The Vanguard Protocol
Copyright© 2024 by Sci-FiTy1972
Chapter 12: Shadows on Earth
Act III — The War Before the War
Earth should have felt like relief.
It didn’t.
The Erebus hovered in orbit, cloaked once more—its recalibrated field humming like a veil drawn tight. Thomas stood on the bridge and stared at the planet below. Blue-green. Familiar. Whole.
He felt no comfort.
Only the sick sense that the world was standing on a floor that was already cracking.
“Solace,” he said, voice quiet. “What did you find?”
Solace projected beside him, calm and precise.
“Encrypted signals originating from multiple metropolitan hubs. Communication patterns consistent with Kael’dar architecture. Subterfuge is underway.”
Thomas’s hands clenched. “How? Earth barely knows what the Concord is.”
“Infiltration does not require awareness,” Solace replied. “The Kael’dar embed themselves within power structures—governments, military procurement, corporate energy grids. They weaken unity before invasion.”
The war room filled again. Holograms showed industrial accidents that weren’t accidents—grid fluctuations, supply chain disruptions, communications interference. All designed to look human-made.
Zara’s voice cut through the air. “They’re already here. And they’re not just sabotaging—they’re shaping perception.”
Elena leaned in. “If infrastructure collapses, Earth spirals. Fear spreads. Governments fracture. They won’t even need to land troops.”
Thomas nodded. “So we cut the infection before the fever hits.”
Solace shifted the projection—zooming into a towering corporate monolith.
Zenthax Industries.
“Epicenter of anomalous activity,” Solace stated. “Kael’dar signatures present.”
Lyara frowned. “If the Kael’dar are inside, they will have security layers.”
“Which is why we move quietly,” Thomas said.
He pointed.
“Zara, you’re with me—recon and entry.” “Gear, remote disruption and backdoor access.” “Elena, extraction coverage.” Lyara—”
Lyara crossed her arms before he could finish. “Do not say ‘stay behind.’”
Thomas hesitated, choosing the truth. “If we fail, we need the Erebus ready to move. I need someone I trust to keep the ship alive.”
Lyara’s glow tightened—anger, then restraint. “Fine. But if you die, I will resurrect you just to kill you myself.”
Zara muttered, “That’s almost romantic.”
Lyara didn’t look at her. “It is not.”
The Infiltration
The city was alive with human momentum—neon, drones, crowded sidewalks, people rushing toward futures they assumed would exist.
Thomas and Zara blended into the crowd, unremarkable by design.
Zara’s eyes swept the building. “Still wild how humans build towers like prayers.”
Thomas smirked. “Or warnings.”
They approached the gleaming entrance of Zenthax’s headquarters. Zara tapped a device into a security feed.
“Gear,” she murmured into comms. “We’re at the perimeter.”
Gear’s voice crackled back. “Lobby is heavy with guards. Upper floors are biometric. You’re gonna have to ghost your way in.”
Zara smiled. “Good thing I’m a ghost.”
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