The camera captured every nuance of his expression, the subtle menace that lay beneath diplomatic language.
"But this message carries greater importance than political alliances."
Arthur leaned forward slightly, the motion drawing every viewer's attention with hypnotic intensity.
"The world will experience fundamental change in approximately fifty minutes."
Arthur dropped information equivalent to a nuclear bomb; he dropped it without ceremony.
"This is not a threat. This is not a warning about future possibilities. This is certainty based on information your governments do not possess."
Truth. Undeniable, terrifying truth.
"Those who are still able—prepare yourselves. Ensure your loved ones are safe. Stockpile resources. Prepare for a reality where the impossible becomes commonplace."
Arthur's voice dropped to deadly serious tones.
"Many will die in the coming hours. This is not a prediction—it is an inevitability. I urge all nations, regardless of their stance toward me, to prioritise citizen protection above political considerations."
"The old world ends in fifty minutes. What emerges afterwards will be shaped by the choices made in the next hour."
Arthur stood, his full presence filling the camera frame.
Cut. Final. Absolute.
The recording stopped, leaving the room in silence.
The magnitude of what Arthur had just announced—the certainty with which he'd delivered apocalyptic predictions—sent ripples of understanding through everyone present.
Gates stared at the playback screen.
"Fifty minutes," Arthur confirmed. "Well..slightly less now."
The countdown never lies.
One of the subordinates spoke up, voice carefully controlled. "Sir, the global response to this will be..."
"Chaos," Arthur finished. "And panic. But those who prepare will have a chance of living as for those who still deny...it's the outcome of their choices. I conveyed my message, now it's up to them...whether they believe me or not."
"Release it immediately," he commanded. "Every platform, every channel, every government contact we have. The world deserves whatever warning we can provide."
Even if they won't believe it until it's too late.
Gates nodded to his team, who immediately began implementing distribution protocols. Within minutes, Arthur's message would reach every corner of the connected world.
Arthur checked his internal countdown again.
Forty-seven minutes until everything changes.
"What about Charlotte?" Gates asked quietly.
Arthur's expression softened marginally.
"When the merge completes, healing becomes possible. Jasmine's abilities..." He paused.
"They're beyond anything this world has ever seen."
"Until then, we prepare for war."
Because that's what's coming. War unlike anything Earth has ever imagined.
The recording finished uploading, carrying Arthur's message to a world that had forty-six minutes to prepare for the impossible.
Let's see how humanity handles the truth.
The video exploded across every platform simultaneously.
Within minutes, Arthur's message ricocheted through social media like digital wildfire. News stations interrupted regular programming. Government emergency protocols activated worldwide.
Fifty minutes until the impossible.
Beijing - Chinese Ministry of Defense
General Liu Wei stared at the secure feed, his face full of smiles. Around the situation room, China's top military minds processed Arthur's words with tactical precision.
"Sir," his aide whispered.
"The American delegation is demanding we denounce this terrorist propaganda."
Liu's laugh was bitter.
"Terrorist? This man will single-handedly wipe the floor with their special forces unit that they have been working hard on training. Their 'terrorist' controls powers beyond our comprehension."
While they play politics, we prepare for war.
"Order immediate military mobilization. Evacuate major population centers. If Arthur says forty-seven minutes, we have forty-seven minutes."
The room erupted into controlled chaos. Phones blazed with emergency protocols. Screens lit up with deployment orders cascading through China's vast military network.
Trust the man who proved his power. Ignore the fools who deny reality.
Washington D.C. - Pentagon War Room
Secretary of Defence slammed his fist on the polished table, his face flushed with rage and fear.
"This is psychological warfare! Mass manipulation designed to destabilise global order!"
But his voice carried uncertainty.
General Morrison, head of Special Operations, leaned forward with grim authority.
"Sir, with respect, we've seen Arthur's capabilities firsthand. Satellite footage shows impossible feats. Maybe we should—"
"We should what? Bow to a terrorist's demands?"
Morrison's expression hardened.
"Sir, I recommend immediate contact with Donald. We need to speed up our plans. If Arthur's timeline is accurate, we need our Armageddon assets prepared for emergencies."
Harrison's fury dimmed as reality crashed in.
"Do it. Get Donald ready. And..." He paused, bile rising in his throat.
"Activate domestic defence protocols. Just in case this madman isn't bluffing."
France - Élysée Palace
President Dubois watched Arthur's message with smiling eyes. Unlike his American counterparts, he possessed the political flexibility that came from understanding changing power structures.
"Minister Rousseau," he addressed his Defence Minister. "Your assessment?"
"Factual. Direct. No political theatre or grandiose threats. This man doesn't speak without reason, it's the truth."
Terrifying in its simplicity.
"And our alliance position?"
"Beneficial regardless of outcome. If Arthur's timeline proves accurate, we're protected. If this is elaborate psychological warfare, we've gained valuable intelligence about his methods."
Dubois nodded. "Implement emergency protocols. Give a speech to the public, calm the panicking population down....sigh...he has created so many problems...but also solved so many."
Hospital Conference Room
Gates coordinated the most expensive emergency preparation in corporate history.
His subordinates worked, implementing contingency plans worth billions of dollars. Private security forces mobilised. Corporate assets were already liquidated into portable resources.
"Status report," Gates demanded.
"Emergency supplies distributed to all safe houses. Private military contractors are on standby. Medical facilities are secured with enhanced security."
Money can't buy everything. But it buys options.
"And Arthur's sister?"
"Portable life support prepared. Medical team standing by, just in case anything goes wrong."
"We have also prepared the strongest, heavy weapons available....We are ready."
Gates nodded grimly. Charlotte's condition remained critical, but they'd created the best possible circumstances for whatever healing Arthur's mysterious ally could provide.
Forty minutes until miracles become possible.
The internet burned with reactions ranging from panic to ridicule.
#ArmageddonCountdown trended worldwide within fifteen minutes.
Conspiracy theorists proclaimed vindication. Government officials issued contradictory statements.
Religious leaders debated theological implications.
Some prepared. Most argued.
It was human nature...they were predictable even when facing the impossible.