The broadcast changed everything.
Within forty-eight hours, the city fractured along new lines. Some districts hailed the message as liberation, forming makeshift resistance cells against both Helix remnants and the growing hybrid presence. Others saw opportunity in the chaos. And the hybrids now openly moving in organized groups began offering “ascension” to those willing to accept the Code willingly. The temptation was powerful: rapid healing, enhanced strength, heightened senses, and pleasure that bordered on euphoric.
Ryker and Lira watched it unfold from a new safehouse on the edge of the industrial quarter a fortified rooftop loft with clear sightlines and multiple escape routes. The Code inside Ryker had grown quieter but more pervasive, no longer fighting for dominance but weavin
