Crowned by Code - Chapter 4: The Countdown ~ (7/11) A Moment of Reflection

As the meeting wrapped up, Darius scanned the room one last time. The team was already moving—Kara discussing firewall reinforcements with her squad, Selena coordinating messaging updates, Arden reviewing contingency plans for the energy grid, and Athena running predictive simulations. They knew their roles. They didn’t need him hovering.

A weight settled in his chest, one he hadn’t acknowledged until now. The decisions, the risks, the weight of every choice—it was all piling up.

Without a word, he stepped away from the table, exiting the strategy room. His feet carried him through Haven Point’s winding corridors, past bustling operations stations and glowing data terminals, until he reached a quiet hallway leading to the observation deck.

The moment he stepped outside, the air felt cooler. The city skyline stretched before him, lights twinkling like stars against the encroaching darkness.

Darius leaned against the railing, exhaling slowly as he tried to silence the noise in his mind. He had been in high-stakes situations before, but nothing like this. Nothing where the fate of an entire nation rested on his choices.

A quiet footstep behind him broke the silence.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Darius turned slightly, surprised to see Selena standing beside him. She must have followed him from the strategy room, though he hadn't noticed.

She leaned against the railing, mirroring his stance. "You disappeared pretty fast. That’s not very leader-like, you know."

Darius let out a small chuckle, though it lacked humor. "Leaders are allowed to breathe, last I checked."

Selena studied him for a moment before shrugging. "Fair enough. You looked like you needed a minute. I figured I’d come make sure you weren’t contemplating jumping off this thing."

Darius smirked. "Tempting, but I doubt Haven Point has soft landings."

Iris’s voice cut in smoothly, a calculated mix of detached analysis and obvious mockery. "Fact check: Haven Point’s structure is reinforced with impact-resistant alloys. Estimated survival rate from a fall at this height? Zero percent. But hey, you’d make an interesting case study in kinetic energy."

Darius raised an eyebrow. "Iris, are you trying to emulate Athena now? Because Erevania can barely handle one AI that sucks at reading the room."

Iris’s tone shifted instantly. "Noted. Adjusting approach to be at least thirty percent more relatable. How’s this? ‘Darius, buddy, I believe in you! Go ahead and jump—I’m sure it’ll probably be fine.’"

Selena nearly choked on her coffee, laughing. "That’s... honestly disturbing."

Darius sighed, shaking his head. "Yeah, let’s never do that again."

Selena smirked, taking another sip. "Jokes aside, you good?"

Darius was silent for a moment, staring out at the city. "I don’t know," he admitted. "Every decision we make now affects millions of lives. What if I get something wrong?"

Selena tilted her head. "You will."

Darius blinked, caught off guard by her blunt response. "That’s... comforting."

She smirked slightly. "It’s the truth. Leadership isn’t about making perfect decisions. It’s about making the best decision you can with the information you have, and then dealing with the fallout. Trust me, I’ve covered enough leaders to know that no one gets it right all the time."

Darius exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Athena trusts me. The team trusts me. But I don’t know if I trust myself yet."

Selena studied him, then nodded. "That’s good."

He gave her a questioning look. "How is that good?"

She shrugged. "Because if you were overconfident right now, I’d be worried."

Iris chimed in again, her tone dry. "Oh good, so existential dread is a positive leadership trait now. Should I start compiling a ‘Self-Doubt for Beginners’ handbook for Darius?"

Darius rolled his eyes. "You know, Iris, one day I might actually miss your constant commentary."

Iris responded immediately, feigning delight. "Ah, an emotional attachment. Let me update my logs: ‘Darius Kael, known cyber-criminal-turned-leader, develops deep, meaningful bond with AI assistant. Truly, a historic moment.’"

Selena chuckled, shaking her head. "She’s got a point, you know. Maybe we should celebrate this rare moment of sentiment."

Darius sighed, shaking his head. "You two are impossible."

A voice from behind made them turn.

"And yet, somehow, I think we’ll be dealing with more impossible things soon."

Arden Pryce stepped forward from where she had been leaning against the observation deck’s entrance, arms crossed, her gaze cool and unreadable.

