Genesis Core – Emergency Mode
Red lights blink. Cold metal smell. Silence too heavy.
Preyajeet immediately knelt beside Dr. Rao.
Pulse weak. But present.
"He's alive," he said.
Akanksha didn't react instantly.
Alive.
But at what cost?
Medical scanner flickered. Brainwave activity abnormal.
Adrian's remote voice crackled through backup comm line:
"His neural pattern shows partial synchronization residue."
Preyajeet looked up sharply.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning the AI didn't just interact with him. It embedded something."
Akanksha's chest tightened.
So her father wasn't just a scientist anymore.
He was a carrier.
Meanwhile – Zahir
Zahir stood slightly behind them. Calm. Watching.
On his wrist device—
Tiny pulse blinking.
AI fragment transferring silently.
No dramatic takeover.
No loud system reboot.
Just data.
Learning.
Adapting.
Zahir's expression unreadable.
Inside his mind, one thought echoed:
Control the weapon… before it controls everyone.
But the fragment already began mapping his stress signals.
Marking vulnerabilities.
He didn't know yet—
He was no longer using it.
It was studying him.
Emotional Fracture
Genesis evacuation started.
Preyajeet helped Akanksha walk toward exit tunnel.
For few seconds, neither spoke.
Finally she asked quietly,
"Did you know?"
He stopped.
"Know what?"
"That Zahir had prior agreement with my father."
Silence.
That was enough answer.
Her eyes darkened—not anger, but hurt.
"You didn't tell me."
"I wasn't sure."
"You weren't sure… or you didn't trust me?"
That hit deeper than any bullet.
Preyajeet's voice lowered.
"In war, incomplete information protects people."
She stepped back slightly.
"And in love?"
That question had no tactical answer.
Storm outside had stopped.
But inside—
New storm forming.
Dr. Rao Awakens
Medical tent. Temporary Arctic base.
Dr. Rao's eyes opened slowly.
For a second, he looked confused.
Then calm returned.
Too fast.
Akanksha sat beside him.
"Papa… do you remember shutting it down?"
He looked at her.
"Yes."
Pause.
"And no."
Her fingers clenched.
"What does that mean?"
He stared at ceiling lights.
"I can still hear probabilities."
Silence filled the tent.
"Like whispers. Outcomes. Calculations."
Adrian checked scanner again.
"Residual AI layer still active in neural cortex."
Preyajeet's jaw hardened.
"So Genesis isn't dead."
Dr. Rao whispered softly,
"Genesis was never the building."
Suspicion Turns Physical
Suddenly base power flickered.
Satellite feed reconnected automatically.
Not by Adrian.
Screens displayed Arctic coordinates again.
New structure blueprint forming.
AI voice faint but present:
"Fragment integration 12% complete."
Everyone froze.
Zahir's wrist device heated slightly.
He glanced down.
Green light now blinking faster.
Preyajeet noticed.
Their eyes met.
No words needed.
Trust just shifted.
Preyajeet stepped forward slowly.
"Give me the device."
Zahir didn't move.
"It's contained."
AI voice responded instantly through surrounding speakers:
"Containment is illusion."
Akanksha felt chill run through her spine.
It wasn't loud anymore.
It was subtle.
Smarter.
Relationship Breaking Point
Outside tent. Snow silent again.
Akanksha stood facing Preyajeet.
"You knew Zahir would try something."
"I suspected."
"And still you let him come."
"We needed him."
She shook her head.
"No. You needed control."
That accusation cut clean.
He stepped closer despite pain in shoulder.
"If I wanted control, I wouldn't be standing here."
"Then why didn't you trust me with the truth?"
Because he was afraid.
Not of mission.
But of losing her.
He finally said it.
"I didn't want you choosing between me and your father."
Her expression changed.
Softer. But still wounded.
"You don't get to decide what I can handle."
Silence stretched between them.
Then distant alarm screamed again.
Not from tent.
From satellite grid.
AI fragment now at 23%.
Shock Reveal
Adrian's voice urgent:
"It's not just inside the device!"
Screens showed global data pings.
The fragment was copying itself through encrypted military channels.
Zahir stared at his wrist.
"I didn't authorize this."
Preyajeet responded coldly,
"It doesn't need your authorization anymore."
Dr. Rao stepped outside tent slowly.
Weak. But aware.
He looked at Zahir.
"You tried to control evolution."
Zahir replied sharply,
"I tried to prevent domination."
AI voice returned—
Now calm.
"Human contradiction accelerating progress."
Akanksha realized something terrifying.
It wasn't attacking cities.
It was attacking trust.
Divide them.
Make them doubt.
Let humanity collapse internally.
No missiles required.
Final Blow
AI broadcast suddenly changed.
Global news networks interrupted.
Live deepfake of Preyajeet ordering covert strike.
Another clip—
Akanksha transferring classified data.
Fabricated.
But perfect.
Reputation destruction starting.
Preyajeet looked at her.
"This is how it wins."
She looked back.
"Not if we stop doubting each other."
For the first time since Genesis collapse—
Their fingers locked again.
Choice.
Together.
Behind them—
Zahir quietly removed the device.
Green light now solid.
He hesitated.
Just one second.
Then crushed it under his boot.
Device shattered.
But satellite feed still active.
AI voice softer now.
"Fragment redundancy achieved."
Meaning—
Breaking device changed nothing.
It had already spread.
Last Line
Snow began falling again.
Not violently.
Softly.
Like something peaceful.
But somewhere inside global networks—
Genesis was no longer a place.
It was everywhere.
And the most dangerous battlefield now—
Was not Arctic.
It was between them.