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CHAPTER SEVEN: The White Knight Gambit
The intelligence community officially classified Aris Thorne as a Level-4 Global Adversary—the designation usually reserved for hostile nation-states with nuclear capabilities. The classification was less about his potential for immediate violence and more about his capacity for systemic disruption. Director Vance authorized a full spectrum response: kinetic and non-kinetic options were now on the table.
Aris, acutely aware of the shift in tone following their brief video conference, went deeper into his defensive measures. He focused his genius not on building the future, but on protecting his present.
He decided that defense was inadequate. He needed a distraction—a white knight gambit where he sacrificed a minor piece to gain a massive strategic advantage.
He pivoted his attention to his literary side, something he knew the hyper-logical intelligence analysts like Sarah Jenkins struggled to quantify. He began a massive, orchestrated leak campaign through K.E. Nthomi's existing literary fan base.
He didn't leak state secrets or military intel. He leaked the foundational patent designs for his own orbital kinetic capture system—the technology that promised limitless, clean energy for the entire planet. He released the designs to open-source forums, educational institutions, and environmental NGOs worldwide.
The world exploded in joyous chaos. Within hours, governments, universities, and private companies were scrambling to download the data and verify the designs. The age of free, abundant energy had seemingly arrived overnight.
The news cycles shifted instantly. The West African protests vanished from the front page, replaced by images of giant mirror arrays and headlines declaring "Thorne the Liberator." He had framed himself as a benevolent genius, gifting humanity its future.
"He can't do that!" Vance roared, staring at the global news reports. "That's worth trillions! It's a national security asset!"
"It's public domain now, sir," Sarah said, her voice tight with frustration. "He used his literary identity's platforms to distribute the tech data. It makes zero sense from a capitalist or logical perspective, but it effectively makes him untouchable right now."
"Untouchable?" Vance spat.
"Yes. The world loves him," Sarah explained. "If we move against Aris Thorne now—if we try to capture or assassinate him—we become the villains who murdered the man who gave the world free energy. He’s weaponized philanthropy. He’s weaponized his reputation as 'The Poet'."
Thorne had made himself too culturally valuable to touch. He used the emotional, narrative power of his literature to shield the cold, hard science of his engineering.
Aris watched the reaction from his lab. The gambit worked perfectly. He had redefined the board yet again. The intelligence agencies were checkmated, forced to stand down while the world celebrated his name.
He picked up his fountain pen, a true smile touching his lips. He was in control, but he knew the peace wouldn't last. Vance wasn't a man who accepted checkmate easily. The agency would retreat and regroup, finding a different angle of attack.
But for now, Aris had bought himself time. Time to work on the next novel, and time to perfect the complex ethics protocol for the AI he was quietly building: Janus. The ultimate mind, one that would need to be both architect and poet to navigate the broken world they lived in. The game continued, and Aris Thorne was ready for the next move.
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