The silence stretched on, heavy with unspoken calculations. I could see the wheels turning behind every pair of eyes in the room—world leaders who had just received their own objectives from the System, each trying to process what this ant for their strategies while revealing nothing to their competitors.
The notification had changed everything. This wasn’t just politics anymore; it was a ga with supernatural stakes, and everyone was suddenly playing by rules they didn’t fully understand. The tension was palpable, but no one wanted to be the first to speak, to accidentally reveal what they’d been tasked with accomplishing. If they did, then others would definitely prevent it from happening. After all, why would you ever want a rival leader getting stronger?
I realized this was my mont. If I wanted to seize the initiative, to control the direction of the conversation, I needed to act while everyone else was still processing. My second objective—exposing governnt experints—was sothing I could address directly without revealing it as a quest requirent.
"Since we’re apparently claiming that we had a form of so called ’stability’," I said, standing up and letting my voice carry the weight of authority, "perhaps it’s ti to address so of the more uncomfortable truths about the current system."
I could feel the attention of the room focusing on , could sense the subtle shift as leaders leaned forward despite themselves.
"The Cain Protocol experints," I continued, my words cutting through the silence like a blade. "Conducted just a few months ago in Europe, with the knowledge and approval of the current World Governnt. Human beings were subjected to psychological conditioning designed to make them attack Masked Syndicate mbers or in simpler terms ."
The reaction was imdiate and telling. Several European leaders exchanged glances, their expressions ranging from guilt to alarm. Chancellor Volkov’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. President Valeska’s diplomatic mask slipped for just a mont, revealing sothing that looked like panic.
"That’s a very serious accusation," Dr. Zimrmann said carefully. "Do you have evidence of these alleged experints?"
"You’re joking right? Are we really going to feign ignorance?" I turned slightly, gesturing toward Evelyn, who sat behind with her characteristic poise despite the black blindfold covering her eyes. "I have a victim."
The room’s attention shifted to her, and I could see the confusion on several faces. To most of them, she probably looked like soone with a visual impairnt, nothing more.
"Evelyn was subjected to the Cain Protocol," I explained, my voice steady despite the anger building in my chest. "The conditioning was designed to make her attack on sight. The fact that she’s sitting here calmly is only because we’ve found ways to manage the psychological triggers, but the damage is has yet to be undone."
President Valeska leaned forward, a skill of her was clearly engaged. "The Cain Protocol experints were conducted by rogue elents without official sanction," he said quickly. "The legitimate governnts involved had no knowledge of the extent of the program."
For a small mont, I felt like she was telling the truth. Instinct flared so loudly that it burned my head for a mont. She wasn’t using a skill...Skills were more natural improvents, representation of one’s abilities. They can only do things like these if...she has a job title. I needed to calm myself, I escaped whatever she had used and it was ti to counter attack.
"Bullshit," I said flatly, abandoning any pretense of diplomatic language. "These experints required significant resources, governntal approval, and international coordination. They weren’t the work of rogue elents—they were official policy."
Chancellor Volkov’s face had gone pale. "Even if such experints existed," he said, his voice carefully controlled, "you cannot prove governntal involvent without access to classified docunts that—"
"I can prove it," interrupted a voice from the French delegation. President Laurent Dubois was looking directly at with an expression of profound regret. "The Cain Protocol was approved at the highest levels of European security coordination. I voted for it myself."
The admission hit the room like a physical blow. Several leaders turned to stare at Dubois, who t their gazes with unflinching honesty.
"We were told it was necessary for global security," he continued. "That certain individuals posed such a threat that conventional thods of containnt were insufficient. We were wrong."
The silence that followed was different from the earlier tension. This was the silence of people confronting an uncomfortable truth, of leaders being forced to acknowledge complicity in sothing they’d rather forget.
"The experints were cruel," admitted Pri Minister Andersson of Sweden, her voice barely above a whisper. "But they were authorized through proper channels, with oversight from the World Governnt."
"Proper channels," I repeated, letting disgust color my voice. "You’re calling the systematic torture of innocent people ’proper channels’?"
"There were protocols," Valeska said defensively. "Safeguards. The subjects were volunteers who—"
"Volunteers?" I turned to face her directly. "Evelyn, did you volunteer for the Cain Protocol?"
"No," Evelyn said simply, her blindfolded face turning toward Valeska. "I was kidnapped and taken away despite being from a different continent entirely."
