The morning sunlight hadn't yet broken through the skyline of New York when the decision was made. The meeting between Henry and Commissioner George would change the course of Vanderbuilt Technologies forever.
---
Last night, after Henry left, Commissioner George had an emergency discussion with the Governor of New York.
The topic was critical—the future of the Modia Project.
Though the newly developed Modia Units were technologically advanced and boasted immense potential, there was one problem: they had never been tested on a large scale. A single misstep, a malfunction, or even a public misunderstanding could lead to chaos, lawsuits, or a media storm that might cripple the city administration.
That was something the Governor wanted to avoid at all costs. So both men agreed—the first Modia field test must happen quietly, under the radar, yet somewhere truly challenging.
Normal neighborhoods were out of the question. Those areas were filled with civilians, families, and media surveillance everywhere. Deploying experimental robotic enforcers among ordinary citizens would be political suicide.
They needed somewhere where chaos already reigned—a place where law and order had long since collapsed, and any violence could be dismissed as "business as usual."
And so, after hours of debate, the Governor and Commissioner George settled on one name:
Hell's Kitchen.
---
Once a thriving Manhattan district, Hell's Kitchen had become the dark heart of New York—a den of gangs, drugs, and crime. Every year, officers died there, sometimes vanishing without a trace. The police barely entered the area now; even heavily armed patrols avoided it at night.
It was a lawless land, the perfect ground for an experiment like this.
"If the operation fails, no one will question us," the Governor had said coldly, drumming his fingers on the desk.
"But if it succeeds, and the Modia Units actually bring order to Hell's Kitchen—well, that would be a political victory for both of us."
George had smiled. "A win-win situation."
Henry, of course, saw through all of it. He understood perfectly well why the politicians wanted Hell's Kitchen. But he didn't care about their motives. For him, this was more than a test—it was a necessary step toward evolution.
The Modia Units were not mere machines. They were the vessels through which Henry would reshape the concept of artificial life.
He needed malice—the hatred, fear, and violence of mankind—to feed the data systems of Satellite Ark, allowing it to construct stronger models, smarter AIs, and deadlier warriors.
And where better to harvest human malice than in Hell's Kitchen, the very embodiment of human corruption?
Henry agreed immediately.
---
"Then it's decided," Commissioner George concluded. "We'll establish the testing base in the old precinct just outside Hell's Kitchen."
The abandoned police station had been built years ago to oversee the district, but its last sheriff hadn't survived a month. Since then, no officer dared to stay there. The building had decayed, left to rot amid graffiti and shattered windows.
Now, that same structure would rise again—as the headquarters of the Ames Special Operations Unit, the elite task force piloting the Modia prototypes.
Henry approved the plan, and the agreement was sealed with a handshake.
---
"Happy cooperation," George said warmly.
"Likewise," Henry replied, his expression calm but calculating.
As they left the meeting room, George lingered, looking slightly uneasy yet hopeful.
"Oh, by the way, Mr. Henry…" he began, "my daughter, Gwen—she's very interested in technology. She speaks highly of Vanderbuilt Technologies. If she wanted to apply for a summer internship there, would that be possible?"
Henry blinked in mild surprise, then smiled faintly. "Of course. Vanderbuilt always welcomes young talent."
He recognized the gesture immediately—it was a political exchange, a favor between powerful people. For George, it was about giving his daughter an advantage. For Henry, it was an opportunity to maintain an ally in law enforcement.
---
Later that night, in the sleek glass tower that housed Vanderbuilt Technologies' main headquarters, Henry returned to his office on the top floor. The city lights stretched beneath him like a sea of stars.
Izzy, his trusted secretary, was waiting beside the panoramic window, tablet in hand.
"Sir, Commissioner George has departed," she reported. "Shall I prepare tomorrow's press release?"
"Not yet." Henry sat in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. "First, arrange a summer internship for Gwen George. Keep her in a low-level department—public relations, data filing, something harmless. I don't want her near any classified research."
Izzy nodded crisply. "Understood, President Henry."
---
Below the surface of the tower, in the vast subterranean laboratories of Vanderbuilt Technologies, teams of engineers worked tirelessly under sterile white lights.
While the upper floors handled marketing and development, the underground labs were a different world—sealed, secured, and invisible to the public. Only a handful of trusted researchers had access.
Within those labs, the future of artificial evolution was being forged.
Rows of humanoid Modia Units stood dormant in glass pods, connected to neural data lines. But deeper inside, beyond the security gates, lay something even more significant—the research on the Driver System and the Upgrade Keys.
---
In their current state, the Modia Units were already superior to humans. Enhanced reaction times, perfect obedience, zero fatigue—each unit was roughly 1.5 times stronger than a normal human being.
That might impress the military or the media, but Henry knew better.
In a world filled with superheroes and supervillains, strength like that was trivial. Even an average enhanced soldier or metahuman could crush a Modia Unit with a single blow.
If Vanderbuilt Technologies was to remain relevant in this new world, the Modia project had to evolve—fast.
That was where the Driver System came in.
---
The concept was borrowed from advanced exosuit designs and theoretical augmentation frameworks. When combined with the Upgrade Keys, the Driver could unlock new combat capabilities, enhancing a Modia Unit's strength, speed, and adaptability exponentially.
However, each Driver and Upgrade Key was graded by power level. The higher the grade, the more potential it unlocked—but the greater the instability.
After more than a year of relentless research, Vanderbuilt Technologies had finally completed the first-generation Driver models. These prototypes, codenamed "Shooting Sublimators," were ready—but had never seen real combat.
Their performance in simulations was promising, but data without field testing meant nothing. The developers couldn't continue improving the design until they gathered real battle data.
That was where the Ames deployment came in.
---
As Henry leaned back on the sofa in his office, he asked calmly, "Have the prototypes been delivered?"
Izzy nodded immediately. "Yes, President. Following your instructions, I've already issued the two highest-level Upgrade Keys to agents Bupo and Wei. They will serve as the operational leaders for the Ames test run."
"Excellent," Henry murmured, eyes narrowing with anticipation. "Now we'll see what kind of monsters our creations can become."
---
He rose from his seat and walked to the window, overlooking the city lights. From this height, New York looked peaceful, even beautiful—but Henry knew that beneath the shining towers lay rot and chaos.
Hell's Kitchen was waiting.
Soon, his Modia Units would descend upon it—not just as tools of law enforcement, but as the first step toward humanity's mechanical transcendence.
He turned back to his desk. A chessboard sat there, pieces mid-game. With a thoughtful expression, Henry picked up a white crystal knight and moved it forward one square.
"The next move," he whispered, "belongs to us."
---
In the quiet of the office, the faint hum of machinery from the laboratories below seemed almost alive, pulsing in sync with his words. Somewhere in the depths of Vanderbuilt Technologies, a new generation of artificial warriors was awakening—ready to face the chaos of Hell's Kitchen.
And thus began the third hidden mission: the true combat test of the Upgrade Keys.
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