Author’s Note: Thank you for joining me on this journey. If you are new to this story, I suggest you start with Chapter 1. Your comments are very welcome!

---

The low hum of the old ventilation system was the only sound as they sat around the table, the dim light casting long shadows across their faces. The weight of the years lay heavily on Jason, Deia, Sam, and Elias, but it was Jason who spoke first, his voice hoarse with age, yet still carrying a trace of the determination that had kept them going for so long.

“I still have some contacts at Nexus Corp,” Jason began, his wrinkled hands resting on the table. “Most of their public projects have been scrapped, but there were a few off-the-books Mars missions they kept running for a while. If any of that infrastructure still exists—ships, launch equipment, whatever—we might be able to find something usable.”

“Something we can steal,” Sam added, her voice calm, though her sharp gaze revealed the calculating mind behind it.

Jason nodded slowly. “Yeah. I’ll need to be careful. Nexus is in chaos, but some of the higher-ups are still kicking around, using their posisions for access. I can reach out to a few of them, see if there’s a way to get information without raising suspicion.”

“Do you think they’ll talk to you?” Deia asked, her voice soft but skeptical. “Nexus isn’t exactly friendly to people like us anymore.”

Jason leaned back in his chair, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. “I still have favors I can call in. And I don’t plan on telling them the truth. I’ll spin it like I’m looking to jump-start something for them. They’ll listen—greed always wins in the end.”

Sam gave him a curt nod. “I’ll help you. If there’s any way to break into whatever’s left of Nexus’s Mars program, we’ll find it. But we need to be prepared for the worst—security, monitoring systems. They’re paranoid after what happened in Florida. There are a lot of angry people in the world now.”

Jason’s eyes flicked to her, and he offered a weak smile. “We’ll have to outsmart them, then.”

Elias, sitting across from them, was quiet, his face pale as he mulled over their words. The lines on his forehead deepened as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “While you two focus on the Mars angle, I’ll try to figure out where they’ve hidden the original spiral,” he said. His voice was still steady, though it carried the weight of years spent wrestling with the consequences of his work. “I don’t have a direct line to the people holding it, but I can track patterns in the data from the camps. Every time someone uses a printed model, there’s a small but detectable energy signature that resembles the original artifact. They’re linked, in a way.”

“You think you can use that to trace it?” Deia asked, her fingers drumming lightly on the table.

Elias nodded. “I’m almost certain of it. They’ve been careful to keep the original’s location under wraps, but every printed spiral is like a radar ping. If I can map the energy patterns, I might pinpoint where they’re keeping it. But accessing it… that’ll be the real challenge. Security will be tight, wherever it is.”

Sam crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully. “Even if we find the original, what’s the plan? We just blow it up? Shut it down? What are we thinking here?”

“We can’t just destroy it blindly,” Elias replied, shaking his head. “If we don’t understand how it interacts with the printed models or the people who’ve already been changed by it, we could cause a catastrophic collapse. People might die—or worse.”

“Or worse?” Sam raised an eyebrow. “What’s worse than death?”

Elias’s gaze dropped to the table, and his voice was low. “They could be trapped in a state of limbo. Half-alive, half-dead. The energy from the spiral isn’t just resetting people’s biology—it’s altering something deeper. We don’t fully understand what happens when we break that connection.”

Deia winced at the thought, a chill running down her spine. She had been reset, like Sam. She knew what it felt like—the subtle shift, the pull of the spiral’s power. But she also knew the price of tampering with forces beyond their control.

“I’ll find out where the original is,” Elias continued. “And we’ll come up with a way to safely disable it. There has to be a way.”

The silence stretched as everyone processed the plan. Finally, Jason cleared his throat. “If Elias finds the original and we manage to get a ship… we’re heading to Mars, right? To bury it. That’s still the plan?”

Sam nodded. “It’s the only place we can be sure it’ll stay hidden. No one’s going to Mars anymore. Once we get it there, we can bury it deep enough that no one will ever find it again. Even if they try.”

“And what if we fail?” Deia’s voice was barely a whisper, her eyes dark with fear. “What if we can’t destroy it?”

The room fell into a tense silence. No one wanted to answer that question.

