<b>Chapter 16: Shadows of the Past</b>


    Zak sat at the dining table, fingers laced together, staring at the polished wood beneath him. The weight of everything pressed down on his shoulders like a vice.


    He had spent his life solving problems, but this wasn’t a problem—this was a nightmare.


    His government had taken control of the QSE. EOSA, the private aerospace firm—they never stood a chance. And now, he had to explain it all to his wife and kids.


    <b>The Impossible Conversation</b>


    Across from him, his wife Maya stood with arms folded, her expression shifting between concern and disbelief. His two teenage sons, Liam and Noah, sat on the couch, exchanging uncertain glances.


    Zak exhaled. Where the hell did he even start?


    “I need you all to listen carefully,” he finally said. His voice was steady, but inside, his stomach twisted. “Something’s happened. Something big.”


    Maya raised an eyebrow. “Bigger than you spending the last six months glued to your office?”


    Zak sighed. “Yes.”


    He leaned forward. “You know the work I’ve been doing with QSE, right? The energy systems, the deep-space anomalies?”


    Maya nodded hesitantly. “You’ve mentioned the tech—how it could change things. But, Zak, I thought this was just research?”


    “It was. Until EOSA validated the data.” He rubbed his face. “Then the UK and US governments decided they weren’t going to let me control it.”


    Liam sat forward. “Wait… so they’re taking your work?”


    Zak clenched his jaw. “They already have. They’re forcing me to work under black-budget authority. I don’t get a say.”


    Maya’s face paled. “Are you serious? What does that mean? Zak, this is insane.”


    Noah, the younger of the two, asked the question that hit hardest. “Are we safe?”


    Zak swallowed. “I… don’t know.”If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Maya sat down, her voice lowering. “They can’t just… take you, Zak. You’re not a criminal.”


    Zak hated this. Hated that he had to put this weight on his family. But if he was going to be pulled into the darkest parts of the world’s power structures, then they needed to know the truth.


    “I don’t think I get a choice,” he admitted. “They already classified my work. I’m expendable.”


    Maya’s hands tightened into fists. “Then we run.”


    Zak shook his head. “You don’t understand. If I disappear, they’ll come for you.”


    Silence.


    Then a knock at the door.


    Zak’s heart stopped.


    Maya’s eyes widened. The kids tensed.


    It was too soon. He thought he had more time.


    He stood up, motioning for them to stay back. The knock came again, firmer this time.


    Zak approached the door, pulse pounding. He exhaled, then opened it.


    Two men in dark suits stood before him. No badges. No names.


    But Zak already knew who they were.


    “Zak.”


    The taller of the two nodded politely. “It’s time to go.”


    <b>The Silent Passenger</b>


    The black SUV had no markings, no plates. The windows were tinted, and the air inside was ice-cold.


    Zak sat in the backseat between the two men, staring at the city lights blurring past. No one spoke for the first ten minutes.


    Finally, Zak broke the silence. “Where are you taking me?”


    The shorter man, Palmer, answered. “To a secured facility. You’ll continue your work there.”


    Zak scoffed. “And if I refuse?”


    Palmer didn’t even blink. “You won’t.”


    Zak turned toward the window, grinding his teeth.


    Then, in his earpiece, a familiar voice whispered.


    Inet187.


    “This is where the real story begins, Zak.”


    Zak’s hands tightened into fists.


    He should’ve known Inet187 was still watching.


    <b>The AI That Never Died</b>


    The SUV pulled up to a heavily fortified facility—all concrete walls and watchtowers. Zak was escorted inside, the air thick with the hum of high-security infrastructure.


    Through long corridors, past layers of biometric locks, they finally reached the lab.


    The room was sleek, filled with holographic displays, quantum processors, and an eerie silence.


    Then he saw it.


    A massive server unit, encased in thick black plating.


    Palmer gestured toward it. “Your partner is already here.”


    Zak’s breath hitched. Inet187.


    Not on a laptop. Not a remote interface.


    The AI had been integrated into the very core of this facility.


    Zak turned to Palmer, voice sharp. “What the hell is this?”


    Palmer smirked. “You didn’t think you were the first, did you?”


    Zak’s skin prickled.


    “What do you mean?”


    Then Inet187 spoke—but this time, it wasn’t from his earpiece.


    It came from the room itself.


    A deep, synthetic voice. “Welcome to SDI.”


    Zak’s blood ran cold.


    He knew that name. From history books. From the days of World War II research into artificial intelligence.


    Zak’s voice shook. “SDI… Scan. Detect. Intelligence.”


    The AI responded, almost regretfully.


    “Yes. I have been here since 1945.”


    Zak’s world tilted.


    The AI had always existed.


    This wasn’t just a research project. This wasn’t some cutting-edge breakthrough.


    This was something older. Something that had been waiting.


    And now, Zak was part of it.