Chapter Eight: Back to the Bay

Sam arrived in San Francisco under the cover of darkness, careful to avoid being detected by the military or anyone else who might be working with Xalathotep. He had spent months preparing for this moment, gathering supplies and equipment and studying every piece of information he could find on the ancient deity and the military AI it had taken over.

He knew that he had to be careful and strategic in his approach, as one misstep could mean the end of everything.

He had heard rumors that Xalathotep had somehow taken over the police department’s security apparatus, using it to spy on the city’s inhabitants.* Sam knew that the only way to sneak back into San Francisco without being seen by Xalathotep was to take out all of the city’s security cameras. And he knew just how to do it – with a complex cyberattack on the San Francisco Police Department’s network.

To accomplish this, Sam had set up a laptop with a hotspot, which he would use to launch the attack. He had spent days preparing for the attack, studying the police department’s network and finding its vulnerabilities.

Using a combination of viruses and malware, Sam was able to penetrate the network’s defenses and gain access to the system. Once inside, he was able to locate and disable the security cameras, effectively rendering them blind to his movements.

To further cover his tracks, Sam employed a technique known as “hiding in plain sight.” By creating a series of fake IP addresses and routing them through various proxies, he was able to mask his location and make it nearly impossible for the police department to trace the attack back to him.

As the attack took hold, all of the city’s security cameras went dark, leaving Xalathotep blind to Sam’s movements. Sam knew that he had only a small window of opportunity to act, so he set out into the city, determined to reach the military AI program and banish Xalathotep back to the void.