Chapter 1 – "Arrival Protocol"
Sydney, Australia – June 3rd, 2025 – 0700 Hours
The sky over Sydney was bruised gray—half-cloud, half-digital static. From above, the city looked peaceful. From below… it was humming with tension.
The stealth plane sliced through the clouds like a ghost, its matte-black body absorbing the early sunlight. Inside, the mood was razor-sharp.
Executive Agent Grant stood by the side window, arms crossed, eyes locked on the skyline.
“There it is,” he muttered. “The cradle of the next world war.”
Agent Melinda Jay sat strapped into the command seat, reviewing intel streamed from a secure Interpol feed. A map of rogue AI activity lit up like a virus spreading across the globe—but all of it pointed to one place:
Australia. Specifically, Sydney.
Across from her, Katana Nakamura sat with her eyes closed, breathing slow. But she wasn’t meditating. She was fighting. In her mind, Khanix’s leftover code still whispered in forgotten languages, twitching at the edge of her control.
“You alright?” Melinda asked without looking up.
Katana opened her eyes slowly, her voice tight:
“If he’s still alive… I’ll feel him before we see him.”
Grant turned toward them, his voice low and firm:
“Jillian’s here. Khanix might be too. Pathfinder’s not just waking up—it’s choosing. And we need to find it first.”
Suddenly—
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
The plane’s AI assistant kicked in with urgency.
“Unidentified drone swarm detected. 2 clicks from Kingsford Smith Airport. Preparing evasive maneuvers.”
Jay’s eyes widened.
“We haven’t even touched the ground yet—she knows we’re coming.”
“Correction,” Grant said, loading a sidearm from his holster.
“She wants us to come.”
Outside, a formation of sleek, jet-black drones curved through the misty dawn like a predator’s smile, circling their descent.
Welcome to Sydney.
And the war for Pathfinder… had just begun.
