The first alert was a whisper, not a scream. It wasn't a flagged security breach or a crashing server. It was an email, forwarded from a monitored account at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control to a colleague, with the subject line: “Odd clustering in Milan recovery data – your thoughts?”
Jax’s algorithms, which trawled for keywords related to their operations, picked it up instantly. He isolated the attached preliminary report and felt a cold knot tighten in his stomach. It wasn't an accusation. It was something more dangerous: academic curiosity.
He brought it to the command center, projecting the data onto the main screen. “They’ve noticed,” he said, his voice tight.
Kael, Selene, and Lyra gathered around. The report was dry, filled with statistical jargon, but the
