Rupinder looked around wildly. He snapped his fingers, gesturing briefly to the computer server.

Intruders here? They'd get what was coming to them. They always did.

His two most trusted bodyguards were nearby, and they nodded obediently; they knew not to question Rupinder. Shouldering their assault rifles, the two charged mindlessly towards the server room. No one pulled a fast one with their boss.

"Nobody leaves!" Rupinder bellowed as the fortress's large steel entrance gate rose, sealing in the intruders along with his guests. His gaze was cold, but he felt the smallest bit of discomfort edging into his throat; how had they gotten past the guards? He supposed it didn't matter now, though; this wasn't the time to figure out where to lay blame. This was the time for action. No one had gotten this far before—and now, no one would live to tell the tale. He smirked cruelly.

Back at the Norseman command deck, Loki remained concentrated on the task at hand, reacting as quickly as he could to neutralize the situation. "He has an access alarm on his data. I've gotten around his restrictions; the download continues." He nodded to his companion briefly, his gaze never leaving the interface as the download continued its progress.

The holographic map at the command center sprang to life: red dots peppered the South China Sea, clustering closer and closer to Papua New Guinea. As the dots grew more and more numerous, the two men felt as though time were standing still.

Loki's face lit up as he observed the data. "Got it! Last delivery, an island just north of Papua New Guinea." He held back the stab of excitement that he felt, trying his best to process this information. There was still plenty of time for a stupid mistake to derail the celebration.

Markus glanced at Loki briefly, uneasiness edging his voice. "You have everything you need?"

“Yes.”

“You got it all?"

Loki was elated and couldn’t contain his pride. "Yes! I have it!" Loki nearly shouted, tension easing out of him with the realization that they'd gotten what they'd come for.

"Good." Markus balled his fist up and hammered it down against a button. His mouth flattened a little as Loki's head shot up, a wide-eyed expression plastered across his face. He felt a sudden jolt stab its way through his heart, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Loki looked at him with alarm and dismay. "Markus! Why?"

The humming in the mainframe room continued as the 3t3s curled up, letting out a slow, whining hum as they disengaged from the ceiling and fell to the floor below. They beeped rhythmically, a soft, red light pulsating slowly from each one as they lay motionless.

To be continued. Upvote for more!

I need your help!

Read. New chapters (Beta Versions!) are being released episodically on Yours.org, Steemit.com, and the first two acts are available for download.
Pledge. Whatever your comfort level, each bit of support helps. You can also donate and upvote on Steemit or Yours.org as new chapters come out.
Spread the word. There’s strength in numbers, so post it, tweet it, pin it, share it. Or even just shave it into the side of your head. Whatever gets the word out.

So now that all that’s out on the table, let’s make this novel happen!