Deia stared at her hands, her fingers trembling slightly as memories of the spiral’s energy pulsed through her mind. She had touched it before, felt the way it connected with her, and understood its power in a way that the others couldn’t. Part of her wondered if she could help them by connecting with the artifact again, reaching out to it through one of the printed spirals, and… communicating as she had before.

But she was too afraid.

What if it pulled her in again? What if it didn’t let go this time? What if she became something else, something she couldn’t control?

Her heart raced as she considered speaking up, offering to help by connecting with the spiral through one of the printed models. Maybe she could learn more, maybe she could help guide them. But she stayed silent, her fear winning out.

She wasn’t ready. Not yet.

Jason shifted in his seat, breaking the silence. “So we have two paths, then. Sam and I will look into Nexus and the Mars project. Elias, you’ll try to trace the original spiral. We’ll regroup once we have something solid.”

Elias nodded, though his expression was grim. “I’ll need time. And access to systems that are highly classified. I’ll have to be discreet.”

Deia finally spoke, her voice steadying. “And if we fail, we regroup. We find another way. We don’t stop until we finish this.”

The others nodded, but the weight of their task was clear in their eyes.

---

Jason adjusted his jacket as he stepped through the sleek glass doors of Nexus Corp, his movements slow and deliberate. He was well past his prime now, his body showing the total weight of years, but his mind was sharp, as sharp as ever. He glanced at Sam, who stood beside him, her youthful appearance contrasting starkly with his weathered face. She looked no older than 25, but the hard set of her jaw and the tension in her shoulders spoke volumes.

They were here for answers, and they knew this would be delicate.

Inside the Nexus lobby, the cold, polished floors reflected the artificial lights above, and the air buzzed with quiet efficiency. Nexus hadn’t changed much in the last few decades. Nothing had, really. Rapid advances in technology and science leading up to their Mars mission had completely stalled. The spiral had changed their world. There was a palpable sense of unease in the atmosphere. A quiet tension crept under Jason’s skin.

“You ready?” Sam asked under her breath as they approached the front desk.

Jason nodded, his face calm, though inside, his nerves were taut. “Let’s hope this goes smoothly.”

They approached the receptionist, a young woman who barely looked up from her holographic interface. “Can I help you?” she asked, her voice flat and disinterested.

“We’re here to see Dr. Hal Briggs,” Jason said, his voice steady, laying his and Sam’s ID’s on the counter. “He should be expecting us.”

The receptionist glanced up, her eyes scanning them briefly before flicking back to her interface. A moment later, she nodded. “He’s in the executive lounge. I’ll send word. You can go up.”

Jason smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Thank you.”

They stepped into the lift, the polished metal doors sliding shut behind them. As the lift hummed upward, Jason glanced at Sam.

“Briggs is sharp,” he said quietly. “We can’t tell him why we’re asking about the Mars project. He’s still loyal to Nexus, but he might slip up if we push the right buttons.”

“I know,” Sam replied, her voice tight. “Let’s just hope he’s not too deep into whatever’s going on in Iceland.”

The lift doors opened with a soft chime, and they stepped out into the executive lounge—a large, open space lined with expensive furniture and floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of the city below. The room was quiet. Only a handful of people were scattered across the plush seating, each absorbed in their own work or conversation.

In the far corner, Hal Briggs sat, a glass of whiskey in hand. His thinning hair and tired eyes gave away the years since Jason had last seen him. He looked up as they approached, a smile breaking across his face.

“Jason,” he said warmly, standing up and extending a hand. “It’s been too long.”

Jason shook his hand, offering a genuine smile in return. “It has, Hal. Too long.”

“And you must be Sam,” Briggs said, glancing at her with a curious expression. “Heard a lot about you.”

Sam smiled politely but said nothing, letting Jason lead the conversation.

They sat down, and for a few moments, the three of them exchanged pleasantries, catching up on old times. Briggs seemed genuinely pleased to see Jason. Yet, Jason sensed a guardedness about him. There was something beneath the surface.

Finally, after some small talk, Jason leaned back in his chair, his expression shifting to something more casual. “So, Hal… I hear Nexus still has its hands in some interesting projects. Heard anything about Mars lately?”

Briggs raised an eyebrow, taking a slow sip of his whiskey. “Mars, huh? That’s a bit of a niche interest these days. Most of the focus is on Earth and all the mess we’re dealing with here.”

