The morning after Mercer's defeat was unremarkably beautiful.
No explosions. No headlines declaring victory. Just light rain over Manhattan, the kind that painted the streets in shimmering reflections and made the city feel almost reborn.
Jason stood on the balcony of his penthouse, coffee in hand, Cass beside him wrapped in his oversized robe.
No words were spoken. They didn't need any.
For the first time in years, Jason didn't feel the weight of strategy or survival pressing against his spine.
Just the stillness of peace.
---
Prometheus Log — 06:04 AM EST
> STATUS: ONLINE
REGIONS COVERED: 92%
ETHICAL FIREWALL INTEGRITY: 99.98%
MERCER VESTIGIAL THREADS: 0
FINAL THOUGHT: "Humanity is imperfect. That is its gift."
---
The Rest of the World
In New Delhi, a child coded her first app using open-source tools distributed by Prometheus.
In Lagos, a journalist who had been imprisoned for truth-telling published again—and the world listened.
In Buenos Aires, a tech startup removed the last Mercer-owned server from their racks and replaced it with Prometheus's decentralized blockchain.
The world didn't know they were free.
Not yet.
But the chains were gone.
And it would feel that difference, day by day.
---
Jason – The Conference Room
A week later, Jason met with his global leadership team—some old allies, some new faces. The atmosphere was charged, like everyone sensed this was not just a company anymore—it was a movement.
"Prometheus is more than a tech platform," Jason said. "It's a global civic structure. A digital republic."
Athena added, "We need distributed leadership. Open elections for regional Prometheus governance. No one person should ever have full control."
Jason nodded. "Not even me."
They all looked at him in surprise.
He smiled. "Especially not me."
---
Cass – That Evening
She found Jason staring at a wall of old photos—of his former life, the one before he was reborn. Pictures of family, of Wall Street battles, of the man he used to be.
"You thinking of going public?" she asked.
He turned, eyes quiet but clear. "Maybe. But only if the world is ready for the truth—that the man who helped shape the future was a relic from the past."
Cass walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"The world doesn't need to know who you were. Just who you are now."