The admission hung in the air like an accusation. I could see several leaders shifting uncomfortably, their careful justifications crumbling in the face of direct testimony.
"This is all very emotional," said Mateo Alvarez, his cheerful deanor intact despite the gravity of the mont, "but how can we verify these claims? The woman could be acting. The blindfold could be a prop. Without independent verification—"
"Are you seriously suggesting," Samuel Osei interrupted, his voice carrying a dangerous edge, "that soone would fake permanent psychological damage for a political eting?"
Pri Minister MacLeod was shaking his head with visible disgust. "The level of cynicism required to question this woman’s suffering is exactly what’s wrong with the current system. You’re so removed from the human cost of your decisions that you can’t even recognize genuine trauma when it’s sitting right in front of you."
Alvarez raised his hands in a gesture of mock surrender. "I’m simply saying that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. If we’re going to make decisions based on alleged atrocities—"
"Alleged?" Samuel’s voice had dropped to a whisper that sohow carried more nace than shouting. "You want evidence? I can provide docuntation of the Cain Protocol procurent contracts, the facility locations, the personnel involved. Ghana may not have participated, but we monitored the situation closely."
The room was dividing again, but this ti along different lines. Those who had been involved in or aware of the Cain Protocol were finding themselves increasingly isolated, while those who had been kept in the dark were expressing varying degrees of outrage.
"The connection to NovaCore is equally troubling," I continued, pressing my advantage. "The World President took office twenty-five years ago. NovaCore was conducting similar experints thirty years ago. The pattern is clear—whoever holds the position of World President has been systematically approving human experintation programs."
"That’s pure speculation," Volkov protested. "You’re connecting unrelated events to support a narrative—"
"The techniques are likely identical," I cut him off. "The sa psychological conditioning thods, the sa disregard for human rights, the sa pattern of official approval followed by public denial. The only difference is the scale and sophistication. Or are you suggesting that it’s a coincidence that in both cases individuals were forcefully given jobs and skills that they shouldn’t have?"
President Chen of South Korea had been listening intently, her information broker instincts clearly engaged. She leaned forward slightly, her expression thoughtful.
"If we’re discussing NovaCore experints," she said, her voice carrying a note of calculation, "perhaps we should address the elephant in the room."
I felt a chill run down my spine. Sothing in her tone suggested she was about to reveal information I didn’t want to hear.
"The NovaCore experints weren’t conducted in isolation," she continued. "They required significant financial backing, governntal approval, and soone with the expertise to oversee the research."
She paused, her eyes eting mine directly.
"Hugo Vale," she said, and the na hit like a physical blow. "Your father, Mr. Reynard, was the primary researcher responsible for the NovaCore experints."
The room went completely silent. I could feel every pair of eyes in the room focused on , could sense the shift in the atmosphere as the revelation sank in.
"Your father," Chen continued relentlessly, "developed the psychological conditioning techniques that were later adapted for the Cain Protocol. The sa thods that were used on the woman sitting behind you were originally created by Hugo Vale."
I felt the world tilting around . I’d known my father had worked for NovaCore, but I didn’t know that his thods were the sa ones that caused the foundation of the Cain Protocol.
"Which raises an interesting question," Chen said, her voice carrying the cold precision of soone delivering a calculated strike. "If you’re so opposed to these experints, why haven’t you revealed your father’s role in creating them? Are you protecting his reputation, or are you protecting yourself?"
The accusation hung in the air like a poison cloud. I could see the doubt creeping into the faces of so of my supporters, could feel the careful coalition I’d been building starting to fracture.
Samuel was watching with new intensity, his earlier support tempered by this revelation. MacLeod’s expression was unreadable, but I could sense him recalculating his position.
"My father’s cris," I said finally, my voice steadier than I felt, "are not my cris. I’ve spent my life trying to undo the damage that people like him caused."
"Have you?" Chen pressed. "Or have you simply found new ways to use the sa techniques? Your ability to have multiple jobs, your enhanced skills—how do we know these aren’t the result of experints you’ve conducted on yourself?"
The question struck at the heart of my deepest fears. The truth was, I didn’t fully understand where my abilities ca from. The System had just given it to one day, but its origins remained a mystery.
Though it’s fine, I can easily prove her wrong right now. I didn’t notice it, but a smile creeped up on my face and everyone in the room including Chen noticed it as they waited in the tense atmosphere for my response.
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