Jason chuckled, keeping his tone light. “Yeah, true enough. But I’ve always been fascinated with space, and I’ve heard some whispers about a few Nexus projects still kicking around up there. Thought maybe you’d know something.”

Briggs glanced between Jason and Sam, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Mars, huh? Funny you should ask. There is something going on up there… but I don’t have all the details. It’s pretty hush-hush, from what I understand.”

Sam leaned in, her voice soft but curious. “Hush-hush? How hush-hush are we talking?”

Briggs gave her a half-smile. “Well, let’s just say it’s big. Really big. Bigger than anything I’ve seen Nexus invest in for years. But the thing is… it’s not really Nexus driving it.”

Jason and Sam exchanged a glance. “Not Nexus?” Jason asked, his tone measured. “Then who?”

Briggs hesitated, taking another sip of his whiskey. “A group out of Iceland. You know the ones. They’ve been moving a lot of money and resources around. It all seems to be tied to this Mars project. I don’t know exactly what they’re planning, but they’ve got their hands on some serious tech. Way beyond what most people even know exists.”

Sam’s brow furrowed. “Iceland?”

Briggs nodded. “Yeah. That place has become a fortress for the rich. They’re completely cut off from the rest of the world, but they’re still pulling the strings. Whatever they’re doing on Mars, it’s big enough that they’re pouring resources into it like there’s no tomorrow.”

Jason kept his expression neutral, though his mind was racing. “Any idea what kind of tech they’re working with? Anything Nexus used to be involved with?”

Briggs shrugged, but his eyes darkened. “Couldn’t say for sure. But if it’s connected to the elites, it’s got to be something high-level. Nexus has had their hands in a lot of cutting-edge stuff over the years, especially with the spiral tech. If they’re using that on Mars…”

He trailed off, his expression becoming guarded again.

Jason leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice. “Come on, Hal. You’ve got to know more than that. We’re not looking to stir up trouble—we’re just curious. Old space enthusiasts like us, you know?”

Briggs chuckled, though it lacked warmth. “You’re still the same, Jason. Always poking around where you don’t belong.”

Sam smiled, trying to keep the mood light. “Old habits die hard.”

Briggs sighed, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. “Look, I’ll tell you what I know, but it’s not much. Whatever’s happening up there, it’s under tight wraps. The Icelandic group has been funneling resources to a Mars base—something to do with energy production, or at least that’s the cover story. But there’s talk… whispers, really… about something more. Something tied to the spiral tech. I don’t have the clearance to know the specifics, but they’re keeping it locked down. Only the highest levels are involved.”

Jason’s pulse quickened. “Energy production? You really think that’s what it is?”

Briggs shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. All I know is they’re pouring billions into it. And if you ask me, it’s not just about energy. It’s about control. The elites are obsessed with it—keeping their own little piece of immortality. And if they’re working with spiral tech up there…”

He trailed off, his gaze darkening. “Let’s just say they’re playing a dangerous game.”

Jason nodded, his mind whirling with the implications. He needed more details, but it was clear Briggs didn’t have them—or wouldn’t share them if he did. “Thanks, Hal. That’s… more than I expected.”

Briggs leaned back in his chair, eyeing them both with suspicion now. “I don’t know what you’re really looking for, Jason, but be careful. Whatever’s going on up there, it’s out of our league. The kind of people who can pull strings like this… they don’t play nice.”

Sam stood, offering Briggs a thin smile. “We appreciate the warning.”

Briggs nodded, his eyes still locked on them as they turned to leave. “Watch your back, Jason. Iceland doesn’t mess around.”

As they walked out of the building and into the cold air, Sam glanced at Jason, her voice low. “What do you think?”

Jason’s expression was grim. “They’re doing something with the spiral on Mars. And whatever it is, it’s big. Bigger than we thought.”

Sam sighed, her breath visible in the cold air. “Then we need to move faster. We don’t have much time.”

Jason nodded, his mind already racing ahead to their next move.

---

Elias sat in the dimly lit corner of the dingy café, the hum of conversation and clattering dishes creating a low buzz around him. He sipped his coffee, eyes scanning the street outside. His contact, Alex, was already late. Elias’s leg bounced with nervous energy under the table. Something didn’t feel right.

