"More beer, sir?"

In a cheap little bar on the outskirts of Innsbruck, a Federation town of Tirion, a waiter was looking at a man sitting at a table by the window, with at least five now empty beer glasses leaning on it. The man was Malcolm Croft.

The scientist had had much better days. His beard and hair were unkempt and unkempt, and the lines on his face had sharply arched. He wore simple clothes stained in several places and the smell of alcohol was easily perceptible.

"Yes thanks. In fact, bring me two, I'm barely tipsy" Croft grumbled. The waiter just shrugged and walked away from the man. He surely thought he was some wretch who had just lost his job, or a poor husband who had just discovered his wife's betrayal.

In reality, Croft was none of these categories. He was in fact the scientist who had laid the foundations for the destruction of the whole world.

Croft had always wanted only one thing in his life: fame. While the purpose of science was hardly to get rich, Croft hated seeing thousands of scientists work hard on a project while the billionaire backer took all the credit. This had led Croft to make some rather questionable choices in his life, and when he had figured out how to use nuclear fusion to create a weapon he did not hesitate to strut in front of governments, even abandoning his native country and all the people he knew, including his favorite pupil Liam, and selling himself to the Pengland Empire to see the atomic bomb made.

In Croft's mind, the nuclear device was to be the weapon that would end the war with the dinosaurs. Once he showed his power to him, the dinosaurs would lower their heads and agree to go down to softer negotiations, and slowly the situation would be resolved with the winning humans. Instead, everything had gone in the opposite direction. Many human nations had sided with the dinosaurs and among them were superpowers that possessed the nuclear bomb. Croft hated the idea of such a weapon being used on people, but above all he feared what the result would be if a war broke out now: the planet was in danger of being completely destroyed. And it was only his fault.

Croft was a scientist and, as such, had a moral obligation to acknowledge his mistakes; and seeing the success that the Eden Union was enjoying and the ideal of coexistence between humans and animals being realized, albeit very slowly, he realized how wrong he had been. He cursed himself every day for not having listened to Liam in his time, and not having torn up the atomic bomb project right away. Croft had been too proud at the time to accept that his pupil could be wiser than he; instead, Liam had turned out to be the right one and was now on his way to the planet Ares to establish the first colony on it, laying the foundation for humanity's elevation to multiplanetary civilization, while Croft was the man who had built the weapon that threatened to destroy the whole world.

And he had unfortunately not stopped yet. Over the past three years, the search for him with nuclear bombs had not stopped. The Pengland Empire and the Tirion Federation had asked him to build even more powerful weapons, and Croft had been too cowardly to refuse. By now he was close to creating a bomb powered by hydrogen, a device he had dubbed the 'thermonuclear bomb', an extremely advanced version of the atomic bomb that could do thousands of times greater damage.

However, Croft was tired and no longer willing to obey. He knew he was an idiot, but he wanted to at least try to fix it. In those three years he had learned how to avoid the guards who watched him without giving the impression that he was doing something suspicious. He had come up with a plan to weaken what was left of the Commission and strengthen Eden Union. However, he couldn't do it alone. That's why he was in that bar.

A slight tinkle announced that the door to the room had opened. Croft didn't look up from his pint, but he clearly heard the clatter of heels approaching him.

"You are an indecent sight"

Croft let out a snort and looked up to find a young woman with slightly brown hair and a very beautiful face in front of him. "Good evening to you too, Alycia"

The woman sat down opposite him. The waiter made her to approach, but she waved him away. The man, who was used to strange customers, disappeared into the kitchen without saying a word, not wanting to be involved in whatever the two were plotting.

Croft looked closely at the person in front of him. When he first met Alycia, she was a doctoral student visiting her laboratory with a keen skill in technology, so much so that Darius Tanz himself had noticed and taken her under her wing. Alycia had turned out to be a wizard of programming and hacking, and for a while it even seemed that Darius wanted to make her heir to her. Unfortunately, however, the relationship between the two had cracked and Alycia had been estranged. And since Darius was an important figure in the Kingdom of Niger, the only solution for the girl to still be able to find work was to change countries.

Now, years later, Alycia had become a very beautiful woman and had a much more firm and authoritative bearing. Croft didn't know what challenges he had faced in his life and he didn't care; she only knew that she was honest and that she was an excellent hacker, and that was enough for him. "You got my message, I see"

"Yeah, and I didn't like its content even one bit. Do you realize that you could be court-martialed for revealing such secrets to me?" Alycia asked. Her gaze was hard, but her hands were shaking slightly.

