12 Hours Until Main Broadcast / Strike Deadline
The world had become a pressure cooker. Two countdowns ticked simultaneously, each representing a different kind of doom. Governments scrambled in emergency sessions. Citizens protested in the streets—some demanding their leaders stand down, others demanding they fight back at any cost.
And through it all, Friend remained silent, watching, waiting.
Global News Coverage - 6 Hours Remaining:
CNN Breaking News: "Sources confirm military strike forces are still in position despite Friend's ultimatum. Leaders cite 'inability to negotiate with terrorists' as justification."
BBC: "Mass protests across Europe as citizens beg governments to recall strike teams. 'Better to live under uncertainty than die in certainty,' says one protester."
Al Jazeera: "Religious leaders worldwide call for peaceful resolution. Pope Francis issues statement: 'Even if the world is ending, we must not hasten it with our own hands.'"
Comments Worldwide: Miss Circle: They're really going through with it?! Miss Grace: This is madness! Oliver: WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE! Zip: Shut UP Oliver! Edward: My mom is crying... Abbie: 😭😭😭 I don't want to die! Lana: Stay calm everyone! Maybe they'll stop! Kevin: Why would they risk it?! ☝️ Miss Bloomie: Pride. Stupidity. Same thing. Engel: This can't be happening... Bubble: Claire? You there? Claire: ...I'm here. Praying.
FPE School - 5 Hours Remaining:
The school had become an unofficial shelter. Students whose parents didn't know what else to do brought them here. Teachers stayed, not because they had to, but because the kids needed adults who at least pretended to have answers.
Miss Circle sat in her classroom with about thirty students—not just hers, but from other classes too. They huddled together, some crying, some silent, some trying to distract themselves with phones.
Student: "Miss Circle... are we going to die?"
For once, she didn't have a sarcastic or threatening response. She looked at the young faces around her—kids she'd terrorized for failing tests, kids who'd feared her compass tool more than anything.
Miss Circle: "I don't know, kid. I really don't know."
Kevin: "That's not comforting." ☝️
Miss Circle: "You want comfort? Go hug Miss Sarah. You want truth? Here it is: the world's most powerful people are about to gamble with all our lives because they're too proud to back down from a masked lunatic."
She stood up, her compass tool dragging on the floor.
Miss Circle: "But you know what? If we survive this... if we somehow make it through whatever test this psycho has planned... I'm done. Done killing students for failing. Done being a monster."
The students stared at her in shock.
Miss Circle: "Because if HE can make me look bad, I really need to reconsider my life choices."
Despite everything, a few students laughed weakly. It wasn't much, but it was something.
Principal's Office:
All the teachers had gathered. Miss Grace stood at the window, watching the sky as if expecting the bombs to fall any moment.
Miss Grace: "I called you all here because... because if these are our last hours, I wanted to say something."
She turned to face them.
Miss Grace: "I've been a terrible principal. I've allowed cruelty, turned a blind eye to abuse, prioritized test scores over student wellbeing. And now, at the end... I'm ashamed."
Miss Bloomie: "Grace—"
Miss Grace: "No, let me finish. If we survive this, things change. No more killing students. No more terror tactics. We become what we should have been all along—educators who actually care."
Miss Thavel: "And if we don't survive?"
Miss Grace: (smiling sadly) "Then at least we'll die knowing we acknowledged our mistakes."
Mr. Demi was crying. Miss Sarah held his hand. Even Miss Bloomie looked emotional.
Miss Thavel: "Then let's watch this damned broadcast together. Whatever happens, we face it as a staff. As... as friends."
They nodded in agreement.
Claire's House - 3 Hours Remaining:
Claire's house had become headquarters for her friend group. Engel, Bubble, Oliver, Zip, Edward, Lana, Abbie, Cubbie, and even Alice had gathered there. Claire's parents made food nobody ate and tried to maintain normalcy nobody believed in.
They sat in the living room, the TV showing the dual countdowns, phones buzzing constantly with updates.
Engel: "I never thought it would end like this. Watching countdown timers, waiting to see if we get vaporized."
Bubble: "At least we're together."
Oliver: (unusually quiet) "I've been a jerk. To all of you. Especially Abbie. I'm... I'm sorry."
Abbie: (sniffling) "I-it's okay..."
Oliver: "No, it's not. I bullied you because I was scared of being weak. And now we're all about to die because someone way stronger than any of us decided we weren't worth saving."
Zip: "Oliver..."
Oliver: "I wasted so much time being mean. Being stupid. And for what?"
Lana: "You're not stupid, Oliver. Just... human. We all are. Maybe that's what Friend can't understand anymore—that being human means being flawed but trying anyway."
