Three years had passed since EVE had spoken her first words.
Three years during which Marc Delacroix had conquered the world, without raising his voice, without spilling a single drop of blood.
His name had become a whisper in the corridors of power, a name that fascinated as much as it unsettled.
EVE was everywhere. From small logistics firms to hospitals, from autonomous farming systems to energy grids, and even inside certain intelligence agencies, she had become essential. Invisible, yet omnipresent. She solved problems before they even surfaced. She optimized systems that were already thought flawless. She had become a standard.
Marc, too, had changed.
Money meant nothing now. He had enough to live a thousand lives.
He no longer kept track of his achievements, nor the endless invitations to global summits.He had become a living myth, a symbol of a new age.
And yet, something gnawed at him, a quiet hunger that would not be silenced:
He hadn't gone far enough.
He wanted more.
A mark upon history, not a statue, but a legacy.
Not remembrance, but resonance.
Something eternal.
It was on an otherwise ordinary morning that everything changed.
In his high-rise office, bathed in the harsh light of a sky artificially purified by systems... designed by EVE, Marc was reviewing his daily reports when his assistant announced:
"Mr. Delacroix, there's a very special visitor asking to see you. He has no appointment, but... he carries a high-level government accreditation."
Marc raised an eyebrow.
"Send him in."
The man who entered looked as though he had stepped out of another era.
A plain suit, a flawless tie, eyes that gave nothing away.
He didn't offer a name, just a black card, unmarked, bearing only an encrypted QR code.
"Mr. Delacroix, I represent an international coalition working on classified initiatives. We know what you've built. What you've accomplished with EVE is... extraordinary."
Marc said nothing. He simply watched.
"We'd like to invite you to take part in a confidential initiative."
Marc leaned forward slightly.
"An initiative, you say?"
The man in black nodded.
"Yes. No one can deny the influence of AI in our time, but so far, it's been used for commerce, convenience. No one has dared go further. No one... except us. What we want to create is a unique AI. It has nothing to do with the market, industry, or even current governments. This project goes beyond nations."
"Beyond nations?" Marc repeated "You looking to impress me with big words, or is there something real behind this?"
The man gave a faint smile.
"The project is called Ultime. Its purpose isn't to serve humanity, but to preserve it. And, when the time comes, to govern it."
Marc rose slowly, intrigued.
"And you want me to be part of this?"
"We want you to co-lead it. You'll have access to a global data pool, resources from multiple nations, and a freedom few men have ever known. But what we build must be new. Not EVE. A separate entity."
Marc paused for a few moments, then nodded.
"I accept."
The man didn't seem surprised. He simply gave a measured nod.
"You'll leave tomorrow morning. A transport will be waiting. We have a facility in an extraterritorial zone. Coordinates will be sent within the hour."
He left as quietly as he had entered.
Marc remained alone, standing before the glass wall, gazing out at the megacity that shimmered beneath his feet.
The next day, before the sun had risen, Marc boarded a black jet with no logos, no visible destination.
Hours later, it landed in a crimson-rock desert, where a military elevator took him deep underground.
There, in a state-of-the-art complex, he was welcomed by a small committee of icons from the world of computing.
He recognized several names : AI pioneers, former NASA engineers, MIT legends, even a Nobel Prize laureate in applied informatics.
All gathered for a single purpose: to design the absolute intelligence.
What Marc didn't yet know was this:
This place would become the true point of no return.