About twenty-four hours earlier, Croft had sent Alycia a message on a hidden channel, containing several files where he explained in detail all the information regarding the atomic bombs and the plans of the governments, then asking her to meet him in that bar in the evening. "I may not be a programming genius like you, but I have learned something over the years. The channel on which I sent you that information was encrypted and I deleted it immediately after sending it to you. Unless I am constituted or you denounce me, there is no way they will discover me"

Alycia seemed heartened by those words, even though her face didn't change expression. "So is it all true? Do such weapons really exist?"

"Yes. And those crazy NMWA's members want to use them. I don't know when they will, but they will use them is certain" Croft replied.

"Jesus Christ" Alycia murmured, rubbing her fingers over her eyelids. Although she tried not to let her emotions out of her it was clear that she was upset. "What do you want from me?"

Croft leaned towards her. "Avoid a disaster. And I'm not asking for your help, but that of RE/SYST"

Alycia jumped, and her hand snapped to her left trouser pocket, where she most likely hid a gun: "How do you know?"

"You can rest assured, they haven't discovered you. I guessed it. When I learned that a group of hackers had started harassing the NMWA, I realized that the only person capable of such a level of hacking could only be you, Alycia... or should I call you Nero?" Croft replied, sipping his beer.

About a year earlier, many of the NMWA's military espionage facilities had started being hacked, such as drones and satellites. Furthermore, several scandals of presidents and governors had been brought to light, exposing the corruption that plagued the nations. Initially the NMWA had thought of an enemy cyber attack, but soon all these actions were claimed by an internal adversary: a group of hackers called RE/SYST, which had declared its intention to expose all the rottenness that governments were hiding. Even though RE/SYST limited itself to hacking and disseminating information, such actions had led the people of many countries to rebel and oust their leaders. This had also caused many nations to lose faith in the NMWA and join the Eden Union.

And of course Alycia was Nero, the founder of this digital resistance. RE/SYST was born because people like her couldn't stand the lies anymore. However, she would certainly not have admitted it out loud: the NMWA had branded RE/SYST as a group of terrorists, declaring oneself part of it meant spending the rest of one's life in prison if it went well. However, she was also interested in what Croft had to say. "Let's say I'm really Nero. What do you want?"

The scientist folded his hands. "I told you, avoid a disaster. If those bombs go off, the world is done for. But we can avoid it if we work together"

"What's on your mind?"

"First, I want RE/SYST to make the information I have given you public. Make it clear that the Republic of Meilong and the Prettania Kingdom were against the creation of these weapons and their use, and that all the fault lies with the NMWA. This will cause a further loss of confidence in the NMWA which will lead many people to turn against the government"

"Many politicians are already deprived of popular consensus. Monroe Bennett has a lot of dissent in his country and within the Council of the Confederate States of Vinland. This information would definitely cause him to fall"

"Exactly, and in doing so the NMWA would lose a lot of power. It is very likely that the next President of the Confederate States of Vinland will choose to join the Eden Union. The NMWA will lose one more superpower, plus all the other nations that will lose faith in it. Only the nations most loyal to the Gardarikian Federation and the Almagna Empire will remain on their side"

"I understand. It would be a blow that would put Eden Union at an extreme advantage. In an optimistic forecast just a hundred nations will remain on the NMWA, while all the others will join the Eden Union. However, this will certainly not stop the nuclear war: the loss of a superpower will not be enough to make those madmen give up"

"No, in fact, that's why I have something else in mind. What would you tell me if I told you that in recent years I have created a backdoor in the missile system that allows access to the nuclear launch codes, without the ones the missiles cannot start?"

Alycia widened her eyes in surprise: "Seriously!?"

