Six hours.
That's how long Elara had before the world tried to take Helios away.
Not hackers.
Not enemies.
Governments.
And once power enters politics…
control becomes war.
---
The summit hall had turned into a command center.
Phones ringing.
Screens flashing.
Economic advisors shouting updates.
Marcus leaned over a tablet, scanning the latest news.
"…it's spreading faster than expected."
Luca looked up.
"How bad?"
Marcus turned the screen toward him.
"Seven governments already demanding an international oversight committee."
Luca sighed.
"Yeah… that escalated quickly."
---
At the center console, Elara worked silently.
Her fingers moved across the keyboard.
Pulling data.
Tracking reactions.
Monitoring market sentiment.
But the problem wasn't code.
It was perception.
Ares stood beside her.
"What are you seeing?"
She didn't stop typing.
"Fear."
"That's obvious."
"No," she said quietly.
"Strategic fear."
---
He understood immediately.
Volkov didn't create panic randomly.
He targeted the exact pressure points that force governments to act.
Media narrative.
Market instability.
Political leverage.
Ares crossed his arms.
"He wants them to demand Helios."
"Yes."
"And once they do?"
"They'll say it's too powerful for private control."
Marcus overheard that and groaned.
"…and then they'll nationalize it."
Elara shook her head.
"Worse."
Luca looked up.
"Worse?"
"They'll split control between multiple governments."
Marcus frowned.
"…that doesn't sound worse."
Elara finally turned toward them.
"Helios can't function that way."
---
Silence filled the room.
Because everyone realized what that meant.
If Helios lost centralized control—
its predictive system would break.
Markets would become unstable again.
Energy systems would lose synchronization.
Global infrastructure would fragment.
Marcus leaned back slowly.
"So the system that could stabilize the world…"
"…would become useless," Elara finished.
---
Ares looked toward the giant window overlooking the city.
"So what's the move?"
Elara was quiet for a moment.
Because every option had consequences.
Fight the governments?
Lose political trust.
Give up control?
Destroy the system.
Marcus rubbed his temple.
"…please tell me there's a third option."
Elara's eyes slowly lifted.
"There is."
Luca raised a brow.
"And?"
She exhaled slowly.
"We give the world what it wants."
Marcus blinked.
"…that sounds suspicious."
---
Ares looked at her carefully.
"What are you planning?"
Elara turned back to the screen.
Typing quickly again.
A new interface appeared.
Not Helios.
Something else.
Marcus leaned closer.
"…what is that?"
She answered calmly.
"A public access layer."
Luca frowned.
"You're opening Helios?"
"Partially."
Marcus nearly choked.
"…you're doing what?"
---
Elara stood up slowly.
Facing the entire room.
"Governments fear what they can't see."
She pointed at the screen.
"So we show them."
The interface expanded.
Live global analytics.
Economic forecasting.
Energy stability projections.
Marcus stared.
"You're making Helios transparent."
"Yes."
Ares understood immediately.
"Controlled transparency."
Elara nodded.
"They see the results."
"But they don't control the system."
---
Luca smiled slightly.
"…that's actually brilliant."
Marcus leaned closer.
"Wait… but what stops them from demanding full control anyway?"
Elara's eyes darkened slightly.
"Nothing."
Marcus's smile vanished.
"…I liked the first half better."
---
Ares stepped closer to her.
"You're still missing something."
"Yes."
"Volkov."
She nodded slowly.
Because Volkov hadn't played his final card yet.
And when he did—
it would be big.
---
At that exact moment—
Marcus's phone buzzed violently.
He checked the screen.
Then froze.
"…you're not going to like this."
Luca sighed.
"Just say it."
Marcus looked at Elara.
"Emergency global broadcast request."
Ares frowned.
"From who?"
Marcus swallowed.
"…Damien Volkov."
---
Silence fell again.
Elara stared at the phone.
Because Volkov asking for a global broadcast meant one thing.
He was about to change the narrative again.
Ares spoke quietly.
"You don't have to allow it."
Elara thought for a moment.
Then shook her head.
"No."
Marcus frowned.
"No?"
She looked toward the cameras.
"If he wants the world's attention…"
Her voice became calm.
"…let's give it to him."
---
Minutes later—
every major news network connected to the summit feed.
Billions of people watching.
Leaders waiting.
Markets frozen.
The screen flickered.
Then Damien Volkov appeared.
Standing in a dark room.
Perfectly composed.
Perfectly calm.
He looked directly into the camera.
"Good evening."
His voice carried across the entire summit hall.
"I believe the world deserves to know the truth."
Elara crossed her arms slowly.
Because she knew exactly what was coming.
Volkov smiled faintly.
"The system called Helios…"
He paused.
"…is not the most powerful technology Elara Khan has built."
The room froze.
Marcus whispered.
"…what?"
Volkov's eyes gleamed.
"Oh yes."
He leaned closer to the camera.
"And tonight…"
"…the world will see what she's really capable of."
The world thinks Helios is Elara's greatest creation.
But Damien Volkov just revealed something terrifying.
Helios isn't her most powerful system.
And now the entire world is about to learn what she's been hiding.