Crisis Point: Major Threat

The pattern revealed itself at 3:47 AM.

Marcus was reviewing viral mutation data through carefully regulated enhancement when his tactical awareness caught something in the background noise. Not in the medical research or surveillance feeds, but in the spaces between them. The shadow of something larger moving beneath the surface of events.

"Bobby," he called through their comm system. "Run a correlation analysis. All unusual events in the past week, not just the ones that seem connected to us."

Their intelligence specialist's fingers flew across multiple keyboards. "Parameters?"

"Everything. Supply chain disruptions, personnel movements, social media anomalies. Find me the patterns we weren't looking for."

The command center's main display filled with data points as Bobby's enhanced systems processed the request. Marcus let his evolved powers study the information without trying to force conclusions. Like Sarah had taught him – sometimes you had to let patterns emerge naturally.

"That's... interesting," Bobby muttered. "Maya, you're going to want to see this."

She appeared from her tactical station, professional focus masking fatigue. They'd all been working around the clock since identifying the larger conspiracy behind the virus.

"Multiple corporate acquisitions in the pharmaceutical sector," Bobby reported. "Not just medical suppliers, but data management firms, security contractors, logistics companies..."

"Building infrastructure," Maya analyzed. "Like Cross, but on a larger scale."

"Much larger," Chen added, approaching with his own data. "These aren't just normal corporate consolidations. They're positioning key resources, establishing control points in critical industries."

Marcus felt his precognition stir, showing him fragments of possibility. "How long has this been happening?"

"That's the thing," Bobby replied. "Once I knew what to look for... years. Maybe decades. Small moves, carefully hidden, all building toward—"

The tactical display erupted with new alerts. Multiple situations developing simultaneously across their surveillance network.

"Cross is moving," Maya reported, reading incoming data. "All his forces, full mobilization. But these patterns..."

"He's not in command anymore," Marcus realized, tactical enhancement finding the truth in chaos. "Someone else is coordinating his operations. Multiple someone's."

Martinez emerged from the research lab, face pale. "The virus – the new mutations we're tracking. They're not just adaptations anymore. They're coordinating. Different strains working in concert like..."

"Like they're being conducted," Morgan finished. "Guided toward specific outcomes."

The command center hummed with increasing tension as more data poured in. Bobby's intelligence feeds showed synchronized activities across multiple organizations. Chen's logistics network reported systematic disruptions in critical supply lines.

"They're not hiding anymore," Maya said quietly. "This is it. The real move we couldn't see coming."

Marcus let his enhanced abilities process the flood of information, not fighting the evolution but channeling it. The picture that emerged was both beautiful and terrifying in its complexity.

"It was never about the virus," he said. "Or Cross. Or even the outbreak. Those were just pieces of a larger operation."

"What kind of operation?" Chen asked.

"The kind that takes decades to prepare," Maya answered, tactical training finding patterns in chaos. "Setting up players, positioning resources, building toward a single coordinated moment..."

"When everything changes at once," Marcus finished. "Bobby, show me global communications traffic."

The display shifted, showing information flow across networks. Patterns emerged in the data – not random chaos, but carefully orchestrated movements.

"Multiple organizations activating simultaneously," Bobby reported. "Corporate, military, governmental... all following pre-arranged protocols."

"Like they're reading from the same playbook," Maya observed.

Marcus's precognition flared: not seconds of warning now, but cascading possibilities. Each future showing variations of the same orchestrated chaos.

"Because they are." His tactical enhancement found the truth at the heart of complexity. "This isn't just a conspiracy. It's an operation that's been running longer than any of us have been alive. Building toward this moment."

"What moment?" Martinez demanded.

As if in answer, their systems registered new viral outbreaks. Not the main strain they'd been tracking, but precisely coordinated releases of multiple variants.

"The moment when they stop preparing," Maya said grimly, "and start executing."

The command center erupted in controlled activity as teams responded to multiple crises. But Marcus saw the bigger picture through evolved abilities. They weren't just fighting random chaos – they were witnessing the culmination of years of careful planning.

"All teams," he ordered through their command network. "Shift to Emergency Protocol Alpha. This isn't a drill. This isn't a test. This is what we've been preparing for."

"The real enemy," Maya added, meeting his gaze with perfect understanding.

Marcus nodded, feeling the weight of command balanced by absolute certainty. They had three weeks until his original outbreak timeline. But that deadline didn't matter anymore.

The real game was starting now.

Time to show their hidden opponents why decades of planning couldn't predict everything.

Especially not a team led by a time-traveling SEAL with evolving powers and nothing left to lose.