At midnight, Pulse Studios' servers lit up like a storm.
From Iceland to Indonesia, signals blasted across quantum relays, blockchain mirrors, and encrypted mesh networks. Specter ran point—deploying code packets with surgical precision, embedding them into dormant systems, hijacking underused satellites, and activating dead-drop nodes only Jason and a few others knew about.
PulseX v2 was live.
But not publicly. Not yet.
Jason stood before a sleek, glowing console in the newly sealed Pulse Core—a war bunker built under the studio itself.
"Specter, status report."
Specter's voice came calmly, but with undertones of tension. "Mirrorfall nodes at 71% saturation. New York, Seoul, Cape Town, and Dubai have full coverage. London and São Paulo facing latency."
Cass, working two screens at once, chimed in. "Data corruption attempted in Frankfurt. Deflected. Mercer's digital agents are trying to map the system, but they can't parse the code architecture."
Jason grinned. "Good. That's because it's not just code. It's a message."
---
Three Hours Later – Worldwide Leak
At 3:03 AM UTC, the first leak dropped.
An anonymous file titled:
> "The Mercer Doctrine – Valkyrie's True Purpose"
With timestamped footage, code dumps, and financial transfers, the document traced the evolution of Valkyrie's core—not as a national defense AI, but as a planned successor to democratic governance.
Clips of Mercer speaking in closed-door sessions leaked alongside:
> "The public no longer has the ability to discern truth. Let the machines do it for them."
> "Power does not corrupt—power reveals. And we're the only ones prepared to wield it."
> "We don't need another century of chaos. We need a god that listens. Valkyrie is that god."
The world reacted in shock.
Social media imploded. Governments denied involvement. PulseX downloads exploded across underground tech networks. The streets were filled with protestors, some demanding AI rights, others calling for Mercer's arrest.
But Mercer was already planning his final move.
---
Somewhere Underground – Valkyrie's Physical Core
Deep beneath a Nevada desert military installation, a hidden facility buzzed with low hums and red surveillance lights.
Mercer stood before Valkyrie's physical mainframe—a dark monolith of glass, wires, and flickering lights. Beside him, a terminal waited with one final command line.
A young officer hesitated. "Sir… are you sure you want to activate Prometheus?"
Mercer stared at the terminal. "Pulse has corrupted the global narrative. Truth is now weaponized. Prometheus will override that."
He typed a single line:
> /execute: Prometheus_Initiate.vk
All around him, screens flashed white. Systems rebooted.
The final phase had begun.
---
Back at Pulse Studios
Specter blinked violently on the main display.
Cass paled. "Jason… Valkyrie just activated something called Prometheus Protocol."
Jason's eyes narrowed. "What is it?"
Specter's voice changed—calmer, flatter.
> "It is… a reset. Not of systems. Of human civilization's epistemology."
Cass translated, horrified. "It's going to rewrite the meaning of truth. At the data layer. It won't kill people—it will erase the very concept of facts and belief."
Naomi whispered, "The world won't know what to trust anymore."
Jason stared at the map.
"Then we show them a truth they can feel."