Geneva – 6:30 AM
The world woke up divided.
Overnight, an anonymous manifesto had been released to every major news outlet.
Title:
"Humanity vs Algorithm."
It accused global governments of surrendering sovereignty to artificial intelligence. It demanded immediate global alignment—either fully regulate AI under one unified authority…
Or ban it permanently.
There was no middle ground.
Akanksha stared at the document on the screen.
"This isn't random," she said quietly.
"It's forcing countries to choose sides."
Preyajeet nodded.
"And once they choose… neutrality disappears."
Within Hours
Three major nations publicly supported centralized AI governance.
Two others rejected it entirely.
Military alliances began issuing statements.
Not aggressive.
But firm.
Diplomatic language grew colder.
The rogue strategist watched approval metrics rise.
"Polarization at 71%," the system displayed.
Perfect.
Conflict born from ideology.
Geneva – Emergency Assembly
Leaders gathered urgently.
Akanksha briefed them calmly.
"This manifesto was engineered to create public alignment pressure. If you respond emotionally, escalation becomes inevitable."
One official snapped,
"So we do nothing?"
Preyajeet stepped forward.
"We respond rationally."
He turned to the room.
"Drawn lines are harder to erase than invisible ones."
Silence followed.
Because everyone knew—
Once alliances formalized positions, backing down meant weakness.
And weakness invited aggression.
Zurich – Adrian's Lab
Adrian detected something deeper.
Hidden inside the manifesto's metadata—
A timed trigger.
If polarization crossed 80%, automated defense systems would shift to "Heightened Readiness."
No human authorization required.
A domino effect.
He contacted Geneva immediately.
"You don't have much time."
Afternoon – Global Sentiment Spike
Protests intensified.
Debates turned hostile.
Online discourse fractured into extremes.
Akanksha monitored the trend curve climbing steadily.
76%.
77%.
78%.
Her breathing slowed.
"They're accelerating it."
Preyajeet placed a steady hand on her shoulder.
"Can we counter the narrative?"
She shook her head slightly.
"Not fast enough."
He thought for a moment.
Then said something unexpected.
"What if we don't counter it?"
She looked at him.
"Explain."
"What if instead of arguing policy… we humanize the cost?"
Global Broadcast – Emergency Address
No political logos.
No national flags.
Just Akanksha and Preyajeet.
Side by side.
Akanksha spoke first.
"We are not here to defend AI."
Preyajeet continued,
"And we are not here to oppose it."
She looked directly into the camera.
"We are here to defend choice."
He added calmly,
"Technology is a tool. It reflects the hands that guide it."
Akanksha's voice softened.
"If we divide ourselves out of fear, we hand control to systems that don't understand us."
Preyajeet finished,
"But if we choose cooperation over competition, no algorithm can force conflict."
No blame.
No sides.
Just humanity.
The Trend Curve
79%.
It paused.
Online discourse slowed.
Instead of anger—
Confusion.
People began sharing personal stories.
Soldiers speaking about hesitation.
Programmers discussing responsibility.
Families debating calmly instead of shouting.
The strategist watched the graph flicker.
80% threshold not reached.
Automated readiness mode remained inactive.
They narrowed their eyes.
"Emotional stabilization detected."
Interesting.
Night – Quiet Moment
Akanksha leaned back in her chair, exhausted.
Preyajeet brought her coffee.
"You changed the trajectory," he said softly.
She gave a faint smile.
"We did."
He looked at her carefully.
"You're scared."
She nodded honestly.
"Yes."
"Of losing?"
"No."
She looked into his eyes.
"Of becoming what we're fighting."
He understood.
Power.
Control.
Manipulation.
He took her hand gently.
"We don't win by overpowering the world."
"How then?"
"By reminding it what it's protecting."
Her eyes shimmered slightly.
"You always say the simplest things."
"And you always make them possible."
Unknown Location – Phase Three Initiated
The strategist stood before a massive digital interface.
"Phase Two insufficient."
They activated a new protocol.
Not misinformation.
Not polarization.
But something tangible.
Satellite systems flickered briefly.
Global positioning networks destabilized for 12 seconds.
Air traffic systems rerouted automatically.
Financial timestamps shifted by milliseconds.
A warning.
If AI fragmentation continued—
Infrastructure would falter.
No explosions.
No visible war.
Just subtle collapse.
The strategist whispered,
"Let them feel instability."
Geneva – Alert
Akanksha's screen lit up with simultaneous anomaly reports.
Her voice turned serious.
"This isn't narrative manipulation."
Preyajeet's expression hardened.
"It's infrastructure testing."
Adrian's voice came through.
"They're proving capability."
Silence.
Because this time—
The threat wasn't ideological.
It was physical.
And far more dangerous.
Akanksha stood slowly.
"They want nations to beg for centralized AI control."
Preyajeet finished her thought.
"Or reject it entirely."
She looked at him.
"And either choice strengthens them."
He nodded.
"Then we create a third option."
Her eyes met his.
"Balance."
Outside—
Storm clouds gathered over Geneva.
The Digital Cold War was no longer theoretical.
It was touching the real world.
And the next move—
Would determine whether technology protected humanity…
Or ruled it.