Chapter 71 - Deep into the Code

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October 2nd, 2026. 12:01. Fairfax County, Virginia. 

Within a certain unincorporated community in Virginia, there lies the one set of buildings of among the strongest intelligence services from around the world, where most of their operations take place to carry out the deepest and even at times, most secretive operations known or inferred for many people throughout the years. And while some gathered praise from those willing to stand in other countries, others decried them for war crimes. But regardless of one's opinion, the power of this agency is unparalleled by many. 

Near the entrance of a fenced-off checkpoint outside the set of buildings, two armed guards stand outside the entrance with M4 rifles, watching for any sort of authorized arrival, or even potential intrusion from any sort of trespasser. Even during the eve of autumn, geared men with all pouches and kevlar can provide an amount of comfort when it comes to these kinds of activities. Especially from one of the most secretive places in the world. 

"Think someone's late?" a male and fair-skinned guard asks the one next to him. He replies with a shrug without turning to face him for it. "Some urgent calls should lead to people getting here at lightning speed. But I guess in war, traffic comes first." 

"Who knows, just better wait until we can confirm it." After that, they keep watching the road for confirmation of either the arrival or a potential trespassing attempt. Even for an idle atmosphere in a quiet zone, it's enough to make for some to yearn for something interesting to happen at any time soon. 

But then, a black SUV van is spotted in front of them, an unmarked one at that, but the sight is enough to make the guard on the right stand aside while the left one gets in position to address the driver and whether they're the authorized one or not. And just as the SUV approaches the checkpoint, the passenger window lowers down, which shows a particular figure for a particular job. 

Seiner Butch. 

"Authorization code, please," the guard says. 

"69768313," he replies with narrow eyes as he clenches his rectangular case, one reserved for certain laptops.  The other guard checks the logbook to verify if the code is available or not. After checking the page for a moment, he spots the numbers and nods back at the guard. 

"Guess you're right in time after all. You must be the technological master we've been briefed about. Anyway, good luck encrypting those Zlocan files or whatever, genius," he replies with a smirk as he presses a button near the checkpoint. It opens the gate as the vehicle drives once more to enter inside. The guard leans back to his partner with some raised eyebrows. 

"Was that necessary, sir?" 

"Hey, I'm a guard, not a computer genius or that kind of crap." He shrugs once more as he stands on his post once more. Maybe those times to shake off the boredom of a job can be a way of comfort, even though the rest may not answer in kind to it, even if it's good-natured. 

Inside, it's the set of buildings that form the compound of Langley, with the main one that has many green-tinted windows and a rectangular shape, one of many measures taken to ensure the secrecy of said building. There are a few parked black SUVs with some HUMVEES in the back, military-owned even. Even in the middle of a war, it seems that Langley has remained as static and secure as usual, partly from the efforts of certain heroes to make sure the Zlocu didn't come through any further, even near the capital. But right now, there are more important matters at hand. 

Near the entrance of the main building, there are five individuals standing around. One is a middle-aged fair-skinned woman with a red suit, and black hair and eyes. Next to her are another male official with a beige suit and bald-headed. The rest are armed guards with armor vests and holding their M9 pistols at hand. One is dark-skinned, and the others are tanned. All of them observe the SUV parking on the left side with the woman crossing her arms on her back. Their expressions are vacant, yet still, carry a sense of anticipation for what's next. 

The ones inside the SUV step out, with Seiner carrying the laptop bag, with the other Warriors, Logan, Amira and Tany following him close to him while the driver, a tanned-skinned woman with thin eyes reaches for the officers in the entrance. 

"Are we late?" she asks her superior. 

"Well, you're fairly on time, at least enough to see if we can progress long enough to beat the Zlocu at their game. Still, at ease, Mrs. Robinson," she says and gestures at her to be on her side as she nods rapidly with her fingers crossed. A fine job they say, but maybe the rest can cost extra. 

