French Broadcast Room, 11:11 AM
In a brightly lit studio hidden beneath a repurposed telecommunications station on the outskirts of Paris, a group of technicians stared in tense silence at the bank of monitors before them. Red recording lights blinked in sync with a digital countdown.
5… 4… 3…
The floor manager gave a single, subtle nod. A final switch flipped.
All across France, the feed cut.
Cartoons vanished from children's television. Midday talk shows froze mid-laughter. Sports channels interrupted live commentary. Everywhere, the same broadcast hijacked the screen: a solitary black silhouette centered against a stark white backdrop.
No logos. No time stamps. Just silence and a distorted voice.
> Réa (voice masked):
"Citizens of France — and the world — this is not fiction. These are your governments. These are your secrets."
Behind the figure, a reel of damning images began to roll:
– Hybrid captives, stumbling out of containment chambers, blinking at the sun like they'd never seen it.
– Surgical footage, scalpels and spinal clamps, digital overlays mapping neural "reinforcement zones."
– Classified files, stamped "PROJECT PERSEUS" in crimson, complete with Council member names once redacted, now revealed.
– Drone footage, unveiling the true form of the Ledeau estate: a hidden labyrinth beneath the vineyard hills.
> Réa:
"Project Perseus was designed to create super-resilient hybrid soldiers for international sale.
Phase Two — psychological fracturing. They treated minds like code. Rewrote memory. Erased autonomy.
These tests happened in Bourges, Ledeau, and Saint-Bris. Three towns turned into black sites.
Six Council members oversaw this. Six!"
The video cut again. This time: six official mugshots. No redactions. Names beneath every face.
> Réa:
"These are the faces of the ones who called children 'assets.' Who let scientists 'reprogram' them.
You've seen the people they called monsters. But the only monsters here — are the ones who wore suits and gave orders."
She paused. Behind her, the footage faded to white.
> Réa:
"Demand accountability. Demand justice.
And remember: truth cannot be contained."
The screen went black.
---
BFM Newsroom – Paris – 11:14 AM
Panic. Pandemonium. The newsroom exploded in voices and ringing phones.
> Anchor 1 (shocked):
"We — uh — apologies, viewers, but that was… we're receiving confirmation. The footage is real."
> Anchor 2:
"The documents just broadcast are verified as government-classified. And the footage from the Ledeau facility… matches satellite data from just this morning."
---
Social Media – Within Minutes
Posts spread like wildfire. Screenshots of the Council mugshots, lab interiors, and child hybrids went viral within seconds. Hashtags trended within minutes:
#ProjectPerseus
#ExposeTheCouncil
#JusticeForHybrids
#TruthNotTreason
> @Claire_Roux:
"My god. This is what they've been doing in our name? We were funding this?"
> @LeftistLion:
"So we're experimenting on people now? Revolution is overdue."
> @GlobalEthicsOrg:
"Human rights violation of the century. We demand an immediate UN inquiry."
> @TechNoirInsider:
"This explains why that town in Saint-Bris disappeared off Google Maps last year. They were erasing evidence."
---
French Parliament – 12:01 PM
Inside the gilded chambers of the Assemblée Nationale, order collapsed.
Deputy Martin DuPont (slamming desk):
"How long have you known about this? How long did we pretend not to see?"
Minister of Defense (sweating):
"These are… these are still unverified—"
DuPont (cutting in):
"We all saw the mugshots. Your department signed the authorizations!"
Deputies shouted across rows of polished benches. Protestors had already gathered outside the gates. Chants could be heard even through the stone.
---
International Reactions – 1:00 PM and Beyond
By early afternoon, the scandal became a global firestorm.
BBC News ran a special report:
> "France under fire — experimental human soldiers, political scandal, and the fall of secrecy."
Al Jazeera English:
> "Project Perseus: An unprecedented scandal with echoes of Cold War ethics."
CNN Breaking News:
> "Whistleblower leaks evidence of a global mercenary hybrid program. European politics tremble."
In Germany, a government spokesperson issued a statement demanding an EU investigation. In Belgium, protestors marched toward the French embassy. Canada paused all diplomatic exchanges with Paris pending explanation.
The United Nations Human Rights Council scheduled an emergency session.
---
French Streets – 2:30 PM
In Lyon, Bordeaux, Toulouse, and Nice, protestors surged forward, holding signs:
"No More Monsters."
"Children Are Not For Experiments."
"Arrest the Six Scoundrels."
At L'Hôtel de Ville in Paris, riot police formed lines as thousands gathered.
"These people trusted you!"
"You made soldiers out of children!"
"Give us their names!"
Flares lit the skyline by nightfall.
---
Within the Government
In secret backrooms, officials scrambled. One Council member resigned, another fled the country. The French President made a solemn national address at 4:45 PM:
> President Roland Lemoine:
"We are appalled by these revelations. We will cooperate with every international inquiry.
Project Perseus was kept from the presidency — but this is no excuse. There will be trials. We will uncover the truth and punish the culprits."
But it was too late for public trust.
---
Back at the Ledeau Estate – Evacuation Zone – 6:00 PM
The field where the hybrids were rescued was now sealed off by both UN investigators and French soldiers. News drones buzzed overhead. Journalists clambered for access. Children once treated as lab subjects were now protected by international humanitarian workers, their stories recorded and archived.
Réa was missing.
Some believed she was dead. Others believed she had gone underground again.
A few whispered she was preparing another broadcast.
---
Evening Programming – 8:00 PM
Talk shows across France restructured entire seasons overnight. One popular host, Thierry Godreau, opened with somber words:
> "When the war ended, we said 'Never Again.'
And yet — here we are.
I don't know what's worse: that this happened, or that it took an illegal broadcast to show it."
Audience members sat in stunned silence.
A few wept.
---
Beyond Borders – Ridgecliff, England – 8:55 PM
Far across the Channel, in the secluded town of Ridgecliff, the news hit different.
Mayor Guerieo, an older chubby man with an immaculate beard and a coat stitched with his family crest, sat frozen in his office. The grainy footage of Project Perseus flickered across the television set beside him. The French broadcast had leaked to every English news outlet.
He leaned forward, brow furrowed.
"Ledeau… ehh?"
Behind him, the office door creaked open.
Devina Foxington, Assistant Mayor, stepped in with a tablet in her arms and a concerned expression.
Devina:
"Sir. We've confirmed it. The French blacksite?
It's really close to the island where Sheriff Wolf went missing. Where we lost him."
Guerieo turned slowly, jaw tight.
Guerieo:
"They've been experimenting… all this time. Hmm... so Dr. Grieve's case was not a one off case huh? He had done it with the government support."
He rose from his chair, walked to the window. The evening tide glittered with distant lights.
Guerieo (quietly):
"We have leverage now. English Government won't let this pass."
Devina:
"There's talk of diplomatic pressure. Sanctions. Maybe even hearings at The Hague."
Guerieo stared into the distance.
Guerieo:
"Cancel all my other schedules. We may get a visit from English diplomats, Ridgecliff Command is there best shot."
Devina stiffened.
Devina:
"Is that wise, sir? I mean... this region of English Channel just get some peace after that Lagooncrest Island controversy. Civilian lives are just starting to get normal. Suddenly this kind of action can cost much."
Guerieo:
"There's no need to remind me Mrs. Foxington. I am aware. But at the same time we can't refuse the government otherwise our funds, which are already not good enough, will be cut off totally. Do you understand what will happen then?"
Devina quickly answers:
"Okay sir. I will look into it."
She leaves the room.