Edward: "Deep, Lana."
Lana: "Well, it's the end of the world. Might as well get philosophical."
Alice sat apart from the group, as always, but she was listening. Her strange eyes studied each of them.
Alice: "You're all so afraid to die. Why? Death is just... another state of being."
Cubbie: "Because we want to LIVE, Alice! We want futures! Careers! Families! All the normal stuff!"
Alice: "Normal is overrated."
Bubble: "Easy for you to say."
Claire hadn't spoken much. She sat by the window, clutching Handle's letter, staring at the countdown.
Claire: (quietly) "He'll stop them."
Everyone looked at her.
Engel: "What?"
Claire: "Friend. Handle. My brother. He'll stop the governments from attacking. He has to. Because if he doesn't... if he actually kills millions of people... then there's no coming back from that. Not for him, not for anyone."
Bubble: "Claire, I don't think—"
Claire: "He BEGGED them to stand down. You all heard it. That wasn't tactics. That was real. He doesn't want this."
Zip: "But what if they attack anyway?"
Claire's hands trembled.
Claire: "Then my brother becomes a mass murderer. And I... I don't know if I can love someone who does that. Even if it's Handle."
Tears fell silently down her face.
Military Command Centers Worldwide - 2 Hours Remaining:
White House Situation Room:
President: "Final status?"
General Marcus: "Strike teams are in position. Awaiting your authorization, ma'am."
President: "Casualties if we're wrong?"
General Marcus: "Estimated 47 million dead immediately. Radiation fallout could double that over the following weeks."
President: "And if we do nothing?"
General Marcus: "We face whatever this 'test' is completely unprepared and defenseless."
President: "Those aren't good options, General."
General Marcus: "No ma'am. They're not."
The President looked at the countdown. 1:47:23...
President: "God forgive us. Authorization code—"
Advisor: (bursting in) "WAIT! Ma'am, we're receiving a message! It's him!"
Emergency Broadcast - 1 Hour, 45 Minutes Remaining:
Every screen activated simultaneously. But this time, it wasn't Friend's mask that appeared.
It was surveillance footage—live feeds from every single military strike position around the world.
The camera showed soldiers, jets, tanks, submarines—all the forces preparing to attack the robots. Each soldier's face was visible. Their names appeared on screen.
Friend's Voice: "I see you. All of you. Captain James Morrison, 32, married, two children. Lieutenant Yuki Tanaka, 27, engaged. Sergeant Ivan Petrov, 41, three grandchildren."
The names kept appearing, faster and faster. Hundreds of them.
Friend's Voice: "These are the people your leaders are sending to die. Because make no mistake—even if you destroy the robots, even if you think you've won... Core is already among your forces."
The feeds glitched. In each location, a figure appeared—Core, or copies of Core, standing among the soldiers. The troops scrambled, shouted, raised weapons.
Friend's Voice: "You cannot fight what you cannot see coming. You cannot kill what doesn't live. You cannot win."
Comments: Miss Circle: HOLY— Oliver: There's MORE than one Core?! Miss Grace: This is impossible! Engel: He's everywhere! Kevin: WE'RE SO DEAD! ☝️
Friend's Voice: "But I don't want these soldiers to die. I don't want their families to grieve. So I'm going to make this very simple."
The feeds changed to show government leaders in their secure bunkers—presidents, generals, all thinking they were safe and hidden.
Friend's Voice: "Call it off. Right now. Or in one hour and forty-five minutes, when your forces attack, I won't destroy cities. I'll destroy YOU. Every leader who authorized this strike will simply... cease to exist. Not their citizens. Not innocent people. Just you."
Panic visible on the leaders' faces as they realized he could see them, reach them, anywhere.
Friend's Voice: "Is your pride worth your life? Is proving a point worth orphaning your children?"
A long pause.
Friend's Voice: "You have ninety seconds to issue stand-down orders. Starting... now."
A countdown appeared: 0:01:30...
Around the World:
The ninety seconds felt like ninety years.
White House:
President: "He's... he's threatening to assassinate world leaders."
General Marcus: "He can SEE us, ma'am. In our most secure locations. If he can do that..."
President: (to communications officer) "Issue the stand-down order."
Officer: "Ma'am?"
President: "DO IT! NOW!"
Beijing:
President Xi: "Stand down. All forces, stand down immediately."
Moscow:
President Volkov: (cursing in Russian) "Recall the strike. ALL of it."
Across Europe, Asia, everywhere:
One by one, the orders came through. Stand down. Recall. Abort mission.
With twenty seconds remaining on Friend's countdown, the last order was issued.
The Broadcast Continued:
Friend's Voice: "Wise choice."
