Thursday morning, 7:30 a.m.
Leo woke to the sound of his phone vibrating incessantly on the bedside table. The sky outside was still dark, but the city was already stirring.
His system notification blinked insistently:
[Urgent Message]
Security Breach Attempt Detected at Ground Zero Last Night
Potential Insider: Unknown
Next Steps: Conduct internal audit, reinforce trust protocols
Leo rubbed his eyes, the weight of responsibility settling on his shoulders.
The attack was expected. The system had warned him about increased board hostility, but this felt closer than ever.
By 9:00 a.m., the Ground Zero team gathered for an emergency meeting.
Leo stood before them, his usual calm demeanor replaced with a fierce intensity.
"We were breached," he announced. "Someone tried to sabotage the power supply during our event."
Zari's eyes narrowed. "It wasn't just random. Someone knew exactly when and where."
Dreigh slammed his fist on the table. "Someone from inside?"
Martin nodded grimly. "We have to find out who."
Leo nodded. "We will. But more importantly, we need to protect each other. If they want to break us, they have to get through all of us."
He paced the room, then stopped.
"We start an internal audit. Access logs, personnel movements, communications. Zari, you lead the cyber investigation. Dreigh, physical security review. Martin and Aria, you monitor external threats and keep morale up."
Zari stood, determined. "I'll find the leak."
Over the next two days, Ground Zero operated on high alert.
Zari combed through terabytes of data, looking for anomalies.
Dreigh installed extra cameras and secured the building with biometric locks.
Martin organized daily briefings and team-building activities to keep spirits high.
Aria crafted posters and social media campaigns promoting unity and resilience.
Leo observed, silently orchestrating the defense.
Late Friday night, Zari called Leo to her workstation.
"Got something," she said, pointing at a heatmap of network activity.
"Look here—unusual access from a recently added user account. It's masked, but I traced it back to someone inside Ground Zero."
Leo's eyes narrowed.
"Who?"
Zari hesitated. "It's complicated. But the account's usage pattern matches someone who's often alone in the lab late at night."
Leo thought carefully.
"Call a meeting," he said. "Tonight."
That evening, the core team assembled.
Leo addressed them gravely.
"We have a mole."
Silence.
"Someone here has been feeding information to our enemies."
He looked around, meeting each person's gaze.
"This is not a witch hunt. But from now on, trust will be earned every day."
Zari added, "We're setting up a rotation for system access and monitoring. No one works alone after hours."
Martin clenched his fists. "Betrayal hurts."
Dreigh nodded. "But we'll get through this."
Leo smiled faintly. "We will. Because we're not just a team. We're Ground Zero."
Meanwhile, at Ramirez Global Holdings, Salonga received the report.
"The sabotage came from within their own walls?" he mused. "Their allies are turning on them."
He poured himself a drink.
"Let the games begin."