The hayloft of Oakhaven had been repurposed as an ad hoc command center. The sweet, dusty scent of stored grain provided a stark contrast to the sterile seriousness of data streaming on Reuben's computer screen. He'd seen a pattern for days, a soft, malevolent deviation that the System had flagged with a nagging, mustard-yellow caution—not the fiery red of an in-the-next-minute explosion, but the color of a smoldering fuse.
[Pathogen Identified: Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Drug-Resistant Strain (MDR-TB).
[Location: Industrial Sector Docks, Harbor City.
[Projected Outbreak: 6-8 weeks. Estimated Casualties: 1,200-1,800 without intervention. R0: 4.2.]
Tuberculosis. The White Plague. A disease of whispers and slow rot, best suited to the damp, squalid slums and badly ventilated factory flo
