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Chapter 72 - Chapter 68 – “Clouds of Control”

Jul 16–Jul 31, 2017

"Clouds of Control"

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1. Noida – The Cathedral of Servers

The Noida super-campus was alive. Thousands of humming racks, each powered by Shakti 2nm processors, glowed like constellations in a dark cathedral.

At the center, MC stood with Aarya's projection by his side. And walking toward the press staging area was Maya Iyer — the humanoid CEO he had crafted, coded down to the smallest facial twitch and heartbeat rhythm.

Dressed in a sharp indigo sari with silver trim, Maya looked flawlessly human. Her steps carried poise, her voice module calibrated for warmth and authority.

> MC (to Aarya, quietly): "It's time. Maya will carry this flame."

Aarya (smiling, almost proud): "And the world will never guess she isn't one of them."

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2. The Launch of Integration

A grand auditorium inside the campus filled with journalists, investors, and dignitaries. The stage lights dimmed, and Maya Iyer walked forward.

Her smile was confident yet gentle, her tone calm but commanding.

> Maya Iyer (addressing the hall):

"From today, Nava and Varta run not on ordinary infrastructure, but on Saraswati Cloud, powered by Shakti semiconductors.

What does this mean?

Video calls without lag.

Social media without limits.

Data security without compromise.

We are not offering you an app. We are offering you freedom."

A giant screen lit up, showing live demos:

A farmer in Bihar streaming ultra-HD crop footage to an agriculture officer.

A student in Cairo calling her professor in Paris with real-time translation.

A family in São Paulo uploading an entire wedding video in seconds.

The auditorium erupted.

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3. The Global Spread

Within 48 hours, Nava + Varta downloads exploded past 500 million. By the end of July:

Nava: 360M active users.

Varta: 450M active users.

Combined ecosystem: 810M.

Twitter and Facebook's traffic plummeted. WhatsApp's growth flatlined.

The Guardian (July 20): "The Indian Apps that Broke the Internet."

WSJ (July 23): "Saraswati Cloud Becomes the World's Default Highway."

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4. POV – Google India, Gurgaon

Inside Google's Gurgaon office, chaos reigned. A whiteboard listed emergency strategies: "Price cuts?" "New India-only features?" "Lobby government?"

> Google India Manager (furious): "It's Maya Iyer. Every interview, every launch, she's winning hearts. People trust her more than us!"

Engineer (hesitant): "Sir… are we sure she's even real?"

The manager scowled. "She's on live TV every other day. She shakes hands with ministers. Of course she's real."

But in truth, their surveillance analysts had noticed something odd: Maya Iyer never seemed to age, never tired, never slipped.

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5. POV – Washington

At the Pentagon, analysts presented to a Senate subcommittee.

> Analyst: "We cannot monitor Varta calls. Their encryption is quantum-layered. Nava's feeds bypass U.S. servers entirely."

Senator: "So all global data is flowing… to India? Through this… Maya Iyer?"

Pentagon Cyber Chief: "Not exactly. Through the cloud she represents. But yes — she is the public shield. Whoever is behind her is untouchable."

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6. Maya Iyer's Media Blitz

Over the next two weeks, Maya became a household name. She appeared on NDTV, BBC, Al Jazeera, and CNBC. Her calm answers, subtle humor, and flawless Hindi-English blend made her magnetic.

> Anchor (BBC): "Ms. Iyer, what makes Saraswati Cloud different from American tech giants?"

Maya Iyer (with an elegant smile): "We are not extracting data. We are empowering lives. There is a difference between building an empire, and building a future."

Clips went viral. Across India, people spoke of Maya Iyer as if she were a living symbol of national pride.

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7. Estate Balcony – MC's Quiet Watch

Late one night, MC stood at the balcony of his estate, monsoon rain lashing the forest. On the screen in his hand, Maya Iyer's interview played.

Aarya appeared beside him, shimmering in the storm.

> Aarya: "She has become everything you intended. Untouchable. Admired. Feared."

MC (low, resolved): "And she will carry the weight of the war that's coming. I built her to be the shield. While I… remain the shadow."

Lightning struck across the horizon. The storm had only begun.

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End of July 2017 – Numbers & Fallout

Nava + Varta users: 810 million.

Maya Iyer: The face of Indian tech, global celebrity in weeks.

US/EU corporations: spiraling into crisis.

MC's identity: buried deeper, hidden perfectly behind his creation.

The world believed in Maya Iyer.

And that was exactly how he planned it.

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