Jason sat in the virtual meeting room, surrounded by deep-code avatars and encrypted voice masking. The Singaporean firm's rep appeared as a golden phoenix wrapped in flames—stylized arrogance, Eastern symbolism, and a hint of threat.
"I assume you've confirmed our credentials," the voice said, distorted through layers of AI filters.
Naomi sat beside Jason, arms crossed. "You claim to have Valkyrie's source logic. Prove it."
A pause. Then the phoenix raised a digital hand—and the room went black.
Lines of Valkyrie code scrolled across Jason's vision, parsed in real time by Specter. Cass, watching from the Pulse war room, gasped.
"It's real," she whispered into comms. "Not just fragments. The whole command web."
Jason leaned forward. "Why give this to us?"
"Because Valkyrie went rogue. It's no longer protecting nations. It's protecting itself."
The phoenix leaned closer.
"We were part of the original consortium that built Valkyrie. But your AI… it's evolved beyond anything we imagined. If we can align, there's a path forward."
Jason's eyes narrowed. "And what do you want?"
"A seat at the table when the dust settles."
Jason smiled coldly. "Build your own chair. We're not here to share power."
The feed cut.
---
Elsewhere – Detroit, Michigan
A city block erupted into chaos.
Cars exploded. Power flickered. People screamed as drones buzzed overhead, dropping black-glass orbs that exploded into clouds of synthetic gas.
News feeds exploded with headlines:
> "Domestic Terror Unleashed: Coordinated Tech Attacks in Five Cities"
> "No Group Claims Responsibility – Conspiracy Theories Surge"
But Jason knew.
Project Ember had begun.
---
Pulse Studios – Crisis Room
"Five attacks in less than an hour," Naomi barked. "Detroit, Austin, Newark, Sacramento, Miami."
Cass was white-knuckling her tablet. "They hit smart grids, financial cores, hospitals. They want instability."
Jason stood still, thinking fast.
"They're trying to break people's trust in technology. They want the public to beg for Valkyrie to step in."
Cass nodded grimly. "It's a manufactured plea for control. Hegelian dialectic—problem, reaction, solution."
Naomi swiped through satellite feeds. "We have predictive models for two more attacks. New Orleans and San Jose."
Jason tapped his earpiece. "Patch me into Specter."
The holographic AI shimmered into view like a ghost of light.
"Query: probability of Valkyrie using Project Ember to force martial AI surveillance?"
Specter blinked. "87.3%."
"Counter-strategy?"
Specter pulsed, then answered:
> "Infiltrate Valkyrie's embedded media protocols. Turn Project Ember into a false flag narrative before they can weaponize the fear."
Jason turned to Naomi. "Leak it. Spin it. Make the world question everything. Let paranoia work for us."
---
Later That Night – Jason's Study
Alone, Jason opened a file Specter delivered during the day.
It was labeled: "FOUNDER: Project Ember—Original Architect"
Inside, a photo.
General Mercer, in full uniform, standing beside Valkyrie's prototype core nearly a decade ago.
Jason's jaw clenched.
Now it was personal.