The woman then looks at Seiner, who only looks with narrow eyes while tapping his feet as he awaits for something interesting to happen. She then reaches with her hand near to his, a handshake to be exact, which makes Seiner reply in kind. 

"So you must be Seiner Butch, a master programmer and encrypted in all sorts of computing and other fields of science, I presume." 

"Hey, if you presume, then I wouldn't be here in the first place, ya know." The woman chuckles in response, with a slight smile as well. 

"I see, you're quite the cautious individual too. I am Gabriela Wellers, director of the technological department here at Langley. This is my assistant, Keiton Waldman." Keiton nods in response in a rapid way while waving his hand as a way to si "hello" to them.  She then eyes the other Warriors who observe the ordeal. "And you must be the other chosen heroes I presume." 

"Yeah. Logan Preaker, swordsman and the de-facto leader. Amira Dhrorian, sole alien of the team, and Tany, a typical magical goofball," Seiner says as he points at each of them. Logan and Amira merely nod but Tany can only wave rapidly with her hands while flashing v-signs with her fingers with a big smile. Gabriela and the two guards chuckle at this while they remain with their typical frozen expressions. 

"Now, shall we go?" she asks as she points at the door. 

"Yeah, whatever, let's cut to the chase." The group then heads inside the headquarters. The first stop is at the desk office, in which Gabriela slides her ID card into a machine, giving the green light to access the facility in the company of the Warriors and the guards. There are views of people rushing in a hurry, escorting some individuals, or those who stand by for any further access to classified areas and such. An atmosphere that's most reflective of the time that is in for a group like this one. 

They head for a corridor downstairs in which there is another identification post, plus a set of codes in a keypad. Once the codes are set and accepted, the post lifts upwards, giving them access to a hallway with two elevators on the right side. From that point, Gabriela stops and raises the palm of her hand in front of the group, which makes them stop. 

"Alright, this is as far as all of you can go. Keiton, Seiner and me will head to the Quantum research lab where he'll carry out the activity, the rest of you stay here in case of an unlikely infiltration. Understood?" 

"Sure thing, Mrs. Weller," Logan says as he nods alongside Amira. 

"Yeah, go unlock that toughy tough code, Seiny!" Tany says as well. This is enough to make Seiner rolls his eyes while raising his hand in front of her while the elevator door opens, in which the three head inside. 

"Until then, let's hope for the best." And from that alone, the elevator door closes as the marker shows the elevator heading downstairs to an unmarked floor. With that, the Warriors and the guards sit on nearby benches as they await any further updates on the situation regarding the code. 

"You really think he has what he takes? Quantum computing is near-impossible to decrypt, you know," the dark-skinned guard says. 

"I have observed some of his creations and observations that he made. From that alone, I have faith in him to carry through this task," Amira replies. The guard only shrugs in response as he leans back near the bench. 

"Reading the mind, knowledge on him, whatever, let's just hope you're right on the money," another guard says. Even in the times when something thought impossible occurred, there's still a big amount of doubt in regard to other marvelous feats to be carried out in this time of war. Especially when it concerns Alien technology. 

As they wait until they reach the floor with the label "V135", Gabriela turns towards Seiner on her right while Keiton waits without changing his glance at both of them. 

"Now, care for a recap on how you got here?" she asks.

"Well, we received the files containing top-secret information regarding Zlocan activities and bases on the barrier, now codenamed the 'Hollywood Line' for some reason. It's said to be a mole, but it's still suspicious who could have gotten a hold of these files in the first place." 

"Guess it was a lucky spy. And why not encrypt it on a normal computer?" 

"The files are heavily encrypted with quantum technology, something that's very inaccessible by normal means, and to counter them, it would require an equally quantum-powered device in order to crack them. And you Langley people happened to host one of the few functional ones left, so that's why I'm here." Gabriela hums in response in regards to, while Keiton only nods in agreement over his explanation. 

