X-One, X-Two, and X-Three collapsed completely. Blood dripped from their noses. Their eyes rolled back. The separation I'd forced had damaged them more severely than I'd anticipated.
But they were still breathing. Still alive. Still dangerous.
"Eva, we need to move—" Subject Seven grabbed my arm.
"No." I pulled free. "This is what Dr. Chen wanted. She said I was the catalyst. Said she needed them desperate enough to reveal their true capabilities. But she was lying. She needed them separated. Needed them vulnerable."
"Vulnerable to what?"
Before he could answer, the three figures on the ground began convulsing. Not from pain. From something else. Something invading them through the severed quantum network.
"Override protocols," X-One gasped. "System compromised. Primary consciousness