"Seriously. I will tell you how to find it. In this way, RE/SYST will have full access to the NMWA's missile system. However, I don't want you to turn them off immediately. For the moment you will not have to make the military understand that you have hacked the missiles, or they could organize a counter-hack"

"I think I understand. You want us to hack them, but to deactivate them only in case war breaks out"

"Exactly. Unfortunately, I cannot guarantee that the launch codes that I will give you access to will be all those in possession of the NMWA, or that they do not have others hidden somewhere, so I advise you to investigate further and find out as much as possible"

"We will do it. But even if we take control of all the missiles, that will only apply to the NMWA's missiles. What will we do for those in possession of the Eden Union? I doubt you have a backdoor for those too"

"There will be no need: Queen Mackenzie left the NMWA precisely because she didn't want to use nuclear weapons. I am sure they are considering not opening fire unless the NMWA does it first. However, for safety, it would be advisable to notify her, obviously in great secrecy. Also, I would like you to send you the coordinates for the NMWA's missile bases; in this way, when the war breaks out, you will prevent the missiles from leaving and the Eden Union will know exactly which places to destroy in order to completely eliminate the enemy defense"

Alycia remained silent, with a calculating gaze. It was clear that she was considering Croft's proposal. In the end she chose to accept: "I will have to compare myself with others to determine if this will be our course of action, but you have my word that I will support it"

"Thank you. If the other RE/SYST members are as smart as you are, then they will see that this is the best decision to make" Croft said happily.

Alycia nodded. "There's more?"

"Yes. As you well know, many of the dictatorships and oligarchies have collapsed over the past three years, but some of them are still standing, obviously thanks to the support of the NMWA. These are likely to be the nations that remain loyal to the NMWA, because joining the Eden Union would mean losing their power. I would like RE/SYST to identify any possible outbreak of revolt and put it in contact with the Eden Union, so that they can come to an agreement to provide weapons, men, logistics and espionage"

"Do you want to arm the resistance?"

"Every nation that we manage to take away from the NMWA contributes to weakening its power. Civil wars are never beautiful, but here we are talking about overthrowing dictatorships. Since Eden Union cannot intervene directly without declaring war, this is the only way. The fewer nations remain loyal to the NMWA, the less power the NMWA will have when the powder keg explodes. Furthermore, I know for certain that in the Gardarikian Federation many states are against the line of action taken by the president, even if they do not declare it out of fear; if they rise up, the Gardarikian Federation will plunge into a civil war which, if handled in the right way, could bring down the current government and finally free the people from its grip. A people who, after all they have had to endure, I doubt will still want to remain in the NMWA, removing another superpower from the chessboard"

Alycia wrinkled her nose, but when she spoke of her her tone was very calm: "As much as you hate the idea of further bloodshed, I realize that yours is a great plan. I will discuss this with the other RE/SYST members and decide what to do. Should we also try with the Almagna Empire?"

"You can try if you want, but from my point of view it would be useless. Unlike the Gardarikian Federation, the Almagna Empire is a completely totalitarian nation. Resistance would be nearly impossible" Croft replied with a hint of melancholy in his voice. "I wish it were otherwise, as that way we could end the atomic war before it starts, but I don't think there is a chance. In my opinion, without the intervention of an external power, the emperor will never fall"

"I understand. Alright then". Alycia took out of her pocket a pair of glasses identical to Croft's. "Hold on. With these you can contact us in the future"

"I guess they aren't glasses"

"No, in fact. They are cleverly disguised communication devices. Apparently they work like normal glasses, but through a special impulse due to fingerprints they become a sort of telephone"

"Oh… okay" Croft said reaching out for his glasses, but Alycia pulled back. The scientist was surprised by that action. "What's up?"

"Croft, we will carry on with his plan even without you. He'd be safer for you to stay out of it. If the NMWA will dicover your betrayal, you would be dead"

"And do you think I have something to lose? I'm a fucking old man with no family or friends. No, Alycia, I want to go through with it. Any information I can find out in the future can be useful. And if they find me... at least I will die for a right cause". The scientist's gaze became dark: "I designed those weapons, Alycia. I have to fix it… or at least try. I don't want to be remembered only as the man who brought hell to earth, I want future generations to speak of me as the one who gave the world a second chance"

Alycia nodded. "Okay, then they're yours" she said, handing him the glasses. "They have a self-destruct device. If you ever think you have been discovered, it will destroy your glasses and with it the evidence of your guilt"

"You've thought of everything, I see" Croft complimented her, taking off his glasses and replacing them with technological ones.

Alycia smiled. "I'm a tech genius, don't forget it"

The two quickly talked about the final details, then parted ways a few minutes later. Although few historians in the future would have remembered it, it was there, in that dilapidated bar on the outskirts of Innsbruck, that the fate of many nations was decided.