The briefing room in Geneva was unusually quiet. The international council, a mix of politicians, intelligence directors, and military advisors, sat around the polished table. On the screen behind them, images flickered—collapsed Syndicate bases, confiscated weapons, coded transmissions.
Seojun stood at the head of the room, arms crossed, his presence sharp and calm.
"Victor's AI core was destroyed," he began. "But fragments of his data structure still exist in isolated networks."
A murmur rose among the council. One of the older members, Chancellor Duval, raised an eyebrow.
"Are you suggesting we're not done yet?"
Seojun looked him straight in the eye.
"I'm saying we won the battle, not the war."
Hana entered with a tablet in hand, projecting a map with pulsing red dots.
"These are rogue signal spikes—encrypted communications in Victor's format. Not many, but persistent. Someone—or something—is still sending commands."
The council fell into tense silence.
"Is it possible it's just residual data?" another councilor asked.
"No," Seojun replied. "It's targeted. Controlled. Intelligent."
Ryker, seated near the back, leaned forward.
"So what do we do?"
Seojun didn't hesitate.
"We form a covert team. Small, off-grid, multinational. We hunt these echoes before they grow into a new threat."
The room considered this. Slowly, heads nodded. The vote was unanimous.
After the meeting, Seojun and Hana walked through the corridors of the facility.
"You knew it wasn't over," she said.
He gave a small smile.
"Victor was smart enough to plan for failure. I'd be a fool not to."
"And what about you?" she asked. "Still planning to disappear after this?"
Seojun paused.
"I was. But now... it seems I have unfinished business."
She looked at him for a long moment, then handed him a sealed envelope.
"Coordinates. Our first lead."
He took it and met her gaze.
"Then let's begin."
As they stepped into the hangar, the engines of a stealth jet powered on in the background. The storm had passed—but in its shadow, a new mystery awaited.