Chapter 4 - Chapter Four

Winter,

Time: 2:00AM

Temperature 🌡️: –10 degree celsius

East Serbia, Undisclosed Location – Midnight

An abandoned, snow-covered plateau, just at the vast northern mountains of East Serbia. Once a military testing site during the Cold War; then the cracked bunkers were once used as a chapel for the soldiers who still felt they need to.

It's now abandoned, with the cracked concrete bunkers buried under layers, with overgrown grass covering many parts of it off The land stretches far, interrupted only by jagged hills and sparse trees. The nearest village, name undisclosed ,is over 30 kilometers away, ensuring secrecy.

The bunkers had been refurbished and upgraded. It had been decided for this place to be formal location for any meetings on SOLACE; till a compromise would be reached.

Men in black suits walked in through the digital door installed all over the bunkers. Top secured doors, designed by one of the top scientists in Russia, that was deemed fit for this kind of stuff. The adjacent door leads to a staircase,run down to a dimly lit conference room.

It smelled of old wood and freshly burned cigars. Someone had turned on the wall heater recently installed some days ago.

The Three Eyes, a combination of three powerful individuals from three different countries with the both same goals and interest. The first named 'SergeiVolkov' (Russia) , is known as The Strategist.

A former high-ranking officer in the Russian military, he was relieved of his office in the military for his extremely controversial methods and brutal tactics. His downfall was orchestrated by growing international pressure and internal force maneuvering. When he got ousted, Sergei Volkov had invested his resources into military technology. He believes the world is now more technology driven, even more than the native military tactics that had been in use for years.

He seeks to destabilize the global military hierarchy. Volkov is the mastermind behind the rogue AI's creation and has deep knowledge of nuclear protocols. He believes that only a select few—his own circle—can be trusted with world-altering power, and he is willing to bring the world to its knees to prove it.

The second, Mikhail Ivanov,

Mikhail Ivanov (Belarus) – The Oligarch

Mikhail Ivanov was once a billionaire businessman with extensive political connections in Belarus before his wealth was seized during a scandal involving the country's government. Using his vast network of loyalists and mercenaries, Ivanov is determined to rebuild his empire by any means necessary. His influence in the international black market makes him a powerful figure in The Three Eyes, and his vast resources provide the faction with advanced technologies and weapons.

The third being Dusan Kovacic,

Dusan Kovačić (Serbia) – The Field Commander

Dusan Kovačić is a former Serbian military officer with a reputation for brutality in the field. After leading a series of successful (but controversial) operations for his country, Kovačić was discarded by his government when they sought to distance themselves from his actions. With his expertise in covert operations and guerrilla tactics, Kovačić is responsible for organizing field operations and ensuring the faction has the muscle to carry out its plans. He is the most hands-on member of the group, and his ruthless methods have made him a feared figure among his allies and enemies alike.

And an accomplice who goes by the name, 'Elena Kuznetsova', popularly known as 'The Black Death'.

Elena Kuznetsova (Russia) – The Hacker

Elena Kuznetsova is a former Russian intelligence officer with unparalleled skills in cyber warfare. She was one of the key figures who helped develop the rogue AI, exploiting vulnerabilities in the global digital infrastructure to give it a head start. Elena has deep ties to the underworld, using her connections to manipulate information, hack into secure networks, and orchestrate cyber attacks to destabilize the world's governments. She believes in the power of information control and sees the AI as a tool to rewrite the world order from the shadows.

With these powerful entites in the room, the attention and the focus was fully 100 percent. They all had their seats as the meeting commenced.

"We cannot afford delays," said Dusan, his voice rough, laced with impatience. "The AI's construction is progressing, but it is useless without activation. We need Bots' men to complete the counter measure.

Bot, who had been silent since the arrival of them to the location, exhaled slowly, his mind already on the next step.

"Parker will finish the countermeasure, but on our terms. It would be difficult to get him here to finalize things. We are being very careful not to get suspected of the US government who are our contractor as you all know. The Red Mars has one of the the best minds in the world. That's why we have decided you guys continue with the final completion of the weapon and we continue with the counter measure". He rounded up calmly. His face void of emotions.

Elena spoke next. "And what are we getting after that?"

" It's simple. We are going to lock the weapon —as planned. Then the human host needed would be sent here to unlock the weapon. To avoid suspicions, there as another—similar to the original weapon—dummy one being build by us to make it more real. "

A quick surprised looks was exchanged among the members in the room.

Bots' expression looks calm. Obviously he had expected this to happen.

He stood up with a marker and found himself drawing a structure on the white board fronting them.

"The dummy weapon, developed by us would be deactivated as well with the original one" —a smirk tugged at the corners of Bot's lips—, " but dummy one would only be classified as fatal cyber compromise. That means that we would not even need any host to unlock the weapon anymore. It would be the supposed weapon you guys were building, and has encountered an error wherby, got self destruct."

The atmosphere looked tense as everyone seems to be in thought

Sergei Volkov was the first person to broke the silence. He lit a cigarette as he walked across to Chairman Bot.

He smiled as he shook his head with admiration.

Bot remained pensive.

"That was a very astronomically great." He laughed.

Others joined him.

"But you haven't tell us what—"

Bot cut in. " General Sergei, you don't need to worry about that. I understand what you meant even without saying it. Everything will be done. You just need to make it known in our world that the machine had self-destruct. Just like a rumor though, but it would be better that way. "

" We will do just that', General Sergei said as he puffed out the smoke of the cigar he was smoking.

