Chapter 22: Labyrinth of Lies

The safehouse was quiet, but the air buzzed with tension as Maria and Julia pored over the stolen files. The data from PRASASTI was vast, but a particular folder caught Julia’s eye.

“Look at this,” Julia said, pointing to a video file labeled ‘Dunnorage Debate - Fendi/Sarah.’

Maria leaned closer. “It’s dated years before PRASASTI was involved. This must be from when the project first started.”

Ikran entered the room, his face serious. “What did you find?”

“Proof,” Julia said. “And something else. Fendi and Sarah—both of them—debating Dunnorage’s creation. This could change everything.”

The team gathered around the laptop as Julia clicked on the file. The screen flickered to life, revealing a dimly lit room filled with monitors and blueprints.

In the center of the frame stood Dr. Fendi, his disheveled hair and intense gaze betraying his exhaustion. Next to him, Sarah—poised, calm, and eerily confident—looked like a mirror image, but her demeanor was strikingly different.

“This is madness, Fendi,” Sarah said, her tone sharp. “You’re talking about a neural network that controls people’s thoughts. Do you realize the consequences?”

“It’s not control,” Fendi countered, his voice pleading. “It’s guidance—a way to unify society and eliminate chaos. Imagine a world where everyone works toward the same goal.”

Sarah crossed her arms, her expression unyielding. “And who decides that goal? You? PRASASTI? Or the highest bidder? This is a weapon, Fendi, and you know it.”

Fendi’s frustration boiled over. “It doesn’t have to be! Dunnorage could save lives, end wars, solve problems humanity can’t fix on its own.”

“And at what cost?” Sarah shot back. “Freedom? Identity? You’re blinded by your ambition. You’ve forgotten why we started this—to help people, not control them.”

The room fell silent as the two stared at each other, the weight of their argument hanging in the air.

Finally, Sarah spoke again, her voice softer. “If you go through with this, there’s no turning back. PRASASTI will take everything you’ve built and twist it into something monstrous. Is that what you want?”

Fendi looked away, his shoulders slumping. “I don’t know anymore.”

The video ended abruptly, leaving the room in silence.

Maria exhaled slowly. “That was... intense.”

“They knew,” Julia said, her voice trembling. “They knew what Dunnorage could become, and they still went ahead with it.”

“Or rather, Fendi did,” Ikran said grimly. “But Sarah tried to stop him. It explains why Kentofes targeted Fendi—they needed his expertise. And Sarah... she must have been a threat to their plans.”

Maria frowned. “What happened to Sarah?”

Julia shook her head. “We don’t know. But if Kentofes silenced her, it means she was on the right side of this.”

The video sparked a heated discussion among the team.

“This changes everything,” Maria said. “If we can expose this, it’ll show that even the project’s creator had doubts.”

“But it also shows how far PRASASTI has gone to bury the truth,” Julia countered. “If they’re willing to kill to keep this hidden, what will they do when this leaks?”

Ikran stood, his expression steely. “We use it. This video is our ace. But we need to be smart about how we release it. One wrong move, and they’ll discredit it—or worse, destroy us before we can.”

As they planned their next move, the weight of Fendi and Sarah’s debate lingered in the room. It was more than just a glimpse into the past—it was a warning of what could happen if they failed.

The labyrinth of lies PRASASTI had built was vast, but the team was determined to unravel it, no matter the cost.