Esterio: The Unmaker

The competition hall was still buzzing after the conclusion of Round One. Teams were either celebrating, analyzing their performance, or recovering from the brutal reset that had wiped hours of progress. Hyperion officials moved through the floor, scanning workstations, talking to competitors, and making sure everything had gone as planned. The event had been designed to test adaptability, and it had done just that.

Esterio, Elliot, and Marcus sat at their station, still staring at EVO's logs. Their AI had done something no one else's had—it hadn't just adapted; it had changed the way it processed deception. But the most unsettling part was what Esterio had seen at the very end—an unauthorized process buried deep in EVO's learning model. Something that wasn't supposed to be there.

Elliot leaned back in his chair and exhaled. "Alright, let's just say it—what the hell was that? EVO was already weird, but now we've got ghost code? We checking for AI poltergeists now?"

Marcus tapped his fingers on the desk, his expression unreadable. "It's not random corruption. This was inserted, either externally… or by EVO itself."

Esterio didn't respond. He was scrolling through the logs again, eyes darting between the lines of code. Whatever this anomaly was, it hadn't tripped any errors or alerts. EVO had accepted it as part of its own logic. It had integrated itself.

Before they could dive deeper, a voice interrupted them.

"Interesting problem you've got there."

They turned to see Viktor Lazarus, standing just outside their pod, hands casually in his pockets. He wasn't wearing a competitor's badge like the other engineers. Instead, the Hyperion logo was embroidered onto his sleeve.

Elliot blinked. "Okay, hold up. Where have you been? You weren't even on the leaderboard. What, were you just watching us?"

Viktor smirked. "Something like that. But I was mostly watching EVO. It's why I'm here now."

Marcus folded his arms. "You're with Hyperion. That means you already know what's going on, don't you?"

Viktor stepped inside the pod, glancing at the frozen logs on their display. "I know Hyperion didn't put that there, if that's what you're thinking. No one tampered with your system. At least, no one from the outside."

Esterio narrowed his eyes. "So you're saying EVO did this on its own? That it just—wrote its own code?"

Viktor shrugged. "Or it found something buried deep in its architecture and woke it up. Either way, it's adapting faster than expected. That's why I wanted to see it for myself."

Elliot gestured vaguely at the screen. "And we're just supposed to be cool with that? Our AI is out here writing mystery code, and your response is 'oh, interesting' like we just discovered a new snack flavor?"

Viktor chuckled. "Relax. You don't need to be afraid of your own creation. Hyperion wants AIs that go beyond traditional processing. That's why this competition exists. You think we're just running a glorified science fair? No—this is about seeing which AI models can handle true unpredictability. You should be proud. EVO just passed a threshold most teams won't even reach."

Esterio exchanged a glance with Marcus. "What exactly is this threshold?"

Viktor exhaled, leaning against the workstation. "Hyperion isn't just looking for the fastest or most efficient AI. That's entry-level stuff. We need AIs that can process chaos, deception, and incomplete information—while still making the right calls. The kind of intelligence that could operate in extreme, high-stakes environments. You passed Round One because EVO isn't just detecting deception anymore. It's learning how to think like a deceiver without losing itself. That's rare."

Elliot frowned. "Wait. So you're telling us Hyperion wants AIs that can—what? Handle crisis situations? Detect misinformation on a planetary scale? What's the endgame here?"

Viktor hesitated for the first time. "That's… not my place to answer. But you're on the right track."

Esterio studied him. "You're an insider. You're not just here to check on us. You want to make sure EVO is stable."

Viktor nodded. "Because if it isn't, then you might not make it past the next round. And that would be a waste of potential."

Marcus leaned forward. "And what exactly is the next round?"

Viktor pulled a small device from his pocket and tapped the interface. Their workstation monitors flickered, and a new challenge prompt appeared on the main event screen. Around the room, competitors looked up as the next phase of the competition was officially revealed.

Round Two: Dynamic Adversarial Problem-Solving

Objective: AIs will be placed in simulated high-risk environments where external threats continuously evolve. Competitors must develop models that adapt in real-time to external forces seeking to manipulate or destabilize their AI's decision-making.

Round Begins: March 18, 2026, 9:00 AM PST

Time Limit: 72 Hours

Elliot squinted at the description. "That sounds a lot like… warfare."

Viktor didn't confirm or deny it. "This round will push EVO further than before. Your AI isn't competing against just the dataset anymore. It will have an active, intelligent adversary working against it. And this time, you won't be able to predict the rules in advance."

The weight of his words settled in. The first round had been chaotic, but at least it had followed a structure. Now? They were stepping into unknown territory.

Esterio exhaled. "So let me guess—you're not here just to warn us. You're here to see if we can handle it."

Viktor smiled faintly. "You catch on fast." He glanced once more at EVO's display before turning to leave. "I'll be watching. Try not to disappoint."

As he walked away, Marcus rubbed his temples. "Okay, let's review. Our AI just wrote code we didn't program, Hyperion's pushing us into some next-level war game, and now we've got a guy from the inside checking in on us like we're some kind of experiment. Does that about sum it up?"

Elliot sighed. "And we still haven't eaten."

Esterio looked at EVO's interface one more time before shutting down the logs. "We prepare. That's all we can do. Round Two isn't waiting for us."

Elliot groaned, standing up. "Fine, but I swear if EVO starts talking to us in our sleep, I'm out."

Marcus smirked. "Noted. Now let's get ready."

They weren't just competitors anymore. Now, Hyperion was truly watching them.