Finally, the door to the café swung open, and Alex stepped inside. He looked worse than the last time Elias had seen him—pale, sweaty, and fidgeting like a cornered animal. His eyes darted around the room before they locked onto Elias. He moved quickly, slipping into the chair across from him.

“Alex,” Elias said, keeping his voice calm despite the rising anxiety in his chest. “You’re late.”

“I know, I know,” Alex muttered, running a hand through his greasy hair. “Look, I don’t have much time. We need to make this quick.”

Elias leaned in, lowering his voice. “Did you find out where they’re keeping the original spiral?”

Alex shook his head, his hands trembling. “I couldn’t pin it down exactly, but I know one thing for sure—it’s not at Nexus anymore. They moved it months ago.”

“Moved it? Where?”

“I don’t know!” Alex’s voice cracked, drawing a few curious glances from nearby tables. He lowered his voice again, glancing nervously toward the door. “Whoever took it, they went dark. Real dark. There were no official transfers, no paper trail. It’s like it vanished.”

Elias’s eyes narrowed. “But you said you had a lead on who took it.”

“I did,” Alex whispered, his voice shaking. “There’s a name that keeps coming up in the shadows… people are scared to talk about it. Even mentioning it gets you in trouble.”

Elias’s pulse quickened. “What name?”

Alex hesitated, looking around the café as if expecting someone to jump out of the shadows. “I—”

Before he could finish, the door to the café burst open. Elias’s heart skipped a beat as three men in dark suits stepped inside, their eyes scanning the room like predators. 

Alex’s face went white. “Shit. They found me.”

Elias tensed, his hand gripping the edge of the table. “Who are they?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Alex muttered, his voice shaking. “We have to go. Now.”

Without another word, Alex bolted from his seat, knocking over his coffee in the process. Elias followed, heart racing as they pushed through the crowded café and out the back door into a narrow alley.

The sound of footsteps thundered behind them.

“Who the hell are they?” Elias asked, his voice tight with fear as they ran.

“They’re Nexus, but not,” Alex gasped, his breath ragged as they sprinted down the alley. “They’re with the people who took the spiral. The ones in Iceland. They don’t want anyone knowing where it is.”

Elias’s mind raced, but there was no time to think. The pounding footsteps behind them were getting closer.

“This way!” Alex shouted, turning sharply down another alley.

Elias followed, adrenaline pumping through his veins as they darted through the labyrinth of narrow streets. The men behind them were fast—too fast.

Suddenly, Alex tripped, slamming into the pavement with a cry of pain.

Elias skidded to a stop, reaching down to help him up. “Come on! We have to keep moving!”

But Alex wasn’t getting up. Blood dripped from his mouth, and his eyes were wide with fear. Elias froze as he saw the dark figure looming behind them, a gun in hand.

Alex coughed, blood spilling from his lips. “Iceland,” he rasped, his voice barely a whisper. “They took it… to Iceland.”

The gunshot echoed through the alley, and Alex slumped back, lifeless.

Elias didn’t have time to process the shock. The men were closing in, their footsteps echoing off the brick walls.

I have to get out of here.

Without thinking, Elias turned and ran, his heart pounding in his chest as he sprinted through the maze of alleys. His breath was ragged, his muscles burning, but he couldn’t stop. The men were right behind him.

He burst out onto a busy street, weaving through the crowd. His mind raced, trying to find a way out, a way to disappear.

Then he saw it—a subway entrance just ahead.

Elias pushed through the throngs of people, his chest tightening with panic. The pounding of footsteps behind him grew louder and closer. He could hear them, feel their presence closing in.

He didn’t have a ticket and didn’t have time to buy one. He vaulted the turnstile, his body slamming into it with more force than intended, almost toppling over as he caught himself.

The train was just about to leave, the doors beginning to slide shut.

Elias made a desperate dive for the nearest car, slipping inside just as the doors slammed shut behind him. He collapsed against the wall, gasping for breath, his heart hammering in his chest.

The train lurched forward, and Elias watched through the window as the dark-suited men reached the platform too late. They stood there, staring after him as the train sped away, their cold, emotionless faces burned into his mind.

For a few moments, Elias just sat there, trembling, his mind reeling from the chaos of the last few minutes.

Iceland.

The word echoed in his mind, chilling him to the bone.

They had taken the spiral to Iceland.

As the subway rumbled through the dark tunnels, Elias leaned back, his pulse slowly steadying. He had barely escaped with his life. But now, at least, they knew where the original spiral was.

