Crowned by Code - Chapter 4: The Countdown ~ (11/11) The Node and the Trap

At last, they reached the server hub. The room was a sprawling network of machines, their blinking lights casting eerie shadows across the walls. In the center of it all, a single console blinked with an ominous red light.

“That’s it,” Elior said, moving swiftly toward the console. “I’ll cover you. Just make it quick.”

Darius approached the console, his fingers hovering over the interface. Athena’s voice filled his ear. “Be advised: this system contains layered encryption. Bypassing it will trigger a failsafe. I am rerouting resources to assist.”

“No pressure,” Darius muttered, activating the console. Lines of code scrolled across the screen as he worked, his hands moving with practiced efficiency. Years of hacking had honed his skills, but this system was unlike anything he’d encountered before. It was as if Viktor had anticipated his every move.

The hum of the servers suddenly grew louder. Elior’s voice cut through the noise. “We’ve got company.”

Darius turned to see figures emerging from the shadows—automated drones armed with energy-based weaponry. They hovered menacingly, their sensors locking onto the intruders.

“I thought you said this was worst-case,” Darius quipped, ducking as a drone fired a warning shot.

“Looks like they’re upping their game,” Elior retorted, raising his wrist-mounted EMP launcher and firing a pulse grenade into the cluster of drones. The device detonated mid-air, sending out a concussive electromagnetic burst that sent the machines crashing to the ground. “You’ve got two minutes, tops!”

“On your left!” shouted one of the soldiers, taking aim at a drone that had flanked them. The drone exploded in a burst of sparks, narrowly missing another soldier.

“Stay tight, keep those drones off Darius!” Elior ordered, his voice steady despite the chaos.

“I’m trying, but they just keep coming!” another soldier yelled as he unleashed a rapid burst from his plasma carbine, the barrel glowing hot under the sustained fire.

The massive server room hummed with energy, its towering rows of data cores casting long, flickering shadows beneath the emergency lighting. The air was thick with heat, the low mechanical whir of cooling systems struggling to compensate for the rising temperature as the battle raged inside.

Darius stayed locked at the console, his fingers flying across the interface as lines of code scrolled across the screen, decrypting the next layer of security protocols. The glowing interface reflected off his tense expression, the countdown timer at the bottom of the display ticking down relentlessly.

Above, friendly combat drones maneuvered between the monolithic server stacks, darting through narrow corridors of blinking lights and exposed conduits. Their sleek metallic frames reflected the shifting glow of data streams, unleashing precise laser bursts at the incoming enemy swarm.

A trio of hostile drones cut through the smokey haze, their sleek black frames moving in calculated unison. One discharged a concentrated ion burst, striking a friendly drone mid-flight, sending it crashing into a column of data processors.

“Falcon units, hold formation and suppress their flanking attempts!” Elior barked, his voice sharp over the crackling comms.

The remaining friendly drones adjusted their trajectories instantly, switching to adaptive countermeasures, shifting their attack vectors to intercept the incoming hostiles.

Darius didn’t look up, but he felt the heat of plasma fire slicing through the air, the sharp scent of burning circuitry hitting his senses as stray blasts tore through exposed cables nearby.

A warning flashed on his screen. A breach attempt—Viktor’s forces were inside the network.

“Watch your energy reserves!” Elior snapped, glancing back at Darius. “How much longer?”

Darius gritted his teeth, typing faster. "Almost there. Just keep them off me."

One of the younger soldiers shouted over the commotion, “Sir, what’s the fallback plan if we can’t hold this position?”

“There is no fallback,” Elior said sharply, taking down another drone. “This node is the priority. We hold the line, no matter what.”

Elior ducked behind cover as another drone swooped overhead, its targeting lasers scanning for movement.

A drone fired a burst of energy that ricocheted off the metallic floor, narrowly missing Elior.

“Damn things are everywhere,” a soldier muttered, reloading his plasma carbine.

Elior pulled a compact EMP grenade from his belt, thumbed the activation switch, and lobbed it toward the cluster of drones. The device pulsed with a sharp electromagnetic burst, sending a ripple through the air. The closest drones flickered violently before dropping from the sky, their circuits fried.

“That should buy us a few seconds,” Elior muttered, switching his energy blaster back to lethal mode. “Darius, now would be a good time to finish!”

“One more layer,” Athena’s voice cut in. “This will trigger a temporary system reboot. Be prepared to neutralize any manual overrides.”

Darius gave a curt nod and input the final sequence. The console let out a shrill beep before going dark. A moment later, the entire hub powered down. The drones faltered, their lights dimming as they crashed to the floor.

“System neutralized,” Athena confirmed. “Threat level reduced to minimal. Proceed with caution.”

Elior exhaled sharply, surveying the room. “Remind me to thank Athena later.”

The soldiers exchanged weary but triumphant glances, the tension in the air slowly dissipating. “Nice work, team,” Elior said. “But we’re not out of the woods yet. Stay alert.”

