minutes before a black BMW 7 Series pulled up at the entrance and a man walked out of the driver’s seat, hurrying to the back and opening the door.
Stepping out was Irina, dressed in a white blazer and heels, she stepped out of the car, adjusting her sun glasses before walking into the restaurant’s door.
Eyes of the other people in the restaurant were imdiately drawn to her but she ignored all the attention and calmly walked directly towards his table as soon as she spotted him.
Two other n dressed in casual clothes walked in after her, choosing a table not far from Ethan’s. At first glance, they blended in with the crowd, but the way their eyes scanned the room and the subtle bulges beneath their jackets told a different story.
They weren’t civilians, they probably were Irina’s bodyguards.
But Ethan didn’t mind, after all, yesterday’s attack was a valid reason to have guards around.
She sat opposite him before taking off her sunglasses and allowing her violet eyes to rest on him.
No words were exchanged between them for a while before the waitress appeared, "Good afternoon. May I take your order?"
There was a bit nervous sweat on her forehead due to the atmosphere at the table, but she eased up a little at Ethan’s smile.
Irina didn’t glance at the nu, she just replied, "Sparkling water, chilled."
She walked away to fulfill the order leaving the two alone at the table.
"Now then, Ms. Romanova," Ethan broke the silence, "were you impressed?"
She picked up the glass of sparkling li water the waitress had just put down and drank a little.
Impressive wasn’t the word to describe the results of the test she gave Ethan. Even so experienced hacker working for her would have a hard ti, especially considering the limited ti she had given him.
She put the glass down and looked at him again before replying, "I admit, I am impressed."
"I fully expected you to fail," she said, "but I guess I underestimated you."
"I’m glad I exceeded your expectations," Ethan responded with a smile.
"So, Ethan Carter," Irina started, "what exactly do you want my support for?"
Her words ant one thing, she was willing to back him and that was all Ethan needed.
"I want your connections, your network and more importantly, your resources." He leaned back as he said, "in exchange for tech that the world may never see or have access to."
Irina also leaned back, as if thinking about his words, but the decision was all but made. She saw him as an important asset just like he did her.
"Very well," she said at last, placing the glass back on the table with a soft click. "You’ll have my support—but understand this, Ethan Carter: loyalty is not a word I use lightly. If you fail , if you waste my ti, you will regret it."
Ethan’s smile widened, almost wolfish. "Then I’ll just have to make sure I don’t."
He extended his hand for a shake as he said with a smile , "I look forward to working with you."
Irina looked at his open hand before taking it, shaking his hand, " too."
With that, Ethan’s pieces were all in place and it was ti to permanently deal with the obstacle known as Nathaniel.
But before that, "there is sothing I need from you right away," he said, his tone calm but carrying an undercurrent of seriousness.
Irina tilted her head, studying him with those sharp violet eyes. "Already making requests? Bold of you."
There was no change in his expression, "I need your contacts in Russia. Specifically, soone who can find people who are not ant to be found."
Irina tapped her finger against the rim of her glass, eyes narrowing slightly. "And who is it you want found?"
Instead of a reply, Ethan just took his phone out and tapped a few tis, sliding it across the table until it stopped in front of her.
On it was a picture of two people, a little girl no older than seven clutching a stuffed bear, and a woman in her thirties with dark hair tied back in a simple bun. Both were caught in a candid mont, walking across a crowded market, unaware of the photo being taken.
Irina’s brows arched, her fingers still on the rim of her glass. "A child," she murmured, then shifted her gaze back to Ethan. "And her mother. Why would you bring this?"
Ethan leaned forward, lowering his voice so only she could hear. "Because they are a leverage against an obstacle."
Irina was silent for a mont, thinking for a while before she finally sighed and said, "Fine, but expect to also make use of you soon."
With that, she stood gracefully, slipping her sunglasses back on. Without another glance, she turned and walked toward the exit, her heels clicking softly against the polished floor.
The two n who had accompanied her were already gone, no doubt securing the periter before her arrival at the car.
Ethan watched her go, his smile fading into sothing colder. He leaned back in his chair, fingers drumming lightly against the table before reaching for the bill.
The waitress approached timidly, still avoiding his gaze. Ethan slipped a few crisp notes into the folder—more than enough to cover Irina’s drink and his own presence.
"Keep the change," he said, offering her a reassuring smile that only deepened her nervous blush.
With that, he walked out of the restaurant and back into his hotel room. He had nothing else to do the entire day so this was the perfect chance to gain so knowledge.
_______
"Alright system," Ethan said as he walked into his room and closed the door, "how are we doing this?"
[Allow access to you AI again,] the system responded.
Ethan frowned, it didn’t actually need permission previously so what was different now?
Without too much thought, he gave the permission and the system imdiately took over.
[This is impressive,] the system spoke, but this ti, it was with Athena’s voice, [I am impressed that such a backward world is capable of so of the discoveries in these research.]
"What happens to Athena when you take over?" He asked curiously, the previous ti the system took over, Athena didn’t seem to have realized that she wasn’t in control for a few minutes.
[She’s currently suspended.] The system answered.
"Suspended?" Ethan repeated in question.
[Yes,] the system confird in a strangely clinically neutral tone, [to her, no ti passes and nothing changes. She will resu from the exact mont I interrupted.]
"I see," Ethan muttered.
It was better this way than locking Athena away in a separate part of her own code until the system handed controls back to her.
It would be easy for her to figure out sothing was off each ti the system took over, but that was still better than feeling like you were trapped in your own mind.
"Let’s start," Ethan said, "what do you need to do?"
[Leave everything to , ] it responded, [just make sure your brain doesn’t erupt.]
"Sounds like sothing completely under my control," he sarcastically comnted.
[The human neural structure is... fragile, to say the least,] the system explained flatly, Athena’s voice carrying no trace of warmth. [You are not designed to process data of this magnitude. But I will adapt you, slowly.]
"Slowly?" Ethan walked to a chair in the room and leaned back on it with his arms crossed. "I don’t have the luxury of ti."
[Then you will just have to endure the pain.]
Before Ethan could respond, his vision blurred. The lights in the hotel room seed to fracture into shards, transforming into streaks of numbers and symbols. His head throbbed violently, like needles pressing against the back of his eyes.
"Damn—" he hissed, clutching the edge of the desk for balance.
[Focus,] the system commanded in a calm voice. [You’re glimpsing three decades of human research... physics, encryption, biogenetics. Crude, unfinished—but adaptable. Absorb it.]
He tried his hardest to, but his brain was receiving a lot more information than it was designed to.
Soon enough, blood started dripping from his nose as his vision switched between unconsciousness and back.
The pain was unbearable, it felt like molten lead was being poured into the cracks of his skull. His breath ca in ragged gasps, chest heaving as his trembling hands clawed at the desk for support.
The stream of information didn’t stop. Equations, schematics, and code seared themselves into his brain.
His body wasn’t built for this. Every instinct scread at him to stop but he wouldn’t.
[Do not fight it,] the system warned, voice steady, clinical. [Resistance will only accelerate neural rupture. You must allow the knowledge to sink in.]
"Easy... for you... to say," Ethan rasped, struggling to form even a simple sentence as his blood dripped onto the floor below.
The pain was increasing by the second and suddenly,
Boom
A muffled detonation erupted inside his skull. In that instant he felt no pain, even the pain from the upload of knowledge into his brain had completely stopped.
Ethan collapsed from his chair, hitting the floor hard. Blood streaked down from his nose and ear, pooling under his head his eyes were open, but they were completely blank.
The last thing he felt before the blackness claid him was a strange, almost alien sensation.
And then—
Everything went black.
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