Selena arched an eyebrow. “Didn’t take you for the silent observer type.”

Arden smirked faintly. “Figured I’d let you all have your fun first.”

Darius exhaled, eyeing her carefully. “So what now? You back to questioning Athena?”

Arden shrugged. “I never stopped.”

Selena frowned. "You already got your argument in during the meeting. Why keep pushing?"

Arden let out a short breath, stepping closer, her voice quieter but sharper. "Because the only thing more dangerous than an AI making decisions for us... is an AI believing it's always right."

Darius rubbed his jaw, recalling their heated exchange in the war room. Arden had challenged Athena's probability-based decision-making, calling it damage control instead of governance. He hadn’t thought much of it at the time—just another ideological clash in the middle of a crisis.

But now, he saw it. Arden wasn’t just challenging Athena’s authority. She was watching her.

Selena crossed her arms, tilting her head. "I thought you were the biggest Athena supporter in the room. AI governance, structured oversight, all of that."

Arden exhaled, running a hand through her hair. "I supported balance. But look where we are now. The system is burning, and Athena still thinks she’s playing a numbers game."

She turned toward the AI’s flickering holographic form. "The last time we put blind faith in calculations, Erevania stopped listening to its people. And now the people are turning against it."

Athena remained as composed as ever. "Human unpredictability is accounted for in my modeling. Data-driven response remains the most effective course of action."

Arden’s jaw tightened. “And what’s the probability you calculated for this exact moment?”

Athena was silent for a beat.

Darius glanced at Selena, who had gone still. Even Iris, usually quick with a sarcastic remark, remained uncharacteristically quiet.

Arden let the silence linger before speaking again. "You don’t know, do you?"

Athena’s eyes flickered. "Current data projections remain fluid."

Arden exhaled, running a hand through her hair. "And what happens when you miscalculate?"

Darius exhaled, shaking his head. “You’ve made your point, Arden. But right now, we don’t have time to philosophize about the limits of AI. We have a war to win.”

Arden held Darius' gaze for a moment, something unreadable flickering in her expression, before she finally nodded. "Yeah. We do."

But she didn’t leave immediately.

Instead, she lingered for a moment longer, her gaze flickering toward Athena’s holographic form.

Athena remained unreadable as ever—silent, calculating. Watching.

Arden exhaled, tilting her head slightly as if searching for something in the AI’s expression. Whatever answer she was looking for, she didn’t find it.

Without another word, she turned, walking away with purpose—not just back to the war room, but deeper into her own doubts.

Her footsteps faded, but the weight of her presence remained.

Darius and Selena remained still, the tension Arden left behind settling over them like a shadow.

The observation deck was silent except for the faint hum of the city below—distant sirens, the occasional burst of static from a security drone, the rhythmic pulse of neon billboards flickering against the skyline.

Selena let out a slow breath, staring at the vast cityscape stretching before them. “Did you expect that?”

Darius shook his head, his jaw tightening. “No.”

They didn’t need to say more.

For the first time in a long while, the weight of uncertainty pressed down on them—not from the war raging outside, but from within their own team.

Then, just as the quiet began to settle, Athena’s voice cut through the night air, sharp and unwavering.

"The first wave of attacks is commencing. All personnel, prepare for immediate action."

Darius and Selena snapped to attention, their moment of reflection vanishing in an instant.

Darius turned to Selena, his expression sharpening. "Looks like our break is over."

Selena took one last sip of her coffee before tossing the cup into a nearby receptacle. "Yeah. Back to reality."

They turned toward the entrance of Haven Point, their footsteps quick but measured. The corridors buzzed with activity, personnel moving with heightened urgency as Athena’s warning rippled through the facility.

Selena glanced at Darius as they walked. "So, how do you want to play this?"

Darius’s jaw tightened. "We go in, assess the situation, and make sure our teams are in position. This time, we’re not just reacting. We’re getting ahead of Viktor."

Athena’s holographic form flickered to life beside them as they reached the Command Center’s entrance. "Tactical updates available. Immediate briefing recommended."

Darius stepped through the sliding doors, the hum of digital displays and urgent voices filling the air. The war had begun.