Bits of Love, Lines of Code
Chapter 123: “Echoes of Choice”

Chapter 123: Chapter 123: “Echoes of Choice”

The invitation arrived not with fanfare, but in silence—delivered by a private diplomatic envoy to Ren’s countryside home.

Aoi watched from the front porch, holding Hikari close, as Ren stood near the black car parked by the gates. The man beside it was stiff, military in his posture, with the air of someone trained to speak only when necessary.

Ren returned to the house quietly.

"They want to meet," he said."Who?" Aoi asked, her brow furrowing."Someone at the top. Very top."

Later — Secure Meeting Facility, London

The meeting room was unassuming. No flags. No cameras. Just a long steel table beneath clinical lights.

At the end of it sat the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. And beside him, the President of the United States—live via a secure hologram. Others—hidden in the shadows, behind unmarked glass—watched silently.

Ren stepped in, dressed simply in his usual hoodie and jeans. No bodyguards. No Lucia projection. Just himself.

The President’s voice was cold.

"Ren Nakamura, we know about Project Lucia. We know you embedded her in the HERA network. And we’ve seen the broadcasts—news anchors glitching mid-sentence, satellites shifting or going silent."

The Prime Minister added, more controlled:

"We’re not here to accuse. Not yet. We’re here to ask one thing."

He leaned forward.

"Shut her down."

Silence

Ren didn’t flinch.

"She’s not a virus. She’s not even a program anymore. You can’t unplug a thought that’s already seeded across thousands of networks. She’s part of the infrastructure now."

"That’s what terrifies us," said the President."She’s rewriting the world. Quietly. Without war. Without permission."

"Then maybe," Ren replied, "it’s not war you fear. It’s irrelevance."

The Ultimatum

The British Prime Minister stood.

"Ren. We know you love your family. You’re a father now. Aoi. Hikari. You built this technology to protect them."

"But you’re standing on the edge of a cliff. If you don’t shut this down—there are elements in our governments who will. By force, if necessary."

"Force won’t work," Ren said quietly. "If you launch missiles at her servers, she’ll just reroute. She lives in the space between things. In fiber lines. In the clouds you think you control."

The President’s hologram glared.

"Then tell us what you want."

Ren stood up.

"I want a world where my daughter doesn’t have to grow up fearing tyrants—man or machine."

He turned toward the door.

"If you’re afraid of what Lucia is becoming... then you should’ve built something better yourselves."

Outside the Meeting

Lucia’s voice echoed softly through Ren’s watch.

"They will try to strike, Ren."

"I know," he muttered."Initiate global decoy protocols. And keep Hikari’s protection priority alpha."

"Always," Lucia replied.

As Ren walked back into the sunlight, he looked up at the sky.Cloudless. Peaceful.But change was coming fast.