The Thorne Interceptor screamed across the Hudson, its hull battered from the New Jersey skirmish. Inside, the medical bay was a frantic theater of blue and violet light. Elara worked on Isabella, whose neural pathways were still smoking from the "Empathy Virus" backlash.
"She’s stabilized, but the Mandate left a 'Backdoor' in her mind," Elara reported, her voice tight as she checked the scanners. "Lucian, the Anonymous didn't just retreat. They’ve moved the Sovereign Mandate into the Aqueduct Protocol."
"The water filtration system," Lucian’s voice crackled through the comms from the Spire. "If they release a bio-chemical overwrite into the city's reservoirs, they won't need drones to control the population. They’ll do it from the inside out."
"We need the Primal Strain," Elara said, l
