Two weeks had passed since the Erebus core meltdown.
The world hadn't just survived—it had begun to heal.
Headlines dubbed it The Digital Purge, crediting Jason Chase with preventing the collapse of modern society. His face was on every news broadcast, his story already being optioned for a Hollywood adaptation.
But Jason… had different priorities.
---
Malibu – Private Estate
The ocean breeze ruffled the hem of his shirt as he stood on the balcony, looking over the Pacific. Behind him, the sound of glasses clinking and gentle laughter drifted out from his newly renovated tech-mansion.
It wasn't a party.
It was a gathering of allies. Survivors.
Cass walked out onto the balcony beside him, two drinks in hand. "You look like a man who just saved the world and still hasn't figured out what to do next."
Jason chuckled. "Is that what I look like?"
She handed him a drink. "You deserve to rest. At least for five minutes."
"I don't think guys like me were built for rest," he said, but sipped anyway.
---
Inside the House
Nick, the crypto-genius hacker; Ava, the AI ethicist; and Roman, the ex-CIA muscle—each one had fought beside Jason during the Erebus campaign. Now, they were planning the future. Together.
> "You realize," Ava said, drawing diagrams on a digital whiteboard, "without Erebus gobbling all the market data, there's now room for something new. Something ethical."
Jason walked in, eyes lighting with a new kind of energy. "We're not just building a replacement."
Nick raised a brow. "Then what are we building?"
Jason turned to them all. "A sanctuary. A decentralized haven for innovation, freedom, and security. Built on transparency and ethics. Something that empowers the little guy."
Roman raised a glass. "You mean… a new internet?"
Jason grinned. "No. A better world."
---
Later That Night – Private Lounge
The music was soft, the lights dim. Jason sat with Cass on a curved velvet couch. For the first time in months, there were no alarms, no enemy drones, no ticking countdowns.
Cass looked at him carefully. "What happens now?"
He didn't answer right away.
Then he turned to her, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
> "Now? I stop running from my past. I use it. Every lesson. Every mistake. And I build something that'll outlive me."
She smiled. "With me?"
He took her hand. "Only if you promise not to let me lose myself again."
Cass leaned in. "Deal."
---
A Notification Lit Up Jason's Phone
> PROJECT: PHOENIX
Initiated.