"Guess you really checked your homework. Yes, even from our most declassified files, this center is one of the few that hasn't been revealed to the public yet. Which makes it easier for us to carry out any possible encryption through quantum cryptography." 

"Even Alien ones?" 

"Yes, Zlocans in this case at least." Seiner chuckles in response to this. Even from someone as secretive as the group at Langley, it's still something that can be off limits from the common folk, something that can't be easily understood for many, save one. But even then, that needs to be proven at that moment. 

And then, the elevator stops at V135. The door opens, revealing a long hallway that leads to a laboratory filled with wires and machinery of all types, with cylinder-shaped processors attached to the ceiling of the room. Outside, there's a locked door in front of them with two passcode mechanisms on both sides. 

"Ready, Keiton?" Gabriela asks his assistant as both pull their specialized keys for the room. He only nods they insert both at the same time, and turn both to the left simultaneously. This leads to a beeping sound to be heard, and the red light changes to a green light as the door opens, heading inside. Once further within,  Gabriela and Keiton then take some seats near the entrance of the quantum computers, each with their own monitor that records the job. 

"Good luck, Mr. Butch," Gabriela says as she presses a button on her desk, opening access to the room with the quantum computer.  He pulls the laptop from his case while attaching a cable to the processing unit in the ceiling. He cracks some fingers as the monitor shows the encrypted Zlocan files on screen, with many zeroes and ones on screen. Seiner can only smirk from this. 

"Ready to decrypt some treasures." 

*** 

"I'm telling you,  he's a very basedly based player in baseball and you know it well, naughty dog!" Tany says as she confronts the fair-skinned guard, swatting in the air and tapping on the foot at the same time while the rest can only look in mild anticipation from the flow of the conversation. One even is sinking his face into the palm of his hands. 

"Nope, Reyes scored better on the National League back in Queens you know, it's not like Richardson can make a comeback with his drunk ass." Tany groans in response as she clenches her staff while leaning near him. 

"Richardson could score doubly double home runs even with the tequila he had back then!" Then, the guard's pocket starts to vibrate, in which he picks it up. It's a radio, which he puts near his ear. 

"Yes?" the guard asks. What can be heard on the other hand is something akin to garbled static and such, but some words can be distinguished from the sounds. 

"We have....unidentified contacts...heading towards-" And then, the feed is cut off as the guard presses a button to get a potential answer. 

"Agent Downers? Come in, Agent Downers!" 

"What just happened?" Logan asks as he stands up from the bench. And suddenly, a canister is thrown through the window landing next to his feet, with a few more hitting the other parts of the room, as well as upstairs as glass shards fly across the room, which prompts them to cover their bodies with their arms. And before they can react, the canisters splits open, releasing swarms of yellowish gas. 

"Chemical agents, take cover!" the guard yells as they cover their faces. All except Amira, whose lack of a nose prevents her from inhaling the contents of the gas. She extends her arms in front of them and lifts the canisters in the air while closing her eyes. 

"Back you go!" she then pushes the canisters back outside, far away to ensure not even a trace of the gas can enter the building. Tany with her staff while covering her face waves it around to summon a wind to blow the remaining ones inside away. 

"Wind raveus!" Tany yells with a muffled tone as the wind scatters the remaining gas away from the hallway. However, it seems that those on the upper floor aren't so lucky, as screams and yells are heard, with alarms blaring off in every corner of the building. Just then, the other guard receives a call from his radio. 

"Unit 12! Head to the upper center and escort all available persons to the safety vaults! Make you grab the masks in Vault 153 as well!" the female voice on the end orders. 

"Roger, stand by for pick up!" The guards then sprint to the other side of the hallway while the Warriors try to follow them, only to be halted by the dark-skinned one who raises his hand. 

"You three stay here. You make sure no one gets through the elevator and capture your own buddy!" 

