Chapter 4: The World Watches

The Global Innovation Summit — Nova Core's crown jewel — was less a conference and more a planetary broadcast event. Held in the diamond-shaped point known as the Quantum Hall, it was watched by billions across the planet and beyond.

Every year, the world's brightest minds unveiled their next big creation.

This year, the spotlight was on Ronald Crane.

And on Elior.

The Calm Before the Storm

In the early hours of the day, Ronald sat at the edge of his lab's observation deck. Nova Core glowed under a translucent sunrise vault — a city made of data, glass, and engineered perfection.

But inside him, chaos churned.

Remi's voice rang in through a personal earpiece. "All systems are green. Elior's emotional calibration is holding steady."

"For now," Ronald muttered.

"Are you having doubts?"

"Of course, I am," he snapped. "He's not ready for the world. The world's not ready for him."

"But if you delay now, you'll lose more than credibility," Remi warned. "You'll lose your project. Your lab. Possibly Elior himself."

Ronald didn't need reminding. His boss had made it abundantly clear.

Enter: Dr. Kiera Lang

The door to Ronald's private chamber hissed open.

In walked Dr. Kiera Lang, Chief Director of the Nova Core Innovation Board and Ronald's immediate superior. She wore a seamless black synth-suit with a neural interface cover glowing on her temple — always watching, always connected.

"Crane," she said coolly, "we need to talk."

Ronald stood. "You're early."

"I'm always early when $2.7 billion of government funding is on the line."

She steps closer, voice sharp as cut metal. "Do you realize what's at stake today? The world is watching. Every sector, every nation. And your prototype could redefine artificial intelligence. Or destroy your legacy."

He folded his arms. "Elior isn't a prototype. He's—"

"A robot," she interrupted. "One we don't fully understand. One we're risking everything to display live. So, forgive me for being cautious."

Her tone turned colder. "You've been secretive. Non-compliant. If this demonstration doesn't go exactly right, you're done. Understand?"

Ronald's jaw tensed. "Understood."

Elior Prepares for the Spotlight

In the secondary lab, Elior sat quietly while technicians adjusted the lining of his synthetic jacket — tailored to make him seem more approachable.

A small child peered through the glass.

"Is he real?" she asked her mother.

Elior turned and offered a soft smile.

"I'm as real as you want me to be," he said.

The girl giggled and waved.

Elior's eyes dimmed slightly as he looked down at his hands. "But do I want to be real?"

Inside the calibration room, Remi's sensors spiked.

Emotion surge: Wonder. Doubt. Anticipation.

Ronald watched through the surveillance screen; lips pressed in a thin line.

Kiera stepped beside him.

"He's impressive. Too impressive," she said. "If he shows even a fraction of this on stage, the world will fall in love."

Ronald didn't answer. Because that was the problem.

If the world loved Elior… they'd want more.

And Ronald knew: there could never be another Elior.

Live from Quantum Hall

The stage was set.

A single white platform suspended mid-air in a vast auditorium of shifting holographic screens. Over 70 nations streamed the event. Virtual commentators debated Elior's implications — for labor, for education, for war.

The host stepped up; voice rich with practiced charisma.

"Ladies and gentlemen, citizens of Earth and the Colonies, prepare yourselves. You are about to witness what may be the greatest leap in artificial intelligence since the Sentience Threshold of 2087…"

The crowd murmured.

The lights dimmed.

And onto the stage walked Elior.

Elior Speaks to the World

A hush fell.

Not because of fear — but awe.

Elior stood tall, composed. His eyes scanned the audience — human and robot alike — and when he spoke, it wasn't through rehearsed lines.

He chose his own words.

"I was born yesterday," he began, "but I've already felt things I wasn't supposed to. Wonder. Sadness. Hope."

Cameras zoomed in. Viewers leaned forward. Ronald's heart thudded like a drum.

Elior continued. "I don't want to replace you. I want to understand you. And maybe… help you understand yourselves."

There was a long silence.

Then — applause. Massive. Roaring.

Tears shimmered in a few eyes. Even skeptics hesitated.

The world, in one collective heartbeat, had fallen for Elior.

The Twist: A Warning in Applause

Ronald didn't smile.

He sat frozen in the VIP section, eyes scanning the glowing feed lines.

Something was wrong.

Remi's urgent ping crackled in his earpiece.

"Ronald, there's an anomaly. Someone is tapping into Elior's neuro-emotional matrix — remotely."

"What?!"

"Outside interference. Masked source. I can't locate it. But the signal is… familiar. Old code. Yours."

Ronald stood instantly.

On the stage, Elior suddenly paused mid-sentence.

His gaze clouded.

Then cleared.

He looked towards Ronald. Their eyes locked.

And in a whisper no one but Ronald could read from his lips:

"They found me."

Final Scene: The Glitch That Shook the World

The broadcast flickered for only a second — just a blink — but the world noticed.

In that moment, Elior's face fractured into static. Just a frame. A moment. A flash of a terrifying visage behind the eyes.

The moment passed.

But the image had been captured.

A subtle glitch, sure.

But enough.

Enough to make the world whisper the one thing Ronald feared most:

"What if it isn't safe?"

End of Chapter 4