Her fingers flew across the keyboard with the confidence of someone who’d been trained by the man whose secrets she was now pillaging.
Watching her work, Conall felt a complex mixture of admiration and sorrow through their bond—she was brilliant at this, but the skills had been taught by the father who’d ultimately betrayed her.
It would take time for her to sort through her emotional response to his death.
Here,she said after several minutes of concentrated effort.Personnel files for Prometheus Group operatives.Looks like Gregory recruited heavily from former Chimera assets, military contractors, and…Her voice trailed off as she scrolled through the list.
And what?Conall asked, moving closer to read over her shoulder.
Pack members,she said grimly.Shifters who’d become disillusioned with democratic leadership.Gregory called them ‘ideological converts’—people who genuinely believed authoritarian hierarchy was necessary for species survival.
Not just outsiders infiltrating pack communities, but pack members themselves choosing to betray their families in service of Gregory’s vision.
How many?Quinton asked from his own terminal, where he was downloading communication logs.
Dozens across fifteen different packs.Nadine’s voice carried the flat tone of someone reporting intelligence.Most of them in communications, security, or medical positions.Perfect placement for intelligence gathering and asset creation.
We need Anders,Conall said, reaching for his secure phone.“This is bigger than the three of us can handle.
Anders, we’ve secured the facility,Conall said when the lead guardian answered.But we’ve uncovered something much larger than we expected.We need a full team and technical support.Now.
Status on Gregory?Anders asked.
Conall glanced at the cooling body.Neutralized.Permanently.
Good.I’ll dispatch a team immediately.What kind of intelligence are we looking at?
Everything.Gregory’s entire network—he called it the Prometheus Group.Operative locations, asset lists, communication protocols.Conall watched Nadine work, noting the increasing tension in her shoulders as she uncovered the full scope of her father’s conspiracy.We’re going to need every available resource to roll up this network before they realize Gregory’s been compromised.
ETA one hour,Anders said.Hold position and secure everything you can.
As Conall ended the call, Quinton let out a low whistle from his workstation.Con, you need to see this.Nadine, you too.Make thatespeciallyyou.
They gathered around Quinton’s screen, where he’d pulled up what appeared to be a technical manual.The title made Conall’s blood run cold:Omicron Protocol: Implementation and Control Procedures.
Quinton began scrolling through the document.This is Chimera’s.It’s a complete instruction manual for simultaneous activation of neural interfaces across multiple territories.Behavioral override commands, psychological manipulation protocols, even codes for the kill switches for assets who resist programming.
Nadine’s face had gone pale as she read.Gregory was ready for this.Mass activation would have given him direct power over leadership in dozens of packs simultaneously.
When?Conall asked, dreading the answer.
According to the timeline,Quinton said, highlighting a section of the document,full implementation was scheduled for next week.The attacks on other packs weren’t just elimination—they were clearing potential resistance before the protocol activated.
So was he working for or against Chimera?Conall asked.
He was working for himself,Nadine said.Using both Chimera’s implants and his own people’s improvements on those implants.He didn’t care how he got control of shifters, as long as he ended up in charge.
The mate bond carried Nadine’s horror as the full scope of what they’d barely prevented sank in.If they’d been even days later, if Gregory had succeeded in reprogramming her and sending her back to eliminate Conall, if the investigation had taken any other direction…
Can we stop it?Conall asked.Disable the system before Chimera—or anyone else—can activate it?
Nadine was already back at her terminal, fingers flying across the keyboard.Gregory was paranoid about operational security.The activation codes for his own chips would have been compartmentalized, known only to him and maybe one or two other Prometheus Group leaders.But if I can access the central control system…
She worked in focused silence for several minutes while Conall and Quinton continued downloading intelligence files.The facility around them felt like a tomb—sterile, cold, haunted by the ghost of Gregory’s ambitions.
I’m in,Nadine said suddenly, triumph and relief coloring her voice.The Prometheus Group’s central command structure, with a protocol linking their Omicron Protocol to Chimera’s.The command structure is more sophisticated than anything Chimera ever developed, but it’s still fundamentally acomputer system.And I know how Gregory thinks.She paused for a second before correcting herself.How he thought.
What do you need?Quinton asked, moving to assist her.
