The air in the Geneva Summit Hall was cold, filtered through high-grade Umbrella purification systems, yet it felt heavy with the collective grief of a species.
The world's remaining power brokers sat in a room that had once been a symbol of international cooperation, but today, it felt like a funeral parlor.
Outside, the world was screaming. The data dump—the "Umbrella Revelations"—had turned every city street into a courtroom. But inside this room, there was only a hollow silence.
I stepped into the room, as The Leader. My Omega-level Shapeshifting had outdone itself. This body was taller than my original, with a broader chest and a face that seemed carved from the very concept of "Integrity." My eyes were a comforting amber, and my voice—tuned by Omega-level Telepathy to vibrate at a frequency that bypassed the listener's skepticism—was the only anchor in the storm.
As I walked toward the head of the obsidian table, I flared my Gamma-level Friend Aura to a level that bordered on the divine.
The effect was visible. The Vice President of the United States—or what was left of the office after his President had been outed as a Hydra sleeper—physically exhaled, his shoulders dropping two inches. The German Chancellor, who had been white-knuckling her pen, suddenly let it go. I was the person they had all been waiting for. I was the "Best Friend" of humanity, the only one who could make the hurting stop.
"I know," I said softly, and the Telepathy carried the weight of that empathy into their very marrow. "I know betrayal feels like a poison. To realize that the 'Shield' protecting your children was actually the hand of a monster... it is a trauma no nation should endure alone."
I took my seat at the head of the table. I wasn't a member of the World Security Council. I was a "concerned citizen" and the head of the Global Progress Party (GPP). But at this moment, I was the only person in the room who didn't look like they were drowning.
"We have to be honest with ourselves," I began, my face a mask of sorrowful resolve. "The World Security Council is dead because of a lie. You cannot ask the people to trust a Council that sat in the same room as Alexander Pierce for decades and smelled nothing. The UN, the WSC... these are relics of an age of shadows. They were built on the idea that we could hide the truth from each other. And Hydra lived in those shadows."
A delegate from the UK started to protest. "But the legal framework—"
"The legal framework allowed for the Winter Soldier!" I countered, my voice rising with a righteous fury that sent a shiver through the room. "The legal framework allowed for orbital lasers pointed at our own citizens! If we go back to the way things were, we are simply inviting the ghost back into the house."
Using my Omega-level Precognition, I saw the flicker of their thoughts. They were terrified of a power vacuum. They were terrified of the mobs outside. They were looking for a cage that felt like a sanctuary.
"I am officially calling for the immediate and total dissolution of the World Security Council," I declared. "And I am proposing something far more radical. Something that ensures the ghost can never return."
I tapped the table, and through my Omega-level Technopathy, the holographic projectors in the room came to life. They showed a unified grid of light.
"We cannot repeat this mistake," I said, my Friend Aura pulsing with a sense of urgent unity. "This time, the truth came out because of a fluke, a data dump from a private entity. But next time? Who can guarantee we'll be so lucky? We need a system where 'Classified' doesn't exist. We need the Earth Federation."
I stood up and began to pace, my Cognitive Multitasking allowing me to monitor the heart rates and brainwaves of every person in the room while simultaneously delivering the most important speech in human history.
"The Federation will not be a collection of nations," I explained. "It will be a singular administrative body. One currency to prevent economic warfare. One security force to prevent clandestine coups. And most importantly... a strictly audited political class."
I looked at them with a piercing gaze. "Hydra survived because they were the 'Ghost in the Machine.' From this day forward, there will be no more ghosts. The GPP proposes a mandate: every member of the Federation government, from the High Chancellor to the local mayor, will be subject to constant, transparent investigation. No secret accounts. No private meetings. We live in the light, or we don't lead at all."
The Russian representative narrowed his eyes. "And what of Umbrella? This Aryan... he holds the keys to our digital lives. Does he lead this Federation?"
This was the crucial moment. I had to create the distance.
"Absolutely not," I said, my voice turning cold and professional. "Umbrella is a corporation. A powerful one, yes, and we owe them a debt for exposing the rot. But a corporation has no soul. It has no mandate from the people. As High Chancellor, my first act would be to put Umbrella under the same 'Permanent Light' as everyone else. We will use their tech to secure our borders, but we will keep them at arm's length. The Federation is the master; Umbrella is the contractor. We will watch them as closely as we watch ourselves."
The lie was beautiful. By positioning myself as the man who would "check" Umbrella's power, I made myself the only person the public would trust to manage them. It was a classic pincer move: I was the hero in the light, and I was the titan in the shadows, pretending to struggle against myself.
One by one, the leaders began to nod. My Telepathy was working overtime now, smoothing over the jagged edges of their national pride. I made them feel that by signing away their sovereignty, they were actually becoming "Founding Fathers" of a golden age. I made them feel that their names would be remembered alongside the greats for having the courage to end the era of war.
P.S. If you're enjoying the journey through the mist and can't wait to see what happens next, consider supporting my work on Patreon! You can unlock 10 Advance Chapters right now and stay ahead of the curve. Your support helps me keep the updates coming daily!
Read ahead here: www.patreon.com/Drrajnovel