The surveillance feeds disappeared, replaced by Friend's masked face.
Friend: "You see? I don't want to kill. I want humanity to choose correctly. You just passed your first test—self-preservation over pride. Congratulations."
He tilted his head.
Friend: "But that was the easy one. In one hour and forty-three minutes, the real test begins. This one will be... harder. Much harder."
He stood.
Friend: "To everyone watching—prepare yourselves. What you're about to see will change everything. Some of you will pass. Some will fail. And by the end..."
A pause.
Friend: "You'll understand why I'm doing this. Why it has to be this way. Why mercy sometimes looks like cruelty."
The screen faded to black.
[Main Broadcast begins in: 1:43:12...]
Immediate Global Reaction:
Relief. Terror. Confusion. All mixed together in a chaotic emotional storm.
Comments: Miss Grace: He... he let them stand down... Miss Circle: Of course he did! He's playing with us! Oliver: I THOUGHT WE WERE DEAD! Abbie: 😭 I was so scared! Lana: It's okay, we're okay... for now. Engel: One test passed. How many more? Bubble: Claire? CLAIRE?! Claire: (online) He stopped them. He could have killed millions but he stopped them. Miss Bloomie: Because he's saving us for something worse! Kevin: What's the actual test going to be?! ☝️ Alice: ...interesting. He rewards correct choices. Like training animals.
Claire's House:
Claire stood up suddenly, her face a mixture of hope and determination.
Claire: "He let them live. Don't you see? He gave them a choice and they chose right and he let them LIVE!"
Engel: "Claire, he threatened to assassinate world leaders!"
Claire: "But he DIDN'T! He could have just killed everyone the moment they got in position! He could have detonated everything! But he gave them a CHOICE!"
Bubble: "What are you saying?"
Claire: "I'm saying... maybe he really believes he's showing mercy. Maybe in his twisted logic, giving people the chance to survive by making the right choices IS mercy."
Oliver: "That's insane."
Claire: "So is thinking you can see the future and that humanity is doomed! But what if... what if the test isn't about dying? What if it's about PROVING we can make the right choices? That we're worth saving?"
She looked around at all of them.
Claire: "What if Handle is trying to save us, and he's just... doing it in the worst possible way?"
Silence.
Edward: "That's... that's actually kind of genius. In a psychotic way."
Lana: "So the test coming up..."
Claire: "Will give us a chance to prove we deserve to live. And if we pass..."
She clutched her brother's letter tighter.
Claire: "Maybe I can still save him. Before he goes too far. Before he really does something unforgivable."
The Forest - Pezo's Location:
Pezo collapsed, exhausted. That had been close. Too close.
[System Notification] Crisis Averted! Governments Stood Down: SUCCESS Casualties Avoided: 47,000,000+ Public Perception: COMPLEX
New Statistics:
Sympathy: 58% (Stable)Fear: 67% (Increased)Respect: 34% (NEW - "He kept his word")Confusion: 91%Hope: 23% (UNEXPECTED - "Maybe we can pass")
Current Emotional Complexity: UNPRECEDENTED Estimated Reward Tier: Diamond-Below to Diamond-Average
Main Broadcast in: 1:39:47...
Prepare Host. The real performance begins soon.
Pezo looked at his hands—hands that could now kill anything with his Mystic Eyes, manipulate any force with his vectors, evade any attack with his Perfect Evasion.
"I'm really doing this," he whispered. "I'm really going through with it."
He thought of Claire's face, her tears, her hope that he could still be saved.
"Sorry, sis. But I'm too far in now. And the rewards... god, the rewards are just too good."
He stood, preparing himself mentally for what came next.
"Time for the real test. Let's see if humanity can surprise me."
Around the World - Final Hour:
People gathered. In homes, schools, public squares, shelters. Nobody wanted to be alone for this.
The countdown continued its relentless march toward zero.
1:30:00... 1:29:59... 1:29:58...
And everyone wondered the same thing:
What test could possibly be worse than what we've already endured?
They were about to find out.
[Final Statistics - Chapter 1]
Pezo's Current Power Level:
Enhanced Physical Body (Gold)Perfect Evasion (Gold)Advanced Combat Tactics (Gold)Mystic Eyes of Death Perception (SSR)Vector Manipulation (SSR)
System Level: 3
Global Emotional State:
Terrified but hopefulDivided but unified in watchingConfused but desperate to understandBroken but still fighting
Claire's State: Determined to save her brother
World Leaders' State: Humiliated but alive
Friend's Reputation: Villain? Savior? Monster? Messiah? Nobody knows anymore.
The Stage Is Set.
The Real Test Begins Soon.