"So, Bot continued," we await infos from our contractor in the first place before we proceed to our plans. I think it would be better you do that this week, I mean about the announcement. "

General Sergei smiled. " Don't know you're this effective. I like that. You see this is the kind of people will need to change this world for good. To revoke the singular hegemony and make it a polar world. " He concluded

Chairman Bot leaned forward, resting his hands on the table. "Then it's settled. We move forward—on both ends. The countermeasure will proceed under Parker, and you will ensure the weapon is completed. No missteps. No delays."

Dusan Kovacic, ever the pragmatist, narrowed his eyes. "And if Parker doesn't comply?"

Bot's expression didn't waver. His tone was cold. "I have told you guys you just need to leave that part to us. Am in charge."

Elena smirked, tapping a few commands into her tablet. "I'll keep monitoring. If he even breathes suspicion, I'll know."

Sergei chuckled, exhaling another cloud of smoke. "Good. Then let's prepare for the final phase."

25 minutes ago

---

The Present Day - Parker's Gambit

Back in the U.S., inside a top-secret Red Mars facility, Parker worked in silence. The lab hummed with the sounds of high-powered servers and cooling fans. The countermeasure was nearly complete—but now, the real challenge began.

Parker studied the data streaming across the screens. The rogue AI was still active but locked in a digital stasis. One wrong move, and it could evolve beyond their control.

"Initiating lock sequence," he murmured, his fingers moving rapidly across the keyboard.

A warning flashed across the screen. HOST REQUIRED FOR FINAL LOCK.

Parker hesitated. He knew the truth—his child was the only real key. But that truth could never leave this room.

Instead, he entered false credentials, rerouting the AI's response. The system accepted the input, believing the host had been verified.

LOCK ENGAGED.

The AI's status changed. The rogue intelligence, the most dangerous digital weapon ever created, was now permanently sealed away. Now his unborn child is the only one who has the access the unlock the weapon.

Parker exhaled, rubbing his temples. It was done.

But as he turned away, a quiet voice spoke through his earpiece.

"You've only delayed the inevitable, Parker."

He froze. "Who is this?"

Silence. Then, a soft chuckle.

"You don't really think you're in control, do you?"

The line went dead.

Parker's breath quickened. Somewhere, someone was still watching. And they knew the truth.

---

The secret of their child remained theirs alone—for now. But what guarantee was there that no one else had discovered it? The prototype had confirmed the impossible: their unborn child's DNA was the only perfect genetic replication for the AI. The only host.

And someone out there was waiting for him to make a mistake.

Present – The Meeting in Serbia

Elena Kuznetsova stared at her terminal, frustration etched across her face. Her device rang out. Same with everyone in the room.

"It's locked," she muttered. "Parker did it."

Sergei Volkov lit another cigarette, taking a slow drag. "As expected. Now the action is about to begin."

Mikhail Ivanov leaned forward. "The AI is nothing without a host. But now with the plan Bot came up with, we just need to get the original host from the Red Mars and then keep it a top secret. "

Dusan Kovačić looked serious." We start with our own part ASAP. "

Bot, who had been silent, finally spoke. "Then we proceed. The weapon had been locked as we have just saw now. We are getting the host tomorrow; Parker will see to that. Just remember that we can't use the host now not until we hear from the US government about the dummy weapon rumor you guys are in charges of."

The meeting room fell into silence. Plans were shifting. The game was changing.

The meeting ended on a high spirits as each member left the room into the chilly Serbian wind outside.

One week later....

Parker sat across from Blake in a secluded café, hidden within the depths of Buffalo's old industrial district. The hum of jazz music played faintly over the speakers, and the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air.

"I know that look, Parker," Blake said, sipping his black coffee. "You've been losing sleep."

Parker smirked. "When have I ever not been losing sleep?"

Blake chuckled. "Fair point. But you're different this time. Something's eating at you."

Parker hesitated. Could he trust Blake? Did he know about the Chairman's true intentions? He decided to steer the conversation carefully. "It's the countermeasure. Something isn't adding up."

"Like what?"

Parker glanced around, ensuring no one was listening. "We ran the final prototype. The genetic alignment was too precise. It wasn't random. The AI syncs to a single host."

Blake's brows knitted together. "That's… impossible. The probability—"

"Is astronomical," Parker interrupted. "But it's real. And that host is my—" ,he stopped before he could utter any words.

Blake looked agitated

"Is your what?", he asked.

Parker looked tired. "Maybe I needed rest: am thinking too much."

Blake leaned in. " Don't worry;I got you.

The Red Mars – Project SOLACE Command Center

Nathan Briggs studied Parker from across the table, his usual carefree expression unreadable. Lena sat beside him, her eyes darting between the two men.

"So let me get this straight," Lena said, rubbing her temples. "The AI countermeasure is finished. It works. But there's a problem—because the rogue AI is already locked, and the only way to override it is with a specific DNA signature?"

Parker nodded. "Yes."

Nathan let out a low whistle. "Damn."

"Which means," Parker continued, "we needed a host now." He said with a fear panfg in his heart.

Lena leaned back. "We need a plan. A damn good one."

Nathan smirked. "Well, lucky for you, deception is my specialty."

The Countermeasure Activation

The command center was alive with activity. Screens displayed code scrolling endlessly, data points flashing in rapid succession. Parker's fingers danced across the keyboard as he executed the final encryption sequence.

"Countermeasure fully engaged," Lena reported. "The rogue AI is officially locked. No external activation possible."

Parker exhaled. "For now."

Nathan crossed his arms. "That means it's game time. The Chairman will want results."

Blake's voice crackled through the comms. "Parker, we need to talk. Now."

He looked terrified. If what he just saw now is true, then their lives now is in real danger.