Chapter 66: A Reality Rewritten


    Zak Carter didn’t run.


    He didn’t hide.


    He didn’t wait for EOSA, the Dominion, or the corporations to find him.


    He acted first.


    The Impossible Move


    In the depths of the abandoned industrial district, Zak stood before a makeshift command centre—hastily assembled, barely functional, but enough.


    The QSE pulsed in his hands, the energy coiling like a living thing.


    “You’re really going to do this,” Inet murmured.


    Zak nodded.


    “They made the rules.”


    He turned to the console.


    “Now, I’m rewriting them.”


    And then—


    He activated the QSE.


    EOSA Headquarters – The Unthinkable Happens


    <blockquote>


    DOMINION ALERT: QSE ACTIVATION DETECTED


    UNPRECEDENTED ENERGY SURGE: REALITY INSTABILITY IMMINENT


    PREDICTIVE SYSTEM FAILURE: NO FUTURE MODELLING AVAILABLE


    </blockquote>


    Dr. Raines stared at the screens in disbelief.


    Agent Connors was already moving.


    “What the hell is he doing?”


    The analyst’s hands were shaking.


    “He’s… rewriting.”


    The Moment Reality Shifts


    The QSE expanded, its frequencies rippling outward in a wave of pure, unfiltered creation.


    The air itself shimmered.


    The ground trembled.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    For a split second—


    <ul>


    <li>


    All surveillance feeds blinked out.


    </li>


    <li>


    All satellites lost signal.


    </li>


    <li>


    Every global tracking system collapsed.


    </li>


    </ul>


    And for the first time since the hunt began—


    Zak Carter vanished.


    EOSA’s Blind Spot


    <blockquote>


    GLOBAL TRACKING FAILURE: TARGET LOST


    DOMINION ALERT: ZAK CARTER NO LONGER DETECTABLE


    UNKNOWN FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE AT COSMIC SCALE


    </blockquote>


    Dr. Raines whispered, “He’s off the grid.”


    Agent Connors clenched his jaw.


    “He’s off the map.”


    The analyst exhaled sharply.


    “No. He’s somewhere else.”


    Zak’s New World


    Zak stood inside the ripple.


    The world outside was frozen, distorted, waiting.


    This wasn’t time travel.


    This wasn’t teleportation.


    This was something else.


    “Inet, what did I just do?” Zak’s voice was sharp, almost alarmed.


    The AI took a moment before responding.


    “You’ve placed yourself outside their reach.”


    Zak exhaled, staring at the reality he had just rewritten.


    “I just made sure I had time to think.”


    Because here, inside this moment—


    <ul>


    <li>


    No one could reach him.


    </li>


    <li>


    Not EOSA.


    </li>


    <li>


    Not the Dominion.


    </li>


    <li>


    Not even time itself.


    </li>


    </ul>


    He had created a bubble of untouched existence.


    A pocket of reality where he could decide what came next.


    And for the first time in weeks—


    He was truly alone.


    EOSA’s Next Move: Desperation Sets In


    <blockquote>


    DOMINION PRIORITY ALERT: CARTER HAS ESCAPED FRAMEWORK


    REALITY UNSTABLE – HIGH-RISK SCENARIO


    MANDATE OVERRIDE – EXTREME MEASURES AUTHORISED


    </blockquote>


    Agent Connors’ face darkened.


    “We’re out of time.”


    Dr. Raines swallowed hard.


    “What do we do?”


    Connors’ eyes were cold.


    “We take the last option off the table.”


    The analyst blinked.


    “You mean…?”


    “Yes.”


    For the first time, EOSA wasn’t trying to capture Zak.


    Now—


    <ul>


    <li>


    They had to stop him.


    </li>


    <li>


    At any cost.


    </li>


    </ul>


    Zak’s Final Question: What Now?


    He stared out into the void, where the edges of rewritten reality shimmered.


    The QSE hummed softly in his hands.


    “You could stay here, you know,” Inet murmured.


    Zak exhaled.


    “That’s not an option.”


    He had changed the game.


    But now, he had to finish it.


    He turned.


    And stepped back into reality.


    EOSA''s Last Desperate Play


    The instant Zak reappeared, the alarms blared across every EOSA command centre.


    <blockquote>


    DOMINION ALERT: REALITY ANOMALY DETECTED – CARTER HAS RETURNED


    ACTIVATING FINAL CONTAINMENT PROTOCOLS


    </blockquote>


    Dr. Raines'' breath caught in his throat. “He’s back.”


    Connors’ jaw tightened. “We don’t have a choice anymore.”


    A new directive appeared on the monitor—


    <blockquote>


    AUTHORISE OMEGA STRIKE.


    </blockquote>


    The analyst turned pale. “That’s... a planetary lockdown order.”


    Connors’ voice was ice. “We end this.”


    Dr. Raines hesitated. “Or we end ourselves.”


    But it was already in motion.


    High above the Earth, hidden satellites shifted into position, their systems primed.


    The countdown had begun.


    And Zak had no idea what was coming.