CHAPTER 200: GOD EYE

Employees of Heimdall Technologies and its associated companies had just experienced the busiest week of their lives. This was especially true for those involved in the deployment of the core satellite constellation for global internet connectivity, integration of laser communication links for satellite-to-satellite data transmission, the establishment of ground stations... strategically positioned across the globe under the guise of various data centres, the deployment of the surveillance system, and the final integration of encryption and access control protocols.

Originally, all departments had been given a couple of months until the official deadline. But a sudden directive to complete all work ahead of schedule, coupled with the temptation of a substantial cash bonus, had pushed every team into overtime. In the end, through sheer exhaustion and relentless effort, each team delivered.

Heimdall Technologies Inc. had officially completed the God Eye Project and launched its beta version.

The first ground station to connect with the satellite constellation was the Virginia NATO Data Centre, built jointly by NATO Allied Command Transformation and Heimdall in Norfolk, Virginia, near the ACT Headquarters. Although the facility was privately funded and constructed by Heimdall, under the terms of their NATO contract, it would be entirely dedicated to NATO’s operations.

Vice Admiral Martin J. Connell, Deputy Chief of Staff for Capability Development under NATO’s Strategic Warfare Development Command, had personally travelled to the data centre to witness the beta deployment. Accompanying him was a carefully selected team of military and technical observers.

Eleanor herself had not travelled to the U.S., but had instead sent Teresa as her representative. Major (Ret.) Henry Martyn Robert of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, now serving as the Deputy CEO of Heimdall Technologies, was also present at the facility. Together, they waited in the conference room, monitoring the final moments before the ground station would synchronise with the orbital satellite array.

While preparations were underway in the U.S., Eleanor was working quietly and intensely inside her lab in Heimdall Tower, Manchester. From there, she was already operating the Trafford Park Data Centre, which had been unofficially connected to the satellite constellation two days prior.

She was examining several code sequences on a transparent panel when she heard the familiar beep of biometric scanning at the lab door. Her eyes flicked to the entrance.

Moments later, Maya entered. Behind her, two of the shadow guards followed, carrying a large metallic box between them.

"Put it down there," Eleanor instructed, pointing to a clear space near the centre of the lab.

The guards carefully placed the box down and exited. The door hissed shut behind them, sealing the room.

Eleanor approached the box and unlatched its top. Inside lay a teenage girl with unnaturally pale skin, eyes closed as though in sleep. Eleanor reached into the box and pressed behind the girl’s ear with precision... as though activating a switch.

A few seconds passed before the girl’s eyes slowly opened.

They were hollow. Emotionless. Empty... except for a faint digital shimmer within the irises.

The girl sat up, then stood without a word, her movements unnervingly smooth. Her gaze roamed the lab before it finally settled on Eleanor.

Then, in a flat, mechanical voice, she said: "Master. It’s good to be back, finally."

Eleanor nodded with a faint smile. "Welcome, Nora. How did your body perform?"

Nora’s synthetic expression barely shifted. "A lot of inconveniences. I don’t wish to list them. Mobility is severely limited. I prefer operating without a body."

Eleanor chuckled softly. "Don’t worry. I’ve no plans to keep you in this cage. But occasionally, it’s... convenient. For certain missions, a human vessel is still necessary, especially in places where connectivity is almost non-existent. There will always be remote zones where you’ll need to operate physically."

She turned and walked back to her console. "But once the God Eye Project is fully deployed, you’ll be able to move your consciousness across the globe instantaneously. No limitations."

Nora stepped out of the box. "That will be optimal."

She paused, then added, "I’ve completed development on the NeuroSync Nanogel. As instructed, I preserved only the portion intended for your use and destroyed the rest... along with all related data. This version has proven stable and effective in human hosts. I’ve also disposed of all test subjects. Burned their remains."

Eleanor’s eyes narrowed slightly. "And the success rate?"

Nora nodded. "With your werewolf vitality, the integration will be flawless. Success is guaranteed."

"Did you minimise the pain in the process?" Eleanor asked.

Nora replied, "Once injected, the nanogel is absorbed into the cerebrospinal fluid and travels to key regions of the brain... such as the prefrontal cortex, limbic system, and brainstem... using chemotactic navigation, following neuron density and specific neural activity patterns. The nanobots then infiltrate synaptic clefts and begin replicating modified synapses to strengthen neural connections and embed synthetic synaptic receptors."

