The Schism came for me at dawn.
I was in the safehouse, reviewing the network's integration reports with Freya, when the first explosion rocked the building. The lights flickered, the walls shook. The network screamed.
"James!" Selene's voice crackled through the earpiece. "We're under attack! Someone's targeting the network nodes in the Core District!"
"The Schism," I said, already moving. "They're making their move."
---
I moved through the streets of the Core District, the network pulsing in the back of my mind.
The city was in chaos. Fires burned in the distance. Sirens wailed. People were running, their faces filled with fear. The Schism had been planning this for weeks, waiting for the right moment to strike.
I found the first attack site—a network node on the corner of Fifth