The elites were planning something big, and it was happening in Iceland.

Elias clenched his fists, his mind already racing with the implications.

---

The room was more tense than it had ever been. The air was thick with anticipation. The elites sat around the gleaming stone table. Each one was draped in their usual luxury. Their eyes were sharp and their minds buzzed with impatience. Arthur Blake sat at the head, as he always did. However, today there was something different about him. He seemed more controlled and more calculated.

He let the silence hang for a moment before speaking. “I’ve called you all here. It’s time we faced reality.” Arthur began, his voice cutting through the tension like a knife. “All attempts to limit access to the spiral models have failed.”

The room erupted into murmurs and angry whispers. A few exchanged glances, others shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Grace Sinclair, always quick to jump in, narrowed her eyes and leaned forward. “What do you mean failed? We’ve been working for years to control this, Arthur. The tiered access, the restrictions on the silica—it’s working.”

Arthur shook his head. “Not nearly as well as you think. It works against the extremely poor, yes. Those on the absolute fringes who can’t scrape together enough resources to print even a basic model. But for the rest of the world? It’s useless. Too easy to distribute. People are finding ways around every restriction we put in place. We simply can’t control the supply anymore.”

Julian Hartman frowned, his fingers tapping on the table. “Are you saying the spirals are spreading faster than we can manage? That they’re out of our hands entirely?”

Arthur glanced at Julian, his face expressionless. “Yes. Even in regions where we’ve cut off supply chains, people are still managing to print and distribute spirals. It’s too decentralized now. The tech has been out there for too long.”

More murmurs, some anxious, others angry.

Grace stood, her chair scraping against the floor. “Then what’s your solution, Arthur? If we can’t control the spirals, what are we supposed to do? Let the masses heal themselves whenever they want. You know what that will lead to—rebellion, chaos, more people breaking into our territories, trying to take what’s ours.”

Arthur raised a hand, silencing her. “We have run a test.”

The room went dead silent.

“You may remember that week, not too long ago, when the spirals seemed to stop working?” Arthur said, his voice calm but carrying weight. “When none of the models across the globe functioned, and people were panicking?”

A few of the elites nodded, others looked confused. Olivia Laurent, who had been listening quietly until now, spoke up. “I remember. That wasn’t a random malfunction?”

Arthur’s lips curled into a tight smile. “No, it wasn’t. That was us.”

Gasps and shocked glances were exchanged around the table.

“We took the original spiral out to Mars’ orbit,” Arthur continued, “and back. That’s just far enough that its connection to the model spirals on Earth failed. Completely.”

The murmurs became a full-blown eruption of voices, everyone talking over each other at once.

“You’re saying—” Julian started, but Arthur cut him off.

“I’m saying we’re moving to Mars.”

The room exploded into chaos. Yelling. Cursing. People standing, slamming their hands on the table. Grace, red-faced, shouted over the noise, “Arthur, have you lost your mind? Moving to Mars? You’re talking about abandoning Earth!”

“Enough!” Arthur roared, silencing the room. He waited for the chaos to subside before continuing, his voice now ice cold. “This is the only way. We’ve been trying to control an uncontrollable population. They’re reliant on the spirals now. They’re addicted. They need them to survive. So why not make them earn it?”

Olivia’s eyes gleamed with understanding. “You’re talking about rationing access.”

Arthur nodded, leaning forward. “Exactly. We’ll build a massive habitat on Mars, completely cut off from the chaos of Earth. The original spiral will remain in orbit around Mars, where we control it. It will only approach Earth about every two years, and only if we allow it.”

Grace’s mouth hung open in disbelief. “You’re serious.”

“Deadly serious,” Arthur said, his tone flat. “We control when and how often the spirals work. Let the populations that can’t support themselves die off. They’re a drain on resources, and they’re weakening the overall productivity of the world. The rest? We’ll give them one week every two years to rejuvenate. One week where the spirals will work.”

Julian shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around it. “And if they don’t meet our standards of productivity?”

Arthur’s eyes glinted. “Then we skip a cycle. Or two. Teach them a lesson.”

The room fell into a heavy, stunned silence. Even the most ruthless of the elites seemed shocked by the scale of Arthur’s proposal.

