The summit hall hadn't recovered from the broadcast.
Phones rang nonstop.
Security teams rushed through corridors.
Political leaders argued in private rooms.
But at the center of the chaos—
Elara stood completely still.
Because Damien Volkov had just declared something no one in the world had ever dared to say.
He was going to activate a machine that could simulate the future.
And once someone can see possible futures—
they can start choosing which one happens.
---
Marcus paced the room like a man about to lose his sanity.
"…so let me summarize this nightmare."
He held up one finger.
"Helios predicts markets."
Second finger.
"Oracle predicts global events."
Third finger.
"And the psychopath billionaire just announced he built his own."
He dropped his hands.
"…this is fine."
Luca leaned against the console.
"Relax."
Marcus turned sharply.
"Relax?"
"Yes."
Luca nodded toward Elara.
"She's not panicking."
Marcus followed his gaze.
And realized Luca was right.
Elara wasn't afraid.
She was thinking.
Which somehow worried him more.
---
Ares stood beside her.
"What's he actually planning?"
Elara stared at the giant data screen.
"Demonstration."
Marcus frowned.
"…what kind of demonstration?"
"The only kind that proves predictive power."
She typed several commands.
Multiple global feeds appeared on the wall.
Military movements.
Political negotiations.
Economic forecasts.
Protests.
Diplomatic meetings.
A living map of global tension.
Then she said quietly:
"He's going to predict a major global event."
Marcus blinked.
"…like what?"
Elara didn't answer immediately.
Because there were too many possibilities.
Political collapse.
Military escalation.
Market crashes.
Energy grid failures.
If Volkov predicted one of them accurately—
the world would believe him.
And once the world believed—
they would give him power.
---
Ares crossed his arms.
"And you think he can do it."
"Yes."
"Why?"
She looked at him.
"Because he stole half the Oracle architecture."
Marcus whispered.
"…fantastic."
---
Luca studied the screen.
"Even if he predicts something correctly…"
He shrugged slightly.
"That doesn't mean he controls the future."
Elara shook her head.
"It does if people start reacting to the prediction."
Marcus froze.
"…oh."
Ares understood immediately.
"Self-fulfilling outcomes."
"Yes."
She turned back to the screen.
"If Volkov predicts a financial collapse…"
"Markets panic."
"If he predicts military conflict…"
"Governments prepare."
"If he predicts political instability…"
"Leaders overreact."
Marcus sighed.
"So basically…"
"…he creates the future by predicting it."
Elara nodded once.
---
A heavy silence filled the room.
Because the implication was terrifying.
Oracle didn't just simulate the future.
It could steer it.
---
Marcus rubbed his forehead.
"Okay."
He looked at Elara.
"What's our counter move?"
She didn't answer.
Instead she opened a new window on the system.
Marcus leaned closer.
"…what is that?"
Elara spoke calmly.
"Oracle."
Marcus jumped.
"I thought you said you never activated it."
"I didn't."
"You're activating it now?"
"No."
She turned the screen toward them.
"This is a simulation environment."
Luca leaned forward.
"…you're running predictive modeling."
"Yes."
Marcus squinted at the data.
"…about Volkov?"
Elara nodded.
"I'm predicting his prediction."
---
The room went silent again.
Because that sentence felt like stepping into a paradox.
Ares looked at her carefully.
"You're simulating what Oracle he built will simulate."
"Yes."
Marcus blinked slowly.
"…I officially hate smart people."
---
Data flooded across the screens.
Millions of scenario branches.
Political reaction trees.
Market simulations.
Military response patterns.
Luca watched carefully.
"How many scenarios are you running?"
Elara answered without looking away.
"Two hundred million."
Marcus nearly fainted.
"…I need coffee."
---
Minutes passed.
The system processed enormous data streams.
Finally—
the screen stabilized.
A single scenario remained highlighted.
Marcus leaned forward.
"…that's the one?"
Elara nodded.
"Yes."
Ares looked at the projection.
"What is it?"
Elara zoomed in on the model.
The map showed Europe.
Energy infrastructure.
Trade routes.
Economic flow.
Marcus whispered.
"…no way."
Luca straightened slowly.
"He's going after energy."
---
Elara nodded.
"Tomorrow."
She tapped the screen.
Volkov's predicted event appeared in the model.
A massive coordinated energy market collapse.
Gas.
Electricity.
Supply chains.
Everything interconnected.
If the energy markets destabilized—
half the world economy would follow.
Marcus whispered.
"…that would trigger global panic."
"Yes."
"And if he predicts it before it happens…"
The room finished the sentence silently.
The world would believe Oracle.
---
Ares studied the simulation.
"Can we stop it?"
Elara didn't answer immediately.
Because the real answer was complicated.
Finally she said quietly:
"Yes."
Marcus sighed in relief.
"…good."
Then she added:
"But stopping it proves Volkov right."
Marcus froze.
"…I take the relief back."
---
Luca frowned.
"If we intervene…"
"His prediction still appears correct."
"Yes."
"If we don't intervene…"
"The collapse happens."
Marcus groaned.
"…this guy is evil."
---
Ares' voice cut through the tension.
"So what's the move?"
Elara looked at the simulation again.
Thinking.
Calculating.
Then something shifted in her eyes.
A new idea.
A dangerous one.
Marcus noticed immediately.
"…that look worries me."
---
Elara slowly turned toward them.
"We don't stop the collapse."
Marcus shouted.
"WHAT?"
She continued calmly.
"We redirect it."
Luca leaned forward.
"…explain."
Elara zoomed out on the simulation.
Showing a new branch.
"If Volkov predicts one event…"
"We make a different one happen."
Marcus stared.
"…you're going to break the prediction."
"Yes."
Ares' eyes narrowed slightly.
"How?"
Elara tapped a new data stream.
Political negotiations.
Trade alliances.
Market triggers.
"If we trigger a global economic shift in a different sector…"
She paused.
"…Volkov's prediction becomes wrong."
Marcus slowly smiled.
"…that's brilliant."
---
Luca crossed his arms.
"So what sector?"
Elara zoomed in.
The screen revealed the target.
Marcus read the label.
Then blinked.
"…you're kidding."
Ares looked closer.
And understood instantly.
The sector she chose was even bigger than energy.
---
Global technology infrastructure.
Satellite networks.
AI resource markets.
The digital backbone of the world economy.
Marcus whispered.
"…you're about to move the entire tech sector."
Elara nodded.
"Yes."
---
Ares studied her carefully.
"You realize what that means."
"Yes."
"It could trigger the biggest market shift in modern history."
Her voice stayed calm.
"That's the point."
---
Marcus laughed nervously.
"…I'm starting to see why Volkov fears you."
---
Outside the summit building—
night had fallen over the city.
But inside the command center—
the real battle was just beginning.
Not with weapons.
Not with armies.
But with predictions.
Two systems.
Two minds.
Two visions of the future.
Both trying to shape what happens next.
---
Ares stepped closer to Elara.
Quietly.
"Are you sure about this?"
She looked at the simulation one last time.
Then closed the program.
"Yes."
Because this wasn't just about proving Volkov wrong.
It was about proving something else.
The future shouldn't belong to the person who predicts it.
It should belong to the people who create it.
---
End Hook
Tomorrow morning Volkov will use Oracle to predict a global energy collapse.
But Elara just decided to do something far more dangerous.
She's about to move the entire global tech economy.
And if her calculation is even slightly wrong…
she won't just break Volkov's prediction.
She might break the world economy instead.