Thursday, 2:27 p.m.
Ground Zero – Dev Wing
The air was thick with urgency. Whiteboards were filled with equations, circuit diagrams, and UI sketches. Laptops lined every table. Tablets buzzed with code revisions. Coffee cups piled high.
Leo paced in front of the team's workbench.
"Ten days to finish three working Skyburst prototypes," he repeated, voice firm. "That's one prototype every three days. Think we can't do it?"
Zari spun around in her chair. "If we don't sleep—maybe."
Martin added, "And if we don't run out of money, too."
Leo smiled faintly. "That's handled."
[System Notification]
Emergency Funds Channel Deployed
+₱8.5M Allocated from Shadow Treasury
Target: Hardware acceleration, freelance support, patent legal fees
Stealth Index: Maintained (Leo's identity hidden)
Prototype Deadline Timer: 9 days, 21 hours remaining
Skyburst Prototype 01 was called "TALA" — a portable learning device designed to function in remote, signal-dead provinces. Built with solar charging, mesh networking, and preloaded educational modules, it was designed by scholars like Jared who knew what the poorest schools truly lacked.
Aria coordinated the visual and interface design.
Dreigh was knee-deep in hardware soldering and component fitting.
Zari managed the OS and encryption protocols, while Martin handled documentation and beta testing.
Leo?
He did what no one else could.
He made calls.
That night, Leo dialed one of his secret system contacts—someone tied to his late father's business empire.
"Uncle Ramon," Leo greeted as the voice answered. "I need a private air shipment of microcontrollers. Bulk. High-quality. Fast."
The old man laughed. "Still playing with toys, are you?"
"Not toys," Leo said. "Weapons. Ideas are the new war machines."
There was silence.
Then: "You sound more like your father than you know."
[Legacy Contact Activated: Ramon Urdaneta – Logistics Kingpin (Retired)]
Shipment: 15 crates of rare, high-end microtech arriving in 72 hours
Cost: ₱2.2M deducted from Shadow Funds
Bonus: +12% Efficiency to All Skyburst Builds
Meanwhile, the rival entity EvoForge, backed by Ares, wasn't sleeping either.
Inside their sleek, ultramodern lab, engineers assembled devices eerily similar to TALA. Ares had stolen not just talent—but blueprints.
Except he lacked the human insight.
Ares was building tools for profit.
Leo was building weapons for purpose.
And it was starting to show.
Friday afternoon.
Skyburst Prototype 01: TALA — Complete.
The first working model was presented in the Ground Zero main hall.
Leo stood beside Jared as they unveiled it to a small crowd of scholars, mentors, and local reporters.
"This isn't a tablet," Leo said. "It's a bridge. A tool for forgotten communities to rejoin the future."
Jared powered the device. The audience gasped as it booted offline into a full educational suite—with voice instructions in Tagalog, Visayan, and Ilocano.
Even Zari looked stunned. "It… actually works."
[Objective 1 Complete: Skyburst Prototype – TALA]
Public Reception: Overwhelmingly Positive
Local Government Units Express Interest
Viral Reach: 37K Shares in 24 Hours
Rival Reaction: EvoForge Halts Competing Prototype
Leo's Influence in Education Sector: +27%
Leo's Name: Still Hidden
That evening, Ground Zero was quiet.
The team was exhausted, but victorious.
Leo stayed behind after everyone left, walking through the darkened space with pride.
But the system buzzed again.
[Rival Alert: Ares Initiating Espionage Protocols]
Suspicious Data Requests Detected
Fake Internship Applications Spotted
Suggested Response: Activate Inner Firewall + Talent Vouching Process
Leo frowned.
They weren't just copying now. They were infiltrating.
The next morning, Leo summoned Zari privately.
"We're locking all talent onboarding starting today," he told her. "No one joins Ground Zero without two trusted endorsements."
Zari nodded. "Security code and time-based tokens on all dev servers?"
"Do it. And… add your own tracker. A silent tag. If someone tries to steal something again, I want their IP, device serial, even the dust on their keyboard."
Zari smirked. "Now you're talking."
Meanwhile, in EvoForge's command suite, Ares stared at his paused project dashboard.
The TALA prototype had gone viral. LGUs were praising it. International observers had taken notice. And most painfully—he didn't see it coming.
"Leo," he muttered.
"You built something I can't copy."
A voice in the dark asked, "Should we shift strategy?"
Ares stared coldly at the screen.
"…No. We escalate."