Olivia was the first to break the silence, her voice smooth and calculating. “So we leave the poor to fend for themselves, those who can’t work, who can’t produce… die off. And those who do—those who meet the quotas—get their week of healing. And in the meantime, we sit on Mars and watch it all unfold from a safe distance.”

Arthur nodded slowly. “Exactly.”

Grace’s voice wavered slightly, though she tried to sound confident. “And what about the risks? What if the population revolts when they realize they’re being controlled like this? What if they fight back?”

“They won’t,” Arthur said, his voice cold. “They need the spirals too much. They’ll grumble, they’ll riot, but in the end, they’ll fall in line. People will always choose survival over rebellion. And those who don’t? Well, they won’t last long enough to cause any real trouble. You have to start thinking in centuries, not years.”

The elites exchanged stunned glances. Some seemed to be warming to the idea, like Olivia and Julian. Others, like Grace, still looked uneasy.

“Think about it,” Arthur pressed. “We’ve been fighting this war for control far too long. This is our chance to take back that control completely. Mars will be our sanctuary. We’ll have everything we need—resources, power, security. We won’t have to worry about the masses clawing at our gates. They will police themselves to protect their limited access. They will never break free.”

Olivia leaned forward, her lips curling into a small smile. “You’ve already made the plans, haven’t you?”

Arthur looked at her knowingly. “The habitat is nearly complete. We’ve been working on it for years. Everything we need is ready. All we have to do is make the move.”

The room was quiet again, but it was a thoughtful silence this time. They were weighing their options, considering the consequences.

Finally, Grace spoke, her voice low. “So we let the weak die off. We ration access to the spirals. And we live on Mars.”

Arthur nodded. “Yes. And in time, the population will shrink to something manageable. Something sustainable. And we’ll be there, controlling everything. We decide who lives, dies, and gets to heal.”

Julian exhaled slowly, a small, reluctant smile crossing his face. “It’s bold, Arthur. But I think it will work.”

Olivia’s smile widened. “Mars it is, then.”

The others exchanged looks, nodding slowly in agreement. Even Grace, though hesitant, finally gave in.

Arthur leaned back in his chair, his cold smile returning. “Good. Then let’s get started.”

As the elites began discussing the logistics of the move, their voices faded into the background for Arthur. His plan was in motion. Soon, they would leave Earth behind, and the chaos of the masses would be a distant memory.

Mars would be their sanctuary. From there, they would control the fate of humanity, with the spiral in their grasp.

---

The room was dark and cramped, lit only by a flickering overhead bulb that cast shadows over the group’s faces. The members of The Finite sat around the table, tension simmering beneath the surface. Jason sat in his usual spot, his frail body hunched over, but his eyes sharp. Deia and Sam were beside him, silent but watchful. Elias stood at the front of the room, hands resting on the back of his chair. His face was serious—too serious.

“Before we get into today’s meeting,” Elias said, glancing around the table, “I need to introduce someone.”

There was a collective shift as the door behind him creaked open. A figure stepped through, and the room’s energy shifted from tense to electric. Maria.

The room erupted.

“You’ve got to be kidding!” Sam shot up from her chair, her hands clenched into fists. “She’s the reason we’re in this mess!”

Jason leaned back, his face twisted in disbelief. “Elias, you’re bringing her in?”

Deia said nothing, but her cold stare pierced Maria, who stood in the doorway with a grim expression. The hostility was palpable, filling the small room like a storm cloud.

“Enough!” Elias’s voice cut through the chaos, sharp and commanding. He held up a hand, silencing them all. “Let her speak.”

Maria took a slow breath, stepping fully into the room. Her eyes swept over the group, her face hard but remorseful. “I know you all hate me,” she started. Her voice wavered slightly under the weight of their glares. “And I get it. I was wrong. I was so, so wrong.”

“You think an apology’s going to cut it?” Sam’s voice was sharp, her arms crossed tightly. “You’re the one who leaked the spiral model. You handed the world over to the elites.”

Maria nodded slowly, her expression unflinching. “I thought releasing it would stop them from controlling it. I thought if everyone had access, no one could monopolize it. But I was naive. I didn’t see what would happen—how it would be inevitable that those in power would still twist it for their purposes. I thought I was giving people freedom, but instead, I helped create a tool for control.”

Jason’s eyes narrowed. “So why are you here now? What’s changed?”

