Chapter 7: Echoes and Gravity

September 15, 2022 – Underground Laboratory, UNAM

The laboratory lights pulsed with their usual brightness, but Rodrigo noticed something different. It was as if the air had become heavier, thicker. The silence from the technological summits wasn't empty, but expectant.

On the central console, the LUMEN Analytics metrics were impressive: more than 5,000 active users. Three companies in the education sector were in negotiations for premium licenses. Universities in Guadalajara and Monterrey had requested agreements. There were even emails from journalists requesting interviews. LUMEN's name was beginning to resonate beyond UNAM.

Then, a silent notification appeared in the center of the interface.

ALERT: Ark Resource Status: Critical Level. Secondary subsystems in hibernation. Immediate authorization required for material extraction operation.

Rodrigo remained motionless for a few seconds, calmly reading each word. Then he sat down, squinting.

—Eidolon, details. What resources are critical?

"Dysprosium, praseodymium, europium, and several helium-3 isotopes. Required for jump core maintenance, atmospheric regenerators, and dimensional energy processing. The current supply will sustain peak activity for only 29 Earth days."

—What is the proposed source of their extraction?

"Planet Earth: unauthorized by ethical interference protocol. Mining approved in the Thalos-78 asteroid belt, the icy moon of Senn IV, and the mineral island cluster orbiting Venus B."

Rodrigo leaned back in his chair. He knew the Ark had nonintervention protocols with active worlds, like Earth. But authorizing operations on nearby celestial bodies… that also had consequences.

—What risks do such extractions entail?

"High visibility. Activation of Eon-class mining drones could be detected by radio telescopes if they get too close to Mars or Earth orbit. Recommendation: camouflage with background radiation clouds."

Rodrigo closed his eyes. The choice wasn't between doing or not doing… but between doing it without being seen.

"I authorize mining in Senn IV and the Venus Cluster B. Nothing touching the near-Earth belt. No possibility of detection by anyone on this planet."

"Authorization registered. Sending drones. Resupply estimate: 5.6 Earth days."

September 18 – UNAM-Tec Incubator, Coyoacán

Soberly dressed, Rodrigo entered the meeting room with studied calm. Five people were waiting for him: two academic evaluators, a technology entrepreneur, and a representative from the Venture Latam program.

"Mr. Martínez," the businessman greeted. LUMEN is growing rapidly and unusually. We have interest... and many questions.

Rodrigo smiled serenely.

"I'm here to answer them."

During the presentation, he demonstrated how LUMEN was already used by more than 40 research groups, how it had helped optimize donation campaigns, forecast university textbook consumption patterns, and identify logistics opportunities in small businesses.

"And what's the underlying algorithm?" one of the experts asked, clearly suspicious.

"A hybrid architecture, based on self-optimizing neural networks, trained in academic environments. Many years of testing. A lot of patience," Rodrigo answered without hesitation.

"How many people do you work with?"

"For now, it's just me," he smiled. "But LUMEN learns quickly."

September 21 – University Digital News

A press release began circulating online:

"LUMEN: The software created by a UNAM student that predicts social behavior with surprising accuracy."

The article called him "the Mexican Elon Musk," although Rodrigo avoided reading such things. He didn't need boasting. What he needed was time… and silence.

But he knew that these kinds of articles attracted more than just the curious. They attracted interested parties. Opportunists. And spies.

"Rodrigo, digital traffic logs show unusual activity on LUMEN's cloud servers."

"What kind of activity?"

"Accesses from addresses in California, Seattle, Shenzhen, and Austin. Some match data centers for Google, Microsoft, and Apple. There's also pattern tracking from a node associated with Tesla AI Research."

Rodrigo narrowed his eyes.

"Are you just curious?"

"They haven't accessed anything classified yet. But they're clearly analyzing the system's architecture, probably using reverse engineering tools to understand its origin."

"They're already smelling that this isn't normal."

"Correct. Activity was also detected from accounts associated with Amazon Web Services and a European research center linked to the NATO Tech Initiative."

Rodrigo stood up from his chair. He took a deep breath. The world was starting to look. And not with innocent eyes.

"We're going to hide the real modules. Let them think what they see… is all there is."

"Masking deep architecture. Security clone activated. Reverse engineering will lead to an artificial model with no basis in reality."

Rodrigo watched his children in silence.

Now the world knew him.

And the game had just begun.

September 23 – Ark, Control Core

Rodrigo appeared between the star towers of the Ark's internal platform. A more constant hum indicated that the systems were recovering power.

"Interplanetary mining completed successfully. Sublevels activated. Jump core stabilized. Dimensional perimeter secure."

"Any external signals?"

"A minor anomaly was detected near the orbit of Senn IV. A Russian surveillance satellite registered an abnormal thermal fluctuation. A distortion signal has been sent to erase traces."

Rodrigo clenched his fists. It was small, but it was something.

"It is recommended to restrict future jumps to the Ark. Repetitive activity could form tracking patterns for outside observers."

"Understood. We will have to ration our visits."

He looked toward the horizon of the facility. He knew this was his refuge… but it wouldn't last forever if humanity started looking up.

September 27 – Underground Laboratory

Rodrigo watched Orion and Arin sleep. Next to him, on the screen, new metrics were displayed: there were now 9,800 active users. Three investors wanted in. A delegation from the Colombian government had requested a video call to integrate LUMEN into a public university.

"Rodrigo… you're starting to be too visible."

"I know," he replied. "But I need that visibility to protect these two. While everyone is watching LUMEN… no one is watching the Ark."