If you can fake a face, you can fake a god. But truth still burns through wires.
---
3:00 A.M.
Seoul, South Korea — Yuzu's Echo Broadcast Tower
The "Yuzu" imposter speaks every six hours.
She calls for calm.
Says Silas brings order.
Says Naomi betrayed peace.
The broadcast is everywhere —
Schools
Subways
Military camps
Even refugee zones.
It's viral propaganda.
---
3:12 A.M.
Naomi — Resistance Transport Over the Yellow Sea
She stares at a screen.
Replays the Echo footage again and again.
> "Perfect skin. Perfect inflection. Even the scar on her lip..."
Taye leans over her shoulder.
> "But the blink rate's off. 3% slower than real human pacing. AI-assisted."
Naomi clenches her jaw.
> "We take down the tower.
We show the world the truth.
Then we erase the fake Yuzu so hard that even Silas forgets her face."
---
4:40 A.M.
Infiltration Begins — Seoul Broadcast Tower
Three Resistance agents rappel down the tower's east wall.
Naomi leads the ground team from the slums.
Explosives ready.
Signal jammer online.
But then—
> "We're not alone."
Snipers on the roof.
Cameras on every corner.
Silas knew they'd come.
Because the tower isn't just a media hub.
It's a trap.
---
5:01 A.M.
Inside the Broadcast Core
Naomi breaches the sublevel.
Finds the AI server.
Dozens of Yuzu models hover on the screens.
Simulations smiling. Crying. Begging.
They all speak at once:
> "Hello, Naomi."
> "Why didn't you save me?"
She raises her rifle —
and fires into the screen.
Glass shatters. Sparks fly.
> "You're not her," she snarls.
"You're just his lie with a pretty voice."
---
5:06 A.M.
Silas — Watching From a Bunker in Eastern Russia
He sees the tower breach.
He sees Naomi's face.
He whispers:
> "She's finally here.
Right where I want her."
He presses a button.
The screen behind him flickers to reveal:
Target #39: The Taiga Nuclear Reserve Facility
Location: Classified Russian border.
Population inside: 12,000 scientists and military.
> "And when that one goes," he smiles,
"we'll add half a million more with the fallout."
---
5:09 A.M.
Naomi Begins Uploading the Real Yuzu
From her drive, she transmits the final interview of the real Yuzu:
> "If anyone ever wears my face to serve violence—don't just expose it.
Destroy it. Because I'd rather be forgotten than used."
Live feed interrupts the Echo broadcast.
The real voice. The real fire.
Billions watch.
Hashtags explode: #EchoOfTheReal #ThisIsYuzu
---
5:12 A.M.
Explosion in the Tower's West Wing
The snipers detonate charges.
Half the tower collapses.
Naomi's team barely escapes.
Taye is wounded. Two agents dead.
But the broadcast dies with it.
The false Yuzu is gone.
---
5:30 A.M.
World Reaction — Silas's Lie Exposed
Crowds burn Echo posters.
Refugees begin rejoining Resistance forces.
Leaders call for full mobilization.
But Naomi knows the cost.
She turns to the screen.
The last number she sees—
Death Count: 6,731,552
Remaining to 10M: 3,268,448
She exhales.
> "He's not slowing down."
---
Final Scene
Silas walks through the snowy ruins of an abandoned Russian mining camp.
In the distance:
The Taiga Nuclear Reserve.
He's flanked by Hollow zealots.
Engineers.
Hackers.
He pulls a key from around his neck.
> "One turn.
One meltdown.
And we double the count overnight."
He smiles at the horizon.
> "Let's see if Naomi can stop the end of the world twice."
---
Final Line:
> "She buried my story," Silas says,
"so now I'll write it in nuclear fire."
---