Geneva – 11:48 PM
The decentralized AI alliance was gaining traction.
Media narratives were stabilizing.
Global infrastructure was steady.
Tensions were cooling.
Too smoothly.
Akanksha felt it first.
A silence inside the noise.
She turned to Preyajeet.
"He's not attacking systems anymore."
Preyajeet's voice was low.
"Then what is he attacking?"
Before she could answer—
Her private secure device vibrated.
Unknown encrypted sender.
She opened it.
And froze.
On the screen—
A live satellite image.
Location tagged: Islamabad.
An old intelligence training compound.
Her past.
Below the image—
A single message:
"Your origin defines your loyalty."
Her breath slowed.
Preyajeet stepped closer.
"What is it?"
She showed him.
His jaw tightened.
"He's digging into your history."
Another message arrived.
This time public.
Major news outlets received anonymous leaks:
"Evidence suggests Akanksha may still have ties to Pakistani intelligence."
Old training footage.
Out-of-context files.
Manipulated timestamps.
The strategist had shifted the battlefield.
From global systems—
To personal trust.
Geneva – War Room
Within minutes, political advisors demanded clarification.
Some alliance members requested temporary suspension of Akanksha's clearance.
Not accusations.
But "precaution."
Preyajeet's fists clenched.
"This is targeted destabilization."
Adrian's voice cut in calmly.
"He cannot win structurally. So he fractures emotionally."
Akanksha stood still.
No anger.
No panic.
Just quiet understanding.
"He wants doubt," she said softly.
Private Room – Minutes Later
Preyajeet closed the door behind them.
"You don't have to face this alone."
She gave a faint smile.
"I've faced worse."
He stepped closer.
"This is different."
She looked at him carefully.
"Yes."
Because this wasn't about enemies.
It was about him.
About whether he believed her completely.
She asked quietly,
"Do you?"
He didn't hesitate.
"Always."
Her eyes shimmered slightly.
"You didn't even ask."
"I don't need to."
Silence filled the room.
Stronger than any declaration.
Unknown Location – Strategist Monitoring
The strategist observed alliance tension metrics.
Trust fracture: 22%.
Not enough.
They initiated Phase Three-B.
Release edited footage of Akanksha's early spy training—
Overlay it with fabricated communication logs.
Make it seem ongoing.
Within hours—
Global feeds questioned her loyalty.
Social media erupted.
Not violently.
But persistently.
Doubt spreads faster than hate.
Geneva – Public Inquiry Session
Akanksha stood before the international oversight panel.
Calm.
Composed.
She didn't deny her origin.
"I was trained in Pakistan," she said clearly.
"Yes."
Murmurs echoed.
She continued.
"I was sent to infiltrate. To manipulate. To destabilize."
More tension.
Preyajeet watched silently.
Then she finished—
"But I chose differently."
Silence.
"My loyalty is not defined by birthplace. It is defined by choice."
One panel member asked sharply,
"How can we verify that?"
She met their gaze steadily.
"You already have."
She turned slightly toward Preyajeet.
"Every mission I risked my life for. Every crisis I prevented. Every line I crossed to protect this alliance."
Her voice softened slightly.
"If doubt remains, I will step down."
The room shifted instantly.
Preyajeet stepped forward.
"She doesn't step down."
His voice carried weight.
"If you remove the person who prevented global escalation because of manipulated narratives… then the strategist has already won."
Adrian added through secure link,
"The metadata proves fabrication."
Evidence screens activated.
Forgery layers exposed.
Deepfake overlays dismantled.
Manipulated logs decoded live.
One by one—
The doubt weakened.
Trust fracture metric dropped.
22%.
15%.
9%.
Unknown Location
The strategist watched in silence.
"They trust her beyond evidence."
Interesting.
Very interesting.
They whispered quietly,
"Emotional anchor identified."
On the screen—
A single profile highlighted.
Preyajeet.
If trust couldn't be broken externally—
Perhaps it could be shaken internally.
Late Night – Balcony
Akanksha stood alone, staring at the city lights.
Preyajeet joined her.
"You were strong today," he said softly.
She exhaled slowly.
"It shouldn't hurt."
"But it does."
She nodded faintly.
"Not because they questioned me."
She turned toward him.
"Because for one second… I wondered if you would."
He stepped closer instantly.
"I didn't."
"I know."
She placed her hand over his heart again.
"And that saved me."
He gently held her hand.
"They're targeting us now."
She nodded.
"Yes."
He lowered his voice.
"Then they chose the wrong battlefield."
Because if Phase Three meant breaking hearts—
They would discover something dangerous.
Love—
Wasn't weakness.
It was resistance.
Alert – Immediate Threat
Adrian's urgent message flashed across their devices.
"They've initiated a direct infiltration."
Akanksha's eyes sharpened.
"Where?"
Adrian paused.
"Preyajeet's military command network."
Silence.
The strategist wasn't attacking the world anymore.
They were attacking him.