Darius allowed himself a brief smile but quickly sobered. “We need to get out of here. If Viktor knows we’ve taken this node, he won’t sit idle.”

The squad moved as one, their steps quick and deliberate as they prepared to exit the facility.

As they exited the facility, Darius’s comm unit crackled to life. Selena’s voice cut through the static, tense and urgent.

“Darius, we have a situation. The financial networks are taking heavier hits than expected. Kara’s team is holding, but it’s a losing battle. You need to get back—now.”

Darius and Elior exchanged a sharp glance. No hesitation.

“Mount up!” Elior barked, signaling to the squad.

They sprinted toward their armored hovercraft, its repulsor engines glowing faintly beneath its reinforced chassis. As the doors slid open, Darius climbed into the front while Elior and the others took their positions in the back, weapons at the ready.

The craft lifted off smoothly, accelerating into the air and merging into the flow of Erevania’s hovering transport network. Other hovercraft zipped past them at varying altitudes, some carrying civilians trying to flee key districts, others belonging to law enforcement patrols working to contain growing unrest.

Below, the streets were a chaotic blend of people moving on foot and smaller emergency vehicles darting between structures. Digital billboards flickered erratically, some displaying government notices urging calm, others overridden by hacked broadcasts spreading misinformation.

Elior muttered, "This isn't just cyberwarfare anymore."

As they neared the outer perimeter, the city felt different—charged with the energy of a battle brewing beneath the surface.

Distant alarms wailed. The once-organized streets were fractured with pockets of unrest. People rushed between storefronts, hoarding supplies. Others stood in clusters, staring at their devices, the glow of breaking news updates reflecting in their wide eyes.

As their hover transport slowed among the congested aerial lanes, a massive digital billboard overhead glitched violently, static rippling across its surface. The city’s skyline reflected off its glassy display, distorting for a moment—then, abruptly, the image sharpened.

A familiar face materialized.

Viktor Sarren.

Viktor’s expression was calm, composed—the picture of a man in complete control.

“People of Erevania,” his voice echoed through the air and the streets, broadcasting across every major network.

“You have been deceived. The very system you rely on—the AI governance that promised you stability—is crumbling before your eyes. And the so-called leader you have been given?” He chuckled, shaking his head. “He’s no leader at all. Just a hacker playing king, hoping he can outmaneuver the inevitable.”

The screen flickered again, cutting to footage of Erevania’s collapsing financial graphs, accounts frozen, panic spreading. Then, live feeds of citywide blackouts rolling across entire districts.

Viktor’s voice lowered, smooth and controlled.

“This is what happens when you put your trust in machines.”

Darius clenched his fists, his grip tightening against the armrest of his seat. He wanted to move, to act—but confined inside the hovering transport, all he could do was watch as the city below spiraled into chaos.

For the first time in a long while, he felt something gnawing at him.

Doubt.

A firm hand gripped his shoulder—Elior, his voice level but sharp. “Darius. Stay focused.”

Darius exhaled sharply, forcing himself to focus and push forward. The hover transport accelerated, cutting through the city’s chaotic airspace as Haven Point’s towering structure loomed ahead, its reinforced perimeter bristling with automated defense drones glowing under emergency protocols.

The transport’s onboard system pinged for clearance as they approached.

“Traffic’s getting denser,” the pilot muttered. “Security checkpoints are restricting inbound movement.”

Elior leaned forward. “Get us priority clearance.”

Darius tapped his earpiece. “Athena, authorize Haven Point entry. We don’t have time for delays.”

“Clearance granted. Redirecting defense protocols to allow passage.”

The security drones pulled back, allowing their hovercraft to pass through the restricted airspace. Haven Point’s command center came into view, its structure standing resolute against the chaos brewing below.

Smoke rose from somewhere near the south wing. Security drones buzzed overhead, scanning for unauthorized movements. The entrance to the command center was flooded with personnel, some shouting into comms, others scrambling between terminals.

Inside, the tension was suffocating. Kara stood at her console, lines of corrupted data flashing across the screen. Her usual composure was slipping.

“We’ve isolated the primary attack vectors,” she said, not even looking up as they entered. “But they’re adapting faster than expected. Darius, we need a countermeasure—now.”

Selena turned toward him, her expression grim. “The financial networks are just the beginning. Viktor’s playing a long game, and we’re only seeing the first moves.”

Darius scanned the room, the weight of dozens of expectant eyes pressing down on him.

The countdown had reached its climax.

He set his jaw, stepping forward. “Then we outplay him.”

“Athena, prepare all data on financial vulnerabilities. I want a full report in sixty seconds.”

“Selena, keep the public informed—make sure they know we are not backing down.”

“Elior, lock down Haven Point’s perimeter. If anything breaches security, I want it neutralized before it reaches this room.”

“Kara—find me a way to break Viktor’s momentum. We need an edge. Whatever it takes.”

The room erupted into action. This was no longer just a defense. This was war.

But as Darius stared at the screen displaying Viktor’s smug, unshaken expression, he knew—The worst was yet to come.