The conference room was dimly lit, the glow of the holographic display casting eerie shadows against the walls. Cynthia stood at the head of the table, arms crossed, as the data scrolled in front of them. The evidence was clear—this was bigger than they had imagined.
Lena's fingers tapped rapidly on the console. "I've managed to isolate a pattern in the transmissions. The signals aren't random—they're coordinated."
Marcus leaned closer. "Coordinated how?"
Lena expanded the display, revealing a web of interconnected nodes. "They're being routed through multiple servers, bouncing between locations, but they all converge at one place—a hidden relay buried in our own system."
Cynthia's stomach clenched. "A backdoor?"
Marla, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, finally spoke. "More than that. This isn't just infiltration—it's control. Someone has been directing our systems from the inside without us even realizing it."
Prometheus exhaled sharply. "Which means they've had access to everything—our research, our blueprints, our security measures." He turned to Cynthia. "We need to shut this down. Now."
Marcus hesitated. "If we do, won't that tip them off?"
Marla nodded. "It will. Which is why we need to make them believe they're still in control while we trace the signal to its true source."
Lena glanced at Cynthia. "You're suggesting we let them think they've won?"
Cynthia's gaze hardened. "Exactly. We set the bait. We feed them controlled data and let them expose themselves."
Marla smirked. "A trap within a trap. I like it."
As the team moved quickly to set their plan in motion, Cynthia couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. The enemy had been ahead of them at every step.
But not this time.
This time, they were going to turn the unseen hand against itself.