The first sign of trouble came from the Warrens.
I was in the war room with Selene, reviewing the latest integration reports, when my phone buzzed with an urgent message from Olivia Chen.
*James,* the message read. *Something's happening in the Warrens. People are gathering in the streets. They're scared. They say the network is changing. They say it's starting to control them.*
I stared at the message, the weight of its words pressing down on me. The network was changing. People were scared.
"I need to go to the Warrens," I said, already moving toward the door. "There's something happening."
---
I moved through the streets of the Warrens, the network pulsing in the back of my mind.
The crowd was gathering in the central square—hundreds of people, their faces filled with fear. They