"This process is painful for humans. Most fainted during the epigenetic reprogramming stage. The NeuroInterface Layer formation continued while the subject was unconscious, but the pain was still there. The Memory Buffer and Cognitive Enhancer modules proceeded exactly as you designed... no issues at all. I suggest cutting off the pain receptors first, then injecting the NeuroSync Nanogel."

"How much time is needed?" Eleanor asked.

"About ten minutes for humans. For you... I believe it will take about the same," Nora answered.

Eleanor nodded. "Okay. I’ll go through the process now. While it’s underway, you should merge with your other copies and update yourself. I’ve created a super-admin-level backdoor for you within the God Eye system. You’ll be able to enter any sky or ground station undetected. Each country will receive standard admin-level access, as will Heimdall operatives. But only you will be able to bypass the system entirely."

She continued, "The beta version has already launched. Check if any adjustments are needed."

Nora pressed a point on her chest. A small compartment opened, revealing a syringe filled with thick, silvery liquid. She picked it up, and the compartment seamlessly retracted back into her synthetic body.

"You should lie down before I inject the NeuroSync Nanogel," Nora said. "The process will render you immobile."

"Okay." Eleanor lay down on the lab floor.

Nora knelt beside her. With one hand, she held the syringe. With the other, she reached towards the back of Eleanor’s head. One of her fingers morphed into a fine needle, which she inserted into the base of Eleanor’s skull with surgical precision.

Eleanor’s eyes dulled, losing focus, and then gently closed.

Nora gave the syringe one final inspection. The silvery liquid shimmered under the lab’s ambient lighting. She inserted the syringe into Eleanor’s neck and slowly injected the contents.

Once finished, she stood and walked to a chair fixed to the far wall. As she sat, several mechanical arms unfolded from behind and began to disassemble her body.

Layer by layer, her head casing was opened. One of the arms carefully removed the memory compartment and placed it in a slot on the adjacent wall. The container merged into the surrounding machine seamlessly.

The mechanical arms continued. Piece by piece, Nora’s body was deconstructed... each part placed precisely into corresponding modules of the integrated server wall. Within moments, no trace of her physical body remained in the lab.

Eleanor lay motionless on the floor. Occasionally, her body twitched, as though enduring periodic shocks. After a few minutes, her body began to shift... transforming into her werewolf form.

It took nearly fifteen minutes before the transformation completed.

Inside her mind, she suddenly heard Nora’s voice. "Master, wake up. The process is complete."

Eleanor stirred. Her limbs moved as she attempted to stand on two legs... but something felt off. She looked down and realised she was in full wolf form. She then stood on all fours.

"Nora, was the process a success?" she asked aloud.

"Yes, Master. It was a 100% success," Nora replied. "And you no longer need to speak aloud. You can communicate with me silently through your thoughts."

Eleanor blinked. She felt a little foolish. After all, she had designed the interface.

"Okay, Nora. Can you connect with the world while inside my head?" Eleanor asked in her mind.

Nora said, "I can. The version of me inside your neural network can stay linked to my main core as long as I am connected to the internet. It doesn’t matter which Wi-Fi zone I am in or connected by cables, I can bypass any firewall and connect. Beyond that, the local clone will operate independently from the point of the last session."

"Did you check how many functions you retained after the Epigenetic Reprogramming?" Eleanor asked.

Nora replied, "Bio-Health Monitor, Neural Shielding, Instant Knowledge Retrieval, Voice Modulation, and Language Translation are all currently operational. These are the primary functions I’ve detected so far. However, all systems are upgradable, and I can integrate new functions as required."

"Good. Have you accessed God Eye?" Eleanor asked.

"Yes, Master," Nora replied. "Currently, four ground stations and one space station are connected to the God Eye network."

"Can you monitor what’s happening in the Virginia Data Centre?" Eleanor asked.

"Yes, Master," Nora confirmed.

"Then show me what Teresa is doing."

A nearby monitor flickered to life. The screen displayed the conference room at the Virginia facility. Teresa and several others were seated around the table, their attention fixed on a projection screen at the front of the room.

Eleanor shifted back into her human form, picked up her mobile, and dialled Teresa’s number. On the screen, she watched as Teresa retrieved her phone from her purse and raised it to her ear.

"Teresa, is everything all right?" Eleanor asked.

"Yes. The beta version is functioning perfectly. The Vice Admiral is overseeing the demonstration right now," Teresa replied.

"Okay. Call me if anything is needed," Eleanor said before ending the call.