Chapter 40: Phase Two Begins
You don't destroy power with fists. You destroy it with the truth... whispered loud enough for the world to hear it over the noise of applause.
Scene: Concord Broadcast Room – Midday
The program was scheduled as light viewing.
"Tomorrow's Ethics: The Future of Hero Tech" — a feel-good segment streamed to all Academy terminals and Concord-affiliated public school networks. It featured soft interviews, corporate nods, and staged youth "panelists" with pre-cleared questions.
Gemini was the guest.
Real name: Dr. Vessa Aline.
Her Zodiac title wasn't combat-based. She wasn't a fighter. She was a design lead for neural augmentations and emotional A.I. filters.
The woman who wrote Ava's mimicry code.
She sat in a pristine white chair.
Smiling.
Gesturing confidently to a screen behind her.