The conference room at Prometheus HQ was abuzz with high-level delegates from around the world—governments, NGOs, tech magnates. They'd flown in from every corner of the globe not just for answers, but for a piece of the future Jason had helped unleash.
Jason stood at the head of the polished obsidian table. No longer the hungry outsider or the secretive kingmaker—he was now a legend walking in the flesh.
"Let's begin," he said, voice even.
The room hushed.
---
The Offer
Jason laid out his terms for distributing Prometheus:
1. No patents. All Prometheus code was open-source. The knowledge belonged to the world.
2. Ethical firewall required. Anyone implementing Prometheus tech had to build on its decentralized, bias-resistant core.
3. Zero equity stakes. Prometheus would never be a publicly traded company.
That last point caused murmurs.
A French minister leaned forward. "You're leaving trillions on the table."
Jason smiled. "That's the point. It can't be bought. It can't be hijacked. We're not selling salvation."
---
Backroom Maneuvers
Later that evening, Jason met a familiar face in a dimly lit side room—Gordon Price, the former Mercer board member who had tried to have Jason killed.
Now, he extended his hand.
"I was wrong," Gordon admitted. "You won. Let's partner up."
Jason stared at the man who represented everything he'd spent two lives fighting.
"No," he replied flatly. "We don't need you."
Gordon laughed nervously. "You've got the world in your palm. Why waste time making enemies?"
Jason stepped closer. "Because I already buried the biggest enemy I had. His name was Jason Wylde. And I'm never becoming him again."
He walked out, leaving Gordon alone in the shadows.
---
A New Alliance
Prometheus wasn't without allies.
That night, Jason sat at a small table with:
A Nigerian AI ethicist from Lagos Tech Collective.
A Japanese engineer who rebuilt his hometown's internet post-tsunami.
A Bolivian coder who taught underprivileged kids from a solar-powered trailer.
They didn't wear suits.
They didn't ask for control.
They understood what Jason was building.
And they wanted in—not for profit, but for impact.
Jason looked around and raised his glass. "To a new world."
---
Cass – Watching From Afar
From a balcony above, Cass watched it all unfold—the phoenix of Jason's second life now fully airborne.
She smiled.
Jason had finally won not by outplaying the game…
…but by rewriting the rules.