The Genius System

The silence had returned to the car, heavy like a storm cloud hanging above their heads.

Jason kept his eyes fixed on Lassen, trying to pierce the enigma behind his smile. He expected a cutting retort, a veiled threat, or even a carefully laid trap. But nothing came.

Lassen, meanwhile, seemed elsewhere. His gaze had slightly drifted away from Jason, as if an invisible thread had snapped in his mind, pulling him toward something else. Finally, he spoke, his tone calmer, almost thoughtful

"You can go."

Jason raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"Excuse me?"

"You can head back to your hotel, catch your breath, write your report, do whatever you like." He turned his head toward Adrian. "Stop at the next street."

Adrian said nothing, but followed the instruction without question.

Jason stared at Lassen, still wary.

"Just like that? No threat? No warning? No message to pass along?"

Lassen gave a tired smile.

"Jason, if I wanted to send you a message, you wouldn't have had to come all the way here. Your phone would've been enough. What I wanted was to see you. Size you up. Understand what kind of man they sent me."

He tilted his head slightly, his eyes glinting in the shadows.

"And now that I know, that's enough."

The car came to a smooth stop at the side of the road. Jason hesitated for a moment, glancing between Lassen, Adrian, and the hacker who was still observing him with a certain curiosity.

Then, without a word, he opened the door.

Before he stepped out, Lassen added in a softer voice

"Oh, and if you really want to understand what I'm doing here… you'll just have to come back. But next time, come without the hidden mic in your watch."

Jason froze for a fraction of a second. Then he got out without replying, slowly closing the door behind him.

The car pulled away immediately, disappearing into the dark streets of Macro.

The car rolled once again through the quiet streets of Macro, lulled by the soft purring of the engine. A light silence hung in the air, until the hacker's curious voice broke it.

"So… how did you know he was following us, exactly?"

Lassen, leaning against the window, turned his head slightly toward her with an enigmatic smile.

"That's a secret."

She narrowed her eyes, clearly not satisfied, but not surprised either.

"Right, right. And the mic? The one in his watch?"

"Also a secret."

She sighed, crossing her arms with a mock pout.

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

Lassen shrugged, looking perfectly innocent.

"Maybe."

"You're unbearable."

He let out a short laugh, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"That's what they usually say, yes."

A few minutes later…

Lassen was back in his villa, lounging casually in his favorite armchair, a steaming cup of tea in hand. The hacker had been escorted to a secure guest room. Adrian was sitting a few meters away, silently reading a report.

"You think he'll write an honest report?" Adrian asked without looking up.

"No" Lassen replied with a faint smile "But he'll think about it. And sometimes, that's all it takes."

He raised his cup toward the ceiling, as if toasting something unseen.

"Welcome to the age of paradoxes, Jason Carter. And good luck convincing your world that mine is only just beginning."

________________________________________

The silence of his hotel room was almost deafening after the suffocating intensity of the encounter in Monsieur X's car. Jason closed the door slowly behind him, tossing his jacket onto the couch with an automatic gesture, still lost in the storm of thoughts the meeting had triggered.

He poured himself a glass of water, drank it in one gulp, then sat down in front of his encrypted laptop, resting in a dimly lit corner of the room. A light tap on a key initiated the authentication process. A red light blinked, the system scanned his iris, then prompted for a voice code.

"Agent Carter. Priority Echo-Tango."

Seconds later, the face of his superior, Director Martin Hayes, appeared on the screen. His expression was rigid, his eyes dark with intensity.

"You met him?" Hayes didn't waste time.

Jason gave a slow nod.

"Yes. Monsieur X… He knew everything about me before I even introduced myself. He invited me into his car. Like… he was expecting me."

"What did he say?"

Jason hesitated.

"Not much… but every word was calculated. He never lost control of the conversation. I felt like I was being dissected under a microscope."

Hayes narrowed his eyes.

"Did he make any threats?"

Jason gave a short breath.

"No. But that's the worst part. No threats. No ultimatums. Just… complete confidence. Like he already knew every outcome before I stepped in."

"Did he confirm anything about the recent rumors?"

"He didn't deny it. But he didn't confirm it either. He dodges. He observes. He probes."

Hayes leaned forward, his voice lower.

"What's your assessment, Jason? Is he a threat?"

Jason paused. Then, in a calm voice

"He's not a terrorist. Not a warmonger. But he is… transformative. Dangerous in the way all visionaries are. He's building something. Something way bigger than we imagined."

"Something we can't control."

Jason nodded.

"Exactly."

Hayes pressed his fingers together.

"So? Do we have a shot at turning him?"

Jason sighed

"Maybe. But only if we stop treating him like a threat. He wants to play god, Martin. You don't negotiate with a god. You learn his language… or you provoke wrath."

Hayes looked visibly unsettled. Then leaned in closer to the screen.

"Did you record the conversation?"

Jason swallowed hard, hesitating.

"No. He made me leave everything behind. I couldn't risk it."

Hayes's tone turned sharp.

"Dammit, Jason. That was our only chance for leverage."

Jason clenched his jaw.

"You wanted a meeting. I got it. And he knew. About the mic. About everything. He said…"

He hesitated again, then recited

"'If I wanted to send you a message, I wouldn't need to meet you. Your phone would've been enough.'"

Hayes was silent.

"He let me go, Martin. He let me go because he wanted me to tell you one thing."

"And what's that?"

Jason leaned forward, his eyes hard.

"That he's just getting started."

A heavy silence fell between them.

Hayes finally nodded.

"Stay close to him, Jason. Keep your head low. Report everything. And Jason…"

Jason blinked

"Yes?"

Hayes's voice dropped, grave and slow.

"This man… he might change the world. Or burn it down. And we need to be ready for both."

The screen went black.

Jason leaned back in his chair, the echo of the conversation still swirling in his mind.

This wasn't diplomacy.

This was a countdown.