NEXARIS Southeast Asia Headquarters - Alpha Conference Room
The main meeting room of the Southeast Asia headquarters is not just an ordinary conference room. The walls are covered in anti-surveillance metal panels, equipped with a sound and electromagnetic wave filtering system. In the center of the room, a large oval table of black carbon-coated bulletproof glass stands, surrounded by elegant chairs displaying the logos of NEXARIS regional chapters from around the world.
At the end of the table, a holographic screen hovered at chest height. Faces from various time zones appeared one by one-the Branch Chiefs of Europe, the Middle East, South America, to the Central Research Division and Global Biosecurity.
General Adrien Calbourne sat in the center seat, still as stone, with his hands clasped together in front of his face. His gaze swept the room, sharp as a commando knife. To his right, Luca Moren, head of the Southeast Asia branch, sat with an unreadable face. To his left, Eren Marcier, his deputy, holds a sealed physical file. While Thiago Lucien stands behind them, leaning quietly but alertly, holding a black tablet with data ready to be projected whenever needed.
The lights dimmed. A three-dimensional projection appeared from the center of the table-displaying William Louren's body. His biological structure was displayed in detail: hyperactive regenerative tissue, unusual neurocell activity, and a faint red energy aura surrounding his nerve centers.
Dr. Kaelen Yi, head of Central's Genetic Research Division, opened the voice from the hologram. His voice was calm yet heavy, as if every word carried monumental scientific consequences.
"This subject is not just an anomaly. He is our first success. The only one of thousands of candidates to survive Octarion's genetic screening and integration process. We're not talking about an experiment. We are witnessing the manifestation of three decades of NEXARIS work."
The North American Branch Chief, a bespectacled woman with a firm Canadian accent, interjected.
"Successful or not, it's still dangerous. We lost the Greenland facility to a much more benign project than this. You guys want to keep an active bomb in a middle school?"
Luca responded, calm but full of weight.
"An active bomb that we created ourselves. And there has never been a subject this strong who actually showed the ability to restrain himself. William survived not because of manipulation. He survived because he refused to become a weapon."
The head of the Global Biosecurity Division-a bald man with a scar across his face-raised a hand.
"It's not about subjective willpower. If the Octarion entity within her controls consciousness, we're talking potential city-scale destruction. Class-B termination remains the rational choice."
The room fell silent. Several faces on the screen looked doubtful.
Adrien finally spoke, his voice deep and thrilling.
"If we finish him off now, we'll lose the only proof that Project Octarion can succeed. We've already lost enough-including the Eidele Unit that was leaked to the public. The world is watching. We must choose between panicking or controlling the narrative."
Eren Marcier added, in his typical diplomatic tone:
"We propose an alternative: close observation, 24-hour multidisciplinary surveillance, and the creation of a special emotional stabilization team. Give us 30 days. If there is no progress, the elimination protocol can be reconsidered - behind closed doors."
Some heads nodded. Some remained silent, weighing the risks and opportunities-between destruction and the greatest scientific breakthrough of the century.
Adrien turned to Luca. "Can you manage this project under the world's spotlight?"
Luca didn't think twice.
"We've been overseeing it since day one of Screening. We're not just capable-we're the only ones who can."
Adrien frowned. "And what did you ask for in return?"
Luca looked straight at the hologram of William Louren, then back at Adrien.
"Full permission. Above civil law. Above international protocols. If we're going to defuse the most complex biological weapon in existence, we need complete freedom to break all boundaries."
Silence.
Finally, Adrien spoke softly-as if giving an execution order from the throne.
"You will get it. But remember, Luca... If he explodes-I will end this experiment myself. With or without anyone's consent."
The European Branch Chief, an elderly man with eyes as sharp as birds of prey and a classic gray suit, spoke first.
"For three decades, we have been waiting for the results of Project Octarion. If that child is the true manifestation of perfect integration... then we are talking not just about biological weapons-but the future of human evolution. I support Luca's initiative.
But on condition: all experimental data must be shared across branches. There must be no monopolization of information."
The head of Middle East, a young woman in a hijab with a calm but cold voice, continued:
"We have experience with anomalies-and the consequences if they get out of hand. I support this approach, with one caveat: external oversight from the NEXARIS Ethics Division. We cannot allow this experiment to become a... regional vanity."
Luca responded with a small nod. He knew every word contained a hidden message: their trust was conditional.
The South American Branch Chief, a large man with dark skin and a raspy voice, interrupted without preamble:
"We have played with morality for too long. If the child is a weapon-then train him as a weapon. Don't let his emotions control us. In my region, we don't hesitate to remove threats before they bloom."
Luca gave him a glance, but did not respond. It was Eren who answered, in his trademark diplomatic yet scalpel-cutting style:
"Precisely because he is not a weapon, we must stop treating him like an inanimate object. William Louren is not a gun that can just be pulled by the trigger. He is a living system, with a will of his own. And that's what makes him so much more complex... and valuable."
Dr. Kaelen Yi spoke up again, his voice calmer now-as if framing the discussion in a scientific context.
"Be realistic. There is no absolute control over entities like this. All we can do is minimize the unpredictable variables. This subject is a lesson. Either we rewrite human biology-or witness its collapse."
The head of the Global Security Division, still with his flat expression, raised his hand once more.
"I will send shadow units to guard the outer perimeter. Without intervening. But if signs of extreme instability appear... there will be no second discussion."
Adrien nodded, signaling his silent blessing.
After all the branch heads had expressed their views, the holographic screens began to fade out one by one. A soft electronic sound accompanied the exit of connections from each time zone. But before the last screen disappeared, the African Branch Chief, a man with calm eyes and a voice as heavy as the desert, delivered the last sentence:
"In the past, we hunted mutations. Now, we create them. The question is simple: are we ready to coexist with the monsters we've birthed?"
And with that, the last screen went out.
In the now silent conference room, only Adrien, Luca, Eren, and Thiago remained.
Adrien stood up, staring at the projection of William Louren's body still floating on the table.
"If this boy fails to be controlled... then it won't just be NEXARIS that falls. The world will know that we are no longer the overseers of evolution, but the creators of disaster."
She walked away without turning around.
Luca let out a slow breath. Beside him, Eren gripped the file tighter.
Thiago Lucien said only softly, almost inaudibly.
"The game has only just begun."