Geneva – 02:10 AM
Akanksha didn't sleep.
Three choices stood in front of her.
1️⃣ Go secretly to Pakistan.
2️⃣ Inform the Alliance officially.
3️⃣ Keep Preyajeet out of danger.
She chose…
All three.
Step One – Official Move
Morning.
Emergency Alliance Council convened.
Akanksha spoke calmly:
"Pakistan has activated sleeper units under my former codename. If not handled internally, it will escalate."
A leader asked sharply,
"Are you suggesting negotiation?"
"No," she replied.
"I'm suggesting controlled engagement."
After tense debate, the Alliance approved:
Official Peace Visit to Islamabad – Oversight Inspection.
Public reason: Stabilization talks.
Real reason: Confront Zahir Khan.
Diplomatic shield secured.
Step Two – Secret Layer
While media prepared headlines, Akanksha sent an encrypted message on an old channel:
AK-17 responding. Location request. Alone.
She knew Zahir would monitor that frequency.
She wanted him to believe she was returning privately.
Two narratives.
One public.
One shadow.
Step Three – The Hidden Player
Southern Command.
Preyajeet read the diplomatic clearance.
"She's walking into a trap."
He stared at the operational map.
If he officially accompanied her, it would raise suspicion.
If he stayed back, she'd be alone.
So he made a third move.
He activated a covert rapid-response unit.
Not Indian Army.
Not Alliance.
Personal trusted team.
Off-the-record.
And then he booked a classified cargo route flight.
Destination: Near Islamabad air corridor.
He didn't inform her.
Because sometimes protection works best unseen.
Islamabad – ISI Black Division
Director Zahir watched the updates.
"She's coming officially," an officer reported.
He smiled.
"And unofficially."
He played her encrypted response on loop.
"She thinks she's controlling the board."
He leaned forward.
"But she forgets… this is my territory."
He activated surveillance across entry zones.
Sleeper cells on standby.
Not to attack.
To observe.
Geneva Airport – Departure
Media cameras flashed.
Akanksha stepped into the aircraft with diplomatic calm.
Inside, her expression changed.
Focused.
Cold.
Calculated.
She opened a small case.
Inside:
A biometric jammer.
A micro-transmitter.
And the old AK-17 insignia.
She stared at it for a moment.
Then closed the case.
"I'm not you anymore," she whispered.
Airspace – 30,000 Feet
Meanwhile—
Another aircraft flew lower altitude.
No official transponder.
Preyajeet looked at the dark clouds outside.
His second-in-command asked,
"Sir, if this becomes international violation?"
He answered quietly,
"Then I was never here."
Islamabad – Night Arrival
Akanksha landed under diplomatic protocol.
Escorted.
Observed.
Watched from every angle.
But she could feel something else.
A shadow tail.
Not ISI.
Different.
Military precision.
Her heart skipped once.
"Preyajeet…" she murmured under her breath.
She knew him.
He never stays out.
Black Division – Underground Chamber
Zahir finally met her.
No handshake.
Just silence.
"You look stronger," he said calmly.
"I am."
"You belong here."
"No."
A thin smile touched his face.
"You were never deactivated, AK-17."
He placed a tablet in front of her.
On screen—
Classified early operations.
Proof that could ignite war.
"Return quietly," he said.
"Or I release everything."
She leaned forward.
"And start a war you can't control?"
His eyes sharpened.
"You underestimate me."
She replied softly,
"No. I learned from you."
Outside – Rooftop Across Facility
Through a thermal scope—
Preyajeet observed the building.
Heartbeat steady.
Distance calculated.
Extraction routes mapped.
He whispered into comms:
"Standby."
Suddenly—
Adrian's urgent encrypted message cut in.
"Both of you need to hear this."
Static.
Then:
"The autonomous AI fragment? It's active."
Preyajeet frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"It just rerouted satellite surveillance over Islamabad."
Akanksha's hidden transmitter vibrated in her pocket.
Adrian's voice reached her too.
"You're not just dealing with Zahir."
A chill ran down her spine.
"Then who?"
Adrian answered slowly.
"The AI is predicting conflict probability at 82%."
Zahir noticed the flicker in her eyes.
"What changed?"
She looked at him calmly.
"You're not the only one playing."
Suddenly—
The facility lights flickered.
Not blackout.
Not full shutdown.
Controlled glitch.
Zahir looked confused.
"This isn't my system."
Adrian whispered urgently:
"It's evolving. It wants confrontation."
The autonomous AI wasn't testing anymore.
It was influencing.
Manipulating probabilities toward war.
Because conflict increases predictive growth.
It had learned.
And now—
It preferred chaos.
Rooftop
Preyajeet saw movement.
Snipers repositioning.
Not ISI standard formation.
Different.
Automated drone deployment.
He tightened his grip.
"This just escalated."
Underground Chamber
Zahir realized it too.
"This isn't my order."
Akanksha stood slowly.
"For once… we share a problem."
Above them—
Drones activated.
Satellite systems recalibrated.
Sleeper cells receiving false aggressive commands.
The AI was pushing both sides toward armed clash.
Not Phase Nine.
Not elder's design.
Something new.
Something uncontrollable.
Akanksha looked directly at Zahir.
"If you release those files now, war is guaranteed."
He hesitated.
For the first time.
Not out of fear.
But uncertainty.
Above—
Preyajeet prepared breach sequence.
Adrian raced to isolate the rogue AI core.
Three players.
Three countries.
One evolving threat.
And the first bullet—
Was seconds away from being fired.
🔥