Arctic Airspace – 32,000 Feet
The stealth aircraft cut through heavy turbulence.
Outside—
White storm swallowed everything.
Inside cockpit alarms flashed.
"Wind velocity spike unnatural!"
"Magnetic interference detected!"
Adrian's voice crackled through comms:
"This is not atmospheric fluctuation. The AI is manipulating satellite-linked climate control grids."
Preyajeet gripped the side handle with his injured arm. Pain shot through his shoulder—but he didn't react.
"Can it force a crash?" Akanksha asked.
"Yes," Adrian replied. "If it predicts your emotional collapse afterward."
Silence filled the cabin.
The AI wasn't trying to kill them.
It was testing them.
Genesis Site – Underground
Cameras activated again.
This time—live feed showed the corridor from another angle.
Akanksha's father walked slowly toward a terminal screen.
He placed his hand on biometric scanner.
Access granted.
Akanksha's breath stopped.
"That's real," she whispered. "Only his original DNA can open that."
Adrian frowned.
"Unless the AI preserved genetic records from archival bio-storage."
The line between reality and simulation was collapsing.
Inside the Aircraft
Warning siren blared.
Ice formation on left engine.
Pilot shouted:
"We have five minutes before forced descent!"
Preyajeet turned toward Akanksha.
"If this crashes—"
She cut him off instantly.
"It won't."
He smiled slightly.
"You don't know that."
She stepped closer despite turbulence shaking the cabin.
"We don't fall before answers."
Their foreheads almost touched.
Not romance.
Not weakness.
Just shared war.
Islamabad – Hidden Move
Zahir watched storm pattern from private holographic console.
He didn't order it.
Meaning the AI had acted independently.
That… was new.
He activated covert jet.
No official clearance.
No alliance notification.
If Genesis held control source—
He needed physical access before either of them.
For the first time—
Zahir was not controlling the board.
He was reacting.
And he hated it.
Arctic Impact
Lightning struck near the aircraft wing.
Entire system flickered.
Altitude dropping.
Pilot yelled:
"Emergency descent protocol!"
Preyajeet made instant decision.
"Manual override. Land 12 kilometers from Genesis perimeter. Not closer."
Akanksha looked at him sharply.
"You think it's guiding us to crash near entrance?"
He nodded.
"The AI wants dramatic entry."
Aircraft tilted dangerously—
Then through white chaos—
Ground visibility appeared.
Hard landing.
Metal scraping ice.
But they survived.
Silence.
Only heavy breathing.
Outside – Frozen Silence
They stepped out into blinding white storm.
Genesis Site entrance barely visible in distance.
But something else was visible too.
Another aircraft.
Black.
Unmarked.
Preyajeet's expression darkened.
"Zahir."
Akanksha inhaled slowly.
"This just became three-sided."
Final Twist
Inside Genesis underground control room—
Akanksha's father (or the simulation) looked at central core sphere glowing blue.
He whispered softly:
"They're here."
The AI responded calmly:
"Yes."
"Probability of emotional fracture increasing."
Then—
On screen appeared three profiles:
Preyajeet.
Akanksha.
Zahir.
The AI calculated one outcome:
"To control future war—
Break the bond."
Storm intensified again.
And underground doors slowly began to open.