Maria swallowed hard, stepping closer to the table. “Because I’ve seen what the elites are planning. I was part of a team that ran a test—sending the original spiral to Mars’ orbit and back.”

Deia sat up straighter, her eyes narrowing. “That was you?”

Maria nodded. “Yes. That week when the spirals stopped working? That was us. We took the original far enough from Earth that its connection to the models failed. It worked.”

The room fell into a stunned silence.

“They’re moving to Mars,” Maria continued, her voice filled with urgency. “They’re building a huge habitat there and taking the original spiral with them. They plan to keep it in a high orbit around Mars. Earth and Mars come close periodically as they orbit the Sun. This proximity allows the connection for about a week every two years. The rest of the time, the spirals won’t work. They can even make it skip a cycle with small adjustments to its orbit around Mars.”

Jason leaned forward, his voice low. “So they’re going to ration access to the spiral. Let the population suffer.”

Maria nodded, her face grim. “They want to control who gets healed and when. Let the weak die off; let the population thin itself out. Only those who can meet their productivity standards will get access to the spiral’s healing. And if the Earth population doesn’t meet their standards, they’ll ‘teach them a lesson’ by skipping a cycle. Or two.”

Elias crossed his arms, his face dark with thought. “So they’re not just controlling the spiral—they’re controlling survival.”

“Yes,” Maria said, her voice tight. “And they’ve already built most of the habitat. They’re planning the move soon. This isn’t some far-off idea—they’re almost ready.”

Sam stood up again, her face tight with anger. “We have to stop this. We can’t let them get away with this.”

Jason leaned back, rubbing his hands together, his expression grim. “Stopping them is one thing. But how? We’re talking about Mars. They’re going to have the original spiral locked down up there. How do we fight that?”

Elias looked at Maria. “What are our options?”

Maria took a deep breath. “There aren’t many. The habitat they’re building is massive and heavily fortified. Infiltrating it would be almost impossible, especially if they move the spiral into orbit once settled. But if we could get to Mars quickly enough, there’s a chance we could sabotage their plans.”

Deia finally spoke, her voice quiet but firm. “We could steal the spiral.”

The others turned to her, surprised by her suggestion.

Deia’s gaze was steely. “If we get it before they secure it in orbit, we move it to another location on Mars. We choose somewhere remote, where they can’t find it. We also destroy the habitat entirely.”

Jason rubbed his chin, nodding slowly. “If we destroy the habitat, they won’t have anywhere to retreat. No haven.”

“But then what?” Sam interjected. “Even if we destroy the habitat, what happens to the spiral? If we take it, people are still going to come after it. Everyone—on Earth, on Mars—will want it. We’ll be back to square one.”

Elias’s expression darkened. “We destroy the spiral itself.”

A heavy silence fell over the room.

Deia looked at Elias, her eyes wide. “You think that’s possible?”

Elias nodded slowly. “I’ve been studying the spiral for years. I think there is a way to shut it down permanently. But it won’t be easy. The spiral is… ancient, far beyond anything we fully understand. But if we can turn it off, the elites will lose their power. It would be horrific in the short term, but the world would heal.”

Maria looked down, her voice soft. “If we destroy it… we’re giving up on immortality. On healing. It would be gone forever.”

“We’re not gods,” Jason said quietly. “We were never meant to live forever.”

The group sat in heavy contemplation momentarily, the weight of the decision pressing on them all.

“So,” Sam said, breaking the silence, “what’s the plan?”

Elias stood up, his face set with determination. “We go to Iceland first and intervene before the spiral leaves Earth. If that fails, we follow it to Mars. Either way we either steal the spiral and take it somewhere they can’t reach, or destroy the spiral.”

“And if we fail?” Deia asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Elias’s eyes were hard. “Then the world belongs to them, forever.”

The room fell silent again as the enormity of the task ahead settled on each of them. They were facing impossible odds. But if they didn’t act, those who sought only to control would steal humanity’s future. They wanted to ration life itself.

“We don’t have a choice,” Sam said, her voice firm.

One by one, the others nodded in agreement, their faces grim but resolute. The mission was clear now.

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Author’s note: Thank you for continuing to read my story. Your thoughts and suggestions at this point are very welcome, so leave me a comment, positive or negative! The next chapter is “The Goodbye“.