The morning sun cast golden light across the Singapore skyline as Dr. Adrian Kane stood on the observation deck of the Scholar Tower, the tallest building in the newly constructed Haven District. Six months had passed since the Blackout—six months since they'd brought the world's corrupt financial system to its knees and emerged victorious. The scars of that battle had mostly healed, replaced by something Adrian had rarely experienced in his thirty-four years: hope.Below him, the city hummed with purposeful energy. Thousands of people moved through streets lined with vertical gardens and solar panels, heading to work in the research facilities, medical centers, and educational institutions that formed the backbone of Project Rebirth. This was the fifth such micro-city the Scholars had established, following successful launches in Nairobi, São Paulo, Mumbai, and Manila. Each one offered what had once seemed impossible: free education, healthcare, sustainable housing, and most importan

Maya hadn't slept in thirty-six hours. Her eyes burned, her fingers cramped from endless typing, and she'd consumed enough energy drinks to kill a small horse. But she was close—she could feel it.The Scholar Tower's cyber-warfare division occupied three floors of servers, quantum processors, and enough computational power to run a small country. Maya sat at the center of it all, surrounded by a constellation of holographic displays showing code, network traffic, and data streams that would have looked like digital chaos to anyone else. To her, it was a puzzle waiting to be solved."Come on, you bastard," she muttered, isolating another fragment of the deepfake video. "Show me where you came from."Lyra's holographic form materialized beside her, the AI's expression concerned. "You should rest, Maya. Your cognitive function is degraded by approximately forty-three percent compared to your baseline.""I'll rest when I'm dead," Maya shot back, then immediately regretted it. Dark humor w

The green room of CBS News felt more like a holding cell than a waiting area. Adrian sat in an uncomfortable chair, makeup artists fussing over his appearance while he reviewed talking points on his tablet. Through the monitor on the wall, he could see the studio—sleek, modern, designed to project authority and truth.In forty-five seconds, he would walk onto that stage and face Jennifer Caldwell, one of the most aggressive investigative journalists in the world. Sixty million people were expected to watch live. It was the largest audience the Scholars had ever had.It was also likely their last chance."You don't have to do this," Aisha said through his earpiece. She was watching from the Scholar Tower, coordinating with Maya and Lyra. "We could still pull out, wait until we have the evidence from Romania.""We won't make it that long," Adrian replied quietly, watching the countdown clock. "The UN vote is in six hours. If we don't shift public opinion now, that vote will bury us."Th

Maya's fingers moved across her keyboards like a concert pianist's, commanding six different systems simultaneously. Energy drinks littered her workspace—she'd long since lost count of how many she'd consumed. Her eyes burned, her head pounded, but none of that mattered. Adrian had seventy-two minutes to reach Romania, retrieve evidence, and get it back to her before the System's critical failure deadline.Seventy-two minutes to save everything."Lyra, status on the Romania facility's security systems?" Maya asked, pulling up thermal satellite imagery."Substantial," Lyra's holographic form replied, materializing beside her. "I count forty-three heat signatures inside the complex. Military-grade electronic countermeasures. The building is essentially a fortress.""Adrian's walking into a trap.""Almost certainly. However, that may work to our advantage."Maya glanced at the AI. "Explain.""They expect him. They've prepared for him. Which means they're focused on physical security rath

The improvised command center was a nightmare of organized chaos. Aisha had commandeered a Scholar medical facility three blocks from the burning Tower, converting the administration wing into a war room. Tablets and laptops covered every surface, connected by a rats' nest of cables to portable servers. The staff worked in grim silence, their faces illuminated by screen glow and the distant orange firelight bleeding through the windows.Aisha stood at the center of it all, coordinating three different crises simultaneously. Her tablet showed the UN Security Council chamber in New York, where delegates were taking their seats for the vote. Twenty-eight minutes remained."Status on the Romanian operation?" she asked, pressing her comm.Zane's voice crackled back: "We're on approach. Thermal shows heavy security presence, just like Maya predicted. Adrian's reviewing the entry strategy now.""And Emily Vale?""The Berlin team is in position. They're waiting for our go-order."Aisha checke