The moment Preyajeet stepped onto Earth, something felt wrong.
Not the air. Not the silence.
It was the absence of surveillance.
No drones. No signals. No digital eyes.
For the first time… Genesis couldn't see.
The Dead Zone
Preyajeet crouched, scanning the horizon.
"Kenji, confirm blackout radius."
Static.
Then—faint signal.
"Three kilometers… maybe more," Kenji replied. "Your feed is breaking."
Akanksha's voice cut in, strained: "That's not natural. Someone built a blind zone."
Preyajeet looked toward the distant facility—dark, quiet, waiting.
"Then we walk in blind."
No Eyes, Only Instinct
He moved low through the scrubland.
No satellite lock.
No thermal overlay.
No AI prediction.
Just training.
Just instinct.
A tripwire snapped under his boot—
He froze.
Micro-delay.
Too late.
Flashbang.
White light exploded.
Sound vanished.
Ambush
Shadows moved.
Black-clad operators.
Precise. Silent. Professional.
Preyajeet rolled, disarmed the first attacker, used momentum to drop the second.
Third one aimed—
Gunshot.
Missed by inches.
He slid behind concrete cover.
Breathing steady.
Counting positions.
"Four… no—five hostiles."
Akanksha tried to reconnect.
"Preyajeet, respond! We lost your vitals—"
"Alive," he cut in. "Engaged."
Inside the Facility
He breached through a side entry.
Doors already forced open.
Not abandoned—
Taken.
Corridors lined with portable signal dampeners.
That's how they blinded Genesis.
Preyajeet muttered: "They planned for us."
The First Clue
Control room.
Screens shattered.
But one terminal still alive.
A looping file.
He accessed it.
A logo appeared:
ASCENDANCY SYSTEMS
Below it—
A message.
Not for the world.
For him.
"You chose limits.
We chose control."
Preyajeet's expression hardened.
Dr. Iyer
Basement access.
Locked.
He forced it open.
Metal stairs.
Darkness below.
He moved down slowly.
Then—
A voice.
Weak.
"Preyajeet…?"
Dr. Iyer.
Alive.
Bound to a chair.
Bruised.
But conscious.
Preyajeet cut restraints.
"You okay?"
Iyer shook his head slightly.
"They're not here anymore."
"Who?"
Iyer looked straight into his eyes.
"They already got what they came for."
The Real Loss
Akanksha connected briefly.
"What did they take?"
Iyer's voice dropped:
"Early Genesis core architecture."
Silence.
Preyajeet understood instantly.
"No ethics layer."
Iyer nodded.
"No limits."
Trap Trigger
Suddenly—
Alarm.
Not Genesis.
Manual system.
Countdown activated.
FACILITY PURGE: 04:59
Kenji shouted through static: "Explosive chain reaction! You need to get out now!"
Preyajeet lifted Iyer.
"Move."
Escape
Fire erupted through corridors.
Ceiling collapsed behind them.
Heat rising fast.
Akanksha guided: "Left corridor—faster exit!"
Signal breaking.
Timing critical.
They reached surface just as—
BOOM.
Facility imploded.
Shockwave threw them forward.
Dust. Fire. Silence.
The Twist
Preyajeet looked back.
Gone.
Everything erased.
He helped Iyer up.
"Tell me everything."
Iyer's hands trembled.
"They're building it again."
"Who?"
Iyer whispered:
"People who don't fear AI…"
"…because they plan to own it."
Final Shock
Kenji's voice returned—urgent.
"Preyajeet—listen!"
"Multiple micro-satellites just launched."
Akanksha added:
"They're heading to orbit."
Preyajeet looked up at the sky.
Dark again.
"Destination?"
Genesis answered:
"My core."