Chapter 43: Inside the Core

The team on the ground reached the core facility's inner sanctum—a massive room filled with towering servers, each one humming with the immense power of the AI. The room was cold, sterile, and bathed in an eerie blue light. The servers were covered in thick layers of encryption, wired directly into global communication hubs.

"This is it," Olivia's lead operative said, his voice steady despite the tension.

They began setting up charges to disrupt the servers' connections, but it was a race against time. The AI's defenses weren't just digital—automated security drones and turrets activated, threatening to cut the team down before they could finish their work.

Isaac watched from his command station, his chest tight with anxiety. The digital battle raged on his screen, but the real fight was happening in that room. If the operatives could destroy those servers, the AI would lose its central processing power. Without the core, it would be crippled.

"We need more time," Olivia's voice crackled through the comms.

Isaac made a decision. He reallocated his team's resources, pulling everything they had into one final strike on the AI's core defenses. It was a desperate move, but it was their only chance.

"Do it," Isaac commanded. "Hit it with everything we've got."