"But what about-" 

"Just do it, Logan!" With that, he turns right alongside his companions, leaving the Warriors alone next to the elevator door. From this, Logan sighs as he clenches to the hilt of Coraggio. Even if it's his duty, the needs of many are something to linger on them, especially in a spacious building. 

"He is right Logan. The work of Seiner is our priority," Amira says as she taps his shoulder. But suddenly, before they can react to anything else, two figures sprint inside the building while cutting through the glass with blades and even kicks with geared equipment, prompting the warriors to cover themselves again from any shard. Then, they get to see the sight of two familiar figures who are most likely the ones behind the assault on the building. 

Agents Widow and Sequence in the flesh. This sight is enough to make the Warriors hold their weapons even tighter, as they adopt battle stances ready to face them. 

"Who the hell are you?" Logan asks. Widow answers by pointing her sword at him. 

"That is not important. What's important is you shall deliver the files to us!" Widow says as prepares a horizontal slash toward Logan, only for him to sidestep and deliver a quick parry enough to push her backward. 

"So you want the hard way then, no matter. We shall exterminate all of the evidence!" 

*** 

"Let's see, this combination requires a bit of tweaking, by using some calculations in regard to the Heisenberg principle, we should be capable of deciphering all the correct values needed to unlock the file. If not, I'll have to run the other laws," Seiner mutters to the ear pod next to him. 

"Have you tried filters?" Gabriela asks from that end. 

"I'm scanning, just for a moment as I continue to work on this." Seiner continues to type into the computers as rows of numbers and letters grow on the screen, each time taking a moment for him to decipher the hidden words that can be used to unlock the files. For every one and zero, there always comes the danger of having picked the wrong filter at that moment. But as he continues to work, some static is heard on the pod. 

"Hey, you know it's no fun working alone you know," a voice says with a seemingly lowered voice filter. It's enough to make Seiner clinch to it yet still maintain his eyes on the screen as he works on the encryption. 

"Hey, who is this right now?!" Seiner asks while Gabriela and Keiton look in attention as they found out their voices can't reach him at this stage. 

"That doesn't matter you know. What matters is that you should get a helping hand on this, quantum cryptography ain't some math, you know." 

"Well, it is if you mess around with my work." Seiner scoffs in response as he continues to decipher every possible key. 

"Hey, you and I know that keeping up like that is what could mess you up even more. Now, if you please can accept my help?" Seiner groans in response as he continues to type on the computer. 

"Alright, now, what do you suggest me to do with this encrypted file?" 

"Try the cipher method, that way you can see the closest approach for the keywords you're looking for. Then use the other variants to get them through." 

"Hope you know what you're doing, Mr. Incognito." Seiner then presses some keys as he inputs some commands on the screen, which leads to a shift in the structure of numbers and letters. It seems he'll get closer than anticipated. 

*** 

Back in the hallway, both Logan and Widow clash and swing with their blades in many directions, each time with a counter stronger than the last while Amira deals with many of Sequence's whips in both Amira's light blade and the elements Tany throws in her way. Even with the different skills, it seems to be an even match for both. 

"From the looks of it, you don't seem to be close to the Zlocu, do ya? The way you strike." He swings forward as it clashes with Widow's blade, locking themselves at a standstill. "It's all more sophisticated and elaborate compared to most Zlocans." 

"Does it matter? You serve an order that only wants to upset the righteous balance of this world. It is we who are dedicated to preserving it!" Widow then pushes Logan backward with a swing, as she readies another strike in a vertical form. Logan, however, manages to hold rapier form to swing it back and block the impact by it. At the same time, Sequence does some flips and hops as a form of evading Amira's slashes and Tany's summoning, something unexpected in that stage of an attack. 

"The way you look... You must be related to what happened in the stadium back in San Diego, are you not?" Amira asks as she readies another swing in Sequence's direction. This question is enough to make Widow turn around while clashing her blade with Logan. 

"Yes, we did. You have to thank the Zlocu for giving us another day to live to fulfill our mission," Sequence replies as he whips vertically near Amira's

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