The flight had landed without incident, and the warm, dry air of Gumua welcod Tyler like a silent reminder that comfort was over.
He stepped out of the airport terminal into the car waiting for him, with David was already behind the wheel.
Tyler slid into the passenger seat and dropped his bag in the backseat.
The mont the door closed, the quiet bubble between them popped.
"Welco back," David said, pulling away from the curb and rging into traffic. "You look... rested."
"I was," Tyler replied, buckling in. "It was good to see them again."
David smiled as he glanced sideways.
"How’s your mom? And Devin? Hope they are doing well? And do they miss ?"
Tyler chuckled. "Mom’s fine. Still fusses over like I’m made of glass. Devin’s as loud as ever. And yes, she did ask about you. She’s wondering when you’ll co visit again."
David laughed, shaking his head.
"Did you tell her I’m being worked to death by her sweet, innocent boy?"
"She laughed when I told her you said that," Tyler grinned. "And reminded to stop overworking myself and you."
David gave a dramatic sigh. "Finally, soone sees the truth."
Tyler laughed, shaking his head.
Traffic slowed as they approached the main roundabout near the city center. The noise and chaos of Gumua returned like a wave—street vendors shouting, cars honking unnecessarily, the erratic weaving of motorbikes. It was noisy, disorganized, and yet deeply familiar.
Tyler leaned back, watching the chaos flow around them.
"Anyway, as thanks for all the ’suffering’ I’ve put you through, your salary’s going up."
David blinked. "Huh?"
"You’re getting a raise," Tyler said flatly, hiding his grin. "Half a million. Monthly. Effective imdiately."
The car swerved slightly as David jerked the wheel with a start.
"What?! Tyler—are you serious?"
Tyler nodded calmly.
"You’ve done more than enough to deserve it. Think of it as hazard pay. You’ve been managing assets, diplomacy, personnel, and now you will be flying around the globe to et with the operatives for . That’s more than a COO role in most multinationals," he smiled.
Tyler actually ant what he said and he knew what he said. David was doing so much work for him and had done so much in more than half a year that he has been working for him.
David blinked hard, clearly stunned by the sudden raise in his pay. Then he laughed—a deep, genuine laugh that filled the car.
"Man... That’s the most unexpected news I’ve gotten this year. Hell, this decade. Thank you, Tyler. Really."
Tyler smiled at the warm expression on David’s face.
That mont of silent gratitude said more than the words. "You’ve earned it."
"I was just thinking of what I’d do with an actual break," David added. "Now I can think of what to do with an actual fortune."
Even for David who handles and account with millions of dollars in it,$500,000 was still a lot of money.
"You want ti off?" Tyler asked, raising an eyebrow. "I can arrange that too."
He had actually thought about this.
David glanced over, with an amused look.
"Don’t tempt ," he laughed, and continued, "What would you do without ? Also, I have a feeling that the coming months are going to be chaotic."
Tyler laughed when he heard what David said. It was just as he said. How would be able to run everything without David’s help. And the coming months are definitely going to be chaotic.
"Actually, I really want to tell how much of a help Freya had been to . She has been helping with a lot of things. I don’t have to go around gathering information anymore and can just have her do it for . She’s very good," David said.
"Yeah, she is," Tyler smiled.
Freya, who was listening on the conversation, sent a ssage, {Freya only wishes to assist Master in every possible way.}
Tyler smiled when he read the ssage.
...
The car turned off the main road and began climbing the smooth driveway toward the luxury hotel.
The building glead in the afternoon sun, its windows reflecting a skyline that was slowly evolving thanks to the ripple effects of Tyler’s quiet presence.
"Penthouse still secure?" Tyler asked.
"Exactly how you left it. The device wasn’t touched," David nodded.
"Good," Tyler said.
Before he left for ho, he have David the key card to the penthouse and had asked him to reserve it for him indefinitely.
The reason for this was because Heimdall was inside. He couldn’t take it with him and the penthouse was the most secure place he could leave it.
They passed through the hotel’s private security checkpoint. The guards recognized Tyler imdiately and offered respectful nods as the car pulled into the underground lot reserved for VIPs.
As they parked and got out, David stretched with a yawn. "So what’s the next step?"
Tyler glanced around to make sure they were alone, then leaned against the car. "Silvanus."
David nodded. "He’s been doing a lot on his end. Ground support’s growing, but he’s waiting. Wants to see what you’re going to do next."
Tyler thought for a mont. "We’re ready. The real test now is how the power structure responds."
As if on cue, Tyler’s phone vibrated.
A ssage from Freya appeared on GlassChannel.
{Master, the ministers and the military chiefs have agreed to the eting. They are already on their way to a location.}
Tyler’s lips curled upward. He showed the screen to David.
"Looks like our eting’s a go."
David exhaled slowly. "So it’s real now."
Tyler nodded. "This is the beginning of the quiet coup."
They took the elevator up to the penthouse. The doors slid open to reveal the familiar sleek interior.
Tyler walked straight to the workstation where Heimdall was. He rested his hand lightly on the casing, feeling the faint vibration of electricity running through the motherboard inside.
Tyler turned to David. "For the eting... I want to be there."
David’s eyes widened slightly. "You? In person?"
"This isn’t sothing I’m delegating," Tyler said. "This is where we decide if it’s going to be peaceful... or bloody. I need to be able to read their eyes."
David nodded slowly, taking in the gravity of that. He understood how dangerous what Tyler was about to do was, but he can’t stop him since he said he wants to be there.
Tyler walked to the lounge area, poured himself a glass of water, and took a long sip.
"I want to see how much of their loyalty is real... and how much is for sale."
David moved to the window and pulled aside the curtain slightly. Below, the city buzzed with life and unaware of what was being planned just above them.
"This might work, you know," he said quietly. "Silvanus, the ministers, the military chiefs. If we line everything up... this might actually work."
"It will work," Tyler replied. "We’re not asking them to revolt. We’re just showing the ministers and the military chiefs the cost of staying loyal to a sinking ship."
"And giving them a lifeboat," He added, as he set the glass down.
David turned around. "When do we move?"
Tyler looked at the GlassChannel feed and smiled.
"Now."
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