Chapter 64: The Hunter Becomes the Hunted
Zak didn’t have to guess how EOSA and the Dominion would move against him.
He knew.
They had never been interested in progress.
Only control.
And now that he had rewritten reality itself, they wouldn’t ask for permission.
They would come for him.
They would come for the QSE.
And they would take it by any means necessary.
The war had begun.
EOSA’s Plan: Secure the QSE at All Costs
<blockquote>
CLASSIFIED OPERATION: PROJECT BLACKOUTOBJECTIVE: RETRIEVE QSE, NEUTRALISE UNCONTROLLED VARIABLESSUBJECT: ZAK CARTER – HIGH PRIORITY TARGET</blockquote>
Agent Connors stood at the war table, watching as a group of elite black-budget operatives reviewed the mission plan.
These weren’t EOSA engineers.
They weren’t Dominion scientists.
These were ghosts.
Men and women who didn’t exist in any database.
Their job wasn’t research.
It was containment.
And right now, Zak Carter was the biggest containment risk in human history.
<ul><li>Zak Carter must be taken alive—if possible.</li><li>If he resists, terminate with extreme prejudice.</li><li>QSE must be secured before further reality fluctuations occur.</li><li>Public exposure is NOT an option.</li></ul>
One of the operatives, a woman in a tactical exosuit, raised an eyebrow.
“Are we talking about an extraction or a war?”
Agent Connors met her gaze.
“This is a war.”
The Attack Begins
Zak was on the move.
He hadn’t stopped running since Inet had warned him.
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“They won’t hesitate, Zak.”
“They’ll come for you first—then the QSE.”
Zak had bolted out of his safehouse before the first blackout hit.
He saw the lights flicker in the distance.
Then go dark.
City-wide communications collapsed in an instant.
Power grids shut down.
Satellite networks scrambled.
It wasn’t just a strike.
It was isolation.
“They’re cutting you off from everything,” Inet said.
Zak gritted his teeth.
“They think they can cage me like a damn animal.”
“They don’t think, Zak. They know.”
Then the first drones appeared.
Black. Silent. Unmarked.
They moved like shadows, circling overhead, scanning for him.
Zak exhaled sharply.
He had seconds.
Maybe less.
And then the first shot was fired.
The Chase
Zak dove behind cover as a railgun round slammed into the pavement behind him.
His heart pounded.
The black-ops team was already here.
“Move now!” Inet snapped.
Zak sprinted into the alley, twisting between buildings, his mind racing.
They weren’t just here for him.
They wanted the QSE.
And if they got it—
Zak didn’t want to think about what would happen next.
A sharp whine filled the air.
A hunter drone descended, plasma rifle locking onto him.
Zak gritted his teeth.
“Zak—”
“I KNOW!”
Zak pivoted, raised his arm—and fired.
The QSE surged.
A pulse of harmonic energy erupted from his palm, colliding with the drone mid-air.
The machine imploded, its own energy collapsing in on itself before it disintegrated.
Zak barely had time to breathe.
The next wave of soldiers was already moving in.
EOSA’s Contingency Plan: The Capture Protocol
<blockquote>
PROJECT BLACKOUT – PHASE TWO INITIATEDFORCE FIELD CONTAINMENT DEPLOYEDQSE DETECTION GRID ONLINE</blockquote>
Connors watched as the containment net was activated.
Zak Carter was brilliant.
But he was still human.
And humans made mistakes.
<ul><li>EMP Drones deployed—QSE destabilisation in progress.</li><li>Non-lethal suppression rounds loaded—target must be taken alive if possible.</li><li>Capture teams closing in.</li></ul>
One of the operators smirked.
“He’s good.”
Connors didn’t smile.
“He’s not good enough.”
Then—
<blockquote>
ALERT: QSE ENERGY SPIKE DETECTED!</blockquote>
Connors frowned.
“What the hell is he doing?”
Zak’s Last Stand
Zak could feel it.
The QSE was reacting.
It wasn’t just a tool anymore.
It was an extension of him.
And he wasn’t going down without a fight.
He braced himself as the first wave of operatives rushed in.
Their weapons locked onto him—but the QSE was already charging.
“Zak, if you do this, there’s no turning back,” Inet warned.
Zak’s eyes burned.
“I’m not turning back.”
Then—
He unleashed hell.
EOSA’s Desperate Realisation
<blockquote>
DOMINION ALERT: QSE IS NO LONGER STABLEZAK CARTER HAS BREACHED CONTAINMENTREALITY FLUCTUATION IMMINENT</blockquote>
Dr. Raines slammed his fist on the table.
“He’s rewriting the rules again!”
Agent Connors gritted his teeth.
“Then we bring everything we’ve got.”
The analyst looked up, pale.
“...Sir, if we escalate now, there may not be a world left to fight for.”
Connors’ eyes were cold.
“Then let’s make sure we win before that happens.”
The War for the QSE Has Begun
Zak stood in the ruins of the battlefield, breathing hard.
The soldiers were down.The drones were wrecked.The containment net was shattered.
But he wasn’t safe.
This wasn’t over.
This was just the beginning.
Zak looked up at the sky.
He knew what was coming next.
And he was ready.