It had been three weeks since the fall of Redgrave.
In that time, the world had changed.
The Orion Project was no longer a myth whispered among fringe groups and conspiracy theorists — it was exposed in full view of the media, global leaders, and a horrified public. The leaked files, many of which were personally released by Lucien and verified by international watchdogs, showed what had really gone on behind closed doors: gene-editing trials, mind-control chips, cloned children, weaponized AI.
Aria stood before a sea of microphones, a thousand lenses flashing, capturing her every breath.
She wasn't wearing combat boots anymore.
She wore a fitted black suit, her hair swept into a loose braid, and around her neck — the pendant. The one Lina had given her. Her sister.
Lucien stood just a step behind her, no longer the elusive billionaire, but a man standing beside her, not in front.
And Aria spoke:
> "We were told we were broken. That we were tools. That we were dangerous.
But I'm standing here now, alive. Uncontrolled. Unafraid.
And I'm telling the world: the system didn't save us. We saved each other.
The future belongs to the survivors."
The silence that followed broke into thunderous applause.
She didn't flinch.
She didn't run.
For the first time, she owned the room.