NOVEL WEB Chapter 2: The Hunt
Their first lead came from perhaps the last place they would have thought of: a defector from the Obsidian Collective. His name was Raul, and he had worked as a low-level operative within one of their outer cells. He had grown disenchanted with their tactics and now wished to help Mira and her team stop them.
Raul was sitting at the table, fidgeting with his hands, his eyes scanning around the room as if he was expecting to be ambushed from behind any second. "You don't understand how deep this goes," he whispered. "The Collective… it's everywhere. They're not just planning isolated disasters. They have a weapon—a failsafe. If things don't go according to plan, they'll use it. No one will survive."
Mira leaned forward. "What kind of weapon?
Raul did not answer at once. "It is called 'Project Omega.' It was meant to remove all traces of modern civilization. They have been working on it for years. They are not just creating earthquakes and tsunamis; they want to wipe out humanity itself. The disasters are just a diversion."
Victor, who had been standing near the door, now moved forward. "Why should we believe you? How can we be sure it's not just another trick of theirs?"
Raul met his gaze. "Because I was one of the scientists working on it. I helped them design the prototype."
The room went cold. Mira stood up, pacing the length of the room, her mind racing. "If they have something like that, we need to find it—and destroy it.
Lila, who had listened intently, now turned to her computer: "If what Raul says is true, there has to be some trace of this weapon in their communications. Give me a few hours. I'll find something.".
Amir furrowed his brow, his eyes scanning through texts he had studied from hundreds of years ago. "If this is about resetting the world, it won't just be one of pure physical destruction but one in which they also try to erase any trace of history; snap the vital link that binds humanity to its past. There are ancient texts talking about forces that, if unleashed, can clean the slate.".
Mira stopped pacing. "Then we have to find this weapon before they can use it.".